It's hard to believe, but despite finishing with a 10-6 record, the job status of
Chicago Bears HC Lovie Smith is not secure right now; Bears GM Phil Emery has remained largely silent on the coach's future. Though the Bears won on Sunday, they turned a 7-1 start into that final 10-6 record, missing the playoffs on tiebreakers; accordingly, there will be some alterations to how the team functions heading into 2013, as Brad Biggs of
the Chicago Tribune examined in a column Sunday night.
If Smith is fired, the job obviously becomes an attractive one for coaching candidates around the league; however, the team may also consider internal candidates, such as former NFL head coaches Rod Marinelli (the assistant coach/D-line coach) and Mike Tice (who coordinates the offense), as well as special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who's been mentioned as an HC candidate elsewhere.
The list of rising coordinator candidates around the league is long; should the Bears want to bring in a new offensive guru to work with
Jay Cutler, there's men like Denver's
Mike McCoy, Cincinnati's Jay Gruden, Indy's Bruce Arians, San Francisco's Greg Roman and Atlanta's Dirk Koetter. If they pick from the defensive side of the ball, Cincinnati's Mike Zimmer, Jacksonville's Mel Tucker and the Giants' Perry Fewell are possibilities. There are also the "big name" candidates -- Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher -- though it's unclear whether Chicago would go in that direction.
Could be an interesting week in Chicago.
