Press Coverage: Bears Coordinators Reflect on Rams, Look to Panthers

Welcome to Thursday's edition of "Press Coverage." Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower took the podium to discuss Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Rams and what's in store for Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers .

Here are the biggest takeaways from the media session at Halas Hall.

Eric Washington

Taking Stock of the Defense Through 4 Weeks

Eric Washington took a few questions about the defense's early success and what's led to the fast start, especially the complementary play between the defensive line and the secondary.

"It's an emphasis," Washington said, stressing how both units understand their value to one another.

Each unit has a focus.

"It's an ability to generate pressure with the front four" while the secondary has to execute their coverage concepts. When successful, that puts opposing quarterbacks in a tough position.

The longer the coverage can force a quarterback to hang on to the ball, the more time the line has to get home. And his players understand that they depend on others for their success.

Red Zone Stops

Plenty of teams can stop opponents between the 20s, but the difference between good and great is determined in the red zone.

And the Bears have been successful inside the 20 so far. Washington was blunt about what goes into Chciago's red-zone stops.

"Number one, the sense of urgency has to go up and we have to understand how the offense changes once they get to the 20-yard line," he said.

With less room for offenses to work, Washington noted how the lack of a vertical passing game and more gadget-type plays require "a tremendous amount of awareness" from his players. The goal is to either force field goals or, more preferably, take the ball away.

He also spoke about how his unit's confidence increases after generating a couple of stops.

"The more that the players believe in what we're doing schematically, what we can do as a unit, hopefully that's a byproduct of that."

Number 9

After a big game from Jaquan Brisker, Washington fielded several questions about what makes the safety so impressive.

"He was just all over the place in a great way for our defense. It was awesome to see, but not surprising," Washington explained, adding that the third-year safety has worked to put himself in a position to make big plays when the team needs it most.

Washington also pointed to how impactful Brisker's ability to blitz has been, noting he was "just a couple of inches away" from intercepting Matthew Stafford twice (the first was overturned when replay showed he never established himself inbounds after stepping out) on Sunday.

But it's not just Brisker's play that's notable. Washington pointed to the youngster's communication (specifically with fellow safety Kevin Byard) and great understanding of what each situation requires.

"They're both physical and they both have unbelievable ball skills," Washington said, lauding both players.

That shared skill set creates interchangeability and enables either player to rotate down in the box, affect the run game, or drop deep for the pass.

Shane Waldron

A Tale of 2 Halves

To date, the Bears' first and second quarters have been less than stellar for an offense still trying to find its way. The second half is another story.

When pressed about the dichotomy of the two, Shane Waldron said the team addressed the subject this week.

"[It] really goes back to some of the negative plays we've had in the first halves," he said, pointing to a multitude of penalties and negative-yardage plays.

Waldron emphasized the offense's operation, especially the need to eliminate pre-snap penalties and plays that put the Bears behind the sticks. In comparison, the second half had fewer detrimental instances and increased success from the run game.

"As we start to get that going, those are things to me that end up leading to a faster start," Waldron explained.

Chicago must pay more attention to detail right from the jump. And that's one of the coaching staff's points of emphasis this week.

"The guys have done a really good job of addressing those things, talking about those things, and just finding that way to be locked in right from the jump," he said, hoping to see results this weekend.

Overall, Waldron thinks there's a balance between wanting to start fast and not necessarily being able to control how the game begins. Ex-Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll (under whom Waldron served as offensive coordinator) said, "You can't win the game in the first quarter."

Caleb Williams' Growth

When asked where Caleb Williams made the greatest strides the last couple of weeks, Waldron spoke to how the first-year quarterback has taken more easy throws and checkdowns. He pointed to a nice completion to Rome Odunze on a shallow cross, turning a five-yard completion into a 10-yard gain.

Waldron also called out a couple of play-action passes where Williams did a good job of staying clean in the pocket and getting the ball into his teammates' hands to create, applauding the balance of short completions versus taking shots down the field.

"I think Caleb's done a nice job of seeing what the defense presents and taking what the play gives him," Waldron said, though he pointed out that he doesn't want his quarterback pressing to find big plays. The rookie needs to let them occur based on what the defense is showing.

Furthermore, Waldron wants Williams to continue finding a rhythm, acknowledging that it's not just the quarterback. It starts with protection and includes how the receivers, running backs, and tight ends operate. It's all connected and will lead to those big plays down the field.

He's a Swift(ie)

D'Andre Swift's breakout game wasn't just in running the football. He was also productive in the passing game in multiple ways. How did Waldron evaluate his performance as a receiver?

"When the balls in his hands, in space...you know good things happened... he's elusive," Waldron said of his running back. "He's twitched up on that first cut so it was fun to see him have a couple more opportunities there to really show his skill set."

He also spoke about Swift's work ethic and how it's finally paid off after a slow start to the season.

"He never flinched, never blinked. Went right into the next game with that workmanlike approach, and so I think what we saw there was just the culmination of a lot of hard work," Waldron said.

Regarding the 27-yard gain via a screen pass, Waldron referenced Swift's adjustability to handle quick, off-platform throws from Williams, pointing out the duo's attention to detail and remaining on the same page. And the rest was Swift's athleticism taking over.

"That instant reaction by Swift to cut it back against the grain."

Richard Hightower

Special Teams Player of the Week: Tory Taylor

Richard Hightower started his presser singing the praises of rookie punter Tory Taylor.

"Kid works extremely hard and the great thing about him is he doesn't care anything about stats," Hightower said of the fourth-round pick. "All he cares about is helping his team and being there for the team."

Hightower expressed his excitement to have such a weapon and lauded the impact it can have on a football team. He also referenced Taylor's comments earlier in the week about not feeling like he played up to his standard in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts but understands all rookies will have their ups and downs.

Regarding those struggles, Hightower spoke about his punter's personality and the way he acknowledged the blips before pushing forward.

"But for that kid to dig down deep inside and give us two, not one, outstanding, game-changing plays in critical moments says a lot about his character."

Regarding the potential of using Taylor for kickoffs, Hightower revealed that he was guarded against putting too much on his plate. But he added that Taylor works on field goals all the time, "because you always have to be ready in an emergency situation if that ever comes up."

Related: Punting Is Winning: Tory Taylor Earns NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Honors

Carolina Panthers Special Teams

The Panthers' failed fake punt in the third quarter of last week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals will give Hightower something to think about when the Bears defense makes a stop in Week 5.

Hightower is familiar with Carolina punter Johnny Hekkar, pointing out that he's had a lot of attempts "maybe 15 of 25 over his career," so the team has a lot of tape they can study.

"I mean, the kid was a former quarterback; you know he's really good at throwing the football and he's also good at punting."

Regarding Carolina's return game, Hightower noted that the Panthers have been trying to take advantage of the new return rules and will take the ball out frequently.

"Big time on kick-off return(s), so it's going to be a big-time challenge for us this week."

Hightower also reveled in being a "football nerd" and dove into several statistics on the increase in returns with the new rules.

"There were 112 kickoffs last year at a 17% return rate and this year so far we got 189," which puts the "return rate almost 30 [percent]." He added that four or five of those returns have gone past the 40-yard line and about 10 percent of all kickoffs have passed the 30, including one touchdown.

"We're going to have to be prepared for it. They do a nice job; big challenge for us."

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