The Chicago Bears look to reverse their fortunes with new hire.
After falling to the Indianapolis Colts in Sundays AFC Divisional matchup, the Denver Broncos gave head coach John Fox his walking papers. Soon after his departure, it was revealed that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has been playing the last 6 weeks with a torn quadricep. Under the tutelage of Fox, the Broncos won four straight AFC West titles and made it to last years Super Bowl. With that, Fox joins the short list of coaches to lead two different teams to the big dance, having led the Carolina Panthers back in 2003.
With such a decorated resume, John Fox would not be unemployed for long and only four days after being fired, the Chicago Bears have hired Fox as their new head coach. The excitement around the new hire is electric, considering that the team is loaded with talent but has underachieved.
In the 2014 season, the Bears had their best completion percentage in franchise history, while writing the teams record books in several other passing categories. Matt Forte set the NFL record in receptions for a running back, while wideout Alshon Jeffrey netted his second straight 1,000 receiving season. In contrast, quarterback Jay Cutler was tied for most interceptions thrown this season, and the defense faltered on all fronts, leaving the team with 5-11 record.
If his history of winning isn’t enough, Fox is a defensive minded coach, having spent years as a defensive coordinator and can possibly fix Chicago’s problems on that front. Prognosticators see wins in the future for the Bears, as they have long been an underachieving franchise. Former NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme, who played for Fox in Carolina believes the turnaround will be instantaneous.
“You’re talking about a coach that takes Carolina to their only Super Bowl in franchise existence,” Delhomme said Wednesday during the “Carmen & Jurko Show” on ESPN 1000. “He goes to Denver and wins four division championships. Obviously, people will say, ‘Well of course, he had Peyton Manning.’ Well, he had Tim Tebow for the first one. I’m not sure how talented that roster was when he first got there, and they won a playoff game. So I think you bring an instant winner as soon as you walk in, and one that is going to reflect well with the players.”
DaBears – @Rocko_CNK
