Chicago Bears news: Vic Fangio talks about the state of the defense

While the moves made on offense attracted most of the attention, the Chicago Bears also made major changes on defense. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently spoke on those changes.

After the draft, the main focus of the Chicago Bears‘ moves centered on offense. Of their five draft picks, they went with offense on four of them. General manager Ryan Pace certainly had his priority on scoring and having an effective offense.

While the draft mainly focused on offense, the Bears did make some moves on defense. They added key players, mainly through free agency.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio gave a recent interview with Pro Football Weekly in which he talked about the state of the defense. He spoke about the returning and new faces who will try to bring the Monsters of the Midway defense back to life.

The main theme of Fangio’s interview dwelled on one key issue — health. The Bears suffered through a slew of injuries. Every unit on the defense dealt with injury trouble. In order to get a dominant defense, the key players need to be healthy. Yes, the Bears had a 3-13 record, but injuries played a big part of that. Just having their top players back and healthy makes the team better than last season.

Leonard Floyd, the important piece of the defense?

I wrote earlier this week about how Floyd could be the most important piece on the defense. His ability to rush from all over the field makes him invaluable.

In his second season, a lot is expected of him. Fangio feels good about him, as long as he continues his conditioning program. He weighed 225 pounds when the Bears drafted him and went up to 240. He is now close to 250, so Fangio expects him to play even better and become a star.

"I feel good about him…That he reports to camp in great shape — better shape than he was in last year. And that he’s got a great understanding of his position and what’s expected of him. And to really take off during the season."

A healthy Eddie Goldman helps shut down the running game

Goldman had a good rookie season. The Bears expected a lot from him in his sophomore season, but he suffered an ankle injury that cut short his season.

"Eddie only played 15 percent of the plays last year, which is very small so we missed him and he was I think primed to have a good season, so if we can get him back to where he was, and a little bit better, I think we’ll have a good player there,"

Deiondre’ Hall will help at safety

Fangio confirmed that the Bear will experiment with Hall at safety. He plays cornerback, but he played safety in college and did well. While Pace didn’t get Fangio a safety early in the draft (will the Bears regret not taking Jamal Adams?), Hall may help. If he can handle the safety position, then he gives Fangio a great deal of flexibility.

"Well, he’s going to do both. We’re going to float him back and forth. He’s had some experience there in college. It comes down to picking your team, and you’re going to pick nine or 10 DBs to make your team if somebody’s got versatility that can play multiple spots, that helps. So we’re going to see if he’s one of those guys."

The new additions should help the defense

The Bears signed former Houston Texans safety Quintin Demps. He had six interceptions last season. If he does that again, the Bears will have some success. They ranked last in turnovers so having someone who causes turnovers comes in handy.

"He had a nice year last year in Houston and hopefully he’ll be able to do some of the same for us this year. But it’s good to have a veteran if the guy’s a commander and a leader back there"

The Bears also added cornerback Marcus Cooper. Fangio coached Cooper in San Francisco when he was a rookie. He played beside Patrick Peterson last season and he had four interceptions. Again, this is a guy who helps the Bears force more turnovers.

"He broke up his fair share of them (passes), got some picks, but he saw a lot of action so he’s battle-tested."

Playing next to Cooper is Prince Amukamara. He’ll be playing for his third team in three years now, but Fangio feels he could have a good season.

"This is his third team in three years, so he’s been around. Thought he played better last year than he had earlier in his career and hopefully he’ll be able to continue that here and maybe play his best."

One name Fangio didn’t mention was Kyle Fuller. Fangio had some choice words about Fuller missing the entire season after going in for a routine scope last August. Look for Fuller to be cut by the end of camp. Coaches have no use for players they can’t trust, and Fangio doesn’t trust Fuller.

Next: Freeman rated as best linebacker in the NFL

The Chicago Bears defense played well last season despite the injuries. They didn’t do well against the run or get enough turnovers, but that should change in 2017. They have their key players returning and the additions will help. If they stay healthy, good times lie ahead for the team.

Home/Chicago Bears