New Chicago Bears Coaching Staff Saying All the Right Things
Jul 26, 2013; Bourbonnais, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman watches during training camp at Olivet Nazarene University. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
When GM Phil Emery introduced Marc Trestman as his head coach, he talked about how both shared a love for the hit show Criminal Minds. Maybe they’re also Seinfeld fans and particularly “The Opposite” episode. You remember that episode, right? A downtrodden George comes to the realization that every decision he’s ever made is wrong, so with Jerry’s prompting, he determines that the opposite must be right. Here’s a clip:
That’s the only way I can explain the opposite philosophy that the new regime has taken when it comes to approaching the media and how they disseminate information.
Last season, if asked about the quarterback situation for a preseason game, Lovie Smith might break into his “Jay is our quarterback” shtick and followed it up with a “we get off the bus running the football” for good measure. When Marc Trestman was asked about the quarterback situation for the all-important game the other day, he gave you details. Lots of them. Watch the clip here.
Cutler will play the first half vs the Raiders, Josh McCown will play the third quarter and newcomer Jordan Palmer will handle mop up duties. Was that so hard? Lovie Smith would still be hemming and hawing his way through some cryptic explanation and giving you everything except a straight answer.
A lot was made of Jay Cutler’s interception against the Chargers in the last preseason game. Trestman not only helped take accountability for the pick, but came back a couple of days later and helped explain the design of the play and why it failed. He explained an element of the play designed to control the safety and prevent the double coverage. Lovie Smith never gave you that sort of insight.
On Wednesday afternoon, after news of the Jon Bostic fine made it to Trestman, he gave you the most detailed “no comment” you’ll ever hear:
"“I don’t have any reaction right now about anything,” Trestman said. “When I looked at it, other than to say that I thought it was a clean hit, his head was up and he hit with the shoulder from my vantage point on the field, and upstairs looking at it on the tape I thought it was a clean hit. That’s all I need to say about it.”"
Lovie would have stopped at I don’t have any reaction right now about anything. Trestman gives you stuff. There’s meat on the bone. There’s still a lot of coach-speak and double talk, but he’s giving you real information if you can parse through it. It’s so refreshing. I don’t know if any of this will help the Bears win football games, but it sure as heck makes it more interesting for the fans. .
When the Soviet Union fell, the term was Glasnost, meaning openness or transparency. As the Lovie Smith regime falls, there’s a sort of Glasnost going around Halas Hall.