Chicago Bears: Ryan Poles’ resurgence of the Tampa 2 defense

The Chicago Bears have already made some noise this off-season.

Ryan Poles sent shockwaves throughout the entire league by signing 2-time Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to a seismic 4-year deal.

The reactions poured in as swiftly as the deals themselves. Bears fans everywhere had strong opinions on this signing, especially after T.J. Edwards’ signing and the emergence of Jack Sanborn.

After my initial shock wore off, I too sought answers. After some thought, the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Ryan Poles knows his Chicago Bears history.

With the hire of Matt Eberflus and Alan Williams last offseason, the Bears ditched the 3-4 defense that Vic Fangio brought to Chicago and reintroduced the Tampa 2.

That is a defense once utilized to great effect under recently born-again Chicago legend Lovie Smith. It is important to reflect on what made that scheme work which is the players.

Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Tommie Harris, Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman, Mike Brown – you get the point.

While some players came and went under Lovie’s tenure, it was critical that he had the correct type of players to execute the Tampa 2 defensive scheme. Once those crucial players were either gone or past their prime, the Tampa 2 became ineffective.