The Chicago Bears have been running a very thorough search for their next head coaching candidate—so thorough, fans have been getting impatient.

My thought has been that they are interested in a coach who is still wrapped up in the playoffs, like Denver's Mike McCoy or Green Bay's Tom Clements.

According to Pro Football Talk, Jimmy Johnson has other ideas: he says CFL coach Marc Trestman is already hired.

Now, there are a few things that set off red flags for me.

First of all, if he was hired, why wasn't it announced? It's not as if he is in the middle of the NFL playoffs, so there is no reason not to have announced it—or at least announce that an announcement is coming up.

But Halas Hall has been silent.

Further, the regular beat writers from Chicago have heard nothing save that the search is ongoing. Ditto national guys.

I was asked why the Bears then declined comment. Jensen was ahead of me here:

However, I think there's another reason beyond, "That's just how they're rolling this time out."

I think Trestman is still in the running for a coaching position—maybe head coach, maybe a coordinator slot. So rather than say exactly what his status is and give him reason to look elsewhere, the Bears merely don't comment.

They're not done, in part also because as Jensen pointed out, Emery has not (as far as anyone knows) brought his head coaching finalists in front of the CEO and Chairman as he said he would.

Also, Brad Biggs of the Tribune noted that Johnson didn't specify what kind of coach Trestman would be. Just that he would be a coach for them.

So let's pump our brakes on this report. I won't discount Jimmy Johnson completely, nor doubt he might have deeper or different sources and could be right either right now or eventually.

However, an awful lot of arrows are pointing to "not yet," so let's continue to let the process play out.

I think there's really only one (somewhat NSFW) thing to do here.

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Everyday there is seemingly a new head coaching candidate that Bears General Manager Phil Emery is interviewing, but few have the track record or are as intriguing as Marc Trestman.

Trestman, the current head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, interviewed with Emery this past Monday in Chicago (h/t ESPN) and although unknown to many fans, he is highly regarded around the NFL.

He began his college playing career in 1975 with the University of Minnesota before transferring to Minnesota State for his senior season.  He then spent time with the Minnesota Vikings in their training camp in both 1978 and 1979.

His coaching career began as a volunteer assistant at the University of Miami in 1981 and he was eventually named quarterbacks coach in 1983. During his time at Miami he was pivotal in the development of Bernie Kosar, who led the Hurricanes to a National Championship in '83 and was eventually selected as a first-round pick in 1985 by the Cleveland Browns.

He spent time with the Vikings and Buccaneers from 1985-1987 before reuniting with Kosar in Cleveland as their quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator for the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

He went back to the Vikings from 1990-1991 before taking a three-year break from the game before returning to the league in 1995, serving as offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers for two seasons. He once again moved on, taking the quarterbacks coach job with the Detroit Lions in 1997.

Stints with the Cardinals, Raiders and Dolphins from 1998 through 2004 saw him in the role of offensive coordinator in both Arizona and Oakland, while also serving as quarterbacks coach at each of those stops.

One of the highlights of Trestman's coaching career was the work he did with Rich Gannon in Oakland, particularly during the 2002 season. Trestman was promoted to offensive coordinator that season and the Raiders led the league in total offense while Gannon claimed the MVP award when he went on to throw for over 4,600 yards and 26 touchdowns en route to Super Bowl XXXVII.

He returned to the college ranks in 2005, serving as offensive coordinator at North Carolina State until the firing of Chuck Amato after the 2006 season.

He made the move to the CFL in 2008 and found immediate success, claiming two championships (Grey Cups) in 2009 and 2010 and has had his team in contention every season.  He has gotten the most out of veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who won back-to-back MVP's in 2008 and 2009 and has thrown for over 4,600 yards in each season under Trestman, most recently throwing for over 5,000 yards this past season at the age of 40.

According to his website, he has worked with many college quarterbacks as they prepared for the NFL draft such as Brandon Weeden, Brock Osweiler, Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen, Jason Campbell and most notably, Jay Cutler.

Cutler, in his weekly radio show, did not lean one way or another in regards to his experience with Trestman, saying (h/t Chicago Sun-Times):

That's kind of before you know what you like and what you don't like.  I enjoyed my time with him, but I don't know what system he runs because he's been up in Canada, but he's been very successful there.

He has been successful everywhere he has been but has moved around a lot throughout the league because every head coach he has worked for has been fired even after Trestman came in and fixed their offense.

Steve Young, Bernie Kosar, Rich Gannon, Jake Plummer and Scott Mitchell all had some of their best seasons with him as either their offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach.  He helped a then 36-year-old Anthony Calvillo to have one of his best seasons in the CFL in 2008 and to have five of the most productive years of his career way into his late thirties.

In an interview earlier this week, Rich Gannon said of Trestman (h/t CSN Chicago):

He was smart, innovative, quarterback-friendly and pass protection-conscious.

A smart, innovative, quarterback-friendly coach who puts an emphasis on pass protection?  Sounds like an intriguing choice for a Bears team that has lacked those traits for years.

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The Chicago Blackhawks look to start their season up with a bang.

After waiting three months for a new CBA, a tentative agreement has been made between the NHL and NHLPA. The NHL lockout is over, and the Blackhawks can return to the ice to play some hockey.

The task that awaits them will not be an easy one. The start of this shortened season is expected to be sometime in the next two weeks, which means that 'Hawks players need to be in game shape and ready to go.

With such a shortened season in the works, games will be squeezed together, more back-to-back games will be played. 'Hawks players will have to brace themselves for what will be a physically strenuous season.

Though, even with a daunting season ahead, 'Hawks players expressed joy that a season was going to happen.

Captain Jonathan Toews said that he was happy to get back to the game after three long months (via Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune):

I'm excited to play hockey again, although it's bittersweet because a lot of damage was done to our game. As players we need to keep showing out fans we care. We might have a long road ahead of us there but for now it's great to know we'll be back on the ice very soon.

The start of the Blackhawks season doesn't look to be very favorable. While no official schedule has been released yet, other factors will dictate where the Blackhawks start off their season.

Disney On Ice is expected to take over the United Center between January 30 to February 10. The Blackhawks will be on the road for two straight weeks to start off the season—that's roughly eight to nine games away from the UC.

Shortened schedules also welcome injuries, which could impact some of the Blackhawks key players.

Marian Hossa seems to be doing well after suffering a season-ending concussion in last season's playoffs. Any small hit to the head could bring back symptoms and sideline him for a significant amount of time.

Same could be said for Toews, who just recently fully recovered from symptoms related to a concussion he suffered late last season.

Will the players who decided not to go play overseas need some time to get their legs going?

Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will be expected to take the majority of ice time once again. If they fail to play up to their potential, the 'Hawks may very well miss the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

Not to get too far ahead, but the start of this shortened season may very well dictate how the Blackhawks play down the stretch.

All remains to be seen but one thing is for certain: the Chicago Blackhawks are back ready to play some hockey.

Follow James Maahs on Twitter for all the latest on the NHL and Chicago Blackhawks.

Follow @Jmaz90

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During Derrick Rose's absence, the Chicago Bulls have had a chance to learn some new things about their team. From Joakim Noah's rise to stardom to new players on the roster, the Bulls have been able to make it work without Rose.

At 16-12, the Bulls have put themselves in a good position for the rest of the 2012-13 campaign. The fact that they've been able to find this level of success without their MVP is even more impressive.

Chicago still has a long way to go before Rose returns, and as the season continues, they'll keep building on their newly found assets.

Until then, the pieces they have put together have proven to be enough to sustain them.

Note: All stats are as of December 30, 2012 before games were played.

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