LAKE FOREST – At age 24, Stephen Paea is almost four decades younger than Rod Marinelli.

Yet it is the 63-year-old Marinelli who lights a fire under his young defensive tackle.

“His love for the game is tremendous,” Paea said while trying to catch his breath after practice this week at Halas Hall. “I haven’t seen anybody that die-hard [about] football. He’s a fan of the game, he loves the game, and he coaches it. Mentally, he is ready every day. If our leader of our defense does that, we’re trying to be like him.”