Is Sullivan right for the job?

Share

No less than 20 potential names have been thrown into the proverbial hat to become the Bears' next head coach. Some candidates already eliminated themselves, like former Eagles head coach Andy Reid who agreed to a 5-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday or Falcons' offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter who publicly stated he will remain in Atlanta with a pay increase attached to it.

Others in the running will be eliminated for various reasons moving forward, but Bears GM Phil Emery likely has about five candidates he is seriously considering.

It is not uncommon for general managers to acquire a Rolodex of quality coaches who may be future head coaching material during their scouting travels. Their file continues to grow as they gain experience as their careers progress. Its similar to the numerous notes created on players, as coaching files appear to be pretty deep and very thorough as well.

The latest candidate is Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan who recently underwent a six hour interview conducted by Emery and the Bears' brass. Sullivan has been coaching since 1993 when he started at Humboldt State while earning his Masters degree. He formerly played as a defensive back at Army where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree and became a graduate of U.S. Army Airborne, Ranger and Air Assault schools.

If you want tough head coaches, Sullivan may be your guy, as he can beat offensive principles into players with his Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Plus, Sullivan has spent time with accomplished head coaches during his career. In 1997, he worked at Youngstown State under former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, where his team won the Division I AA National Championship. Sullivan broke into the NFL as a defensive quality-control coach in Jacksonville in 2002, later becoming the offensive assistant in 2003.

He spent time there with Tom Coughlin, who brought him to New York to coach wide receivers after Coughlin agreed to be signing as the Giants' head coach in 2004. Sullivan later became Eli Manning's quarterback coach during the 2010 season.

Sullivan not only served under a very accomplished head coach in Coughlin, but also alongside a seasoned coaching staff like offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride while winning two Super Bowl Championships with the Giants before moving on to Tampa Bay in 2012. Under Sullivan, Tampa Bay finished with a top nine overall offense in the NFL, ranking 10th in pass and 15th in rushing offense.

Much of what Sullivan has to accomplish with the Bears surrounds quarterback Jay Cutler. Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano said the same concerning Tampa quarterback Josh Freeman.

What I can say is a 4,000-yard passer, a touchdown recordthere are a lot of things you say, Wow. Are there things that frustrate you? Yeah.

Do I think Josh Freeman is going to win Super Bowls in this league? I do. So, I hope that happens here. But again, at the end of the day, I have to evaluate everything before I can say thats what were doing.," Schiano said. "The one thing I do believe in is competition at every spot, including the quarterback so I want to have as many good players on our football team as we can at every single position. Its a little different in the NFL.

The truth of the matter is, Freeman was all over the map in 2012 with a great offensive line and great weapons around him with a first time play caller in Sullivan. Plus, that is not exactly a ringing endorsement about quarterback Freeman from Schiano, which is supposed to be what Sullivan was hired to rectify.

Sullivan is a first-time play caller with no head coaching experience or track record at all, which leads you to believe he is qualified enough to be the Bears' next head coach?

Next.

Contact Us