ESPN NFL

MIAMI -- As we await word on the conclusion of Chicago’s search for an offensive coordinator -- Mike Martz? Kevin Rogers? -- Brandon of Huntington Beach, Calif., brings up an interesting point.

Would you compare the Bears’ potential hiring of Mike Martz to the Packers search last year that lead to the hiring of Dom Capers? Both seem to be/have been controversial, big-name hires. If the Bears pull the trigger on Martz, do you think he can have similar, immediate results?

My short answer, Brandon, is that I think Martz is the best candidate the Bears have interviewed to produce immediate results. And there are some similarities between the way the Packers decided on Capers and the way the Bears have meandered to Martz.

The Packers interviewed at least three other candidates -- Mike Nolan, Gregg Williams and Jim Haslett -- before hiring Capers. The Bears interviewed Rogers, Ken Zampese and Rob Chudzinski before giving Martz his interview.

Capers’ defense is based on being unpredictable and coming at the quarterback from all angles, making big plays through forced turnovers and lost yardage. It was flexible enough to cover for some personnel mismatches in his 3-4 scheme.

The same is true for Martz’s offense. Martz is by no means perfect, and there is a reason his services are available. But of all the candidates the Bears have interviewed, I think Martz has the best chance to effect a quick turnaround.

That’s my take from the baseball press box here at Sun Life Stadium. Don’t believe I’m actually at the Pro Bowl? Take a look at the byline on the picture above.

Chicago fans, forget our Hue Jackson discussion from this morning. ESPN’s Michael Smith reports Jackson won’t interview for the Bears’ offensive coordinator job because he will accept a similar position with Oakland.

To this point, that leaves the Bears 0-for-5 on candidates they are known to have either sought out or have interviewed for the job. A quick summary:

Jeremy Bates
Previous position: USC offensive coordinator
Decision: Canceled interview to become Seattle’s offensive coordinator

Tom Clements
Previous position: Green Bay quarterbacks coach
Decision: Packers denied permission to interview

Ken Zampese
Previous position: Cincinnati quarterbacks coach
Decision: Bengals closed hiring window

Rob Chudzinski
Previous position: San Diego assistant head coach/tight ends
Decision: Unclear, but apparently will remain with Chargers

Hue Jackson
Previous position: Baltimore quarterbacks coach
Decision: Will become Oakland’s offensive coordinator

I know you’ve been looking for it everywhere, and here I’ve found it for you: Lyrics and an audio clip of Prince’s newest “song.”

That’s right. The pop megastar, a Twin Cities native who has attended a few Vikings games this season, has recorded a song called “Purple and Gold.” Among other places, it can be found here on the Web site of FOX9.

A sample passage:

we come in the name of the purple and gold
all of the odds r in r favor
no prediction 2 bold
we r the truth if the truth can b told
long reign the purple and gold

OK, then. Back to our regularly scheduled programming:

• Minnesota cornerback Antoine Winfield is expected to remain in the slot position for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, writes Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune.
• The crowd noise being pumped into Vikings practices is like “your wife nagging you at home,” according to Vikings defensive lineman Brian Robison. Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press investigates.
• David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune wants the Bears to hire Rob Chudzinski as their next offensive coordinator -- if he is willing to take the job.
• Former San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer endorsed Chudzinski as well in this podcast from ESPNChicago.com.
• In this chat, Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette suggests pass-rusher and defensive backs as top draft needs for the Packers.
• Detroit right tackle Gosder Cherilus, a Haiti native, is putting together a group of relief workers to help survivors of the earthquake disaster. More here from the Lions' Web site.

Chicago running back Matt Forte’s production fell during his second NFL season. Did a knee injury have something to do with it?

Forte has already undergone surgery on his left knee this offseason, according to Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune. The exact nature of the procedure wasn’t available, but it was revealed late in the season that Forte had played much of the season with a sprained medial collateral ligament.

Typically, that injury isn’t treated with surgery. Assuming that’s the case here, Forte’s surgery was to address another issue.

Forte rushed for 929 yards this season, down about 25 percent from his yardage total as a rookie in 2008.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• We’re getting close to crunch time for the Bears’ offensive coordinator job, writes Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago. San Diego assistant Rob Chudzinski is in town for an interview.
• It’s time for Minnesota tailback Adrian Peterson to step up in the NFC Championship Game, writes Mark Craig of the Star Tribune. New Orleans has had spotty run defense this season.
• The Vikings would have full confidence if this game comes down to field goal kicking, writes John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Placekicker Ryan Longwell had an NFL-best 92.9-percent conversion rate.
• Vikings defensive end Jared Allen is into Hank Williams Jr.’s music … and Poison’s as well. Solid.
• Former Green Bay executive Andrew Brandt, writing for the National Football Post, on John Schneider’s move to Seattle as general manager: “The role of a general manager is so much more than picking players. He has to build consensus and communicate freely and effectively with all members of the football operation. John will do that well. Mark my words, John Schneider will be a star in the Northwest.”
• Former Detroit assistant Joe Cullen -- yes, that Joe Cullen -- could surface as an assistant in Jacksonville. AFC South maestro Paul Kuharsky has the story.

Here’s a new name in Chicago’s search for an offensive coordinator: Rob Chudzinski.

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears will interview Chudzinski over the next 24 hours. Chudzinski was San Diego’s assistant head coach/tight ends last season after spending the previous two years as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator.

In 2007, the Browns ranked eighth in the NFL in both scoring and yards per game. Quarterback Derek Anderson made the Pro Bowl that season as well.

Chudzinski wouldn’t be a bad hire if the Bears can convince him to leave a relatively secure situation in San Diego -- coach Norv Turner just received a three-year contract extension -- to come to Chicago.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

As expected, former Denver coach Jedd Fisch has accepted the offensive coordinator job at the University of Minnesota. Earlier this week, Fisch interviewed for Detroit's offensive coordinator job.

The Lions, who hired Gunther Cunningham as their defensive coordinator Wednesday, apparently are waiting to see if New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer leaves the team. Schottenheimer would be a top candidate in Detroit if that happens.

If not, two names floated as possibilities by Adam Schefter of NFL.com include former St. Louis coach Scott Linehan and former Cleveland offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. Linehan would be an especially intriguing candidate if the Lions decide to retain quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

Linehan was Culpepper's offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach during the 2003 and 2004 seasons in Minnesota, the most productive years of Culpepper's career.