The Chicago Bears pulled a bit of a surprise this offseason. Head coach Matt Nagy wanted to make changes to his offensive staff. A big key was adding more experience. Particularly guys with strong backgrounds coaching quarterbacks. Bill Lazor was brought on as offensive coordinator. Yet the minor shock was when they secured John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach.
Considering Dave Ragone had held that job, the fact they "promoted" him to passing game coordinator so they could get DeFilippo is a sign of how much they wanted him. Some may question why. The man just got done being fired as an offensive coordinator in each of the past two years. First by the Minnesota Vikings and then the Jacksonville Jaguars. He can't be that good.
Except when it comes to coaching quarterbacks, he is. The hype around him started back in 2017 when Carson Wentz and Nick Foles took turns carrying the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl title. DeFilippo was at the center of that as their quarterbacks coach. Still some wonder if his influence is being stretched somewhat by popular myth.
So I dug into the numbers and reached some interesting conclusions.
John DeFilippo makes his guys better
DeFilippo's knack for elevating quarterbacks goes back to the early 2010s. If one traces the guys he coached, there are tangible results. Below is a list of the notable players he inherited. The first stat line is what they had prior to coming under his guidance. The second is their first year with him. The improvements are hard to deny.
- Carson Palmer in 2011: 2,753 yards, 13 TDs, 16 INTs (in 9 games)
- Carson Palmer in 2012: 4,018 yards, 22 TDs, 14 INTs
- Josh McCown in 2014: 2,206 yards, 11 TDs, 14 INTs (in 10 games)
- Josh McCown in 2015: 2,109 yards, 12 TDs, 4 INTs (in 8 games)
- Kirk Cousins in 2017: 4,093 yards, 27 TDs, 13 INTs
- Kirk Cousins in 2018: 4,298 yards, 30 TDs, 10 INTs
One thing that stands out consistently is how much more efficient the quarterbacks become. He's always able to increase their completion percentage while improving the touchdown-to-interception ratios. It happening for one QB is an anomaly. For three? That's a trend. One that should give Bears fans confidence that he can get Mitch Trubisky pointed in the right direction. Presuming he holds off Nick Foles of course.
