Bears hire Chuck Pagano to be Defensive Coordinator

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Boris13c wrote:I figure anyone Nagy signs off on as someone he can work with and can get the job done is good enough for me
Love the simplicity of this post!
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The Marshall Plan
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I still don't know what to think of hiring Pagano. The Baltimore connection is great, but did he only have one year as DC? I don't get too worked up about the Indy thing because I don't think he had the players.

My mind was focused on Mike Nolan and Rex Ryan so Pagano came from left field at me. Hopefully he does even better than Fangio and there's a chance of it because the longer this unit sticks together and gels the better they'll be. We've also got some VERY PROMISING young guys (Jackson, Amos, Nichols, Roquan, RRH, and I'm sure I left out a few) that will only continue to get better.
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The Marshall Plan wrote:I still don't know what to think of hiring Pagano. The Baltimore connection is great, but did he only have one year as DC? I don't get too worked up about the Indy thing because I don't think he had the players.

My mind was focused on Mike Nolan and Rex Ryan so Pagano came from left field at me. Hopefully he does even better than Fangio and there's a chance of it because the longer this unit sticks together and gels the better they'll be. We've also got some VERY PROMISING young guys (Jackson, Amos, Nichols, Roquan, RRH, and I'm sure I left out a few) that will only continue to get better.
I do wish he had a greater sample size as being a defensive coordinator. In Indy, his defensive talent was awful and it showed on the field.

Still, his players LOVE him and play hard for him, so I can't hate on that. Selfishly, I hope he's a better game planner and play caller than he is a good human being.
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G08 wrote:
The Marshall Plan wrote:I still don't know what to think of hiring Pagano. The Baltimore connection is great, but did he only have one year as DC? I don't get too worked up about the Indy thing because I don't think he had the players.

My mind was focused on Mike Nolan and Rex Ryan so Pagano came from left field at me. Hopefully he does even better than Fangio and there's a chance of it because the longer this unit sticks together and gels the better they'll be. We've also got some VERY PROMISING young guys (Jackson, Amos, Nichols, Roquan, RRH, and I'm sure I left out a few) that will only continue to get better.
I do wish he had a greater sample size as being a defensive coordinator. In Indy, his defensive talent was awful and it showed on the field.

Still, his players LOVE him and play hard for him, so I can't hate on that. Selfishly, I hope he's a better game planner and play caller than he is a good human being.
Pagano supposedly likes to blitz a lot and that plays to a strength of ours. Imagine being a QB and genuinely not knowing if either Mack, Floyd, Roquan, Trevathan or a DB is coming and then using the others as decoys. We have the personnel for his blitzing schemes to be very successful.
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I didn't want to team to go anywhere near either of the Ryan brothers. Rex is a blowhard failure and while I did like Rob in his Oakland days his later career stops left a real bad taste in my mouth.

Nolan would have been interesting but in all honesty I have no idea what he's been doing the past 5 years or so.

Can't say I'm displeased with Pags. He didn't do great as a HC but he was saddled with a lot of hurdles; plus his own health battle.
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I'm lukewarm on Pagano. His defenses were terrible in Indy, but Grigson didn't do him any favors...the defensive players he drafted were terrible.

All of his draft picks were pretty terrible. Which I suppose is why he's no longer the GM.

But once Arians left, the Colts went from a perennial 11-5 team to an 8-8 and 4-12 team.
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I'm fine with Pagano. Right now anyway. There were a lot of downward trending things happening in Indy that make it really hard for a 1st time HC guy. With the speed of our LBs and our DB's ability to match up man-to-man, this could be a really fun defense.
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I think Pagano is probably a great hire from a 2019 perspective.

My concerns are about going forward, as he is well thought of in the league and is already being interviewed for head coaching spots. I expect our defense will do well again this year and Pagano will be a top candidate for the 6 or 8 spots that come available in 2020. So I expect to be having this same conversation next year. After listening to the players talk about how great it was to be in the same system for the 4th year in a row and how they were finally really getting it, to be potentially changing systems again next year seems a big risk to take. Especially as that will be right in the middle of our Super Bowl window.

That's why I liked the idea of Donatell. I doubt'd he'd be going anywhere anytime soon.
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wab wrote:I'm lukewarm on Pagano. His defenses were terrible in Indy, but Grigson didn't do him any favors...the defensive players he drafted were terrible.

All of his draft picks were pretty terrible. Which I suppose is why he's no longer the GM.

But once Arians left, the Colts went from a perennial 11-5 team to an 8-8 and 4-12 team.
To be fair. Luck has been injured for the last two years. He's finally just coming back into form. Their OL was a train wreck for three years, and they lost some important starters on defense. I'm not sure it was Pagano's fault.
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I have been warming to the hire as time has gone by. Not sure if it the sport's fans version of Stockholm Syndrome (start to like them as a hostage fan) or because I keep reading positive articles about him. I wish I saw a longer track record of success in one spot, but as many have said the talent in Indy during his time was weak. I really do like the idea of both sides of the ball shared the attacking mentality. My ONLY gripe in the Fangio years was the tendency to go into soft prevent mode with every lead in the 4th and let the other team eat clock and move slowly down the field, often to score some points in tight games. Our talent is well suited to a style that blitzes a bit more, or could have a variety of different players capable of blitzing from different positions and formations. I also worry about him jetting after the season to be an HC again. Perhaps hiring Ted Monachino as "senior defensive assistant", as well as OLB coach, is meant to be someone to groom up for that possibility?
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Sounds like he will be introduced at Halas Hall tomorrow (Thursday).

I look at it like he knew how to keep a good thing going his one year as DC in Baltimore. Hopefully he can do the same here.
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Heads up- Chuck Pagano will apparently be on the Pat McAfee show (podcast) Thursday/Friday.
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Chuck Pagano's first press conference as #DaBears DC will begin approx. one hour from now at 10am CT.

You can catch it live on http://ChicagoBears.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , in our app, on Facebook and right here on Twitter.
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New Bears DC Chuck Pagano just finished his intro presser.

He said he'll put the onus on himself in meshing his terminology with what Bears used under Vic Fangio.

He described an aggressive defense that'll "wreak havoc" by rushing 4, simulating pressure & calculated blitzes
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He will continue to run the Bears’ 3-4 scheme under a teaching philosophy he called “K.I.L.L. — Keep It Likable & Learnable.”
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Bears DC Chuck Pagano not interested in again being head coach
12:19 PM CT
Jeff Dickerson
ESPN Staff Writer

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Former Indianapolis Colts head coach and current Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano said Thursday that he's not interested in any future NFL head-coaching jobs.

"I'm not. I've done it," Pagano at his introductory news conference.

"I'm motivated to just help coach Matt Nagy be successful. Help this organization be successful. Help these kids grow and develop. That's my motivation is to be the best I can be for this organization, for the McCaskey family, for Coach Nagy and for these players and for these coaches and help develop these guys. That's the only thing I want to do."

Pagano, 58, coached the Colts for six seasons (2012-17), winning two AFC South titles (2013, 2014) while making three consecutive playoff appearances (2012-14). He was fired with a 53-43 regular-season record and a 3-3 mark in the postseason.

Indianapolis rebounded to reach the playoffs last year under first-time head coach Frank Reich. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who missed the entire 2017 season and battled injuries throughout Pagano's final three years, started all 16 regular-season games and passed for 4,593 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Luck led the Colts to an opening-round playoff victory over Houston before Indianapolis lost to Kansas City in the AFC divisional round.

"I am better, not bitter," Pagano said. "We had a great run, great experiences together. I was a lot better coach when No. 12 [Luck] was under center than I was when he wasn't, you know, and that's well documented. He probably got me a few more years than I may have deserved. I always say that. My wife is going to kill me for saying that, 'just don't say that.' I just keep it real. But it was great to see Andrew back.

"There was a time there that he thought he was never going to play again and we had a lot of tough, critical conversations, you know, because he is such a great teammate and such a great competitor. The NFL is better when he is on the field, and I think we all saw that. It's great for the game, it's great for him, it's great for that organization."

Pagano worked as an NFL consultant last season. He said that a year away from coaching allowed him to "reset, recharge and reflect."

The coaching veteran takes over one of the league's best defensive units. Chicago's defense led the league last year in yards per play (4.78), points per game (17.7), takeaways (36) and interceptions (27).

"Our vision for this defense is to be the best," Pagano said. "Can we be the best in the history of the game? The pieces are there, and they will continue to add pieces. Can we continue to be better than we were last year? Absolutely. It's going to be very, very difficult and a huge challenge, but one we will be up for."
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God if he can be a stud DC for Nagy and our Bears for the next 10+ years....
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wab wrote:Bears DC Chuck Pagano not interested in again being head coach
12:19 PM CT
Jeff Dickerson
ESPN Staff Writer

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Former Indianapolis Colts head coach and current Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano said Thursday that he's not interested in any future NFL head-coaching jobs.

"I'm not. I've done it," Pagano at his introductory news conference.


"I'm motivated to just help coach Matt Nagy be successful. Help this organization be successful. Help these kids grow and develop. That's my motivation is to be the best I can be for this organization, for the McCaskey family, for Coach Nagy and for these players and for these coaches and help develop these guys. That's the only thing I want to do."

Pagano, 58, coached the Colts for six seasons (2012-17), winning two AFC South titles (2013, 2014) while making three consecutive playoff appearances (2012-14). He was fired with a 53-43 regular-season record and a 3-3 mark in the postseason.

Indianapolis rebounded to reach the playoffs last year under first-time head coach Frank Reich. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who missed the entire 2017 season and battled injuries throughout Pagano's final three years, started all 16 regular-season games and passed for 4,593 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Luck led the Colts to an opening-round playoff victory over Houston before Indianapolis lost to Kansas City in the AFC divisional round.

"I am better, not bitter," Pagano said. "We had a great run, great experiences together. I was a lot better coach when No. 12 [Luck] was under center than I was when he wasn't, you know, and that's well documented. He probably got me a few more years than I may have deserved. I always say that. My wife is going to kill me for saying that, 'just don't say that.' I just keep it real. But it was great to see Andrew back.

"There was a time there that he thought he was never going to play again and we had a lot of tough, critical conversations, you know, because he is such a great teammate and such a great competitor. The NFL is better when he is on the field, and I think we all saw that. It's great for the game, it's great for him, it's great for that organization."

Pagano worked as an NFL consultant last season. He said that a year away from coaching allowed him to "reset, recharge and reflect."

The coaching veteran takes over one of the league's best defensive units. Chicago's defense led the league last year in yards per play (4.78), points per game (17.7), takeaways (36) and interceptions (27).

"Our vision for this defense is to be the best," Pagano said. "Can we be the best in the history of the game? The pieces are there, and they will continue to add pieces. Can we continue to be better than we were last year? Absolutely. It's going to be very, very difficult and a huge challenge, but one we will be up for."
That's some big stuff right there. If he's in the ballpark with Fangio as a DC, we could be talking some incredible serendipity there.
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I'll believe Pagano isn't interested in being a head coach again when he is declining interviews, but I appreciate him killing the storyline in that way for now. Awesome if it is true.

I will admit Pagano's saying he would learn the language actually gave me pause because it reminded me too much of Trestman getting jobs in part because he would agree to learn the offense language instead of the players. Or Mel Tucker getting the job because he would supposedly keep Lovie's language. At least Pagano was talking about playing his style of defense instead of trying to mimic Fangio.

I did learn Todd Bowles was Pagano's assistant DB coach with the Browns. So that's at least one person that Nagy could talk to get some insight on Pagano. Overall I think I trust Pagano to at least be a leader and motivator of the defense. How good he actually is at defensive strategy and play calling we will see.
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I’m excited to see a similar scheme with the aggressiveness turned up a notch...

https://twitter.com/djdurkin/status/108 ... 74432?s=20

Granted, Vic is a wizard at disguising coverages. It wouldn’t surprise me if Pagano isn’t quite as strong there. But hopefully some more pressure will make that a wash.
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To me the biggest thing Pagano can leverage on this defense is the double teaming of Mack. Is he going to move Mack around a lot from side to side or even in the middle? Use him as a decoy and then blitz the ILB next to him? I know the defense was very successful last year but it looked like Mack had a few extremely dominant games but then came the double teams.
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The Marshall Plan wrote:To me the biggest thing Pagano can leverage on this defense is the double teaming of Mack. Is he going to move Mack around a lot from side to side or even in the middle? Use him as a decoy and then blitz the ILB next to him? I know the defense was very successful last year but it looked like Mack had a few extremely dominant games but then came the double teams.
At least Pagano has experience with what Baltimore did with a similar player to Mack in Terrell Suggs.
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cblaz11 wrote:
Atkins&Rebel wrote:
cblaz11 wrote:
Umbali wrote:Well, he should have to learn our terminology etc..why teach the whole D when you can just make the coach learn? :P

Hope it works out
Disagree

He’s the DC, trust him to do his thing. Asking the coach to come in and “fit in” is what got Mel Tucker into trouble. He was running half of his D and half of Lovies. Nobody was on the same page.
Good coordinators don't come into the #1 defense and change a bunch of shit just to stroke their ego. Chuck is considered a players' coach, so I don't expect him to muck up too much. But almost every defense will change their calls from year to year (and game to game for divisional opponents), or teams will know what the defense is adjusting to and where the blitz is coming from. The oly calls that stay the same are the Payton Manning "Omaha" dummy calls.
I agree in the fact that you should identify what players had success doing what and you try to keep them in similar roles. That said, you get into trouble if you tell a coach to run someone else’s defense.

Fangio was great at disguising his coverages just enough to give the front 4 an extra second to get to the QB. He was also great at very rarely allowing plays over the top. They kept everything in front of them. When you have a more aggressive defense, that opens you up to big plays. In today’s NFL, I want Vics style over a blitz heavy D. I’m hoping Pagano agrees.

Rely on 4 man pass rush with occasional blitz

Preach keeping everything in front

Preach all 11 guys swarming to the ball

Flip coverages to ensure QB is always unsure
Good to hear Pagano in his presser say that e's going to learn the terminology that the Bears used instead of making them all learn something new. This is what good coaches do.
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Adam Hoge wrote:While Bears coaches were given last week off, I’m told new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano was busy at Halas Hall working on his new defense.
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Gotta unwrap and get ready to play with all these shiny new toys.
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I love it, deep dive into the tape and see who on your roster excels at what and make sure to emphasize that.
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