A lot of people may look at this season and say the decision to start Justin Fields ended up being the one that saves Matt Nagy’s job. It makes sense. He’s the quarterback and the quarterbacks always get the attention. The fact Fields is 2-1 as a starter certainly helps. However, time is showing that Nagy made a far better decision months ago. That was when he chose to promote Sean Desai to defensive coordinator.
It was a bold move at the time. Conventional wisdom said Nagy should’ve gone for a more experienced coordinator. Somebody who could handle full autonomy like Vic Fangio and then Chuck Pagano did. The head coach did have a number of interviews, exploring all possibilities. In the end, he had a good feeling about Desai. The safeties coach was loved and respected by his players. This might be the right time to give him his shot.
So Nagy pulled the trigger.
Five games into 2021, that decision is looking better and better. Through four games, the Bears were ranked 10th in points allowed and 12th in yards. All while being saddled with an offense that is dead last in the NFL. On Sunday in Las Vegas? They delivered their best game of the year, holding the 6th-ranked Raiders offense to just nine points. Derek Carr managed 206 yards, an interception, and was sacked four times.
The fact that Desai is doing this despite the losses the defense has dealt with is even more impressive. Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine are both gone in the offseason. Eddie Goldman misses the first three games. Danny Trevathan the first four. Tashaun Gipson goes down with a hamstring issue. No problem. The coordinator has crafted an aggressive and smart scheme that has these players flying everything.
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Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn are reborn. Roquan Smith is playing like an All-Pro. The same goes for Jaylon Johnson. While it hasn’t always been perfect, it’s been far better than anybody expected.
Sean Desai has such a bright future
Bears fans can already sense it. For a coordinator to orchestrate this sort of turnaround from the deflating performances last season? That speaks to a great coaching job. Guys like that often end up head coaches before too long. See Brandon Staley. He morphed the Rams into a juggernaut last season and was running the Chargers by January.
If he’s not careful, Sean Desai could see the same thing happen to him. Yes, that is a joke but also kind of not. The Bears always seem to lose great coordinators right when they find them. Especially on the defensive side. Buddy Ryan in the 1980s. Ron Rivera in the 2000s. Vic Fangio two years ago. Perhaps this will be another in a long line of future head coaches that job has churned out.
One thing is for sure.
Promoting him was absolutely the right call by Nagy. A move he deserves 100% credit for. Other coaches might not have had the guts to do it. Not with the limited positional experience he had to that point. It was a risk and has paid off already. That defense is in good hands and so are the Bears’ hopes for this season.