The Bears welcomed new defensive coordinator and longtime NFL coach Dennis Allen to Chicago last week. Learn more about the best moment of his coaching career, his memories in Chicago, who is the most famous person in his contacts and more.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Chicago?
Windy city. The weather is crazy.
Do you have any memories in Chicago?
I remember the 2006 season when I was in New Orleans, we came up here and played in the NFC Championship game, which the Bears won and went on to play Indianapolis in the Super Bowl that year. I also remember a couple of years earlier, I think it was 2004, 2005, that it was so cold. I was in Atlanta. Jim Mora was the head coach, and he made a big deal about coming out with no sleeves, you know, 'we're going to show them how tough we are.' And next thing you know he's got frostbite on his cheeks.
You were a safety in college. Who is on your Mount Rushmore of safeties?
Well, at the very top of the safeties Mount Rushmore — and then go wherever you want to go from there — is Ronnie Lott and Kenny Easley. And then figure it out from there. But they're at the top.
Who's the toughest coach or player you've ever had to scheme against?
Oh, man, there have been so many good ones. Our head coach here [Ben Johnson] was about as good as they come. Sean Payton was always a real challenge to have to go against. Andy Reid has always been very tough to go against. So there's a lot of good coaches in our league. I don't know that I've ever gone into a game and said, 'that was an easy one.'
You competed in training camp with the Bills right out of college. What's the biggest difference between camp then and camp now?
Days off. I feel like back in those days, it was two-a-day practices every day, You're in pads. Now I feel like we practice every other day. It's a different way of thinking, but there's probably a few aspects of both that I like.
Best coaching memory in your career?
Winning the Super Bowl (with the Saints). It was unbelievable. Like nothing you would ever think about feeling. And at the time, I was the secondary coach. And to have your player intercept the ball at the end of the game and run it back for a touchdown to basically seal the game was pretty incredible.
Favorite athletes or teams growing up?
My dad played for the Atlanta Falcons, so I started off as a Falcons fan. Then we moved to Texas up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and I became a Cowboys fan. So all the way back from Roger Staubach, going up through Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, those guys that played for the Cowboys back in the early 90s.
What's a random fact no one knows about you?
I like to fish. That would be something that many people don't know about. I like to go fly fishing for trout. So I like to go out west — Montana, Wyoming, Utah.
How do you decompress from football in the offseason?
Hang out with the family. Vacation — go to the mountains, go to the beach.
Have you and your family ever spent time in Chicago together?
We actually did when my son was looking at DePaul. He was trying to decide where he wanted to go to college, so we actually came up here and spent a couple of days in the city to tour DePaul.
What was your favorite part of the city then, or what part of the city you want to explore or go back to?
Well, down there along the river and the restaurants that are down there is a pretty cool area. I can't remember the name of the pizza place we went to, but we knew we had to go try Chicago deep dish pizza. It was good, but I can't eat it every day.
Most famous person in your cell phone?
Jimmy Buffett.
Do you have a favorite Jimmy Buffett song?
Oh, how is it not Cheeseburger in Paradise?
