Bears Blunder With McGinnis; Chiefs Give Cunningham Nod

The Chicago Bears wanted Dave McGinnis to bring the black and blue back to their defense. What they got instead Friday was a red face on one of the most embarrassing days in their long history.

Instead of introducing McGinnis to reporters, the Bears were left to explain why they announced they had a coach when it wasn’t a completed deal.

“The matter has not been resolved,” team spokesman Bryan Harlan said. “There will not be an announcement today.”

It was a colossal blunder for the Bears, already under fire for bungling their search to replace Dave Wannstedt, who was fired three weeks ago. The Bears refused to say why talks broke down, but McGinnis, the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive coordinator and a former Bear assistant, reportedly was unhappy in part because the team announced he was the coach before he had a contract.

McGinnis could not be reached for comment. Michael McCaskey, the team’s president, refused to comment.

“We don’t have a timetable right now for when it will be resolved,” said Ted Phillips, the Bears’ vice president of operations. “There’s just several issues that have to be discussed. That’s all I can say.”

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Gunther Cunningham, who screams at players one minute and hugs them the next but apparently always commands their respect, is the Kansas City Chiefs’ choice to replace Marty Schottenheimer as coach.

As the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator for four years, the intense, personable Cunningham became popular with everyone in the organization and twice molded a unit that led the NFL in fewest points allowed.

“I am euphoric at finally getting this opportunity,” said Cunningham, who was born in Germany and moved to the United States at age 12 when his mother married an American serviceman.

“I have sat through meeting after meeting after meeting to learn and learn and I am ready to put my mark on a football team. I happen to wear my feelings on my sleeve. I will not change.”

Cunningham, 52, promised that even though his background is exclusively in defense, he can help solve the offensive problems.

Schottenheimer unexpectedly resigned Jan. 11 after leading the Chiefs to 101 victories and three AFC West titles in 10 years. Carl Peterson, the Chiefs’ president and general manager, said he interviewed about 10 candidates.

“But I always kept coming back to Gunther,” Peterson said. “Ultimately, the decision became clear. Gunther is a players’ coach. They listen to him because they respect him.”

One plus for Cunningham is his rapport with the current players.

“I think we’ve got good football players,” he said. “I’m looking forward to making our football players play the game the way I believe it should be played. I think they’re trying to come back and show everybody what they can do.”

Cunningham began his coaching career in 1969 at Oregon, his alma mater, and became a pro coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League in 1981. He was a defensive assistant with the Colts, San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Raiders before joining the Chiefs in 1995.