Maybe this is the guy they've wanted all along.
Dan Pompei comes out with word that the Bears have asked the Vikings permission to speak with their QB coach Kevin Rogers.
The timing of this announcement is not really a surprise, necessarily, as the Bears need to quickly shuffle off the terrible PR that comes from being spurned by Hue Jackson for the Raiders earlier today.
The person could be a surprise, though. From the article:
Rogers was the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame from 1999-2001 under Bob Davie, so he has experience as a play-caller and coordinator.
Rogers drew attention for his work with Brett Favre this year--a quarterback to whom Jay Cutler has been compared. Favre arguably had the best season of his 19-year career. Previously, Rogers also was praised for his development of Tarvaris Jackson and his work with Gus Frerotte.
While the development of T.Jack and Frerotte can, and likely will, be endlessly debated, you can't say he didn't seem to have a big impact on Brett Favre. While Favre was also absolutely surrounded by weapons and had a solid line, Favre didn't play like Favre of old. Except when it counted. And made us all happy.
Probably not going to get to talk to him, but maybe they won't mind? Chat him up below.
Update: Some coaching highlights, helmet tip to CloudyFuture for digging up the info from the vikings.com bio.
Coaching highlights:
The 2008 Vikings had Jackson and veteran Gus Frerotte both under center as the team went 10-6 and won the NFC North- the 1st Division title for the Vikings since 2000. When Jackson took over for an injured Frerotte in the 13th game of the season at Detroit (12/7/08) he led the team on a 4th-quarter comeback win and posted wins in 2 of the final 3 wins of the regular season. In Jackson’s 1st start after an 11-game layoff when Frerotte took over the reins, he earned his 1st career NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after a career-best 4 TD day at Arizona (12/14/08) in an upset win over the eventual NFC Champions. In the final 4 regular season games, Jackson had an 8 TD to 1 INT ratio and a passer rating of 115.4.
For Rogers, the 2009 season will mark his 35th year in the coaching profession, 28 of which have been at the collegiate level. He has coached an impressive list of players such as Donovan McNabb, Marvin Harrison and Napolean McCallum, and has been fortunate to coach alongside some of the legends of the game, sharing the sideline with the likes of Woody Hayes, Paul Pasqualoni and Frank Beamer.