So maybe Marc Trestman wasn't the savior the Bears thought he would be. The two time Grey Cup winning coach in the Canadian Football League found much less success in the National Football League. The Bears finished 8-8 last year and couldn't win the division, despite Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers missing time. 2014 has been even more of a train wreck as the defense has somehow gotten worse, Jay Cutler has now been benched, and the Bears are guaranteed to have a losing record this year. While no action has been taken yet, it is becoming more and more likely that Trestman is fired at the end of the year.
The question now becomes who replaces him? The answer to that question may lie all the way on the West Coast, with a coach that is experiencing his own nightmare of a season. Jim Harbaugh had taken his San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship Game three years in a row prior to 2014. While four in a row is certainly hard to do, people had to believe that Harbaugh and the Niners would have a chance to be there, and at worst, make the playoffs. After Week 15, however, those possibilities are gone as the Niners are now eliminated from the playoffs. Depending on how the final two weeks of the season go, there is a chance that the currently 7-7 Niners will suffer their first losing season under Harbaugh. His QB, Colin Kaepernick, has regressed badly, and the dominant defense has been plagued by injury. Despite his first three successful years, Harbaugh, like Trestman, is rumored to be on the way out.
Harbaugh: The Real QB Whisperer
The three people at the top of Bears' fans' hate list currently are Trestman, GM Phil Emery, and QB Jay Cutler. While Harbaugh can do nothing to help Trestman or Emery, he can help out with Cutler. If there's one thing Harbaugh has shown he can do consistently, it's develop QBs, even those left for dead. Let's look at his time as the head coach at Stanford. While Andrew Luck is recognized as the best young QB in the game today, it was not always that way. Coming out of high school, Luck was the seventh rated QB behind the likes of Terrelle Pryor (1), Mike Glennon (3), Blaine Gabbert (5), and E.J. Manuel (6).
Harbaugh was there for Luck's redshirt freshman, freshman, and sophomore seasons. In his sophomore season, Stanford went 12-1, won the Orange Bowl with Luck as the game MVP, and Luck finished second in the Heisman voting. By that time, he was already considered the best QB prospect in college football, but bypassed the draft to come back for his junior season. Luck came back, but Harbaugh left to pursue the challenge of coaching in the NFL with the 49ers.
The QB he inherited in San Fran was Alex Smith. This is the same Alex Smith that was taken first overall by the Niners in the 2005 draft, and was deemed a bust and a joke by the time Harbaugh took the head coaching job in 2011. By that time, Smith had already had a disastrous rookie campaign (nine games, 1 TD, 11 interceptions), an entire season missed due to injury (2008), and had been pulled in favor of the likes of Shaun Hill and Troy Smith. From the moment Harbaugh signed on to the team, however, the entire narrative changed.
In 2011, Smith had, by far, his best season as a pro up to that point. He finished with his highest QB rating, best completion percentage, most yards, least interceptions (for a 16 game season), and most rushing yards than he had in any season prior. The Niners went 13-3 and made it to the NFC Championship Game. In 2012, Smith was actually having an even better season and looked like the guy they thought they were drafting first overall in 2005. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, Smith went down with an injury in Week 10 against the Rams. This gave way to the Niners' second round pick in 2011, Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick actually had a very successful college career, but didn't get the attention because he went to the University of Nevada. He captured everyone's attention pretty quickly, however, as he displayed excellent athleticism and a surprisingly good arm. His play earned him the start over Smith once Smith was healthy. They rode Kaepernick's arm and legs all the way to an 11-4-1 record and a berth in the Super Bowl. They were so confident in Kaepernick that they decided to let Smith walk in the offseason to sign with Kansas City. It worked out for both sides as Kaepernick continued his stellar play in 2013 as he threw for over 3,000 yards and had 25 total TDs as the Niners went back to the NFC Championship Game. Smith, meanwhile, set career highs in passing yards, TDs, and rushing yards as he led KC to an 11-5 record but lost in a crazy playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts.
So, for the record, Harbaugh has turned a 7th rated QB in high school into a number one overall draft pick, a bust left for dead into a playoff-winning QB, and a backup QB out of Nevada into one of the more feared dual threat QBs in the league. It's obviously not a guarantee Cutler will even be in Chicago if Harbaugh were to come to the Bears, but whoever is there, I think Harbaugh can help tremendously.
Philosophy
Anyone that has seen the 49ers play during Harbaugh's tenure can tell exactly what his philosophy is. He wants to run the ball, control both lines of scrimmage, and play sound defense. It might not be pretty to watch, but it gets the W at the end of the day. Not only would running the ball get the ball to the Bears' most reliable player (Matt Forte), but it would also take the ball out of the hands of the Bears' most unreliable player (Cutler). Controlling the clock is key as it would allow the defense to face fewer plays, giving them less chances to be exposed.
While the defense is certainly devoid of talent, schemes and number of plays faced can help to mask some of the weaknesses. Look at the Cowboys this year. As far as talent is concerned, you could argue that their historically bad defense from last year had more. The difference is that Rod Marinelli is getting 110% out of his players and the Cowboy offense controls the ball, allowing the defense to rest and putting them in favorable positions. That needs to be the model for the Bears. They need to accept the fact that they don't have elite individual talent anymore on defense and try to minimize the amount of times they are on the field. A change in culture and philosophy can help that transition.
A Little Bit Of Crazy
Harbaugh is an interesting character. His boisterous and fiery demeanor has been seen as a pro and a con. He displays plenty of passion, but sometimes being in that kind of frenzy all the time can wear on people. That seems to have happened in San Fran. I think things would fare differently in the Windy City. Harbaugh's personality seems to be the exact opposite of Trestman's and I think that is what this team needs right now. I'm not saying someone with a calm demeanor like Trestman's can't be successful (Tony Dungy), but a little emotion is required. Harbaugh shows more emotion tying his shoe than Trestman does after a Bears' win. Some of the greats of the Bears (Mike Ditka, Mike Singletary), were known for their outbursts and loud personalities. Harbaugh fits that same kind of mold.
Obstacles
While I think Harbaugh would excel with the Bears, there are still some obstacles to point out. For starters, the Bears need to start drafting better. I mentioned how ball control can mask defensive deficiencies, but it would still be nice to have some help there. Not to take too much away from Harbaugh, but he inherited a stacked 49ers' roster, particularly on defense. Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Dashon Goldson, and Aldon Smith were all drafted by the 49ers by the time Harbaugh started coaching. The Bears have Kyle Fuller to build around, but nothing compared to what the Niners were supplied with. The offensive side of the ball is considerably better than in San Fran, though the line needs to be cleaned up. If the season ended today, the Bears would have the ninth overall pick, so it will be crucial to get a starter, and possible superstar on the defensive side of the ball or on the offensive line.
There's also the fact that Trestman hasn't been officially fired yet. While it is widely assumed that he will, there's a chance that a successful run these last two games by Jimmy Clausen could save his job. If Clausen does well, Trestman can point out that both Clausen and Josh McCown had success in his system, so the problem must be Cutler. While I doubt Clausen will be any kind of successful against the Lions and Vikings, he is the only guy who can possibly save Trestman's job.
The final issue is that coaching for the Oakland Raiders or Michigan Wolverines are also lucrative opportunities. He would be given total control at Michigan, his alma mater, to try and resurrect the once dominant college football program. With Oakland, he would be able to stay in the Bay Area where his family wants him to stay. While he would probably be given less total control than he would at Michigan, he would have more control than with the Bears. Oakland also has a project QB in Derek Carr, who has shown flashes this year, fifth overall pick in 2014 Khalil Mack, and likely a top five draft pick for the 2015 draft.
The attitude and culture that Harbaugh would bring would be beneficial to the Bears' organization. He's had success at the collegiate level, in the NFL, and has helped develop three productive quarterbacks in the league. After coming so close three times with San Fran, I think Harbaugh wants to stay in the NFL and capture the ultimate prize in football coaching. Chicago might just be the team and city that helps him fulfill that wish.
Matty O
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