LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Bears hired Vic Fangio to fix a defense that finished last season ranked 30th in total yards and passing yards.
The results are better than expected.
In five games the Bears’ new 3-4 defense is fourth in total yards (304.6) and third against the pass (185.8). It's a dramatic turnaround considering the Bears have had injuries to Antrel Rolle (ankle) and Shea McClellin (knee), and been without Jeremiah Ratliff (suspended for three games).
“[We’re making] steady progress,” Fangio said. “Even though we lost the first three games, there were a lot of good things that I saw. I think we've just continued a nice, steady progress and found a way to win these last two games. A play here or there in these last two games have determined the outcome. Obviously you've been there; they could have been losses too.”
Fangio said the key with a younger group is confidence. The Bears had five players (Kyle Fuller, Adrian Amos, Harold Jones-Quartey, Christian Jones and Eddie Goldman) with less than two years of NFL experience play over 50 percent of the snaps in last week’s victory over Kansas City.
“You have to play well and you have to have success,” Fangio said. “Like the analogy I used a couple weeks ago, good things have got to happen to you. Tiger Woods, as great as he was, he's lost his confidence. Until you experience success as an individual and then as a unit, then the confidence can come.”
In particular, the Bears need Jones to play with confidence Sunday in Detroit. The former undrafted free agent out of Florida State is flourishing at inside linebacker, but the knee injury to McClellin forced him to call the defensive signals in the second half versus the Chiefs.
Fangio said that Jones understandably struggled at times to handle the new assignment. That needs to be cleaned up when the club travels to Ford Field.
“It's an adjustment,” Fangio said. “When Shea went out the other day, our operation struggled during the game, and there were some plays that not everybody was on the same page. That's one of the things that Shea has brought to us and that's good quarterbacking of the defense. When he went out, we struggled with that.
"In defense of Christian, he hadn't had to do that many times before. Then we had to bring in LaRoy Reynolds, who's never played for us, never in camp, never in the off-season, and he was put in a tough situation, much like Jones-Quartey the week before. After a week of practice, hopefully those guys will play better and do their jobs better.”
