Saw this link in BBI about Fewell.
Perry Fewell has all Chicago Bears seek in a defensive coordinator
He's a proven coach with ties to Lovie Smith and organizationBy Brad Biggs Tribune reporter
January 10, 2010
Perry Fewell has worked for Lovie Smith at two stops in his career, so the men are well acquainted. But if the Bears want to get an updated scouting report on a top candidate to be their defensive coordinator, they can turn to Jay Cutler.
The quarterback, who no doubt has offered advice on the attributes of potential offensive coordinator candidate Jeremy Bates, could tell the Bears coach and general manager Jerry Angelo how Fewell has adapted the Cover-2 scheme the Bears run as their base defense and made life rough on him in the red zone in crunch time.
If they sat down and watched the film, they would see how Fewell dialed up three "Bonzai" blitzes on four plays at the end of the game to preserve a 30-23 Bills victory at Denver in Week 16 a year ago, a loss that kept Cutler out of the playoffs.
Bonzai is a zero blitz, meaning the receivers are locked up in man coverage with no safety help. Everyone else is rushing the passer. With Cutler at the Bills' 20-yard line, the Bills' defensive coordinator brought the house on first, third and fourth downs, with the final pass to Brandon Stokley getting broken up by nickel back Reggie Corner.
It's evidence how Fewell, 47, has kept up with the times and modernized a lot of what the Bears did on defense when he was their secondary coach in 2005, the year cornerback Nathan Vasher went to the Pro Bowl and Chris Harris flourished at free safety as a rookie sixth-round draft pick.
Smith isn't looking for someone to come in and turn his scheme upside down. He's seeking a coach to work with the previous two defensive coordinators (Smith and linebackers coach Bob Babich) and assistant head coach Rod Marinelli.
League insiders believe Fewell is fit for the job based on what he did as the coordinator in Buffalo the last four seasons. Angelo used the word "evolve" in a news conference last week, and some evolution is what Fewell could bring to the scheme. After succeeding Dick Jauron as interim coach of the Bills during the season, he interviewed to be the permanent top man for them but is considered a long shot. He also interviewed for the defensive coordinator job with the Giants.
"He's sort of like the new age, how the trend is going to (Mike) Tomlin and the younger guys," said Bills free safety Jairus Byrd, who was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie. "Perry can relate to the players and he still makes jokes. He knows it is business, but he does it in a way to make it player friendly and create an environment for the guys."
Said Harris, now a captain for the Panthers: "Coach Fewell is a guy who got me ready for the NFL right away. He would be a great pickup for the Bears. It would be a great mix because he has a little different style than Lovie; he's not quite as calm and cool."
Fewell also isn't afraid to introduce new ideas. When the Bears were preparing to play the Falcons in Week 15 in 2005, he suggested they try some "46" defensive fronts against the Falcons, something he had seen work against them in the past. The Bears put the film on, liked the idea and went to what they called their "King" front with five linemen. They throttled Atlanta 16-3.
The Bears ranked 27th in third-down defense this season and were last in third-and-long, defined as 6 yards or more. Fewell mixes it up on third down. He will turn to two-deep, man under in those situations, a no-no to Cover-2 purists. He will use quarters coverage and combination coverages. There is more diversity to the playbook he used with the Bills.
Byrd used to baby-sit for Fewell and wife Kathleen's children when he was in high school in St. Louis and his father Gill Byrd and Fewell were under Smith on the Rams' staff. Byrd has talked to his father, the Bears' safeties coach, about the possibility Fewell will land in Chicago.
"I'm going to be sad if he leaves because I know what he has done here and I know what he is capable of doing," Byrd said. "A lot of good things."
Fewell might be the spark that has been missing for the Bears since Ron Rivera was run off after Super Bowl XLI. That's what Matt Bowen, a Glenbard West graduate who played safety for Smith on the Rams and for Fewell with the Bills, believes.
"They need someone to hold them accountable every play on the field, including in practice," Bowen said. "When I say Perry is a yeller and a screamer, he's a guy who demands accountability on every play. He wants players in the proper position, using the proper leverage and playing within the system of the defense on every play. He's not afraid to call players out in meetings.
"If you don't play within the scheme of the defense, you don't play. Perry and Lovie coach the same scheme, but they do it in a different manner."
