Bears continue their search for coaches
Make it five and counting.
That's the number of candidates the Bears have targeted but missed in their quest for an offensive coordinator.
But yet another candidate has emerged in Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers.
According to Internet reports, the Bears officially have requested permission to interview Rogers. But the Vikings do not have to allow it, just as the Green Bay Packers refused to let quarterbacks coach Tom Clements meet with the Bears last week.
Rogers has spent 35 years coaching, including 28 at the college level. As the offensive coordinator at Syracuse, he tutored Donovan McNabb throughout his collegiate career. Three years ago Rogers turned down the offensive coordinator job with the Miami Hurricanes after getting a raise from the Vikings.
Former Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson on Tuesday became the fifth candidate to spurn the Bears. He had an interview scheduled with coach Lovie Smith at Halas Hall but chose to take the offensive coordinator job with the Oakland Raiders before even meeting with the Bears.
This, despite the fact that Raiders head coach Tom Cable still hasn't been told officially by quirky owner Al Davis that he will be back for the 2010 season.
Previously, San Diego Chargers assistant head coach/quarterbacks Rob Chudzinski and Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese interviewed with the Bears but decided to stay put.
Former USC quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, one of the first candidates the Bears targeted, followed head coach Pete Carroll to Seattle to join the Seahawks' staff.
"I woke up, and I don't ever want to lead anybody on," Jackson said Tuesday on The Waddle and Silvy Show on WMVP 1000-AM. "Lovie is such a great man, and I didn't want to go (there) and think I was going to put my all into it when I knew my heart was in California.
"I'm from California. It's a chance for me to go back home among family and friends and try to do everything I can to help the Raiders get back to where they want to be."
Jackson said his decision didn't upset Smith, who is no closer to finding a successor to fired Ron Turner than he was three weeks ago.
"I don't think Lovie was upset at all," Jackson said. "He said, 'You have to do what you have to do.' I think we all understand that, and I really appreciated his response because it showed me what kind of man he is."
Still, it doesn't say much for the Bears when qualified candidates like Jackson reject them to join the most dysfunctional organization in the NFL.
The Raiders haven't won more than five games in any of the past six seasons, and their quarterback of the future, JaMarcus Russell, has been an abject failure since he was drafted first overall in 2007.
Jackson said his decision was not affected by Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who has been portrayed in some circles as being difficult to work with.
"My decision had nothing to do with Jay," he said. "If you look at both situations, obviously Jay is the more established quarterback.
"There's more to it. It's the whole team. When I looked at the whole situation with family from California and the Raiders' tradition. I grew up rooting for the Rams and Raiders."
The Bears also remain without a defensive coordinator, a tight ends coach and a quarterbacks coach, although they have hired Mike Tice as their offensive line coach, replacing Harry Hiestand.