The Chicago Bears interviewed Vic Fangio for the head coach position

This one came as a surprise to me, but the Chicago Bears announced that they interviewed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for their vacant head coaching position.

As the Bears defensive coordinator the last three seasons, Chicago’s D has improved every year. This season they ended up ranked 10th in yards allowed, 11th in rushing yards allowed, 7th in passing yards allowed, and 9th in points allowed. He managed to get the most out of his players, and even when the injury bug struck, the drop off in play wasn’t drastic.

There were rumors that Fangio didn’t want to stick around Chicago after the 2017 season, and rumors also swirled that the Bears didn’t want to have Fangio serve as a head coach in an interim basis had they fired John Fox mid-season.

It’s possible that general manager Ryan Pace wanted to give the 59-year old Fangio the chance to spell out his plan for the Bears as a sign of respect for all that he gave to the franchise.

Chicago’s defensive players all rave about Fangio, and many have expressed a desire that the Bears figure out how to keep him around.

From ESPN:

“I think players are a big part of any type of success,” Bears free-agent cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “But coaching is huge. On our side of the ball, with defense, I think Vic is a huge part of why we were pretty good this year on defense. I feel like he’s a mastermind, one of the smartest defensive coordinators, most detailed defensive coordinators I’ve been around. It’s hard to make him smile, but when he smiles, you know it’s a good thing. Guys love him. We respect him. If I was here, I’d hope he stays."

Recent rumors about Fangio being the top choice as defensive coordinator for prospective head coaches could make things interesting as well.

What are your thoughts on this latest development?