John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears front office has looked near and far for a new head coach since firing Lovie Smith right before the new year. Well, it looks like that search has finally come to an end as reports have circulated that a new coach has been hired.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears will hire Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman as their next head coach. Trestman was one of many candidates for the head coaching position in the Windy City. According to sources, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, and Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell were also being considered for the coaching vacancy.
Trestman is the Chicago Bears 14th head coach in team history, and will be considered somewhat of a surprise choice since he has been out of the NFL for over eight years.
His success on the football field cannot be ignored however, as he was the Alouettes head coach since 2008, and led Montreal to three Grey Cup appearances and two titles (back-to-back) in five seasons. Trestman has a 64-34 record in five years as a head coach in the Canadian Football League.
Trestman is a 57-year old coach, who some consider to be a quarterback guru. He was Bernie Kosar‘s quarterbacks coach at the University of Miami back in 1983 when they won the national championship. Most recently, Trestman helped Rich Gannon win the 2002 Most Valuable Player award when he was on the Oakland Raiders.
“One thing about him that is a strength is his ability to listen,” Gannon said. “He takes feedback. Marc has always been the type of guy who can sit down with you and talk about things. And he has the ability to be honest with you. Somebody needs to be honest with Jay Cutler.”
It’s unknown what Trestman’s plan for the defense is, but it’s clear that he was brought in to utilize Jay Cutler to the max. Let’s hope Cutler takes the hiring with an open mind, and he soaks in each and every little aspect of the game that Marc will share with him.
All I want to see, and I’m sure most Bears fans can agree, is a head coach who actually looks like he cares about the game and shows some passion out there. Because we all know that Lovie Smith looked more like a guy trying to hide a fart on the sidelines, rather than a fired up coach always looking out for his team’s best interests. Welcome to Chicago, Marc.
Michael J. Igyarto is a featured columnist and fantasy football expert at Rant Sports
Follow Michael on twitter: @windycityiggy
