What Would Ron Turner Do? Looking at the Past As Present
Published by Michael Rushton on May 8, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The year is 2006. Optimism is in the air around Halas Hall as the Chicago Bears’ defensive performance in 2005 had just propelled them into the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Particularly excited is Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner.
After waiting for years through several disappointing season-ending injuries to his anticipated starter, Rex Grossman—one of the Bears’ first round picks in 2003, and having been relegated to operating a severely limited version of his playbook with a rookie Kyle Orton at the helm, Turner is finally ready open up the playbook in the way he had envisioned it when taking over as the Bears’ Offensive Coordinator for a second stint in 2005.
Despite the well-documented ups and downs of Grossman’s stint that year as the starting QB, he managed to turn the previously lethargic Bears offense into somewhat of a revelation—tied for second in the league in total points scored with Peyton Manning’s eventual Super Bowl champions, the Indianapolis Colts.
The Bears offense that year managed to exceed all expectations and although Rex Grossman’s wildly inconsistent play often grabbed the headlines, the 2006 Chicago Bears would never had made it to the Super Bowl without a 180-degree turn around from the previous years anemic production.
Old news, right? We all know the story. Why relive it?
Well, in order to get an idea of what the Bears’ offense could look like with Jay Cutler under center, it might be instructive to go back to the beginning half of 2006 in order to see what Turner’s version of the West Coast Offense looked like with a big armed, pocket passer manning the QB position.
The West Coast Offense vs. Air Coryell
The most recognizable, or Bill Walsh inspired, WCO can simply be described as one that utilizes a short, horizontal passing game to set up a vertical running game, with the occasional deep shot mixed in to prevent the defense from shortening up their zones.
It requires a QB that can do three things-
1) Assess a play at the line of scrimmage to get it to the right receiver in a typical three to five-step drop.
2) Have good accuracy and touch in the short to medium passing range.
3) Ideally, he has the ability to stretch the field with accurate deep balls to his speedier receivers. Although the system doesn’t rely on the vertical passing attack, it helps immensely to keep the defenses honest and opens up the draw and pitch plays in the running attack.
Typically, the offensive line needs to be smaller and quicker in the zone pass protection schemes the WCO demands, rather than the mauler type offensive lineman in a typical power running attack. The term “sticky” or “tacky” has often been ascribed to the qualities a good WCO lineman needs to have.
The FB and HB are used often in the passing game to pick up blitzing defenders, but also to have to be accounted for as a route running threats in the passing game. All skill positions need to have excellent route running capabilities since the passes are largely timing based with the QB throwing to a “spot” on the field.
2007-2008
The 2007-’08 versions of the Bears ran a hybrid WCO that utilized elements of a power rushing attack with the more recognizable, short passing game of the WCO.
There are a few inherent flaws with this hybridization, though.
A) You are asking smaller, zone blocking offensive linemen to power the the football between the tackles—not necessarily something they are physically programmed to do.
B) Without even the threat of a vertical passing game, the defense can play short zone pass protections and stack eight men in the box to counter the power rushing attack and short to mid throws that can move chains.
In this scenario, you have to utilize your TE’s and RB’s to create personnel mismatches in the passing game—which Orton, particularly in 2008, was able to use to his advantage.
2006
When Rex Grossman operated the offense in 2006, Ron Turner’s offense began morphing into something more identified with the Air Coryell offense—a scheme predicated on running the ball between the tackles and then making the defense pay for the run with a strong vertical passing game that accentuates a big armed QB’s ability to make surgical strikes down the deep middle of the field with speedy WR’s.
The basic difference can be summarized by read and progression emphasis.
In Walsh’s WCO, the QB’s first reads are in the short passing routes- quick slants, outs, hitches, etc…while keeping one eye out later for a deep strike.
The hope here is to nickel and dime a defense to death, get them to hitch up their defense, and then make them pay with a well-timed deep strike.
A QB in an Air Coryell based scheme is looking for the exact opposite- streaks, posts, fades, and deep in’s and out’s have primacy. Then, if they are covered deep, you look to your HB and underneath crossing routes from TE’s or WR’s to pick up some yardage and keep the chains moving.
The best example of this philosophy comes courtesy of Mike Martz and the 90’s era, “Greatest Show on Turf”, St. Louis Rams.
The Grossman lead offense had an immediate impact as Bears fans for the first time in years were bedazzled by Grossman’s rocket arm being able to find receivers down the field, gouging defenses for huge pick ups in the middle of the field while taking advantage of mis-plays and coverage break downs along the sidelines to optimize deep play potential.
The Past As Present- What To Look For in ’09
So, here we are in 2009. The Bears managed to pull off one of the biggest trades in league history by picking up disgruntled QB Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a couple of first round picks, QB Kyle Orton, and a third rounder.
There has been an inordinate amount of back and forth and debate as to whether Jay Cutler will be able to replicate the success he had with the Broncos as a Chicago Bear.
A large part of that argument depends on how the Bears’ offensive game planning will morph with a QB like Cutler behind center, along with the other tools the Bears currently have on their roster.
I certainly don’t have the answers to all of those questions, but I do think that we can make a handful of inferences as to how this offense will operate based on what we’ve seen from Ron Turner and his flirtations with the Air Coryell system in the past.
1) The Bears are focused on improving their running attack by beefing up their offensive line and reverting back to the sort of two-pronged rushing attack that Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson were able to work so capably in ’06.
2) Look for Forte to occupy an expanded Thomas Jones role, taking approximately two-thirds to three-fourths of the touches, with Kevin Jones playing a much larger role in the rushing and passing attack this season.
3) We can be fairly certain that Ron Turner will be begin to revert back to ’06 form as far as allowing his QB’s reads and progressions to be focused down the middle of the field. You don’t sell your house for a Lambo and not drive it, after all.
4) Look for Olsen to continue to line up both inside and out to create mismatches—if he’s being played by a LB, look for him to be taking shots deep down the field and look for Cutler to be looking for him- a lot.
5) Look for Hester to begin to fill the void left by the departure of Bernard Berrian as a pure speed threat down the field and along the sidelines, but also as a dangerous receiver in space if Cutler gets flushed out of the pocket and the opposing secondary’s coverage begins to break down.
6) Look for Bennett and Iglesias to get a lot playing time to run those intermediary possession-style routes and expect all three receivers to be lined up all over the field, particularly Bennett.
7) Look for a healthy dose of misdirection and boot leg play-action passing. Turner attempted to integrate this as major part of the playbook in 2007 when it became apparent that Grossman struggled with his ability to pick up blitzes and stunts up the middle of the box by opposing defenses.
It didn’t have the anticipated effect due to Grossman’s inherent lack of mobility and poor passing accuracy while rolling out of the backfield.
Because of Cutler’s athleticism, this should play to his strengths and was used prolifically during his two years starting in Denver. You can plan on seeing it again here in Chicago, with improved results.
8) As the season progresses, don’t be surprised by a healthy dose of Johnny Knox. The Bears’ Fifth Round draft choice at WR, he could see a lot of time in the slot in three WR passing situations.
The guy is a speed demon who apparently has a real set of hands. The temptation for Turner to field both he and Hester on the field at the same time will be too much to pass up once he feels Knox has a firm grasp of the play book and is playing at NFL speed.
Conclusions?
I’m not much of a prognosticator and this isn’t the aim of the article. As far as what kind of results these trends will bring about? No idea. But I do know that the Bears’ current offensive personnel, combined with a look at Ron Turner’s past strategies, might allow them, and Bears fans, to start thinking about 2006 all over again.
