Worst of Week 17, George McCaskey Chimes In, Multiple Coaches Out, Head Coach Dave Toub? and Other Bullets

How are we feeling a day removed from Ryan Pace and John Fox’s State of the Bears address?

If you’re unsure, it’s OK. There is plenty of offseason time to get a better feeling for where this ship is sailing. Allow yourself to enjoy Pace’s natural enthusiasm and optimism, while also understanding Fox’s version of a grounded sense of realism. It will sort itself out over the coming weeks and months.

In the meantime, here are some nuggets and tidbits for your consumption:

  • After Pace and Fox signed off from Halas Hall, Bears chairman George McCaskey had a meeting with the assembled media at Halas Hall. The Associated Press notes that McCaskey is showing faith in the process being carried out by Pace and Fox, Chris Emma of 670 The Score had a round up of the most important things McCaskey said in two places, so you’ll want to give each piece a read. Among the highlights: A renewed call for patience and a personal anecdote about how Virginia McCaskey is handling things. She turns 94 on Thursday.
  •  While Fox says his offensive and defensive coordinators are intact, the Bears lost one of their top assistants to the college ranks. Revered running backs coach Stan Drayton is off to Texas to the same position under head coach Tom Herman. The two worked at Ohio State together where Drayton recruited Ezekiel Elliott. Talk about a recruiting pitch!
  • Brad Biggs of the Tribune reports two long-time Fox assistants, offensive line coach Dave Magazu and assistant secondary coach Sam Garnes, have been let go by the team. Both served under Fox with the Carolina Panthers.
  • In other coaching news, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid says special teams coordinator Dave Toub is ready for a head coaching job of his own. Toub joined the Chiefs after coaching the Bears special teams unit from 2004-2012. Head coach Marc Trestman offered to keep Toub on staff before he decided to leave. It turned out to be a good decision for him and a great hire for the Chiefs.
  • Over at Pro Football Weekly, Hub Arkush asked John Fox some questions. Some were answered, others weren’t. A rundown of the search for answers on what the future holds for the Bears offense.
  • A couple of loose ends to tie up from Week 17 at both ends of the spectrum. Rookie center Cody Whitehair and running back Jordan Howard both graded out as two of Pro Football Focus’ top-10 rookies. Howard finished as the sixth highest-graded running back overall and Whitehair as the seventh best center. High praise for a pair of building blocks for the future.
  • On the other hand, return specialist Bralon Addison had the worst performance of any returner in Week 17. Not quite how you want to end the year as a special teamer.
  • In search of a playoff rooting interest? Look no further than the Seahawks, who recently signed former Bears return ace Devin Hester. Though, him not wearing No. 23 still doesn’t look right.
  • written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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