The Bears Den: January 15, 2015 - Postseason Chicago Bears news & notes

If money's no object, John Fox should be Bears' objective - David Haugh: Hire anybody but the clearly most qualified coach and Pace instantly will cast doubt on the decision-making of a rookie GM, especially if he hires friend and former Saints colleague Doug Marrone, who quit on the Bills.

Maybe Bears could do better than Fox; but they could do a lot worse - Mark Potash: John Fox, who in nine years at Carolina made the playoffs three times and lost a Super Bowl, has been described as no better than Lovie Smith. The way things are going around here, that’s not a bad place to start.

The case for and against Fox as next Bears coach - David Just: Five reasons Ryan Pace needs to hire John Fox … and five reasons he should run from that decision.

Follow WCG on Twitter; like us on Facebook (& click on 'Follow').  Big sexy in hi-res.

----------
Bears' head coach search

Bears interview Fox at Halas Hall - Larry Mayer: The Bears continued their search for a head coach Wednesday by interviewing former Broncos and Panthers head coach John Fox at Halas Hall.

John Fox interviews for Bears' job - Jeff Dickerson: Fox is the sixth known candidate to interview for the Bears' job, joining Todd Bowles, Dan Quinn, Adam Gase, Teryl Austin, and Doug Marrone.  Moon Mullin: Deal likely as NFL job market tightens.

John Fox emerges as Bears' top coaching candidate - Dan Wiederer: John Fox, who raised the Broncos' victory total four games in his first season, is widely believed to be the Bears' top target, and he wants to land in Chicago.

Jake Delhomme high on John Fox - Michael C. Wright: Ex-Panther Jake Delhomme among John Fox's supporters, raves about Fox's ability to adjust schemes and philosophies based on the personnel at hand. [Audio]

Bears interview Fox, whose timeline could mimic GM's - Adam L. Jahns: Greg Gabriel, who worked with Fox as a Giants staffer, said Fox was "interviewing Ryan Pace and Ted Phillips just as much as they’re interviewing him," but said he believed Fox was a good fit.

Kyle Shanahan could join John Fox with Bears - Adam L. Jahns: Kyle Shanahan has been heavily influenced by his father, whether it’s zone-running schemes or play-action fakes; his arrival could be perceived as a vote of confidence for Jay Cutler.  Dan Wiederer: One of the league’s sharp offensive minds.

How John Fox would fit as new Bears coach - Rich Campbell: John Fox has a high-energy personality and is known for getting a lot out of his team as a players' coach. His teams have been able to succeed when the talent is there; Pace's job would be to ensure he's equipped to win.

Fox likes to run ball, play good defense - Bob LeGere: Fox will put up with disruptive players, such as Steve Smith, provided they can produce on the field, such as Steve Smith.

John Fox same kind of coach who got Phil Emery fired - Steve Rosenbloom: Previous Bears GM let the reigning Coach of the Year [Was Bruce Arians COTY at the time? - Den] walk to Arizona for 10- and 11-win seasons.

Bears, please be the Fox-catcher - Nick Shepkowski: Peyton Manning on his roster or not, Fox' seven playoff appearances in 13 seasons is impressive and should be welcomed to a squad that has only managed it seven times total since 1990. He also has an eye for hiring a quality staff on both sides of the ball.

It'd be nice if new Bears coach roars like Rex - Mike Imrem: John Fox might be a better coach for the Bears but Rex Ryan would be more fun. [Aaaand that level of insight is why I have Imrem as the absolute worst Bears writer in the Chicago media. - Den]

[Video] SportsTalk Live - Bears complete interview with John Fox.

[Video] SportsTalk Live - How far away are Bears from playoff contention?

[Video] SportsTalk Live - Could Adam Gase join Bears as OC?

[Video] Greg Gabriel on Fox: He knows how to get the best out of his players.

[Video] ESPN - Michael C. Wright discusses the team’s new GM Ryan Pace and his sorting through head-coaching candidates.

----------
Bearsss

Larry Mayer's Chalk Talk - Larry discusses the chances of Michael Ola remaining with the Bears, NFL teams that have gone from "worst-to-first", and the role analytics will play in new GM Ryan Pace's evaluation of players.

Roster analysis: Cornerback - Not-Hub Arkush: 2014 showed Bears need depth at CB, but have foundation with Kyle Fuller.

[Video] Inside the Bears - Anthony Adams goes behind-the-scenes on game day at Soldier Field, mingling with fans, cooking up Ditka Dogs and searching for gear at the Bears Pro Shop.

[Video] ChicagoBears.com - 2014 behind-the-scenes outtakes from weekly features Game Preview, Bears Roundtable and Thayer's Playbook.

Photos - ChicagoBears.com with a look back at the top photos of the 2014 season. [Ask nicely and our own pro photographer, Sam, might give us his top picks.]

Bears doing good things - Charles Tillman's official apparel site, all profits from which will go to the Cornerstone Foundation. [Hat tip to Kiss My Butkus.]

----------
Polish sausage

Know thy enemy: Vikings - Tom Pelissero: Do the Vikings want Adrian Peterson back on the team in 2015? Rick Spielman offers little but says: "I don't know if there's a team in the NFL that wouldn't want Adrian Peterson."

Know thy enemy: Vikings - Ben Goessling: Adrian Peterson's willingness to restructure his contract in Minnesota could depend on the state of his relationship with the team come the time of his reinstatement

Know thy enemy: Packers - Rob Demovsky: The Packers generated key defensive plays against the Cowboys like they did in their Super Bowl run after the 2010 season.

Barely-ex-Bear news - Adam L. Jahns: Jordan Lynch pumped to play QB again in the CFL ... Not-Hub Carifo: Lynch signs with CFL's Eskimos.

Watt returns favor - After a young fan sent J.J. Watt HIS No. 99 jersey, the Texans' defensive star returned the favor to the seven-year-old by sending some of his own gear.

----------

One of those all-too-short gems hidden away as an album filler.