May 16--A team synonymous with the middle-linebacker position is preparing to do without in 2015.
The Bears' focus is shifting outside, where pass rushers will come from unexpected places in the 3-4 defense being installed by Bears coach John Fox and coordinator Vic Fangio. But in a draft deep in edge rushers, the Bears chose a different direction and sent a statement: They are prepared to build with a core of veterans -- some of whom are new to the scheme -- and coaching.
Fangio had the luxury of working with Aldon Smith during his four-year run as coordinator of the 49ers, who finished in the top five defensively each year. Smith registered 42 sacks over his first three seasons before a suspension-marred 2014 and was a young building block.
The Bears have two players who have reached double-digit sacks in a season -- Jared Allen, 33, who is looking for a bounce-back season, and Willie Young, who blossomed last year but is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and might be the most difficult of the group to project at outside linebacker.
Pernell McPhee, signed to a $38.75 million, five-year contract in free agency, is the most interesting piece of the puzzle.
Playing everywhere from nose tackle to end to outside linebacker for the Ravens, the 6-foot-3, 280-pound McPhee had 7-1/2 sacks with 64 quarterback pressures and 24 quarterback hits last season while playing fewer than half of the snaps. He has versatility, a trademark of the best players in Fangio's schemes, and the team believes McPhee is ascending.
"Pernell has done really well," outside linebackers coach Clint Hurtt said. "He's a big guy out there in the run game, very physical. But surprisingly he's pretty nimble in space for a man of his size."
Lamarr Houston played outside linebacker with the Raiders, but he's not ready yet after tearing his ACL in October. Also in the mix is Sam Acho, who signed a one-year deal for $825,000 after four years with the Cardinals, which included a seven-sack season as a rookie in 2011.
Acho is the only one who has been a true outside linebacker throughout his career, giving him a head start in coverage responsibilities. It's the first time Fangio has had so many newcomers to the position.
"It's not as hard as everybody thinks," Fangio said. "It's a slow-growing process. A lot of the things that look hard to them now will eventually be easy, but we have to work through that."
That challenge continues with organized team activities starting May 27 and minicamp June 16-18. Competition will carry into training camp, when Houston should join the mix. The coaches have seen the players in the scheme against the offense only in last week's voluntary minicamp.
"The best thing that helped their transition (is that) they were all eager to learn it and experience it with it being a new position," Hurtt said. "(As) we progress we'll have more calls in so we will see how they do."
How much responsibility the outside linebackers will have in coverage probably has been overblown. Those players are on the field to pressure the quarterback -- how often the team relies on its base defense remains to be seen.
The Bears were in their nickel package about 50 percent of the time under former coordinator Mel Tucker, and as Fangio pointed out some teams play more in their sub package. When the Bears play nickel, they will have four down linemen and Allen likely will be back in his familiar spot as a right end with his hand in the dirt.
Interestingly, general manager Ryan Pace not only took wide receiver Kevin White with the seventh pick in the draft, but just one of Pace's six picks was for the front seven -- nose tackle Eddie Goldman in the second round -- and only two were on defense. That sends a message that the team is comfortable with the players in place, including the options at outside linebacker who will be expected to generate the bulk of the pass rush.
"We have some good choices there and we'll come up with three, four (or) five good outside 'backers," Fangio said. "However many we keep, we'll go from there."
bmbiggs@tribpub.com
