The Chicago Bears still have three games remaining in their dismal season after losing to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, but the rumors and reports about the status of Marc Trestman’s job as head coach are increasing, and they all seem to be leaning one way -- Trestman will likely be back on the sidelines for 2015.
NBC’s Pro Football Talk blog did a nice job of rounding up some Chicago-based writers who feel that way, including John Mullin of CSN Chicago and Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune. Others, including Zach Zaidman of 670 the Score, have also expressed skepticism that GM Phil Emery will pull the plug on Trestman after just two years at the helm.
The question that raises is a simple one: Why? Why is Trestman’s job so secure when this team is being routinely trounced by teams of any sort of quality? Why should Trestman get another chance to coach a team that has taken visible steps back in every single area of the game under his watch? Why can’t Emery acknowledge that he has made a mistake in his coaching hire and opt for someone else to try to turn things around with a group of players who are only getting older?
A decision to keep Trestman around would frankly be an admission that things aren’t going to get better next year. His inability to make in-game adjustments to his game plan has cost the Bears’ offense dearly this season, and the fact that he has, for all intents and purposes, lost faith in Jay Cutler pretty much ensures that the offense won’t improve next season. Add to that the ineffectiveness of the team’s defense, and you have a recipe for a potential run at the NFC North cellar next season.
Things might turn around marginally with a new defensive coordinator (it would be a genuine shock if Mel Tucker was back next year) and special teams coordinator (if Joe Decamillis returns, it would be a miracle), but there isn’t going to be a big turnaround with Trestman still at the helm of this team. The players don’t buy into his philosophy. The offense has regressed mightily in his second year. The team feels like it’s in disarray, and the man responsible for so many of the issues is apparently being given a vote of confidence by management to turn it around.
It could be a long 2015 in Chicago.
