Chicago Bears defenders were taught a specific style of defense when Matt Eberflus was in charge. He wanted effort, discipline, and all 11 hats flying to the football. If everybody got to their landmarks, the play would go their way. There wouldn't be any need for extensive scheming. Players didn't really question it. Eberflus had found some success in Indianapolis and replicated it in 2023 for the Bears. They had no choice but to trust him. No doubt those players expected similar sentiments from Dennis Allen when he arrived in January.
They were in for a shock.
Allen was nothing like Eberflus. While he demanded the same effort and commitment, he also worked tirelessly to evolve his schematic approach. No corners were cut trying to find ways to confuse opposing quarterbacks. Safety Kevin Byard relayed this realization to The Athletic. None of them had a clue how much of a mad scientist Allen is.
“You kind of get excited at the Thursday morning meetings to just try to see what the package is going to be like this week,” Byard said. “He’s going to blitz his safeties, blitz the (line)backers. He’s going to drop everybody into coverage. You just really never know.
“That’s the good thing about it. He’s going to keep the (opposing) offensive coordinator on his toes. Then obviously he’s going to mix it up; he’s going to call different calls. I think that’s why we have been pretty successful on third downs.”
At least one person knew what was coming.
D.J. Moore went against Allen's defense for years when he was with the Carolina Panthers. It was a miserable experience every single time.
“It’s not one thing that looks the same on that defense,” Moore said. “Everything is different every play. It’s good for us, but I’m glad we don’t have to go against it on Sundays.”
Dennis Allen is making a full-course meal out of leftovers.
People don't fully grasp the job he's done, given the circumstances. Injuries have plagued Chicago's defense since before the season began. Jaylon Johnson was lost to a torn core muscle. Kyler Gordon has played sparingly due to various soft tissue injuries. The same is true for T.J. Edwards. Dayo Odeyingbo tore his Achilles, and Shemar Turner tore his ACL. Despite all of that, the defense still leads the NFL with 14 takeaways, is sixth on 3rd down, and doesn't rank in the bottom five against the pass or run.
That is a minor miracle. It is why people are so excited to see what happens when Dennis Allen gets the defense back to near full strength. Johnson, Gordon, and Edwards are expected to return by December. No doubt he's got some dirty tricks up his sleeve for when that time comes.
