Chicago Bears: Can Quintin Demps bring takeaway focus back to team?

Quintin Demps recently revealed his philosophy for creating takeaways. Will his advice rub off on this impressionable young Chicago Bears defense?

The Chicago Bears signed Quintin Demps this offseason for two reasons: solidify their suspect safety position and help generate more takeaways. Quintin Demps this offseason for two reasons: solidify their suspect safety position and help generate more takeaways.

Demps certainly brings an element of stability to the safety position after two solid years with the Houston Texans. In fact, Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the 12^th overall safety in the league after his 2016 campaign. And he also showed a knack for finding the football, recording nine pass breakups, six interceptions and a forced fumble last year. As such, he seems like he could help the Bears get back to taking the ball away from opponents regularly.

But to Demps, takeaways don’t happen if you don’t do the little things first. And it’s that mentality that he will try to impress on a young secondary that has a lot to learn about making plays on the football.

“Doing your job” comes first; takeaways second

With the Bears ranking dead last in turnover production last year (eight interceptions, three fumble recoveries), taking the ball away will definitely be a focus for this year’s defense. The safety room, in particular, has been greatly maligned for its inability to play the football. With stat lines like this, it’s hard not to see why.

However, rather than just encouraging teammates to try harder to take the ball, Demps advocates a more simple approach. Via J.J. Stankevitz of CSNChicago:

"“Turnovers are like, it’s not something that you go get, it’s something you let come to you by doing your job first and then helping out,” Demps said. “And then you’d be surprised how they come to you by doing your job and being aware of when you can help somebody out. A lot of times when you get help is when you get picks and turnovers.”"

Basically, rally to the football and attack as a unit. If that sounds familiar to Bears fans, it’s probably because that’s how their team used to play defensive football. Sure, Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher and Co. made plenty of great individual plays to force fumbles or intercept passes. But how many times did we see the Bears create takeaways from gang-tackling or tipped balls?

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What Demps is advocating, in essence, is a return to the Bears defensive football fans know and love. Be where you’re supposed to be, fly to the ball and the rest will follow.

Want more INTs? Don’t miss tackles

Perhaps Demps’ most interesting advice for the secondary was that tackling is a major key to getting more interceptions.

"“I tell my safeties all the time, we gotta tackle first,” Demps said. “Tackle first, don’t miss any tackles and then the picks are going to come. I promise you that.”"

What does tackling have to do with picking off passes? More than we typically realize.

His insight is interesting given how badly the Chicago Bears struggled with tackling last season, particularly against the run. If you can’t stop the ground game (rushing stats: 27^th in attempts, 26^th in yards and 25^th in touchdowns allowed), teams pass on you less (4^th-fewest passes, 7^th-fewest passing yards against). And when you can’t tackle anyone, like in this game, you have bigger problems.

In short, actually stopping the ball in front of you forces the offense to run more plays. That, in turn, creates more opportunities to make a play of your own as a defense. Demps absolutely practiced what he preached last year, leading Houston’s secondary with a PFF run-defense grade of 83.0. Perhaps it’s no coincidence, then, that he made as many plays as he did in 2016.

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If the Bears secondary wants to make more plays on the ball, they’ll have to play fundamentally sound across the board. Helping instill that mentality, more so than what he brings in raw stats, may be where Demps’ value truly lies.

Expect two things from the Chicago Bears defense this season: smarter, more sound football and an increase in turnover production. They won’t be the 1985 Bears or even the 2006 Bears, but they will be better in 2017.