Emery: Hires Unknown Coach in Marc Tressman

David Banks – USA Today Sports

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach may have known something none of us knew when he tweeted last week that Marc Trestman was the new Chicago Bears head coach.

Whether he did or whether he didn’t, he was right, and the Bears now have the franchise’s 14th head coach.

This is a bold statement Bears general manager Phil Emery is making in this hire. Rather than play it safe and go with a known commodity such as a Bruce Arians or a Brian Billick, even a Rick Dennison or Darrell Bevell are known names to fans, he chose to think outside the box and go north of the border to get Trestman.

Trestman has had ringing endorsements from Steve Young, Rich Gannon and other quarterbacks. He’s gotten high marks from front office staff and reporters who know him because of his ability to know how to run an offense and get the most out of a quarterback.

He’s had to persevere throughout his career. He was an assistant coach in the NFL for 17 seasons before going to Montreal and being the head coach for the Alouettes for the past five seasons and winning two CFL championships in the process.

The other side of the coin says that he’s a calculated quiet coach. He doesn’t have the most outgoing personality, and is monotonous, sound familiar Bears fans? Cough… cough… Lovie Smith… He’s been characterized as cerebral with his offense, again sound familiar Bears fans? Cough… cough… Mike Martz…

I’m not saying Trestman is going to be as boring as Smith or a mad scientist like Martz, but there are things about Trestman that not every player he’s coached is thrilled with. Tim Brown today on an ESPN radio show in Chicago was shocked that Trestman got the job saying he didn’t think he was head coaching material. Trestman was Brown’s offensive coordinator in 2002 with the Oakland Raiders.

So as we dive into the great unknown with Trestman at the helm for the Bears, it’s hard to praise or persecute a man who hasn’t been a head coach in the NFL for a single down. Will it be Trust in Trestman or Divided We Fall? Only time will tell.