Ex-Bear Annen aiming to restore the roar at Carmel Catholic

Standing on Soldier Field's grass for the national anthem, his Chicago Bears helmet at his side as military jets roared above, is something Blake Annen will remember forever.

“It's hard to beat that environment,” said Annen, a former tight end. “I know a lot of (NFL) teams do the flyovers, but there's something about the Bears, Soldier Field, being in Chicago and having those (jets) go over the stadium.”

The roar at Carmel Catholic's stadium on Friday nights this fall won't be as loud, even if the home fans are fired up for a new era of football. The noise the Mundelein high school made this week, however, was thunderous.

In hiring the 26-year-old Annen, who played five games for the Bears in 2014, Carmel's administration and president Brad Bonham delivered a clear message: It's out with the old culture and in with the brand spanking new. And if some alumni and longtime Carmel football supporters are upset with how the removal of longtime coach and the highly respected Andy Bitto was handled, so be it.

Carmel is moving forward.

“I think they gave Andy a raw deal,” a longtime Carmel teacher and coach told me.

Bitto played for Carmel (Class of 1981), won 142 games in 20 seasons as head coach and a Class 6A state championship in 2003, and his name is synonymous with the program. He remains the Corsairs' athletic director. Technically, he resigned following a 1-8 campaign last fall (his worst season and the fourth time in six years the team missed the playoffs). The truth is, he had little choice.

Carmel assembled a committee to find his replacement and by selecting Annen, who has just one year of coaching experience, they went both outside the school and outside the box. Bitto was not initially part of the interview process but did meet Annen toward the end.

“One of the things I do want to do is sit down with him and see what he envisions going forward,” Annen said. “He's been there for a long time. He knows a ton of people in the community, has a lot of connections and (knows) a lot of things that I think can benefit me, being new and coming into the program.”

The 6-foot-4 Annen grew up in Ohio and played for the University of Cincinnati. After going undrafted in 2014, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles but was cut before the start of the NFL season. After his brief career with the Bears, he spent time on the practice squads of New Orleans, Green Bay and Buffalo, which was his final NFL stop.

“I knew coaching was something I always wanted to get into,” Annen said. “Even back in college I was talking to coaches, and I still talk to some of my (former) coaches, knowing that coaching was something I wanted to pursue when I was done playing.”

An injury when he was with Buffalo allowed him to think more about a future in coaching.

“I was on IR, but I chose to stay there in Buffalo,” Annen said. “What I did was use that as a teaching year. I was able to talk to my coaches. I said, 'I want to coach. Can I sit in your office for five minutes? How do you break down film? How do you go about putting together a game plan, week in and week out?' ”

Annen landed at Lake Forest Academy last year, and the Caxys went 6-1 in their inaugural season of eight-man football. Now, the rugged, young, ex-NFL player is taking over a program that plays in the rugged East Suburban Catholic Conference.

“Not a ton of (coaching) experience, but with the experience that I do have I've been successful,” Annen said. “I think one of the biggest things that I was able to communicate to Carmel and the hiring board was that I am younger. I think I'll be able to communicate with student-athletes there at Carmel.”

That's what he did at LFA, where he allowed his players to get involved in the coaching process. He asked them, for example, what their favorite 3-5 plays were and listened to them.

“How I viewed it when I was a player was, if you like these plays, you're probably good at those plays, which means we'll be successful,” Annen said. “At the end of the day, I don't care what kind of offense, defense or special teams you're going to run. If the kids like it, they buy into it. It gives them a sense of ownership.”

He also knows, at the end of the day, the head coach will decide what offense and defense his team runs.

“Ideally I want to run a pro-style, spread-type offense,” Annen said. “I know (Carmel) has been heavy in the run game (triple option) in the past. Being able to use that down the road could be to our benefit. Obviously you have to be able to run the ball and stop the run to win football games.

“Defensively, I want to run a 3-4, get guys running around and have an active defense and not sit back in the secondary. I want to get up in the face of some of these receivers and not let them run around and do whatever they want.”

Annen, who was the director of football operations at EFT Sports Performance in Highland Park, will work full-time in admissions for Carmel. Putting together a staff is a priority for him. Some veteran coaches won't be back. Some might.

“Obviously I have guys in mind that are going to be new to the building that I want to bring in,” Annen said. “But at the same time, there are some guys that have been on the staff that have a ton of experience.”

Carmel has hired a bright guy, who appreciates the confidence the administration has shown in him. Now he has to prove he's the right guy.

jaguilar@dailyherald.com

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