The Seattle Seahawks will be visiting the Chicago Bears tonight. While Geno Smith, Caleb Williams and the rest of the players on the field should take top billing, we can also expect more than a little commentary on the coaching angles. Seattle is nearing the end of the first year under rookie head coach Mike Macdonald, who replaced Pete Carroll after a successful 14-year run as the face of the franchise.
Meanwhile, the Bears will rely on interim coach Thomas Brown, who was promoted after the team fired Matt Eberflus following an all-time play clock blunder against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. For Chicago, Brown is the eighth head coach for the team since the end of the Mike Ditka era in 1992. Lovie Smith came awfully close in 2006, but as of yet no Bears coach has come near to the success Ditka’s teams enjoyed in the 80s, culminating with the 1984 Super Bowl-winning squad that’s arguably the greatest team of all time.
Since then Chicago has also gone through a long string of failed quarterbacks , which has been their biggest obstacle in getting back to the big game. For now, Jay Cutler is the best QB to ever have worn a Bears uniform – and that’s a low bar to clear. If Chicago really wants to reverse that trend but are still intent on hiring a defensive-minded head coach as they have historically preferred, then Pete Carroll might be the best man for the job…