Bears Blitz

Published by Bear Heiser on December 21, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman had hoped the quarterback change from Jay Cutler to Jimmy Clausen would provide some sort of “spark” for his offense.

After seeing the Bears go out and lose 20-14 to the Detroit Lions, giving Chicago its 10th loss of the season, it’s pretty clear the change was sparkless. Trestman’s seemingly helpless offense tied a season low for points, scoring just 14 for the third time this season.

Trestman’s attempt to show the NFL world that his “system” isn’t broken didn’t work, not even in the slightest. The only thing the quarterback proved is that Trestman no longer should be the head coach of the Bears.

Clausen finished 23-of-37 for 181 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a quarterback rating of 77.0. Those numbers are fairly Cutler-like, right?

Sure, Clausen had to deal with a few drops, but so has Cutler, as the Bears have averaged a shade under two drops per game this season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Adam Jahns:

Despite the reality of what happened Sunday on the field, Trestman took to the podium after the game and spewed the same jargon he’s been spewing all season long.

“Yeah,” Trestman said when asked if Clausen provided a spark for the Bears.

He went on to say: “I think that Jimmy, as the game went on, continued to get more comfortable. We were able to balance it out a little bit, give him some help with some runs. We didn’t necessarily help him the way we could today.”

It hardly matters if Clausen became more comfortable as the game went on. What’s interesting is the fact that the Bears finally had some balance, after how many weeks of the head coach telling the media that he wants a well-balanced offense?

The Bears ran the ball 22 times for 64 yards with Clausen under center against the NFL’s top rushing defense.

“To run the ball like we did today was a very good thing for us,” Clausen said on Sunday’s balance. “Whether it was three yards or two yards, just to move the line of scrimmage in that direction was a good thing.”

Clausen’s take on the run game is what we’ve been saying all season. Running the ball, even at two or three yards per attempt, serves a purpose. It keeps the defense on its heels. 

When Cutler started against the Lions on Thanksgiving, the Bears ran the ball only eight times. Cutler attempted 48 passes in four quarters of football. As you would expect, the Bears lost the game and effectively lost the season.

It’s not like Trestman’s desire for balance is new; he’s been talking about it all season. So why does he suddenly decide to run the ball 22 times against a team that allows the fewest rush yards in the league?

Offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport two weeks ago that Cutler rarely checks out of bad run plays at the line of scrimmage, according to the Chicago Tribune (subscription required), h/t NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal. So if that’s the case, then how many of the Bears’ eight runs against the Lions on Thanksgiving were bad calls at the line by Cutler?

Cutler averaged 6.9 yards per attempt in his 14 starts this season, when the Bears featured the most lopsided run-pass balance in the NFL. Clausen, with a somewhat balanced offense, averaged just 4.1 yards per attempt.

While Clausen played decently given it was his first start since the 2010 season, Trestman said the playbook was pretty similar to what Cutler has run in the past:

“I don’t know that it was that different. Because it was a shorter week, we cut down the quantity of plays in the game plan and just match it up against things we’ve seen Detroit do defensively and try to give him the things he would need, the packages he would need to get it done.”

Without trying to sound like an over-the-top conspiracy theorist, it kind of seems like Trestman has been wanting Clausen to play all along.

If Trestman, Kromer or anyone else inside Halas Hall had a problem with Cutler’s decision-making at the line of scrimmage, then the offense would have been scaled down in an effort to limit his mistakes. 

While it’s extremely unlikely that a head coach would sabotage his quarterback, it’s hard to not look at Trestman’s track record of play-calling and not have some serious doubts as to whether this guy can be successful in a ruthless league such as the NFL. The onus here is on Trestman and him only.

If you need more reason to think Trestman isn’t the man for the job, consider his response when asked what he’d like to see in the final week of the season:

“Practice well enough to win the game on Sunday. That’s the focus. There’s only one goal, one option here.”

Practice? Really? Don’t listen to the saying; practice does not make perfect. There is no such thing. Trestman has gushed all season about his team’s practice habits, yet Chicago has 10 losses and was eliminated from the postseason weeks ago.

Trestman is a very wise man who picks and chooses his words carefully. The fact that he continues to think that the way his team practices is a joke in itself.

The great Winston Churchill once said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”

How does this apply to the Bears? Well, the Bears don’t change. Come on now. The Trestman-coached team has produced a similar combination platter of hot garbage at least 10 times this season. That number likely will move to 11 after next week’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

As for who will be under center in Week 17 for the Bears, Trestman wasn’t ready to commit to a quarterback, saying he’ll make that decision later in the week after his team returns to practice on Tuesday.

Maybe that’s what Trestman and Clausen were talking about on the sideline in the game’s waning moments:

All quotes were pulled from press conference transcripts unless otherwise noted.

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