Someday soon, Marty Booker may shake hands with Terry Shea. And he may greet him as a career-saver.
“It has been bad around here,” Booker said Thursday. “I feel the only way we can go is up.”
Shea, the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback coach, is the leading candidate to become offensive coordinator under new Bears coach Lovie Smith. He’s one of the few people available who is versed in the offensive system the Chiefs and Rams use.
And as long as Smith lands someone who can teach it for him, the memories of the Dick Jauron-John Shoop era will fade quickly.
After catching 197 passes combined in 2001 and 2002, Booker caught only 52 this season–and still led the Bears. Three Chiefs caught more.
The system Smith will use is one that makes wide receivers look good. It’s one that made ex-Lion Johnnie Morton and ex-Bear Eddie Kennison look good this year. Kennison had 56 catches and Morton 50. Neither is in Booker’s class, for starters.
“They take chances throwing the ball down the field as well as running the ball,” Booker said.
Just watching some of the more progressive offenses around the league has made Booker a bit jealous.
“I was watching the Colts and how they throw the ball and run the ball,” Booker said. “Two receivers have 100 yards, a running back has 100 yards; if it will be the same way around here, that will work out perfect.”
The players can expect to see few 4-yard routes, screens to wide receivers and completions for 5 yards. The Chiefs and Rams don’t often do that.
“First and foremost is they score a lot of points,” quarterback Rex Grossman said. “They do it in a way that would best suit me. I look at the Chiefs a little differently than the Rams; they run the ball a little better. As a quarterback, you want a strong running game to open up the offense, and both those teams do that.”
Smith knows what players and fans want to see–and hear.
“Offensively–and there seems to be quite a bit of concern about our offense in years past–the system we’re going to bring will consist of a balanced attack and a lot of formations, similar to what the Rams and the Chiefs do today,” Smith said. “The passing game, of course, will be very important. We’ll do everything possible to make it successful, but we won’t abandon what makes Chicago Bears football special, the run.”
With Booker, Smith inherits a receiver who has been to the Pro Bowl. Other than that, though, the offensive talent doesn’t measure up to what he has been accustomed to in St. Louis and what Shea has been working with in Kansas City.
That’s especially true with the unit Smith identified as second only to quarterback in importance–the offensive line.
“It starts first with a good scheme,” Smith said. “In my time in St. Louis with [coach] Mike Martz, I saw what you can do with formations and shifts, but still have a good base to throw and run the football.
“Everything starts with the quarterback. Rex Grossman is a good player to start building around. The offensive line is the next step. No matter how good the quarterback is, he has to have a great offensive line.”
When Smith sits down to analyze his roster, he may tell general manager Jerry Angelo something he already knows, that the Bears’ biggest need is for a left tackle. The better to keep Grossman happy and healthy. He already is happy, having seen what the Rams and Chiefs do with the system.
“They may take a little more chances, but they’re good at taking chances,” Grossman said. “They figure out a way to take the risk out of it as well as throw the ball downfield. They’re not throwing blindly downfield. You have to have some risks to have some reward. In the past I think we’ve relied on our defense too much to win games. And I’m excited that we’re going to have this offensive scheme.”
The Bears are counting on Grossman becoming their version of Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green, who has thrown 50 touchdown passes the last two seasons for the Chiefs.
The Kansas City-St. Louis system has made great use of the running back as a receiver, which the Bears didn’t do last season. Priest Holmes led the Chiefs with 74 catches; Marshall Faulk had 45 for the Rams.
Anthony Thomas didn’t even play on most third downs and caught only nine passes as the running back corps combined for only 39 receptions. Thomas would love to play a bigger role.
“I would rather play any system than what we have had,” Thomas said.
But will he fit in the system? Stay tuned.
Kansas City Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez caught 71 passes; Desmond Clark had 44 for the Bears. Clark has the skills to be productive in this offense, if not another Gonzalez.
The Bears need to find another receiver to complement Booker. David Terrell will get another chance next season.
When Smith settles those personnel issues, he may have an offense that defenses will respect. An offense that will challenge opposing defenses. Just like the Chiefs and Rams challenged–and beat–the Bears last season.
“It’s a very aggressive system. It’s an offense that gets big chunks of yardage,” Bears safety Mike Brown said. “They go for big plays no matter where they are on the field. It’s big-play oriented. With a quarterback like Rex Grossman, it’ll be good for us.”
