Chicago Bears: Why Phil Emery Is Very High on Mark Trestman
Published by Gabe Salgado on January 16, 2013
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
In the very early hours of this morning, the Chicago Bears announced that Canadian Football League coach Mark Trestman will be the successor to Lovie Smith. Since 2008, Trestman had been the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes. He won two Grey Cups during his tenure there, leading them to the playoffs every season.
Now we’ve all heard the jokes about the CFL, which features a larger field, plays 12-on-12 and has a completely different set of rules. Most Bears fans wanted either Andy Reid, Bruce Arians or Darrell Bevil as the new coach.
There are many who have doubts about Mark Trestman. But, over the last few days, many have spoken very highly of the Minnesota native. What some don’t know about Mark Trestman is that he was an assistant coach in the NFL for 17 years.
He was the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 1989. That year, they made it to the AFC Championship Game with NFL legend Bernie Kosar at quarterback.
He also ran the offense for the San Francisco 49ers from 1995-1996. There he worked with Steve Young, Jerry Rice, and a young Terrell Owens. He was an assistant with the Detroit Lions 1997 playoff season.
From 1998-2000, he called the plays and coached the quarterbacks for the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals earned a Wild Card spot behind the arm of Jake Plummer who threw for over 3,700 yards that year.
Trestman held the same position for the Oakland Raiders in 2002, where he reunited with Rice. That was the year where they won the AFC Championship and quarterback Rich Gannon was the league’s Most Valuable Player.
His last NFL position was with the Miami Dolphins in 2004. It was based on these credentials that Bears general manager Phil Emery made the decision to hire Trestman as the 14th head coach in franchise history.
Tomorrow morning, he will be introduced to the Chicago media for the first time. I’m sure he will face tough questions, but I think that we will learn more about his experience and coaching philosophy.
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