Bear Digest

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky cites wild reason why Patriots' head coaching job is more appealing than Bears

ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky offered a hard-to-believe reason why he thinks head coaching candidates should rank the New England Patriots over the Chicago Bears.

Pete Martuneac

Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

It's the Monday after the end of the NFL regular season, known as Black Monday for all the firings around the league. Head coach openings in Chicago, New York, and New Orleans were joined bythe Patriots and Jaguars, who both fired their head coaches at the conclusion of Week 18.

At first glance, none of these job openings seem particularly appealing. All of the teams mentioned had losing records and face challenges due to questionable ownership. However, it's widely recognized that Chicago is the most attractive option, primarily because of its talented roster, especially at the quarterback position.

But it's not unanimous. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky appeared on Monday's edition of Get Up and said he preferred the Patriots gig over the Bears. Why? He's a bigger fan of Drake Maye than Caleb Williams.

Caleb Williams disrespect continues

Opinions in sports are never going to be unanimous. Disagreement is part of the landscape. But this feels a little too contrarian. Orlovsky says Maye could be a superstar and develop into a player like Bills MVP Josh Allen. No disagreement there.

But let's be realistic. Maye played 12 games this year as a rookie, not counting Week 18 when he only appeared for one series. In 12 games, he put up just 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Caleb Williams, on the other hand, started every game as a rookie and ended the season with 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only six interceptions.

How is it, then, that Orlovsky can convince himself that Maye's done enough already to prove he has Josh Allen potential but not say the same or better for Caleb Williams? You can argue that Williams had more talent around him, and that's true, but Maye didn't have to endure the struggle of going through three different offensive coordinators, two head coaches, and a sham of an offensive line.

I get it. Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears did not live up to their preseason hype. But Williams showed he's still on a superstar track. All he needs is the right coach to get him to his ceiling, and the Bears have already put in an interview request for this cycle's top coaching candidate: Ben Johnson.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter who Orlovsky would rather coach. He's not being interviewed. The only thing that matters is who Ben Johnson and the other top coaches prefer.

—  Enjoy free coverage of the Bears from Chicago Bears on SI  —

More Chicago Bears News:

Published |Modified
Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

Home/News