Sean Desai has seen the full rainbow of Chicago Bears defense in his time with the team. Arriving in 2013, he watched a once-great unit fall to some of the worst play in franchise history his first two years. Then he saw Vic Fangio inject life back into the unit and how the city seemed to revive along with it, eventually becoming the #1 unit in the NFL in 2018. In that time, Desai learned an important lesson.
If you want to be considered great in Chicago from a defensive perspective? You better be prepared to work and play hard. The bar is set high. Desai understood this when he earned the job as their new defensive coordinator. Bears fans have a certain standard they expect from their defense. He fully intends to meet and even exceed that standard. One thing was made clear in a recent interview with Jeff Joniak for the Bears YouTube channel.
Expect the kid gloves to come off when the work begins.
Desai already has a background in education. So he knows a thing or two about teaching people. Former students described him as an extremely detailed instructor. Somebody who had a plan for every available minute of class time. His teaching style? Tough but fair. Safe bet this is the same approach he’ll have when he starts coaching these guys this summer.
While the Bears defense may have the bulk of the star power, it doesn’t appear Desai is going to accommodate their egos. He’s going to work them hard. Challenge them to be better. Last season was not up to typical Bears standards. Failing to crack the top 10. Allowing at least 27 points in four of their final seven games. Unacceptable. That has to change.
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Sean Desai certainly has the right mindset
Looking back at Bears history, their best defensive coordinators were always the guys who not only held players accountable but were willing to challenge them. Regardless if they were superstars or not. There is no special treatment. George Allen was like that. So were Buddy Ryan, Ron Rivera, and Fangio. It’s apparent Desai intends to be the same way.
What people don’t know yet is whether he can get that message across to his players. Not to mention whether he can match wits with offensive coaches on gameday. Matt Nagy certainly seems to think he can. So do several former players who know him well. All he needed was a chance. Now he has it. There is genuine excitement to see what he does.
It’s not like the Bears defense has crumbled to dust.
They still have a lot of talent. Khalil Mack remains a stud. Akiem Hicks and Danny Trevathan are capable. Kyle Fuller is a top 10 corner. They also have some young talents like Roquan Smith and Jaylon Johnson coming up. Not to mention a returning Eddie Goldman. Sean Desai will have plenty to work with. If he knows what he is doing, then the Bears defense won’t be one to take lightly this coming season.