Bears, Phil Emery unlikely to shy away from candidates on playoff teams

Eager to usher in a new era for his team with a brand new head coach, Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery still plans to scour the landscape with an exhaustive search before hiring the next man to run his team.

Emery has already targeted a number of names early in the process but, as pointed out in a report by CSNChicago.com, there are still plenty of ideal candidates who may not be able to interview until they are eliminated from the postseason. The initial hope that a new coach would be hired before the end of January is still feasible for the organization, even though it remains unlikely considering Emery's willingness to draw out his search in order to choose the right man for the job.

One intriguing name listed in the report is that of Houston Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, who just wrapped up another dominant campaign with some of the most talented skill-position players in football at his disposal. Dennison served as Jay Cutler's offensive coordinator in Denver when the quarterback earned a Pro Bowl nod under head coach Mike Shanahan, and his familiarity with Cutler's mentality and style of play is clearly a strong selling point. Dennison could easily be one of Emery's top choices going forward due to his stellar resume, and it's difficult to imagine Emery will conclude his search without first having a shot to sit down for an interview with Dennison.