Bears Blitz

Published by Travis Wakeman on January 17, 2013
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

By now, Chicago Bears fans know who will be roaming the sidelines as their new head coach next season. Marc Trestman, who has coached in the CFL since 2008, was hired by the team on Wednesday. Some may have been surprised by this move, including one of his former players, Tim Brown (via ESPN).

Trestman‘s coaching career started back in 1981 at the University of Miami, and he has worked for several NFL teams as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach including Cleveland, Minnesota, San Francisco, Detroit, Oakland and Miami. Trestman was also a finalist for the Indianapolis Colts head coaching position last year that eventually went to Chuck Pagano.

He’s an offensive guru and has helped run offenses led by quarterbacks such as Bernie Kosar, Steve Young and Rich Gannon. Jay Cutler might be salivating right now thinking about what Trestman will bring to the team. So how can the Bears be more explosive on offense next season? To get an idea of that, let’s take a look at what Trestman has been a part of in his coaching career:

Cleveland Browns: 1988-89

Kosar played in just nine games in the 1988 season, but came back in 1989 with one of his best seasons statistically. Aside from throwing for 3,533 yards and 18 touchdowns that year, Kosar helped lead the Browns to the AFC Championship game.

Minnesota Vikings: 1990-91

Gannon and Trestman had their first run together in Minnesota where Trestman would help Gannon become an efficient quarterback, throwing for 28 touchdowns in those two seasons. Things would get even better when the two would meet up in Oakland.

San Francisco 49ers: 1995-96   

After replacing Mike Shanahan as offensive coordinator, Trestman helped the 49ers become one of the best offenses in the NFL behind Steve Young. The team had the top-ranked offense in ’95 and finished third in the league the following season. Young seemed impressed by the hire, saying Trestman “can be as good as anybody.”

Detroit Lions: 1997

Trestman only spent one season as the quarterbacks coach in Detroit, Scott Mitchell threw for 3,484 yards and 19 touchdowns that year.

Arizona Cardinals: 1998-00    

After Detroit, Trestman moved onto Arizona where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Jake Plummer passed for 3,737 yards in 1998, but he did have an interception problem, throwing an incredible 65 of them during Trestman‘s tenure. That is something Cutler is prone to as well.

Oakland Raiders: 2001-03 

In 2001, Trestman moved to the Raiders to become their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Those years may have been his best in the league as Gannon went from being a middle-of-the-road quarterback to a league MVP in 2002. In ’01 and ’02, Gannon combined for 8,519 yards and 53 touchdowns, running one of the most sound offenses in the NFL.

The point is, Trestman has a way with quarterbacks and that is something all Chicago sports fans should be excited about. Cutler, coming off a year in which he threw for 3,033 yards and 19 touchdowns, may now have a coach who can help him refine all the tools he has, making the Bears offense that much harder to defend.

It remains to be seen if Trestman‘s success in the Canadian Football League translates over to the NFL, but his offensive prowess is something that should give hope to Bears fans who have been starving for some touchdowns. 

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