Toub shares details of his Bears interview
A day before Marc Trestman was named the Bears’ new head coach, former special teams coordinator Dave Toub left the team to take the same job with the Kansas City Chiefs.
On Wednesday, former Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis accepted Toub’s old job with the Bears and will also serve as assistant head coach. DeCamillis had interviewed for the Bears’ head-coaching position.
Toub was also one of the 13 candidates that general manager Phil Emery interviewed for the head-coaching job. Toub, however, was not one of the three finalists, although he believes he was a “legitimate” candidate.
“I felt like I had a plan and a vision,” Toub said Wednesday morning on “The Waddle and Silvy Show” on WMVP 1000-AM. “It just didn’t work out this time.”
That made his decision to rejoin old friend and new Chiefs head coach Andy Reid an easy one, even though he may have been able to remain in Chicago because of his past success. Toub had one year left on his contract.
“I didn’t want to wait it out,” said Toub, who will be the NFL’s highest paid special teams coordinator. “(The Bears) gave me the opportunity to look around. Sometimes it’s time. It seems like the time was right. The situation was right to get back with Andy Reid.”
As the Eagles’ head coach, Reid gave Toub his first NFL job when he hired him as assistant special teams and defensive line coach in 2001. Toub also recently interviewed with Panthers head coach Ron Rivera for the special teams coordinator position in Carolina.
Toub said the Bears’ offense and quarterback Jay Cutler were major talking points in his three-hour interview with Emery.
Asked about the Bears’ quarterback, Toub said:
“Cutler’s a great athlete, an extraordinary talent. But there are certain aspects he needs to get better at — his leadership skills.”
Under Toub, Devin Hester went to three Pro Bowls and established the NFL record for career kick-return touchdowns. But Hester said he was contemplating retirement after a disappointing 2012 season.
“Give it some time. He’ll change that attitude,” Toub said. “He needs to have fun; that’s when he’s dangerous. He’s still got a lot of talent, but it’s more mental with him. He’s got to get his mind right.”
Toub will take former Bears assistant special teams coach Kevin O’Dea with him to Kansas City.