Q. The Bears’ offensive play-calling seems to have gotten better since John Shoop is no longer on the sideline. Was that his decision?
A. I believe the decision to shift Shoop to a press-box location was coach Dick Jauron’s. The relationship between Shoop and Kordell Stewart has not been all that cordial, according to sources. With Shoop upstairs, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson on the sideline and veteran Chris Chandler now playing quarterback, whatever sideline friction there was has been alleviated.
Shoop is trying to make the best of his lofty perch.
“I’m warmer; I didn’t get wet today,” Shoop joked after Sunday’s 20-7 victory. “I consistently just ask [sideline personnel] which way the wind is blowing. I feel good with Greg down on the sideline. He’s a super-bright guy. And with Chris out there, the communication has been flawless. So maybe the comfort of the box has helped a little bit.”
Pressed further about whether he prefers being away from the sideline, Shoop said, “Any decision you make, as long as you win, it’s the right one.”
Q. Will Anthony Thomas be able to stay healthy carrying the ball 31 times a game, as he did Sunday?
A. Shoop said Thomas needs to be a better practice player in the future if he wants to continue carrying the ball so much. After missing two games with a foot injury, Thomas had a season-high 31 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns against the Chargers.
“He had better practice hard every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to keep getting the ball 30 times a game,” Shoop said. “And he knows exactly what I’m talking about. He practiced really well again [last] week. I think that conditioning helps him a great deal and, more important, helps our wide receivers as far as [getting] downfield and setting blocks. “
Shoop said he watched Michigan running back Chris Perry carry the ball 51 times Saturday against Michigan State.
“I thought to myself, `What’s the over-under on that [for Thomas]?'” Shoop said. “We really wanted to get [Thomas] going because we felt like we had some size over [San Diego] on the offensive line against their defensive line. We wanted to pound their defensive line.”
Q. Why didn’t the Bears just kick a short field goal toward the end of the game for a 16-7 lead instead of going for it on fourth down and risking being stopped at the 1-yard line?
A. The Bears were in position to kick a field goal shorter than an extra point, which would have given them a nine-point lead with about 21 seconds left. But instead of sending out Paul Edinger, Jauron elected to give the ball to Thomas, who barely made it to the end zone on a sweep.
“We knew we were going to run the clock all the way down and then call time out and talk about it,” Jauron said. “But we were pretty sure we’d go for it, particularly when the play ended up inside the 1. It seemed to us the only way we could lose that game was to get a kick blocked. If we didn’t score, we figured we’d leave them 99 yards to go with 20-some seconds left.”
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