advertisement

Bears expand coaching search list

Two more offensive-oriented coaches were added to the Bears’ list of head-coaching candidates over the weekend, as general manager Phil Emery’s search for Lovie Smith’s successor became international.

Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman, 56, a longtime NFL assistant and quarterback guru will talk with the Bears on Monday, according to ESPN. Trestman’s Canadian Football League team has won two Grey Cup championships in his five years, going 59-31 overall.

He was a candidate for the Colts’ head-coaching position last year that went to Chuck Pagano but has not coached in the NFL in eight years.

Trestman has been an offensive coordinator with the Browns (1988-89), 49ers (1995-96), Cardinals (1998-2000) and Raiders (2001-03) in the NFL. He also was a quarterbacks coach with the Vikings, Bucs, Lions and Dolphins, where he was also the assistant head coach in 2004, his last season in the NFL.

He was the offensive coordinator at North Carolina State for two years (2005-06) before joining the Alouettes in ’08.

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison is expected to interview late this week, during the window of opportunity afforded coaches whose teams are still in the playoffs.

The Texans’ offense ranked No. 9 in total yards and tied for No. 8 in scoring this season, although head coach Gary Kubiak calls their plays.

Emery has said two finalists will be brought to Halas Hall later this week for a second-round of interviews but not before Dennison has his first sit-down.

Dennison, 54, worked with quarterback Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall for three years in Denver, where he was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator from 2006-08.

In Dennison’s final two years, Marshall caught 206 passes for 2,590 yards and Cutler went to the Pro Bowl after the ’08 season.

Dennison played tight end at Colorado State but was drafted by the Broncos as a linebacker and played eight seasons. He was Denver’s offensive line coach for five years before becoming offensive coordinator, and he was special-teams coordinator for four years before that.

The Bears met Sunday in Denver with Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, who also interviewed with the Eagles.

The Bears already have interviewed Falcons special-teams coach Keith Armstrong, Buccaneers offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and Cowboys special-teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis.

Emery still is waiting to talk with Packers offensive coordinator Tom Clements and Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.