Interview With Brad Biggs- Part 3
by Dane Noble on Jul 22, 2009 10:20 AM CDT
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Thanks to everyone for jumping in and putting some questions together for Brad Biggs, the (in my opinion) best Chicago Bears beat writer out there. He has direct contact with the team, and is able to provide invaluable insight for those of us who only see things from the outside. Make sure you keep up with his blog, Inside the Bears, at http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/, and follow his Twitter (BradBiggs). He'll be providing updates around the clock during Training Camp. On to this round of questions...
GeauxBears: Talks are still continuing about our defensive secondary... our passing D was unremarkable last year, and we can't see that happen again if we are going to be serious about competing in the NFC. Certainly, an improved pass rush will take some pressure off of the DBs, but do you think we have enough talent on the roster to have a solid stand-alone defensive backfield? What's up at the 2 Safety positions?
Brad: The nice thing is that new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli will not need to use his flux capacitor to go too far back in time. The Bears just need to recreate the kind of consistent pass rush they got in 2005 and 2006 in order for the secondary to look, well, like it did in 2005 and 2006. The personnel in place is pretty much the same and if Marcus Harrison can take a step here in his second season, he could be every bit as useful as Tank Johnson was on the field and much less of a menace off the field. It starts with Tommie Harris in the middle and Marinelli should do a lot of good for him for reasons I outlined here last time. He's a no-nonsense guy who players love to play for. Marinelli has a way of connecting with each guy in his meeting room, players from all different backgrounds, and getting them to perform. If he can get Harris going, and if Harris' balky left knee allows him to get going, the rest of the unit should fall into place. Adewale Ogunleye is going to be playing for another bite at the applea good contract and a big season from him will not be a surprise. Mark Anderson could go from guest starring in the Bears' own version of "Lost" to also putting himself in position for a lucrative contract. Even though he's been a shadow of himself as a rookie, Anderson could put himself back on the map with a productive campaign. Alex Brown should be his steady self. It's not a lock the Bears are going to solve their defensive woes with a rebirth on the line, but if it's going to happen Marinelli is probably the guy to make it happen.
We all know that Coach Smith is a teacher and not a loud, drill sergeant type coach. But does he ever get fired up and get in players faces during practice?
Smith commands the respect of the players and he always has. You don't have to have Mike Ditka out there or someone like Bill Cowher, who could be a screamer on the sideline, to get through to the players. Smith will talk to players face-to-face on the practice field, but I've never seen him getting in a player's face.
Back in January, Warren Sapp made mention that he was going to take interest in helping Tommie Harris become a better DT. Have you heard anything about that since then?
Sapp told Mully & Hanley on the Score that he was going to get together with Harris. I have not heard anything about that since. It's more important for Harris to get together with Marinelli, who is the coach that Sapp credits for him becoming a Hall of Fame-worthy talent. Harris doing drills with Sapp in March or April isn't going to have a lot of impact in September, is it?
The NFC North is potentially a 3-way battle (sorry Lions fans... maybe in a couple of more years)... will the Packers be able to make a push for the North title in the first year of the new 3-4 defensive scheme?
Everywhere Dom Capers has been, he's had a knack for getting that system up and running immediately. There hasn't been an adjustment period, Capers' 3-4 defenses have been very good and they've been very good in a hurry. Even if Green Bay is aging in the secondary, the Packers still have some solid players back there and the Bears' wide receivers would probably be the first to tell you that. Capers had a dramatic impact on defenses he ran in Jacksonville and Miami in his first season with those clubs, and with expansion teams in Carolina and Houston, he was solid immediately. Carolina was seventh in total defense in 1995, its first year. The issue is going to be how the personnel will fit on the line and at linebacker where some are concerned about Aaron Kampman's ability to adjust. If Capers can enjoy somewhat instant success once again, sure, the Packers will be in the race.
Michael Gaines: how much will we see from him, and what are the chances he comes in at FB in short yardage situation?
Gaines needs to win a spot on the 53-man roster in training camp before you start worrying about how much he will be involved and in exactly what role. His primary competition for a job will be Kellen Davis and Jason Davis, the unrelated tight end and fullback. Gaines projects as primarily a blocking tight end, but he has the ability to make some plays downfield and I saw him make a couple dandy catches during the offseason program. When Smith was pitching Gaines about signing with the Bears after he had made a free-agent visit to the New York Jets, he mentioned the possibility of lining him up in the backfield. Certainly that is a possibility. The Bears did that some with Greg Olsen last season but not on short yardage situations. My instinct would tell me that you would want your No. 1 fullback in the backfield in a short-yardage situation.
That wraps up this session with Brad. Windy City Gridiron is incredibly thankful for the insight he is providing us, and is looking forward to Training Camp! Thanks Brad!
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I read a quote from a player
The other day who said that Lovie is more like a father-type than an in-your-face type and that that is worse because he makes you feel accountable and disappointed. Thus, the respect that is built comes into play and the player wants to play harder and better. I think that is really effective and a better way to coach.
by Sam Householder on Jul 22, 2009 10:41 AM CDT reply actions
I think it was Casey Stengel who talked about managing his players...
he said that a good manager knows how to identify which players you had to give a hard “kick in the ass” to perform and which players you had to hug.
I’d never say that Lovie’s approach is worthy of criticism, but I would think that some players need that “in your face” approach to motivate them. Then again, there are position coaches that could fill that role if needed, so I don’t know.
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
The other coaches could balance him out
One thing I’ve learned from experience is the best coaching staff’s have a good blend of personalities. If the head coach is an in your face disciplinarian you need the "good cop" to balance it out. If the Head Coach is the calm type, you need someone that will give a good fire and brimstone speech once in a while…
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Jul 22, 2009 1:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Damn you and your "Da Passion and Da Fire" question.
LOL.
Should’ve asked if Cutler developed any chemistry yet with a possible favorite target among his TEs and WRs?
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
You shut your pie hole.
I asked your Sapp question.
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
Please take note
fans who think coaches need to yell and scream all the time to motivate their players.
Smith commands the respect of the players and he always has. You don’t have to have Mike Ditka out there or someone like Bill Cowher, who could be a screamer on the sideline, to get through to the players.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill
The Extremes - Game Day
Tom Landry & Chuck Noll: Two of the greatest HC’s ever. Didn’t say two words to the players.
Lombardi, Ditka, Parcells & Cowher: Four examples of excellent/great HC’s that were usually always yapping on the sidelines.
The basic diffference between the first group and the second group is that while Landry & Noll hated to lose as much as the second group of coaches, they turned their emotions ‘inward’ while those other guys turned it ‘outward.’
Mike Ditka was certifiably insane on game days. Period. He had ZERO control over his emotions. The best example of this would be the clipboard. Usually, after say, three straight offensive plays that went nowhere, Ditka would walk by whomever was calling the plays (like Ed Hughes), knock the clipboard out of his hands (usually with an uppercut), and start calling the plays himself.
After the game he’d apologize. The next game he’d likely do it again.
Lombardi, Ditka & Parcells would spend most of their time berating players who screwed up. They coached through fear. Fear, however, works well in the NFL.
Cowher was different than the other three in that, while he had no problem berating his players, more often he’d be yelling at them to encourage them, to fire them up.
From a distance it would look like he was yelling at them, but often he was just trying to pump them up.
Nothing wrong with that.
Football is an emotional game, especially on Sunday. Few great HC’s, in the history of the NFL, were in the Landry/Noll camp.
Most were in the Lombardi, Parcells, Ditka, Cowher camp.
That’s just a fact.
Remember when Cowher almost tackled a guy returning an interception past him down the sidelines?
He lunged as the guy ran past. Still wish he would have made the play. Classic stuff.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
Ala Woody Hayes
You gotta love that stuff. I’m not a huge Cowher fan (all these teams waiting around for him to get back into coaching makes it seem like he’s Vince Lombardi or something) but I love his passion for the game and how his teams fed off of it.
That's just debatable
What about the likes of Belichick, Tomlin, Billick, Gibbs, Walsh, Shula, Flores, Seifert, Holmgren, Shanahan, Dungy, and then including your two Landry/Noll? Want to know how many SBs they combined to win? That’s 27 out of 43 titles combined. This list doesn’t include Madden, Switzer, Jimmy Johnson, McCafferty and Ebank who I don’t know if they were known to be emotionally out-of-control with their players. Also, take a look at the losing coaches in the history of SBs, it’s even more convincing that HCs don’t need to blow their top to motivate their team. Now those are facts!
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill
You are confusing 'yelling' with toughness
I don’t draw the line there. As I have stated many times, Tom Landy was every bit the hard ass that Vince Lombardi was. They just had different demeanors. Lombardi was a yeller. Landry never opened his mouth.
I draw the line between tough, hard ass HC’s and the nice guys.
Like Mike Freeman succintly said in his book Bloody Sundays, the history of the SB is written by tough, hard ass coaches. There a re a few exceptions, but they are just that: Exceptions.
Mike Tomlin from last year certainly qualifies, as do most.
Tony Dungy (and Lovie Smith) are from the ‘nice guy’ school of coaching.
Personally I’d go with the hard ass coaches.
That’s just my preference.
Just be careful that you don't stgmitize the league...
things evolve and grow… and change. Players change, coaches change, and philosophies change.
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
This spans Lombardi to Parcells to the likes of new Chiefs HC Todd Haley
Parcells grew up in Lombardi’s neighborhood. They both coached at West Point. They are virtual clones of each other.
New Chiefs HC Todd Haley is a Parcells disciple. He’s replacing Herm Edwards, a Tony Dungy disciple.
Here are some comments about the difference between the two.http://www.standard.net/live/sports/profootball/176245/
There are doubts, but Haley says he won’t be fazed. He is in a tough, but perhaps necessary, position: a man who has led and been led by unrelenting and determined forces, and he believes he’s one of 32 NFL head coaches because that method works.
No sympathy. No censorship. No filter. That’s the way the Chiefs are being run these days. And although Haley admits his approach might lead to some defections, maybe that’s what this is all about: discovering who can cut it in a system that refuses to wait for greatness.
Last year in Arizona, before the start of the season, he was all over Larry Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald had a tendency to fall down after the catch (unlike his counterpart Anquan Boldin, who’s a beast after-the-catch).
So Haley was all over Fitzgerald last year, to make him a better WR. In the offseason he showed Fitzgerald where he had left some 300/500 yards on the field in 2007.
With Haley’s coaching (and with help from Boldin) Fitzgerald had a monster year last season.
Fitzgerald even made this comment to Haley after the NFC Championship game against Philadelphia:
“Thanks for keeping your foot on my throat. You did it. You made me great.’ "
That’s great coaching.
Good example
I know we’ve covered this topic several times, so I naturally thought you meant extroverted type coaches are better than introverted. I agree you can be a disciplinarian without being an out-spoken, loud-mouth, obnoxious coach. Ex. Lovie Smith.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill
Tony Dungy
set out to prove that a HC doesn’t have to fit the stereotype (like Lombardi (though I don’t think he used Lombardi’s name) white guy walking the sideline, ranting and raving).
Obviously Dungy isn’t white. Beyond that he wanted to be more of a father figure to his players and more reserved on the sidelines.
Interestingly, Mike Singletary has said that his style is kind of a combination of the two, Lombardi & Dungy.
He wants to get to know his players and be a father figure type to them, but he also wants them to know that he’s going to be all over these guys.
Lovie’s a good coach. Personally, however, I like to see more emotion on the sidelines. Not every play of course, but sometimes. That’s just my preference.
I like a ‘little’ Ditka. Parcells. Cowher. That’s just me.
Secondly, whenever you try to be a nice guy, and try to treat grown men like adults, invariably some (how many, who knows?) will take advantage of it.
Personally, I don’t want my HC being taken advantage of by any of his players. To me, ANY player who isn’t busting his ass is almost treasonous.
Everybody has a lot riding on the outcome of the season: Players, Coaches and us Fans.
I want everybody giving 100%. That might be wishful thinking but that’s what I want. And I want my HC to get that kind of result from all his players.
Of course
As fans, we expect players to play at 100% 100% of the time. With that said, human nature will usually get the best of most players every once in awhile and not allow it to happen.
It’s probably a good thing that Singletary takes a bit from both coaches cause players will react differently to both approaches. One guy might not “buy into” his father figure techinique, but may respect his edgy hard-nosed approach. The same is true of the opposite.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill
Dwayne Goodrich
is an extreme example.
He was the defensive MVP when Tennessee won the National Championship. He was drafted in the second round by the Cowboys in 2000.
In 2002 he was involved in a hit and run accident that killed two people. he is currently in prison.
The interesting thing is this. He was a pretty terrible player while with the Cowboys. He had no INT’s and only started one game in three seasons.
Why is a high second round draft pick, a great player in college, a terrible player in the NFL? He was interviewed on ESPN’s E-60 awhile back and he talked about how, early on, he lost his focus in Dallas.
He was far more concerned about partying than playing. Darren Woodson talked in that show about how he had tried to help Goodrich, to no avail.
“I thought I’d have a 10-year career like Champ Bailey and Darren Woodson,” Goodrich says, his eyes lighting up. “But the truth is I thought just getting drafted and being in the NFL was it. I didn’t work hard enough. I just did enough to get by.”
Woodson remembers being frustrated that the young cornerback’s mental approach didn’t match his physical skills. “With Goody it seemed like my advice would go in one ear and right out the other,” he recalls. “He just never put his working hat on and treated his life in the NFL as a job. Shame, because he could’ve had a long, successful career.”
Head Coach at the time? Dave Campo. A career assistant who never should have been a HC. A nice guy. And that’s not what you need at that position.
No way a player like Goodrich, who was more concerned with the nightlife than with the team, lasts three years if Jimmy Johnson is the HC. Or if Bill Parcells, who just replaced Campo, was his HC.
No way.
That’s an intersting an extreme example of what I am talking about here.
I just want a head coach who's honest with his personality
if you’re not a yeller by nature forcing yourself to yell and give a kick in the ass is going to backfire.
who wants an interview from brad briggs
gimme lance briggs
Bulls should try to trade for Brand or Boozer
by FAN of the BULLS on Jul 22, 2009 1:37 PM CDT reply actions
Who wants a comment from Fan of the Bulls?
Gimme Fan of the Bears! ;)
"A lot of fans were drawn to me because they knew that whatever the score was, I was going to run as hard as I could on every play. You don't have that now, you have guys waiting for next week or even next year." - Walter Payton
by Ashley Czuba on Jul 22, 2009 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Extremely cool of Brad to give you guys an interview.
Job well done.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
Does anybody know if
Dom Capers was the D-coordinator for miami in 06?
by Staleystan595455 on Jul 22, 2009 7:14 PM CDT reply actions
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