One thing became inevitable when Ryan Poles took over as GM. Things were going to change in the Chicago Bears organization. He already has a new assistant GM and completely overhauled the coaching staff. Now it seems the man has decided to make some tweaks to the strength and conditioning branch of Halas Hall as well. It will have a new man in charge moving forward.
On Tuesday, the Bears reached an agreement with Brent Salazar to occupy a brand new position in the organization. The Clyde Emrich Director of High Performance. Salazar will oversee both the strength and conditioning and sports science departments moving forward. What makes this interesting is that the man has developed a reputation over the years for embracing new techniques to produce top-quality athletes. Not just in football but also in tennis.
We have hired Brent Salazar as our Clyde Emrich Director of High Performance. He will oversee the strength & conditioning and sport science departments and work with the athletic training staff. https://t.co/7UlmPfiWR0
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) February 15, 2022
Salazar held a similar title for four years with the U.S. Tennis Association.
With his help, America saw three of its athletes win a Grand Slam championship. Serena Williams won the Australian Open in 2017, Sloane Stephens won the U.S. Open the same year, and Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open in 2020. Before that, Salazar was the strength coach for the Minnesota Vikings in 2016. However, his work from 2007 to 2015 likely got him this job with the Chicago Bears.
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He was the assistant strength coach for the Kansas City Chiefs during that period. At the same time Ryan Poles was a young scout climbing the ranks. That relationship is probably a big reason why this move was made. Salazar has learned from some excellent teachers over the years. His first season in the NFL was with the Denver Broncos in 2005, where he interned under the legendary Rich Tuten. The man who helped the franchise win their first two Super Bowls.
Then with the Chiefs, he worked with Barry Rubin. He helped the Packers win the Super Bowl in 1996 and then did it again with Kansas City in 2019. Salazar has gotten an outstanding education on proven NFL methods and learned new tricks from other sports. That could help the Chicago Bears as they try to become more competitive moving forward.
