Poll: Is Jordan Howard a Bear next season?

[GSH]

Last week our beloved hung 48 on Tampa Bay and J How saw relatively little action while the bears lit it up. Many dont see him as a fit in Nagy's Scheme, but also see him a prototypical NFL running back in the modern game.

He is a player with value in this league, but does he have enough value in Nagy's vision for the Bears to pay the money to keep him here?

On a team light on high end draft capital after notable trades in the off-season, is Jordan Howard too valuable to NOT trade?

[southdakbearfan]

I voted to trade him, not because I don't like him, but because I think they will be looking to add picks and decrease salary demands.

But, maybe he extends at a reasonable amount as well.

[IotaNet]

In the cold, wet, windy, nasty of a December afternoon in Soldier Field, all that flying around that Cohen, Gabriel, et al are doing will not be effective. You will need to play smashmouth and Howard is your guy.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Here is what I am learning about Nagy. He strictly plays match-ups. Jordan was a bad match-up against TB. I think the Fins are pretty soft up the middle and off-tackle. I expect to see a lot more of Howard this next game, and A LOT of mid-direction off of Cohen and Burton. Watch for Robinson to have his best game of the year this Sunday.

To answer the question. Yes I think he is a Bear next year.


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[Sugashane]

In the cold, wet, windy, nasty of a December afternoon in Soldier Field, all that flying around that Cohen, Gabriel, et al are doing will not be effective. You will need to play smashmouth and Howard is your guy.

This. We don't play in a dome, we don't have a home field in FLA or TX, we need to keep someone who is a bruiser.

Now if someone make a crazy offer like a 1st sure, but no one is trading for a RB about to be extended for more than a 3rd, and even that is unlikely as hell.

[The Marshall Plan]

Why would the Bears want to actively try and trade Jordan Howard? He has a great complimentary skillset for this offense. If somebody offers us a kings ransom for him then sure, but otherwise no.

We have him through 19. If the extension turns into a Bell situation then yes trade him.

[malk]

I see no way that a team offers enough to rent him for a year to make up for losing him. I suspect he'll leave after his rookie contract but that's another matter.

[wab]

In the cold, wet, windy, nasty of a December afternoon in Soldier Field, all that flying around that Cohen, Gabriel, et al are doing will not be effective. You will need to play smashmouth and Howard is your guy.

This. We don't play in a dome, we don't have a home field in FLA or TX, we need to keep someone who is a bruiser.

Now if someone make a crazy offer like a 1st sure, but no one is trading for a RB about to be extended for more than a 3rd, and even that is unlikely as hell.

Seems to work ok for Hill and company in KC...where the weather is pretty similar.

Having said that, people are panicking way too much about Howard. Nagy has always been upfront about how his offense will spread the ball around and how match-ups will dictate personnel.

[G08]

I'm in the minority but I don't find it surprising at all that the game where Nagy's offense explodes, Cohen had 20 touches and Howard had 11. I'm of the opinion Nagy values the mismatches that speed backs like Cohen (even Gabriel if you want to be technical) provide.

I don't disagree with the 'matchups' argument that many have made here because it makes sense. To me, I just think Nagy values the speed dimension players like Cohen provide. If a team offers a 3rd round pick for Howard, I think he's a goner. Love the guy, but I don't think this power scheme suits him or his game. His bread and butter is inside/outside zone.

[UOK]

Howard is, in my mind, integral to the Bears offense being versatile and offering multi-layered threats. Howard can be an invaluable Plan B if the opposing defense is sniffing out typical Nagy bells and whistles, buying the coaches time to rethink their gameplan and in the interim eat minutes off the clock, punish the defensive front 7, and perhaps steal a game by mere force of will.

That's also not to mention Howard's versatility blossoming in year three as both a blocker AND a receiver. The Bears offense is no longer as obvious as "Cohen's out there in passing plays, Howard for run plays." Not only can Cohen make big plays as a ball carrier, but Howard has shown his hands have improved ten fold as a receiver out of the backfield.

Howard won't command top dollar, and if the Bears have a winning season, I highly doubt he'd want to chase money for a different organization.

Here's what the team had to say about it:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/fo ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cohen said he didn’t feel like it was his place to say anything to Howard about the workload.

“We go how the game goes,” Cohen said. “The majority of games he gets more workload than I do. He understands some games are different. We felt like that secondary was banged up, so that’s how we were going to attack them.

“We have more weapons, so we can do those things, like get away from the run a game here and go more heavy on the pass.”

Howard said he was happy to see Cohen come up big.

“Every time he scored, I was out there on the field celebrating with him,” Howard said. “So I was very excited for him.”

Running backs coach Charles London believes the support between the two is real and said Howard truly is focused on winning.

“I think as long as we win the game, he’s happy to do whatever helps,” London said. “There’s a lot of things that he’s been doing for us that he hasn’t done before. We’re asking him to play all three downs now, which is something different for him.

“He’s put in a lot of work to improve his hands. He's been good in his pass protections, learning that aspect of it, and just getting used to being out there for all three downs. I know he wants to be a complete back, and we’re working to get him in that way.”

[malk]

Howard won't command top dollar, and if the Bears have a winning season, I highly doubt he'd want to chase money for a different organization.

I hope you're right but just based on his yards pre Nagy I'd expect him to be asking for a pretty hefty contract. Whether he breaks that $10m per year barrier is another matter. The RB market is all over the place though, 3 of the top 10 contracts are to players on the rookie scale (Elliott, Fournette, Barkely).

It will be interesting to see what he wants and what we're willing to give.

[snake95]

It would be a mistake to let the one punishing force we have on offense get away...I can assure you he will be relied on heavily before its all said and done...If not Howard then who? Evaluating him in this offense after 4 games seems a little premature regardless.

[Mikefive]

Howard is, in my mind, integral to the Bears offense being versatile and offering multi-layered threats. Howard can be an invaluable Plan B if the opposing defense is sniffing out typical Nagy bells and whistles, buying the coaches time to rethink their gameplan and in the interim eat minutes off the clock, punish the defensive front 7, and perhaps steal a game by mere force of will.

That's also not to mention Howard's versatility blossoming in year three as both a blocker AND a receiver. The Bears offense is no longer as obvious as "Cohen's out there in passing plays, Howard for run plays." Not only can Cohen make big plays as a ball carrier, but Howard has shown his hands have improved ten fold as a receiver out of the backfield.

Howard won't command top dollar, and if the Bears have a winning season, I highly doubt he'd want to chase money for a different organization.

Here's what the team had to say about it:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/fo ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cohen said he didn’t feel like it was his place to say anything to Howard about the workload.

“We go how the game goes,” Cohen said. “The majority of games he gets more workload than I do. He understands some games are different. We felt like that secondary was banged up, so that’s how we were going to attack them.

“We have more weapons, so we can do those things, like get away from the run a game here and go more heavy on the pass.”

Howard said he was happy to see Cohen come up big.

“Every time he scored, I was out there on the field celebrating with him,” Howard said. “So I was very excited for him.”

Running backs coach Charles London believes the support between the two is real and said Howard truly is focused on winning.

“I think as long as we win the game, he’s happy to do whatever helps,” London said. “There’s a lot of things that he’s been doing for us that he hasn’t done before. We’re asking him to play all three downs now, which is something different for him.

“He’s put in a lot of work to improve his hands. He's been good in his pass protections, learning that aspect of it, and just getting used to being out there for all three downs. I know he wants to be a complete back, and we’re working to get him in that way.”

Talk is cheap. See my signature.

In reference to the KC comparison, they have astroturf and we have a mud pile in December. That's a pretty significant difference.

My response to the topic question is that it could happen. The logic is there that we lack significant draft picks and Howard would get us at least a 2 or maybe a late 1. But if backed into a corner to make a prediction, I'll say he'll be back. The point that we haven't seen Nagy's offense in December in Chicago where Howard should have more value is a fair one. And if we trade him, then we're either paying for or drafting a replacement. I think we stick with the devil we know thru the end of his rookie contract. But trading him wouldn't surprise me one bit.

[G08]

The Bears offense is no longer as obvious as "Cohen's out there in passing plays, Howard for run plays."

Howard on the field: run 54% of the time
Cohen on the field: run 33% of the time

Howard off the field: run 24% of the time
Cohen off the field: run 53% of the time

[UOK]

The Bears offense is no longer as obvious as "Cohen's out there in passing plays, Howard for run plays."

Howard on the field: run 54% of the time
Cohen on the field: run 33% of the time

Howard off the field: run 24% of the time
Cohen off the field: run 53% of the time

Hmm, interesting. Small sample size so far, however.

[G08]

The Bears offense is no longer as obvious as "Cohen's out there in passing plays, Howard for run plays."

Howard on the field: run 54% of the time
Cohen on the field: run 33% of the time

Howard off the field: run 24% of the time
Cohen off the field: run 53% of the time

Hmm, interesting. Small sample size so far, however.

Extremely, for sure. I think what I love about Nagy is that he has a method to his madness. We all hated those fucking WR screens early on, right? Turned into a huge TD for Bellamy last week. Same with those shallow crossers.... turned them into double moves and Trubisky feasted on them.

Now if/when we run a WR screen, the defender will have to wait a split second to see if it's a fake and sometimes that's all you need to rip off a 25-35 yard gain.

[IotaNet]

I have been asking myself "Why is this even a thing to be worrying about? Why do folks care?" Then it hit me.

In Chicago, we are so conditioned to having an "old-school" offensive attack (Pound the rock, pound the rock, pass every now and then) that when we get a contemporary offense like we're seeing with Nagy, we don't know how to process it. "Hey -- we're not pounding the rock -- something must be wrong with our running back!"

I think what we're seeing is what it looks like to have the luxury of a multi-faceted offensive philosophy and the tools to execute it. Sometimes we will throw the ball all over the field, sometimes we'll use trickeration, jet sweeps, bunch formations, and bubble screens. That doesn't mean that we are going to get rid of our bell-cow back -- that means we won't use him up as quickly.

Remember: When The only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Nagy has the luxury of a full offensive toolkit (for the first time any of us can remember) and he's putting it all to work.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

The Bears offense is no longer as obvious as "Cohen's out there in passing plays, Howard for run plays."

Howard on the field: run 54% of the time
Cohen on the field: run 33% of the time

Howard off the field: run 24% of the time
Cohen off the field: run 53% of the time

This is why I am thinking Howard is going to have his best day under Matt Nagy. With all of Cohen's success last week, the Bears are going to run a lot of misdirection off of Cohen. I would expect to see two back sets, and some draw plays to Howard, and motioning Cohen out of the backfield to the strong side, and then running Howard to the weak side.

[Mikefive]

The Bears offense is no longer as obvious as "Cohen's out there in passing plays, Howard for run plays."

Howard on the field: run 54% of the time
Cohen on the field: run 33% of the time

Howard off the field: run 24% of the time
Cohen off the field: run 53% of the time

This is why I am thinking Howard is going to have his best day under Matt Nagy. With all of Cohen's success last week, the Bears are going to run a lot of misdirection off of Cohen. I would expect to see two back sets, and some draw plays to Howard, and motioning Cohen out of the backfield to the strong side, and then running Howard to the weak side.

I'm going to disagree here. The effect of a pounding running game with a bigger back like Howard is to wear down the front 7 and exploit them once they get tired. We don't pound the ball enough to wear Defenses out in the run game and it seems to me that Howard's 3.1 yard average is a reflection of that. At least so far.

[G08]

The Bears offense is no longer as obvious as "Cohen's out there in passing plays, Howard for run plays."

Howard on the field: run 54% of the time
Cohen on the field: run 33% of the time

Howard off the field: run 24% of the time
Cohen off the field: run 53% of the time

This is why I am thinking Howard is going to have his best day under Matt Nagy. With all of Cohen's success last week, the Bears are going to run a lot of misdirection off of Cohen. I would expect to see two back sets, and some draw plays to Howard, and motioning Cohen out of the backfield to the strong side, and then running Howard to the weak side.

I'm going to disagree here. The effect of a pounding running game with a bigger back like Howard is to wear down the front 7 and exploit them once they get tired. We don't pound the ball enough to wear Defenses out in the run game and it seems to me that Howard's 3.1 yard average is a reflection of that. At least so far.

I think it's more a function of moving away from a zone blocking scheme to a power blocking scheme.

[wab]

The Bears offense is no longer as obvious as "Cohen's out there in passing plays, Howard for run plays."

Howard on the field: run 54% of the time
Cohen on the field: run 33% of the time

Howard off the field: run 24% of the time
Cohen off the field: run 53% of the time

This is why I am thinking Howard is going to have his best day under Matt Nagy. With all of Cohen's success last week, the Bears are going to run a lot of misdirection off of Cohen. I would expect to see two back sets, and some draw plays to Howard, and motioning Cohen out of the backfield to the strong side, and then running Howard to the weak side.

I'm going to disagree here. The effect of a pounding running game with a bigger back like Howard is to wear down the front 7 and exploit them once they get tired. We don't pound the ball enough to wear Defenses out in the run game and it seems to me that Howard's 3.1 yard average is a reflection of that. At least so far.

Howard has exactly one less carry at this point in the season than he did last year, and his average is almost the same through 4 games.

[Bad Flanders]

Kareem Hunt carries by month in 2017;

Sept - 47
Oct - 99
Nov - 38
Dec - 88

It's just how this offense works when trying to exploit specific weaknesses in opposing defenses.

Howard will get his and this conversation will disappear.

BUT, if they talk shopping him because of this pretend vibe that he doesn't fit, I'm going to flip out, we already played that game once for Greg "just doesn't fit the offense" Olson. Screw that. Keep as much talent as you can and if the guy calling the plays can't work with "that kind of talent", then the person calling the plays is the person that needs replaced.

[IotaNet]

... BUT, if they talk shopping him because of this pretend vibe that he doesn't fit, I'm going to flip out, we already played that game once for Greg "just doesn't fit the offense" Olson. Screw that. Keep as much talent as you can and if the guy calling the plays can't work with "that kind of talent", then the person calling the plays is the person that needs replaced.

Totally agreed.

[HurricaneBear]

Howard has exactly one less carry at this point in the season than he did last year, and his average is almost the same through 4 games.

This. So much this.

The Howard talk just makes no sense to me. And its not lke the run blocking is where it needs to be yet to lean on it. Hopefully Daniels will replace Kush this week because that will help.

[Boris13c]

Kareem Hunt carries by month in 2017;

Sept - 47
Oct - 99
Nov - 38
Dec - 88

It's just how this offense works when trying to exploit specific weaknesses in opposing defenses.

Howard will get his and this conversation will disappear.

BUT, if they talk shopping him because of this pretend vibe that he doesn't fit, I'm going to flip out, we already played that game once for Greg "just doesn't fit the offense" Olson. Screw that. Keep as much talent as you can and if the guy calling the plays can't work with "that kind of talent", then the person calling the plays is the person that needs replaced.

and they also did it with Thomas "oh we need someone better" Jones, and then drafted an idiot who ended up not being talented enough to carry Thomas Jones jock ... I never understood why getting a RB in the 1st round while they had a pretty good workhouse in his prime already was such a priority

as for the question asked, I think Howard has a place in this offense and it doesn't matter if we can't figure it out as I am sure Nagy has

[G08]

Don't look now...

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Clayton also mentions Chicago RB Jordan Howard as a sleeper to keep an eye on for the #Eagles.

[UOK]

It's about as loose and open-ended as rumors get.

[G08]

It's about as loose and open-ended as rumors get.

So is your butthole.

[UOK]

It's about as loose and open-ended as rumors get.

So is your butthole.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

It's about as loose and open-ended as rumors get.

So is your butthole.

Spit take!

OMG G08...that was gold!