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For the members of Chicago rock band Rookie, stepping on to the stage at Lollapalooza Friday felt like a dream, years in the making.

The five piece looked out onto the early afternoon crowd and swiftly jammed through their first few songs, letting their brand of 1970s-inspired roots rock blast through the festival grounds, enticing sleepy concertgoers to stop by.

For years Max Loebman (guitar/vocals), Dimitri Panoutsos (guitar/vocals), Christopher Devlin (bass/vocals), Joe Bordenaro (drums/vocals) and Justin Bell (keys/vocals) each cut their teeth playing in the Chicago D.I.Y. scene. But after filling in for members in each other’s respective bands, the group decided to form Rookie in 2017.

As a new unit, the band began making a name for itself throughout the following years, rising with the likes of fellow Chicago scenemates Twin Peaks and Beach Bunny.

The group cites classic artists like Chicago, Neil Young and the Grateful Dead as influences, as well as more contemporary acts like Caveman.

They also trade lead singing duties on different songs, a testament to each member’s songwriting prowess and their collaborative process.

But by the time they released their debut self titled album — a gritty, catchy album with soraing guitars and smart melodies — in 2020, all momentum had stalled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tour dates were canceled — including a stint at Lollapalooza 2020 — venues shut down, and the band was tasked with figuring out what to do next.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

So they did what they’ve always done — they got together and jammed.

“It was really scary at first. We spent a little time apart, then started getting back together and rehearsing in a garage so we could be outdoors,” said Loebman, 24, during a chat after their set at Lollapalooza.

Those jam sessions turned into writing sessions, and eventually recording sessions in Devlin’s basement. Eventually they finished a new album, which is in the process of being mixed.

With a new album on the horizon and a debut record that never got a proper tour cycle, Rookie, although slightly nervous, was more than ready when the time came to play the Tito’s vodka stage at this year’s Lollapalooza.

“It was incredible,” Loebman said. “We all love playing live music, and we always knew that, but just getting to do that again after not doing it for so long — it’s a huge release.”

Loebman said that playing a few recent dates with Seattle-based band Band of Horses helped to calm the pre-Lolla nerves.

Another source of comfort while playing the biggest stage of their career so far are family, friends and fans among the crowd, a group Panoutsos affectionately calls “Rookie Heads.”

“I think the best part was seeing so many familiar people,” Panoutsos said. Like, from my family, to friends from my neighborhood — people that came early just to hang out. That made me feel a lot better. It’s like playing any other show — but on the biggest stage that you’ve ever played on.”

The band was set to return to familiar territory Friday night, playing a soldout aftershow with Philadephia’s Mt. Joy at Thalia Hall. And on Nov. 26 and 27, their debut album will finally get a long-delayed record release show.

After ending their debut Lollapalooza set with a raucous jam that kept the crowd on its feet, Bell looked up from his Hammond B3 organ.

“This is a dream come true, thanks for being with us,” he told the adoring throngs.

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Lollapalooza officially returned to Grant Park this week for four days of music and good times despite concerns about how bringing together over 100,000 people each day will affect the ongoing pandemic.

The festival, which opened Thursday with vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test required for entry, represents the largest public event to date held in Chicago since the emergence of the coronavirus last March. Despite worries over the virus’ Delta variant and rising caseloads nationally, the show will go on this weekend.

Late Friday, the festival announced that masks would be required in any indoor space throughout the Grant Park grounds beginning Saturday. Attendees would be encouraged to bring their own masks.

Huge acts are in town luring giant crowds to the park, including Miley Cyrus, Foo Fighters, Post Malone and Tyler, The Creator. Many surrounding streets will be closed through Sunday night.

The Sun-Times will be there all four days covering the big shows and big crowds. Keep this page bookmarked for updates throughout the festival.

Photo highlights

DAY 2 highlights: Sights from Friday

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Check out more sights and sounds captured by our photographers on the second day of Lolla here.

DAY 2: Music reviews

For the second day, Lollapalooza audiences packed Grant Park to hear their favorite artists perform live. Here’s a look at reviews from Friday’s performances by Mick Jenkins, tobi lou and many more.

Read all the day’s reviews here.

DAY 1 highlights: Sights from Thursday

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Check out more sights and sounds captured by our photographers on the first day of Lolla here.

Set reviews

DAY 1: Miley Cyrus, Black Pumas, Orville Peck, Playboi Carti, Jimmy Eat World

Starting her Lollapalooza headlining set with “We Can’t Stop” (preaching the general theme of “it’s my party and I’ll do what I want to”), Miley Cyrus set the tone early on: It would be one helluva time and she would be making all the rules. In following those two tenets, the genre-bending star dominated the festival’s opening night.

There were fireworks, some memorable covers, a motley crew of guests, moments of nearly flashing the videofeed cameras, and the artist taking a stand on the important of freeing Britney Spears. During Cyrus’ performance Thursday of her hit “SMS (Bangerz),” which features Spears, the jumbo screens next to the stage broadcast the trending #freebritney message superimposed with caricatures of handcuffs. (Cyrus recently championed Spears’ conservatorship emancipation at a show in Vegas too.)

Read all of Selena Fragassi’s reviews from Thursday here.

Lightfoot takes the stage: ‘Thank you for masking up and vaxing up’

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has been outspoken about her decision to keep Lollapalooza as scheduled despite the uptick in cases of COVID-19 and numerous variants spreading around the country, made a not-so-surprise appearance on the festival’s opening day.

Wearing a Black Pumas T-shirt, she introduced the group’s midday set at the T-Mobile Stage and hailed the Pumas as one of the greatest rock bands of today.

“The rate of vaccination in this crowd is off the charts,” she said.

Read the full story here.

First Lolla fans optimistic as 2021 festival kicks off amid COVID-19 precautions

Thousands of fans streamed into Grant Park Thursday marking the return of Lollapalooza after COVID-19 halted last year’s iteration of the 30-year-old music festival. While some fans said they were slightly worried about COVID-19, many expressed confidence in Lollapalooza’s new protocols.

But not everyone knew about the vaccine mandate in order to attend the music festival.

Read the full story here.

Lolla signs warn attendees they assume risk for COVID-19

The thousands of people entering Lollapalooza on Thursday are being greeted by signs explaining something that’s not included on their public health and safety website: By attending the festival, “you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19,” which they mention “can lead to severe illness and death.”

Read the full story here.

Must-see acts to check out

Some of the names on the Lolla lineup are a lot bigger than others. Selena Fragassi parses through the dozens of bands and artists to break down 10 must-see acts that attendees won’t want to miss this weekend. Here’s what Fragassi says about one of the festival’s earliest performers, Orville Peck:

No one exactly knows who this incognito Canadian country singer is (his trademark look is a long, fringed mask and cowboy hat) but the boudoir-looking John Wayne has heaped tons of due praise in his few years on the scene. Both for crafting a highly contagious psychedelic outlaw sound that refreshes the genre and for being an LGBTQ iconoclast whose work with Trixie Mattel and Gaga will soon put him in a new league.

Check out all of our recommended shows here.

How to watch performances live online

Unlike past years, Hulu is the exclusive live streaming partner for Lollapalooza 2021. All Hulu subscribers will be able to watch live performances for free as part of their subscriptions. Complete streaming schedules for all four days are already up on Hulu’s website, although they warn that set times are subject to change.

How will COVID-19 affect the festival?

With coronavirus case figures rising across the country amid lagging vaccination rates and the emergence of the Delta variant, Lollapalooza put in place security measures to help make the festival safer.

For those attending the festival, a vaccination card or proof of negative COVID-19 test will be required for entry. Get more information on how that’ll work here.

Chicago’s top health official, Dr. Alison Arwady, said Tuesday that the city’s virus situation is in “good control” ahead of the festival. However, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said recently that she would not hesitate to impose measures in Chicago such as face covering requirements if the city’s daily caseload keeps rising — and Arwady said she expects “some cases” of COVID-19 to result from the festival being held.

Lineup and schedule

Complete daily schedules for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday can be found here.

The after-show lineup includes Modest Mouse, Journey, Jimmy Eat World and Freddie Gibbs. Check out the complete list of official Lolla after-shows here.

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Anthony Rizzo was an emotional basket case, but so were a lot of us.

It was the top of the fifth inning in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, the Cubs were beating Cleveland 4 to 1, and Rizzo, leaning over catcher David Ross in the dugout, could hardly contain himself. The Cubs were closing in on their first championship in 108 years.

“I can’t control myself right now. I’m trying my best,” Rizzo told Ross, a seasoned veteran called “Grandpa.” “I’m emotional … I’m an emotional wreck.”

“It’s only gonna get worse,” Ross counseled. “Just continue to breathe.”

We all continued to breathe. The Cubs won. Happy people cried.

The Cubs haven’t won another World Series since, despite an embarrassment of once-young talent, and to this day we’re not sure why. We always figured we were watching a dynasty in the making. But we’ll leave that to the sportswriters.

Today, as three more core members of that great and thoroughly entertaining team move on, we’d just like to say farewell and thank you. You broke the Cubbie curse and that, for many of us, was winning enough.

First baseman Rizzo, a Cub since 2012, is headed to the New York Yankees. They’ll love him in that town. Third baseman Kris Bryant, a Cub since 2015, is headed to the San Francisco Giants. Shortstop Javier Baez, a Cub since 2014, is headed to the New York Mets. If New Yorkers think Broadway is fun, they haven’t seen Baez run the bases.

Except when up against the Cubs or Sox, may they all fare well.

Send letters to [email protected].

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Oliver Tree is a rising pop star. I convinced my friends to see him over Hannah Montana, Illenium, and Steve Aoki. They left early because the show got too weird for them.

I stayed and watched. Here’s a brief recap of Oliver Tree’s absolutely bizarre and entertaining Lollapalooza 2021 set—including the part about the 8-foot alien rapper named Ricky.

(1) Oliver opened with his impeccable track “Forget It” produced by Getter.

2. The Santa Cruz native then switched back and forth between a bald skin cap and his never re-trending 90s mushroom cut. He’s also wearing a 90s kid winter jacket for the first 20 minutes. His band is all wearing the same getup.

3. Oliver played some more tracks then invited a guest on stage which ended up actually being an 8-foot alien rapper named Ricky. At some point during this entire series of odd, odd events he referred to Lollapalooza as “Coachella.” Two separate times.

4. Ricky, the alien rapper, was then kicked off the stage after attacking Oliver for stopping him during Ricky’s impromptu mixtape self-promotion.

5. Yes, things turned even more bizarre. Oliver Tree spent the next 30 seconds changing wardrobes behind a sheet on stage, then experienced a western demonization and revealed himself as a possessed cowboy. Although I did enjoy the music he played (off his upcoming album “Cowboy Tears”), it was overly suggestive to be some type of Orville Peck mockery (the masked country singer who played earlier that day). Is it just me, or does that seem like a lot of work for an artist who tried to cancel two days before the festival?

Tried to cancel my Lollapalooza set but my agents said it’s too late so come see my show tomorrow night at 9pm on the Groove stage! pic.twitter.com/UHQfaWcftN

— Oliver Tree (@Olivertree) July 28, 2021

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6. Still in his possessed cowboy attire, Oliver brought a cartoon-sized guitar on stage. I would estimate this thing weighs like 350-500 pounds. Don’t quote me on that. I’m a writer, not a weight-guesser okay, give me a break.

7. Played his banging track “Cash Machine.” On Spotify’s little fun facts that pop up, I learned that Oliver keeps everything he owns in one suitcase. “Cash Machine” is really an anthem for anti-consumerism and not being materialistic as shit.

8. I saw fireworks across the way from Illenium, and decided to catch the last 10 minutes, away from the incredibly trippy experience that was Oliver Tree’s Lollapalooza set.

Holy shit 😳

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The Bears might end up at Arlington Park, but the ponies won’t be there next year.

As the corporate owner of the historic suburban oval mulls bids from the Chicago Bears and other potential buyers, the deadline passed Friday afternoon for the track to apply with state regulators for a racing license in 2022 — guaranteeing there won’t be horse racing in Arlington Heights next year.

Under state law, tracks have to apply with the Illinois Racing Board by the end of July for specific racing dates the following year. No application was submitted by Arlington International Racecourse, meaning its final race day, Sept. 25, could be its last ever.

Arlington President Tony Petrillo said the inaction was “consistent” with the owner Churchill Downs’ strategy for a track that is at “an economic disadvantage in a hypersensitive market” — but he insisted the company isn’t out of the horse racing game altogether. They’re considering building another race course somewhere else in the state, according to Petrillo, who couldn’t offer any specifics.

“There’s been no decision to abandon thoroughbred racing,” he said.

Either way, there won’t be any racing at Arlington next spring.

Rich Hein/Sun-Times

Churchill Downs first signaled the end a year ago when CEO Bill Carstanjen suggested there was “a higher and better purpose” for the 326 acres containing the 93-year-old track, and refused to commit to racing beyond 2021.

After months of denying the park was for sale, Arlington was officially put on the block in February, and the Bears announced last month they’d submitted a bid in order “to further evaluate the property and its potential” as the site of a new stadium.

Carstanjen said during a quarterly earnings call Thursday that “we’re very excited” at the opportunity to “monetize” Arlington, and that the corporation is “working through the process to select the final winning bid.”

John Starks/Daily Herald via AP

Trainers and owners of horses that run at Arlington had held out hope the track would at least apply for 2022 racing dates “to preserve the possibility of future racing at the track,” but slammed what they call the corporation’s “campaign to sabotage future gaming opportunities at Arlington Park.”

“Churchill Downs is writing the book on bad faith, so this latest move is disappointing but not surprising,” Mike Campbell, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, said in a statement.

Representatives for the corporation declined to comment.

The association has been viciously at odds with Churchill Downs for nearly two years since the track announced it wouldn’t apply for a newly authorized state license to operate as a “racino” with slot machines and table games.

The company had lobbied for that privilege for decades to help save the shrinking horse racing industry, but it complained of high taxes and backed out after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a massive gambling expansion into law in the summer of 2019.

Churchill Downs also owns Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, which is a 25-minute drive away from the track — and by far the most lucrative casino in Illinois.

“Churchill’s commitment to stopping any gaming at Arlington from competing with Rivers is the worst kept secret in Illinois,” Campbell said. “It’s clear that Churchill Downs cares exclusively about corporate profit and that all other considerations are incidental.”

John Smierciak/AP file

Petrillo confirmed the track sent out layoff notices to employees last week, but didn’t have an exact number. The Daily Herald reported about 300 people will be jobless after the season.

While the dream of a new Bears stadium has drawn the most attention, it’s still possible horse racing could return to Arlington. The only other public bidding group is led by former Arlington president Roy Arnold and also includes the downtown mega-developer Sterling Bay.

Their bid, which is backed by the horse trainers and owners, calls for a minor league hockey stadium, housing development and entertainment district alongside the track.

Sun-Times Media

Even if selected, they’d have to wait at least till next year to apply for a racing license, barring a change in state law.

It wouldn’t be the first time Arlington missed a year of racing. Former track owner Dick Duchoissois pulled the plug on the 1998 and ’99 racing seasons in an effort to pressure state lawmakers into passing legislation giving the state’s tracks a leg up on competition from Illinois’ then-new riverboat casinos.

But if Churchill Downs passes on the Arnold-Sterling Bay offer, it could leave Illinois’ struggling horse racing industry with just two tracks: Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney and Fairmount Park in downstate Collinsville. About 10 tracks were operating in the state during the sport’s heyday in the 1940’s and ’50s.

Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said from the city’s most recent discussions with Churchill Downs, a sale decision “doesn’t seem imminent.”

“It’s unfortunate that it seems like we won’t have racing next year, but perhaps the year after that,” Hayes said. “It certainly will have an impact on our community. It’ll be different.”

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ESPN called it the “wildest [Major League Baseball] trade deadline in years.”

But wait: This was on Thursday night.

Then came Friday, when, shoot, maybe it would be easier to just list the things that didn’t happen. For example: The Cubs’ front office didn’t dispatch minions to drop sticks of dynamite into the mailboxes of every fan of the team. That was really nice. And — unless we missed something in all the deadline tumult — the Cubs didn’t raise ticket prices in the soul-sucking moments after trading away a bunch of the best players in club history. That was super thoughtful.

Look, I know gallows humor isn’t for everybody. But sometimes it just feels like the only way to go.

Not to be confused with Gallo humor, by the way. That’s what some Rangers undoubtedly are dabbling in after the deadline trades of All-Stars Joey Gallo to the Yankees and Kyle Gibson to the Phillies. How sad for them, but — come on — it’s nickel-dimer stuff compared to the suffering in Cubdom.

A trade deadline unlike any other will be memorable in part because the mighty Dodgers took pitcher Max Scherzer and infielder Trea Turner from the white-flag Nationals, turning a championship-caliber roster into a truly all-time-great one.

In New York, the headlines are as big and bold as it gets. Lefty boppers Gallo and Anthony Rizzo have arrived to take aim at the short porch in right at Yankee Stadium in pursuit of World Series title No. 28. The inimitable Javy Baez is incoming to join forces in the middle of the Mets infield with superstar and longtime friend Francisco Lindor.

And here, of course, we have our World Series-or-bust White Sox, who added Craig Kimbrel to a bullpen so ferocious, and second baseman Cesar Hernandez to a lineup so deep and dangerous, that we soon will experience three months — and potentially years longer than that — of the goings-on at Guaranteed Rate Field thoroughly overshadowing those at Wrigley Field.

And we’ll spend much time relitigating the trades of late July 2021 between the Sox and Cubs, much as we have their rare but notable past deals. Veteran reliever Ryan Tepera for left-handed prospect Bailey Horn? Sure, fine, whatever. Elite closer Kimbrel for injured second baseman Nick Madrigal — a former first-round pick who has hit over .300 in the big leagues — and power-armed reliever Codi Heuer? It’ll be fun to keep score. (Either way, Chicago got fleeced!)

But before all that: the shock, awe, pain, misery and emptiness felt in some combination and measure by anyone who rose and fell, celebrated and stewed, and most of all deeply enjoyed and appreciated the last half-decade-plus of the Cubs. This is what stands out — above and beyond anything else in baseball — at this monumental moment.

Rizzo, the first key move former Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and current one Jed Hoyer made together when they traded for him in 2012.

Baez, a hugely important first-round pick made in 2011 — before the arrival of the Epstein regime — who would spearhead a prospect core that won it all in 2016. A player so talented, so magnetic, so thrilling, so frustrating, he was the most unique of all the Cubs since the run of winning began in 2015.

Kris Bryant, the cornerstone of the franchise. The best all-around Cubs player since Ernie Banks? I’ll let you fine folks chew on that one. But Bryant’s trade to the Giants minutes under the 3 p.m. gun Friday was a haymaker Cubs fans knew was coming but still couldn’t have been completely prepared for. As excited as they are in San Francisco — and, goodness, they should be — this was the knockout blow in these parts.

The televised video of Bryant finding out in the dugout at Nationals Park that he’d been traded, and then dissolving into tears, will stay with us. The images of Rizzo walking the grounds at Wrigley with his family Thursday, soaking it all in one last time, will, too. Not to mention Baez’s tags, elusive slides and all this historic Cubs trio accomplished together.

To lose them all at once? Plus Kimbrel and several other veterans, leaving the current team a who’s-who of “who?” (And in case Jon Lester and Kyle Schwarber think we didn’t notice them move to the Cardinals and Red Sox, respectively: Oh, we did.)

What a whole hell of a lot.

As it turned out, Epstein didn’t have the stomach for this part of the process. He probably knew it was inevitable.

Say this for Hoyer: He dove right into the deadline bloodbath. He bears some scars now. His career won’t ever be the same, but his story is far from over.

Feel free to be as ticked off at the Rickettses as you wish. They’ve got all they could count stashed under the family mattress now. Not that responsibility for some terrible free-agent signings and an organizational inability to develop starting pitching belongs in their laps.

Understand: In the end, the Cubs didn’t choose to go in the opposite direction of “going for it.” They didn’t give in. They got buried. Even before they put a joke of a pitching rotation out there for 2021 — to name just one serious team flaw — they were as close to the Dodgers, as close to another World Series, as the Mitch Trubisky-led Bears were to a Super Bowl.

The Cubs didn’t extend the right guys, didn’t spend in the right places and didn’t legitimately contend for as long most of us hoped and thought they would.

Extend, spend, contend — too late for all that.

All we’re left with is the final three letters of each of those words: the “end.”

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Man dies days after he was wounded in parking lot shooting Sunday night in Bronzeville.

About 11:45 p.m., Luis Torres was in a vehicle in a parking lot in the 200 block of West 47th Street when someone fired shots, Chicago police said.

Torres, 28, was shot in the neck and was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

An autopsy released Sunday reported he died of complications from the gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide.

Area One detectives are investigating.

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COVID-19 hospitalizations increased by 35% across Illinois during a week that saw cases jump 46%, public health officials reported Friday.

The state averaged 1,669 new cases per day over the past week, a rate that has ballooned to a level six times higher than seen just a month ago, according to the latest figures released by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The agency reported 2,348 new cases were diagnosed Thursday, the most in a day since May 7.

City health officials said they’d adopt new indoor masking guidelines set by the US. Center for Disease Control and Prevention as cases spike in Chicago, too.

Illinois hospitals are now feeling the brunt of that spike, which experts attribute to the more infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus and its devastating spread through unvaccinated populations.

More than 900 hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients across the state Thursday night, the most since early June. That number had dipped below 400 over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the lowest mark of the pandemic.

And more of those cases are developing into severe ones. Intensive care admissions for coronavirus patients are up 24% over last week and ventilator usage is up 41%, officials said.

After more than a month of increases, the average statewide case positivity rate has held steady for three straight days, but it has soared over 9% across southern regions of the state. Chicago is up to 3% for the first time since late May.

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

The state is still averaging about six COVID-19 deaths per day, which — like the other statewide metrics — is low compared to the peak of the crisis last year.

But any sustained move in the wrong direction is “extremely worrisome,” according to Dr. Rachel Rubin, co-lead of the Cook County Department of Public Health.

“We’re not seeing a significant number of deaths, especially compared to the same time a year ago, for sure. And this is because, generally speaking, healthier individuals are getting infected with COVID. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t spread it to somebody else that is potentially at risk for getting severe complications,” Rubin said.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file

The county has adopted masking recommendations advised a day earlier by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which considers Cook to be at a “substantial” risk level for COVID-19 transmission — like the vast majority of Illinois’ 101 other counties.

The Chicago Department of Public Health said Friday it would follow the new CDC guidelines, too.

“We are taking this step to prevent further spread of the very contagious Delta variant and to protect public health,” city public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement. “This isn’t forever, but it is necessary to help decrease the risk for all Chicagoans right now.”

Under the guidelines, people are advised to wear a mask in indoor public places regardless of vaccination status, but “eventually we may end up having to make it a mandate,” Rubin said.

“That is the next step. That takes a little bit more time. It takes writing an official order, getting the appropriate legal backing in order to be able to do that,” she said. “It’s really a daunting task to be able to monitor all of these facilities, so we’re really hoping for appropriate community support from employers and management and workers and clients and guests in all of the open venues … to cooperate and to follow this guidance.”

More importantly, the CDC’s designation underscores the need to get more people vaccinated, Rubin said.

Just over 72% of eligible Illinoisans have gotten at least one dose, and 56% are fully vaccinated. Vaccination rates are barely half that in some downstate counties.

Any Chicagoan can request an in-home vaccination by calling (312) 746-4835.

For help finding a shot in suburban Cook County, visit cookcountypublichealth.org or call (833) 308-1988. To find other Illinois providers, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

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With new defensive coordinator Sean Desai, the Bears’ style is almost certain to resemble the incredible defense they played under his boss, Vic Fangio, three seasons ago.

But it won’t be an exact replica. The fact that Desai was trained by Fangio was part of what led coach Matt Nagy to promote him, but surely there were offshoots and variations that popped into Desai’s mind during their four seasons together. There will be a heavy Fangio influence, but the system is Desai’s design.

“Vic’s been tremendous for me,” said Desai, who also credited former University of Miami coach Al Golden and others for teaching him. “The philosophies we’re trying to build here as a defense, there’s roots of everybody I’ve worked with.

“Everybody’s voice is a little bit in there, and I think that’s the benefit of it. That’s why I’m my own person [from Fangio]. We’re going to try to do this thing the way these players want to do it and the way these coaches want to do it.”

He echoed Nagy’s call to leave the past in the past. The Bears don’t want to obsess over trying to recapture their 2018 magic, nor do they want to accept the stagnation of the last two seasons as their reality going forward.

That being said, Desai elicits memories of Fangio. While he wants to establish his own brand, six months ago he referred to Fangio as “one of the smartest football minds I’ve ever been around” and said he was “really fortunate” to have studied under him.

“He’ll say something and it will sound just like Vic,” general manager Ryan Pace said this week. “That’s a really good thing.”

Fangio set the standard in 2018, when the Bears’ defense carried them to an NFC North title at 12-4, before taking the head job in Denver.

The Bears were a terrifying takeaway machine. No one could throw on them, no one could run on them and no one could score on them. Safety Eddie Jackson was an all-pro, and outside linebacker Khalil Mack looked like he was worth every penny of his $141 million contract.

Nagy’s demand of Desai is that he restore it. All of it.

The core personnel is intact, led by Mack, and even with its modest decline over the last two seasons, the Bears’ defense is still good. Nagy won six games in which his offense scored 20 points or fewer. It just isn’t what it used to be.

In 2018, Fangio’s last season, this defense was so overpowering that it made people believe the Bears’ offense was decent. Defensive touchdowns and takeaways that set up the offense in field-goal range boosted the team from 22.4 to 26.3 points per game.

The current offense could use a similar boost.

For Desai, just as it was for Fangio, the pass rush is paramount. The 2018 Bears were third in sacks and second in quarterback pressures, and they did it without much blitzing. They were 17th and 23rd, respectively, last season. That led to them allowing a 94.9 opponent passer rating, third-worst in franchise history, and 25th in takeaways.

Their engulfing pass rush in 2018 led to 36 takeaways, a number matched by just three teams in the past decade.

Management left Desai quite a puzzle to solve when it comes to fixing that pass rush, and by extension the defense at large. Outside linebacker Robert Quinn is on a $70 million contract and delivered just two sacks while playing 51% of the snaps (for context, Mack played 83%, and Quinn was at 75% or higher in his prime). And there are injury concerns. And he’d rather be playing defensive end.

“I’ve got an open-door policy, and the players know that,” Desai said. “I jokingly tell them there’s a suggestion box right outside my door. Doesn’t mean every suggestion is going to be taken, but every suggestion will be under consideration.”

Solving the Quinn issue would help clear the way for Mack to reestablish himself as one of the most dominant pass rushers in the NFL. He ranks a respectable 13th in the league with 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons, but the Bears are paying for much more than respectable.

They committed nearly 22% of their salary cap to Mack, Quinn and Hicks and cut costs elsewhere — cornerback, for one — to afford them. They’re counting on Desai to make that pay off in a way that former defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano couldn’t.

Pagano had four decades in football, including 11 as a coordinator or head coach between college and the pros. Desai is a first-timer at 38. It’s a monumental task, and virtually the entire staff’s jobs are on the line. But if Desai has the right combination of new ideas and Fangio hand-me-downs, the pieces are there to make this defense fearsome again.

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Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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