People talk about Sean Desai being similar in style to Vic Fangio. That makes sense. The new Chicago Bears defensive coordinator spent five seasons with him. In that time he became a sort of disciple and a big believer in Fangio’s style of defense. This is part of why Matt Nagy chose to make him Chuck Pagano’s replacement a few months ago. However, upon hearing him speak during practices? It feels like Desai might have quite a bit of Lovie Smith in him.
For those Bears fans who have a longer memory, Smith may have run a different style of defense from Fangio. However, it wasn’t the type of scheme that stood out the most. It was what that scheme was meant to do. Where a lot of defensive coaches looked to smother offenses and force punts? Not Smith. His primary goal was to take the ball away. From the moment he took over the team in 2004, that would be a constant point of emphasis. Every single day players need to think about forcing turnovers.
When watching Desai, who was mic’d up for Bears practices last week, he holds the same philosophy. Every time the defense finished a play close to the ball, he was on them about taking it away.
That is usually the mark of a good coach.
Somebody who has a plan with a simple message and sticks to that message. The only way Desai is going to get through to the players is by constantly reminding them over and over until they get it. Just like Smith did back in the 2000s. Once they understand the top priority is taking the ball away, results tend to follow.
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Sean Desai has plenty of motivation for this shift
That being the Bears’ inability to force turnovers the past two years. Remember this defense had 36 takeaways in 2018. They’ve had 37 total in the two seasons since. That has played a big part in why the team hasn’t been able to close out a number of closer games. Not being able to shift momentum with big plays. This led to being on the field longer too. Hence why the defense seemed to fade down the stretch last season.
Sean Desai isn’t going to have any of that. His goal is to get the defense off the field as quickly as possible while also setting up the offense with better opportunities to score. Stopping and suffocating offenses sounds great. The problem is that just isn’t possible in today’s NFL. Not without a Hall of Fame-laden talent roster. In absence of that, the correct approach is to focus on turnovers.
It’s nice to see Desai harp on that.
The Bears defensive coordinator certainly doesn’t lack energy. He’s moving around the field all the time. Standing still is not in his DNA. It is also apparent he can communicate. He isn’t afraid to talk to his players, not only as an instructor but as a person. Another sign that he may have been a smart choice for the job. His first opportunity to prove himself comes in the preseason opener on Saturday.