Former Bears coach Marc Trestman to XFL Tampa

For two seasons, Marc Trestman coached the Chicago Bears. Even though he didn’t find much success in the NFL, he did in the CFL and is now headed to the XFL.

The Chicago Bears list of head-coaches has been disappointing since Mike Ditka. Marc Trestman would be considered a disappointing head coach. He came into Chicago with high-hopes to “fix” Jay Cutler. They even almost made the playoffs together in their first season. As we all know now, Trestman did nothing but set the Bears back a few seasons.

Trestman set back the Bears and ruined their defense. He passed on re-signing stars like Brian Urlacher and decided to sign offensive players that turned out to be nothing. For how well Trestman did in the CFL, the success didn’t translate at all in the NFL. There were no Super Bowls, NFC North titles, playoff wins, or anything. There were just two seasons of heartbreak.

Trestman went back to the CFL after his two-year stint in Chicago and won more championships there. I guess in Canada he is a legendary coach. In the United States, he is a Bears’ legendary joke-of-a-coach.

Now, Trestman takes on a new challenge coming in February. For the first time, Trestman will be coaching as a head coach for an American football team in February. The only problem is, it’s not for the Super Bowl, it’s for the XFL.

He has signed a contract with Tampa Bay to be their first head coach. He will get to work with Vinny Testaverde‘s son Vincent at quarterback. He also will work with Taylor Cornelius. Trestman is the so-called quarterback whisperer.

So Tampa Bay Viper fans here’s what to expect. Trestman is a low-energy guy who is smart. He is a proven winner in Canada while winning Grey Cups with multiple different teams. He was 13-19 as an NFL head coach. In the CFL, he was 68-40. Overall, all the teams he coached within the NFL since 1985 went 165-185-1.

So yes, he knows football. He knows how to win in Canada. He just hasn’t brought that success to the United States. Since the XFL has talent around the CFL level, I believe he will do better than he did in Chicago. The talent level he is working with is anyone’s guess. A lot of them are players that were cut from NFL rosters or undrafted free-agents.

Trestman should make the best of this coaching opportunity. At 63 years old, there is a slim to none chance he will be an NFL coach ever again. If he has success in the XFL, a desperate team might call. Who knows, but good luck Tampa.