Bear Digest

Defensive side hire for Bears to consider instead of Brian Flores

Analysis: The Bears' interest in Brian Flores has been out there for a while, but there is another DC whose star is rising without past QB baggage the Vikings defensive coordinator has.
Gene Chamberlain|
If the Bears want to consider a defensive side hire, Chris Shula would be a rising young coach to interview.
If the Bears want to consider a defensive side hire, Chris Shula would be a rising young coach to interview. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

While there's no question Brian Flores' pressure defensive packages would go over as a hit in Chicago, there are lingering issues about what happened when the former Dolphins head coach apparently alienated Tua Tagovailoa.

Flores as a Bears head coach could be a difficult match because of their own young quarterback and it no doubt would be an issue in an interview.

Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune did paint a very complimentary and deep picture of a changed coach with a story he has done on the Vikings defensive coordinator.

Taken at face value, Flores still shouldn't be the Bears coach as a "leader of men" type based on a few other things.

One is how he showed poor judgment with another QB situation, reportedly pushing hard for the Dolphins to trade for Deshaun Watson. It became a drama when they already had a quarterback and his choice of QBs has to be an issue as well. The other is how his defense played poorly in the second half of this season. The only offense they shut down was the Bears, and that was no accomplishment.

More importantly to the Bears' situation, there is a defensive coordinator they should take a good look at but it's not Flores.

Even at the risk of adding to their endless list of interviews, they should talk to the defensive coordinator who made the Vikings' vaunted passing attack look anemic and that's the grandson of coaching great Don Shula, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.

Shula is former NFL head coach David Shula's son and his defense is only ranked 26th this year but once they got injured players back they took off, and on Monday night they dominated Kevin O'Connell's Vikings offense.

Shula is only 38 but there have been countless other NFL head coaches younger, including his current boss. Sean McVay was 30 when he became a head coach.

Brock Vierra of Los Angeles Rams On SI quoted an NFL executive who didn't want his name used as seeing Shula as possibly the next big thing.

"Chris is a rising star," the executive said. "He might be one or two coaching cycles away from landing a head coaching gig, but being with Sean (McVay) will only continue to make his stock rise.

"It's not a matter of if he gets a head coaching job, it's simply a question of when."

The Rams defene held three straight opponents to single digits while they got back into the race and retook the NFC West lead. Now, here they are in the divisional playoffs.

Four of the last five opponents they faced scored single digits. Seattle scored 30 on them in the finale but the game was meaningless to the Rams because they had already clinched the division title. In a year when they've been hit with numerous injuries, they tried to keep starters sidelined as much as possible for that game.

Even with the 30-point game, they've allowed 12.6 points a game on defense over the last five.

The Rams are playing intense, physical defense like they did when they won the Super Bowl. No one should be surprised if they wind up playing the Lions eventually in the NFC Championship Game. They have the Eagles to deal with first, though.

Shula is basically a home-grown defensive coach who rose up through the Rams' ranks, starting with linebackers coach and then defensive backs and pass rush coordinator. He became OC this year after Raheem Morris went to the Rams.

Lack of experience, no doubt, is an issue but he hasn't had a tainted past and he is on the rise. It's better to catch a candidate as he's starting to skyrocket rather than on his way back up after a fall.

Shula had a year at the small school (D-III) hotbed for coaching, John Carroll, and was a college assistant at Ball State and Indiana before he was with the Chargers in 2015-16 as a quality control coach on defense, prior to joining the Rams.

As the Rams' young defense got entirely healthy and began playing together in the scheme better, they've held five of the last six teams to 113 yards rushing or less.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler referred to Shula as a "sneaky" candidate this hiring cycle, although he has not yet been named as a candidate somewhere.

It's true the Bears already made their list longer than necessary, but adding someone with great potential can't hurt.

The Bears could do worse in this quest than to talk to a rising defensive side star. And they probably already have done worse.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.