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The Chicago Bears needed a change of pace after nine years of Lovie Smith. They’ve been known as a defensive team for years, but now that could change under new head coach Marc Trestman. If there’s one thing Trestman knows, it’s offense. He’s been all around the NFL as a quarterback coach and offensive coordinator, and after two Grey Cups in the CFL, it was finally time he got a crack at a head coaching position. However, Trestman won’t be your typical first-year NFL head coach.
Expectations are normally down for teams with new coaches. Even the most brutal of fans know that it takes time to put a system in place, and to build a roster of talent that fits the scheme. But things are a bit different in Chicago. We’re talking about a team that won 10 games last season, and at one point, a team that looked like it could make some real noise in the NFC. Trestman is taking over a squad that will again be expected to make the postseason, and possibly more.
Bears’ fans need to remember that a rookie head coach is going to be at the helm in 2013. It will be unfair to jump all over him if the team gets off to a shaky start, because that’s the norm for new head coaches. The team can practice the new schemes all they want in the offseason, but until real games roll around this fall, Trestman won’t know exactly what he’s dealing with. It’s going to take some time to implement this new system, no matter how good of an offensive coach Marc Trestman is.
I think he will have success in Chicago, but I’m not sold that it’s going to happen right away this year. Regardless, the Bears should be right in the thick of the playoff race, and that’s really all you can ask out of a rookie head coach. But, we all know that Bears’ fans typically raise the bar a little bit higher than the rest.
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