5 long-term Matt Eberflus replacements Bears should pair with top QB

3. Bill O'Brien won division championships leading the Houston Texans

You can laugh at this all you want, but you have to realize they are the Bears, so we are all laughing at them. Bill O'Brien is often seen as a punching bag from his days leading the Houston Texans and being the Alabama Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator the last two seasons. Although his return to the New England Patriots has not gone over well at all, O'Brien might be what the Bears are needing.

There are three things I really like about O'Brien as a football coach. He has shown that he can win in dire circumstances. He does not always need a star at quarterback to do so. But when he does, his teams often contend for championships and some playoff-level football, college or pro. For every Tom Brady, Deshaun Watson and Bryce Young he has worked with, there is a Christian Hackenberg...

Truth be told, I think O'Brien to Chicago would be a powder keg, albeit one that will result in a player like Justin Fields playing his best ball since he was at Ohio State. Even if the front office pivots off Fields, I would trust O'Brien to know exactly who to draft at quarterback in the first round, as he spent the two previous seasons on Nick Saban's Alabama staff. He would have a leg up over most coaches.

Even if the Patriots are a festering dumpster fire right now, I think O'Brien has one more gig left in him.