Can Tim Jennings Return to Pro Bowl Form in the Chicago Bears’ New Defense?
Published by Matt Eurich on July 2, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings flourished playing under former head coach Lovie Smith, but the veteran defensive back took a step back last season playing in defensive coordinator Mel Tucker’s scheme.
Jennings was a Pro Bowler in 2012 and 2013, but he—along with the entire defense—struggled in 2014, and the coaching staff was let go at the end of the season. According to Jeff Arnold of ChicagoFootball.com, Jennings felt the biggest reason the Bears struggled in 2014 was because they got away from what they were known for on defense, saying:
As a defense, we kind of got away from what we are as the Chicago Bears. We kind of got away from the style of defense that we play. It’s more of a transition from defense to offense. We all thought it would be a good thing. We’ve got all the weapons, we’ve got all the tools—it kind of got away from the tradition of what the Chicago Bears are known for.
The Bears were a defense-oriented team under Smith, but they transitioned into being an offensively driven team under head coach Marc Trestman in 2013 and 2014. Jennings still played well in 2013 under Tucker, but he did not look like the same player in 2014.
Prior to the 2012 season, Jennings had seven career interceptions in six NFL seasons, but he broke out in 2013 by recording a career-high nine interceptions. He backed up his impressive 2012 season with four interceptions in 2013, but his productivity declined in 2014.
During Jennings’ Pro Bowl seasons in 2012 and 2013, the veteran cornerback made plays all over the field and often baited quarterbacks into throwing to his side by playing off coverage before breaking on the ball and making a play. But in 2014, he struggled being the team’s No. 1 cornerback following a season-ending injury to Charles Tillman in Week 2.
Following Trestman‘s firing this offseason, the Bears hired John Fox to be the team’s new head coach, and he hired Vic Fangio to be the team’s new defensive coordinator. Fangio is one of the most respected defensive minds in the game, and his addition this offseason should help elevate Jennings’ game.
So how can Jennings return to Pro Bowl form in 2015?
Embrace a Move to Nickelback
The Bears used their first pick in the 2014 draft on Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller. The team initially planned on using Jennings and Tillman on the outside in its 4-3 base defense with Jennings sliding inside to the slot in the team’s nickel package and Fuller on the outside.
“We’re gonna try it out,” Jennings said at the time, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “We got to get Fuller out there, so I’ll move in on nickel packages, and we’ll bring Fuller at the left corner.”
Jennings played a handful of snaps at nickelback in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills last season and in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers before Tillman’s injury. Once Tillman was lost for the season, Jennings held onto his spot on the outside at left cornerback.
While he did not come away with any interceptions last season, he did grade out positively for the year. According to Pro Football Focus, Jennings finished 2014 with a plus-4.6 overall grade in 1,028 snaps. Despite the positive grade, Jennings did not appear to be the same playmaker he once was.
Jennings’ best seasons in Chicago came playing zone coverage in the team’s Cover 2 defense, but Fangio prefers to play more man coverage. Because of his size (5’8″, 185 lbs), he is a better fit inside at nickelback in the team’s new 3-4 defense, but he is still unsure of what his role is going to be this season.
“That’s the question I’m still trying to figure out,” he said, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune.
The Bears added veteran cornerbacks Alan Ball and Tracy Porter to the mix in free agency this offseason, and both have the ability to line up on the outside. The Bears have not said that Jennings is exclusively a nickelback in Fangio‘s system, but Fox thinks the veteran cornerback is a good fit for the position.
“Dimension-wise, he’s built like a nickel corner,” Fox said, according to Wiederer. “He has played it before.”
If the Bears opt to move him inside to nickelback, Jennings will have more responsibilities against the run, and he will have to play more physically. He excelled in Smith’s Cover 2 defense because he was given an opportunity to freelance in zone coverage, but playing inside at the slot in man coverage will force the veteran cornerback to play with more discipline.
“It is still a little awkward at times,” Jennings said about the transition to a new defense, according to Wiederer. “But that just comes from being in [another] scheme for so long.”
Jennings is a quick defensive back who has the ability to run stride for stride with most NFL slot receivers, but the big question is whether or not he can play physically at the line of scrimmage. If he can play physically and jam receivers at the line, he has a chance to revert back to his Pro Bowl form playing out of the slot.
His role in 2015 is not set in stone, but he is willing to do whatever the coaching staff wants him to do this season.
“We’ll see how it goes,” he said, according to Wiederer. “And I can tell you this, whatever they ask me to do I’m willing to do it.”
If he fully embraces the nickelback position and earns the job out of training camp, he could return to Pro Bowl form by taking calculated risks on defense.
Take Risks, But Play Within the System
Even though Fangio‘s defense relies heavily on man and press coverage, Chicago will still use zone coverage on occasion in 2015. One reason why Jennings was so successful in 2012 and 2013 was because he willing to take risks when playing in off coverage.
In Chicago’s season opener against the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, Jennings showed off his willingness to take risks in the passing game.
Early in the second quarter, the Bears were holding onto a 14-7 lead over quarterback Andrew Luck‘s Colts, and Jennings lined up opposite of Indianapolis wide receiver Donnie Avery in man coverage:
Just moments before the snap, Jennings dropped back into zone coverage:
Avery worked his way down the sideline off the snap of the football and then cut to the inside before cutting back outside:
Instead of forcing the issue and running stride for stride with the receiver, Jennings stayed back and Luck tried to push the football down the field. The ball held up in the air, and Jennings was able to come away with his first interception of the season:
Jennings excelled in zone coverage during his Pro Bowl seasons because he was allowed to freelance and take risks on the outside, but he will not have as much freedom this season playing in Fangio‘s 3-4 defense.
Fangio likes to use bump-and-run coverage and press receivers at the line of scrimmage, but he is also willing to drop back his cornerbacks in zone coverage while trying to bring blitzers from the outside linebacker positions.
Jennings’ ability to freelance and take risks at either cornerback or the nickelback position in 2015 will be reduced, but the opportunity to take risks will still be there on occasion. Fangio is known for putting his players in the best position to succeed, and a former pupil of his commented about that this offseason.
“Just having guys in the right places at the right time,” said safety Antoine Bethea, who played for Fangio in San Francisco last season, according to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “On game day, he’s on point. Right time. Putting us in the right situation. Right calls. And just having guys in the right place where everybody can succeed.”
Just because Fangio has a knack for putting his players in the right position to succeed does not mean Jennings will turn back into the Pro Bowler he was in 2012 and 2013, but Jennings has a chance to excel out the slot in 2015 if he is willing to put in the work.
The transition inside will not be easy for a guy like Jennings who has made a living playing on the outside, but if he is allowed to freelance and take risks on the inside, he may be able to return to Pro Bowl form in 2015.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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