Bear Digest

Aaron Glenn's leadership ability earns a spot on Bears' radar screen

The Bears completed their Aaron Glenn interview on Saturday and if they're looking for a "leader of men" type they definitely could do worse.
Gene Chamberlain|
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn did his virtual job interview with the Bears on Saturday for head coach.
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn did his virtual job interview with the Bears on Saturday for head coach. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Bears' Aaron Glenn interview now completed, the real question on the tip of many tongues has to be why?

The obvious Bears target is Glenn's staffmate, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. What the Lions defensive coordinator, Glenn, would bring to the Bears isn't apparent on a stat sheet or playbook.

It doesn't matter.

Some see Glenn as players' coach who communicates well and is honest. He's the guy they love to play for even if he isn't a big name and lacks a long-established reputation for defensive dominance. He's only been a coordinator the same amount of time Matt Eberflus was before he became Bears head coach, four years.

Along the way in my numerous NFL writing venues was a website/publication that asked for a poll to be taken of five starting Bears players. They were doing this poll from every team and wanted a good cross section of starters to find out who the one coach is in the NFL that players really admire most and would want to play for the most. The stipulation was it couldn't be their own coach.

Four of the five polls came up the same. They said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Another Bears player heard my question to his teammate at the next locker over and said "Tomlin for me." I hadn't asked him but appreciated his input. Five out of six was pretty telling.

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I was curious and so kept asking this question during the last few minutes of open locker room media access the next few days and then the following Wednesday after turning in the poll result for five players. All told, 28 Bears were asked, some starters, a lot backups, some specialists, and it came out that 22 of the 28 said Mike Tomlin. This wasn't multiple choice, just off the top of their heads.

That's real respect for a coach in the other conference. This was a year after the Steelers lost to the Packers in the Super Bowl in the 2010 season, so obviously Tomlin was at his peak.

At the end of last season, Fox Sports asked the same question in a poll. This is 13 years later and Tomlin was still popular even if he hadn't won a playoff game since 2016. He came in second behind Dan Campbell by one vote.

So there is something to this thought of a coach who players want to feel a real bond with, someone who leads them but also communicates well. Think of Pete Carroll in this same class except with head coaching experience.

"Aaron Glenn is—he's as good a coach as you're going to find, he's an even better human being," Dan Campbell told reporters this week, according to Coulton Pouncy of The Athletic. “Look, if nobody wants him, I’ll take him again. I can tell you that right now.

"The thought of going through another cycle and he’s not somebody’s head coach is ridiculous. I mean, this guy is as good as they come and he can do it all. He understands how to manage a game, he understands offense, defense, special teams, he knows how to communicate, he understands discipline of players and he’s motivating, he’s inspiring. … I don’t want to lose him, but I also root for the guy because I just think he’s a hell of a coach.”

Glenn's ability to keep the defense together this season while they had a virtual parade of players on defense to injured reserve has been truly remarkable.

Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Carlton Davis III, Mekhi Wingo, Malcolm Rodriguez, Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky, and those are just players hurt who made IR. There have been many more in the secondary missing games here and there with injuries but playing.

Still, Glenn's defenses have never been higher than 19th in yards allowed during his four years as a defensive coordinator. They have been seventh in   points allowed this year despite the injuries. This might be more relevant in their case as they've often over the past 2 1/2 seasons been staked to big leads by Ben Johnson's offense and the defense was in prevent mode. That can explain all the yards allowed. In Glenn's first two years they were never higher than 29th against the run or pass.

"He just puts guys in position, man," cornerback Amik Robertson said, via the Detroit Free Press. "He tells us all the time, he calls the plays but the play is only going to work because of the players.

"He got those guys and he knows what guy he needs in this spot or this spot to make all of this work."

The Lions talk a little about Glenn the way Bears players talked about Lovie Smith back from 2004-2012. Smith wasn't the most dynamic guy but definitely had the attention of players and he won.

The Bears could definitely use some of that again.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.