Rod Marinelli playing big role in Bears' success

**Shark86x** · 10-17-2012, 08:49 PM

Link: Rod Marinelli playing big role in Bears' success

By ANDREW SELIGMAN (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press – 4 hours ago

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -- Ask Lovie Smith about Rod Marinelli and the Chicago Bears coach comes about as close as he ever gets to waxing poetic.

That's hardly a surprise.

Smith and Marinelli are longtime friends and Chicago's defense is performing as well as any heading into Monday night's game against the Detroit Lions.

It helps having Pro Bowl players such as Julius Peppers and Lance Briggs, but don't underestimate the impact of their defensive coordinator.

''I couldn't do Rod justice by saying just one thing that he does,'' Smith said. ''He does so much. Again, I know I talk about this always, I've known him so long and I've seen him in every situation. He's just a great man, great coach, great leader. We could spend the rest of the day talking about him. He's such a valuable part of what we're doing here.''

What they're doing at the moment is impressive, and the defense is a big reason why Chicago leads the NFC North at 4-1.

The Bears are holding opponents to 291.2 yards per game and rank third overall on defense. They're tops against the run, lead the league in interceptions (13), are tied for fourth in sacks (18) and the defense has done its share of scoring, too.

That group has five touchdowns this season - all on interceptions in the past three games - and has given up just five TDs to opposing offenses.

Unsung players such as cornerback Tim Jennings (four interceptions, 14 pass breakups) and defensive tackle Henry Melton (4 1/2 sacks) have come up big, and a line that was a big question mark has created more than enough chaos.

And a big reason for all that is Marinelli. Now in his third season as coordinator and fourth on the Bears' staff, the Bears jumped at the chance to hire him as the line coach even after an awful three-year run as Detroit's head coach.

He was fired after the Lions went 0-16 in 2008, but he was also a logical fit for Chicago. After all, he was friends with Smith and knew the Cover-2 defense.

''We just learned it from the floor up together,'' Marinelli said. ''Trying to understand it and see it, the details that go into the system. When all the details and fundamentals that go in and how to drill it. I think it's the real belief, we have a great belief in what we do and how we do things. We kind of grew up in it with coach (Tony) Dungy and his belief obviously is very strong in it. We've always been tied to the system and how to do things.''

Players praise Marinelli's attention to detail and ability to get his message across.

''Before Coach Marinelli, I just did my job,'' defensive end Israel Idonije said. ''I lined up. Now, I know the passing strengths. I know just the entire offense and what their plan is and us as a defense, how to get a better matchup.''

He said that's one way Marinelli is different from other coaches.

''The biggest thing about him is what he expects from us,'' defensive end Corey Wootton said. ''He wants perfect. He stays on all of us. He wants the best out of everybody. He'll get on us. He'll yell at us, but he wants to get the most out of us.''

Players appreciate the way he breaks things down, and for Wootton, it's how he emphasizes the pass rush.

''He wrote down a stat when we first got to meetings this year about how many runs compared to passes,'' Wootton said. ''The passes outweighed the runs. The number was substantial. The NFL's a passing league so pass-rush is the emphasis.''

Note: Smith had plenty of praise for Chris Williams a day after the Bears terminated the offensive lineman's contract but also acknowledged it was time to part ways with the former first-round pick. ''I think sometimes it just doesn't work; simple as that,'' Smith said. ''I don't know all the reasons why, or just finding a position, it just doesn't work. There's no other good explanation I can give you except when you see that it's not gonna work, it's time to move on. And that's what we did.''

**Shark86x** · 10-17-2012, 08:52 PM

Interesting little article. This quote sums it up...

''Before Coach Marinelli, I just did my job,'' defensive end Israel Idonije said. ''I lined up. Now, I know the passing strengths. I know just the entire offense and what their plan is and us as a defense, how to get a better matchup.''

Some guys just do their job, but when you get them to go that little extra, it makes all the difference.

**yttocs** · 10-17-2012, 09:04 PM

A coach will yell at a player among his peers? That's not a good leader, he should do it in private.

The biggest thing about him is what he expects from us,'' defensive end Corey Wootton said. ''He wants perfect. He stays on all of us. He wants the best out of everybody. He'll get on us. He'll yell at us, but he wants to get the most out of us.''

OK , thats a JAB at another thread, but where does one draw the line?

**Shark86x** · 10-17-2012, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by yttocs

A coach will yell at a player among his peers? That's not a good leader, he should do it in private.

The biggest thing about him is what he expects from us,'' defensive end Corey Wootton said. ''He wants perfect. He stays on all of us. He wants the best out of everybody. He'll get on us. He'll yell at us, but he wants to get the most out of us.''

OK , thats a JAB at another thread, but where does one draw the line?

Hahaha. I wonder if Marinelli ever bumped somebody who wasn't giving "110%" on the practice field?

**Riczaj01** · 10-17-2012, 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by yttocs

A coach will yell at a player among his peers? That's not a good leader, he should do it in private.

The biggest thing about him is what he expects from us,'' defensive end Corey Wootton said. ''He wants perfect. He stays on all of us. He wants the best out of everybody. He'll get on us. He'll yell at us, but he wants to get the most out of us.''

OK , thats a JAB at another thread, but where does one draw the line?

Ever see him yelling at his guys on the sidelines during a game? Lovie dog cussed the guys at 1/2 time of the jag's game, but it was not in front of fans or cameras. Show in that thread anyone saying it had to be one on one; wait no one said that, point moot.

Like Hot Rod signing, ya he sucked as a head coach, but he's not the HC here, but he's a hell of a DL guy and a pretty solid DC.

**yttocs** · 10-17-2012, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

Ever see him yelling at his guys on the sidelines during a game? Lovie dog cussed the guys at 1/2 time of the jag's game, but it was not in front of fans or cameras. Show in that thread anyone saying it had to be one on one; wait no one said that, point moot.

Like Hot Rod signing, ya he sucked as a head coach, but he's not the HC here, but he's a hell of a DL guy and a pretty solid DC.

I HAVE SEEN Marinelli YELLING on the sideline. MY Question is, is a camera always on him? NO. So your point is? Yes I like ROD as DC. So if Rod was seen yelling at his players during game time, on camera, he MUST be a lousy leader, right? By YOUR standards. So why would player follow him? NO double standards now ( remember your other replies as to getting in someones face ).

**soulman** · 10-17-2012, 11:43 PM

I like what Rod Marinelli brings to the Bears defense. I think in the past he's been wrongfully blamed for a lack of pass rush from the front four and for not blitzing but there's a limit to how much of the blame for that can be laid at his feet.

First of all Lovie wants to play a zone pass coverage and cause turnovers. He likes his LBs in coverage, especially Urlacher who early in his career was a monster blitzer who could easily have been Clay Matthews a decade ago if he's played for a team who used him as a rushbacker.

So it's all up to the front four to get a rush and bring consistent pressure. I'm sorry but until recently we've been sadly lacking in both the number of quality pass rushers we've had and their basic talent for doing it. Look at what he's had to deal with at times as far as personnel, their injuries and just plain not having the skills.

Pep just came on board three years ago, Izzy was being used on STeams and was bulked up to over 290lb to play DT, "Toe" isn't a pass rusher, Dvoracek was never healthy, Marcus "Fat Boy" Harrison was a waste, Tommie Harris' was willing but no longer able, Jarron Gilbert got lost looking for a swimming pool to jump out of rather than a QB to jump on, Mark Anderson lost it, Dan Bazuin never found it, Richard Dent was too old, Corey Wootton spent two years on IR, Okoye was in Houston, Paea was still in college, so was McClellin, and Henry Melton was a 260lb converted RB playing DE.

Hell they've got more than half the sacks they had all last year in just 5 games and two guys who showed they can get to the QB in the preseason can't get off the inactive list because of the play of the guys in front of them. Now that he actually has some pass rushers to work with we finally have a pass rush!

Like I said. I like Rod Marinelli as a DC and he's just one more reason why it would be smart to keep Lovie around.

**Riczaj01** · 10-18-2012, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by yttocs

I HAVE SEEN Marinelli YELLING on the sideline. MY Question is, is a camera always on him? NO. So your point is? Yes I like ROD as DC. So if Rod was seen yelling at his players during game time, on camera, he MUST be a lousy leader, right? By YOUR standards. So why would player follow him? NO double standards now ( remember your other replies as to getting in someones face ).

actually i never said i had a problem w/cutler yelling at webb. it was the bump that put it over the top and what I took offense too; your reading comprehension is severely lacking. I personally have not see Rod yelling at anyone on the sidelines on the Bears but i'll take your word for it.

but if he did, a dressing down from your boss/manager is a much different thing then a dressing down by your peer and then a physical altercation.

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