National Football League

Rumored John Fox and Vic Fangio Rift Is All About Ego

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Nov 20, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t let that company line “philosophical differences” fool you. If John Fox and Vic Fangio have a problem with each other, it’s all ego.

There is no telling which side is more at fault for it. Either Fox doesn’t like the way Fangio is running his defensive scheme or Fangio doesn’t like how Fox is running the team. It’s probably somewhere in the middle gray area. The bottom line doesn’t change. These two Chicago Bears coaches are feeling the pressure of a second-straight losing season. Almost always when this happens, people tend to get selfish. They believe they have the answers to make things better.

This often leads to conflicts of opinion, which leads to tension and then a rift. Coaches by their very nature have to have an ego. Just like players. It’s almost a requirement in order to succeed at the highest level. Unfortunately it’s also a double-edged sword. Oftentimes strong egos can make men not do what’s best for the team.

Lovie Smith ushering Ron Rivera out in 2007 for Bob Babich after a Super Bowl appearance was totally ego-driven. Now it’s happening again. If the rumors are true, then Fox and Fangio are letting selfishness get in the way of progress. Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly put it best.

“I don’t know if there is an issue between Fox and Fangio. What I do know is the Bears cannot afford to lose Fangio, and given a chance to kill the possibility, Fox chose not to.”

What sort of problem has Fox forged inside his brain that makes him think Fangio isn’t worth keeping? His defense, despite a myriad of injuries still ranks 7th overall in the league. Maybe is the soft run defense and lack of turnovers. Maybe it’s the vanilla play calling and lack of blitzing. So what? The bottom line is about limiting opponents on the field and giving the offense extra chances and that’s getting done.

It’s not Fangio’s fault the Bears are scoring 17 points per game. At that pace it’s a minor miracle they’ve even won three games and it’s because of the defense. It shouldn’t matter how Fangio is running the show. What matters is results. Since last year this defense has improved in almost every statistical category. So if it’s Fox who has a problem, then he has a really weak case.

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Now if it’s the other way around, that’s a different animal. It’s hard to tell why Vic Fangio would have a problem with Fox. Across 14 years of coaching there has never been a situation where the head coach had a problem with an assistant. Fox is known for being one of the more likable guys in the league. Several of his former coordinators are now head coaches. It’s hard to imagine he’s done anything personal to irk Fangio, so it’s either a difference on scheme or coaching style of the team.

Remember that Fangio went to the Super Bowl in 2012 with Jim Harbaugh as head coach in San Francisco. There are very few men more intense, driven, and detailed about his pursuit of winning than the former Bears QB and now Michigan head coach. One can understand why Fangio stuck with him. They are alike in many ways, and Fox is nothing like Harbaugh. He’s laid back and more of a motivator rather than a teacher. That is where the conflict might be.

Yet rather than identify the problem and work past it for the good of the team, like adults should, there are rumors that Fangio is either going to leave or Fox will dump him. It just goes to show that no matter what these guys might say, few of them really are team-first. Otherwise this befuddling situation wouldn’t have even been a blip on the radar.

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