Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Since Lovie Smith and Dave Toub left the Bears after Smith was fired following the 2012 season, two high-level coaches in particular have been able to rise above the dysfunctional muck at Halas Hall to be the best version of themselves.
Vic Fangio is one.
Ben Johnson is the other.
Fangio, hired by John Fox as the Bears’ defensive coordinator in 2015, came to town with a stellar reputation as an old-school, no-nonsense, stickler-for-details coach who was as good as advertised.
He took a defense that ranked 31st and 30th in points allowed the two seasons before he arrived and turned it into a dominant unit that ranked No.