Bears guessing game is over, now when will Rose return?

Bears guessing game is over, now when will Rose return?

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Bears have made a coaching decision. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The past few weeks the noise about two sports stories has been very loud. First, the selection of a new head coach for the Chicago Bears, the other, the return of Derrick Rose to the Bulls.

These topics are fueling plenty of talk, tweets and opinions. When I encounter anyone I know (sports fan or not), there are never just pleasantries. It is ‘Who do you think Phil Emery will hire?’ and ‘When will Rose’s play his first game?’ The process took a few weeks, but the Bears have selected their man: Marc Trestman.

First----who will patrol the Bears sidelines?

People have been in a tizzy about the length and detail that Emery has employed as he searched for the right man to fill the vacancy after Lovie Smith’s firing. The Bears General Manager meticulously interviewed prospective candidates throughout the country. Plenty of NFL offensive coordinators have been interviewed. But it was Marc Trestman, the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League that Emery decided on early this morning.

There was a flurry of comments and opinions over Trestman since he has been in the CFL the past five years. His team went to the Gray Cup Final three times, winning the CFL Championship twice.

He has NFL experience as a quarterback coach with San Francisco (Steve Young), Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Detroit and Arizona. Trestman has groomed players before entering the draft,  including Jay Cutler and Jason Campbell. There were reports saying he had a great interview. But it was a tweet that was sent by his friend and former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson that made him a household name for a weekend. Johnson pretty much announced that Trestman would be named and put it on Twitter. Later Johnson recanted…turns out he was right.

Two NFL offensive coordinators were finalists with Trestman: Bruce Arians from Indianapolis and Seattle’s Darrell Bevell. Arians guided the Colts to the playoffs after taking the coaching reins when leukemia struck head coach Chuck Pagano. Bevell developed the Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. He also was the quarterback coach for Brett Favre at Green Bay and Minnesota.

Trestman is expected to help the Bears offense that has been one of the worst in the NFL. With a franchise quarterback in Jay Cutler and Pro Bowl caliber players like Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte, Trestman has some players to work with right away. Of course, the real thorn is the offensive line.

This weekend revealed a trend in the NFL: offense is propelling teams farther into the playoffs. Even the Niners, with their terrific defense, had to rely on quarterback Colin Kaepernick to go toe-to-toe and beyond with Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.

The official press conference has been scheduled for tomorrow at Halas Hall.

When will Rose start blooming this winter?

There is no one who wants to be on the basketball court more than Derrick Rose. He is slowly making strides to return from his ACL surgery. There are many indications he will be playing within weeks. He is doing more work with the team and traveling with them. The information flow has been very limited and controlled. He has been participating in pre-game shoot-around and non-contact work at practices. Before Monday’s game, he was on the court for an extended period of time. Derrick told me he is arranging through his agent, former Bull BJ Armstrong, a time soon to talk to the media. It has been Rose’s decision not sit on the bench or be in the arena. He does watch the games, but it is too tough to be so close to the action and not play. The Bulls are going to be very conservative with their franchise player. He is too important to the future of this team and frankly, as long as the Bulls stay above water for the playoffs his return will make this a very dangerous team.

Of course, this is winter so many media outlets are stoking for stories. One story has been determined the other will keep the fire burning a while longer.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye Stout #AtTheGame.