Instead of continuing to beat their helmets against eight-man fronts, the Bears are coming to a realization: They don’t have to run the ball.
At least not so much.
They can throw short passes instead.
Using the short passing game as a run substitute has been productive in their last two games, and the Bears are sure to continue down this road as long as they continue to get the same looks from defensive fronts.
“When the run is struggling like that, there are some things you can do with screens, some quick passes, some long handoffs,” quarterback Jay Cutler said. “Just get the ball out of your hands quickly to help the offensive linemen.”
Using the short passing game also has been a way to derive value from Matt Forte. While the running back has averaged a disappointing 3.4 yards per rush, he has averaged a respectable 10 yards per reception. He also has six catches of 20 yards or more — best in the NFL among running backs.
Even though only 20 percent of Forte’s touches have been catches, 44 percent of his yards have come on completions. The only running back with more receiving yards is the Ravens’ Ray Rice. Because of Forte’s contributions in the passing game, he ranks ninth in the league among running backs in total yards from scrimmage.
“I will contribute wherever I have to, whether it’s blocking, catching or running,” Forte said. “With the receiving game, you have to catch it, then run it, so it’s still running. I take pride in being able to do both.”
The Bears have had particular success with Forte on screen passes recently.
“When you get the ball in the hands of the wide receivers and the backs (on screens), it’s kind of like a running play,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said.
The screen is the perfect counter to eight men in the box and excessive blitzing. The beauty of the screen — in addition to the yards it may gain — is it forces defensive adjustments and helps open things up for the running game and vertical passing game.
“Defenses can’t bring as much pressure when the screens are working well,” Forte said.
When most of the defenders are bunched around the line of scrimmage, the screen allows the Bears to stretch the field horizontally and give Forte a one-on-one matchup. The screen then allows Forte to use his speed and elusiveness in space. On runs this year, he rarely has seen anything but the backside of his linemen.
Screens also are an effective weapon on third-and-long, when a handoff has little chance of succeeding. With Cutler’s accuracy and Forte’s soft hands, the screen is a high-percentage pass. Forte has caught 80.9 percent of the 47 passes thrown to him this year, according to STATS.
Whether each screen is successful depends on downfield blocking and Forte’s ability to get yards after the catch. Forte has 386 yards after the catch — second-most in the NFL.
The Bears run the screen well in part because center Olin Kreutz and right guard Roberto Garza are adept at getting to the second level and picking off linebackers and lurking safeties.
Turner estimates that about half of Forte’s 38 receptions have been called passes to him, and the other half have been checkdowns.
Often, an excessive number of checkdowns indicates that the passing game isn’t clicking the way it should. But Turner said he does not mind the number of checkdowns the Bears have had.
“If teams are playing zone, checkdowns can get you yardage in a hurry,” he said. “It’s not a bad thing. We’ve told Jay to not hesitate to do that.”
A short pass to Forte might not be as good as a 20-yard completion to a wide receiver. But it’s better than a 1-yard run.
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So what is his forte?
Why hand off to running back Matt Forte when you can throw it to him? This is where he ranks in the NFL:
22 Rushing yards
2 Receiving yards*
46 Rushing average**
4 Receiving average***
7 Stuffs
1 Catches of 20 yards or more*
*-among running backs; **-among players with at least 50 carries; ***-among running backs with at least 20 catches
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dpompei@tribune.com
More Bears inside
Briggs pins blame on players. Page 7
