Bears Insider@bears_insider
#Bears DC Mel Tucker says he will stick to a 4-3 defense, has no plans to switch to 3-4.
Michael C. Wright @mikecwright
Bears will run a 4-3 over D, according to Mel Tucker.
Michael C. Wright @mikecwright
Mel Tucker told me: "We’ll base out of a 4-3 “over” defense. It will be an attacking, up-the-field, penetrating defense."
Michael C. Wright @mikecwright
You can still play Tampa 2 out of 4-3 over front. So my guess is the Bears will mix things up w/some of the old and new.
Michael C. Wright @mikecwright
Mel Tucker said Bears will keep a lot of the same terminology on defense.
Jeff Dickerson@ESPNChiBears
#Bears coaches leaning on Jon Hoke to provide player personnel reports early in offseason. Hoke a holdover from Lovie Smith regime.
Tucker: Bears will stick with an 'attacking' defense
New Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker said Thursday he plans on having an “attacking, up-the-field, penetrating defense,” very similar to the one that had been run by Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli.
In fact, Tucker even plans on keeping the same terminology in place so players will have fewer adjustments to make. Tucker made it clear he thinks it’s all about players and stresses communication, from offseason to on-field.
“Input from the players is huge,” Tucker said. “They are on the field. That’s the chemistry part of it. Communication is huge. You have to have that. You want to encourage players to give you feedback.”
Asked about the future of Brian Urlacher,Tucker said, “We’re still in the evaluation process. We’ll go through that at some point.”
The 34-year old middle linebacker has an expiring contract, and he isn’t the only defensive player Tucker and the Bears need to make decisions on. Others whose deals are up include defensive linemen Henry Melton and Israel Idonije, linebacker Nick Roach and cornerbacks Kelvin Hayden and D.J. Moore.
“In terms of personnel, who is going to be here, who’s not going to be here, I don’t know that,” Tucker said. “We are still in the evaluation process. There is still time to figure those things out.”
Tucker also was noncommittal on where Shea McClellin may play in the future, but he was firmly committed to a 4-3 defense.
“We don’t have any plans to switch at this point,” he said.
Tucker’s defense in Jacksonville did not have great success, but he has much more to work with in Chicago.
“I’m really trying to move past that,” he said when asked about his Jaguars experience. “I never had any issues with the effort those players gave and the coaching staff. I’ll leave there knowing we gave everything we had.”
Tucker is thrilled with his opportunity in Chicago. He mentioned his wife Jo Ellen grew up in the area and is an alum of Bremen High School and the University of Illinois.
“What’s not to like about the Bears?” he said. “It’s a great organization, lots of tradition. My wife is from Chicago. I’m a Midwestern guy from Cleveland. I played at Wisconsin. There is a great tradition of football. On the defensive side of the ball there is some history as well.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/br ... 4218.story
