Chicago Bears: 5 quick steps to fix the offense immediately
By Ryan Heckman
4. Don’t give up on the run or play-action
Obviously, the Bears cannot run the football. But, if they can get even just a little bit of help up front, it should make a difference. Nagy has said they need to establish a run game, and I believe it still to be true.
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Even though it isn’t working now, that doesn’t mean Nagy should completely abandon the run game. The Bears have to keep feeding Montgomery, along with either Pierce or Miller, in order to keep defenses somewhat honest.
It’s been said before, but once again, Nagy has to use play-action with Foles. Because of his limited mobility, Foles thrives off play-action. To be able to freeze the defense for that half second is invaluable to a guy like Foles who reads the field better than the Bears’ other option.
This goes along with the fifth and final point, but play action works well in an offense like Nagy’s (and McVay’s, as we’ve seen recently) when the quarterback can get the ball out fast. Keeping the defense honest by attempting to run the ball and then going straight to play-action could give Foles that extra millisecond to see a guy like Darnell Mooney get into the thick of his route, and then hit him deep.
One of the main problems with this offense is time to throw, and if Chicago doesn’t even attempt to run or use play-action, Foles will continue to be predictably vulnerable.