Jordan Howard

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Is it me or does it appear the Bears are trying to figure out what life would be like without Jordan Howard on the team?  I couldn’t help but notice that once Kyle Long went down with an injury the Bears didn’t elevate another Olman from the practice squad, instead they brought up RB Taquan Mizzel.  And not only that but his playing time seems to be increasing, to include him starting in the last game.  

I somewhat agree with another’s observation that Howard looks like he’s lost interest.   And Yes I get that Jordan is needed for games in inclement weather and the like but it doesn’t seem Nagy completely agrees with that notion.  

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I don't feel they have moving on from Howard in their minds yet. I think what we are seeing is Nagy giving Mitchell Trubisky every opportunity to grow and learn this offense and that is why we see the plays we do. Nagy was brought here to develop MT. Nagy has said it will take a year to learn just the concepts, so he is shoving as much down as he can. MT wins SBs, RBs are compliments. 

[BearFan PHX]

34 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

I don't feel they have moving on from Howard in their minds yet. I think what we are seeing is Nagy giving Mitchell Trubisky every opportunity to grow and learn this offense and that is why we see the plays we do. Nagy was brought here to develop MT. Nagy has said it will take a year to learn just the concepts, so he is shoving as much down as he can. MT wins SBs, RBs are compliments. 

I totally agree. Howard is not going to get 25 carries for 100 yards in this offense. That doesnt mean he doesnt have a role in our offense. Can I imagine Howard preferring to become a free agent and go to a team that runs the ball in a traditional way when his contract is up? Sure I can. But I can also see him sticking around to win a Super Bowl and be able to walk and still bend his knees when he is 50.

It all depends on how much of a team player Howard is by instinct. I dont mean the lip service and professionalism you have to "whatever they ask me" because howard has shown plenty of that, so I am not questioning his character. Juat that when the decision is fairly his, what will he choose.

Let's wait for the snow.

Also, once the offense is working, Howard will be the guy who eats the 4th quarter to preserve a lead.

[BearFan2000]

I like Howard a lot, and we and Nagy know what he can do.  Previous seasons he was the offense on a Bears team where opponents KNEW he was all we had.  That speaks volumes to his value as a RB.  And it is frustrating to see him being underused considering what he's capable of.  Howard isn't the type of back that excels in spot duty, he's a momentum reps type runner that needs volume to get on track.  But at the same time I agree that play calling thus far has been more focused on developing Mitch, and that means more passing than smash mouth.  We've seen games this season where Jordon is involved in the game and others where he's nearly game scripted out.  From his perspective I can understand some frustration knowing he can contribute but not getting the opportunities that he'd like.  This season is all about the process of installing, and growing the offense, finding this teams identity.  It's possible Nagy sees Howard as an Ace in the hole.  Leaning more on the pass and developing that part of the offense can help loosen up defenses to utilize the running game more as the season winds down and we get more into the colder weather. I remember something about Nagy wanting our offense to be versatile, and able to beat teams in different ways rather than one trick pony.  And clearly coming into this season the passing game had a lot further to improve over last year than the run game.  I too can understand though if Jordan leaves town at the end of his contract, but it's also possible that by seasons' end he may be more regularly involved and we're having a different conversation.  

[AZ54]

55 minutes ago, BearFan2000 said:

I like Howard a lot, and we and Nagy know what he can do.  Previous seasons he was the offense on a Bears team where opponents KNEW he was all we had.  That speaks volumes to his value as a RB.  And it is frustrating to see him being underused considering what he's capable of.  Howard isn't the type of back that excels in spot duty, he's a momentum reps type runner that needs volume to get on track.  But at the same time I agree that play calling thus far has been more focused on developing Mitch, and that means more passing than smash mouth.  We've seen games this season where Jordon is involved in the game and others where he's nearly game scripted out.  From his perspective I can understand some frustration knowing he can contribute but not getting the opportunities that he'd like.  This season is all about the process of installing, and growing the offense, finding this teams identity.  It's possible Nagy sees Howard as an Ace in the hole.  Leaning more on the pass and developing that part of the offense can help loosen up defenses to utilize the running game more as the season winds down and we get more into the colder weather. I remember something about Nagy wanting our offense to be versatile, and able to beat teams in different ways rather than one trick pony.  And clearly coming into this season the passing game had a lot further to improve over last year than the run game.  I too can understand though if Jordan leaves town at the end of his contract, but it's also possible that by seasons' end he may be more regularly involved and we're having a different conversation.  

There is no doubt improving the passing game is Nagy's focus.  However the Bears have the 11th most rushing plays in the NFL.  Nagy is not disregarding the run plays but he is definitely sharing the workload among his RBs.  There are some extenuating circumstances for Howards poor YPC such as some games where he's just grinding out the clock on back to back possessions.  Still it's clear he's not seeing things as well in this offense and his favorite off-tackle stretch plays more often than not seem to go to Cohen.  Howard is a very good back but he's not one to bounce a play from a closed hole in the planned gap to an open hole in the next gap, much less two gaps over.   In short, there's no jump cut.  Kareem Hunt has a lot of similarities to Howard but I think he has a little more lateral quickness.   I think this offseason we are likely to add an Alvin Kamara type RB.  

[Stinger226]

I think installing the new offense is more about boasting the passing game than pushing the running game and it sometimes gets lost in transition Short passes replaces a lot of running plays. Howard has a role it just isnt the focus. I also think the lack of a FB and inline TE blocking has contributed to an efficient effective running game. The fact is we are scoring at a much better rate than the last two years when Howard was more the focal point . I think once the offense is up to speed we will see more efficient running plays. Nagy is learning his job as well as MT is learning his job. I think Sheenan getting up to speed will help. Most games the offense is going well but there will be a time when we will need Howard. We are on here complaining about we dont run the ball well, yet we are 5th in the league in scoring and have a more diverse set of weapons. I think it has been so long that we have seen a good team we dont know how to act. One thing is this is the first time I have seen us develop a QB and we lack the patience for MT to have his good games and also his bad games. Barring a turn on the health of the team, the offense has a boner and it doesnt have to take Viagra, win win.