The Chicago Bears took a bit to figure out their approach but now the dominoes are starting to fall. Just hours after coming to terms with new defensive line coach Chris Rumph, the team reportedly has found their replacement for inside linebacker coach Mark DeLeone. That will be Bill McGovern. A longtime veteran of both the college and NFL ranks who made his name at the position.
McGovern first started coaching in 1985 and worked his way up the ranks. By 1994 he'd secured a position coaching defensive back at Boston College. He left in 1997 for Pitt but returned in 2000 to take over the linebackers. A job title he'd hold all the way until 2012. During that time he had a hand in developing future All-Pro Luke Kuechly. Right before leaving, he also had a run-in with a young coach finding his way.
His name was Sean Desai, the new Bears defensive coordinator.
McGovern finally made the leap to the NFL in 2013, joining the Philadelphia Eagles staff as linebackers coach under Chip Kelly. Across three seasons, he did some pretty strong work. Demeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks combined for 233 tackles, eight sacks, and five interceptions that season. A year later Connor Barwin broke out for 14.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl nod. He also got a then career-high 6.5 sacks from Brandon Graham in 2015. The New York Giants plucked him for their own linebackers job in 2016 after Kelly was fired. McGovern continued to do strong work. Jonathan Casillas had a career-high 96 tackles and 1.5 sacks that season. Alec Ogletree had five interceptions in 2018 while Olivier Vernon made the Pro Bowl. It's apparent the coach knows how to get the most of the talent he has. Great news for Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7plEKVpK7s0&ab_channel=JustBombsProductions







