Chicago Bears: Are John Fox’s assistants abandoning him?
The Chicago Bears have already lost five assistant coaches since the end of the 2016 season. Is that a sign that John Fox is on the hot seat?
Chicago Bears head coach John Fox has faith in his assistant coaches.
Fox’s faith in his assistant coaches was evident when, despite outside speculation, the decision was made that both offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would return to their roles with the team in 2017.
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But while Fox may have faith in his assistant coaches, do they have faith in him?
Over the course of the past month, the Bears have lost five assistant coaches. Offensive line coach Dave Magazu and safeties coach Sam Garnes were not offered contact extensions; Stan Drayton became the associate head coach at the University of Texas; wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson elected not to return to the team; and Bears’ assistant special teams coach Richard Hightower joined the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff.
Over the course of his first two seasons with the Bears, Fox has stressed that there is need for consistency. With five assistant coaches no longer with the team, however, the Bears may struggle to find consistency with their coaching staff in 2017.
While the argument could be made that some of the Bears’ former assistant coaches found better job opportunities, there still should be concern that Fox is not able hold onto his assistants. In the case of Hightower, leaving a veteran head coach in Fox for a rookie head coach in Kyle Shanahan may speak to the lack of job security a position on the Bears’ coaching staff has.
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Fox had a reputation of being able to get just about anyone in the NFL to work with him. Couple the Bears’ disappointing second season under Fox and the fact that five of his assistants left, that equals a head coach that has lost his popularity and is on the hot seat.