Bears' coaching search is about to intensify. Mike McCarthy, Ben Johnson or the field?

The Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving.

Forty-six days later, on Jan.

13, news broke that the team wanted to interview an offensive coordinator who had been in their division since 2019 and lacked significant play-calling experience.

Nothing against Adam Stenavich.

Hes a former offensive lineman from Michigan who played in the NFL before becoming part of the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan brand of offense as an offensive line coach before rising to offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers.

Advertisement But the Bears request to interview him felt like another reminder of just how wide-ranging the teams coaching search would be under general manager Ryan Poles and president/CEO Kevin Warren and also how much patience might be needed when it comes to its conclusion.

The question is when do the Bears go from talking to Stevanich to taking urgent action? What will that take? Or how long will this all take? Patience was required.

Until Sunday.

The speed of the Bears coaching search intensified over the weekend with the Detroit Lions losing to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round on Saturday night.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is now available for hire.

The same goes for Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, whose team was eliminated by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.

The Bears still did their usual routine of video conference interviews over the weekend.

Monken and Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady had theirs on Friday.

Stevanich and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores went on Saturday.

GO DEEPER Greenberg: Given Bears' past and present, can you be too pessimistic about coach search? But on Sunday, the team also hosted Eddie George , the former Tennessee Titans running back who is now the head coach of Tennessee State, for an interview at Halas Hall.

With George and Ron Rivera, the former head coach of the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers, interviewing in person, the Bears have met the requirements of the NFLs Rooney Rule.

The Bears search is now entering its second phase.

With former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy gaining access to Halas Hall before other candidates and seemingly intriguing the team from the outset its worth wondering if the Bears search is now a case of him against the field.

The Bears flew McCarthy in on a private plane on Jan.

15.

He stayed overnight at a nearby hotel and left the next day.

All of that felt notable considering the team could have provided the same for Mike Vrabel or Pete Carroll two other experienced coaches and didnt.

Advertisement Johnson should still be high on their list, but there are too many rumblings about him and the Las Vegas Raiders and Tom Brady to ignore.

The Bears interest in Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin could be an indication that the team feels as if its lagging in the race for Johnson.

The Raiders also interviewed former Lions executive and current Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark for their GM opening on Sunday.

There are plenty of reasons to like McCarthy, who won Super Bowl XLV with the Packers.

But the Bears would still have to consider that no head coach has won a Super Bowl with two different teams.

The Bears would be McCarthys third.

Hiring an experienced coach is a safe move.

Its laying up in front of the water hazard in front of the green instead of pulling out a different club and going for it.

Johnson would seemingly be that go-for-the-green club.

Stability can be gained by adding experience.

Similar to 2015, the Bears search feels purposeful after the team failed with Eberflus, who lacked previous head coaching experience.

In 2022, the Bears chose Eberflus over Dan Quinn and Jim Caldwell, their two other finalists, both of whom had been head coaches.

Of the Bears 20 reported coaching candidates, 13 have head coaching experience at the NFL or college level, including interim head coach Thomas Brown.

Those numbers increase if you include Tomlin, too.

This is more than a theme.

It could be a sign of where things are heading, especially if Brady lures Johnson to Vegas.

The Bears have interest in Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, too.

The team also requested an interview with Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and Texas Tech.

McCarthy stands out in this years cycle because hes one of two candidates who have won a Super Bowl as a head coach the other being Carroll with the Seahawks but his area of expertise is offense.

McCarthy would be quarterback Caleb Williams play caller.

The same wouldnt be true for Carroll, Flores or Rivera.

John Fox stood out in the hiring cycle of 2015 that saw Jim Tomsula (49ers), Todd Bowles (Jets), Rex Ryan (Bills) and Jack Del Rio (Raiders) get head coach jobs.

Fox had taken two teams to a Super Bowl, though he lost twice.

GO DEEPER Bears mock draft reaction: Ryan Poles can't afford red flags with 10th pick To use chairman George McCaskeys words at the time, Foxs availability changed the game during the Bears search.

Fox was fired by the Denver Broncos after they were upset in the divisional round against the Indianapolis Colts.

By hiring Fox, the Bears had brought in an experienced head coach to lead their team for the first time since tabbing Paddy Driscoll to do so in 1956.

Advertisement We interviewed outstanding candidates, McCaskey said then.

Each of them brought something different to the table.

But when you have somebody of Johns experience and abilities, you have to go after them.

The Bears did that and they very well might do the same this year.

Hiring McCarthy or another experienced head coach would be a road that the Bears have taken before, though far less traveled.

Hiring Fox made plenty of sense in 2015.

It deserved the celebration and praise it received 10 years ago.

But the Bears also must remember why it didnt work out.

(Top photo of Mike McCarthy: Sam Hodde / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.