Chicago Bears Coaching Staff Profile: Experience Now Required
Published by Gene Chamberlain on May 27, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
By Gene Chamberlain
Earlier in his career, Bears coach Lovie Smith drew criticism for hiring too many inexperienced assistant coaches. The inexperience label no longer applies to the 2009 Bears coaching staff, starting with two additions designed to bolster a defense which has dropped from top-five status in 2005-06 to the bottom half of the league the last two seasons. The Bears’ key decision makers and, in fact, all their major position coaches have been through the NFL wars. Most of them have done it together. This year the only assistants with less than four years of NFL experience are those on the low rungs of the coaching ladder: offensive line assistant Luke Butkus (3rd year), wide receivers and offensive assistant Charles London (3rd year), defensive line assistant Eric Washington (2nd year) and special teams assistant Chris Tabor (2nd team). All are working under position coaches with extensive experience. Obviously Smith’s philosophy — and possibly the organization’s philosophy on hiring experienced, higher-paid assistants — has changed after several inexperienced assistant coaches like Brick Haley and Don Johnson on the defensive line and Steve Wilks in the defensive secondary, were fired after short stints when their units struggled. New assistant head coach/defensive line Rod Marinelli has been in the NFL since Smith himself came to the league in 1996. New defensive backs coach Jon Hoke is a seven-year veteran, special teams coordinator Dave Toub a nine-year vet and offensive coordinator Ron Turner a nine-year vet. Wide receivers coach Darryl Drake and running backs coach Tim Spencer came into the league when Smith took over as head coach in 2004. Quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton and linebackers coach Bob Babich are in their seventh seasons and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand his fifth season. Experience might not make up for everything, but longevity in the league is a sign of past success, which can indicate future success.
