Bears' choice of Marinelli weakens staff - chicagotribune.com
Marinelli promotion weakens Bears
As inspired of a choice as Mike Martz was to run the offense, the selection of Marinelli falls flat; this might even be a bigger risk than Martz will be
For reasons hard to fathom, in Rod they still trust.
Do you, Bears fans?
It's understandable why you wouldn't endorse
the Bears' promotion Friday of Rod Marinelli to assistant head coach/defensive coordinator a month after he turned down the job. Marinelli's agent, Frank Bauer, reiterated his client's reluctance to take on defensive play-calling duties to the Tribune last week at the Senior Bowl. A guy hired to fix a defense shouldn't have to be talked into the job.
But that's how badly the job is viewed around the league.
Here's the description: Stay within the boundaries of the Cover-2 defense. Run everything by a head coach who bristles at the mere suggestion of change defensively. Oh, and find a way to reverse a trend that has been spiraling downward since the
Super Bowl three seasons ago — in one year.
What qualified
NFL defensive coordinator with experience — what the Bears need — would come under those shaky conditions?
After that one year, there are no guarantees.
Lovie Smith's tenuous job status limited the field of potential defensive coordinators as much as Smith's stubborn insistence on sticking with the status quo.
Remember when Ted Phillips talked about massive changes back on Jan. 5?
As inspired of a choice as Mike Martz was to run the offense, the selection of Marinelli falls flat. This might even be a bigger risk than Martz will be.
This weakens the Bears' staff in two key spots. Diverting Marinelli's attention from the daily chore of coaching defensive linemen takes away one of the league's best position coaches. Replacing Marinelli with Eric Washington guarantees nothing except the Bears will be trying their fifth defensive line coach of Smith's tenure.
A staff with four head coaches needn't worry about inexperience. But isn't it Jerry Angelo who likes to say it makes sense to keep a strength a strength? The Bears now have two guys on their defensive staff doing their specific jobs for the first time next season. Marinelli was among the best at his job as position coach — now he does it part-time.
Giving secondary coach Jon Hoke a shot would have been a better idea because Hoke at least is a voice Smith hasn't been hearing for the past decade. Hoke also has experiences calling defenses.
We are back to the days when Bob Babich called defensive signals, not knowing where Smith ends and the defensive coordinator begins. Smith presumably was being stripped of play-calling duties because the defense failed. Now it appears he relinquished them just for appearances' sake.
But elevating Marinelli hardly will help perception among Bears Nation. The combination of Martz-Marinelli working on their respective game plans will only make Chicago wonder how close the Bears have come to resembling the Lions — the last team the Bears' new coordinator tandem shaped.
The Bears wanted to hire Marinelli for this role in 2004 but were blocked by the
Buccaneers. He would have been a good choice then because the Bears were in growth mode. But now the Bears are in survival mode, a situation that required the type of boldness shown in the Martz hiring. The 2010 season is no time for experiments, not for a Bears defense that was almost as disappointing as their offense.
At this point, the Bears can help Marinelli look smart one way: Start planning for the pursuit of defensive end Julius Peppers. They would be one of probably a dozen suitors for Peppers but have to get in line now. Talent can overcome a lot of concerns about coaching. The salary cap likely won't exist and the market for Peppers could drop.
Pursuing Peppers at least would represent a defensive plan that raises the excitement level. This one just raises questions.
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