The Chicago Bears opened preseason training camp on July 31 at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The camp ran until August 16 at which time the Bears returned to Halas Hall to continue preparing for the upcoming season. Following a disastrous 2014-2015 season, the Bears management made some must-needed changes. They hired a new general manager, head coach, and a number of new assistant coaches.
The Bears acquired head coach John Fox and offensive coach Adam Gase from the Denver Broncos. At age 60, John Fox enters his 14th season as a head coach. Fox knows how important it is to be a coach but also a teacher. “That’s what coaching is. It’s teaching,” Fox said. “And when a player knows you can help him be better, that you’re going to put him in positions to help him have success, then they’ll give you everything they have.”
Fox believes he made important connections during the Bears offseason program. “I have loved the way these guys have gone about their business,” he said. “The focus, the buy-in. Once you have that, anything is possible.” Fox seems satisfied with the team’s progress so far. “We’ve made progress, [but] we’re by no means there yet,” Fox said. “We’ve made a lot of changes; upstairs, downstairs, throughout the building. The guys have responded well. Guys have bought in and worked hard and that’s all I can ask.”
The Bears organization believes that having Fox as head coach will put their team on the right track. The organization hopes that Fox is the right man for the job and the man that can lead the team back to respectability. Only time will tell if the Bears caught the right Fox.