Smith audibles on defense; will help Babich call plays

Bears head coach Lovie Smith promises to be more involved with the defense next season, and especially with play-calling duties on game day.

The Bears' defensive performance has plummeted in the past two seasons since Bob Babich took over for Ron Rivera, who was fired even after his defenses finished in the top five in the league in 2005 and 2006. Under Babich, the Bears were 28th in yards allowed in 2007 and 21st in 2008-09.

While Babich will lose some of his authority in terms of play calling, he will take on the added responsibility of coaching the linebackers, a role he performed in his first two years on Smith's staff before he was promoted to replace Rivera.

"I'll be even more involved with the defense, with Bob also coaching the linebackers," Smith said Tuesday afternoon. "I'll help Bob coordinate the defense. We were 9-7; that's not good enough. We need to be better."

Rod Marinelli, the team's new defensive line coach and assistant head coach, is also expected by Smith to contribute significantly to next season's defense. Marinelli is one of Smith's closest friends, having worked with him on Tony Dungy's staff on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for five years from 1996-2000.