In 2009, the Chicago Bears hired one of the greatest assistant defensive line coaches in history to mentor Eric Washington, who was then just starting his NFL coaching career.
That was the year Rod Marinelli entered Halas Hall to become the defensive line coach and assistant head coach for the Bears under head coach Lovie Smith.
Marinelli remarked, “I just remember Lovie telling me about (Washington).” “I think you’re going to really enjoy this guy,” he continued. You would like him. He also desires to work.
Smith was accurate.
In an interview with The Athletic, Marinelli recalled Washington as “just a terrific man.” Feeling peckish. Everything mentioned there. luminous. really bright. We thus started collaborating there. It was a lot of fun.At Halas Hall, Washington and Marinelli had a solid team to work with. Tommie Harris, Alex Brown, Israel Idonije, and Adewale Ogunleye were already members of the Bears team. Drafted in the fourth round, defensive tackle Henry Melton went on to play in the Pro Bowl.
The next season, Julius Peppers took Ogunleye’s spot, and Corey Wootton was also drafted. The term “assistant” was dropped from Washington’s title when Marinelli succeeded Bob Babich as the Bears’ defensive coordinator that season.
In 2010, the Bears finished 11-5 and took home the NFC North title. Despite having one of the top defences in the league, their season will always be known for how it ended—they lost to the Green Bay Packers and Jay Cutler got hurt in the NFC Championship Game.
Marinelli, though, is still aware of what the Bears had in Washington: a talented young coach in the making.
“There’s definitely something about him,” Marinelli remarked. He pays meticulous attention to detail. In addition, he just has a gentle demeanour while maintaining his might. And he simply performed a really good job. As a pass rusher entering the NFL straight out of college, he was truly a sponge.
And his work habits have always been something I’ve appreciated. He arrived early and put in a lot of thought into the details. You were aware that he had the potential to be really good.
Marinelli was accurate.
As the new defensive coordinator for the Bears, Washington is now a part of their look-ahead strategy. For coach Matt Eberflus, everything had previously worked effectively for Smith and Marinelli began to click during the 2023 season as his defence rose to the top of the league.Alex Brown and Corey Wootton experienced Washington in different ways. After being picked by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Wootton played for Washington at Northwestern before joining the team again.
According to Wootton, “people say, ‘Well, they don’t yell at people anymore.'” “I disagree. You have to go after the younger guys in particular, in my opinion. Take their game to the next level in this manner.
Under Washington, Wootton earned a rookie All-American at Northwestern in 2006. In 2008, Washington left for the Bears. However, Wootton was already on course for success as an NFL prospect. In 2008, the league coaches selected him to the first team of the Big Ten and also awarded him team MVP.
Wootton remarked, “He was very similar to what he was in college.” “I found it admirable that he would push you when you felt like you could go no more and would strive to extract the greatest performance from you. And I believe that everyone, especially younger guys, really needs that.
Wootton put in extra work before and after sessions during his rookie campaign. Washington would give you clear instructions on what needs to be done.
Wootton remarked, “He didn’t always say it so nicely.” However, the true goal is to teach someone how to improve and how to provoke them. He was quite skilled at it.Wootton, who is currently an analyst for CHGO, stated that Washington’s coaching style will undoubtedly help young players like Bears defensive tackles Zacch Pickens and Gervon Dexter.
Wootton, who played for the Bears for four seasons, remarked, “He’s old school.” “He reminds me a lot of Rod Marinelli. Particularly among the younger boys, a military type. And in my opinion, in order for you to advance as a younger player in this league, you need it.
In 2008, Brown wasn’t “a younger guy.” When Washington signed with the Bears, he was playing in his ninth NFL season. He has an alternative narrative to share. Brown recalls how Washington paid attention to the veterans, took notes, and then offered his opinions.
He would say things like, “Well, how about we try to look at it this way?” even if I was in the wrong. stated Brown. “After that, we’ll walk along that route for perhaps ten minutes. And at the conclusion, I’m like, “Oh, okay, I get it.” It’s just another method to genuinely realise you’re wrong, as opposed to telling you, “No, you’re wrong.”
When Brown stated that, he laughed. Washington did it well. He has good communication skills. He made a connection with his veteran players.
Brown, who is currently an analyst for NBC Sports Chicago, described Brown as a “likeable guy.” “Respect, in my opinion, is the first thing that good coaches acquire. You will therefore have a chance if your players appreciate you. Your players won’t run through a wall or comply with your requests if you don’t have their respect.Respect like that also has to be earned.
The Bears player from 2002 to 2009, Brown, stated, “I got a lot of dirty work out of him.” “He was all in if I wanted to stay after and work on certain topics I was having trouble with. He supported it wholeheartedly.
It made no difference what was to be done or improved, from placing hands to getting rid of unnecessary processes. The effort was made.
It was all about him, according to Brown. That concludes the instructional portion. For Marinelli, pedagogy is always about the presentation. He would therefore aid his assistants in it. He would film them for the players’ viewing and offer them a topic to discuss with the team during meetings.
According to Marinelli, “it let them see themselves as the teacher.” Washington took that and carried it out. After seeing it, he worked on it. I had a great time doing those things with them. Its arrangement and structure. It’s the way you convey the information.
Both players and aspiring coaches benefit from it.
Considered by many to be one of the greatest defensive minds of his time, Marinelli mentored Eberflus while he was a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
In 2011, Washington joined Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers, departing the Bears. Before taking over as the defensive coordinator in 2018, he spent seven years coaching the Panthers’ defensive line. Prior to that, two future head coaches, Sean McDermott and Steve Wilks, had held similar positions. The next season, Washington moved to Buffalo to work with McDermott after being elevated to assistant head coach.
Marinelli stated, “One of my jobs, I always felt, was to add value to these men, add value to their career.” “You’ll improve the football game if you follow those steps. Washington was simply excellent. Everything, that is. He was all over anything I asked us to work on, including the specifics. Simply put, an excellent workerIt involved studying how Smith and Marinelli intended to assess their players’ effort in addition to the methods that Marinelli used to instruct his players on the pitch. Laziness would not occur. Work is essential.
Marinelli emphasised that having standards is necessary. Certain items are necessities. Furthermore, you must have such a strong belief in it that when someone crosses the border, they are aware that it is insufficient.
That grading process, which Smith and Marinelli had held in high regard throughout their careers, returned to the Bears with Eberflus. Washington is aware of the demands. Marinelli and Smith taught it to him.
Marinelli remarked, “You’re looking for guys who come in and represent what you want.” “And Eric is a guy who just believes so much in his ability to coach and teach,” the statement reads.
