Liam Cohen came into the Bears offensive coordinator search in small print last year.
The other big names had already been singled out and apparently Matt Eberflus really had his eye on Shane Waldron, but along the way they tossed Cohen in there almost as an afterthought and he didn't get hired. A week and a half later, Cohen found his way onto Tampa Bay's staff as the offensive coordinator for Todd Bowles.
While numerous rumored reports all point at Detroit's Ben Johnson as a possible Bears head coaching candidate, and the "leader of men" section loves Mike Vrabel, there is a real argument to be made for Liam Coen as the next head coach of the Chicago Bears.
This isn't to say he should be the coach, but that he needs to be one of those considered seriously for the position.
The @Buccaneers offense is hot. Not just their pass game…and the OC is a future HC pic.twitter.com/5nv1MHiivv
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 6, 2024
1. Coordinator Success
Coen came to a Tampa Bay team with an underperforming offense last year that was 23rd overall under Dave Canales. They didn't really get a chance to upgrade extensively and yet Coen currently has them third in the league.
Dear Bears Brass ,
Get out of the way and let Poles hire the next Bears Coach. No " collaboration " one guy making the decision. The " football " guy.
Thank you !
— Olin kreutz (@olin_kreutz) December 3, 2024
Coen's offense has carried Todd Bowles' team, which is 28th on defense. Coen has put together a balanced attack that is sixth in passing, eighth in rushing and did it with Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
When Coen was offensive coordinator at Kentucky the first time, they last time they had won more games (10) was in 1950 (11). They beat Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
If #DaBears rule out hiring a coach because they haven’t been a Head Coach before they’re severely limiting themselves.
This REEKS of when John Fox got hired. Hire the best candidate, not just one who was a HC before.
DAMN
— Irish Bears Network (@IrishBearsShow) December 10, 2024
He's a proven play caller based on his two college years as offensive coordinator at Kentucky and also this season with Tampa Bay.
2. Succession
This is critical for Caleb Williams. One of the big concerns over developing Williams was the switch in offenses and coordinators in his second season. It's feared all the change would work in a negative fashion, much like happened to Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields.
Liam Coen dealing again. I said it in the offseason, but the Bucs going from Canales to Coen was an upgrade. 6th in EPA/play this season despite injuries and early line struggles. Constantly evolving & innovating. They shouldn't let him out of the building this offseason pic.twitter.com/Eq5nblBNQE
— Ollie Connolly (@OllieConnolly) December 8, 2024
Whether that's a valid worry or not, it's virtually rendered unimportant with Coen as head coach because he brings in an attack largely influenced by the same person who developed this Bears offense—Sean McVay. Coen was McVay's coordinator one season after Kevin O'Connell left.
If Bill Belichick becomes available and wants to coach for your team you hire him. Idc who the franchise is, if you need a HC he's top of the list #NFL #Bears pic.twitter.com/GuQ53lfiTO
— Alex Leak (@freakaleak1209) December 5, 2024
Coen didn't necessarily get fired. McVay told all his coaches to feel free to explore other opportunities because he wasn't sure he was coming back after the 2022 season.
So Coen did and went back to be coordinator at Kentucky before Bowles hired him this year. Coen was on the Rams staff as long as Bears interim coach Thomas Brown. He was there from 2018-19 as wide receivers coach, then 2020 as quarterbacks coach, then left for the year they won the Super Bowl to have a chance to call plays at Kentucky. He returned for a year as Rams coordinator without play-calling duties under McVay and now is obviously a success calling the plays with Tampa Bay.
Kevin Warren, who is leading the search for the next Bears Head Coach, is more focused on getting the taxpayers to pay for a stadium then to field a competitive football team
He’s a politician not a football man Bears fans pic.twitter.com/Jc7Zxg16qa
— Slats Grobnik (@MissinRoyko) December 10, 2024
For Williams, it wouldn't be a huge stretch offensively to pick up what the new coach wants him do do since it's almost the same thing. And the Bears could even keep Brown on staff as the offensive coordinator if both he and they wanted, although he wouldn't be a play caller.
What kind of culture do you want the next Head Coach to bring to Chicago?@adamrank wants more TOUGHNESS! 💯 pic.twitter.com/CaZJcPjqec
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) December 10, 2024
3. Offensive Head Coach
This is the preferable matchup for both Williams and for the future of the franchise.
The ideal situation is to have a quarterback operating the same offense year after year the way Patrick Mahomes gets to do in Kansas City. The problem with hiring a defensive-oriented coach or "leader of men" type or even a special teams coordinator as coach is their offensive coordinator could then be hired away and the continuity is lost, that quick comfort the quarterback has from operating the same scheme for years is changed each time the attack is altered.
The Bears next head coach?
Be ready for weird. pic.twitter.com/sBxGSfCA2O
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) December 2, 2024
This isn't to say it's the only way to win. Bill Belichick wasn't an offensive side coach with Tom Brady. But Belichick had the same offense and coordinators for long periods of time. Josh McDaniel was OC from 2006-2008, then 2012-2021. Brady was well established then. At the outset of his career, he had Charlie Weiss as coordinator from 2001-2004.
If you want prolonged success with a QB, the way to do it is unquestionably with an offensive-side head coach and Coen fits.
Y'all. What Liam Coen is doing in the run game rn is NEXT LEVEL. Split flow to seal the EMOL into trap with the center wrapping backside.
Shades of Ben Johnson with some new wrinkles. pic.twitter.com/hYeUHIMVoq
— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) December 2, 2024
4. Comparison to the Competition
Coen's offense outperformed Ben Johnson's offense in only has second game as an NFL play caller. In Week 2 this year, the Buccaneers went to Detroit and handed the Lions their only loss, 20-16.
Coen doesn't have the dominant offensive line in the league paving the way for his offense. He doesn't have a quarterback who has been in his system for three years the way Jared Goff is for Johnson. He took castoff Baker Mayfield and put together the third-best attack in the league.
Vrabel does know defense but his style of defense would require the Bears to dump a lot of personnel and return to a 3-4, like they had under Vic Fangio, Chuck Pagano and Sean Desai.
In seven years, one as a coordinator, Vrabel always ran the 3-4 and it requires different types of defensive linemen than the Bears now have. They'd need different types of edge rushers, different sized defensive ends and a nose who hunkers down. In short, it's going to require Ryan Poles to spend a good deal of their draft picks and salary cap space to acquire defensive help when they obviously need offensive line help.
As an offensive coach, Coen could be flexible in finding a 4-3 coordinator. There are plenty who become available. Robert Saleh is available and was coordinator for the 49ers' defense that ranked second in scoring and fourth overall while going to the Super Bowl. There will be plenty of candidates who fit this ability.
To further gas up Liam Coen, who isn’t getting enough love:
- The McVay tree has had success (Kevin O’Connell)
- By the numbers, Tampa’s offense is 5th in scoring, 6th in yards, and 6th in passing despite all their WR injuries. pic.twitter.com/TZNomiNK0q
— . (@J0nesToChina) December 5, 2024
The only candidate Coen would have trouble matching up against is Kliff Kingsbury because of overall experience, an offensive system Caleb Williams knows well and a year of prior experience. But Kingsbury's record as a head coach shows opponents figure out what he's doing or even something worse -- that he can't maintain success.
In 2014 he lost four of his last five games at Texas Tech. In 2015 he lost four of his last six. He lost six of his last eight in 2016 and 2017. In 2018 he lost the last five games. In 2019 with the Arizona Cardinals as head coach, he lost seven of the last nine. In 2020, he lost six of the last nine, in 2021 he lost four of the last five and in 2022 he lost the last seven straight and was fired.
This year he's not a head coach but the Commanders had a 7-2 record after beating the Bears on a Hail Mary and then the Giants the next week. They then lost three straight, including one by eight at home to Dallas.
They did right the ship in their last game, but were playing one of the NFL's worst teams, the Titans.
They do have Dan Quinn's 12th-ranked defense there to help prevent another fade, but still, there are signs of another fade.
obviously have no idea how well ben johnson, joe brady or liam coen would be as head coaches but think it would be good process to hire any of them and put yourself ahead with respect to offensive playcalling https://t.co/ZUVzLEaG2S
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) December 2, 2024
Twitter: BearsOnSI