News broke that the Chicago Bears were reaching an agreement with veteran defensive backs coach Al Harris to become their next passing game coordinator on Friday. Not even 24 hours later, he is already making his presence felt. Word is that Tyrique Stevenson, the Bears' talented but inconsistent young cornerback, has signed up with Pete Houlihan's Off Season Performance training program at Harris' recommendation. Houlihan is an Illinois native who was a standout player at Eastern Illinois.
He eventually got into sports training, where he quickly became a go-to guy for young players transitioning to the NFL. Among them are current Rookie of the Year contenders Brock Bowers and Brian Thomas Jr. The fact Harris, a former Pro Bowler himself, is pushing Stevenson towards this is a strong indication of how useful it is.
Al Harris is a maestro with young cornerbacks.
Over the past couple of years, he has developed Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland into All-Pros for the Dallas Cowboys. One can safely assume he has high standards. He was notorious for being demanding and detailed in his approach. These are things Stevenson needs in the worst way. While a tremendous talent with natural ball skills, he continues to suffer from discipline-related issues. There are too many blown coverages and instances where he isn't focused. The Hail Mary incident was by far his lowest point. Don't expect Al Harris to let something like that slide. He is taking over one of the most talented young secondaries the Bears have put together in years. If he can get Stevenson to play up to his potential, no opponent will want to face this defense.
Jaylon Johnson is already a star. Kyler Gordon is approaching that level as well. Stevenson is the weak link, and he's not a bad player. He is merely the most inconsistent. That changes starting now.
