Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz said “no” to pursuing the 49ers head coaching job.
Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops also declined.
Washington’s Rick Neuheisel said in a statement that he wasn’t contacted for the job.
And Colorado’s Gary Barnett planned to release a similar statement, but that was just out of habit.
So that’s what it takes for Bears’ defensive coordinator Greg Blache to be a finalist for one of the best jobs in pro football: A bunch of college guys staying put.
Niners Pro Bowl QB Jeff Garcia said the defense needs shoring up; do that and San Francisco is a title contender.
So, Blache fits the criteria: He’s not a college coach. He’s in charge of a defense.
But the Bears’ D ranked 11th overall in the NFC, three positions behind the 49ers, led by Jim Mora Jr. (Mora is also a finalist.) The Jets’ Ted Cottrell, the other finalist, led a unit ranked 14th in the AFC. But New York’s yards-per-game average (key for ranking defenses) was 341.4, 10 fewer than Blache’s Bears (350.4).
Reports indicate D Day will come by the end of the week. Hiring Blache may seem baffling to Bears fans, but what San Francisco doesn’t know won’t hurt Chicago. In fact, it’ll likely help.
CITY SLICKERS: Former Bears president Michael McCaskey lost his job when he called a press conference to announce a new coach he hadn’t hired. Now, White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf may have upped the ante, publicly renaming Comiskey Park as U.S. Cellular Field before the financing was complete. Is there a level lower than laughingstock?
