The Bears are going with a first-time defensive coordinator for next season but will bring in an experienced staffer to help the cause. Mike Pettine and the Bears agreed to terms on a deal that will make him a senior defensive assistant, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Pettine will stay in the NFC North, doing so as part of Sean Desai‘s staff. The Packers ended Pettine’s three-year stay as their defensive coordinator last month.
An NFL staffer since 2002, Pettine has been either a head coach or DC in 10 seasons. This will mark a step down for the 54-year-old assistant, but he will supply Desai with experience and considerable familiarity with the Bears’ top rival. Against the Bears last season, Pettine’s defense fared well in two blowouts. The Packers have since brought in Joe Barry to oversee their defense.
While Pettine’s Packers finale did not go especially well, his final two Green Bay defenses ranked in the top half in points allowed. DVOA was less kind to Pettine’s units, placing the most recent one 17th. Prior to his Green Bay stay, Pettine spent two seasons as the Browns’ head coach, one as the Bills’ defensive coordinator and four as the Jets’ DC.
The next time the Vikings and Bears have an original idea, it will be the first time. Haven’t these teams learned that you can’t beat GB by hiring or signing everybody they get rid of. I’m sure all the geniuses who said Jimmy Graham was gonna haunt the Pack in Chicago will spew the same garbage now with Pettine.
The Bears didn’t bring in Graham because he was a Packer for two whole years. they wanted a giant end zone target with good hands for their inaccurate QB and that’s exactly how they used him.
You act like the Bears raid the Packers talent or something. Don’t you have Adrian Amos? Didn’t you have Peppers before that? Flannigan? McMichael? Bears had Sitton for a few years, Edgar Bennett, etc. Teams get players from other teams. Looks pretty balanced both ways.
Fun fact: Rex Grossman has as many NFC Championships as Aaron Rodgers
How many Super Bowls does Rex have?
Zero. One less than Jim McMahon and You guessed it, Aaron Rodgers.
And yet measuring QBs by Super Bowls means about four QBs all-time can be considered “good”. Just completely asinine.
Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton and Jim Kelly say “hi”…
Say hello back to them
Two less than the entire Favre/Rodgers era
Too funny!!
Rodgers would have 2 if his team could just get an onside kick.
Literally nobody said Jimmy Graham was going to haunt the Packers. The move was laughed at by most of the league.
I’m talking about everybody who is gonna jump on this site and Twitter and say the Bears made a great move by bringing in a coach that just crapped thr bed in the NFC title game. Just like everyone said the Packers made a mistake in cutting Graham and letting Sitton walk. When will NFC teams learn that someone’s trash is not their treasure.
Nobody said cutting Graham was a mistake. He was awful in Green Bay. Both he and Sitton played well in Chicago. The Bears didn’t hire Pettine as the DC. He was hired to a nothing position. Who cares?
The only people who “crapped the bed” were on the field.
George Halas would be ashamed of what has happened to his beloved Bears.
The McCaskey’s have turned a once proud and respected organization into the butt of jokes throughout the NFL. It’s clear they don’t know what they’re doing.
After four decades of complete and utter ineptitude, I am done.
You sound like a broken record. In case you haven’t noticed, the White Sox and other pro teams in Chicago have experienced long stretches without success as well. I guess you could move to Detroit where the sports outlook is even bleaker.
Typical Cubbie fan response. If the Cubs ever opened their books and allowed the public to see their financials (cold day in hell when that happens), how absurd would your comment look?
So now I can’t post a response? Seriously?
The Bears are a broken record. It’s apologists like you that make the situation even more sickening. This has absolutely nothing to do with business. There is a human side, one that unthinking and unfeeling fans like you can’t comprehend. Younger fans don’t get it for obvious reasons.
But thinking fans who have followed this organization for atleast 30 years or more understand that the Bears have a serious problem. It’s not bad luck. It’s bad personnel decisions from the QB on up to the top. They constantly overlook talent, and put too much emphasis on intangibles. It’s why they make misstep after misstep… stupid draft choices, bad coaching hires, bad GM hires. Trading draft picks to move up ONE spot to draft a QB who had demonstrated every intangible you look for in a QB… accept the only one that matters… TALENT. It’s why teams like the Bears are constantly chasing after castoffs from other teams. They DONT.KNOW.WHAT.THEY’RE.DOING. And it’s why teams like that NEVER WIN.
Didn’t know that guy from Storage Wars is a football coach.
If the Bears have confidence in their new DC they shouldn’t be hiring a babysitter for him. Now Desai is going to feel every decision he makes is being second guessed by his bosses and it’s nearly impossible to succeed in an environment such as that.
You sound like a child. This type of thing is standard in the NFL, in business, and in life. When you have someone in a role where they are inexperienced, you will equip them with someone who is experienced to rely on as a resource.
All you can do when someone with the name Blah blah blah says you sound like a child is laugh ☺