Offensive Scheme Breakdowns

[AZ54]

This is long but he goes over the various type of running plays the Packers ran and Getsy is almost certainly going to follow.   It seems clear St Brown was brought here moreso as a run blocker than pass receiver.  That's not necessarily bad as long as he can contribute some as a WR.  You'll also get to see some of the limitations Lucas Patrick has but those should be less impactful at C.  There is a similar video breakdown for the passing game I have yet to watch but will post here in this thread.  

 

[AZ54]

Passing game breakdown

 

 

[AZ54]

After watching both videos the decision to draft Velus seems like a perfect complimentary fit for this offense.  I was focused on finding an X WR but it appears Jones is the chess piece that makes the play fakes (or not) something the defense has to react to.  There are some very simple route concepts where Fields can get him the ball in space and let him do his YAC thing.  Jones working out of the slot on those deep sideline routes makes a lot of sense too.  It's a simple rub concept where his speed really challenges a DB to keep up with him through. the traffic.  With this offense we simply don't need Velus to execute what might be a more traditional X WR route tree.  On the flip side we have Mooney doing those things, filling the role Adams did for GB.  He's not as good but maybe they view him as good enough.  

Looking back at the draft, we weren't going to get as much production or attention on jet sweep plays/fakes from Skyy Moore or Alec Pierce,  but might have been good with Tyquan Thornton in the same role.   Maybe Poles figured Velus or Thornton would be there in the 3rd?  Afterall, what role are the Patriots going to use Thornton (50th pick) for because Mac Jones is not consistently hitting him 50 yards downfield?  Pickens was still on the board too when we chose Brisker and I'd have been happy with him there.   IMO Pickens skillset would be a better fit in the role Adams had but again, it appears they are content with Mooney.  Would Pickens be happy when he is primarily a blocker or decoy?  Adams was never the WR who routinely won contested catches.  He used quickness to get open and if that failed, as we saw last year after Jaylon Johnson shut him down in the 1st half, the scheme could get him open.  There's no reason to think Mooney won't benefit in the same way.     

As others have shown RBs get a significant chunk of targets and based on what was shown here the rest (Pringle, ESB, Kmet, etc) just as coverage dictates or when plays break down.  I can definitely see Fields ability to run really stressing defenses on some of these play-action plays.  All of this has to start with an effective running game or there is little reason for LBs or anyone to respect the play fakes.  The teamwork on the zone blocking requires practice especially on spots where they have to help chip and then get to the 2nd level.  That is job 1.     

[Stinger226]

It would have been interesting to see if we took Pickens or Thornton if they we still there at 71. Like you said, I dont think Pierce would fit that role. I think maybe Moore has that quickness to do some of that.  I dont think Pickens fits that role.I think the possibility exists we may still had picked Jones at 71 if all of those WRs were still available. Or maybe took Pickens and then with a 5th round pick had targeted a different WR more like Jones. Khalil Shakir was still available with our 148th pick. Bo Melton is similar is size and speed as Jones, still there in the 7th round. Both of these players were used in rushing plays as well as a WR.

ESPN did there power ranking and put us at 32, the worst team in the league. I cant figure out where national writers think we will be a worse team than last year where we won 6 and potentially could have won 3 other games. Yes we lost AROB, Hicks , and Mack but none of them made big contributions last year anyway. When Fields takes a step forward (totally expect that) this year, that in itself will win more games. This years WR and TE group are better than last year. The OL is still a question mark but I think Poles knows what he is doing and will have that respectable by the time the season starts. I think the D will be better than last year. Our big weakness was the defensive backfield. This team will be much stronger there. I expect Gipson and Q Muhammad to be improved and Quinn to have around 10-11 sacks. More speed and focusing on TOs will have good results. I see 9 to 10 wins. 

[Mongo3451]

14 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

The OL is still a question mark but I think Poles knows what he is doing and will have that respectable by the time the season starts.

Our OL still needs a serviceable LT.  Other than that, call it addition through subtraction.  Getting rid of Ifedi, Simmons, Wilkinson and Hambright will cut Fields sacks in half.  I can't begin to tell anyone how terrible they were for us.  At this point I really don't care who we sign as a left tackle, just as long as they have a season or two under their belt as a starter.

[Stinger226]

Some people complained that we didnt resign Daniels, but he gave up 39 pressures last year and was the 62 ranked OG by PFF. He didnt play as well as people think he did. Also Whitehair was consistently the best OL but had a bad year last year. He should be back to a solid starter category this year. Duane Brown and Eric Fisher are still out there so if Poles isnt confidante enough in Borom, I think he will get one.   

In a lot of the tape he showed  they had 4 WRs sets. I dont think we will have much of that with young OTs. As AZ mentioned I guess St Brown could be that extra blocker they will need but most the sets are all outside with wideouts.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

12 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

It would have been interesting to see if we took Pickens or Thornton if they we still there at 71. Like you said, I dont think Pierce would fit that role. I think maybe Moore has that quickness to do some of that.  I dont think Pickens fits that role.I think the possibility exists we may still had picked Jones at 71 if all of those WRs were still available. Or maybe took Pickens and then with a 5th round pick had targeted a different WR more like Jones. Khalil Shakir was still available with our 148th pick. Bo Melton is similar is size and speed as Jones, still there in the 7th round. Both of these players were used in rushing plays as well as a WR.

ESPN did there power ranking and put us at 32, the worst team in the league. I cant figure out where national writers think we will be a worse team than last year where we won 6 and potentially could have won 3 other games. Yes we lost AROB, Hicks , and Mack but none of them made big contributions last year anyway. When Fields takes a step forward (totally expect that) this year, that in itself will win more games. This years WR and TE group are better than last year. The OL is still a question mark but I think Poles knows what he is doing and will have that respectable by the time the season starts. I think the D will be better than last year. Our big weakness was the defensive backfield. This team will be much stronger there. I expect Gipson and Q Muhammad to be improved and Quinn to have around 10-11 sacks. More speed and focusing on TOs will have good results. I see 9 to 10 wins. 

I do not see 32nd, but until Fields can prove he can play and win, the Bears will be in the bottom 5-8  teams.  Bears could have lost a couple more games last year too (cincy and tenn) so I do not think they were better than it.  They do have a favorable schedule this year but will also have a new system to learn.  I see 5 or 6 wins and if they compete in each game it is all right. A top 10 draft pick slot can give them maybe 2-3 blue chip players that will put them in the playoff class and we need that more than barely making the playoffs.

[scs787]

3 hours ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

I do not see 32nd, but until Fields can prove he can play and win, the Bears will be in the bottom 5-8  teams.  Bears could have lost a couple more games last year too (cincy and tenn) so I do not think they were better than it.  They do a favorable schedule this year but will also have a new system to learn.  I see 5 or 6 wins and if they compete in each game it is good. A top 10 draft pick will give them maybe 2-3 blue chip players that will put them in the playoff class.

On top of loads of cap room. 

 

I think there are 4 teams who are obviously worse than the Bears and they are Carolina, Seattle, Atlanta and Houston.  The rest of the league has a case to be better than the bears. I do think the Bears, if everything works out CAN we 7-8 games, but I wouldn't be shocked if they win less. 

 

 

[AZ54]

This will fit in somewhere....

https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/the-role-bears-have-in-mind-for-their-new-fullback

It seems the Bears are actually planning for Khari Blasingame to have a real modern fullback role. Will he be a Chicago version of Kyle Juszczyk, blocking or even carrying the ball in an offense using the wide zone scheme like San Francisco? The Bears won't reveal this until the start the season but are hinting at something more involved than playing special teams and blocking in an occasional short-yardage play.

"The fullback position, he's not going to just line up in the backfield," Bears running backs coach David Walker said. "He's going to do some stuff out on the perimeter, as well, and has to understand route concepts when he's out of the backfield and then be able to execute when he's out of the backfield. And so far so good from that standpoint."

[Stinger226]

2 hours ago, scs787 said:

On top of loads of cap room. 

 

I think there are 4 teams who are obviously worse than the Bears and they are Carolina, Seattle, Atlanta and Houston.  The rest of the league has a case to be better than the bears. I do think the Bears, if everything works out CAN we 7-8 games, but I wouldn't be shocked if they win less. 

 

 

There is a lot of questions on this team, I get the caution, but there are some national writers saying we could only win two games. That is ridiculous. Now if Fields is a total failure, then I will say less than 6 . I think he takes a step forward not backward so I looking at the positives. We only have three games against elite QBs, Rodgers twice and Josh Allen. I dont think Tau or Hurts are special QBs. Carson Wentz doesnt scare me. We have handled Cousins many times. I think for most of the games Fields will end up being the best QB on the field, that gives us a chance. They won 6 games last yr, that is who they are until they show us different.  I dont get at how people can be Bears fans and not look at the positive side in the moves they have made,    instead of being doomsday critics. The fact is none of us know how this turns out until they start playing games. It is a lot more fun thinking they (might) be good instead of a 2 game winning team.

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, AZ54 said:

This will fit in somewhere....

https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/the-role-bears-have-in-mind-for-their-new-fullback

It seems the Bears are actually planning for Khari Blasingame to have a real modern fullback role. Will he be a Chicago version of Kyle Juszczyk, blocking or even carrying the ball in an offense using the wide zone scheme like San Francisco? The Bears won't reveal this until the start the season but are hinting at something more involved than playing special teams and blocking in an occasional short-yardage play.

"The fullback position, he's not going to just line up in the backfield," Bears running backs coach David Walker said. "He's going to do some stuff out on the perimeter, as well, and has to understand route concepts when he's out of the backfield and then be able to execute when he's out of the backfield. And so far so good from that standpoint."

I have seen some football people saying our offense will resemble SF more than GB. They are similar.

[AZ54]

3 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

I have seen some football people saying our offense will resemble SF more than GB. They are similar.

That's what I"m thinking we're headed for.   Getsy did say he listened to his staff and added some twists to what he originally wanted to do, so perhaps the expanded FB role is one of them. 

Now if you enjoy the strategic aspect of player personnel ... who did Kyle Shanahan draft last year?  A mobile QB so this little experiment with both teams running the same style offense is going to be fun to watch.  The 49ers and Trey Lance have a big head start since they've been using this system for years.  I would have liked to have seen this matchup a few weeks into the season so our Oline and Fields could be more comfortable but regardless it's going to be entertaining.   That also means they won't have much film on guys like Velus, and maybe Ebner, and how we plan to use them.  Everyone else should fit into the typical role in this scheme.   On the plus side our defense will have seen this scheme for weeks in training camp so they should be ready.   I'm not expecting a win just going to watch the game within the game among the QBs.  

https://dknation.draftkings.com/2021/4/5/22350956/49ers-2021-nfl-draft-picks-team-needs-mock-draft-justin-fields-trey-lance-jimmy-garoppolo-trade

"49ers beat writer Matt Barrows made the point that the Shanahan archetype at quarterback is not Kirk Cousins, but rather John Elway. Shanahan is looking for a “strong, savvy, mobile quarterback with a powerful arm.” Trey Lance fits that mold as well, so it comes down to whether you like Fields or Lance more. I lean toward Fields given his more extensive experience at a higher level of competition, but I can see why someone might be enamored by Lance’s tools."

[Stinger226]

The reason I think they can be successful early is the unknown, the preseason games will be all the tape out there. I think , unlike Nagy, they will keep it in the scope of where Fields is at in his development. Not try to overload him . Frist we will run the ball to set up the passing game instead of forgetting about the run. We now have speed so that changes how defenses will defend us. This video will show you truths about our WR group.

 

[AZ54]

Again half the good stuff he talks about with Pettis is what he did in college 5 years ago.  That's not something I want to see on any job applicants resume regardless of career.  He's good competition for the bottom end of the roster and that's it.   Tajae Sharp OTOH is solid competition with ESB and should push him to earn his roster spot or playing time.  

As far as early in the season ...  remember the 49ers shutdown the Packers in the playoff game.  I'm not optimistic we'll do much better than Rodgers/Adams could muster up in our first game in this offense.  It is possible the defense shines against Lance in their passing game and turnovers could be the story of the game.  I'm more confident in the back 7 of the D, I'm doubtful we'll stop their run game.  

Last night I watched Lance's first start, it was not very good.  Shanahan did the same crap he did with RGIII on the designed QB runs.  I hope Getsy stays away from that.  A couple mixed in on some designed rollouts is ok but running the QB up the middle we don't need.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aujxc3AJFk

 

[Stinger226]

On 5/21/2022 at 2:02 PM, AZ54 said:

Again half the good stuff he talks about with Pettis is what he did in college 5 years ago.  That's not something I want to see on any job applicants resume regardless of career.  He's good competition for the bottom end of the roster and that's it.   Tajae Sharp OTOH is solid competition with ESB and should push him to earn his roster spot or playing time.  

As far as early in the season ...  remember the 49ers shutdown the Packers in the playoff game.  I'm not optimistic we'll do much better than Rodgers/Adams could muster up in our first game in this offense.  It is possible the defense shines against Lance in their passing game and turnovers could be the story of the game.  I'm more confident in the back 7 of the D, I'm doubtful we'll stop their run game.  

Last night I watched Lance's first start, it was not very good.  Shanahan did the same crap he did with RGIII on the designed QB runs.  I hope Getsy stays away from that.  A couple mixed in on some designed rollouts is ok but running the QB up the middle we don't need.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aujxc3AJFk

 

Pettis is a long shot. He is capable of being a playmaker but other than his first yr, he has no production. I figure there are several WRs that are step up or step out type of tryouts this year. David Moore is another that has showed some production but has no been consistent every where he went. As much as E St Brown has the size and speed they need, he has never had production.  

Mooney

Pringle

Jones III

( E St Brown-Moore-Pettis-Sharpe-Newsome-Coulter) 3 of these are out, Newsome is only a slot WR, I think he is gone. Coulter has some size and speed but probably not happening. Sharpe is a no brainer to me, he has some game even thou he's not a burner. St Brown , Moore, and Pettis can play the X  but one of them are gone. If Pettis takes a step forward he has the speed. David Moore had 13 TDs in 3 yrs at the #3 WR which is formable.  

St Brown

Sharpe 

Moore  He has been more consistent than Pettis and has 4.38 speed.

[AZ54]

This news isn't surprising...

https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/bears-coaching-staff-makes-one-key-change-in-approach

"It was here where Tolbert described the change in approach by this regime."

"It was to my understanding that they didn't come up to coaches' offices a lot of times in the previous regime and we told them it was an open-door policy for us," Tolbert said. "So he's always up in my office asking questions about different things."

[Stinger226]

That's a good article. Actually with all that  I look at have never seen Bears Digest before.

Now I am hearing all this noise about Quinn wanting to be traded. I think it is a joke. They never sight a source where he stated that. The day before the draft he was interviewed and told the reporter, (he hoped he didnt get traded).  Why has this changed? No source given. If someone wanted to be trade , the draft is the most logical time to say that and for it to happen. Any contender that needed a edge rusher drafted one. Cant believe so many writers have bought in to this.  

Players with their egos always want to be the dog on the defense. With Mack gone, he's the man here. 

[adam]

Cool articles, thanks for posting.

As much as the media talks about how poor our WR corps is, we actually have a pretty diverse group. Last year we had Goodwin and Byrd as our WR3/4, but this year it is Jones, Moore, St. Brown, Sharpe, and Pettis all competing for WR3/4/5. If you pencil Mooney/Pringle in as WR1/2, that is not much different than ARob/Mooney, and as long as Pringle doesn't give up on half his routes like ARob did, that will be an upgrade from last year.

Then when you consider just how bad Nagy's offense really was, there is no way as a whole the offense is going to be worse.

When you look at the running game, is there a RB room better than Montgomery, Herbert, Ebner, Evans, and Blasingame? Look at some Titans tape and see how many times Blasingame opened up a huge hole for Henry. It looks like the Bears have replaced one of the H-backs with a FB, and I love it. Ebner is the perfect 3rd Down back as well. 

People complained about how bad Graham was at TE last year, so the Bears replace him with some veterans and we somehow got worst there too. Griffin (50 catch season with Titans) and O'Shaughnessy (averages 26 recs a year over last 2 for terrible Jags team) are perfectly fine as TE2/3. The good thing is Kmet won't have to come off the field to just give Graham some random reps anymore. He can be a true TE1 which he technically hasn't been yet. 
 

I am honestly not worried about any skill positions, it's going to come down to the O-Line. Can the tackles (and RG) give Fields time in this new offense to make plays? 

 

[Stinger226]

Pringle signed a one year deal,  if that doesn't motivate you to play better, might as well quit football.

[AZ54]

Add this to the Nagy pile of #$&^$...

https://www.dabearsblog.com/

A Tweet from Nate Tice seemed to capture the imagine of the internet this week: “the 2021 Bears drew up isolation plays in the redzone for 34-year-old Jimmy Graham with a straight face.” Aside from the insanity of the actual concept, this is also a reason I don’t take Cole Kmet touchdown production criticisms very seriously. Kmet didn’t score in 2021 because the Bears didn’t really give him many opportunities to score. Because, you know, they had Jimmy Graham!

...and on the silence of the LT FA experience we may just have to wait and see...

As for the offensive line, there is still nothing to evaluate until we know how the players shake out. The Bears still don’t know where Teven Jenkins is going to line up. They don’t know if Larry Borom if going to be in their starting five. Similar to the QB, these guys are still learning how to play within a new scheme/structure.

One thing I have heard from inside the building is Morgan likes Borom more than Poles and company did when they were first hired. Poles didn’t initially envision Borom as a starter. That may be changing.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

5 hours ago, AZ54 said:

Add this to the Nagy pile of #$&^$...

https://www.dabearsblog.com/

A Tweet from Nate Tice seemed to capture the imagine of the internet this week: “the 2021 Bears drew up isolation plays in the redzone for 34-year-old Jimmy Graham with a straight face.” Aside from the insanity of the actual concept, this is also a reason I don’t take Cole Kmet touchdown production criticisms very seriously. Kmet didn’t score in 2021 because the Bears didn’t really give him many opportunities to score. Because, you know, they had Jimmy Graham!

...and on the silence of the LT FA experience we may just have to wait and see...

As for the offensive line, there is still nothing to evaluate until we know how the players shake out. The Bears still don’t know where Teven Jenkins is going to line up. They don’t know if Larry Borom if going to be in their starting five. Similar to the QB, these guys are still learning how to play within a new scheme/structure.

One thing I have heard from inside the building is Morgan likes Borom more than Poles and company did when they were first hired. Poles didn’t initially envision Borom as a starter. That may be changing.

I watched a swift podcast showing how Borum/Jenkins only have 33-1/2 arms and Poles firmly believes in arm length.  All the OTs brought in this year, Braxton Jones, Davenport, Coleman, have 35 plus arms.  He said don't be surprised if Braxton Jones takes the LT position.