Bear Digest

Familiar Face Returns for Halas Hall Interview

Former Bears quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton has been reported by NBC Sports as a possible offensive coordinator who is being interviewed.

Gene Chamberlain

It's possible the Bears will have one more tie to the Lovie Smith era beyond the cover-2 style 4-3 defense new coach Matt Eberflus uses.

The Bears were to interview Pep Hamilton according to a league source, and Friday NBC Sports' David Kaplan reported it was for the offensive coordinator position. 

Hamilton was the Bears quarterbacks coach from 2007-09 under Smith and also was Colts offensive coordinator (2013-15). His time in Indianapolis was spent working with Andrew Luck. He had been a Stanford assistant and worked with Luck in college prior to the NFL Draft.

Hamilton spent last year as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Houston Texans, and in 2020 was Chargers quarterbacks coach under Anthony Lynn. He also worked for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan as assistant head coach and passing game coordinator from 2017-18 and as Browns assistant head coach and passing game coordinator in 2016.

He had a brief stint as the head coach and general manager in the XFL as DC Defenders coach and general manager. 

Hamilton's 2021 season was spent grooming rookie QB Davis Mills for the Texans and Mills came out of his first season with an 88.8 passer rating, far better than Justin Fields (73.2). Mills threw for 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions to Fields' seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

When Hamilton was an offensive coordinator, his Colts teams with Luck at quarterback finished 15th in 2013, third in 2014 and 28th in 2015 for yardage and 10th, seventh and 25th in scoring. His offenses ranked 17th, first and 22nd in passing and 20th, 22nd and 29th in rushing. During the 2015 season, Luck suffered an injury and started only seven games. 

In 2013, the Colts made the playoffs with Chuck Pagano as head coach and defeated Kansas City 45-44 before losing 43-22 to New England.

In 2014, they beat Cincinnati 26-10 and Denver with Peyton Manning as Broncos quarterback 24-13 in the playoffs but then lost 45-7 to New England.

Ian Rapoport of NFL media had tweeted about Bears possible interest in Kevin Patullo, the Eagles passing game coordinator. However, this didn't specify whether they were interested in Patullo as an offensive coordinator, passing game coordinator or quarterbacks coach, all of which were titles he has held in the past. 

When Hamilton was in Chicago he worked with Rex Grossman, Brian Griese and Kyle Orton in his first two years and then in 2009 he was quarterbacks coach for Jay Cutler's first season.

Former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. The Colts were in the playoffs Hamilton's first two years as offensive coordinator.
Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton gets a point across with quarterback Andrew Luck / USA Today
Former Bears quarterback Brian Griese talks things over with backup Kyle Orton and QB coach Pep Hamilton.
Brian Griese talks things over with Kyle Orton and Pep Hamilton on Bears sidelines / USA Today
Former DC Defenders coach and GM Pep Hamilton
The short-lived DC Defenders of the second XFL had Pep Hamilton in the dual head coach/GM role / USA Today

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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