With an eye on grooming quarterback Mitch Trubisky and bringing the offense up to snuff, the Chicago Bears interviewed New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels on Friday.
Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston attempts to step into the long-time Pats coordinator’s shoes, and from where he stands, the Bears, Lions, and Colts are the top three jobs for McDaniels to take his redemption tour. HOWEVER, Curran has one burning question that can only be answered by the folks at Halas Hall.
“Can (Trubisky) take hard coaching?” Curran asks during his breakdown (which you can watch below) of the fit between McDaniels and the Bears. “Because that’s one thing Tom Brady has been able to do. And that’s one thing all the Patriots players, regardless if they’re superstars or if they’re the last guy on the roster, need to be able to do is take hard coaching.
If you come back, complete a 15-yard out on the sideline, don’t expect to get a pat on the ass and “unbelievable job” … you’re supposed to do that.”
There’s nothing wrong with having high standards. And to be totally honest, the Bears could probably use the kind of kick in the pants McDaniels could offer upon arrival.
John Fox has long been known as one of the league’s more conservative coaches, but also has the reputation of being a players coach. Even in the wake of his firing on Monday, players spoke up about how Fox didn’t lose the locker room despite going through three straight double-digit loss seasons. The Bears’ record under Fox was woeful, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort from players who had quit on their coach.
With that said, we don’t necessarily know how hard Trubisky was coached or how he will take to McDaniels’ brand of teaching. You can make an argument that his style has rubbed off well on the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, but what other examples do we have to go off? And how do we know what specific tactics worked or didn’t for each player?
All things considered, it’s questions like these that would move GM Ryan Pace to involve Trubisky in the process. The relationship between the head coach and quarterback is the most important in the game. If those two aren’t operating on the same page, it will be a detriment to the rest of the franchise.
Still, despite a 12-game sample, Curran believes Trubisky has the physical skills to be a quality NFL quarterback.
“I think if Mitch Trubisky can deal with that and can deal with the bar being very, very high, then I think there’s plenty to work with,” Curran said. “I’ve watched enough of Trubisky to see that he has all the physical skills, and if he has the hunger to improve, then I’ll think he’ll do that.”
McDaniels is the consensus top head coaching prospect among the available coordinators on the market, but his time in Denver when he was rubbing everyone and anyone the wrong way can’t be ignored. But if McDaniels was offered and accepted the job and proved to be able to coach Trubisky into being half of the obsessive, detail-oriented quarterback Brady is, the Bears will be moving in the right direction.
.@NBCSBoston‘s @tomecurran analyzes the kind of fit Josh McDaniels would be in Chicago.
Also check out our Coaching Confidential piece on the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, who the #Bears will reportedly request permission to interview: https://t.co/xpFvOAMVwP pic.twitter.com/jW1dZU0Fwm
— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) January 2, 2018