The Chicago Bears defense endured a lot of changes this offseason. Nowhere more so than their coaching staff. Chuck Pagano retired as defensive coordinator. This led to safeties coach Sean Desai getting promoted to the position by Matt Nagy after a long search for other options. It didn’t take long for Desai to make some notable changes to his staff. That included four new faces. Perhaps none were more interesting than Mike Adams.
Not to long ago, the 40-year old was starting at safety for the Houston Texans in 2019. Then last year he decided it was time put a bow on a 16-year career. One that saw him make the Pro Bowl twice while racking up 930 tackles, 30 interceptions, 13 forced fumbles, and six sacks. Not bad. One wouldn’t fault him for fading into the background to enjoy a well-earned retirement.
Yet it seems Adams isn’t built that way.
The man is a football junky. Just one year after concluding his playing days, he immediately jumped into the coaching ranks. The Bears hired him as their new assistant defensive backs coach. His vast experience as a player speaks for itself. Something Desai never had. So he can be an immediate injection of credibility into this staff. However, he may also bring something else. Unbridled passion for the game. According to Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago, that was on full display during rookie minicamps last weekend.
New Bears assistant defensive backs coach Mike Adams just couldn’t stay off the field over the weekend. After an outstanding 16-year playing career, he’s getting his first chance to coach in the NFL, but that didn’t stop him from wearing a practice jersey and jumping into team drills (without a helmet) over the weekend.
The fact a coach went on the field and mixed it up with players like that sends a clear message. Adams hasn’t lost a single ounce of his passion for the game. That sort of thing can be contagious for players. It’s a big reason why he lasted so long in the NFL, to begin with. People forget Adams was an undrafted free agent. He had to work, scrap, and battle his way to get where he is. That doesn’t happen if you don’t love the game.
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Mike Adams seems like the Mike Furrey of the defense
Furrey is the Bears wide receivers coach and has built a reputation for being the most energetic and passionate guy on the field. It would appear the defense finally move to counter some of that enthusiasm with their own. Adams is almost guaranteed to embrace the rivalries that will develop between the receivers and defensive backs in training camp. A perfect tag-team partner of Deshea Townsend.
Also like Furrey, he’ll be able to offer invaluable wisdom to younger players about what it takes to get noticed in the NFL. Furrey, like Adams, had to do it the hard way as an undrafted free agent. They know what coaches ultimately want to see on the practice field. That will lead to opportunities in games. Forget the athleticism and all that. How detailed are you? Are you reading the keys correctly? Do you take the right angles? All of that and more are required to play defensive back in this league. Mike Adams knows this.
If the younger guys listen to him, they’ll do well.
Chicago certainly has a lot to sort through this summer in their secondary. They have two cornerback starting jobs to fill and a lot of questions to answer in the backup spots as well. Adams has a certain knack for communicating with guys. He’ll know what to look for in regards to what the defense needs. Maybe he can even get Eddie Jackson back to his All-Pro form.