Tag: marc trestman

Chargers hire former Bears HC Marc Trestman as senior offensive assistant

Former Bears head coach Marc Trestman has found a new home on the Chargers coaching staff.

The Chicago Bears didn’t have a lot of success with Marc Trestman as their head coach, and he’s considered one of the team’s worst coaches in franchise history.

Now, Trestman has found his way back to the NFL a decade after being fired by Chicago.

Trestman is joining the Los Angeles Chargers coaching staff under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Trestman will serve as a senior offensive assistant. That is a bold move for the Chargers as they look to take their team in a new direction.

Trestman lasted just two years in Chicago, where he had a 13-19 record and never had a winning season. In 2013, they went a disappointing 8-8. The following year, they went a disastrous 5-11. The Bears fired him after that season, and he hasn’t been a head coach in the NFL since. Trestman was, however, the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens from 2015-16, but he hasn’t been in the NFL since.

Getting quarterback Justin Herbert the right tools around him is the biggest need for the Chargers franchise under Harbaugh. Herbert has been mostly elite, and they are going to try and turn that into wins. We will see if Trestman will be able to help them reach that goal. Most Bears fans won’t be confident.

First-year Bears head coaches have had success playing in Green Bay

Since 1999, Bears head coaches are 4-1 when playing the Packers in Green Bay. Can Matt Eberflus keep up the trend?

Chicago Bears fans are usually confident in their teams chances, no matter who the opponent is that week. Except when it comes to facing the Green Bay Packers. It’s been a one-sided affair for the better part of a decade with the Bears winning just three games against their bitter rival since 2010.

The results have been ugly to say the least, but when the Bears do find a way to win against Green Bay once every few years or so, it has come when they have a new head coach.

Since 1999 and not including current head coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears have employed five head coaches. Those coaches collectively went 4-1 against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field during their first season with the Bears, with most getting surprising wins to start their tenure off on the right foot. Here is how each of them fared.

Marc Trestman Believes Jim Marshall Belongs in the Hall of Fame

It’s been too long of a wait for Marshall

Earlier this week, the NFL Hall of Fame Selection Committee named their three senior additions to the Hall of Fame. While he was a semifinalist, Jim Marshall wasn’t even named a finalist, let alone addition to the Hall of Fame.

A member of the Purple People Eaters, Marshall was a sack artist under head coach Bud Grant.

In an article for The 33rd Team, former Chicago Bears Head Coach and Minnesota’s own Marc Trestman wrote about how Marshall deserves to be in the hall of fame.

“Jim Marshall was more than the epitome of an NFL iron man,” Trestman wrote. “The speed rusher amassed a total of 130.5 sacks in his career – sacks were not an official statistic until 1982, three years after he retired – and held the career fumbles-recovered record of 30 for 24 years until Rod Woodson’s 32 surpassed him.”

What was even more impressive was how prolific of a sack master he was. As Trestman noted, sacks weren’t counted as an official stat until 1982, Pro Football Reference went back and charted every game and attributed sacks from the 1960 season through today.

Trestman said it best. “After having his jersey retired in Minnesota in 1999 and being selected as a Hall of Fame finalist in 2004, Marshall’s rare mix of unparalleled longevity, production and influence on a franchise is worthy of propelling him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Brandon Marshall explains why Marc Trestman didn’t work out with Bears

As it turns out, Marc Trestman and Brandon Marshall have a tremendous amount of respect for one another after two years together with Bears.

There were many surprising developments that took place off the football field for the Chicago Bears, but the biggest one might be that former head coach Marc Trestman hosts a leadership podcast – and he had Brandon Marshall on as his latest guest.

Trestman is now an adjunct professor and hosts The Leadership Gameplan, a podcast from the University of Miami School of Law that discusses leadership strategies with various guests. In the most recent episode, Marshall joined Trestman to discuss his own leadership endeavors, both on the field and off.

As it turns out, Trestman and Marshall have a tremendous amount of respect for one another after spending two years together in Chicago. Their tenure was marred by blowout losses, fighting within the locker room, and controversies that have many fans believing it was the worst era in team history.

Now years later, they sat down to talk leadership but also peeled back the curtain during their days in Chicago to explain why some things worked and others didn’t. When it came to Trestman’s leadership style, Marshall actually said he was ahead of his time and that’s why it didn’t work out.

“You were ahead of your time and if there’s one thing you could potentially have done differently is understand that. But I don’t know if you could have,” Marshall told his former coach. “The old way of doing thing in sports was ‘hey, I’ve got these four leaders, you guys are going to do everything…you guys run the show.’ And you came in and you brought in what everyone is adopting now.”

Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

When Trestman was hired back in 2013, he put a major emphasis on leadership and what he brought to the table as head coach. He preferred to lead from the back of the meeting rooms, invited countless guest speakers for motivation, encouraged players to speak their minds, and never cursed them out. For some locker rooms, especially in 2021, that might have been the right approach. But not back then as Marshall explained further.

The receiver went on to say because of how the locker room was constructed following the firing of Lovie Smith, Trestman’s message fell on deaf ears.

“I think that was a tough thing for us in Chicago was that locker room was so tight,” Marshall said. “You had Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, [Charles] Peanut Tillman, these guys that were used to one way of thinking, one way of approaching it. And when something new was introduced, it was like a shock to their system and that was the toughest thing.

“You probably spent maybe that entire first year just getting guys to buy in and believe because football is football….the way you set up our philosophy was ‘okay, we know there’s going to be problems but I’m going to give you guys the solutions’ and some of you guys can do that, but structurally, because it was so counterculture to what those guys were used to, it took us a year to kind of just get guys to buy in. We’re talking about big personalities.”

Heading into Trestman’s first season, the team had just said goodbye to Urlacher but still had Briggs and Tillman, who had played under a respected and defensive coach in Smith for nine years. Now they were under an offensive-minded coach who was a stark contrast from Smith.

While Trestman’s arrival saw an offensive explosion as they averaged 381 yards per game in 2013, the defense suffered greatly. Once the calling card of Bears football, the defense fell to historic lows as the Bears trudged through an 8-8 season in year one before bottoming out at 5-11 in year two.

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Though Marshall enjoyed success in Trestman’s offense, posting over 2,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in 29 games, the two seemed to butt heads quite a bit, with Marshall having outbursts in the locker room, the sideline, and in practice over certain issues. But the two were able to laugh it off, with Marshall apologizing to Trestman.

“I used to get so upset with you, this is when I was young Brandon. But I get it now, though so first off, I apologize for all the stress I caused,” Marshall said.

“I had a full head of hair when I got to Chicago,” Trestman quipped.

Both Marshall and Trestman moved on from the Bears after 2014, with Trestman bouncing around the NFL as a coordinator, then moving back to the CFL, and finishing his football career as a head coach of the XFL’s Tampa Bay Vipers.

Marshall, meanwhile, was traded to the New York Jets where he spent two seasons, then joined the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks before retiring after the 2018 season. He amassed over 12,000 receiving yards and 80+ touchdowns throughout his 13-year career. Now, he is the founder and owner of House of Athlete, a lifestyle and wellness brand for athletes.

The Trestman and Marshall era is well in the rearview mirror, but it’s still one of the most controversial periods in Bears history. Hearing Trestman and Marshall talk about leadership was surprising, but are they correct in thinking the philosophy was just too early for that time? Or was Trestman always doomed to fail, no matter what era he coached in?

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Throwback Thursday: Bears opened 2013 season with comeback win over Bengals

Back in 2013, the Bears rallied from behind to defeat the Bengals in the first game of the Marc Trestman era.

Every Thursday throughout the 2021 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Chicago Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.

September 8th, 2013: Bears defeat Bengals in first game of the Marc Trestman era

The Cincinnati Bengals are set to make their first trip back to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears since the 2013 season opener. Back then, Andy Dalton (now the Bears quarterback) was considered the franchise savior with the Bengals entering his third season. Meanwhile on the Bears sideline, Jay Cutler was entering his first season with “offensive guru” Marc Trestman as head coach, looking to create an offensive powerhouse for the first time in franchise history.

Chicago wound up striking first, thanks to a Dalton interception to cornerback Charles Tillman. The Bears responded with a touchdown to new tight end Martellus Bennett for the early 7-0 lead, but the Bengals fought back. Superstar wide receiver A.J. Green torched Tillman and the Bears secondary for two unanswered touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead. Chicago did narrow the gap to 14-10 thanks to a field goal from Robbie Gould near the end of the first half, but still trailed the AFC North foe.

Cincinnati expanded their lead again, though, in the third quarter thanks to another long reception from Green, setting up running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis for a short touchdown run to make the score 21-10. Down 11 points, the Bears turned to their biggest playmakers for help.

First, running back Matt Forte punched the ball in the endzone late in the third quarter to once again trim the lead to 4 points. Then, All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Marshall bullied the Bengals defensive backs, eventually catching a 19-yard pass from Cutler to take back the lead.

After an unsuccessful rebuttal from Dalton, the Bears chewed over six minutes on their final drive to preserve the lead and hang on to start the season 1-0. Up until last year’s victory against the Detroit Lions, this was the last season opener the Bears had won.

Now with Dalton on the opposite sidelines, will he be able to find the Bears’ big playmakers for substaintal gains like he did back then? Or will we see another safe gameplan from the coaching staff. The Bears and Bengals kickoff at noon CT on FOX.

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6 takeaways from Bears’ 41-25 blowout loss to the Packers

This was a statement loss for a team that prides itself on never giving up and could be the breaking point for Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy.

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The Chicago Bears’ bye week came at a perfect time as the team was reeling following four straight losses and injuries at key positions. A week off would surely help this team fix some key issues and give them the boost they need to make a run at the playoffs right?

Wrong.

In a nationally televised game against the Green Bay Packers, the Bears defense got carved up more than a Thanksgiving turkey, thanks to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall of Fame quarterback tossed three touchdowns and only threw eight incompletions as the Packers rolled the Bears 41-25.

The Packers had this one in the bag early, leading by as much as 24 points. The Bears defense had no answers for Rodgers and the Green Bay offense and despite a promising start on the other side of the ball, the Bears offense and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky quickly fell into disarray.

This was a statement loss for a team that prides itself on never giving up and could be the breaking point for a coaching staff that was already under the microscope. No matter how you look at it, this game was flat out embarrassing on all levels. Here are my takeaways from yet another loss to the Packers.

Bears looking to snap 6-year opening game losing streak

Believe it or not, the Bears haven’t won a Week 1 game since the start of the Marc Trestman era in 2013.

When the Chicago Bears’ 2020 schedule was officially unveiled, many saw the Week 1 opponent and immediately chalked it up as a win. The Bears head into Detroit to play the Lions when the season kicks off and on paper, the Bears appear to have the advantage.

After all, they boast a 4-0 record under head coach Matt Nagy against their division rivals, and the Lions are coming off a 3-12-1 record last season. But if you peel back the curtain, you’ll see the Bears haven’t exactly stormed out of the gate in recent years.

Heading into the 2020 season, the Bears are on a six-game losing streak to open the season. Their last victory in Week 1 came in 2013 when they hosted the Cincinnati Bengals to begin the Marc Trestman era, beating them 24-21. Since then, they’ve dropped each opener to begin the season 0-1.

The Bears also haven’t won an opener on the road since 2008, when they beat the Indianapolis Colts 29-13. They have only played three road openers since then, losing at Green Bay in 2009 and again in 2018, as well as at Houston in 2016.

Fortunately, the losses have not been blowouts. The Bears’ Week 1 opponent’s margin of victory is 5.6 points since 2014, and all but one loss was a one-score game. The Lions, meanwhile, have stayed around .500 in their openers since 2014, going 3-2-1 over their last six openers, their tie coming last season against the Arizona Cardinals.

Could this be the year the Bears finally snap their losing streak and start the season on the right foot? History may not be on their side, but a new season always brings hope and promise.

Check out game-by-game score predictions from around the NFL Wires network:

Buf / Mia / NE / NYJ // Bal / Cin / Cle / Pit // Hou / Ind / Jax / Ten // Den / KC / LV / LAC //// Dal / NYG / Phi / Was // Chi / Det / GB / Min // Atl / Car / NO / TB // Ari / LAR / SF / Sea

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Looking back at the Jay Cutler trade 11 years ago today

Let’s take a look at the trade that went down in 2009, and the career that QB Jay Cutler had as a Chicago Bear.

Eleven years ago today, the Chicago Bears traded for quarterback Jay Cutler. Let’s look back at the trade that went down in 2009, and the career that Cutler had with the Bears.

In early 2009, the Bears traded Kyle Orton, a pair of first-round picks and a third-round pick to the Denver Broncos for their hopeful franchise quarterback in Cutler.

By comparison, during Orton’s three seasons with the Bears, he had a record of 21-12, while Cutler had a record of 17-20 in his first three seasons in Denver.

Orton was a proven winner here in Chicago, and Cutler had a bit of an attitude and seemed like he didn’t get along with the coaches in Denver, so maybe the trade was a little questionable at the time.

In his first season in 2009, Cutler threw for 3,666 yards, 27 touchdowns and 26 interceptions, while starting all 16 games. Ouch. It wasn’t the first year in Chicago many hoped for Cutler. The Bears went 7-9 and ended up missing the playoffs, and the Broncos ended up going 8-8 and also missing the playoffs. So you could call it a draw for both teams in the first year of the trade.

In 2010, it seemed like Cutler was a completely different quarterback, as he led the Bears to an 11-5 record, and they ended up winning the NFC North. In 15 games, Cutler threw for 3,274 yards, 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. That was a 10 interception drop-off that he had in 2009, which was a huge improvement.

Then in 2011, Cutler suffered an injury that cut short what was playing out to be a magical season when he broke his thumb against the Chargers. In 10 games, he threw for 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions with a 7-3 record. Instead of a return trip to the playoffs, Chicago finished with an 8-8 record and were left wondering what could’ve been if Cutler had stayed healthy.

The Bears traded for Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall in 2012. Marshall and Cutler played together in Denver from 2006-2008, and they were reunited in Chicago.

Cutler ended up missing the ninth game in 2012 after getting hit hard during the Houston Texans game. The Bears ended up finishing 10-6 and still found a way to miss the playoffs. The 2012 season ended up being the last year for Lovie Smith as Bears head coach after nine years with the team, which included a Super Bowl appearance in 2006.

General manager Phil Emery quickly found a replacement for Smith, hiring offensive guru Marc Trestman in 2013. Trestman was a part of Steve Young and the 49ers’ success in the ’90s and he has won championships in the Canadian football league.

Cutler once again struggled with injury in 2013, where he only played in 11 games. He threw for 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Bears to a 5-6 record. Entering Week 17, the Bears and Packers matched up for the last game of the regular season, the Packers were 7-7-1 and the Bears had a record of 8-7. The Packers delivered a brutal 33-28 defeat, and the Bears missed the playoffs with an 8-8 record in Trestman’s first year as head coach.

In 2014, Cutler went 5-10 as the starter, he threw for 3,812 yards, 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. The Bears missed the playoffs with a 5-11 record. After only two seasons, Trestman would end up getting fired.

In 2015, changes were needed for this Bears’ team. They would find a new general manager in Ryan Pace, a new head coach in John Fox and Marshall and Martellus Bennet would leave the team.

In Cutler’s final two years with the Bears in 2015 and 2016, he started 20 games, throwing for 4,718 yards, 25 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The Bears ended up missing the playoffs in Cutler’s last two years, with records of 6-10 in 2015 and 3-13 in 2016.

During the 2017 offseason, the Bears held the third overall pick in the NFL Draft, and Bears’ fans know how that turned out as Pace would trade up from the third overall pick to the second overall pick to draft Mitchell Trubisky. Still a questionable move to this day on why Pace traded so many future picks just to move up one spot.

Even before drafting Trubisky, Cutler’s career as a Bear came to an end. He spent eight seasons in Chicago, leading them to a 51-51 record as starter, throwing for 154 touchdowns and 109 interceptions. But during those eight years, the Bears only made the playoffs once.

Seeing Cutler play with guys like Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Devin Hester, and Johhny Knox, to name a few, was exciting.

Cutler was by far one of my favorite Bears. When the Bears traded for Cutler, how did you feel? Did you like the trade? What was your favorite moment?

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5 bold predictions for Week 5 of the XFL

Will the Dallas Renegades be able to keep Bob Stoops from going under .500 after five games in the XFL?

The XFL reaches its midpoint with the Houston Roughnecks looking to remain perfect. The Tampa Bay Vipers face the LA Wildcats on the West Coast, as 1-3 teams look to avoid falling out of playoff hope.

Cam Phillips will resurface

Bob Levey/Getty Images

The Houston Roughnecks went to 4-0 with their Texas Throwdown victory over the Dallas Renegades. They catch the Seattle Dragons in Texas this week. Jim Zorn’s Dragons are 1-3 and feel like they are headed for oblivion. The one hope is BJ Daniels, who stepped in and provided a spark at QB. The odd part of the Houston victory last week was the lack of production from Cam Phillips, who was dominant in the first three weeks. Phillips had a lone catch for nine yards. Look for him to reconnect with P.J. Walker and fill up the stats sheet.

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Marc Trestman has had tough start as head coach in XFL

It’s not really a surprise that former Bears coach Marc Trestman’s Tampa Bay Vipers have come out stumbling in the 2020 XFL season.

Bears fans understand the frustration that comes with having Marc Trestman as your team’s head coach. So it doesn’t really come as a surprise that Trestman’s Tampa Bay Vipers have come out stumbling in the 2020 XFL season.

The Vipers are 0-2 and in firm control of last place in the East Division, where the DC Defenders, St. Louis Battlehawks and New York Guardians have all won a game this season.

To make matters worse, Trestman’s offense hasn’t scored a touchdown in eight quarters this season, and they’ve scored just 12 points between two games. Something that should have Bears fans thankful after the 2019 Bears averaged 17.5 points per game.

Trestman’s Vipers were blown out on the road 23-3 by the Guardians in Week 1, and things only got worse in Week 2, where they were destroyed 27-0 by the Defenders.

When the Bears signed Trestman as their head coach in 2013, he was highly regarded as a great offensive mind. Heck, he even led the Bears to the No. 2 scoring offense in 2013.

But it was all downhill from there.

Following that 2013 season, the Bears offense dropped to the No. 23 offense, and Trestman was fired after just two seasons.

It seems to be the same old story for Trestman coaching in the XFL, only minus the lone great offensive season.

Maybe Trestman should stick to coaching in Canada.

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