In firing Terry Shea on Tuesday, Bears coach Lovie Smith effectively took a match to the offensive plan he spent the last year implementing.
Out of those ashes a new strategy will emerge–a new run-first philosophy, a new overall system, a few new players and maybe even a new playbook that does not require footnotes and a tutor.
With Ron Turner agreeing Saturday night to return to the Bears as offensive coordinator, the Bears might be only five steps away from fixing the offense and making it respectable.
Here they are:
Move John Tait to left tackle
Tait stayed at right tackle this season because trying the left side during training camp aggravated a groin injury. Eventually, the Bears leaned on the crutch that their offense required “two left tackles” and never moved Tait. It would be wise to return to convention with the next offense, cement Tait on the left side and let him develop into a Pro Bowl player for the five remaining years of his $33 million contract.
The argument that he feels more comfortable and plays better on the right side lost validity when a technically unsound offensive line gave up 66 sacks this season.
Of course, it was not the fault of Tait, who probably had the best season of any lineman. But the point is, what exactly is there to lose by moving Tait and possibly solidifying the most critical position on the offensive line? Nothing. So inform him of the switch during the first off-season workout, if not sooner.
Let Marc Colombo compete for the starting spot on the right side, where he played in college. If Colombo flops, finding a serviceable right tackle might not be as challenging as finding the left tackle that has eluded the Bears for years.
Draft wide receiver Mike Williams
Shea’s exit puts a moratorium on talking about the limitations of “long-legged receivers” in the offense and the need for “quick-twitch” speedsters. Williams, 6 feet 5 inches and 230 pounds, simply makes plays ordinary receivers do not. If he had been allowed in last year’s NFL draft when he left Southern Cal, he might have been the second receiver taken. Williams’ rookie impact could match that of Roy Williams with the Detroit Lions.
If Williams tests well at the NFL combine and no red flags emerge, the Bears would be wise to snatch him with the No. 4 selection. A big-ticket free-agent wide receiver along with Williams will revive the Bears’ passing game that complementary receivers limit.
Sign or draft a top running back
In retrospect, the Bears spent $10 million on free-agent running back Thomas Jones because he represented the ideal fit for an offensive system that no longer exists. Will the new scheme accentuate the positives of a smallish, shifty runner such as Jones or a guy such as the one the Bears just ran out of town, Anthony Thomas?
Thomas is a memory, but if the Bears trade down and receive additional picks for the No. 4 selection, they strongly should consider using one on an exciting running back. Or if a free agent with something to prove looks appealing, sign him.
The Steelers brought in Duce Staley when they had Jerome Bettis, and the Rams drafted Steven Jackson with Marshall Faulk on the depth chart. A team that would have trouble moving the football with a pickup truck cannot have too many good running backs.
Hand off to the fullback occasionally
It defies logic to explain how the Bears allowed wide receiver Bobby Wade to carry 12 times last season but never once gave starting fullback Bryan Johnson a handoff. Backup Jason McKie was the only fullback to carry the ball–once for 1 yard. The Bears ignored the fullback like he was a Green Bay fan trying to sell Packers season tickets.
If Smith seriously intends to return the power to power football next season, as he has vowed, using the fullback as a legitimate threat might be a good place to start. If not, just line up a guard or tight end in front of the running back because no defense actually respects the threat of a run.
Keep it simple
Chad Hutchinson arrived in town in late September and needed two full months before he was deemed to have grasped the offense well enough to play. That meant one of two things: Either the offense was too complicated or Hutchinson, bright enough to be admitted to Stanford, was too dense. It should not be as hard to learn an NFL offense as it is a foreign language.
With Rex Grossman ready to digest his fifth different offense in five seasons, and patience not a luxury, the next scheme must be as basic as possible and reward execution over memorization. The playbook cannot be so big it requires a luggage cart at airports. The word voluminous should be used only to describe the problems defenses will have stopping the offense–not the offensive terminology.
