New Chicago Bears secondary coach Deshea Townsend knows a thing or two about great defense. He played on one for most of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has the two Super Bowl rings to prove it. That experience along with his growing wisdom as a coach enables him to help those on the Bears defense better understand one of the most difficult tasks for a player and a unit.
Stringing good years together.
The Bears finished 1st in almost every category of note in 2018: points allowed, takeaways, run defense, etc. So coming into this year, they've been left with that difficult question. How can they possibly top what they accomplished? Townsend has been swift in his attempts to shoot down such questions since his arrival a few months ago.
He doesn't want them thinking about how they can be like the defense from last year. He wants them focused on being the best they can be in 2019. The coach explained this thinking to Arthur Arkush of Pro Football Weekly.
“One thing I tell them is I can go back over … I showed them stats when I played, or just the defenses over the years and how hard it is to do it back to back,” Townsend said this spring. “So the most important thing is not to worry about last year. That’s last year. How can we get better?”
Deshea Townsend has proof this way of thinking works
There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve on what was accomplished the year before. That is the nature of being a competitive athlete. However, Townsend is clearly trying to say that not finishing 1st in every category is the end of the world. It's less about being best on the stat sheet and more about being the best at the right time. His 2005 Steelers team was a perfect example.
Through the first 12 games of the season, the defense was good but hardly dominant. They allowed at least 21 points in six of those games including a humiliating 38 against their division rival Cincinnati Bengals. Their season was on the brink. If they didn't tighten things up, they were toast. Over the next three games, they allowed 12 points total including a shutout of Cleveland.
Pittsburgh allowed 21 points only once the rest of the year. In the playoffs, they never surrendered more than 18 including 10 in the Super Bowl to clinch the Lombardi trophy. This is the point Townsend is trying to make. Don't get discouraged if things don't go the right way early on. Playing great defense is always important, but if given a choice it's better to do so when the games matter most.
