The Bears Once Passed on Interviewing Bill Belichick and Other Bears Bullets

Feb 14, 2020

May Cupid’s arrow be true today. If not, then at least there will be gobs of discounted candy on sale for you tomorrow.

I’m going to start this set of Bullets by saying that if you’re not following @readjack, then you’re doing yourself a disservice. One thing I love about Jack’s threads is that I always learn something new. And when he was discussing Sherman Lewis as the biggest NFL head coaching snub of his life, it struck a chord with me. That’s because 13-year-old Luis wanted Sherman Lewis to replace Dave Wannstedt as head coach. Lewis was a seasoned offensive coordinator with the Packers, who had this dude named Brett Favre throwing the ball across the field, guys like Dorsey Levens and Edgar Bennett racking up 1,000-yard rushing seasons, the likes of Antonio Freeman and Robert Brooks hauling in touchdown passes, and a legitimate résumé to back it up. I wasn’t sure if the Bears had even interviewed Lewis, so I dug in to do some research and unearthed this from the New York Times with featured the headline “N.F.L.: ROUNDUP — CHICAGO; Bears Interview Packers’ Lewis.” But that was just the beginning.

Does the name Bill Belichick ring any bells?

I thought 13-year-old me had a pulse on what the Bears were doing in their coaching search to replace Dave Wannstedt in 1999, but I was today years old when I found out they were given the OK to interview Bill Belichick. pic.twitter.com/l6tjwuw8Rl
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) February 14, 2020

This sentence was jarring to read: “The Bears have permission to talk with jets’ assistant head coach Bill Belichick, but McCaskey sounded as if Belichick were off the list.”

The Chicago Bears were given an opportunity to interview Bill Belichick, but passed on it. Ouch. That one hurts. Belichick was a decorated assistant in his own right, a defensive mind from the Bill Parcells tree whose stock was on the rise. No, he wasn’t BILL BELICHICK, the guy we know today as the best to ever do it. But the arrow was pointing up in his career.

If you’re curious as to how the rest shook out, the Bears hired Cardinals Defensive Coordinator Dave McGinnis (until they didn’t). The botched hiring of the ex-Bear proved to be the last straw for Michael McCaskey, who was moved out of a decision-making position of power. Frankly, it was too little, too late.

Belichick would get his head coaching opportunity a year later, taking over the New England Patriots. And because we all know how that turned out, we’ll leave it at that.

It’s not too late to do something great on Valentine’s Day:

And don’t forget to treat yourself, people. I can’t stress that enough. Love yourself, then love others.

The results of this poll are soul-crushing:

You are GM of an NFL franchise.

You have no access to Patrick Mahomes, any actually good quarterback, or any fountain of rookie hope.

These are your only 3 available building-block QB options and you must pick from them & them only:

— Evan Silva (@evansilva) February 14, 2020

There has been a ton of love for Taysom Hill this offseason, and I’m not sure why. The Saints quarterback turns 30 in August, has more career rush attempts (64) and receptions (22) than pass attempts (13), but has football Twitter going nuts over his potential as a future franchise quarterback. Maybe this is getting pushed out there in order for New Orleans to get a negotiating edge on Drew Brees or Teddy Bridgewater. Perhaps this is a ploy to get some team to sign Hill on a first-round tender as a restricted free agent, which would net the Saints a solid draft pick. I suppose it’s not hard to fall in love with athletic upside and the unknown that comes with it. Even still … making Hill that guy would be an awful risk that I’m not sure Sean Payton would be willing to make.

Speaking of unexpected love, Bill Barnwell (ESPN) and Ben Linsey (PFF) see the Lions as a dark horse contender in 2020. Both envisioning the type of rags-to-riches story the 49ers experienced last season. I feel as if we’ve been down this road with the Lions before. Specifically, last year, the PFF had the Lions leap-frogging the Bears en route to some sort of unforeseen bounce back And we all know how that turned out.

It’s been a weird offseason for the Lions. They maintained status quo, have heard rumblings about Tua Tagovailoa not wanting to be drafted by them, and have had to shoot down Matthew Stafford trade rumors. Nothing like uncertainty and discombobulation in Detroit to make you feel at home in the offseason.

The Bears are spreading the love:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8jMLL-lVbA/

I couldn’t help myself:

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! @BN_Bears @Brett_A_Taylor @Michael_Cerami @Schuster_Elias pic.twitter.com/UB4iMyqMLn

— Luis M., President of the Bryan Mullins Fan Club (@lcm1986) February 14, 2020

Do it, Zach:

Umm … Is Zach LaVine Getting Ready to Surprise Everyone in the Dunk Contest?https://t.co/TImg37C3MV

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) February 14, 2020

Sometimes I like to talk basketball:

We're back! @Mphelps11 @lcm1986 @SouvenirCity talk about LaVine changing our minds, what the hell is wrong with Boylen, and who's the 2nd best team in the East after the trade deadline? #bulls #BullsNation #nbatwitter https://t.co/AYz2FnNJPK https://t.co/flkjJqeAYZ
— Talkin' Toros (@TalkinToros) February 14, 2020

And I *ALWAYS* have time to talk baseball:

https://twitter.com/NBCSCubs/status/1228316583438712834?s=20

written by

Luis C. Medina

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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