Chicago Bears Defense Finally Taking Shape Under Coordinator Vic Fangio
Published by Matt Eurich on November 17, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears had one of the league’s worst defenses between 2013 and 2014 under former head coach Marc Trestman, but the unit is finally starting to take shape this season under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
During Trestman‘s two-year reign as the team’s head coach, Mel Tucker controlled Chicago’s defense. Tucker ran his own version of former head coach Lovie Smith’s Cover 2 scheme, but the Bears struggled to adapt to Tucker’s defense.
In 2013, Chicago’s defense allowed an average of 394.6 yards per game—third-most in the NFL. The unit also allowed 29.9 points per game.
In 2014, the Bears allowed 377.1 yards per game—third-most in the NFL.
The Bears cleared house at the end of last season, and new head coach John Fox brought Fangio in to improve Chicago’s defense. Fangio brought with him a proven system from his time spent with the San Francisco 49ers, but Chicago’s roster did not have many players who fit in his 3-4 defense.
The defense has had its share of ups and downs this season, but after holding the St. Louis Rams to just 285 yards of total offense in Week 10, nose tackle Eddie Goldman said he felt the unit was finally starting to play as one.
“There’s an 11-man trust building right now and it’s big,” Goldman said, per Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “We’ve been pushing to bring this back to Chicago—that hard-playing defense. Today we had a good day.”
Fangio has had to make do with a handful of players playing out of position this season after the team switched from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4 scheme, but his defense has shown signs of progress in recent weeks.
Pass Defense Has Shown Improvement
Last season, Chicago’s defense allowed an average of 264.4 passing yards per game—third-most in the NFL. The Bears also gave up the second-most passing touchdowns last season with 34.
The team released former starting cornerback Tim Jennings and let veteran Charles Tillman walk in free agency, and it added veteran cornerbacks Alan Ball and Tracy Porter on one-year deals to play alongside second-year cornerback Kyle Fuller.
Chicago also added veteran Antrel Rolle in free agency to play strong safety, and 2015 fifth-round pick Adrian Amos won the starting free safety job out of training camp.
The safety position has not been tested much in the passing game, but both safeties have played well against the pass when asked to this season.
Despite the up-and-down play of the cornerbacks this year, Chicago’s defense is currently allowing an average of 217.0 passing yards per game—the fourth-lowest total in the NFL.
Chicago has given up 17 passing touchdowns this year, but the defense has done a nice job of slowing down some of the league’s best quarterbacks.
Chicago’s pass defense is far from perfect, but it has come up big in the last two weeks when needed the most.
Ball began the season as the team’s starter at cornerback opposite Fuller, but he struggled out of the gate and was eventually replaced by Porter. The former Indiana Hoosier was average at best during his first few games this season, but he has been one of the team’s best cornerbacks the last two weeks.
Porter finished Week 9 against the San Diego Chargers with a plus-2.5 overall grade, and he followed that up with a plus-2.7 overall grade against the St. Louis Rams in Week 10.
The veteran cornerback was targeted four times in the passing game in Week 9, allowing three catches for 33 yards with one pass deflection. In Week 10 against the Rams, he was thrown at three times and allowed just one catch for six yards.
The more Porter has played in Fangio‘s system, the more comfortable he has become. He plays aggressively at the line of scrimmage and attacks the ball when it is in the air.
In addition to Porter’s strong play, Fuller has also looked better in recent weeks.
Fuller finished Week 9 with a plus-0.1 overall grade, and he registered a plus-3.3 grade against St. Louis in Week 10. The Chargers targeted him four times on Monday Night Football, and he allowed three catches for 20 yards. On Sunday against St. Louis, he was targeted eight times by quarterback Nick Foles and allowed just one catch for one yard.
Chicago’s pass defense needs to do a better job of limiting touchdown passes, but the unit has been showing improvement in recent weeks.
Defense Is Playing with Confidence
At times during Tucker’s run as defensive coordinator in Chicago, the Bears appeared to be unprepared for the team they faced. The team was blown out in back-to-back contests against the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers last season, and it looked like the team had lost focus and confidence.
With Fangio at the helm this season, players have noticed a different atmosphere on game days.
“You couldn’t be more prepared to be honest,” said inside linebacker Shea McClellin, per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Adam Jahns. “[Fangio’s] and all the coaches’ game plans are very good. By game time, you’re ready to go.”
“There is definitely a difference [for players], and you have to trust it or it’s not going to go well.”
When teams struggle on defense, players often start looking out for themselves, but defensive end Jarvis Jenkins said Chicago’s defense has played together this season, according to WGNRadio.com’s Adam Hoge:
In Chicago’s last three games against the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego and St. Louis, the defense has allowed just three total touchdowns.
Despite the Bears’ improvement on defense in recent weeks, Porter thinks the best is yet to come.
“We’re not second-guessing about anything he’s been doing,” Porter said in reference to Fangio, per Jahns. “I can feel great things from this defense are coming.”
The Bears are currently playing with a lot of confidence on defense, and that is a big reason why they are still in the NFC playoff discussion despite having a 4-5 record. While the unit has shown improvement under Fangio, it still needs to improve its pass rush.
Pass Rush Has Flashed but Needs to Be More Consistent
Signed by the Bears this offseason to a five-year, $38.75 million contract, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee has been Chicago’s best pass-rusher this season.
He missed Sunday’s game against the Rams with a knee injury, and Fox explained why the veteran outside linebacker did not make the trip to St. Louis, per Hoge:
McPhee is currently rated as the fourth-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL with a plus-27.2 overall grade, and he has registered five sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 32 quarterback hurries in 416 snaps this season.
He has been a force off the edge, but opposing teams are starting to slow him down by adding extra blockers to his side of the field. Though McPhee has been productive all season long, the rest of his teammates have struggled to take down opposing quarterbacks.
The Bears are currently tied for 26th in the NFL in sacks with just 15 in nine games, but a pair of outside linebackers are starting to come into their own.
Lamarr Houston and Willie Young both suffered season-ending injuries last season, and they were forced to move from defensive end to outside linebacker this offseason after Fangio took over the defense. The duo struggled to get onto the field during the first few weeks of the season, but both Houston and Young have played well in recent weeks.
Houston recorded his first sack of the season in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and he has three sacks in his last two games. He notched two-fourth quarter sacks against San Diego in Week 9, and he beat former first-round pick Greg Robinson for a sack in the fourth quarter on Sunday against St. Louis.
Young has just one sack this season, but he has recorded two quarterback hits and 15 quarterback hurries in 220 snaps.
Chicago’s pass-rushers have done a nice job of applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks this season, but they need to do a better job of actually taking the quarterback down.
Fangio‘s defense is far from being a finished product, but it has shown improvement against the pass this season and has been playing with confidence over the last two weeks.
If it can improve its pass rush in the coming weeks, Chicago may become one of the toughest teams to play down the stretch.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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