Rod Marinelli is not Lovie Smith. He might be soft spoken like the Bears head coach, and he might be a disciple of the Tampa 2 defense. But the similarities end there.
Rod Marinelli brings out the nasty.
True, the man who wrestled a Bear as a teenager is trying to toughen up the Chicago Bears.
"He always tells us, 'When your heart blows up, give me two more plays,'" Defensive Tackle Anthony Adams said between beads of sweat pouring off his face.
"Coach Marinelli expects nothing less from us. He always says, 'Elements change but we don't.' If it's hot, he doesn't care. If it's raining, he doesn't care. If it's snowing, he doesn't care. He's going to coach everybody the same, the same fire, the same intensity."
Marinelli is pushing his "rush men," as he calls his D-Line, to dig deep on every play.
"Sometimes it's not even fatigue," Marinelli explained Thursday outside the dining hall. "Sometimes it could be mentally you just got to let those things go. I just want us to play the snap we are in. Every practice every day, play that snap the best we can, now move over and let's do it again".
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And he has Julius Peppers to set the tone on the field and off.
"This guys has, and is trying to max out his talent, with fundamentals. And he takes notes, carries himself and is ready to practice every day," Marinelli said.
Peppers is proving he has the work ethic some critics have questioned in the past. It is all about developing a real toughness and a mindset the Bears need.
If Peppers play on the field can be as infectious as his approach in the classroom, the Bears have the battle half won.
"The more comfortable you are in the system and the trust in it, the faster you play." Marinelli explained. "And the faster you play the more things can happen."
And if it all starts up front with Marinelli and Peppers, the Bears are banking on results on the field.
