UPDATED: Future Head Coaching Options Discussion

[G08]

*** not my work

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I’m certainly not alone in thinking yesterday signaled the beginning of an end to the injury-plagued and ill-fated John Fox era in Chicago. I’m an admitted John Fox apologist, and until yesterday, I think justifiably so. He helped to turn the locker room around and instill a new culture, but he failed to turn a roster absolutely loaded with practice champions into real-life, NFL game champions. I’m not sure that this is entirely his fault; he is/was working with a rebuilding roster, an unexplainable rash of injuries, Brian Hoyer/Matt Barkley/Mike Glennon as Quarterbacks and more recently, questionable officiating. He’s done some good for the Bears, and I think that shouldn’t go unrecognized. But enough of that, there are better men out there for the job so let’s put on the rose-colored glasses, take a few shots of kool-aid, kiss a titty and take a peek into the future.

Right now, if a genie popped out of thin air and gave me the power to create the next Bears head coach out of scratch, here are the qualities I’d want:

Bright young offensive mind
Established NFL background with good experience
QB ‘mentor’ and ability to work with Mitch Trubisky
Willing to pass on first down
Ability to work well with Ryan Pace
Offensive scheme fit
Vic Fangio

For the record, my made-up coach is taking on the persona of Jay Cutler, the hair of Jay Cutler and hell, even the name Jay Cutler. In short, I’m looking to put the mind of Bill Belichick or Bill Walsh in the body of Jay Cutler. If he couldn’t bring it us to the promised land as a player, he’s doing it as a coach — what a world we would live in.
It’s no secret that this Bears team will only ride as high as Mitch takes them and it’s absolutely imperative to pick the right guy. I don’t want another coaching merry-go-round situation that ruins a potential franchise QB. Whoever Pace chooses to come in, they must be the gravy to Trubisky’s biscuits. The Payton to Brees. The Belichick to Brady. The Dungy Fox to Manning. The McCarthy to Rodgers. The Walsh to Montana. I could go on but the trend becomes clear, all great quarterbacks have been afforded with coaching consistency.

I honestly believe Mitch has all of the intangibles and talent to be a top-tier quarterback in this league, if developed right and put in a good situation. Pace knows this (I hope) and he knows that playing Foxball isn’t that right situation (I hope). So the question becomes, who is the right coach to develop Mitch? In my opinion, it’s not Jim Harbaugh, nor is it Josh Mcdaniels, but rather someone from Pace’s old stomping grounds – Pete Carmichael Jr.

Who is Pete Carmichael Jr.?

He began his NFL coaching career as a Browns tight-end coach and then a Redskins offensive assistant in 2001, but his first prolonged stay was with the San Diego Chargers from 2002-2005 as a quality control coach. He worked under Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer there and coached offensive players such as: Drew Brees, LT, Antonio Gates, Darren Sproles, Vincent Jackson and the young Philip Rivers. After San Diego, he followed Drew Brees to New Orleans and was a quarterbacks coach for 2 years before being promoted to Offensive Coordinator in 2009, he has held that role since.

But does he fit the criteria? Well for starters, he is not Jay Cutler with the mind of Belichick so we’ll have to settle once we leave that alternative universe and crash back down to reality. As far as the rest of the qualities go, let’s take a look.

Bright young offensive mind

This is a no-brainer check mark in my opinion, and the numbers tell the tale. Since being with the Saints, their offense has finished no worse than sixth in total yards. For all of those worried about being too pass happy, this year the Saints rank in the top 5 in both passing AND rushing YPG. He’s been calling plays for the Saints since 2016 and also in 2011 when Drew Brees set records while leading the Saints to a 13-3 record. I know that he does not deserve all of the credit since Sean Payton and Drew Brees have both been outstanding, but Pete Carmichael Jr. plays just as big of a role in that prolific Saints offense. As far as age goes, he is not in Sean McVay territory. At 46 he is instead in the Dan Quinn territory, which is still relatively young compared to the rest of the NFL. He’d be tied for the 8th youngest NFL head coach.

Established NFL background with good experience
15+ years of NFL coaching experience - check
Worked with a HOF QB - check
Experience of success - check
Won a Super Bowl - check
Coached pro-bowl/all-pro skill position players - check

Pete Carmichael Jr. really kills this checklist. He has a ton of experience, and it’s all good experience. It’s not like he was coaching with the defensive powerhouse Jacksonville Jaguars ala Mel Tucker or the Montreal Alouettes. No, he was busy working with the like of Sean Payton, Marty Schottenheimer, Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, LT, Antonio Gates and even the legend Aaron Kromer himself. You don’t spend 15 years with people like that and not learn. If that was the case, he wouldn't last 15 years.

QB ‘mentor’ and ability to work with Mitch Trubisky

Pete Carmichael has been around Drew Brees since the day he was drafted. Both in San Diego and New Orleans, Carmichael has been the constant in Drew Brees’ career. When Ryan Pace was asked what he liked about Mitch in the draft process he mentioned traits such as accuracy, intelligence, quick release, ability to make quick reads and leadership. I’m not the first to suggest that Mitch and Drew Brees possess many similar traits, and I don’t think it’s out of the question to suggest that Mitch’s ceiling is to be a player that resembles a more athletic Drew Brees. Why not pair one of Brees’ mentors with a guy that could be Brees 2.0? We are lucky that Mitch seems to be so coachable and I think that he could learn a lot from Pete Carmichael Jr.

Willing to pass on first down
Is his name John Fox? No. Dowell Loggains? No. Okay, check.
Ability to work well with Ryan Pace

In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated aspects of hiring the next head coach. I don’t think I stand alone in thinking that Ryan Pace is one badass **** who is capable of executing his plan to right this ship. His rebuild has been working, evidenced by a roster with good young talent and more than enough cap space.
He deserves a bit of flack for his FA misses but none have been so detrimental as to ruin the future outlook for the Bears, even busts Mike Glennon and Markus Wheaton can be cut with minimal negative effect on the cap. All of his risks have been calculated and his bets have been hedged. For every draft miss, there is a budding star the Bears can use as a building block. In short, I think Ryan Pace knows what he is doing and should continue to be given that ability. He’s shown us no reason to not think so.

With that being said, the marriage between GM and coach has to be seamless for a team to be successful. The head coach-Mitch Trubisky marriage has to be successful, but this GM-HC one is no less important. They need to see eye-to-eye on everything from the draft to free agency to making roster decisions. For a football team to sustain long-term success, there needs to be a great relationship from the GM down to the coaches and the players.
This is where Pete Carmichael stands out above candidates like Jim Harbaugh and Josh McDaniels. His background with the Saints gives him working experience with Ryan Pace. I would think that if anyone were to fully appreciate him and what he does for the Saints, it would be Pace. Drew Brees had this to say about Carmichael Jr., > he’s one of those guys that has the respect of this whole locker room. I just can’t even begin to tell you the value that he provides. Sean Payton echoed that sentiment, > And look, I’m biased because he’s been here this long. But he’s one of those under-the-radar guys, and yet extremely talented.

Similar offensive schemes
Below is a list of players Pete Carmichael Jr. has coached with the Saints:
QB - Drew Brees
RB - Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles
WR - Michael Thomas, Marques Colston
TE - Jimmy Graham
Now below is a list of the Bears current talent at those skill positions:
QB - Mitch Trubisky
RB - Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen
WR - Cam Meredith, Kevin White, Dontrelle Inman, Kendall Wright, Tanner Gentry!
TE- Adam Shaheen

Do you see any similarities? Think of the current Bears as the Charmander to the Saints Charizard. You can envision Mitch Trubisky leading an offense that utilizes Cohen like Kamara or Sproles, Shaheen like Jimmy Graham and Jordan Howard like, well, Jordan Howard. So much has been said that Pace is trying to build his team like the Saints, why not hand the roster off to one of the men responsible for some of the Saints success? Of course, wide receiver is a huge need, but I digress. With draft ammunition and Free Agency, look for that position to be addressed.

Vic Fangio

This is the single biggest issue I have with replacing Fox. What do we do with Vic? Can we guarantee Vic stays despite a coaching change? I’m really not sure, it’s unusual for a HC to come in and not bring his personal choice of DC. I would like to think that the new coach recognizes the value of Vic and how unlikely it is to find a DC who would put out a better defense. It’s not totally unprecedented as it happened with Ditka and Buddy Ryan — I think that calls for another Kool-Aid shot. In reality, this is a fingers-crossed wait and see situation. If Vic Fangio leaves, I’m still confident in our defense to produce at a high level. Just not to its potential.
I really think that Pete Carmichael Jr. is the right man for this job, he fits in so well and checks just about every box. I encourage you to do research on him and all of the other possible candidates. Really think about what the Bears need in a head coach and what you would want, it’s exciting to think about and it leads to great discussions. At the same time, cheer on Fox and Co. in hopes that a 10-6 record will eliminate the need for a coaching change. Bear down!

TL:DR: Pete Carmichael is the man to replace Fox because he is a bright ‘young’ offensive mind with a great pedigree and connections to Ryan Pace.

[IronMike84]

I don’t know. It reads like somebody just writing a summary of Carmichael’s Wikipedia page.

I feel like a lot of the Carmichael hype is just simple dot-connecting because of Pace. Can he lead a team? Does he have the temperament to be a head coach? There’s a lot more to take into consideration besides just who he worked with and what team he calls plays for.

Adam Gase was widely considered to be one of the best playcallers in the game, he worked with some great players and coaches, and he’s struggling a bit in Miami.

[Rogerthat]

Carmichael is hands down pace’s guy. 

[IronMike84]

2 minutes ago, Rogerthat said:

Carmichael is hands down pace’s guy. 

If Carmichael is hired because he’s the best candidate, fine.

If Carmichael gets the gig first and foremost because Pace knows him, then we’re going to go through this whole thing again in three years.

[IronMike84]

This is a fanbase that ate Lovie alive for hiring his buddies and now we’re chomping at the bit to hire Carmichael because Pace knows him?

[G08]

2 minutes ago, IronMike84 said:

This is a fanbase that ate Lovie alive for hiring his buddies and now we’re chomping at the bit to hire Carmichael because Pace knows him?

A little bit of a difference between Bob Babich and one of the best play callers in the game, my friend.

[IronMike84]

1 minute ago, G08 said:

A little bit of a difference between Bob Babich and one of the best play callers in the game, my friend.

Martz, Marinelli, Tice...?

[G08]

3 minutes ago, IronMike84 said:

Martz, Marinelli, Tice...?

He had zero history with Tice.

Martz was one of the only OCs that would come play for Lovie, and I'll argue Marinelli was the best thing to happen to Lovie's defenses.

[IronMike84]

3 minutes ago, G08 said:

He had zero history with Tice.

Martz was one of the only OCs that would come play for Lovie, and I'll argue Marinelli was the best thing to happen to Lovie's defenses.

People were furious that Lovie was hiring guys he knew. That part isn’t open for debate. It was a common complaint from 2009-2012 and was a very frequent talking point on this forum.

Is Carmichael the best candidate because he worked on the same team as Pace? I really hope that’s not the deciding factor.

[WindyCity]

I would prefer our coach and GM not have a close working relationship and experience with one another.

I would also prefer if Pace did not use a decade or previous experience working everyday with someone to assess whether they could actually run and team and whether they are an *** hat.

[Sugashane]

I like how they mention Gentry at WR but not Bellamy   lol

 

But I do agree with IronMike, Carmichael will have to be the best coach, not just a offensive mind and guy Pace knows. Hopefully Pace knows that and makes the right call, whoever it is. I personally think Carmichael is being looked at because simply put, he has been in NO since 2006 and they have been a top offense perennially. He has called plays and has been with Payton and his system for over 10 years now, plus has playcalling experience. There are positives, but it has to be for more than his connections to Pace.

[Madmike90]

9 hours ago, WindyCity said:

I would prefer our coach and GM not have a close working relationship and experience with one another.

I would also prefer if Pace did not use a decade or previous experience working everyday with someone to assess whether they could actually run and team and whether they are an *** hat.

Is this a typo?...I would love my GM & HC to be in step with each other...it's an extremely close relationship and when you look at how things have been built in a place like Seattle having that chemistry can really help...

That said I do have some questions regarding Carmichael Jr....chief among which is why has it taken so long? His offences have been excellent year in year out and at times even better than when Payton has had full control over the play calling...what is it the NFL knows that we don't?...

Part of me thinks if Carmichael Jr came we would need a couple of *** kicking hard as nails coordinators...maybe if he could bring Dan Campbell as assistant HC/OC with him and maybe even Mike Nolan as DC who both have HC experience and are known as disciplinarians.

[Sugashane]

Does anyone really know his command for people? He might not be a weaker personality even if he isn't a rah rah guy. Look at Lovie. He was soft spoken and reserved but knew how to get his players to go all out and work their butts off. Maybe Pete is the same way. 

 

 

[Madmike90]

Just now, Sugashane said:

Does anyone really know his command for people? He might not be a weaker personality even if he isn't a rah rah guy. Look at Lovie. He was soft spoken and reserved but knew how to get his players to go all out and work their butts off. Maybe Pete is the same way. 

 

 

I was just about to say we might all be getting a little bit too much of a Trestman vibe...maybe we are reading too much into that but I just don't get why no one else has took him before now.

[G08]

I don't want Carmichael because he knows Pace (assuming they know each other). I would want him ONLY if he was the best viable candidate.

He has called plays for the most explosive offenses in Saints' history.

Drew Brees speaks very highly of him.

 

These are positives to me.