Chicago Bears: With John Fox exit, expect the same from Vic Fangio
Many expect the Chicago Bears to let go of head coach John Fox after the regular season finale. Should that happen, expect defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to be next.
The Chicago Bears‘ 2017 regular season comes to an end after their Week 17 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings (interesting note: Mitchell Trubisky ends his season against the same team he started against). After that game, many expect the team to participate in what’s called “Black Monday”. That day is when NFL teams decide to fire their coaches.
After the number of losses in the past three seasons and the slow development of some key young players, John Fox should be a part of that purge. We can go into more detail on why, but I don’t want to beat a dead horse.
While a great majority of fans want to see Fox leave Chicago, many of them want defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to stay. The defense isn’t as stout as the old “Monsters of the Midway” it’s come a long way. Gone are the days of Marc Trestman when they gave up multiple 50+ points. Even with the injuries to key personnel, this is a respectable defense on the rise.
Many of those same people even want Fangio to become the head coach. None of that probably happens.
If Fangio was in the running for the Bears head coach job, general manager Ryan Pace would have already fired Fox. He’d then put the interim head coach tag on him. Fangio could show Pace how he operates as the head man.
The fact that Pace didn’t do that shows that Fangio isn’t a candidate. Additionally, I’m not sure Fangio even wants to be a head coach. Coaches need to bite their tongue sometimes when dealing with players and the media. Seeing how he went after Kyle Fuller last year, biting his tongue may be something difficult for Fangio. However, he deserves credit for how he handled Fuller this season.
Also, new coaches starting usually like to have their own people. Pace probably has a list of some of the hottest young talented minds in the NFL. Those guys might balk at having Fangio stay. Perhaps if the Bears hire a guy like Jim Harbaugh, who worked with Fangio in San Francisco, Fangio probably leaves.
Next: NFL 2017: 20 Bold predictions for Week 17
We all want John Fox out, right? Having him leaves also means having to say goodbye to Vic Fangio. We love what he did, but it’s time for both sides to move on.