A year ago, Marc Trestman was the offensive mastermind behind making ProFootballReference.com. While some of that is due to the game scripts previously discussed, the Bears have three more fourth down attempts than the next highest team. Teams with similar point differentials to the Bears, such as Washington and Tampa Bay, each have 10 fourth down attempts this season.

Trestman and the Bears have also not left many potential fourth down attempts on the field this season. Using the inexact science of going through the New York Times’ 4th Down Bot archives, which measures the win expectancy and expected points of fourth down decisions, there was just one instance when the Bot has a major disagreement with a Trestman decision. That was on a 4th-and-1 from Chicago’s 47 with 11:25 remaining in the first quarter. The bot also notes coaches will go for it just 27 percent of the time in that situation.

This will certainly mean more when the Bears are driving in close games, but it's a positive sign for when the Bears get to those situations. If one of a head coach’s biggest duties is to put his team in the best position to win, Trestman’s aggressiveness will be a step in the right direction.

What’s Most Likely to Happen

Tucker will likely be the fall guy for Chicago’s struggles, as Trestman gets at least another year to lead the team with the possibility of a healthier and improved defense. The problem, then, will be trying to find a new defensive coordinator willing to come onto the staff with the head coach possibly starting the following season on the hot seat. It could be a coach who just needs one year of recuperation as a coordinator, or a coach looking for a short coordinator stint as a launching pad for a head coaching job.

Both of those factors could make Rex Ryan an interesting defensive coordinator candidate. Ryan could benefit from a year of focusing on defense, something he’s done well in his previous work as a coordinator and for most of his time as head coach of the Jets. The addition would give Trestman and the Bears less vanilla schemes on defense, which could in turn increase Trestman’s strength of game planning on offense.

Even if Chicago doesn’t go the Ryan route, the Bears should allow Trestman a third season to bring the Bears closer to the initial expectations. Especially with retread coaches like Jim Caldwell and Ken Whisenhunt getting second opportunities as head coaches, Chicago could have it much worse.