The current Chicago Bears’ defensive plan is very similar to the one we utilized when I was with the Bears under Lovie Smith. The profile for each defensive position is fairly similar, thus the type of players the team wants is identical to what we utilized 20 years ago in 2004. If there is a difference, it is with the linebacker position, not the profile for each position, but the number of linebackers who play on base downs.
When Lovie was named Head Coach in 2004 and brought Tony Dungy’s Tampa-2 scheme with him we played with mainly three linebackers most of the time. Because offenses are now more wide-open and use three to four wide receivers most of the time, the personnel the scheme uses has changed some. Instead of a base 4-3 scheme, for the most part, the base defense is a 4-2-5. The Sam linebacker has been replaced by a nickel corner much of the time. In fact, in today’s game, the Bears play with three linebackers, less than 20% of the defensive snaps in each game.
When we look at the physical traits of the Bears’ current Mike and Will linebackers, they are very similar to when Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs lined up at those positions starting in 2004.
At Mike is Tremaine Edmunds, who is big, tall, long, and athletic. When he came into the League, he measured 6045 – 252 and ran a 4.54 and 34.5” arms. Edmunds has very good cover skills and with his height, length and speed, he gives the Bears a high advantage in the middle zones, very similar to what Urlacher gave us when he was a Bear. Because of that height and length, it is much more difficult to throw over the middle because the quarterback has to change the trajectory of his throws to get past Edmunds. It may not sound like much but it is.
When Edmunds first came to Chicago last year, it took him some time to adapt to playing in a new scheme. Missing time in training camp did not help, but by the second half of the season, he was playing as well as he did when he was with Buffalo, and he was a Pro Bowl linebacker then. Tremaine is only 26, so he is just hitting his peak as an NFL player. He still has several years of good football in front of him.
