Do we have to have an offensive-minded head coach?

Nelly

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The names that most commonly get referenced as our next head coach are Brian Daboll (Buffalo) and Greg Roman (Baltimore). Overlooked in that conversation is how both coach under head coaches who aren't offensive guys. Certainly it hasn't been too much of an obstacle for them to get the most out of their respective young QBs and thus the offense as a whole. Another one to consider is Joe Lombardi bringing Justin Herbert along under Brandon Staley for the Chargers.

We've tried the whole "bring in an OC from a successful offense" thing and it hasn't worked out. Is it out of the question that perhaps the Bears, as a team that's always had defense as it's identity, should at least entertain the idea of bringing in a defensive guy as the next head coach and trust him to bring in the next Daboll/Roman/Lombardi?
 

Mdbearz

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The premise that if your HC is also the primary architect of the offense then you will never lose your offensive identity still holds true.

This is an offensive League, most of the rules favor a good offense.
 

Nelly

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The problem is that you need to rely on your HC to be able to find several OCs. If the offense does well, OCs are poached for HC jobs.
Which is my point. You need a leader of men, a guy who knows how to put good people around him. You don't need an offensive (or defensive) mastermind. You can, however, have a great leader of men who happens to be an offensive or defensive mastermind, but it shouldn't be the primary criteria for who becomes your head coach.

And just for reference, the same will happen with defensive coaches. It's not just OCs that get hired as head coaches. In the last 4 years, you've had Fangio, Staley, Rhule, Flores, Judge, Saleh, Vrabel and Rivera all come from a defensive or ST background. If your team is doing well, you're going to have eyes on your coordinators and thus need to replace them from time to time.
 

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The problem is that you need to rely on your HC to be able to find several OCs. If the offense does well, OCs are poached for HC jobs.
Not necessarily but we get your point
 

Mdbearz

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How's that worked out for us? We can't wait to get rid of this offensive (non)identity attached to our offensive-minded head coach.
Nagy sucks, that is how it has worked out for us, but I still argue that the concept is still a sound one.

But the Bears are prone to react in the opposite direction if they get burnt, so they just might hire a Defensive minded HC.

Cutler was a gun slinger, so the Bears draft Trubisky, considered a safe option
Fox was old school, so the Bears Hire a new school up and coming HC.

The problem is that this is still an offensive dominated League with all the rules favoring the offense. If the Bears get a Defensive or ST guy, they will likely never find an OC that will make them competitive, and if they do he will get hired away the next season.
 

Enasic

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Some of the best HCs are not offensive guys off the top of my head

BB
Harbaugh
Tomlin
McDermott
Staley
Carroll
Vrabell

Just get the best guy, I really don’t care what side of the ball they specialize in. Need a competent, disciplined, and respected guy that excels in game management and game planning. Must be organized, detailed, no ego, and able to hold guys accountable as well as himself. Oh yeah…adaptable. That’s a big one
 

Zion

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I think yes because any good OC we get will likely move along to greener pastures as soon as he proves he's good.
 

Leomaz

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I know this is probably because of John Harbaugh but I’ve always like Dave Toub. I just don’t know if he has the Head Coach thing in him. He has been coaching in the league since 2001 he is only 59 so he isn’t too old. It would suck to hire h8m and he washes out after 2 seasons
 

Nelly

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The problem is that this is still an offensive dominated League with all the rules favoring the offense. If the Bears get a Defensive or ST guy, they will likely never find an OC that will make them competitive, and if they do he will get hired away the next season.
That depends on who's doing the hiring. If you get a respected DC as your head coach who can put quality people around him, prospective OCs will be lining up to coach for him because they know they'll get mostly full reign of the offense which leads to a showcase for a HC gig. If they get hired away then the process repeats, probably only every 3 years at most, that is, if things go well.

I think it falls back not so much which side of the ball the guy comes from, rather his ability to fulfill what's required from a "head" coach, not a one-side-of-the-ball coach. Here's a list of active coaches with the most wins and which side of the ball they came from:

1. Bill Belichick, 282, defensive
2. Andy Reid, 224, offensive
3. Mike Tomlin, 148, defensive
4. Pete Carroll, 147, defensive
5. Sean Payton, 146, offensive
6. Mike McCarthy, 136, offensive
7. John Harbaugh, 134, special teams
8. Ron Rivera, 85, defensive
9. Bruce Arians, 72, offensive
10. Mike Zimmer, 67, defensive
 

dreadpirateroberts

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I want Justin to have consistency when it comes to OC. If you have a good OC, he will eventually get poached and that’s the last thing Justin needs is a rotating door of them.
 

BaBaBlacksheep

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How's that worked out for us? We can't wait to get rid of this offensive (non)identity attached to our offensive-minded head coach.
Just because they hired the wrong guy doesn’t mean the strategy is wrong. By your logic the Bears shouldn’t have drafted Fields because Trubisky didn’t work out.

To answer your original question though there’s no reason not to hire a defensive based head coach or a ST guy….. as long as they have a good plan.
 

Chicago4Life

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The names that most commonly get referenced as our next head coach are Brian Daboll (Buffalo) and Greg Roman (Baltimore). Overlooked in that conversation is how both coach under head coaches who aren't offensive guys. Certainly it hasn't been too much of an obstacle for them to get the most out of their respective young QBs and thus the offense as a whole. Another one to consider is Joe Lombardi bringing Justin Herbert along under Brandon Staley for the Chargers.

We've tried the whole "bring in an OC from a successful offense" thing and it hasn't worked out. Is it out of the question that perhaps the Bears, as a team that's always had defense as it's identity, should at least entertain the idea of bringing in a defensive guy as the next head coach and trust him to bring in the next Daboll/Roman/Lombardi?



bears had lovie smith (defensive minded) who went through 3 coordinators...turner, martz and tice...suffice it to say they were all terrible
john fox (defensive minded) had gase and loggains...another shit show
matt nagy (offensive minded) this is skewed imo, he had talent everywhere in KC and could blindly pick anything and it'd work...he also only called plays for half a dozen games or so another should have been red flag....

there are examples of guys who do call plays and are fine like lafleur, shannahan, payton, stefanski, kingsbury so there is no right way or wrong way...

the biggest takeaway is having a GM that can provide talent at key positions and hire a HC that can actually elevate players...nagy has not elevated one player since his hire...
 
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TL1961

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Absolutely not….just one that can find a great offensive coordinator. I’d rather have a head coach who doesn’t call plays and delegates. Just my opinion
Defensive head coaches don’t let OCs play aggressive enough. Too conservative.
 

mattb78

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How things are setup now I think an offensive head coach makes the most sense.

1). Pace can draft defense. Plug and play defensive coordinator (like Desai) shouldn't be difficult finds.
2). Fields. We invested in him. We need someone to develop him and tailor a system around his unique talents. A revolving door OC and changing systems would be bad for him.
 

Dragon Slayer

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It's a copy cat league and once the Rams found McVay, it seems like almost all teams started looking for up and coming OC's. It can make a lot of sense if you hire the right guy. I'm open to just about anything. If the Bears can find an alpha like some of the other coaches said in this thread, then go for it. Just make sure he has a plan in place for Fields development and a path to a good offense.

McCaskey's have tried just about everything Lovie (defensive guy), Trestman (outside the box hire), Fox (Re-tread successful defensive coach) and now Nagy (offensive). They shouldn't limit themselves just to OC's, but they should probably top the list to start.
 

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