Ex-Sooners coach Bob Stoops: 'I'm not looking to coach in Chicago'

Ex-Sooners coach Bob Stoops: ‘I’m not looking to coach in Chicago’

By Patrick Finley

Bob Stoops retired last week. (Getty Images)

Despite owning two Gold Coast homes, former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops doesn’t have his eye on any potential Bears job opening.

“That’s a simple deal,” Stoops told 97.1-FM, an ESPN Radio affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Tuesday. “I got one that fits our style and what we want to do with our family better, and I’m gonna sell the other one.

“I’m not looking to coach in Chicago.”

Stoops shocked the college football world last week when he retired after 18 seasons, one national title and a 190-48 record with the Sooners. He lives in Chicago part-time.

Screen time

The Bears mounted a video screen, a smaller version of the ones seen in stadiums, in practice Wednesday to make the atmosphere “as game-like as possible,” coach John Fox said. The Bears are still deciding whether to use the screen — on which coaches and players can watch replays of the previous practice down — in training camp.

The team also has introduced filming towers to shoot practice, keeping video staffers on the ground rather than in the air. Fox called the move, in part, a safety measure.

Some tweaks

The Bears have made adjustments to their practice schedule in Bourbonnais to keep their players fresh, Fox said. The team has three practice schedules and will toggle back and forth.

“These are all things to try to reach peak performance,” he said. “We tweak everything.”

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Email: pfinley@suntimes.com