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OC Should Be Chicago Bears’ Priority After Vic Fangio Hire

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John Fox was introduced Monday at Halas Hall to much praise and fanfare, but there is no time to rest as the Chicago Bears continue to rebuild their front office and coaching staff. Mel Tucker is gone and Vic Fangio is in as defensive coordinator. Fangio is a smart hire who oversaw the San Francisco 49ers‘ top 10 defense over the last four years. Now, the next priority for the Bears is to hire their offensive coordinator.

Fox, a defensive-minded coach, will be very hands-on with Fangio to rebuild the Bears” struggling defense. Fox will take a more hands-off approach with the offense, which means the hiring of the offensive coordinator is critical. The Bears’ offense has top-10 talent, but underachieved and ranked 23rd in the league last year. It’s crucial that they find the right man for the job.

Early rumors were that Fox wanted to bring Kyle Shanahan with him to Chicago, but that rumor has been put to rest as Shanahan has already agreed to join the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff in 2015 as the team’s OC. That means that new GM Ryan Pace and Fox are going to have to sit down and really comb through the potential candidates to run the Bears’ offense.

Chicago had such an extensive head coaching search that it included names like Adam Gase and Doug Marrone, both offensive-minded coaches who would fit the Bears’ need, but would either of them even consider a coordinator position with Chicago after they were passed over for the head coaching position?

Both have ties to Chicago, and Gase was Fox’s offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos last year, but you have to wonder if there was some internal conflict between Fox and Gase over Peyton Manning with all the turbulence that seemed to surface in Denver at the end of the season.

Marrone was the New Orleans Saints‘ offensive coordinator from 2006-2008, so Pace knows him well; however, Marrone’s status has collapsed as he’s completely fallen out of any contention for an offensive coordinator position in Chicago or anywhere else, and he’ll be headed to the Jacksonville Jaguars to be their offensive line coach.

Reports are that the Bears would like to interview former Cleveland Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski for the offensive coordinator position, but fans haven’t seen much movement on the front. The Bears also requested an interview with Detroit Lions QB coach Jim Bob Cooter, but the Lions denied the request. Cooter worked with Fox in Denver and is considered an up-and-coming offensive mind, but the Bears will be looking elsewhere.

Regardless, the best hire for the Bears offensively is an experienced offensive coordinator to work with Cutler, but will an experienced coordinator want to work with Cutler, who has now been labeled a coach killer? Fox was noncommittal towards Cutler, but with the contract and the trade market being what it is, Fox knows that Cutler will almost certainly be his quarterback in 2015.

The Fangio hire appears to be another smart move by the new Bears regime, but in the big picture, it’s not nearly as important as the offensive coordinator.

Bill Zimmerman is a Chicago Bears writer for www.RantSports.Com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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