John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bears new head coach Marc Trestman is considered to be a great offensive coach. As the coach of the Montreal Alouettes, he led the squad to two consecutive Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010 and had an impressive record. But what really blew me away earlier today was listening to his former quarterback and the CFL’s all-time greatest quarterback Anthony Calvillo (pictured above with Trestman) talk about his former coach.
Just to put things in perspective, Calvillo has thrown for 78,494 yards and 449 touchdowns. He felt that Trestman is a great offensive mind and spends a tremendous amount of time preparing his team for battle. Calvillo, who is 40, said that Trestman comes up with so many different things that one is forced to study the playbook to understand his offense. He expects a lot out of his quarterback and wide receivers, but can and will produce results.
If you’ve seen ESPN‘s coverage of Trestman, his former players all sing his praises, including Steve Young and Jerry Rice. Considering both played with Bill Walsh on the San Francisco 49ers, that is mighty high praise. Former Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy also had some wonderful things to say about Trestman. Levy is also a veteran of the CFL, so has a strong understanding of what the transition is like from the CFL to the NFL.
But why am I so excited? Why is this team different than your father’s Bears? Because this team will not be the smash-mouth, three-yards and a cloud of dust Bears. It will be a team with an offensive identity. Considering how good the defense played last season, this team should be fun to watch. Jay Cutler should benefit from having a head coach that understands quarterbacks. Can you imagine if Trestman is finally the guy that helps Cutler take the next step in his career?
2013 should be a fun year in Chicago and I cannot wait to see what this guy brings to the table.
For more fun and games, follow me on Twitter @ChicagoBearJew.
