Bears name Marinelli defensive coordinator

The Bears have finally completed their coaching staff.

It's been a full month since offensive coordinator Ron Turner, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, tight ends coach Rob Boras and quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton were fired on Jan. 5, but head coach Lovie Smith's staff is up to full strength.

At that time, Smith also said a defensive coordinator and play-caller would be added to assume the duties that he handled last season with little success.

The crew was completed Friday afternoon when, as expected, assistant head coach/defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was given the defensive coordinator duties while ceding the defensive line job to Eric Washington, the assistant defensive line coach the past two years. Washington, 40, was Northwestern's defensive line coach for four years before joining the Bears. Marinelli retains his assistant head coach title and will still be involved with coaching the defensive line on a daily basis.

"I'm very excited," Marinelli said. "The defensive staff has all worked together, so it's just a chance to keep going and build on the subtleties of our system. We've all been in it together, and I think the familiarity will help."

Shane Day, who interviewed Wednesday, was named quarterbacks coach Friday, although new offensive coordinator Mike Martz will be extremely involved with the quarterbacks. Day, 35, spent the past three seasons as a quality control coach with the 49ers. In 2008, he worked with Martz, who was the Niners' offensive coordinator. Day also worked with new Bears tight ends coach Mike DeBord at Michigan in 2005-06, serving as assistant quarterbacks and quality control coach.

Before joining the Bears last season, Marinelli spent the previous three years as head coach of the Detroit Lions. When Smith was hired as the Bears' head coach in 2004, he wanted Marinelli as his defensive coordinator, but the Buccaneers declined to allow their long-time defensive line coach (1996-2005) out of his contract.

"From the first day I became head coach of the Chicago Bears, I envisioned Rod as our defensive coordinator," Smith said on the team's Web site. "I considered him for the role last year but wanted him to have the opportunity to work exclusively with our defensive line and become acclimated to our team. He will remain in our defensive line room, but will add the responsibility of the defensive calls on game day.

"Rod is among the best defensive coaches in the NFL and will be an excellent defensive coordinator for us. We considered outside possibilities, but I didn't feel our defense would benefit the same way it will with Rod in the coordinator role."

Perry Fewell was the only candidate who interviewed for the defensive coordinator job other than Marinelli, but he accepted the same position with the New York Giants.

The Bears on Friday also named Andrew Hayes-Stoker, 31, offensive quality control coach, and selected Smith's oldest son, Mikal, as defensive quality control coach. Hayes-Stoker was a football operations assistant last season, while Smith, 33, was an administrative assistant.