Bear Digest

Bears Defense Maintains Focus While Offense Gets Act Together

Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs and Co. are enough for the Bears defense to worry about without getting distracted by the changes going on with their own attack.

Gene Chamberlain

T.J. Edwards makes a tackle on Rhamondre Stevenson last week. The Bears defense has a difficult assignment trying to stop Josh Jacobs this year.
T.J. Edwards makes a tackle on Rhamondre Stevenson last week. The Bears defense has a difficult assignment trying to stop Josh Jacobs this year. / David Banks-Imagn Images
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No stranger to situations like the Bears coaching staff experienced this week with Shane Waldon's firing, Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington plans only to maintain focus on the task at hand on his side.

The Bears have been held together by their defense and special teams throughout most of the  season. They'll continue to stay the course and let the offense worry about its own issues because Washington has experienced such changeovers as recently as last year.

"My role is to make sure that I do what I'm supposed to do, the things that are under my charge as good as I possibly can do them," Washington said. "Even better to find, more for my performance, for my duties, my job, and the ability to execute those things."

Washington was on the staff with the Bills last year when Ken Dorsey was fired as offensive coordinator and replaced by Joe Brady t the same week of the schedule as the Bears have fired Waldron and replaced him with Thomas Brown.

"What I observed is that one of the things that I had to do as a coach on that staff and that situation is just make sure that I kept the guys, our players focused, our staff focused, and that we continued to reach for a higher performance," Washington said. "A higher level of performance and execution, that's what we did then, and that's what we'll continue to do now."

That Bills team went 6-1 after the change and made the playoffs.

Washington witnessed something a little different but similar nonetheless in 2019 while he was Panthers defensive coordinator and Carolina fired coach Ron Rivera. They also switched offensive coordinators then from Norv Turner to his son Scott.

It happens in the NFL, and has with the Bears twice already with coordinators counting former Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams' resignation last year in Week 2.

Williams has no doubt his Bears defense will maintain its own focus and move ahead.

"One of the things that I've been consistent in terms of describing the men that I work with is their character," Williams said. "That doesn't just show up when everything is going well. It shows up in times when things aren't going exactly the way you need them to.

"I've gotten to know that and gotten to a point where I can appreciate that going all the way back to the point where we first started working together.”

There's plenty for the Bears defense to focus on Sunday without worrying about their offense's challenges. While the most attention focuses on quarterback Jordan Love, that's looking at last year's offense.

"This offense starts with Jacobs downhill, very tough physical runner," Washington said. "He looks quicker and faster this year as opposed to last year."

The Bears shut down Jacobs completely last year with the Raiders (11 carries, 35 yards).  In their old defense in Matt Nagy's coaching era, he had 48 yards in one Bears win and 123 in London in a Raiders 2019 win.

"He has been a tough runner since he was at Alabama," Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. "That's what he's known for, running hard, running behind his pads. For us, we just have to gang tackle him, get his legs wrapped and stop his momentum."

The Bears didn't exactly excel last week trying to stop New England's running game, giving up 144 yards. It was their first effort without run stopper Andrew Billings, who is lost for the season after pectoral surgery.

"We've had one game without him," Washington said. "The fight, what (DL) Byron Cowart was able to do, I was really pleased with that.

"There are some areas that we can get better with, but as I mentioned previously, you don't replace Andrew."

Then they can start worrying Love and his numerous receivers, including Chicago surburban standout Jayden Reed.

"This offense has done a really, really good job of being efficient on early downs," Washington said. "They have, I think, the least amount of third-and-7, 7-plus scenarios in the league.

"That speaks to what they've been able to do on first down as it pertains to the run, the play-action, passing game, and the ability to protect the quarterback and stay out of negative plays."

As Washington said, they've got enough to worry about on their own without thinking about the distraction of their offensive coordinator change.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.