OT: Brian Kelly a candidate for Chicago Bears job?

Submitted by wresler120 on

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.

 

http://www.csnchicago.com/football-chicago-bears/bears-talk/Miller-Kelly-Saban-among-possible-Bears-?blockID=818895&feedID=10990&awid=7570081393297433779-914

Tater

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.  

Perkis-Size Me

December 31st, 2012 at 6:40 PM ^

i get that the nfl is a destination job, but so is notre dame. in some cases, even moreso than in the nfl. unless you're lined up for the hc position with the packers i don't think its worth leaving notre dame.

TeddyGB

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.  

Don

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.

DrueDown

December 31st, 2012 at 10:01 PM ^

I will never understand why anyone would willingly choose to live in Green Bay or South Bend.



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.



wresler120

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.

Brown Bear

December 31st, 2012 at 6:47 PM ^

No way Kelly ends up in Chicago. His temperament is so to the extreme of Lovies that it would make zero sense. Lovie was the soft spoken players coach that they all loved. I'm not sure Kelly is the NFL type with his hot headedness and especially not in Chicago where Lovie was beloved by the players. Jim Miller is just throwing names out and has no inside information.

wresler120

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.

Yeoman

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.

robmorren2

December 31st, 2012 at 7:00 PM ^

I'd give this about a .01% chance of happening. Jim Miller isn't an insider, he is just a former Bears' QB that does Monday Morning Quarterback reports, pregame breakdowns, etc. I'm pretty sure he is just rattling off names that have been tossed around by all the networks and media outlets. The Bears are making a run for Denver's OC it appears. They also scheduled a meeting with the Falcons ST coach, but that would appear to be the Rooney rule interview.

LSAClassOf2000

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. 

TeddyGB

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.

Blarvey

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.

bluebyyou

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.

 

phork

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.

MosherJordan

December 31st, 2012 at 11:03 PM ^

Just how many millionaire pro players are going to tolerate a splotchy red faced Brian Kelly? Hell, I'd like to see him go to the Bears just to see Jay Cutler do his best Indifferent Cool Hand Luke face while Kelly is going apoplectic, just before Brian Urlacher walks up behind him and pops his head like an ugly zit between his thumb and forefinger.

UofM626

January 1st, 2013 at 12:38 AM ^

Is a very hot commodity just like last year. He is being considered for Chic, Az, SD, and possibly will take interviews this week. NFL rules allow for coaches to interview during the playoffs if you have a bye week. Stay tuned!!!!

bostonsix

January 1st, 2013 at 1:00 AM ^

If Kelly goes to the NFL, what would the likelihood of urban meyer taking the ND job be.If my memory serves me right he coached under Lou holtz and held UM, the bitcheys, and ND as his top choices. Since he holds holtz so highly, did he really want the ND job more in the first place?