Talent goes a long way in determining the best defenses in NFL history. So does coaching. However, you’ll find another common thread among them: chemistry. Every great defense operated and felt like a family. Guys knew what each other was thinking. Everybody acted in concert. The 1976 Steelers, 1985 Bears, 2000 Ravens, 2002 Buccaneers, 2013 Seahawks, and 2015 Broncos all featured this. The personalities involved were always different, but the familial atmosphere was consistent. That is what Dennis Allen is trying to build in Chicago.
The new Bears defensive coordinator knows a thing or two about great defenses. He helped build one in New Orleans towards the end of the 2010s. That team probably should’ve won a Super Bowl. Regardless, he took lessons from that success and has begun applying them to his new duties in Chicago. One way to help foster an atmosphere of camaraderie and closeness is through an initiation process. Safety Kevin Byard revealed that every defensive player must do a brutal set of 40 up-downs before being allowed to work.
It’s 40 up-downs they had to do. And any defensive player added to the roster the rest of the year needs to do those first practice, whether it’s Week 1, Week 8 or Week 18.
“But no man that’s just what it is man,” Byard said. “I think that’s just the type of family atmosphere that D.A. (Dennis Allen) is creating for this defense.”
Once they do the 40 up-downs, they’re good to go for the rest of the year.
Dennis Allen is proving he understands psychology.
Yes, the ritual is harsh. It’s meant to be. The up-downs initiate the new arrivals and tell them that a certain level of hard work is expected in this defense. If you’re not prepared to work hard and make sacrifices for the good of the team, then you can find another job. The fact that Byard called this coaching staff far more intense than the one it replaced should give you an idea of how seriously Dennis Allen takes this stuff. He needs all 11 guys to act as one for his defense to work. Talent alone won’t accomplish that. He needs them to feel like a squad in the military, forged in the same fires of basic training. Survival hinges on the guys beside you in the trenches having your back. Allen is fostering that atmosphere, and it appears to have won over many guys already.
