After sitting out this season, James Bettcher is drawing interest for a potential third defensive coordinator job. The Bears are interviewing the former Cardinals and Giants DC on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Chicago lost two-year DC Chuck Pagano to retirement and has assembled a short list of replacement options in the days since. Bettcher joins internal candidates Jay Rodgers (D-line) and Sean Desai (safeties) and Colts DBs coach Jonathan Gannon.
The Giants employed Bettcher as their defensive play-caller from 2018-19. His most recent defense ranked 30th in scoring. Bettcher, however, would oversee a more talented unit in Chicago. In Arizona, Bettcher fared better. The veteran assistant was 3-for-3 in helming top-10 total defenses with the Cardinals. Even before Chandler Jones‘ 2016 arrival, the Cards ranked in the top 10 in both yards and points defensively in their 13-3 2015 season. Before his five-year run in Arizona — as a position coach and then the Cards’ DC — Bettcher coached under Pagano with the 2012 Colts.
Bettcher used a 3-4 defense as his base look in both New York and Arizona. The Bears deployed this alignment in base sets under Pagano and Vic Fangio over the past six seasons. Chicago’s defense has ranked as a top-10 DVOA crew since 2017.
Bears interview James Bettcher for their vacant DC job who’s last defense ranked 30th. Looks like he’ll fit in fine with the ineptness that’s already assembled in their offices from the President down through the coaches.
You’re not going to hire anybody decent when there’s a good chance that you’ll be fired in 1 year.
Well, he didn’t work last year so maybe he needs to jump in. And it’s not like they don’t have some pretty solid talent.
Wade Phillips and it’s not even close. But, it’s makes too much sense to hire him. So that’s a no. I mean is this purposely being done to the players and fans? SELL THE TEAM!!
I’m not a big Phillips guy but agree 100%
Bettcher gonna be disappointed………
^^^^what he said
He’ll be a great hire for one year before they fire the coach and GM
Bettcher’s Giants defenses were some of the worst I’ve ever seen. Granted, Gettleman and whatever players remained from the Reese era did not help, but his defenses were so bad. Chicago would be fools to hire him.
I don’t know the guy personally, but watching those defenses reminded me of when Lamar Woolley gave the media his opinion of Bettcher. Now, I know enough to not just take someone’s word for it, but he was definitely not a fan of Bettcher’s style when he played for him in Arizona. Watching the Giants and some of those schemes with the kind of players he had made me wonder if there was something to it.
That’s such a stupid idea. The Bears seem to have a knack for missing on decent coaching/player picks, but this? That’s just a mistake waiting to happen. And I hope someone calls out the FO’s bullshit on this.