NEWSLETTER
There could be changes on the Bears coaching staff even though head coach John Fox is reportedly slated to return for a third season.
Could one of those changes result in a reunion between Fox and former offensive coordinator Mike McCoy?
Over at NFL.com, Chris Wesseling reports McCoy, who was fired by the Chargers on Sunday, won’t take a year off in 2017. Further, McCoy himself says he expects to coach somewhere next season.
McCoy told the San Diego Union-Tribune: “I’ll be coaching somewhere next year. I don’t know where yet. I’ll make that decision. Whenever the right decision needs to be made, that’s when I’ll decide. There’s no timetable.”
McCoy was fired by the Chargers after a four-year stint as the team’s head coach. The Chargers went 9-7 in each of McCoy’s first two seasons, including a postseason appearance that featured a road win against the Cincinnati Bengals in his debut season. However, McCoy’s Chargers stumbled to 4-12 and 5-11 in each of the last two years.
Naturally, McCoy, 44, also said he wanted to be a head coach again. And while that could conceivably be on the table with vacancies in Buffalo, Denver, Jacksonville, Los Angeles and San Francisco, McCoy could likely land on his feet as an assistant coach until an ideal head coaching job presents itself.
Perhaps there is a chance of a Fox-McCoy reunion in Chicago?
McCoy spent nine years coaching with Fox with the Panthers and Broncos. He was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator from 2009-12 and previously coached with various titles in Carolina, including quarterbacks (2000, 2002-2006), wide receivers (2001) and passing game coordinator (2007-08). In Denver, Fox and Peyton Manning were among McCoy’s most vocal supporters when his name came up as a head coaching candidate in 2012.
Offense wasn’t really a problem for his Chargers, as they ranked ninth in points scored in 2016, but McCoy’s team’s defense allowed the fourth most points last season. And even though McCoy’s most prolific offenses were led by star quarterbacks Philip Rivers in San Diego and Peyton Manning in Denver, the Broncos were the NFL’s top rushing team in 2011 and stayed committed to the run with the ninth most attempts in 2012 to help strike a balanced attack led by Manning and the passing offense.
While the Bears already have an offensive coordinator in tow with Dowell Loggains, it wouldn’t hurt if they were able to add an experienced offensive assistant like McCoy, in whatever capacity.
