So this is why Chicago Bears Head Coach John Fox has been more condescending and ornery than usual to the media this season.
He’s worried about his job. Fox, even been his standards and those of the Bears organization, has acted more defensive and stand-offish towards the press in 2016 and you can bet the warming temperature of his seat has a lot to do with that.
It’s reportedly not just John Fox, but also General Manager Ryan Pace and the Bears front office who are being intensely re-evaluated at this point. If they don’t impress the outside consultant evaluator, a pink slip could be coming in the near future.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on tensions throughout the Chicago Bears organization:
“Nothing good. All is not well in Chicago. So much so that I’m told the team’s brass is now evaluating the entire football operation, top-to-bottom, using what has been described to me as an outside consultant to help with the evaluation. In addition, there were some very tense meetings in Chicago this week as the front office and members of the coaching staff tried to get on the same page; very obvious that is not the case.
John Fox in his second year has not had the second year turnaround that everyone had hoped. His footing, I’m told, is not solid at this point. Meanwhile, they’re going to trot out a quarterback on Monday Night in Jay Cutler who he knows they don’t want him, and they have tried to trade him several times.”
Hopes were extremely high in early 2015 as the Pace-Fox regime began. John Fox had the proven winning track record. Ryan Pace had the glowing reputation.
It’s still early, but thus far, zero progress has been shown. If anything, it’s only gotten worse as the 2015 season was awful, and halfway through the 2016 campaign, it’s even worse. All Fox and Pace have done is run star players out of town. They have done zilch regarding putting any true building blocks in place.
Next year at this time, if things are still this bad, it’s time to look into cutting bait with these two. This is year two, if you only show decline, and not ascension in three years, you should go. I understand that rebuilds take time, but you have to show the green shoots of growth, and obviously we haven’t seen any of those.
It all centers around trying to jettison quarterback Jay Cutler, and then find his replacement. As Rapoport reports, this regime doesn’t want this guy and they keep trying to move him.
It’s certainly no secret that Cutler is unwanted in Chicago and that his season should be his last in a Chicago Bears uniform. He’s been paid all of his guaranteed money now, so it’ll be much easier to part ways with him in 2017.
That’s not news. What is news…? That John Fox and Ryan Pace might have to get rid of Cutler and draft his replacement as a way of appeasing those above them, and make sure they keep their own jobs.
Yes, tomorrow night’s Halloween Monday nighter, with a Cutler return in front of a national audience has potential for tremendous disaster written all over it.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.