Chuck Pagano said all of the right things when he was introduced to the media for the first time as Chicago Bears defensive coordinator
When Chuck Pagano was hired to replace Vic Fangio everyone was anxious as to what this would mean. Would Pagano change the defense entirely? Would he push certain players out? How could the Chicago Bears defense even try to take a step forward next year after a stellar 2019? Pagano met the media on Thursday and did a solid job of answering those questions and saying that he thought he could raise the ceiling.
The biggest answer Pagano gave was whether he would have the players adjust their defense to him, or if he would adjust to what had already been in place. In terms of communication, Pagano said he would lay back to the players. Pagano noted that one person learning a new system is easier than 11 people learning his ways.
Of course, he also wants to add his twist. Once he is able to understand the communication aspect he is going to throw in his wrinkles. Most of those wrinkles seem to come from added aggressiveness. Pagano wants to blitz more and get more creative in his secondary. He talked about how he believes swagger has an impact on the defensive side, and wants his Bears defense to carry that aggressive swagger to them.
Pagano talked about how much he missed coaching. He talked about this was the perfect fit, and he has the perfect players around him. He sounded genuine and fun but tough and demanding. While we cannot judge Chuck Pagano until he takes the field he certainly said the right things in his press conference to lead you to believe that he really could give them that step forward.