Chicago Bears: A key background trait the best DCs have

The Chicago Bears have remained eerily quiet in regards to their plans for replacing Vic Fangio at the all-important defensive coordinator position.

It’s not an easy task. Fangio is one of the best in the business and simply replacing him is far easier said than done. Already twice before the Bears have lost a great defensive coordinator and whiffed at replacing him in just over a decade. They substituted Bob Babich for Ron Rivera in 2007. That was a colossal dud. Then in 2013, they brought in Mel Tucker to fill the void left by Rod Marinelli.

Most people would prefer not to remember what happened after that.

That could explain why the team is taking their time. They want to make sure they get it right. Not an unwise decision. The question becomes how in the world do they go about this? Finding a great coordinator can’t be as simple as looking at their background and making a decision, right? Well. Not necessarily. Of course, great coaches come from many different backgrounds as is the case with almost any job.

That said, there is one fascinating connection that can be made between some of the best coordinators in the business today.

Chuck Pagano has a background that tends to serve coordinators well

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While doing research regarding possible defensive coordinator candidates, I came across a fascinating little stat. Of the 10 coordinators who ran the best defenses in the NFL in 2018, no fewer than seven of them came from a primary background of coaching linebackers. In case you’re wondering, yes Fangio is among those seven. The only three who were are Todd Wash, Romeo Crennel, and Kris Richard.

DL – 2
LB – 7
DB – 1

So where does this connect to the Bears? As stated earlier, it appears their selection process is down to Chuck Pagano and Ed Donatell. If that is indeed true, then Pagano should absolutely be the choice because he has a history of coaching linebackers in his background. Donatell can make no such claim. During stints at Boise State and East Carolina in the 1980s and ’90s, Pagano was their linebackers coach before being moved to secondary coach upon arriving in the NFL.

Now this may not be the deciding factor in why Pagano deserves the job, but if it’s about accomplishments then he wins there too. Donatell had two different stints as a defensive coordinator already back in the early 2000s. He had one season ranked 5th in points allowed and was never in the top 10. Pagano needed just one year to reach 3rd in the rankings. Throw in the fact he has a 3-4 background and Donatell doesn’t?

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