Former NFL coach John Fox took the Panthers and Broncos to the Super Bowl. He didn’t have quite the same impact on the Bears, and a couple of notable Bears from past years are glad Fox is gone.
“Thank God John Fox’s ass is out of town,” Hall of Fame defensive lineman Dan Hampton said during a weekend event held in connection with the team’s 100th season celebration, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “Thank God.”
Former Bears safety Gary Fencik was slightly more measured and diplomatic (but far less fun).
“What I find refreshing, I liked John Fox, but John Fox didn’t treat fans with respect,” Fencik said. “And I’m a [Bears] fan. I’m a season ticket holder. And it was kind of like, ‘You don’t deserve to know,’ or ‘I’m not going to give you a lot of information.’ What I really like about Matt [Nagy] is I think he recognizes and respects that the fans aren’t idiots.”
Fox definitely adopted a far more guarded approach when he landed in Chicago. That works when you win. When you lose, it greases the skids to unemployment.
The Bears now have a winner in Nagy, and for the first time since the mid-1980s reason to believe that the team will be in the mix for postseason appearances not once every few years but consistently.