Why the Bears should hire Ron Rivera

Zoom in: The Bears interviewed former Panthers and Commanders head coach Ron Rivera on Sunday.

Here's my case for why general manager Ryan Poles should strike now and hire Rivera:

The culture: Rivera knows winning football in Chicago. He was a player on the 1985 Bears and the defensive coordinator during the 2006 Super Bowl run.

• He also knows what stirs fans' blood — running a hard-nosed, physical style of play.
• He also knows how to communicate with Chicago fans and the media, which has been a problem for the last few coaches (how hard is it to say "beat the Packers?").
• After all, he studied under Mike Ditka, Buddy Ryan and Lovie Smith.

Development: Many want the Bears to hire a young offensive-minded coach to develop quarterback Caleb Williams instead.

Yes, but: Rivera developed Cam Newton after the Auburn star was picked as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2011.

• In 2015, Rivera, Newton and the Panthers went 15-1 but lost in the Super Bowl.
• Newton was named NFL MVP that year.

Character: Players like him, play hard for him and his coaches sing his praises.

• No scandals, no drama and he's a cancer survivor.

The other side: Rivera has had several seasons of mediocre football on his resume, including a few bad seasons at his last gig in Washington.

• In fact, after 13 years, he's 102-103-2.
• He's also older compared to other candidates, just turning 63.

The bottom line: The Bears should hire Rivera, instead of rolling the dice on another young coordinator with little to no head coaching experience.

• Rivera wouldn't just remind fans of better days, but would lean into Bears football culture, instead of trying to erase it.