Let's face it - there are a lot of Chicago natives studying at DePauw. And you know what that means: a lot of Bears fans. So I'm here to talk about the Bears' latest hire: Marc Trestman - Canadian Football League head coach of the Montreal Alouettes - as the new head coach.
At first I was skeptical about General Manager Phil Emery hiring Trestman as the 14th Bears head coach. After doing some research and reading up on Trestman's rather impressive resume, the former CFL coach seems to be a good fit.
He's known around the league as a quarterback guru working with incoming QBs entering the draft, including the Bears' Jay Cutler and Jason Campbell. Cutler said he "couldn't be more excited," about the hiring of Trestman in an interview with chicagobears.com. The Bears offense has been regularly ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in total yards and had not reached the playoffs in five of six previous seasons.
Having been in the NFL assistant, Trestman routinely molded quarterbacks into much better players. He helped five different teams make the playoffs in his first year on the job: the Browns (1988), 49ers (1995), Lions (1997), Cardinals (1998) and Raiders (2001). Trestman has reached the playoffs in eight of 17 NFL seasons, advancing to two conference championship games and one Super Bowl.
The Bears have all the players to be a powerhouse team. At the beginning of the 2012 season, the Bears were included in ESPN's tops 5 Power Ranking. After a few weeks into the season, they dropped off the list entirely. Starting off the season with top 5 Power Ranking according to ESPN fell. Despite having a 1,000-yard rusher and receiver for the fourth time in franchise history, the Bears offense was only ranked 28th in the league. The Bears' wide receiver Brandon Marshall smashed team records with 118 receptions and 1,508 yards, and running back Matt Forte ran for 1,094 yards on 248 carries. It is absurd to think that a team with all-stars couldn't even make the playoffs after having a 7-1.
I was a fan of former head coach Lovie Smith. I respected his cool candor on the sideline, and all that he brought to the Bears, including a NFC Championship, two NFC North Championships and a trip to the Superbowl for the first time since 1985. I am confident Smith will find another coaching positions soon. However, he is not the man the Bears need at this time.
Smith is a defensive minded coach, and has created a top defense in Chicago, but the offense has been a struggle in Chicago for some years now. After going through several offensive coordinators, it was simply Lovie's time. I thank him for everything he has down for Chicago.
So a new chapter begins in Bears history. The question now stands: Will Emery's decision on choosing the CFL coach be the right one? Can he lead the Bears to a Superbowl by developing a strong offense and maintain a top defense? Chicago will find out next season.
- Makowiecki is a freshman from Palatine, Ill., with an undecided major.