Tashaun Gipson has played for a lot of defensive coordinators in his NFL career. Six to be exact. So he’s seen the full spectrum, both in terms of scheme preference and coaching capability. He has played on really bad defenses and really good ones. Sean Desai will be his seventh defensive coordinator. If anybody has a right to have an opinion about this, it’s Gipson. It just may not be what people expect.
Remember that Desai is still a relative unknown to the wider NFL. He was a quality control coach up until 2019 when he was promoted to run the safety position. Now after just two seasons he’s going to run a defense that Vic Fangio built and Chuck Pagano kept stable. Two solid defensive coordinators. Big shoes to fill. Based on what Gipson told Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com? Fans shouldn’t be too worried.
“When you have a defense that’s rich in talent, where you’ve got guys capable of changing the game on every level, having a guy like Sean is huge because you have a guy who can truly put every guy in position to make a game-changing play. Having him calling the plays and being at the helm, it’s going to be an awesome opportunity for everybody on the defense.”
That sounds like somebody who is pretty confident.
A bit unusual for Gipson to be so certain about it. Usually veterans at his age are a little more jaded about such things. They don’t carry that level of optimism about somebody with so little experience. So what makes Desai different? Well, don’t forget that Gipson is a safety. He worked closer with the new defensive coordinator than anybody last season. In that time, he’s convinced he saw something special.
“When I signed late in the process after the draft last year, Sean was a guy who took me under his wing,” Gipson said. “I was doing extra Zoom meetings with him from the time that I signed to all the way through training camp, just trying to get a grasp on the defense.
“I think that Sean is one of the brighter young minds in the game. To have him as my defensive coordinator, I definitely understand what he can bring to the table. And with the talent that he has on defense, it’s going to be a beautiful thing to see.”
Gipson was probably the second-best defensive back in the Bears’ secondary last year behind Kyle Fuller. He finished with two interceptions, seven passes defended, and 66 tackles. He only missed three tackles all year. The best rate of his career. All of this with no offseason and no preseason to prepare. The fact he pinpoints Desai for a ton of the credit in getting him ready says a lot.
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Tashaun Gipson showed his faith by choosing to return
If he had any misgivings about the defensive coordinator situation, the safety probably would’ve chosen to move on as a free agent. Instead he accepted another one-year deal to return for 2021. While a pay raise help smooth things over, it was also confirmation that he had a good vibe about where the defense is headed. Desai isn’t going to keep the status quo. He has plans for this group.
The country club vibe they had under Pagano is over. Players can already see a difference. Desai is detailed and demanding. He has a certain standard he expects the players to meet. Discipline, toughness, effort, and speed. If they can’t provide that, then they aren’t likely to play for him on Sundays. Tashaun Gipson no doubt loves seeing stuff like that, knowing he’s played for some coordinators who didn’t have the same accountability.
If everybody buys in? This defense will be good again.
Talent certainly isn’t a problem. They have Pro Bowl-caliber people at every single position. A good mix of veteran and youth too. Desai plans to bring back some of the Fangio elements that made this unit so dangerous in 2018. While the results might not be quite as good, it should still give opponents a laundry list of headaches.
