Texans’ Rick Dennison was more focused on task at hand than vacant Bears coaching gig
BY MARK POTASH mpotash@suntimes.com January 13, 2013 9:39PM
Rick Dennison, Offensive Coordinator, Houston Texans – Former Broncos linebacker, started out as a special teams coach. Made reputation for his mastery of coaching the offensive line. This year, Texans offense ranked 7th overall, but he didn't call plays.
Updated: January 13, 2013 10:11PM
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Houston Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison is hoping for the best, but he lamented the unfortunate timing of his candidacy for the Bears’ head-coaching job. The middle of a playoff week isn’t the best setting for pursuing the opportunity of a lifetime.
Dennison met with Bears general manager Phil Emery on Friday, but he acknowledged he was unable to put his best foot forward because the talk came in the middle of preparations for the Texans’ playoff game against the New England Patriots.
After the Texans’ season ended with a 41-28 loss Sunday at Gillette Stadium, Dennison said it was hard for him to figure out how his interview went.
‘‘It was brief,’’ he said. ‘‘It was a couple of hours. We were finishing practice, and he [Emery] had a schedule. I was really, really
focused on [the game]. It was great to visit, and that’s all it really was.
‘‘It was simple, not a lot of X’s and O’s. Just about me and what I’ve done, how I deal with the game.’’
Asked if he felt good about it, Dennison said: ‘‘Well, I was very honest. I was open. I don’t know if I feel good or bad. I obviously didn’t spend a lot of time preparing [for the interview]. I was dealing with [preparations for the Patriots] and handling that game plan, so I couldn’t tell him much about his personnel or anything else.’’
Dennison said his biggest selling point is his versatile background. He was a linebacker for the Denver Broncos for nine seasons and has coached offense and special teams for 18 seasons in the NFL.
‘‘I’ve done a little bit of everything,’’ he said. ‘‘Played defense. I’ve coached offense. I’ve coached special teams. But, again, I was
really focused on this week, trying to get this done.’’
