Few teams in football have had a more tumultuous past decade than the Chicago Bears. Since firing Lovie Smith in 2012, the team has struggled to find the right fit at head coach. Between Marc Trestman, John Fox and Matt Nagy, the Bears’ recent run of coaches has been regrettable and memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Brian Daboll could be the piece Chicago needs.
As the Bears once again find themselves in the middle of a head coaching search, the possibilities are seemingly endless. It’s always good to keep an open mind and explore all avenues. However, the coach who could change the franchise’s fortunes has been linked to the Chicago job since last year.
Daboll’s career track
It’s not a matter of whether Brian Daboll will be an NFL head coach; it’s a matter of when and where he’ll be one. With NFL coaching experience on both sides of the ball dating back to 2000, Daboll is as experienced and as qualified as any head coaching candidate. At 46 years old, he would be on the younger side of NFL coaches, but Daboll is wise beyond his years. After working with the Patriots, Jets, Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs and Bills, Daboll looks ready to become a head coach.
Fields and Allen
It’s no secret one of the Bears’ main priorities is the development of Justin Fields and Daboll could be the guy to see it through. One of the main reasons he has drawn so much interest from teams is his work in Buffalo with quarterback Josh Allen. When Allen was drafted sixth overall in the 2018 draft, he was viewed as a project and lacked many of the necessary skills to be a franchise quarterback. Many executives questioned if Allen could ever be more than just the strong-armed inaccurate quarterback he was in college at Wyoming.
Under Daboll, Allen flourished in Buffalo and saw major improvements in all facets of his game. By his third season, Allen was the runner-up in MVP voting and recorded a stat line of 4,544 yards passing yards, 45 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Players and executives across the league were stunned at the young quarterback’s progression. Allen may have been the one making the plays on Sundays, but Daboll was the guy behind the scenes making everything come together.
Calling plays
It wasn’t just player development where Daboll excelled; he also showcased great play-calling ability. Having a quarterback as talented as Allen can be a blessing, but it can also be challenging to develop a specific scheme for a player who is capable of doing so many things. Daboll’s creativity designed an offense that took advantage of Allen’s gifts as a runner and a passer while still limiting his workload.
Fields and Allen are different players in terms of skill and style, but Daboll’s ability to accommodate his young quarterback in Buffalo should be very reassuring to Bears fans. Fields is a unique player and shouldn’t be used like a traditional quarterback. Daboll might just have the creativity and innovation that Nagy lacked to get the most out of the Bears’ quarterback.
Bears’ flaws
One of the biggest flaws in the Bears’ play-calling in the Nagy era was the lack of balance. There seemed to be two variations of Chicago’s offense. One was a scheme that asked the quarterback to do as little as possible. In 2019 and 2020, the coaches didn’t trust Mitchell Trubisky and had him making primarily short, easy throws with overly simplistic calls and designs.
The other was a scheme that asked the quarterback to do almost everything. The Bears lacked talent on the offensive side of the ball, which put a lot of pressure on Fields to bail everyone out. Fields consistently tried to force balls into tight coverage downfield. A lackluster offensive line certainly didn’t help Fields feel protected in the pocket, making him rush erratic throws.
A well-designed NFL offense would typically be a balance of these two approaches. In the modern NFL, it is nearly impossible to consistently win games without good play coming from the quarterback position. But even the greats have limitations. Playing “hero ball” may work every now and then, but it isn’t a method for sustainable success.
Daboll did a good job in Buffalo of creating a healthy balance between Allen and the rest of the offense. The quarterback made more than a few incredible throws, but there were also many designs that asked very little of Allen, such as screens, drags, etc.
Will he pick Chicago?
Not only is Daboll one of the best guys for ensuing Fields’ success as a quarterback, but Fields is also one of the best guys for ensuring Daboll’s success as a head coach. Daboll has many head coaching opportunities and will likely get multiple offers. What separates the Bears from other openings like the Giants or Vikings is the promise of a dynamic, young quarterback. Much of Daboll’s success in Buffalo was due to him unlocking his quarterback’s potential. Fields offers similar upside and has the athletic ability and arm talent to run a wide variety of concepts.
At this point in time, Fields and Daboll are both unproven commodities. Fields only has one season of NFL experience under his belt, and Daboll has no head coaching experience at the college or pro levels. However, the upside the pair offers makes it worth the gamble. They complement each other well on paper and could prove to be what finally gets the Monsters of the Midway back on track. Just not on Arlington’s track.
