Chicago Bears Fire John Fox — Stanford’s David Shaw Is A Potential Candidate
John Fox’s tenure with the Chicago Bears has come to a close. The Chicago Bears becomes the sixth NFL team to have a coaching vacancy thus far. That is a number that is expected to rise before the end of Tuesday. Now the Chicago Bears will conduct their search for a head coach, which will be spearheaded by general manager Ryan Pace.
John Fox’s as the Bears’ coach was dismal at best. His firing was expected to take place (courtesy of the Inquisitr) after the final game against the Minnesota Vikings. Fox guided the Bears to records of 6-10, 3-13, and 5-11 in his three seasons as head coach.
NFL.com was the first to report about the Chicago Bears’ firing of John Fox. Now the question becomes which direction will the Bears go in for their coaching search.
Most signs point to the Chicago Bears targeting a potential coach with a strong offensive background. That coach has to have been instrumental in developing a young quarterback and a solid offense.
Previous head coaching experience will not factor into Ryan Pace’s decision-making process. There are several names that have been bandied about regarding the Bears’ coaching vacancy. On a list of potential Bears’ coaching candidates (courtesy of CBS Chicago), four of the names were head coaches on the NFL or college level.
Stanford Cardinal head football coach David Shaw is one of the names rumored to be on the Chicago Bears’ short list of coaching candidates.
David Shaw is just as qualified to coach an NFL franchise as any of the likely names being thrown out for vacancies. Shaw’s credentials include the development of Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck, whom he coached at Stanford.
What should make David Shaw attractive to the Chicago Bears and other available jobs is his age, Shaw is 43-years-old and his NFL experience. The question the Bears would have in interviewing David Shaw is can they lure him away from Stanford and the state of California?
Former Chicago Bears’ center Olin Kreutz endorsed David Shaw as a possible candidate in early December, according to 247 Sports. Kreutz believes that Shaw has the pedigree to get the nod as the Bears’ coach. He also thinks that the hiring of David Shaw could lead to the Bears retaining defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Bears should hire Shaw. Wonder if Fangio would stay. Worked at Stanford together.
— Olin kreutz (@olin_kreutz) December 5, 2017
Vic Fangio is another coach which the Chicago Bears could try to interview for the head coaching vacancy. Fangio is considered a long shot to get the Bears’ job, however.
David Shaw is a name that will continue circulating for NFL gigs. He's in no hurry to leave Stanford, but the #Bears should inquire. My guess is he won't leave the farm quite yet.
— Anthony Herron (@BigAntHerron) January 1, 2018
The Chicago Bears could look to hire a head coach that is receptive in retaining Fangio — perhaps elevating him to assistant head coach. If Stanford’s David Shaw gets the offer to coach the Bears and is willing to leave the university, things will get interesting.
