Since the sudden resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams, the Bears have been shorthanded on the sidelines. Head coach Matt Eberflus recently acknowledged a search was ongoing for an experienced staffer on that side of the ball, and that process has produced a hiring. 
Phil Snow has been brought in as a senior defense assistant, Eberflus announced on Monday. The latter will retain play-calling duties, which he took on after Williams stepped away from the organization following what is believed to have been inappropriate activity. Snow will, however, meet the requirements Eberflus laid out regarding his ideal candidate with respect to experience and familiarity with multiple different schemes.
“I think you try to find a guy that has both,” Eberflus said, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, when asked about having a background in the Bears’ current scheme along with ones not used by the current staff. “Because he has to have some similarities because he knows the scheme but also has different experiences to think outside the box, which brings new, fresh perspective in. So, I think both things are always good.”
Snow, 67, spent the past two-plus seasons as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator. He shared time at the college level with Matt Rhule at both Temple and Baylor, so it came as no surprise that they were hired together in 2020. In response to Rhule’s disappointing run in Carolina, however, he was fired just over one year ago and Snow was also let go. The Panthers posted mediocre numbers in many categories under Snow, though the team did rank second in total defense in 2021.
In the aftermath of Williams’ departure, many pointed to Rod Marinelli as a potential fill-in option for the remainder of the season. As Eberflus mentioned at the start of the search process, though, the 74-year-old is content in retirement and was not a consideration for the position. Snow, who also has NFL experience with the Lions, will instead take on the task of assisting a Bears defense which has plenty of room for improvement.
The 1-5 outfit has fared well against the run so far, allowing less than 90 yards per game on the ground. Overall, however, the team ranks 29th in points (29.3) and 25th in yards (357) yards surrendered per contest. Eberflus’ defensive background has led to criticism of Chicago’s performance with him in charge, though he still has the backing of ownership and the front office. Improvement in the coming weeks would still be welcomed with respect to his job security, of course, and it will be interesting to see if Snow can assist on that front.
♫…and since we’ve no place to go
Let it Snow
Let it Snow
Let it Snow ♫
Lemon- Is this a Snow job?
No, just a Phil-in.
They play the Saints in November so that will help pad their stats
]They’ve been “short handed” since they hired Eberlost and Getsy.
Just throwing anything at the wall just to see what sticks
Well, at least Snow’s unit was the better part of the Rhule experiment in Carolina. For all of the rudderless meandering in Charlotte, Snow’s defense put together a few respectable performances in spots. They were better than I expected when he was hired from college with little NFL experience. As an assistant, this could be a good move.
The major question that I am sure every Bears fan is wondering is whether Snow has enough prior experience to be an option as an interim coach. While I’m sure that the McCaskeys for their part are weighing Belichick’s potential availability (which is a whole ‘nother can of worms), I have to think that Snow has an oil and water mixture of copious coaching experience and lack of pro football experience. Nonetheless, I’m sure that he’ll remain in the background as the season goes on, much in the same way that Jerry Rosburg did in Denver last year.
Hard to find any coaches willing to join your staff when your HC may be fired at the end of the season. I wonder why Snow did?