The first Bears candidate to interview for head coach came off the board when the New England Patriots reached agreement Sunday with Mike Vrabel.
It had seemed a long shot for the Bears to hire Vrabel since three days before their Jan. 8 interview because the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo then after one season. Vrabel, a former Patriots player, was a natural in New England after they had a pathetic effort to meet the Rooney Rule requirements.
Some Bears fans had seen Vrabel as more of a modern Mike Ditka type and also a proven commodity…