“Right now, they don’t know whether it’s pumped or stuffed in terms of the football,” Allen said. “But from a physical skill-set standpoint, they fit the type of player we’re looking for.”
Linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II’s eyes widened as he explained the whirlwind of information that came his way Friday at Bears rookie minicamp.
“Day 1 was a little everywhere for me, personally,” the fourth-round pick said Saturday.
But Day 2, Hyppolite said, was better, thanks to a walkthrough after practice that calmed him down. Learning an NFL playbook takes time.
The Bears bet big in the draft on athleticism on defense, hoping coordinator Dennis Allen can coach the players up. The three defensive players the Bears drafted — tackle Shemar Turner (second round), Hyppolite and cornerback Zah Frazier (fifth round) — all have impressive traits. Now it’s about getting up to snuff with NFL terminology.
“You’re thrown right in the fire,” Hyppolite said.
Allen said he wanted the defense to get faster and more athletic, and general manager Ryan Poles obliged. Allen said the Bears were looking for “guys that can run” and had a physical mentality.
“Right now, they don’t know whether it’s pumped or stuffed in terms of the football,” Allen said. “They’ve got a lot of learning to do, and there’s a lot of things that we have to teach. But from a physical skill-set standpoint, they fit the type of player we’re looking for.”
Allen, a two-time NFL head coach, comes to the Bears with experience coordinating successful defenses in New Orleans. He runs a 4-3 scheme that, as he said at his introductory press conference, he wants to be an “attacking, aggressive style of defense.”
For a team in need of pass-rush juice, the Bears will look to Turner to be an impact player. Poles and Allen hope Turner, who Allen said will focus on defensive tackle to start, can provide the controlled aggression that the line lacked last season. The Bears have the fewest sacks in the NFL during Poles’ tenure.
“He’s got the right temperament for what we’re looking for,” Allen said. “We’ll have to put the saddle on him and break him a little bit, but we’d rather have to pull the reins back rather than have to whip him to get him to go.”
Hyppolite said the key to learning the playbook is to focus on his position first before expanding to others. His responsibility is immense because he’s learning all three linebacker spots.
Allen said he learned from Hyppolite’s visit before the draft that he’s business-oriented and has a professional demeanor tailor-made for the NFL.
“He’s going to be a guy that’s going to learn how to be a pro really quickly because of that maturity level,” Allen said.
Linebackers in Allen’s scheme will be asked to cover running backs and tight ends. Hyppolite said knowing where he’s supposed to be will allow him to utilize his athletic gifts.
Hyppolite said his first day of minicamp didn’t go as well as he wanted, and Allen told him that his effort wasn’t good enough. It’s that accountability from Allen that’s going to be key to getting the most out of these athletic rookies as they acclimate to the professional level.
“I love D.A.,” Hyppolite said. “He told me in the meeting [Friday], ‘I need a better day from you.’ That was good for me to hear. Even though he’s quiet, everything’s being evaluated.”
