Leslie Frazier should be removed as Chicago Bears’ HC candidate

Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier had a chance to solidify his candidacy for the Chicago Bears‘ head coaching position Sunday in the AFC Divisional Playoff game between the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, but in the end, it was further confirmation that the former Bear should not be a candidate for the position.

Over the course of the past week, Frazier has emerged as a legitimate candidate to be the next head coach of the Bears. Frazier interviewed for the Bears’ head coaching vacancy last Friday and a report earlier today from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated confirmed that he is among the most popular names being discussed for the vacancy.

Prior to the Bills losing to the Chiefs on Sunday night, Frazier was already viewed as a less than ideal candidate for the Bears’ head coaching vacancy. The reason for the lack of interest from Bears fans in regards to a potential hire of Frazier is that the move would be nothing but another safe decision from the Bears’ organization.

After the embarrassment that was the two seasons in which was Marc Trestman being the head coach of the Bears, the team made a safe decision to hire John Fox and re-establish the culture of the organization. While previous Bears’ head coach Matt Nagy was not nearly as destructive as Trestman, the Bears are looking for a head coach that can reinstall the culture of the organization.

Outside of Frazier being a safe selection as the next head coach of the Bears, the hiring would also signal a similar mistake that the Bears made when they hired Matt Nagy. In 2018, the Bears hired Nagy, then offensive coordinator of the Chiefs, after the Chiefs were eliminated in AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Tennessee Titans. In an effort to increase Nagy’s candidacy, Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid allowed Nagy to call offensive plays during the second half of the 2018 season and into the 2018 AFC Wild Card game. The Chiefs offensive play calling in the 2018 AFC Wild Card game was heavily criticized after the team jumped out a 21-3 lead over the Titans but ultimately lost the game 22-21.

Leslie Frazier is a popular candidate for the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy but after the Buffalo Bills’ defensive performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. Frazier should no longer be a candidate.

The Chiefs’ performance in their Wild Card game against the Titans should have served as a red flag in regards to Nagy’s limitations as a head coach and inability to call offensive plays.

Fast forward to this past week and the Bears have the chance to avoid a similar mistake with Frazier. After the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter of the Bills’ wild card loss to the Chiefs on Sunday, Frazier’s defensive unit allowed a total of 188 passing yards by Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes. While Mahomes is certainly a generational talent at the quarterback position, there are legitimate questions surrounding Frazier and the looks in which he put his defense in during the fourth quarter overtime of Sunday’s loss.

If Frazier has the answers to those questions and able to learn from his mistakes, then he certainly should be considered. However, history would suggest that the Chicago Bears should move on from Frazier in their search for a new head coach.