The past few days have been a whirlwind for Kerry Joseph. He started the previous week as the assistant quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks. Then, right before he was to take on the role of quarterbacks coach at the Senior Bowl, he agreed to become the Chicago Bears quarterbacks coach under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. It was such a rapid turn of events that he didn’t even have a chance to get an office at Halas Hall. It was basically get in touch with Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent to introduce himself and then off to Mobile.
He knew going into the Senior Bowl that his objectives had changed. Unlike Seattle, the Bears have pressing questions at quarterback. With the #1 pick in their possession, there is a strong possibility they could select one in the upcoming draft. That means it is Joseph’s job to help them identify the best possible choice. Bears media caught up with him after the first practice. Inevitably, the subject came up about his priorities when evaluating the position for his team. Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times came away with a fascinating answer.
It boils down to four key traits.
As he analyzes film, he has “a list of critical factors” he tries to identify, and those details fit under the umbrella of his D-T-A principle, which stands for decision, timing and accuracy.
From there, he’s looking for attributes that don’t show up on film — especially with draft prospects. He wants to see accountability and responsibility and discern whether players are passionate competitors when the Bears interview them.
“You’ve gotta know the person,” Joseph said. “When you’re talking about quarterback play, you’re talking about leaders. You’ve gotta have a great leader. It starts with the person. Coaching is about relationships, then you can teach football.”
Kerry Joseph knows his job is to find the right leader.
By now, the Bears likely have a good idea of which quarterbacks are the most accurate, have the strongest arms, and make the best decisions. Those are the traits that show up on tape. Joseph’s job will be to meet with these young men and get a feel for who they are as people. Personality plays such a pivotal role in separating the great quarterbacks from everybody else. Sure, Patrick Mahomes has a terrific arm but he couples it with an unrelenting competitive streak. That internal drive is what makes him the best in the game.
This is what the Bears are looking for as well. Having Kerry Joseph involved will be a big help. He played the position at the professional level for over a decade, first in the NFL and NFL Europe, before achieving his career heights in the CFL. It’s never a bad thing to have somebody who played the position at a high level helping in your search. As to who Joseph has a preference for? He won’t offer anything. Everybody seems to think it’s Caleb Williams or bust, but it feels like the upcoming interview process could drastically alter things.
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