[Note: This thread was written prior to Harbaugh and Michigan’s victory over Ohio State.]
The Bears have done things one way for a long time, allowing their GM to be the head of football operations.
But maybe it’s time to change that thinking.
Maybe it’s time to make the head coach the alpha at Halas Hall.
This is happening across the league. Belichick, of course, but also Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan, Pete Carroll, Andy Reid, etc. Some of the more successful organizations are no longer led by a personnel man, but by a football coach.
My guy is Jim Harbaugh.
• 44-19-1 as an NFL HC.
• History of hiring great staffs (Roman, Fangio, etc.)
• Coached vs Fields, would understand his game.
• Will embrace power run game as base of offense.
• Thrived with Kaepernick; will utilize Fields’ legs effectively.
I don’t care about Harbaugh’s college career. College is about recruiting and every time I watch Michigan play they’ve got some awful thing at QB.
Did he win a title at Michigan? No. Did he once again win WAY more than he loses? Of course. He’s a great football coach.
And Harbaugh, while very Parcellsian in his ability to ruffle feathers & wear out his welcome, has a million friends in the NFL. Pairing him with great evaluator – Jeff Ireland, perhaps – would be easy.
Both Harbaugh & Ireland have told friends Chicago is their dream job.
Harbaugh would give the Bears a football face. He’d be the front man for the program. The buck would stop with him.
And the Bears would win.
