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The Bears' cross-continent coaching search has come to a final fork. One road leads to St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith and a familiar path the Bears have been down before. The other leads to Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm and an unknown trail that could be a dead end or a shortcut to glory.
Grimm met with the media at Halas Hall on Monday, about the same time Smith and his wife, MaryAnne, were flying in from St.Louis for a second interview. Smith remains the favorite because of his long association with Bears general manager Jerry Angelo, and sources said Angelo began contract negotiations with Smith's agent, Frank Bauer, on Monday. Still, he has a hard act to follow coming behind Grimm, the kind of guy Mike Ditka would call "a Grabowski'' and everyone else would call another Ditka.
"He's Mike Ditka 20 years ago, and that can't be bad,'' said former Bear Richie Petitbon, who coached with Grimm in Washington. "He embodies what Chicago people are. He's a tough guy, a great leader and he's very competitive. This is the break the franchise needs.''
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Grimm met with the media at Halas Hall on Monday, about the same time Smith and his wife, MaryAnne, were flying in from St.Louis for a second interview. Smith remains the favorite because of his long association with Bears general manager Jerry Angelo, and sources said Angelo began contract negotiations with Smith's agent, Frank Bauer, on Monday. Still, he has a hard act to follow coming behind Grimm, the kind of guy Mike Ditka would call "a Grabowski'' and everyone else would call another Ditka.
"He's Mike Ditka 20 years ago, and that can't be bad,'' said former Bear Richie Petitbon, who coached with Grimm in Washington. "He embodies what Chicago people are. He's a tough guy, a great leader and he's very competitive. This is the break the franchise needs.''
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