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How the Bears Prevent a Fundamental Flaw

The zone defensive scheme the Bears will be using has had one real flaw in Indianapolis and one of the players they drafted could prevent this from being a problem.
Gene Chamberlain|
How the Bears Prevent a Fundamental Flaw
How the Bears Prevent a Fundamental Flaw

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Chicago BearsIndianapolis Colts

There are trade-offs on defense in football.

On the offensive side, it's called taking what the defense gives them.

The new 4-3 defensive scheme the Bears will use is not new to fans of the team since it is based on the one Lovie Smith used in Chicago, and Tony Dungy used in Tampa and Indianapolis.

"This defense has evolved, so is it going to be the same defense? No, it's our system, so it's going to be different, but the foundation is what we stand on," linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi said. "We hustle to the ball and we get takeaways.

"That's what we're all about, so in that sense, that foundation, that's the same. We hustle and we take the ball away."

It's why the Colts were top 10 in takeaways each of coach Matt Eberflus' four seasons as Colts defensive coordinator.

Things could vary somewhat with defensive coordinator Alan Williams calling defenses, but it's still the cover-2 style. The Bears will be playing zone heavily but the biggest change might be the tendency to disguise more.

The Colts liked giving looks as if they planned to use a single deep safety, then switch out of it at the last second. They've had to adapt this defense over the years because a quarterback can simply pick a defense apart if he has seen it extensively.

Still, the bottom line is the Bears will be in zone much of the time and vulnerabilities exist in such coverage.

The weakness of this defense is predictable but the way they solve it might be the reason they wanted a safety with their second pick in Round 2 and took Jaquan Brisker.

It's covering tight ends. Covering running backs is also difficult but the Bears have the seed linebackers needed to get out in coverage on a running back.

Colts opponents tended to attack under the zone coverage to tight ends and then try to pick up first downs with yards after the catch.

In three of Eberflus' four Colts seasons, they finished among the bottom 10 in limiting tight end receptions. In fact, last year they gave up the second-most receptions to tight ends in the league. They allowed 6.2 catches to tight ends in 2021. In 2018 they allowed the most receptions in the league to tight ends, 6.3.

So who is going to get the zone coverage of tight ends in many third-down or longer down-and-distance situations? It will be zone but it really helps to have a smashing hammer coming up to lay the hit on a tight end and keep him short of the sticks.

It's why Pro Football Focus was in love with Brisker.

  • "Only Power Five safety with 80+ grades in both man and zone coverage last season," PFF tweeted.
  • "Brisker is an incredibly sound safety who will be coveted by teams with specific box roles. He earned an 89.5 coverage grade in a career year this past fall," PFF wrote.
  • "Brisker plays such a steady brand of football in coverage. You simply won't see him giving up big plays..." PFF wrote.

Borgonzi was asked if he had designs on pulling Brisker down into a linebacker spot.

"Nah, just because he's obviously going to play safety," Borgonzi said. " I do like watching hi when he's out there. He has a great knack for punching the ball out. Obvously a young player that so far he's looked pretty good."

One of the more popular players with these Bears assistants who came over from the Colts was safety Bob Sanders, the safety who knocked a football loose from Cedric Benson in Super Bowl XLI and helped turn the tide the Colts' way.

Williams a defensive backs coach in 2006 who had Sanders and he's not comparing the two. This makes sense because Sanders was 5-foot-8, 206 pounds and ran a 4.35-second 40 while Brisker is 6-1, 200 and ran 4.49. But he does have closig speed.

"I mean, we've thrown a lot at this kid since he's been here and he's absorbed it and learned," safeties coach Andre Curtis said. "He's doing a good job so far of getting his hands on the football and getting the football out in practice.

"He's shown a knack for that and that's a good thing. Hopefully that continues."

It's the kind of thing that can help the Bears avoid the biggest weakness their defensive scheme has had and also provide another way to get the ball back besides interceptions.

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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.

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