clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Juan Castillo preaches consistency in the fundamentals

By Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.
NFL: Baltimore Ravens-Minicamp Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

When the 2019 season ended the Chicago Bears parted ways with several offensive assistant coaches. One of which was well respected and experienced offensive line coach Harry Heistand. His former players all swear by him, and there’s never been a discouraging said word about his coaching style, but he and Bears head coach Matt Nagy simply didn’t mesh during their time working together in the Windy City.

Enter Juan Castillo, who has a previously relationship with Nagy, and who has plenty of experience in the offensive system the Bears are running.

Castillo met the media earlier today and his enthusiasm shined through the Zoom video conference call as he pounded on his table to get his points across. Anyone that played football on any level knows how on brand it is for the o-line coach to pound the table.

Castillo didn’t want to spend time talking about what went wrong with the Bears’ o-line in 2019 saying, “I’m really not worried about what happened, I’m concerned about now. I’d rather talk about that.”

The Bears didn’t make major changes to their o-line room this offseason, with the only additions of note being Germain Ifedi, who is expected to man the right guard spot, and swing tackle Jason Spriggs, so it’ll be up to Castillo to get the most out of his players.

“I work hard. My parents are from Mexico. I’m the first generation so I only know one way and my thing with my players is, I try to lead by example,” Castillo said via NBC Sports. “My guys are going to outwork everybody. And if they’re going to outwork everybody, then I have to do that.”

It has to be eating him up not being able to get on the field with his guys to rep through the fundamentals.

“Offensive line play, for the 25 years I’ve known it, it’s all about being consistent,” Castillo said. “The more consistent you are, the better the player you are. Well, how do we get consistent? There’s only one way to be more consistent, if you have the God-given ability, and that’s by doing something over and over and over until it becomes natural.”

Besides working with the men in the trenches, Castillo will also be heavily involved in getting the running game fixed along with new tight ends coach Clancy Barone, this according to new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.

NFL: DEC 16 Packers at Bears Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Barone expressed confidence in rookie tight end Cole Kmet calling him a “quick study” and a “football junkie,” while also saying he’s very high on veteran Y tight end Demetrius Harris. He said Harris’ experience in the offense has helped him get up to speed on things.

Big money free agent Jimmy Graham was also mentioned by Barone as a guy that can help the offense in many ways.

But it was his comments on 2017 second-round draft pick Adam Shaheen that raised the most eyebrows. After saying how much he liked him as a prospect out of Ashland, Barone said of Shaheen, “I still think he has a very bright future, and I have plans for him to do things in our offense.”

Barone unlocking the potential of the 6’6”, 257 pounder would be his most impressive coaching accomplishment to date.

Here’s some more nuggets from today’s Zoom press conferences from Twitter, and if the pressers are made available by the Bears we’ll try share them in their entirety.

Next Up In News