The Chicago Bears introduced new head coach John Fox to the media on Monday and he already endeared himself to the fans when he said he wanted to make things right with Brian Urlacher.
John Fox was introduced to the media as the new head coach of the Chicago Bears, one week after he and the Denver Broncos mutually agreed to part ways, and he’s quickly endearing himself to die-hard Bears fans.
Fox has a reputation as a player’s coach who always tried to have the best interest of his players in mind throughout his career that also included a stop with the Carolina Panthers and that philosophy is already clear as a summer day.
After sifting through questions about the end of his tenure in Denver, the future of Jay Cutler in Chicago, who will be a part of his staff and how soon the Bears will be back in the playoffs, Fox addressed the exit of future Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher.
The front-office regime forced their face of the franchise out and into retirement in a rather unceremoniously way when since fired general manager Phil Emery gave Urlacher a contract “ultimatum” that led him to retirement in 2013.
Urlacher didn’t have much in the way of leverage when the Bears offered him a take-it-or-leave-it one-year contract below market value but the team didn’t even give him a legit opportunity to come back with a slap in the face offer. That’s just not how you treat players who gave their bodies to the organization for more than a decade and will end up in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Fox wants to make things right with Urlacher and said as much during his press conference.
Fox talking about Urlacher when he said "I know Brian. We're going to make things right with him."
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 19, 2015
No, this doesn’t mean the Bears are going to sign the middle linebacker to shore up a defense that has been historically poor since he left and it doesn’t mean he’ll be a part of Fox’s coaching staff. What it does mean is he will make him feel a part of the organization once again.
That could mean bringing him in to speak to the team in training camp, before a game or just as a simple goodwill ambassador.
This is one quick way to get the fans who are starved for a winner to have your back. By having the back of the franchise’s best player since Walter Payton, Fox ensured that he started his career off with a win in the press conference.
Now if only he can lead the Bears to double-digit wins in 2015 and back to the playoffs like he did the last four years in Denver and all will be right.
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