In the NFL, change is inevitable.
Regardless if a team wins a Super Bowl or fails to make the playoffs, each one will look to make the necessary moves to help their organization become successful.
Sometimes, though, those changes are not entirely under the team’s control. For instance, former Bears’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who has been coaching football for nearly 40 years, finally landed one of 32 possible head coaching jobs in the NFL.
And, although he had plenty of success in Chicago, who can blame him for leaving to Denver? That’s right, nobody.
In 2018, with the help of his four Pro Bowlers in Akiem Hicks, Khalil Mack, Kyle Fuller and Eddie Jackson, Fangio lead the Bears’ defense to allow the least points per game (17.7), have the most turnovers (36), with 27 being interceptions, which was most in the league, and to finish third overall in total yards, allowing just 299.7 yards per game.
Fangio knew what he had in the Bears’ defense, but he made what he believed to be the best decision for himself, and now the Bears will have to adjust to life without him.
Up to the task of continuing the Bears’ dominance on defense is new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. At first glance, one would think Pagano should have a fairly easy transition at his new job, considering he will be taking over a unit that has a variety of playmakers.
Well, that isn’t necessarily true.
The last two times the Bears were ranked in the top five in least points allowed and total yards and lead the league in turnovers was when Lovie Smith was head coach: first in 2006 and second in 2012.
And each team had a great defensive mind calling the plays and had multiple defensive playmakers. The 2012 Bears were led by defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and their four defensive Pro Bowlers in Julius Peppers, Henry Melton, Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings.
In 2006, Ron Rivera was the defensive coordinator, and three Bears made the Pro Bowl on defense that season: Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Tommie Harris.
There are definitely similarities amongst the three stand-out defensive units. However, Bears fans will hope that the 2019 Bears’ defense, under Pagano, doesn’t undergo the same collapse that happened to the 2013 and 2007 defenses.
Here is a refresher on some changes that each defense experienced after the 2006 and 2012 season.
2007 Defensive Moves:
- Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera was not retained
- Linebackers coach Bob Babich took over as defensive coordinator
- Defensive line coach Don Johnson was not retained
- DT Tank Johnson was waived
- CB Charles Tillman and CB Nathan Vasher re-signed to multi-year contracts
- LB Lance Briggs was franchise tagged
- S Chris Harris was traded to the Panthers
2013 Defensive Moves:
- Head coach Lovie Smith was fired
- Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli was not retained
- Mel Tucker took over as defensive coordinator
- Assistant defensive backs/safeties coach Gill Byrd was not retained
- Linebackers coach Bob Babich was not retained
- LB Brian Urlacher was not retained
- LB Nick Roach was lost in free agency to the Raiders
- CB D.J Moore was lost in free agency to the Panthers
- DE Israel Idonije was lost in free agency to the Lions
Now, here is a chart that reflects what happened statistically to the defenses from 2006-2007 and 2012-2013.
With the 2007 defense led by Babich and the 2013 defense led by Tucker, the units weren’t nearly the same from the season prior.
To be fair, both teams did had to deal with losing a defensive starter for a significant amount of time. In 2007, Vasher was placed on IR after four games, and in 2013, Melton and Tillman, both Pro Bowlers in 2012, had their seasons cut short due to injury.
Although there were injuries, which are as common in the NFL as the Patriots playing in the Super Bowl, the 2007 and 2013 team couldn’t overcome the turnover on the defensive side of the ball.
The turnover that happened in the past is also happening to Pagano’s defense now.
2019 Defensive Moves:
- Vic Fangio became head coach of the Broncos
- Defensive backs coach Ed Donatell joined the Broncos
- Outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley joined the Broncos
- Safeties coach Roy Anderson was not retained
- Inside linebackers coach Glenn Pires was not retained
- OLB Aaron Lynch is a unrestricted free agent
- S Adrian Amos is a unrestricted free agent
- CB Bryce Callahan is a unrestricted free agent
Along with the roster changes, it can’t be assumed that the Bears will be as healthy as they were in 2018. Arguably the two biggest injuries on the defense were to Callahan, who played in 13 games, and Mack, who only missed two games.
The last thing Pagano would want to have happen is to see one of his defensive starters go down early in the season, but, unfortunately, it could happen.
Unlike Tucker and Babich, Pagano’s legacy as the Bears’ defensive coordinator is not written yet. So there is no telling what will happen in the 2019 season.
The changes have been made. Now only time will tell if these were the right ones to fuel the organization to have sustained success for years to come or the ones to set them back to square one.
Great analysis there and the least said about the debacles that were Bob Babich and Mel Tucker the better, neither of them were capable of running a bath without needing a manual of instructions to do so, sadly the Bears regressed BIG time under them, I feel that no matter what Chuck Pagano does in some quarters next season we will regress, but hopefully in others we will progress, it will be very very hard to maintain the levels of brilliance we saw last season on that side of the ball, but with players like Jackson, Roquan, Mack, Floyd, Hicks, Nichols, Goldman and Fuller still tied down to the Bears long term, the nucleus of the great unit is still the same, and the coaching staff that have been retained in place of those who followed Vic to Denver have a history of quality coaching behind them with Baltimore and Indianapolis where units were at the elite level under their tutorledge.
I would like to see Rob Ryan brought in as Linebackers coach (or Mike Singleterry) and allow them with Bear Blood in them to teach the likes of Roquan, Danny T, Joel and others just what being a MLB for Chicago (or LB in general) is all about in this City…….for me if it was a choice of Bryce or Adrian, then Bryce wins, as it is more difficult to find a quality and capable 3rd CB who can play the Nickell and Dime the way Bryce does, than it is to find a player to play Safety, as one thing Adrian Amos struggles with is tackling a player, we can draft a S in the 3rd or 4th round and still keep the same high standards, but I hope that we use lateral and either trade for a 1st round pick future draft selections or players we don’t want or feel we need (Howard, Long, Sims, Bullard etc)
The 2013 defense was OLD and was severely lacking in talent. Even if Lovie Smith hadn’t been fired at the end of ‘12, that ‘13 defense probably would have gotten him fired. Urlacher’s knee was damaged and he would not have made the same difference in ‘13, covering the middle of the field in Lovie’s cover 2 defense.
The current Bears D is not a unit that is declining in talent. That ‘13 Bears defense was worn out and their best stars were aging and way past their prime. And many poor drafts created a terrible situation, without any good youthful players ready to take over.
I see this Bears D getting better next year. Bears fans have to see what players get added to this D, this offseason. Though limited cap space and a lack of 1st and 2rd picks limits what improvements can be made to this ascending defense.
Last those Lovie Defenses you referenced, never had a defensive force on the field like Mack. And this current secondary group, and ILB tandem of Smith and Trevathan, puts this current defense in a class above the ‘06 and ‘12 defense.