I was thinking about this the other day, amidst all the questions about whether Lovie Smith is the right man to continue coaching the Bears, and it got me thinking, who would be the best possible coach for the Bears right now, out of anyone? It can be someone who's not employed or is currently employed, on the hot seat, NFL or college, coordinator, somebody within the Bears organization currently, Ditka, pick anyone you want or make a list. Here's my top five...

1.) Mike Tomlin - I think it's a tossup for me between the Harbaughs and Tom Coughlin on who's the most hard-nosed coach in the NFL right now, but by success, does anybody really match what Tomlin's done for the Steelers during his time there? I personally think he's the perfect candidate for the Bears coaching job right now, even if it's completely unrealistic

2.) Bill Cowher - Rolling along with Steelers coaches, past or present, I still think he's got it in him for some years, if or when he decides to come back

3.) Jim Harbaugh - Can you really pass on someone who came into the NFL, and turned Alex Smith, who was once considered a complete bust of a 1st pick, into one of the most efficient QB's right now? (granted he's not playing right now, but it still counts). Count in his work with Andrew Luck in college and his West Coast expertise, I think he'd be a perfect fit to work with Cutler and get the offense to it's full potential

4.) Sean Payton - Probably the most logical choice of them all, if he decides to move on from New Orleans. I know I'm not the only one who has high hopes on this

5.) Jeff Tedford - My wild card pick. His last couple years at Berkeley were dismal by Cal's recent standards, but his reputation for grooming QB's shouldn't be denied, having worked with 1st round picks Aaron Rodgers, Kyle Boller, and Joey Harrington, a decent Nate Longshore, and the recruitment of blue chip prospect Zach Kline. Granted, Boller and Harrington never really panned out, but we all know about Rodgers. His Run and Gun offense might be the solution to both incorporate Forte, Marshall, and Jeffery into a complete balanced offense.

Coaches I also considered: Mike Smith, Chip Kelly, Brian Kelly, Perry Fewell