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O'Donnell: Vegas odds say Flores, but Bill Polian's back pages circle much closer to Super Bowl XX

MAYBE IT'S ONLY FOR fans of Wayne Newton, but some odds gods in Las Vegas are indicating that the favorite to be the next head coach of the Bears is Brian Flores.

Betting on the recently fired Dolphins coach at a low price means ignoring a major caveat.

And that is:

Has Bill Polian already made up his mind about the “special advice” he's going to give George McCaskey regarding who the next HC of the Bears should be?

And the Polian tea leaves say that it's not Flores.

FIRST, THE TOTE BOARD:

According to BetMGM — ironically an online service not available in Illinois — Flores is the 8-5 (+160) chalk to be the next transitting whistler in Lake Forest.

Directly below the 40-year-old surprise free agent are:

• Ex-Bear and current Buffalo DC Leslie Frazier, 6-1;

• Bills OC Brian Daboli, 13-2;

• Colts DC Matt Eberflus, 13-2; and,

• Underemployed Super Bowl 52 Philly cheese champ Doug Pederson, 8-1.

A competing odds ranking has Jim Harbaugh up as the second choice behind Flores at 4-1.

EITHER ORDERING LETS SLIP some prominent past statements and actions by Polian touting the merits of Frazier.

Most notably, at his 2015 induction speech at The Pro Football Hall of Fame, Polian cited scores of people as “valued colleagues and friends.”

One of them was Frazier.

Their professional interface peaked in February 2007 when Frazier served as assistant head coach and defensive backs mentor on the staff of Tony Dungy as Polian's Colts beat Lovie Smith and the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, 29-17.

FRAZIER'S RUN AS A BEARS DB sadly ended amid all of the pomp and glory that was SB XX in New Orleans.

On a nonsensical reverse ordered by Mike Ditka and special teams ace Steve Kazor during a second-quarter punt return, Frazier took a flip from Keith Ortego and blew out both of his knees.

The play was a “no go” prior to the exchange since Ortego had forgotten the play call and illegally signaled for a fair catch.

The Bears walloped Tony Eason and the Patriots by that unforgettable 46-10.

Frazier never played another down in the NFL.

THE ALCORN STATE ALUM also checks another intriguing box in terms of what makes a contemporary Super Bowl coaching winner.

As head coach of the Vikings from 2011-13, Frazier technically “failed,” crafting seasons of 3-13, 10-6 and 5-10-1 before getting quick-hooked by recently deposed GM Rick Spielman.

Of the eight men who have coached a SB champ in the last decade — with Bill Belichick capturing the Lombardi Trophy three times in that span — fully six have similarly “failed” in a final stop elsewhere before delivering the NFL's most golden charm.

That list includes: Belichick (Patriots after Art Modell's final iteration of the Browns), Bruce Arians (Bucs/Cardinals), Andy Reid (Chiefs/Eagles), Gary Kubiak (Broncos/Texans), Pete Carroll (Seahawks/Patriots) and Tom Coughlin (Giants/Jaguars).

Only Pederson (Eagles) and John Harbaugh (Ravens) were up, up and away at first tasking.

SO THE ODDS OF VEGAS say Brian Flores will be the next head coach of the Bears.

That could prove to be a lure only for the schmucks who go to see Wayne Newton.

Because the tarot of Bill Polian strongly suggests that there is a burnt orange-and-blue ghost in the machine.

STREET-BEATIN': The Vertical Velocity week of the Bulls confirms at least three things: 1) The roster is thin and “in progress”; 2) Billy Donovan is a prime candidate to be Coach of the Year; and, 3) That “Curse of The Breakup” is going to be a bad feather duster to overcome. ...

Retrenching Hawks fans had a rare chance to ooh and aah with the NHL debut of Lukas Reichel. The 19-year-old fleet wing has speed, skill and pedigree and will be back in Rockford to enable the organization to max out his entry-level contract. ...

Jimmy Garoppolo may be making his final start as a 49ers QB when SF wild cards at Dallas Sunday (CBS; Jim Nantz, Tony Romo; 3:30 p.m.). If he never plays another down, the Arlington Heights native has elevated every football group he's been associated with and is a tremendous tribute to parents Tony and Denise Garoppolo. ...

Broncos GM George Paton is in Green Bay this weekend interviewing HC candidates Nathaniel Hackett — the Pack's OC — and Luke Getsy (quarterbacks coach). All of that is only further fueling the Rocky Mountain “Hi” aimed at Aaron Rodgers. ...

Lyndsey Coppock-Connolly and Mark Connolly have greeted li'l Dorothy Frances Connolly. “Dottie” is the first grandchild of Chet Coppock and Anna Busalacchi. ...

And Teresa Hanafin, on net-deaf Novak Djokovic and the greater good of Australia: “Narcissists can't read the room because they always think that they're the only one in it.”

• Jim O'Donnell's Sports & Media column appears Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com.

Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier could be in the running to be the Bears' next head coach. Associated Press
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