Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals felt like the first taste of the new Chicago Bears defense under Sean Desai. The young defensive coordinator had some rookie moments against the Los Angeles Rams. Poor tackling discipline. Coverage busts. Miscommunications. It was going to be interesting to see whether he could clean those issues up going into Week 2 against Cincinnati.
Fans got their answer. The defense swarmed for most of the game. They tackled well, rushed the quarterback, forced turnovers, and controlled the tempo from the outset. It gave people flashbacks to 2018. How that defense looked. While this unit isn’t quite as talented as that one, it offers fresh hope that the team has a defensive coordinator that will continue to keep them in games every week.
One thing that stands out in all of this?
The reactions Desai gets from players. It was clear early on that several members of the Bears defense took a liking to him immediately. Not just because of his personality but his football knowledge and approach. Desai has a reputation for being obsessively detailed. He knows what every single player on the field is supposed to do and he has the ability to communicate that thanks to his background in education.
If people were looking for evidence that the young coach might’ve been destined for this? Look no further than this terrific nugget from a column by Adam Jahns of The Athletic. He did a deep dive on Desai, covering his rise from fan to a pioneer for Indian-Americans hoping to gain opportunities in the NFL. Part of this success is his ability to absorb information and relay it to others. Something that the Bears quickly took notice of the past couple of years.
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The promotion demonstrated Desai’s value to the organization, in particular because it was given by the second head coach who inherited him. Said Macedo: “You’ve got to be pretty darn good to survive all the coaching transitions that he has.”
“When he was a safeties coach and quality control coach, players would come over and ask his opinion, whether it was techniques, pass patterns, leverage, landmarks,” Macedo said. “You know who the players respect, and players respect coach Desai. They have his back.”
Sean Desai walks a critical line as coaches must
Winning their love is one thing. It isn’t too difficult for a coach to get players to like him. It is another thing entirely to win their respect. To get those same players to play hard and be disciplined for him. It seems Desai is capable of striking that balance. He isn’t afraid to converse with players on little things like family and interests, but be careful. The guy will let guys hear it when they make mistakes and holds them accountable.
Just look at what happened with Marqui Christian. He was the starting nickel cornerback in the opener against the Rams. He had a brutal game including allowing two touchdowns. Sean Desai wasn’t having any of that. The next week he replaced the veteran with Duke Shelley. This was a clear message to everybody. He will do everything in his power to help them, but he still expects them to do their job.
Given how they played last Sunday, the message was received.
This is what good coaches do. They grasp the Xs and Os but also understand how to handle people. It was clear even early on that Desai had those capabilities. This is why he has been on the radar as a possible future head coach in the NFL for a long time. If he turns this defense back into a powerhouse just when everybody thought it was destined for an inevitable decline? He might be running his own team before too long.