Bears extend coaching offer to English

By J.E.  |   Monday, February 06, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Chicago Bears
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Chicago Bears' head coach Lovie Smith has moved quickly to fill the vacancy created on his staff when former defensive backs coach Perry Fewell decided on Wednesday to join the Buffalo Bills as defensive coordinator. In the days following Fewell's departure, Smith publicly considered three possible replacements: St. Louis Rams' assistant secondary coach Gill Byrd; Indianapolis Colts' defensive assistant Leslie Frazier; and Michigan's secondary coach Ron English.

Byrd met with Smith for an interview, but the Colts were unwilling to part with Frazier and refused to let him talk to the Bears. Instead, Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy will likely offer Frazier a promotion to keep him with the Colts' organization.

After it became apparent that the Chicago Bears wouldn't be allowed to interview Frazier, Smith turned his attention to the college ranks and expressed an interest in meeting with English. The interview took place on Thursday, and English was reportedly offered the job on Friday. Though no official announcement has been made yet, at least one major Chicago newspaper is reporting that this is a done deal.

English has been the defensive backs coach at the University of Michigan for the last three years. In that time, he has turned the Wolverines' secondary into a fearsome and aggressive unit that is not afraid to go after the ball. In fact, Michigan averaged slightly over one interception per game during English's tenure. English also did a good job of developing his players: he has had two players named All-Americans and four players named to the All-Big 10 team.

English's college coaching career has spanned 12 seasons, beginning in 1993 when he took a job as the defensive backs coach at Mt. San Antonio College in California. He has also had stints at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona, and San Diego State.

If English does indeed sign on with the Chicago Bears, he will have his work cut out for him. Although Chicago's secondary features Pro-Bowlers Mike Brown and Nathan Vasher, the unit had problems throughout the season. These weaknesses were laid bare during the team's NFC divisional playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers. Wide receiver Steve Smith lit up DBs Charles Tillman and Chris Thompson all game long, hauling in 12 passes for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns.

With Tillman now recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and DB Jerry Azumah's imminent departure as a free agent, English will have some rebuilding to do.
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