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The Athletic released its second annual 40 under 40 list, a collection of rising stars that you should know heading into each season. The Chicago Bears' first-year defensive coordinator Sean Desai made an appearance on the list.
Desai is 38 years old, entering his ninth season with the Chicago Bears. Throughout 2013-2018, Sean Desai served as a defensive quality control assistant before becoming the team's safety coach. In the years between 2015-2018, the newly hired defensive coordinator learned an immense amount from the highly-touted Vic Fangio.
The Sean Desai era
The 40 under 40 list was created by The Athletic's Lindsay Jones, who wrote:
"Desai, the first NFL coordinator of Indian and South Asian descent, moves into an interesting spot with the Bears: The defense is aging but still has top-tier talent, led by pass rusher Khalil Mack. It will be interesting to see if Desai can emulate the success [Chargers coach Brandon] Staley, another Vic Fangio disciple, had in his first year as a coordinator [with the Broncos in 2020] and to learn how much of Fangio's influence is in Desai's defensive game plans and play-calling."
Even with the lack of an offense, the Chicago Bears were able to muster up a season worthy of the postseason. The Bears finished second in the NFC North and faced off against the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round. They ultimately fell to New Orleans.
Sean Desai is eagerly awaiting to make his debut in the 2021 NFL season as the new coordinator. In 2020, the Bears ranked 11th defensively in the NFL in terms of yardage. Desai believes that his squad, led by Khalil Mack, can reach even greater heights.
"I sat next to [Fangio], so I was able to reflect on every game, within the game and after the game of why certain things happened, certain situations, why he called that," Desai said earlier this year. "Now, does that mean I'm going to do it the same way? No. Would he want me to do it the same way? No, right? This is going to be Sean Desai's defense."
Sean Desai is as confident as ever with his daunting Chicago defense -- as he should be. The Bears will look to replicate their success in reaching the playoffs and expand upon their win totals in the 2021 season. The defense will once again be the point of emphasis in Chicago, and Sean Desai will have the Bears' defense in prime position to succeed.
