Mike McCaskey will keep Dave Wannstedt next year. Short of an announcement from the club president, reasons to believe Wannstedt will remain coach of the Bears far outnumber victories.
(1.) There is $3.5 million at stake, more than enough reason for McCaskey to swallow a bullet. That’s what Wannstedt is scheduled to make over the remaining three years of his contract. Unlike players, coaches have guaranteed contracts.
(2.) Before the season, McCaskey said he wanted to let the contract speak for itself. That means he took into account the possibility of a disastrous season. Not more than one, maybe, but one.
(3.) By hiring personnel chief Mark Hatley after the June draft and the earlier trade for Rick Mirer, McCaskey signaled a grace period for Wannstedt. This year’s free-fall confirmed the need to upgrade the personnel department.
(4.) McCaskey has shown no inclination to change his organizational structure. Hatley is in charge of the draft and personnel. Finance officer Ted Phillips is in charge of the salary cap. Wannstedt is in charge of coaching.
(5.) The list of coaches who would come to the Bears as a member of a three-headed committee without much control over either personnel or purse is so short it would fit at the end of a long loss column.
(6.) Wannstedt gets along fine with Hatley and Phillips and has no desire or leverage to threaten McCaskey’s structure.
(7.) Wannstedt has done nothing off the field to embarrass the McCaskeys or the organization. He has threatened no fans in the stands or challenged any radio listeners to meet him outside Halas Hall.
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(8.) McCaskey personally pursued Wannstedt and beat out the New York Giants for him. Bosses don’t like to second-guess themselves.
(9.) McCaskey hired Hatley and both believe Wannstedt is a good coach who needs more talent.
(10.) Fans want to see Wannstedt go much as many of them wanted to see Mike Ditka stay. McCaskey is not fond of taking polls or advice.
(11.) The players have not yet quit on the coaching staff, although it is sometimes hard to tell.
(12.) Many players won’t be here next year anyway, so how they respond to the coaching of the next five weeks is relatively immaterial.
(13.) There are only two more home games. The Dec. 7 date against Buffalo marks the end of the ordeal in Soldier Field. The Bears’ finishing with three of their last four on the road will reduce the clamor and the chances for ugly incidents.
(14.) There is no correlation between the Bears’ record or popularity and their prospects for a new stadium. The Bears may never enjoy a more popular or successful run as they did in the mid-’80s and couldn’t get to Square One on a stadium then. The Bears’ keeping or firing Wannstedt isn’t going to cause Mayor Daley to start a McCaskey fan club.
So why doesn’t McCaskey come out and say Wannstedt is safe?
There are reasons:
(1.) An absolute decision hasn’t been made.
(2.) McCaskey resists making decisions before he absolutely has to.
(3.) McCaskey doesn’t believe in votes of confidence. They are unnecessarily premature.
(4.) Things change even if minds don’t want to.
And what could change?
Wannstedt could get invited to rebuild in Dallas rather than in Chicago. Regardless of record, Wannstedt is one of those coaches who cultivates friendships and maintains a good reputation among decision-makers. He certainly will be an NFL head coach somewhere again if not in Chicago. Because coaches with losing records after five years rarely get invited to leave their houses, Wannstedt would have to consider seriously whether he likes Troy Aikman better than Erik Kramer.
If this scenario develops, McCaskey could become the first owner to extract draft choices for rights to a losing coach. Because that would attract votes for the Hall of Fame, why would McCaskey even consider firing him unless absolutely necessary?
And what would that take?
Total meltdown. Insurrection. Abdication. It’s not entirely farfetched. Remember, this team still employs players who didn’t want to show up for the postponed preseason game against Arizona. Sports owners in this town can throw up white flags, but coaches and players can’t.