ping001
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Don't flip out, Bears fans, but most compelling candidate not always most qualified one.
David Haugh Contact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
A five-minute YouTube video featuring John DeFilippo revealed the charismatic Eagles quarterbacks coach enjoys working out every day before 6 a.m. at Orangetheory, considers himself a sneakerhead who owns dozens of designer basketball shoes and uses a walk-in closet large enough to schedule tours.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the most compelling candidate for the Bears head coaching position. Be careful assuming that also makes DeFilippo the most qualified. Those aren’t necessarily one and the same.
Nobody knows yet if DeFilippo could beat the Packers as the Bears head coach, but he definitely would win his share of news conferences. You easily could imagine general manager Ryan Pace watching DeFilippo in action and uttering terms like “cool” and “fired up” to endorse the 39-year-old. DeFilippo seems like a guy who would go to the same health club and hair salon as Pace, who’s one year older. The commonalities matter only if the two contemporaries share a football philosophy that enables DeFilippo to emerge as the top choice for the job.
But who really can predict what Pace will value most during these interviews?
Pace remains too inexperienced at hiring to know what criteria he will weigh heaviest when making such a monumental decision. Right now, Las Vegas would call Pace’s heart versus Pace’s head a pick ’em. Pace earned a two-year contract extension from his gullible bosses at Halas Hall but not the benefit of the doubt in Chicago — not yet. DeFilippo indeed might do for the Bears what 31-year-old Sean McVay did for the Rams, connect well enough with a second-year quarterback to trigger a resurgence. Or the job could prove bigger than expected for someone who never has been a head coach and make the guy known as “Flip” flip out.
Whomever Pace hires as head coach will go a long way toward establishing or destroying his credibility in town. Is too much at stake for Pace for him to risk hiring someone without head coaching experience but an abundance of enthusiasm like DeFilippo? Only Pace can answer that — and he won’t say anything believable. He likely will reinforce how much he favors whatever is best for the Bears, not necessarily him. He figures to reference Bears officials George McCaskey and Ted Phillips, Pace’s chauffeurs. He will sound more certain about the hire than he possibly can be.
That quest took the Bears traveling party Sunday to Kansas City, Mo., to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, 39. Nagy called plays in the Chiefs’ 22-21 AFC wild-card loss to the Titans, another epic failure at Arrowhead Stadium that has no effect on Nagy’s attractiveness. Blowing a 21-3 lead didn’t make Nagy any dumber, regardless of the negativity swirling around social media, and a body of work doesn’t become disfigured by one blemish.
Ask the 49ers how glad they are that they ignored the role of former Falcons play-caller and current 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan in allowing the Patriots to overcome a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI. Before and after the Chiefs’ loss, Nagy makes sense for the Bears to pursue because he possesses many of the same traits as DeFilippo: energy and intelligence with the slightest edge. A former Arena Football League quarterback who threw for 18,866 yards and 374 touchdown passes, Nagy also would come with Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s endorsement — a great icebreaker and potential tiebreaker. Reid allowing Nagy to call plays for a stretch this season might give him a slight edge over DeFilippo, who also has devised game plans, but with the lowly Browns as offensive coordinator.
Nagy over DeFilippo? DeFilippo over Nagy? If we can agree that the general manager-coach dynamic matters most and will dictate Pace’s decision, we must concede that nobody knows how each individual meeting felt inside the room. We are left merely with informed speculation after the first week of the Bears coaching search, which included these six interviewed candidates listed in my order of personal preference.
Josh McDaniels, Patriots offensive coordinator: Seems like a long shot. Reports link McDaniels more strongly to other openings, but if he kept an open mind, the Bears offer a chance to work with a young quarterback in a major market and to prove how much he has matured since his first head coaching job with the Broncos. Last week’s rare Patriots controversy might be the nudge McDaniels needs.
Pat Shurmur, Vikings offensive coordinator: The safest pick appears to be a solid one too. Shurmur has succeeded with three Vikings quarterbacks and injuries galore. He won’t dazzle audiences the way DeFilippo will, but he also has commanded the room in front of 53 players before as a head coach.
Nagy, Chiefs offensive coordinator: The offensive design of the Chiefs belongs to Reid, but Nagy knew how to execute it. The timing fits the trajectory of his career, from grunt to coordinator to head coach. His personality exudes an inner confidence. It doesn’t hurt that he coveted Mitch Trubisky entering last year’s NFL draft.
DeFilippo, Eagles quarterbacks coach: Of all the candidates, DeFilippo sounds like the most fascinating dinner companion on Saturday nights, but how much can you trust him on Sundays? It requires some blind faith to see DeFilippo fixing the Bears, and a second head coaching hire is a hard time for Pace to take such risks.
Vic Fangio, Bears defensive coordinator: In an ideal world, Fangio returns to run the Bears defense — an idea DeFilippo and Shurmur reportedly like. League interest in Fangio could drive his salary to $3 million. Would the Bears pay it? Is he worth it? Would he stay? The chance to be the unquestioned smartest defensive mind in the building, now that John Fox isn’t around to challenge him, could appeal to Fangio.
George Edwards, Vikings defensive coordinator: The Bears can thank Edwards for agreeing to interview while they were in town for Shurmur, allowing the team to comply with the Rooney Rule. But if the Bears were serious about hiring a defensive coordinator, it wasn’t going to be Edwards.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com
David Haugh Contact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
A five-minute YouTube video featuring John DeFilippo revealed the charismatic Eagles quarterbacks coach enjoys working out every day before 6 a.m. at Orangetheory, considers himself a sneakerhead who owns dozens of designer basketball shoes and uses a walk-in closet large enough to schedule tours.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the most compelling candidate for the Bears head coaching position. Be careful assuming that also makes DeFilippo the most qualified. Those aren’t necessarily one and the same.
Nobody knows yet if DeFilippo could beat the Packers as the Bears head coach, but he definitely would win his share of news conferences. You easily could imagine general manager Ryan Pace watching DeFilippo in action and uttering terms like “cool” and “fired up” to endorse the 39-year-old. DeFilippo seems like a guy who would go to the same health club and hair salon as Pace, who’s one year older. The commonalities matter only if the two contemporaries share a football philosophy that enables DeFilippo to emerge as the top choice for the job.
But who really can predict what Pace will value most during these interviews?
Pace remains too inexperienced at hiring to know what criteria he will weigh heaviest when making such a monumental decision. Right now, Las Vegas would call Pace’s heart versus Pace’s head a pick ’em. Pace earned a two-year contract extension from his gullible bosses at Halas Hall but not the benefit of the doubt in Chicago — not yet. DeFilippo indeed might do for the Bears what 31-year-old Sean McVay did for the Rams, connect well enough with a second-year quarterback to trigger a resurgence. Or the job could prove bigger than expected for someone who never has been a head coach and make the guy known as “Flip” flip out.
Whomever Pace hires as head coach will go a long way toward establishing or destroying his credibility in town. Is too much at stake for Pace for him to risk hiring someone without head coaching experience but an abundance of enthusiasm like DeFilippo? Only Pace can answer that — and he won’t say anything believable. He likely will reinforce how much he favors whatever is best for the Bears, not necessarily him. He figures to reference Bears officials George McCaskey and Ted Phillips, Pace’s chauffeurs. He will sound more certain about the hire than he possibly can be.
That quest took the Bears traveling party Sunday to Kansas City, Mo., to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, 39. Nagy called plays in the Chiefs’ 22-21 AFC wild-card loss to the Titans, another epic failure at Arrowhead Stadium that has no effect on Nagy’s attractiveness. Blowing a 21-3 lead didn’t make Nagy any dumber, regardless of the negativity swirling around social media, and a body of work doesn’t become disfigured by one blemish.
Ask the 49ers how glad they are that they ignored the role of former Falcons play-caller and current 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan in allowing the Patriots to overcome a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI. Before and after the Chiefs’ loss, Nagy makes sense for the Bears to pursue because he possesses many of the same traits as DeFilippo: energy and intelligence with the slightest edge. A former Arena Football League quarterback who threw for 18,866 yards and 374 touchdown passes, Nagy also would come with Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s endorsement — a great icebreaker and potential tiebreaker. Reid allowing Nagy to call plays for a stretch this season might give him a slight edge over DeFilippo, who also has devised game plans, but with the lowly Browns as offensive coordinator.
Nagy over DeFilippo? DeFilippo over Nagy? If we can agree that the general manager-coach dynamic matters most and will dictate Pace’s decision, we must concede that nobody knows how each individual meeting felt inside the room. We are left merely with informed speculation after the first week of the Bears coaching search, which included these six interviewed candidates listed in my order of personal preference.
Josh McDaniels, Patriots offensive coordinator: Seems like a long shot. Reports link McDaniels more strongly to other openings, but if he kept an open mind, the Bears offer a chance to work with a young quarterback in a major market and to prove how much he has matured since his first head coaching job with the Broncos. Last week’s rare Patriots controversy might be the nudge McDaniels needs.
Pat Shurmur, Vikings offensive coordinator: The safest pick appears to be a solid one too. Shurmur has succeeded with three Vikings quarterbacks and injuries galore. He won’t dazzle audiences the way DeFilippo will, but he also has commanded the room in front of 53 players before as a head coach.
Nagy, Chiefs offensive coordinator: The offensive design of the Chiefs belongs to Reid, but Nagy knew how to execute it. The timing fits the trajectory of his career, from grunt to coordinator to head coach. His personality exudes an inner confidence. It doesn’t hurt that he coveted Mitch Trubisky entering last year’s NFL draft.
DeFilippo, Eagles quarterbacks coach: Of all the candidates, DeFilippo sounds like the most fascinating dinner companion on Saturday nights, but how much can you trust him on Sundays? It requires some blind faith to see DeFilippo fixing the Bears, and a second head coaching hire is a hard time for Pace to take such risks.
Vic Fangio, Bears defensive coordinator: In an ideal world, Fangio returns to run the Bears defense — an idea DeFilippo and Shurmur reportedly like. League interest in Fangio could drive his salary to $3 million. Would the Bears pay it? Is he worth it? Would he stay? The chance to be the unquestioned smartest defensive mind in the building, now that John Fox isn’t around to challenge him, could appeal to Fangio.
George Edwards, Vikings defensive coordinator: The Bears can thank Edwards for agreeing to interview while they were in town for Shurmur, allowing the team to comply with the Rooney Rule. But if the Bears were serious about hiring a defensive coordinator, it wasn’t going to be Edwards.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com
