The Chicago Bears took a bit to figure out their approach but now the dominoes are starting to fall. Just hours after coming to terms with new defensive line coach Chris Rumph, the team reportedly has found their replacement for inside linebacker coach Mark DeLeone. That will be Bill McGovern. A longtime veteran of both the college and NFL ranks who made his name at the position.
McGovern first started coaching in 1985 and worked his way up the ranks. By 1994 he’d secured a position coaching defensive back at Boston College. He left in 1997 for Pitt but returned in 2000 to take over the linebackers. A job title he’d hold all the way until 2012. During that time he had a hand in developing future All-Pro Luke Kuechly. Right before leaving, he also had a run-in with a young coach finding his way.
His name was Sean Desai, the new Bears defensive coordinator.
McGovern finally made the leap to the NFL in 2013, joining the Philadelphia Eagles staff as linebackers coach under Chip Kelly. Across three seasons, he did some pretty strong work. Demeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks combined for 233 tackles, eight sacks, and five interceptions that season. A year later Connor Barwin broke out for 14.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl nod. He also got a then career-high 6.5 sacks from Brandon Graham in 2015.
The New York Giants plucked him for their own linebackers job in 2016 after Kelly was fired. McGovern continued to do strong work. Jonathan Casillas had a career-high 96 tackles and 1.5 sacks that season. Alec Ogletree had five interceptions in 2018 while Olivier Vernon made the Pro Bowl. It’s apparent the coach knows how to get the most of the talent he has. Great news for Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan.
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Source says #Bears have hired Bill McGovern as inside linebackers coach. He's worked previously for the #Giants and #Eagles and coached a pretty good linebacker at Boston College in Luke Kuechly.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) January 28, 2021
Chicago Bears have two jobs left to fill on defensive staff
With Rumph and McGovern in the fold, a trend is starting to reveal itself. It’s clear Desai is surrounding himself with coaches who bring a ton of experience to the table. Undoubtedly a smart decision on his part. The new coordinator has never held his position before and is still quite young. Surrounding himself with such reliable position coaches is a savvy thing to do at this stage of his tenure on the job. It remains to be seen how the final two positions shake out.
They are Desai’s old spot of safeties coach and outside linebackers coach, recently vacated by Ted Monachino. Those two could prove vital. Robert Quinn was a bust his first year at outside linebacker with just two sacks. Eddie Jackson failed to record an interception for the first time in his career. Not just in the NFL but in his football life. Those two have to play better in 2021. Hiring the right coaches could be vital to this objective.
Expectations are Desai will employ a Vic Fangio-style system.
A huge part of the success for that defense is the front seven. They have to be able to control the line of scrimmage and stop the run. So it isn’t a huge surprise that Rumph and McGovern were the first hires. They have tons of credibility and probably weren’t going to be unemployed much longer. The Chicago Bears were wise to move quickly.
