• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chicago Sports Today

Chicago Sports News continuously updated

  • Bears
  • Baseball
    • Cubs
    • White Sox
  • Basketball
    • Bulls
    • Sky
  • Blackhawks
  • Colleges
    • DePaul
    • Illinois
    • Loyola
    • Northwestern
    • Notre Dame
    • UIC
    • Valparaiso
  • Soccer
    • Fire
    • Red Stars
  • Team Stores

Dannehy: New Bears Regime Chose Familiar Path

May 11, 2022 by Da Bears Blog


You’ll never hear an NFL front office proclaim, in rich detail, the specific team they’re going to build, but the first offseason of the new Chicago Bears’ regime made it clear. The hiring of Matt Eberflus was the start of what turned out to be an entire offseason emphasis to build a defense-first team. That plan culminated at the draft when the team spent both of its second-round picks on that side of the ball. There’s an old saying that teams are built in the image of their coaches. The Bears seem to be embracing that line of thinking.

And while the 2022 season has been seen from the outside as one in which the Bears would write off as a losing campaign, securing the back end of their defense could help them field a competitive team. The picks of Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker put what should be high-level players at positions that were serious question marks. The Bears did not have a viable option across from Jaylon Johnson or next to Eddie Jackson. Now, they believe they do.

Cornerbacks can be hit or miss as rookies, but a scheme that emphasizes zone coverage – similar to what Gordon played in at Washington – should make his transition relatively seamless. Safeties are typically able to transition to the NFL quickly and Brisker gives the Bears a versatile player; a sure tackler who can cover a lot of ground. With Jackson, Johnson and Tavon Young in the slot, the Bears should have a solid secondary, with tremendous upside.

While they’re probably still a high-level front four player away from elite, it isn’t an overstatement to say Eberflus has had top ten defenses with less. In fact, Eberflus has almost always had top ten defenses. In four years with the Colts, his units had average rankings of ninth in scoring, second in takeaways and eighth in DVOA. For the sake of comparison, Vic Fangio’s Bears units were 14th, 19th and 17th in those same categories.

The Bears also selected two players who figure to be explosive return men. It isn’t unlike the 2006 draft when the first two players the team selected both excelled on special teams, including the greatest return man in NFL history. Both Velus Jones Jr. and Tristan Ebner give the Bears home run hitters on specials.

The offense is going to struggle this year, just like the offenses of Lovie Smith’s time with the team did. Hopefully, Justin Fields continues to show his ability to make big throws down the field and the running game can keep the defense fresh. The Bears will be relying on the defense to create takeaways and the special teams to give the offense good field position. That’s a terribly flawed long-term plan, but if Fields is as good as many think he is, it’s a plan that will have the team contending for a playoff spot in 2022, enabling them to load-up on the offensive side for 2023.

Filed Under: Bears

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • (no title)
  • Incendio forestal en la isla griega de Creta provoca evacuaciones y daña viviendas
  • Astros colocan al infielder Luis Guillorme en la lista de lesionados por tirón en muslo
  • Former CPS dean found guilty of sexually abusing student
  • Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

Categories

Archives

Our Partners

All Sports

  • CHGO
  • Chicago Tribune
  • Chicago Sun-Times
  • 247 Sports
  • 670 The Score
  • Bleacher Report
  • Chicago Sports Nation
  • Da Windy City
  • NBC Sports Chicago
  • OurSports Central
  • Sports Mockery
  • The Sports Daily
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today
  • WGN 9

Baseball

  • MLB.com - Cubs
  • MLB.com - White Sox
  • Bleed Cubbie Blue
  • Cubbies Crib
  • Cubs Insider
  • Inside The White Sox
  • Last Word On Baseball - Cubs
  • Last Word On Baseball - White Sox
  • MLB Trade Rumors - Cubs
  • MLB Trade Rumors - White Sox
  • South Side Sox
  • Southside Showdown
  • Sox Machine
  • Sox Nerd
  • Sox On 35th

Basketball

  • NBA.com
  • Amico Hoops
  • Basketball Insiders
  • Blog A Bull
  • High Post Hoops
  • Hoops Hype
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball
  • Pippen Ain't Easy
  • Pro Basketball Talk
  • Real GM

Football

  • Chicago Bears
  • Bears Gab
  • Bear Goggles On
  • Bears Wire
  • Da Bears Blog
  • Last Word On Pro Football
  • NFL Trade Rumors
  • Our Turf Football
  • Pro Football Focus
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Football Talk
  • Total Bears
  • Windy City Gridiron

Hockey

  • Blackhawk Up
  • Elite Prospects
  • Last Word On Hockey
  • My NHL Trade Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Talk
  • Second City Hockey
  • The Hockey Writers

Soccer

  • Hot Time In Old Town
  • Last Word On Soccer - Fire
  • Last Word On Soccer - Red Stars
  • MLS Multiplex

Colleges

  • Big East Coast Bias
  • Busting Brackets
  • College Football News
  • College Sports Madness
  • Inside NU
  • Inside The Irish
  • Last Word On College Football - Notre Dame
  • One Foot Down
  • Saturday Blitz
  • Slap The Sign
  • The Daily Northwestern
  • The Observer
  • UHND.com
  • Zags Blog

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in