Much has been said this offseason about the departure of Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who left for greener pastures in Denver to become the Broncos head coach. In his place is Chuck Pagano, whose resume as a defensive coordinator and head coach is impressive, but for some reason, uncertainty remains.
It’s logical to wonder how a defense that played so well under Fangio will respond to a new voice. Akiem Hicks described it like dating; his defensive teammates are in the getting-to-know-you phase of what he predicted will be a beautiful relationship with Pagano.
And while Fangio certainly accomplished some great things with the Bears, one point fans took issue with was his lack of aggressive playcalling, especially when it came to rushing the passer. Pagano’s defense will look very different, and according to Ryan Pace, it’s likely to catch early-season opponents off guard.
“I’m excited because our opponents, especially early in the season, they don’t know what we’re going to do on defense,” Pace told the Mully and Haugh Show on 670 The Score. “That’s advantage Bears.”
One of those early-season opponents is the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. It’ll be a fascinating chess game to watch. Not only is Pagano going to throw new wrinkles at the Packers offense, but Green Bay’s coaching staff has been revamped and will feature a new look on offense.
The most important variable for any system to be successful are the players. And for Pagano, he’s inheriting a defense with Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan and Eddie Jackson, just to name a few.
Yeah, he’ll be OK.
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