OT: Brian Kelly a candidate for Chicago Bears job?
Bears Insider Jim Miller reported on CSN Chicago that Kelly is a candidate to replace Smith as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. I do believe the Bears job will be the top job out there, and it's never been a secret that Kelly's ultimate goal is to coach in the NFL. Will the Bears job be too good for Kelly to pass up, or are the Bears willing to wait until after the NC game to hire a coach? I can't imagine Kelly bails out on the NC game, but he has bolted before a BCS game before, and his Cincy squad was unbeaten. This could get interesting if Kelly becomes visibly in the mix.
December 31st, 2012 at 6:26 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 7:01 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 7:21 PM ^
You mean the Bears are looking at Peyton Manning? Well, you never know when that neck could go.
December 31st, 2012 at 6:29 PM ^
Gee, I guess he's on the next flight out!!!!
December 31st, 2012 at 6:30 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 7:16 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 6:31 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 10:28 PM ^
Coaches don't owe schools or NFL teams any loyalty. They get fired at the drop of a hat for lame reasons. As fickle as college admins and NFL owners are, any coach who turns down a chance to advance in his profession due to loyalty for a team or school that will fire him for one bad year is a fool.
The Bears might not be the right team to join, though. Lovie Smith got fired for going 10-6.
December 31st, 2012 at 6:36 PM ^
The NFL isn't college. Waiting is not that big of an issue.
December 31st, 2012 at 9:20 PM ^
Yeah, I found it funny that he even thought that was a concern.
There's basically a 0% chance the Bears hire a coach before the title game.
December 31st, 2012 at 6:38 PM ^
As a bigger Michigan fan than a Bears fan, yes, this would be lovely.
December 31st, 2012 at 6:40 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 7:09 PM ^
Seems to me like Chicago would be every bit the job that Green Bay would be, all without having to live in Wisconsin.
December 31st, 2012 at 7:11 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 11:49 PM ^
the position of lions GM might be the best in the NFL...
December 31st, 2012 at 7:21 PM ^
Notre Dame's recent history of coach searches does not agree.
December 31st, 2012 at 7:22 PM ^
No college program is a bigger destination job than being a head coach in the NFL especially a historic team like the Bears. Kelly could go to Chicago (its not a rebuilding situation which is very enticing) and have instant success with players like Cutler, Marshall and Forte not to mention the talent on defense. If they can fix the O-line, I can honestly see them making a run at the super bowl.
December 31st, 2012 at 9:13 PM ^
Your telling me a coach at Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan, USC etc would look at Buffalo as a 'destination' job? Only if you want to go and kill your career.
January 1st, 2013 at 10:54 AM ^
I don't like to be so harsh to start out the New Year, but the notion that Jacksonville or Buffalo or St. Louis or Tennessee or Arizona or Detroit are more prestigious jobs than being HC of Alabama, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, OSU, or Michigan is simply ridiculous.
December 31st, 2012 at 10:01 PM ^
Where do you spend that $, a fancy dinner of top shelf dining at Sizzler?
The biggest house in town @ 250k?
The elks lodge for disco fever?
Gross. I want to shower after thinking about those pee-pee soaked heck holes.
December 31st, 2012 at 10:19 PM ^
January 1st, 2013 at 12:07 PM ^
If I were a coach with aspirations to coach in the NFL, i would read ND for the Chargers. Living in San Diego and following a guy like Turner would be nice.
December 31st, 2012 at 6:41 PM ^
Kelly either has to completely eliminate himself from the early interviews and say no way, or he'll end up putting a cloud around the team by saying no comment right now. That will bring media scrutiny from every direction, and will be a huge distraction for the team. Or, the Bears could come out and say take it or leave it, at which time he'd have to make a decision. Normally coaching searches can go on for weeks, but with 7 possibly 8 openings, some teams will have to act fast to get the coach they want.
December 31st, 2012 at 10:38 PM ^
I thought that Saban would be the coach with most of the distractions leading up to the "Championship" game, but now it looks like Kelly will have just as many.
December 31st, 2012 at 6:47 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 6:54 PM ^
Kelly has learned to cool it down since the televised implosion. From a football standpoint Kelly makes sense. He notoriously produces solid defensive teams which is what Chicago is built upon and he usually fields an offense that can put up points. He knows how to win plain and simple ... he has won everywhere he has been. Multiple NC's at GVSU. Turned CMU around 180 degrees and then led Cincy to their most impressive run ever. To top that off he leads Notre Dame to the title game in year 3. While I hate Notre Dame as much as most people on here, Kelly has proven he can win. He has won at every level he's been at so far. I also feel he has a staff in place that could translate well in the NFL.
December 31st, 2012 at 7:23 PM ^
I don't know about the rest of his staff but Chuck Martin is a keeper. If the CMU AD were smart - he's not - Chuck would have gotten the job after Kelly left for Cinci.
December 31st, 2012 at 7:55 PM ^
His success at GVSU plus previous coaching experience at EMU made him attractive.
Alas, EMU chose another.
December 31st, 2012 at 8:18 PM ^
but I recall reading a Bill James piece on managerial changes where he claimed, with some evidence, that it was precisely the change of atmosphere that came when a new manager had a very different personality that was the primary benefit of a managerial firing--bringing in a looser manager who could relax players who were pressing and tense, or bringing in a hardass when players had gotten too loose under a "players' manager".
I don't happen to think Kelly's personality would be a long-term plus anywhere, but I can see why the Bears might lean in that direction after so many years with Smith.
December 31st, 2012 at 6:55 PM ^
one of 5 or 6...
December 31st, 2012 at 7:00 PM ^
Another 3 and done? You never know?
December 31st, 2012 at 7:00 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 7:13 PM ^
He better act fast before his reputation goes down after a Bama beatdown.
December 31st, 2012 at 7:19 PM ^
Brian Kelly is a great developer of talent at the college level, but it doesn't always translate to being an great coach of the developed talent at the pro level - that's a wall that several otherwise successful college coaches seemed to have hit in moves to the pros, with notable exceptions here and there. That being said, it wouldn't take much tweaking of his own offensive and defensive tendencies when it comes to scheme to at least do reasonably well in the NFL, in my estimation anyway.
In any case, I think that Kelly has been asked about this before and has said that he has no intention of leaving Notre Dame and indeed has long admired the program, at least officially anyway. I actually have a vague feeling that Chip Kelly would end up in the NFL long before Brian Kelly, if indeed he ever took such a position.
December 31st, 2012 at 7:41 PM ^
Not sure if Brian Kelly would do this but I think Saban is going to end up in Cleveland. He was the Browns' defensive coordinator from 91-94, went to Kent State and the whole Mike Lombardi connection. He's 61 so if he wants another shot at proving people wrong and getting it done at the highest level, now is the time. Pete Caroll is proof that giving pro football another go-round isn't such a bad idea.
December 31st, 2012 at 8:11 PM ^
I am curious if the Lovie Smith firing will lead to Jon Hoke joining the UM staff. I imagine he would be on a lot of short-lists for NFL DC positions about to open up but I wonder if he finds his way to Ann Arbor.
December 31st, 2012 at 8:37 PM ^
Would you want to work for your younger brother?
December 31st, 2012 at 8:47 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 8:58 PM ^
If it's a good job, absolutely. Hell, Monte Kiffin was working for his son.
December 31st, 2012 at 10:54 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 11:04 PM ^
January 1st, 2013 at 9:08 AM ^
No, he was the DB coach but with how good their secondary has been he may be somebody new HCs look to as a DC.
December 31st, 2012 at 8:34 PM ^
Screw Kelly. Kelly is about Kelly. Ask the kids from Cinci about Kelly bailing out while they were waiting to play a BCS bowl game. Rodriguez did the same thing. I know the reasons why, but it just isn't fair to the kids the coach leaves behind. The NCAA ought to have penalties when a coach exits before the end of a bowl season and yeah, I understand damages clauses in contracts for a coach's premature departure.
January 1st, 2013 at 3:10 AM ^
How about blame the NCAA for not opening up recruiting earlier? Sorry man, but as someone pointed out above, coaches get canned for any numerous reasons at the drop of a dime. Missing a recruiting cycle can spell DOOM for anyone trying to move into that spot especially in the first year.
I don't like it just like anyone else, but the NCAAs guidelines need to be fixed to stop this from happening.
December 31st, 2012 at 8:51 PM ^
I don't see him walking away from it. And I would see ND making $ure he doesn't leave.
December 31st, 2012 at 10:20 PM ^
In my opinion, ND wins the BCS Championship game and Kelly will be a hero.
December 31st, 2012 at 11:03 PM ^
December 31st, 2012 at 11:45 PM ^
Pro players would just tell him to go to hell.......
January 1st, 2013 at 12:38 AM ^
January 1st, 2013 at 1:00 AM ^