Chicago Bears: How to Fix Their Passing Game
Published by Bryan Dietzler on October 20, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
As we all know, the Bears’ passing game is leaving a lot to be desired. The legacy of this ineptitude began with the arrival of quarterback Jay Cutler last year. There was so much promise and hope that the Bears would finally have a passing game that could rival those of such teams as Green Bay and Minnesota. It appeared as if the Bears would be scoring a lot of points, gaining a ton of yards and getting into the playoffs.
Under last year’s offensive coordinator Ron Turner, the Bears didn’t show much in terms of passing the ball. Cutler threw a lot of interceptions, some of them because he was trying to force the ball or didn’t see the defender closing in on the ball while it was in the air. He ended up with a lot of interceptions and the Bears ended up with a losing record.
Enter Mike Martz, well known for his “Greatest Show on Turf” offense of the St. Louis Rams. Remember what he did for Kurt Warner? He took a guy who had no real previous NFL talent and turned him into a Hall of Fame quarterback. Surely he could do something with Cutler a guy who had a lot more experience and talent than Warner did when Martz first got a hold of him.
The preseason started off with a lot of promise and players in training camp stated how much they liked the new offense and that it really wasn’t hard to learn. Both Cutler and Martz exclaimed that they were getting along with each other very well and that things were headed in the right direction. It looked like smooth sailing for the Bears.
Then came the preseason. We saw a big debacle in the preseason with the offensive line’s ability to protect Cutler. In every game during the preseason, Cutler was hurried, sacked and hit. Things didn’t look good for the Bears coming out of those first few games.
Then we entered the regular season and the Bears had three games in which their offense played pretty well. Keep in mind this was pretty much the same group that had played together on the offensive line (starting) before injuries and player changes started to come. After that (from the New York Giants game on) the offensive line has suffered greatly and don’t look like the same unit that started the season (because they aren’t).
So how do you fix the Bears’ problems in the passing game? Is it already too late? Here are some suggestions for Lovie Smith, Mike Martz and Mike Tice.
1. Run the Football
This one is a no-brainer. The Bears had a lot of success doing this against the Carolina Panthers, but really haven’t run the ball in any other game so far this season. Running the ball will help get some of the pressure off of Cutler and open up other options for the Bears including the play-action pass.
Defenses would also have to be aware of the running game and wouldn’t rush so many players (from different positions) during the game for fear that the Bears may end up breaking a long run. Chicago has to run the football so that this kind of thing can happen.
2. Pick a Line Combination and Stick With It
Granted, this is hard when it comes to injuries but really, the Bears should look to stick with one group of linemen for the rest of the season. Moving guys in and out of the lineup on a regular basis isn’t helping things at all. The offensive linemen need to be able to learn the tendencies of one another and learn how to work together as a unit just like any other unit on the field does and perhaps more.
Switching players around all of the time is going to hinder cohesion and confuse the offense. This is exactly what is happening to the Bears now.
3. Short Drops
Cutler needs to take more three-step drops with his receiver running some quick routes to help him get the ball down the field. Granted, they may not be big gains but at least the Bears will move the ball. The problem with this is that could leave the Bears in a lot of third-down situations. This isn’t ideal for a team that struggles converting third downs.
The Bears do have some fast wide receivers and they should be able to get pretty far down the field by the time Cutler takes his third step and has to make his decision as to where to throw the ball. If they can create after the catch as well then there shouldn’t be too much of a problem getting a first down.
4. Utilize the Tight End Over the Middle
The Bears had a lot of success running tight end Greg Olsen up the middle early on in the season and they need to get back to doing that again. He has the speed to beat most linebackers and safeties on that part of the field and if Cutler can find him then he can dump it off to him quickly and let him do his stuff.
Chicago has to find the right weapons to do the job and Olsen is one of those weapons so they need to use him.
If the Bears could just heed some of this advice they could certainly find a way to win games and win them in a much better fashion than they have before. They need the passing game but they also need their quarterback healthy and playing well. If they can’t figure out a way to protect him however, he won’t last the season.
Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com
