The Bears were hoping to improve the performance of their current quarterback via the influence of a man who once did a fairly good job of throwing the ball at nearby Notre Dame. But the current employer of Tom Clements rejected a request to interview the Green Bay quarterbacks coach for the vacant position of offensive coordinator in Chicago.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Packers “quickly denied” the overtures of the Bears.
NFL teams can block assistant coaches still under contract from interviewing with other franchises for any job other than head coach. Clements is committed to the Packers through 2010.
Per Biggs, the Bears had collected information on Clements, obtaining references from Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Bears have now whiffed on their first two choices for the position. Jeremy Bates rejected an offer to reunite him with quarterback Jay Cutler. Bates instead will follow Pete Carroll to Seattle.
Mike Martz likely remains interested, but we remain convinced that, within a month of working together, Cutler would hire Kyle Turley to make good on the threat that Turley allegedly once made.
The decision remains critical to the ability of coach Lovie Smith and G.M. Jerry Angelo to survive beyond 2010. They need someone who can get the most out of Cutler, and Bates would have been the best to do it.