WEBVTT - Sean Desai full interview with Jeff Joniak 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:03.880 Once again. Congratulations Sean. I couldn't be happier for you, 0:00:03.880 --> 0:00:06.160 you know, being around as long as I have, I 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:09.719 love seeing the journey of everybody and with assistant coaches, 0:00:09.760 --> 0:00:12.719 it's not linear, but for you it has been here 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:16.720 with the Bears, different positions, but a great ninth year 0:00:16.800 --> 0:00:21.119 to start a career that started with humble beginnings and 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:25.120 now an NFL defensive coordinator. As it's set in, how 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:27.680 does it feel and you feel you reach one of 0:00:27.680 --> 0:00:32.120 your milestones? Uh? Yeah, you know, it's it's very humbling. 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:37.440 I'm obviously very gracious for the opportunity that U coach 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:41.479 Matt and Ryan and mister McCaskey and missing McCaskey and 0:00:41.520 --> 0:00:43.920 Ted Phillips had given me. Like you said, it started 0:00:44.000 --> 0:00:46.800 humble beginnings, and I hope to continue it that way too, 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:52.840 you know. So it's it's exciting. The first week was 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:55.120 over the moon and lots of things going on and 0:00:55.760 --> 0:00:58.480 a little bit stressful, but it all comes with the 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:02.360 job and it's settled down and it's just been great. 0:01:03.240 --> 0:01:06.600 What's the very first thing you did when man Maggie 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:10.479 told you you were the Bears defense apport? Oh? Man, 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:12.759 I was so I took the call. I was at home, 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:14.120 you know, we were off. I took the call, went 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:16.920 upstairs because my kids are running around all over the 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:19.320 place and loud, so it went upstairs to getting a 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:22.760 quiet room, and uh, I think I just took a 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:25.679 deep breath, you know, kind of a big sigh of relief, 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:29.760 a deep breath and just want to savor that moment. 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:32.240 And then right after that, obviously went down and told 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:37.480 my wife. She was excited obviously and emotional, and it 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:39.960 was an emotional time, which was great, you know, told 0:01:40.000 --> 0:01:42.560 my kids, you know, and then then get the parents 0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:45.040 and the family involved, and obviously it called Vic early. 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:48.160 Vic was one of my first calls as well, just 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:50.760 because of the impact that he's at on me. You know, 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:54.560 let's talk about that, because from his perspective, I mean, 0:01:54.560 --> 0:02:00.200 he's we know Vic. I mean he's a very pragmatic guy, 0:02:01.040 --> 0:02:05.120 not throwing his big sways of exuberant emotion, but in 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:09.240 a sense one of his guys has now worked his 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:12.160 way up the ladder. Did you get that feel from him? 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:15.080 And then as a defense importantator, Now, how do you 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:18.960 pay it for horse? Yeah? Right, Uh, well, that that's 0:02:19.000 --> 0:02:24.440 two important things there. The first part is you never know, 0:02:24.520 --> 0:02:26.639 like you said, with Vic and where his emotion level 0:02:26.720 --> 0:02:28.799 is and everything, but it was very important for me 0:02:29.000 --> 0:02:31.480 to let him know where where my emotional level was. 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:35.880 That was very important for me. He deserves it from 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:39.080 my perspective, to know that he had a big impact 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:41.519 on me and to know that that he had mentored 0:02:41.520 --> 0:02:44.400 me and supported me, and he's kind of seen me 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:46.400 grow even in this profession through ups and downs. Like 0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:50.480 you said, it's been a linear path. But you don't 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:53.920 always get promoted when you think you should get promoted, 0:02:54.000 --> 0:02:55.720 or have opportunities when you think you should have opportunities. 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:59.120 But he's been a staple there for me and helping 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:02.359 me grow. Uh. And and even when when you think 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:05.080 you should get a job somewhere else or somewhere you know, 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:06.959 he's always helped and he's always been in my corner. 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:08.760 So I think it was very important for him to 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:12.240 know that. A lot of where I'm at now obviously 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:15.080 from a football intellect standpoint, but even in my career, 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:18.079 UH is a credit to him. And and there's other 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:20.200 guys that I gave that call to as well, but 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:24.440 in the NFL, for sure, UH, it's a credit to him. 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:27.560 And the second part of that question, I'm sorry, Jeff, 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:31.120 was the paid forward section. The part of that question, well, 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:35.760 that that is very important to me. Uh. It's a 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:39.880 huge responsiblity when I don't take lightly. Uh not just 0:03:39.920 --> 0:03:42.880 to pay it forward to coach, to Vic, but to Matt, 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:44.760 to everybody that's helped me, and then really to to 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:49.520 another generation of people I've My wife always says this 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:53.480 that you can never climb on your own. You need 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:57.760 people to help you. Uh. And and for sure, given 0:03:57.800 --> 0:03:59.960 my own background, I needed a lot more people probably 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:03.520 helped me. Not having played. You know, there's a lot 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:07.640 of knots that can be associated with me, But a 0:04:07.640 --> 0:04:09.600 lot of people have helped me and have supported me 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:11.440 and given me the hand and give me an encouragement. 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.360 So that's that's a core belief of mine and I'm 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:16.000 gonna need to be able to do that with others. 0:04:16.640 --> 0:04:19.360 And the thing about the knots though, and I've been 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:22.440 asking this about you already multiple times, you know, why 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:26.719 is he ready? He's never called plays before? And I 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:30.599 try to explain to people that if there are coaches 0:04:30.880 --> 0:04:33.039 who have big dreams, and not every coach wants to 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:35.680 be a coordinator or a head coach. They are totally 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:39.000 fine being a position coach. They are constantly thinking the game. 0:04:39.080 --> 0:04:43.039 You're calling plays in your mind, you're strategizing, and I 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:46.320 bet you're going back thinking about what you learned from 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:49.760 Mel and him. Are met Mel and Vic and Chuck 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:51.920 and going through h this is maybe what I would 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:54.760 have done, or this is a different wrinkle to the plan, 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:59.280 am I right? Yeah? I think I've always, like I said, 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:01.559 in all the roles I've been and obviously in the NFL, 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:06.000 with Mel, Vic and Shuck as my coordinators, Al Gold 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:08.839 and Frank Spaziani. You know, Doug Martin was my offensive 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:12.600 coordinator at Boston College, and I've coordinate and I call 0:05:12.600 --> 0:05:15.440 it plays on special teams everywhere I've been in college. 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:18.800 But all those people have had a huge impact in 0:05:18.880 --> 0:05:20.880 terms of that and have given me the opportunity to 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:22.560 learn and grow that way. And I've always tried to 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:25.080 take that big picture. I've tried to not live in 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:28.560 my bucket, so to speak. And now that doesn't mean 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:31.560 you don't master your bucket. You know, I've taken a 0:05:31.600 --> 0:05:33.839 lot of great pride in doing that and trying to 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:36.440 be the greatest at whatever chasking job that I've been 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:39.720 doing and been given, but that also doesn't mean I 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:42.360 can't grow on my own time. And I think that's 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:45.159 the thing that I've tried to take, that perspective of 0:05:45.600 --> 0:05:47.480 any chance and opportunity to get to grow. You got 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:49.480 to try to use that for good, bad, or in 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:51.279 different You know, I've I've learned things I shouldn't do 0:05:52.120 --> 0:05:54.120 because I've seen some mistakes from other people, but I 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:56.719 think are mistakes and or that they've told me are mistakes. 0:05:56.760 --> 0:05:58.440 And I've learned things I should do, and I've seen 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:01.120 that from other people doing it, and so try to 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:05.040 be very observational, try to be very reflective, and I'm 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:07.200 going to continue to try and do that and learn 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:08.839 from people around me here. You know, I think we've 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:12.479 supported ourselves here with some great staff members that I 0:06:12.520 --> 0:06:15.000 will rely on and they know that. You know that 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:17.240 I'm gonna rely on on certain things, and there's certain 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:19.760 things that I'm sure they'll rely on me for. I 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:23.040 think that's how you build winning staffs, and that translates 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:26.520 into winning organizations and winning players and winning teams. And 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:29.279 in the locker room, you know, obviously because you've been 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:31.479 there and a lot of these guys know you. I 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:35.040 think it's a term of respect in including endearment when 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:38.520 they call you doc. Given your educational background, you are doc. 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:43.960 But you know, players well forever just want to be told, Okay, 0:06:44.120 --> 0:06:46.000 tell me where I need to be, tell me why 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:49.440 put me in a position to succeed. It sounds cliche, 0:06:49.680 --> 0:06:52.480 but really when you boil it all down to the basics, 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:55.280 isn't that what we're talking about here? And they come 0:06:55.320 --> 0:06:57.920 to you already with a lot of those questions. So 0:06:58.040 --> 0:06:59.960 do you feel you'll be able to command that rule 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:04.400 despite not having all those knats? Yeah? You know what, Uh, 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:06.880 that's a good question. That's a question I faced really 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:09.720 all my career. You know, Uh, will you be able 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:11.280 to command the room? Will you be able to do this? 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:13.040 And I think I've proven that time and again in 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:15.040 all the different roles I've been in, whether it's been 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:17.400 a special teams coordinator or running back coach and outside 0:07:17.400 --> 0:07:23.080 linebacker coach, a quality control safeties coach, that the commanding 0:07:23.080 --> 0:07:26.440 of the room and the respect comes from trust. Right, 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:29.280 it comes from me earning that with the players. And 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:31.400 how do they do that? Well, in my experience, they 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:34.640 do it through knowledge, uh, and and all those things 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:37.640 that you can provide them in terms of the whys 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:40.880 and the house and and and for them to see 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:42.920 their fit and their vision clearly and how they can 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:46.360 succeed within the defense. Uh and and I hope I've 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:47.680 done that, and I think I have done that at 0:07:47.680 --> 0:07:50.360 a pretty good level. And I think I think that 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:53.720 will help me in this new role in my football 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:58.840 fantasy world. You know, I believe the team should reflect 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:01.480 in some way it's city they play in, and in 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:04.640 this case that's a charter franchise of National Football. Ferocious 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:08.160 defense is historic here you alluded to a your zoom 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:11.560 call and media members this week, some of the pieces 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:15.560 to the puzzle in terms of your idelic player and 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:19.960 their mindset, their mental toughness, the physical toughness, get upon 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:21.560 some key points that you will look these guys in 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:23.120 the eye and say this is the kind of bear 0:08:23.200 --> 0:08:26.520 I want. Yes, well, you know, like you said, we 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:29.320 alluded to someone. But it's going to be guys that 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:33.640 play with passion, guys that are relentless, guys that are tough, 0:08:34.120 --> 0:08:39.760 guys that have a burning desire to be excellent at 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:42.680 their craft. And it's going to be a day to 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:48.960 day mindset and I think I think those things are transferable, 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:52.320 are learnable, and are relatable, you know, and I think 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:54.280 those are things that everybody can hang their hat on, 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:56.679 and those are things that everybody's probably gotta look in 0:08:56.720 --> 0:08:59.360 the mirror at and see if that's what they want 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:02.280 to do. And I know we got a lot of 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:04.800 players on this defense that want to do that. You know. 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:09.800 We want guys that are smart, guys that play fast, 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:13.320 and then part of it is going to be my 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:15.839 ability as a play caller to put them in rolls 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:18.360 and teach them ways to play fast. And I think 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:20.040 that that's a benefit that I've learned through a lot 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:21.720 of mentors I've had, and I think I've been able 0:09:21.760 --> 0:09:24.680 to do that. And we want guys to have fun, 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:27.199 you know. I think, like I said on that other 0:09:27.280 --> 0:09:29.920 Zoom call, it's going to be things that are pelpable 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:32.880 that everybody in the world can feel, whether it's through 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:35.480 a screen or where you're alive. And you can tell 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:38.679 when guys are having fun, and you can tell when 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:41.479 guys are physical, you can tell when guys are relentless, 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:45.040 and those things I want everybody to feel, and I 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:49.080 want people watching tape of this defense to feel for 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:51.160 as long as I can remember, players are telling me 0:09:51.200 --> 0:09:54.360 pressure breaks pipes. You watch the Super Bowl, say what 0:09:54.480 --> 0:09:56.480 you take away in the Super Bowl? It was the 0:09:56.559 --> 0:10:01.920 relentless pressure, the lightless pressure that probably started even before kickoff. 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:05.040 Do you think you can align a defense in that 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:08.000 kind of way? But because when they pop on the tape, 0:10:08.000 --> 0:10:10.320 when they're were viewing you three games back, getting ready 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:13.719 for their next corner, it's this Bears defense will boy, 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:16.600 because it starts then doesn't it? Mentally? That's exactly right, 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:19.959 That's exactly right. That stuff that's palpable in my opinion, 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:24.520 just like you said, that's almost a non negotiable. And 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:26.560 people feel it. You know, you felt it when I 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:29.760 was coaching high school ball, and you felt it in college, 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:32.760 and you feel it in the NFL that I want 0:10:32.800 --> 0:10:34.320 people to take a deep breath when they watch the 0:10:34.320 --> 0:10:36.920 Bears defense and say, Okay, now we're in for something here. 0:10:37.920 --> 0:10:40.240 The scheme may not be good, some things may not 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:42.440 be good on every play, but the one thing we 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:44.280 can hang out hand on is that these guys are 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:47.040 gonna come to play and they're gonna come with energy. 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:51.080 They're gonna come with some physicalness and some toughness, and 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:53.079 then when we match the scheme and the buying from 0:10:53.080 --> 0:10:56.120 these players to perform and execute at a high level, 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:58.839 and I think the sky's the limit for the fire guys. 0:10:59.240 --> 0:11:01.600 I also like what you had to say, and your 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:03.599 belief is, you know, this is, as you put it, 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:07.600 a tune up because you got great players, not good players, 0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:11.040 great players at every level and that's important from the jump. 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:17.120 But keying in on those and maybe creating other roles 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:21.080 for players that also become touch points for leadership and direction. 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:24.840 Isn't that what we're talking about here. Because you put 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:27.280 all the grapes in the same bucket, move them around 0:11:27.280 --> 0:11:30.360 a little bit, you have different piece of different kind 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:32.600 of lines, so to speak. That's right, that's right, and 0:11:32.760 --> 0:11:34.160 I think you hit on the head. You know, we 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:37.920 do have great players. And to me and our players 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:40.319 will notice, the didn't string good and great as a choice. 0:11:41.600 --> 0:11:44.000 It's a daily choice on how you want to present 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:45.360 yourself and how you want to be and I think 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:48.080 our players embrace that choice every day. And we're going 0:11:48.160 --> 0:11:51.320 to challenge our guys to be great every day and 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:54.640 that means through the meetings, through the walkthroughs, through the practice, 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:56.800 and that greatness is going to reflect on game day 0:11:56.880 --> 0:12:00.600 with all those traits that we talked about. Uh, the 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:03.760 least of my worries, you know, to address your question 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:08.720 is the talent of our guys, because they are talented. Uh, 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:10.880 and then we're gonna keep building that talent up and 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:14.080 keep refining it and then uh, keep giving them the 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:16.280 tools they need to succeed so their talents can shine 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:19.240 the way they want them to shine. And that quite honestly, 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:20.679 he's gonna match with the way we wanted it to 0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:26.160 shine as organizations, as defense in this position, Now, how 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:30.920 would you assume your your characterization will be as a coach? 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:34.280 Will you be fiery? Will you be you? Will you 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:37.880 be the guy we see on zoom the very thought provoking, 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:42.480 congenial personality. What do you think? Yeah, Uh, well you 0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:46.000 have to be determined. No, well, I think I think 0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:49.480 you're going to see a mashup of it all. You know. Uh. 0:12:50.840 --> 0:12:55.400 Obviously I'm a thoughtful uh individual, and I pride myself 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:59.520 an education that in our players. I've seen it. There's 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:02.720 been instance is a firiness for me where where I 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:05.400 think that's appropriate and those guys want to feel it, 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:08.160 and they're going to feel it from me. They're gonna 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:11.600 get the energy. Uh, They're going to be challenged, you know, 0:13:11.760 --> 0:13:14.959 mentally and physically. And I think they're going to see 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:17.800 that that we're going to have certain standards and demands 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:19.320 that they're going to live up to. And it's going 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:21.199 to be the product because of living up to those 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:23.719 standards and demands which have Obviously you're going to be 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:25.760 set with the twenty twenty one defense in mind, but 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:28.360 as you know, there's a certain level of standard of 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:31.880 play expected by Chicago Bears defense since the inception of 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:38.920 this franchise, and and uh, we're we're willing and able 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:41.480 to accept that standard and surpass it. And I think 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:43.800 that's going to be important. Like you said, every every 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:47.040 team sometimes has to take on the culture of its city. 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.079 And and we're not going to shy away from the 0:13:50.120 --> 0:13:52.640 toughness and the grit that this city's built on and 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:55.800 this this franchise has been built on. Uh. And and 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:58.080 there's there's a little bit of extra pressure on defense, 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:00.960 but that that's that's why we want to do it, 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:05.280 all right, Sean, congratulations, go get him. Thank you, Jeff, 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:06.000 I appreciate you.