Bears first team to request interview with Arians (merge)

[jskinnz]

Pittsburgh's LB coach for D Coordinator off the top of the dome....and he is definitely going...if San Diego or Chicago make an offer he'll take it...

I knew that is what you bring up. You completely misrepresent that situation. Dick LeBeau is a hundred years old and they have promised the job to Butler when LeBeau retires. That had nothing to do with him being afraid of working in Indy.

If those teams make an offer, I would guess he would take it. But there is nothing close to assured that they will offer him. There are things he has going against him.

[MSColtsFan]

If Arians becomes a chooser, and isn't a begger, I think he is gone.  If there is one offer, and it is the Bears, I'm not so sure he goes.  There are attractive jobs, and there are unemployment lines in three years, I think.  The Bears and their bipolar QB and aging D sit with the Packers and a young Rodgers, the Vikings (a playoff team), and Lions (lots of talent screaming for leadership and discipline).  San Diego has Rivers, a decent starting point, and a division won by a 36 year old QB who won't play forever (maybe?).  And the other jobs... Chiefs, Bills, Cards, Browns, and Eagles I think all scream out long, long road back.  I have no doubt Arians wanted to be a HC, he said so.  But at his age, given his current situation with the Colts, I am not so sure he simply takes a job just to be a HC.  If he has options, and to me the one great gig is SD, I think he is gone.  One last thought on the Bears...  you better be one tough SOB to take that job.   Lovie was 81-63 overall, Super Bowl appearance, canned after 10-6...  Instant pressure to succeed.  There are less stressful places to land. 

[wig]

I am glad Chuck is the coach, but this is the problem with having a defensive guy as the head coach. I sure hope that Luck doesn't have to learn many systems throughout his career.

[hawkeyes]

If hes a real man and not after money the guy would stick around and help the Colts / Luck get to the SB....

[southwest1]

It really boils down to ownership & which owner will be the most patient & open their checkbook to help Bruce Arians win. Also, how does the owner in each vacancy define winning? Division titles or a SB? 

 

Chargers owner: Alex G. Spanos/ QB: Phillip Rivers...Win now easily. Bruce will land here. 

 

Bears Owner [ Virginia Halas McCaskey] GM: Phil Emery/ QB: Jay Cutler...win now easily. Need a proven o-line coach though. 

 

Buffalo Bills Owner: Ralph Wilson with Russ Brandon President & CEO...So much work here. A lengthy reclamation project. If Lovie Smith is given 4-5 years & some money to spend draft wise, he could fix this organization. 

 

Kansas City: Andy Reid new HC/ Vacancy filled. 

[chad72]

Maybe the new management of the Bears may have a different outlook on spending and retaining of talent, that is something Arians needs to find out before saying yes. Similar questions need to be asked with the Chargers to find out whether they are going to let guys like Brees, Sproles, LT, Turner, VJax, Cromartie etc. go or if they will not jerk their players around and pay them if they are truly worth it.

[Jason_]

If hes a real man and not after money the guy would stick around and help the Colts / Luck get to the SB....

That's ridiculous. It has nothing to do with being a real man. He has to do what's best for him and his family...period.

[John Waylon]

Not surprising. They got rid of Lovie because they felt he neglected the offense and they're going to want an offensive guy.

I think BA ends up in San Diego, Arizona, Chicago, or Buffalo, in that order.

[Bubba]

He is as good as gone. He is a long time coach, he wants to be a head coach and he deserves it

I agree he deserves to be a head coach, but BA isn't leaving to go to a desaster in Chicago, Philly or San Diego or any of the other dump sites that are available at this moment. Plus no other team has Andrew Luck. BA will use his sucess as leverage to get paid, now that is what a smart businessman would do and should.. You have to ask yourself this question, are you leaving your job for a promotion only really to be set up to fail??? I think not. The HC jobs available are horrific for the most part. Irsay WILL pony up the $$$$$ to keep BA. Just my opinion.

[Jason_]

I agree he deserves to be a head coach, but BA isn't leaving to go to a desaster in Chicago, Philly or San Diego or any of the other dump sites that are available at this moment. Plus no other team has Andrew Luck. BA will use his sucess as leverage to get paid, now that is what a smart businessman would do and should.. You have to ask yourself this question, are you leaving your job for a promotion only really to be set up to fail??? I think not. The HC jobs available are horrific for the most part. Irsay WILL pony up the $$$$$ to keep BA. Just my opinion.

 

Chicago, Philly and San Diego all have a ton of talent and for the past couple of years have all underperformed in comparison to what was expected of them so I'd hardly consider them to be disasters.  San Diego's biggest problem is widely believed to be the coaching and GM, both of whom have been fired.  Chicago hired a new GM last year.  Philly has been iffy on Reid for the past couple of years so they too clearly were unhappy with their coaching staff...in particular Reid's inability to bring in a competent defensive coordinator to work with all of the talent they have on the defensive side.  So if they are, or were, disasters then it was due to the coaching and front office management, all of which is being addressed.  Any of these 3 teams, with better coaching and management, could bust wide open next year.  So in my opinion, any of the 3 would be great landing spots for Arians. 

 

Now I would have greed with you if you'd said Arizona, Cleveland or Buffalo.  These teams need much more help than Philly, San Diego and Chicago and will likely be a longer rebuilding process so they wouldn't be nearly as attractive to an older coach like Arians.

[USAFHoosier]

If he did leave, Chicago would be the best situation for him. I hope we do everything possible to convince him to stay.

[TonyBungee]

I could see Chicago being an attractive option for BA, and I think he'd do a good job there, but my gut feeling is the Bears try to make a bigger splash with this hiring. I still hope he stays, but it's looking less likely.

[gbrads_rants]

I knew that is what you bring up. You completely misrepresent that situation. Dick LeBeau is a hundred years old and they have promised the job to Butler when LeBeau retires. That had nothing to do with him being afraid of working in Indy.

If those teams make an offer, I would guess he would take it. But there is nothing close to assured that they will offer him. There are things he has going against him.

"Completely misrepresent"?? LOL, Now you're a lawyer...fact is DC is a step up..and while Dick LeBeau is an old man he is a NFL Lifer which means he's going to coach until he cannot...why be a coach in waiting when you can become a DC???? DC is a springboard to bigger and better things and at the end of the day this is still a business.......

and if a team makes BA an offer he WILL take it....

[jskinnz]

"Completely misrepresent"?? LOL, Now you're a lawyer...fact is DC is a step up..and while Dick LeBeau is an old man he is a NFL Lifer which means he's going to coach until he cannot...why be a coach in waiting when you can become a DC???? DC is a springboard to bigger and better things and at the end of the day this is still a business.......

and if a team makes BA an offer he WILL take it....

 

Not a lawyer - just informed.  And yes, misrepresent is a very accurate way to describe your version of the Butler situation and whether or not Indy had to beg guys to come coach here.

[gbrads_rants]

Not a lawyer - just informed.  And yes, misrepresent is a very accurate way to describe your version of the Butler situation and whether or not Indy had to beg guys to come coach here.

Eh....pish posh...

[jskinnz]

Eh....pish posh...

 

Well said.

[IndyTrav]

Nobody agrees. But I feel the best option out there for a guy looking to be a head coach, is Buffalo.

If they are missing anything it's a QB. (Fun fact look up Cutler v Fitzpatrick the last 4 years it is amazing).

Good OL. Good Weapons. Good def. just missing some one who can put it all together.

It's a football town, and a good season and playoff app would go a long long way.

The division is owned by a quickly aging QB, and no other team in sight of being half way decent.

Buffalo I feel is the best HC option out there.

[Gavin]

Nobody agrees. But I feel the best option out there for a guy looking to be a head coach, is Buffalo.

If they are missing anything it's a QB. (Fun fact look up Cutler v Fitzpatrick the last 4 years it is amazing).

Good OL. Good Weapons. Good def. just missing some one who can put it all together.

It's a football town, and a good season and playoff app would go a long long way.

The division is owned by a quickly aging QB, and no other team in sight of being half way decent.

Buffalo I feel is the best HC option out there.

Agreed although they do need another wr and maybe a TE as well along with QB like ya said

[FireJimCaldwell]

If hes a real man and not after money the guy would stick around and help the Colts / Luck get to the SB....

 

 

That's ridiculous. It has nothing to do with being a real man. He has to do what's best for him and his family...period.

I don't see how that has anything to do with being a real man. 

 

Obviously the money for a HC is more than an OC in most if not all cases, but it could easily be about fulfilling a dream. He's been on record saying that he's happy with the time he spent as IHC, and that he won't take just any job, but if an interesting position presents itself, and I would say Chicago is interesting.  He would have a similarly physically talented QB, even though their personalities/demeanor are different. He's not walking into a scrub at QB. Aging, but decent defensive talent. Quarterback wise the same could be said about the potential of him ending up in San Diego. 

 

If he takes it, I doubt it is as much about the money as other factors.

[IndyTrav]

Ryan Fitzpatrick....52 starts 1041-1742 59.8%... 11654yds. 80td. 64int.

Jay Cutler....56 starts 1034-1735 59.6%... 12292yds. 82tds. 63int.

That is crazy close.

[hawkeyes]

That's ridiculous. It has nothing to do with being a real man. He has to do what's best for him and his family...period.

 

... how much does he make right now as Colts OC? 

 

Seriously IMO whether you make 1,2,4,5, 10m a year - its no longer about  taking care of a family you are set unless you are an financially ignorant!

 

I agree with the part about it being a life long dream - I reckon I would respect that reason much more than a dollar sign reason.

[jskinnz]

If hes a real man and not after money the guy would stick around and help the Colts / Luck get to the SB....

 

 

You have a strange way of looking at the world.  By strange I mean completely off base.  Using this to determine whether or not Arians is a "real man" is comical.  What is funnier is someone else determining what another person should do or if their pursuit of financial security is just. 

[southwest1]

Nobody agrees. But I feel the best option out there for a guy looking to be a head coach, is Buffalo.

If they are missing anything it's a QB. (Fun fact look up Cutler v Fitzpatrick the last 4 years it is amazing).

Good OL. Good Weapons. Good def. just missing some one who can put it all together.

It's a football town, and a good season and playoff app would go a long long way.

The division is owned by a quickly aging QB, and no other team in sight of being half way decent.

Buffalo I feel is the best HC option out there.

You make a number of valid points INDYTrav. Plus, that fan base is starving for relevancy in their division. It wouldn't take that much to win them over. 7-9 in year one. 8-8 in year two. 10-6 in year three. Lovie Smith is the right man for the job here with a suitable QB acquired in the draft. Fitz is a backup nothing more. Ken Winsenhunt would be okay in Buffalo too. I just don't see Bruce Arians there though. Either San Diego or Philadelphia. I really like Jeffrey Lurie is a very good owner IMO & he isn't tight or cheap either. I could see Bruce in the city of "brotherly love." 

[Fx Stryker]

If Arians wants to head coach he'll be a head coach. I know everyone wants this to turn out like Moore/Manning combo, but this is a different era. Not everything is going to mirror the fortunes we had before like everyone is hoping for. Even if anyone doesn't want to admit it.

[lollygagger8]

At least Grigson wants to keep Arians.....

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000121917/article/colts-gm-ryan-grigson-wants-to-keep-oc-bruce-arians

 

 

If I was Arians...the last QB I'd want to try and work with would be Cutler.

[southwest1]

At least Grigson wants to keep Arians.....

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000121917/article/colts-gm-ryan-grigson-wants-to-keep-oc-bruce-arians

 

 

If I was Arians...the last QB I'd want to try and work with would be Cutler.

I just wish I knew where Bruce's head was at. By that, I mean is he really driven to get an HC job or is he just putting feelers out to see what the level of interest in his leadership services are? What appeals to him more the comfort of Andrew Luck & Jim Irsay or total control to rebuild another NFL franchise? 

 

I agree 100% with you on Jay Cutler though. He is head strong, firmly entrenched in his pattern of doing things, & he isn't very receptive to criticism & modifying his technique as a QB. I wouldn't want to work with him. Yes, Jay is tired of being sacked, but it's more than that. He needs an attitude adjustment that only 2 coaches could create i.e. Bill Cowher or John Gruden IMO.

[Jason_]

... how much does he make right now as Colts OC? 

 

Seriously IMO whether you make 1,2,4,5, 10m a year - its no longer about  taking care of a family you are set unless you are an financially ignorant!

 

I agree with the part about it being a life long dream - I reckon I would respect that reason much more than a dollar sign reason.

 

 

I agree about the money part.  At his age, as long as he's been coaching, money shouldn't be a problem ever again.  However, money is not all I was referring to in my post.  In fact, I only threw in the "and his family" to say that he has more important people in his life that he has to take into consideration than Andrew Luck.

 

Also, as I said it's about more than just money.  You could also take location into account.  They've been here for a year but were in Pittsburgh for quite a while.  Maybe they have other family they'd like to be closer to that's closer to Pitt.  In that case, the Buffalo or Philly jobs might be attractive to him.  Perhaps they have family out west.  If that were the case then he might favor either the Arizona or San Diego job.  Maybe they don't have any family elsewhere that they really want to be close to, in which case location wouldn't really matter.  Just out of curiosity, I did a quick google search and it appears he has a son who played for one year in 2001 in Buffalo and his daughter graduated high school in Pennsylvania.  Who knows where the kids live now.  Maybe they still live out east and he'd like to be closer to them. 

 

That's just one other thing to consider and I have no doubt there's a lot more that he has to consider when making a decision...one thing being the dream he's always had of being a HC, which you did mention in your second post.  So, there's a lot more than just money to take into consideration.  In fact, if it were simply about money then I have very little doubt that Irsay would pony up however much it took to keep Bruce here, especially if Chicago were the only team to actually offer Bruce a position because the Bears are notorious for being frugal when it comes to their staff.  Personally, I don't think money would be the deciding factor, which is why I'm inclined to believe that he's more likely to leave than to stay.

[Jason_]

Nobody agrees. But I feel the best option out there for a guy looking to be a head coach, is Buffalo.

If they are missing anything it's a QB. (Fun fact look up Cutler v Fitzpatrick the last 4 years it is amazing).

Good OL. Good Weapons. Good def. just missing some one who can put it all together.

It's a football town, and a good season and playoff app would go a long long way.

The division is owned by a quickly aging QB, and no other team in sight of being half way decent.

Buffalo I feel is the best HC option out there.

 

You make very good points.  My question would be, who would they be able to bring in at QB?  At Arians' age, does he have time to start over with another rookie QB?  How much time does he want to spend developing a young QB before actually getting to the point of being able to be competetive?  That's why I think it might be better for him to go to Chicago or San Diego.  However, maybe Arians can work with Fitzpatrick to help him improve his game.

[hawkeyes]

You have a strange way of looking at the world.  By strange I mean completely off base.  Using this to determine whether or not Arians is a "real man" is comical.  What is funnier is someone else determining what another person should do or if their pursuit of financial security is just. 

 

I think it was just a spur of the moment grammar snaffu -  insert honorable for "real" or maybe loyal ... real was the wrong word for certain!   I think the financial security part has already been well covered - he should already have more than enough for himself, his kids and their kids!

[Anonymous]

Hopefully the Bears or Eagles take him and not the Chargers. I'm not sold on Arians being a good fit for the franchise at this time.

[jskinnz]

I think it was just a spur of the moment grammar snaffu -  insert honorable for "real" or maybe loyal ... real was the wrong word for certain!   I think the financial security part has already been well covered - he should already have more than enough for himself, his kids and their kids!

More absolute nonsense. You deciding that he should already has enough money is just simply wrong.

Pretty much everything you have posted in this thread is comically wrong.

[GoColts8818]

If hes a real man and not after money the guy would stick around and help the Colts / Luck get to the SB....

I really really doubt this is going to come down to money.  If Arians leaves it's going to come down to the fact he's always wanted to be a Head Coach and these other teams are offering him something the Colts can't and frankly it's something he might very well not get a shot again in his life.  Also a man going after his life long dream does not some how make him any less of a man just because it would mean your favorite football team would lose it's OC in the process.

[BOTT]

I am glad Chuck is the coach, but this is the problem with having a defensive guy as the head coach. I sure hope that Luck doesn't have to learn many systems throughout his career.

Worked out ok for Tom Brady, Peyton, Eli, Matt Ryan, Big Ben etc.....a lot of things had to happen for Arians to get interviews this year..not that he didn't deserve it previously

[weslo1812]

Little article here on Bruce Ariens. Appearently the Colts and GM Griegson do want to keep him. Well see what he really want s to do and If a really good offer comes.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/d9jyh?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=indianapolis-colts