Beginning a new era the Chicago Bears hope will push the organization into a different offensive realm, Marc Trestman was introduced Thursday morning at Halas Hall as the 14th coach in franchise history.
General manager Phil Emery, in explaining his decision to fire former coach Lovie Smith more than two weeks ago, cited long-running offensive efficiencies for an organization that has typically looked to the defensive side of the ball for its highest leader.
Emery described the interview process that led to Trestman this way: "It was an interesting road ... and a road well-traveled." He confirmed that Trestman, Bruce Arians and Darrell Bevell were the three finalists, with Bevell the first to be eliminated.
Under Smith, Dick Jauron and Dave Wannstedt, the three coaches that followed Mike Ditka, the Bears rarely have produced consistent offensive efforts. All three were defensive coordinators before coming to the club. While the Bears were stout defensively throughout Smith’s nine seasons, they were almost always deficient on offense.
With Trestman in place, the Bears will work to revamp the offense on the fly and take advantage of what remains a productive defense with aging core players. Trestman’s long history as a quarterback guru and innovative offensive mind pushed him to the top of a thorough coaching search by Emery. He was chosen over two other finalists: Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
The challenge for Trestman will be bringing out the best in quarterback Jay Cutler, whom the Bears traded for by mortgaging the future in 2009. The belief then was the young, Pro Bowl gunslinger was the missing piece. He’s played in two playoff games since, winning one. Now, Cutler will be 30 in April and is entering the final year of his contract. His future must be determined in the coming months and Emery made the handling of Cutler a key component of the interview process.
Trestman did more than work with quarterbacks during a five-year stint as the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes. His team reached the playoffs in five consecutive seasons, winning two Grey Cup championships. Previously, he spent 17 seasons working as an assistant in the NFL for eight different organizations. He last worked for the Dolphins in 2004 under Wannstedt. Now, Trestman has the opportunity to operate his own club in the NFL, fulfilling a lifelong goal of the 57-year-old, who has a law degree.
Trestman to unveil vision for Bears
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Trestman to unveil vision for Bears
