Post by JABF on Oct 7, 2016 12:04:24 GMT -6
Vic Fangio is amazing. Of all the players and coaches on this team, I think Fangio is our #1 asset. He will be the key to the Chicago Bears future. I just hope we can keep him here.
LINK
Vic Fangio trying to hold Bears defense together as injuries pile up
Dan Wiederer
Chicago Tribune
Certainly Vic Fangio has had greater conquests than last weekend's 17-14 victory against the Lions, a game in which his Bears defense allowed just two field goals in nine possessions. But upon further reflection, considering the alchemy Fangio was asked to perform with a depleted lineup, Sunday's success should be given its just due.
In all, the Bears put 19 defensive players on the field, a bunch that included just one former first-round pick and eight players who entered the league as undrafted free agents.
Still, the Bears were assignment sound and limited big plays, holding the Lions to a season-low 263 total yards.
"What Vic does so well is put us all in positions to make plays, both individually and collectively," outside linebacker Sam Acho said. "And ultimately that builds trust. … I think what we saw is that we can get a lot done with the whole group working as one. So many of the plays we made, it wasn't just one person."
During a season in which the injuries continue to pile up, Fangio hasn't been working with the A-list he expected to be when he spoke in May about how much more firepower this defense could have. Potentially. Instead, the 58-year-old coordinator has found himself with weekly repair projects.
So how does Fangio work to put together his defensive puzzle each week when he's working through a box with so many missing pieces? How does he find the best combinations?
"With some of it, you just have to do what you have to do," Fangio said. "You're not given a lot of choices."
After four games, Fangio has used 16 starters and 25 players overall with the thought of building continuity becoming a pipe dream.
Premier pass rusher Pernell McPhee is still on the physically-unable-to-perform list and hasn't practiced since January. Last year's sacks leader, Lamarr Houston, and 2014 first-round pick Kyle Fuller are both on injured reserve with knee injuries. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman has missed the last two games and figures to be out at least two more with a high ankle sprain. Danny Trevathan, the premier signing of the Bears' 2016 free agent class, is still recovering from thumb surgery.
And now rookie Leonard Floyd, the Bears' top pick in April, is hobbled again, this time with a calf injury that kept him out of Sunday's second half and casts doubt on his availability for Sunday's game in Indianapolis.
Said Fangio: "Until we get a set roster from a health standpoint, we're just going to be playing the best combination we think we can (find)."
Still, not only did Fangio hold the defense together last week with chicken wire and bubble gum, he did so with the chicken wire carrying an extra charge that stifled the Lions. The Bears' interceptions came from Jacoby Glenn and Deiondre' Hall, one a former undrafted free agent and the other a rookie fourth-round draft pick playing just his fourth NFL game.
And arguably the biggest stop of the day — a blown-up handoff for a 2-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 1 — came from reserve linebacker John Timu, who had spent the first three weeks on the practice squad.
Those were encouraging flashes, moments that showed the Bears have a supporting cast of hopefuls looking to seize their opportunities. That's a long-term plus in the quest to build reliable depth.
But in the big picture, those flashes can also be reminders of the other playmakers the Bears expected to have but don't.
Floyd's absence is particularly unnerving after he missed chunks of training camp and the preseason, first with heat sickness then with a shoulder injury and later with a hamstring problem.
Fangio has been candid in his reviews of Floyd's progress over the last two months and when asked for a quarterly grade on the rookie, he was unenthused.
"I would say it's incomplete," Fangio said. "He's a work in progress."
Pressed on how Floyd can become a better pass-rushing threat and produce a better grade in the coming weeks, Fangio shrugged.
"Be healthy," he said.
These days in Lake Forest, that's an extreme request.
dwiederer@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @danwiederer
Vic Fangio trying to hold Bears defense together as injuries pile up
Dan Wiederer
Chicago Tribune
Certainly Vic Fangio has had greater conquests than last weekend's 17-14 victory against the Lions, a game in which his Bears defense allowed just two field goals in nine possessions. But upon further reflection, considering the alchemy Fangio was asked to perform with a depleted lineup, Sunday's success should be given its just due.
In all, the Bears put 19 defensive players on the field, a bunch that included just one former first-round pick and eight players who entered the league as undrafted free agents.
Still, the Bears were assignment sound and limited big plays, holding the Lions to a season-low 263 total yards.
"What Vic does so well is put us all in positions to make plays, both individually and collectively," outside linebacker Sam Acho said. "And ultimately that builds trust. … I think what we saw is that we can get a lot done with the whole group working as one. So many of the plays we made, it wasn't just one person."
During a season in which the injuries continue to pile up, Fangio hasn't been working with the A-list he expected to be when he spoke in May about how much more firepower this defense could have. Potentially. Instead, the 58-year-old coordinator has found himself with weekly repair projects.
So how does Fangio work to put together his defensive puzzle each week when he's working through a box with so many missing pieces? How does he find the best combinations?
"With some of it, you just have to do what you have to do," Fangio said. "You're not given a lot of choices."
After four games, Fangio has used 16 starters and 25 players overall with the thought of building continuity becoming a pipe dream.
Premier pass rusher Pernell McPhee is still on the physically-unable-to-perform list and hasn't practiced since January. Last year's sacks leader, Lamarr Houston, and 2014 first-round pick Kyle Fuller are both on injured reserve with knee injuries. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman has missed the last two games and figures to be out at least two more with a high ankle sprain. Danny Trevathan, the premier signing of the Bears' 2016 free agent class, is still recovering from thumb surgery.
And now rookie Leonard Floyd, the Bears' top pick in April, is hobbled again, this time with a calf injury that kept him out of Sunday's second half and casts doubt on his availability for Sunday's game in Indianapolis.
Said Fangio: "Until we get a set roster from a health standpoint, we're just going to be playing the best combination we think we can (find)."
Still, not only did Fangio hold the defense together last week with chicken wire and bubble gum, he did so with the chicken wire carrying an extra charge that stifled the Lions. The Bears' interceptions came from Jacoby Glenn and Deiondre' Hall, one a former undrafted free agent and the other a rookie fourth-round draft pick playing just his fourth NFL game.
And arguably the biggest stop of the day — a blown-up handoff for a 2-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 1 — came from reserve linebacker John Timu, who had spent the first three weeks on the practice squad.
Those were encouraging flashes, moments that showed the Bears have a supporting cast of hopefuls looking to seize their opportunities. That's a long-term plus in the quest to build reliable depth.
But in the big picture, those flashes can also be reminders of the other playmakers the Bears expected to have but don't.
Floyd's absence is particularly unnerving after he missed chunks of training camp and the preseason, first with heat sickness then with a shoulder injury and later with a hamstring problem.
Fangio has been candid in his reviews of Floyd's progress over the last two months and when asked for a quarterly grade on the rookie, he was unenthused.
"I would say it's incomplete," Fangio said. "He's a work in progress."
Pressed on how Floyd can become a better pass-rushing threat and produce a better grade in the coming weeks, Fangio shrugged.
"Be healthy," he said.
These days in Lake Forest, that's an extreme request.
dwiederer@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @danwiederer
