Imrem: Fox a comfortable choice, but ...

John Fox is the obvious target to become the Bears' next head coach.

If new general manager Ryan Pace can outbid other teams for Fox, it would be difficult to argue with the hire.

For sure, the Bears could do worse.

The nagging question is whether a fresher face would be a better fit for the long run.

Sorry — first guessing here — John Fox wouldn't inspire like Joe Maddon did when the Cubs hired him as manager.

You might wonder what could be better than an experienced NFL coach who owns a 118-89 record and took two different franchises to the Super Bowl.

That's hard to say. It isn't like knowing obscenity when you see it. You might not know a better coach than Fox even when you see him right now.

Other mentioned candidates don't have Fox's credentials and most haven't been NFL head coaches before.

The Bears would be shooting craps on the unknown if they hired from among them. Pace, a first-time general manager, might not want to begin his tenure rolling those dice on his first coaching hire.

So John Fox, nearing 60 years of age, would be the comfortable choice. He would balance Pace, 37, in age and experience.

So what's the problem?

Despite his impressive resume, Fox rarely is mentioned as one of the NFL's premier head coaches alongside the likes of Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Mike McCarthy and John Harbaugh.

Fox is one of those muddled middle guys. He's what, somewhere in the 8 to 12 range? Or maybe 10 to 15?

Something must be missing because that doesn't add up for somebody with Fox's record in Carolina and Denver.

It sure doesn't make Fox a Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, or Mike Holmgren visiting teams between jobs.

It just makes him good ol' John Fox.

So here's really what's nagging: The Bears should be shooting for the next Belichick, Carroll, McCarthy or Harbaugh.

Don't ask me who that coach is. I'm not a general manager being paid millions to identify him.

Ryan Pace is. He wasn't hired to locate the obvious. He was hired to find a great, great, great coach — wherever he is.

It's intriguing to have a young man with the potential to become the league's next big thing among general managers.

So how intriguing would it be if Pace hired a young man with the potential to become the next big thing among head coaches?

Pace shouldn't need a sly old fox, or Fox, to help him do what he's being paid big bucks to do. If he can't do it, he shouldn't have the job.

Many longtime NFL executives — Bill Polian among them Tuesday — have praised the Pace hiring.

Now let the young man prove them correct by digging deep for a head coach that can grow into one of the top four or five in the league.

Assuming Pace really is an astute judge of players, the expectation has to be that in time he'll provide a talented roster for his coach.

We already know that John Fox is capable of taking a team to the Super Bowl. How about hiring a head coach who can endure a rebuild, win a championship and sustain success?

A general manager generally is allowed to hire two coaches. If the first one isn't a fresh, new genius, Pace can try at least one more time.

This isn't in any way meant to demean John Fox, who would be a solid hire that would be easy to live with.

It's just meant to say that someone better than the obvious would be a better fit.

mimrem@dailyherald.com