Offensive Line - Pass vs. Run

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Really a solid job of pass blocking by the offensive line yesterday. They kept Biscuits clean all game, and provided plenty of time for him to throw the ball. Conversely, there were no running lanes, and I think we averaged about 2.5 yards a carry. Re-watching the game, Bryan Witzmann did a real nice job in pass-pro, and looks to be a solid temp replacement for Long.

Can someone who knows more about blocking schemes explain what is going on with the run blocking? It's clearly a talented OL group. Is it scheme, is it personnel, what is it?

[UOK]

Part of it is a testimony to Long's ability as a run blocker - he's an all-pro run grater.

Part of it is the Lions interior run defense is one of the best in the league, but Nagy wanted to test the middle of the line quite often yesterday. Didn't result in much, but clock is clock.

[Mr.Irrelevant]

I don't know what's going on with our Oline. It's like we're schizophrenic. The left side seems to be built for an outside zone/stretch and screen system (Leno, Daniels = smaller, quicker) while the right side is made up of maulers and power guys. (Long and Massie)

When Pace brought in Nagy/Hiestand I figured we were going with inside zone and power, but then he drafted Daniels who is clearly the smaller athletic guy for the outside zone.

So yeah, I don't know what's going on. But it seems like our lack of commitment to one style or the other is hurting us.

[Pagan]

I agree with G08... The Lions were considered weak against the run.. but as always, basic stats do not account for variables = the Lions "weak" run defense this year. The Lions have been missing a few of their most valuable run defenders, their 2 biggest run stuffers were fully healthy & playing against the Bears on Sunday.

Another very important element (or 2) which is to answer Wiskeys question about the Bears current lack of rushing production is that the Bears have switched FROM a heavy outside zone blocking scheme, which historically has been Howards' bread & butter play.. TO a heavy Power/Iso blocking scheme.

Howards vision simply is NOT the same in this new blocking scheme. Howard also seems to be effected by all of the negative talk about his fit in Nagy scheme/his production.
Another factor in Howard's lack of production this year is this Bears team offense philosophy change.

The Bears are no longer the "get off the bus running" team.
Howard is no longer the Bears best & only weapon on offense. This philosophy change means less opportunities for Howard.
Thomas Jones was a Bears RB that could steadily get you 4~5 yards per carry, with very few 1 yard or 10 yard runs. Just a steady 4 yard runner.
Howard has always been a fall forward for 3 yards guy that will eventually bust a few 10+ yard runs in the 4th quarter after punishing a defense for 3 quarters.

That being said...

At LEAST half the problem is that, for various reasons, the O~Line simply is not opening the same holes for RB's this year, so far.

I'm sure that the coaches are aware of these problems & know that the 1st half of the season (at least) the Bears can throw the ball for 4~6 yards, and eating clock in the same manner as a running play.

Up to this point... the Bears are statistically a poor running team, and but are STILL scheming games in a way that are allowing them to eat clock as good~ or even better~ than the team has since Howard's rookie year.

As the weather starts to turn less pass favorable I see Nagy adjusting his call style to a more balanced run/pass ratio to account for weather related completion problems.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

The disappointing thing for me is that last year Howard had similarly poor output in a number of games because the Bears had no passing threat and opponents were stacking the box. Howard was regularly being ploughed into 8, 9 and sometimes even 10 man fronts. Yet he still averaged a respectable 4 yards a carry for the year and gained 1100+ yards ranking him 6th in the league.

This year the Bears do have a passing attack, and boy is it working! Opponents cannot stack the box, yet the Bears don't seem to be able to get any sort of consistent run game going. Cohen is what he was last year as a runner - boom or bust - and that's not going to change. Howard's average is a pathetic 3.4 ypc and he's nowhere close to being on course for another thousand yard season. I really didn't expect that. I thought the passing game would really open up the running game. I thought Nagy would find ways to exploit Howard's strengths after all his talk of tailoring the offense to maximise what each player does well.

Howard is the one player whose talent is being wasted, and that's despite his greatly improved receiving skills. The only times he gets to run the ball it's obvious and the offensive line can't block it. Howard seems to get hit at or behind the line on every carry, yet we've seen in the past that he doesn't need a gaping hole to run through; a small crease is enough for him to pick up 6+ yards a pop. I thought Hiestand, the o-line guru, would improve the run blocking but it's gone backwards (quite literally a lot of the time).

Right now, this lack of running game is what separates the Bears offense from the Chiefs, Rams and Saints. All those teams have potent run games to go with their potent passing attacks. This is why I can't see the Bears contending in the playoffs.

[The Marshall Plan]

I don't like the right side of the line at all. It makes me nervous. Part of me wonders if the offensive line "performance" isn't in part a function of the playcalling. I could be wrong on that one.

Also, if the line were that great, we'd be doing better in the run game. Jordan Howard has proven himself over the past couple of years and if he had holes to run through it wouldn't matter if he got 10, 12 or 20 carries per game. We'd see some long runs.

Another thing that baffles me, and this is more on the playcalling side, but its about the o-line too....what's up with running Cohen up the middle and then it goes nowhere?

I'd be perfectly fine in cutting Long, trading Howard for a pick, and then using the Long and Howard money to get a sure thing stud on the right side.

[Umbali]

I have a question. So is it Howard is not as good running from shotgun? What % of his runs are from shotgun this year vs last few years? When taking a normal handoff he is already moving forward and building up a load of steam. From shot gun RPO type runs its like he is waiting then trying to take off once he has the ball and he looks really slow at that.

Just my two cents

[Pagan]

I have a question. So is it Howard is not as good running from shotgun? What % of his runs are from shotgun this year vs last few years? When taking a normal handoff he is already moving forward and building up a load of steam. From shot gun RPO type runs its like he is waiting then trying to take off once he has the ball and he looks really slow at that.

Just my two cents

Umbali... yeah.. this is a very good point & yrt another factor in the failure to get the running going like it should be.
The Bears are in shotgun 80% of the time!
This is a HUGE difference than previous years (when many of us were actually wishing the Bears tried this look more often, it was to be less obvious).

The problem is basically at every faze, the Oline is not nearly as adept at run blocking in this new blocking scheme, but their pass blocking is Much improved.

Howard is a very solid Rusher, but is clearly not comfortable with the new scheme (or rushing from shotty).

I believe that Nagy & is a Co. realize this & have long since decided that keeping Trubinski upright & successful is the priority over keeping the line an & is RB's comfy on running plays.

Hard to argue with this, but dye to the fact that the offense is scoring record #'s while still dominating the time of possession most often.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

I can't remember the stats, but I seem to recall Howard being outstanding running from the shotgun in his first two seasons and that he did so a lot in college too. It was a mystery why Fox didn't do it more last year in all honesty, but he seemed obsessed with getting Trubisky to play under center. Of course, now he's playing almost exclusively out of the shotgun with Nagy!

Howard's a one-cut runner, but there has to be a gap for him to cut through. There just haven't been many this year. Also, he needs to get into a rhythm and it just doesn't happen with Nagy constantly taking him out. Against the Lions he took the first play 9 yards and Nagy immediately pulled him. He only carried twice more in the half. That's got to be demoralising for a player. Not only that but Cunningham and Mizzell, who wasn't on the 53-man roster until a couple of weeks ago, keep getting reps which I really don't understand.

It's not too much of an issue as long as the Bears keep stacking up the points each week, but against the better teams relying on the passing game is an awful lot to put on Trubisky's shoulders.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Just found this post picking up on a Biggs '10 Thoughts' column last year:

Howard was the best back in the entire league running out of the shotgun in 2016 when he averaged 7.0 yards per carry. The Bears have a set of runs in the playbook from that formation that Howard and the linemen execute well.

[southdakbearfan]

I have a question. So is it Howard is not as good running from shotgun? What % of his runs are from shotgun this year vs last few years? When taking a normal handoff he is already moving forward and building up a load of steam. From shot gun RPO type runs its like he is waiting then trying to take off once he has the ball and he looks really slow at that.

Just my two cents

I don't know if it's scheme, formation or just simply that howard is the type of back that needs x amount of runs to wear a defense down, I just know right now he doesn't look the same as years past.

[BR0D1E86]

I have a question. So is it Howard is not as good running from shotgun? What % of his runs are from shotgun this year vs last few years? When taking a normal handoff he is already moving forward and building up a load of steam. From shot gun RPO type runs its like he is waiting then trying to take off once he has the ball and he looks really slow at that.

Just my two cents

I don’t know, I saw this today and had a hard time believing it. But he’s always been way better from the shotgun in his career.

[alexwilkins]

They talked a lot yesterday about how teams know that Jordan is the between the tackles runner, and Cohen has more the outside guy. I think come playoff time, they’re going to switch up a lot of things. Play calling for the backs, running from pass looks, passing from running looks. I think coach knows what is doing.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

This is SUCH a good video on why Jordan Howard did so well in a zone blocking scheme the last couple of years, and why he's probably struggling now. Howard is a pure zone runner, now trying to find space within a power blocking scheme.

I'm not sure what the remedy is. Can the Bears go back to a zone blocking scheme on running plays, or does that defeat everything that they're trying to do in the passing game? I don't know that. But it's clear that Howard running in the current system, is trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

Jordan Howard

[Boris13c]

the Bears running game overall is their real work in progress, and I don't think Nagy has quite got that aspect figured out

but I know he is working on it

[G08]

This is SUCH a good video on why Jordan Howard did so well in a zone blocking scheme the last couple of years, and why he's probably struggling now. Howard is a pure zone runner, now trying to find space within a power blocking scheme.

I'm not sure what the remedy is. Can the Bears go back to a zone blocking scheme on running plays, or does that defeat everything that they're trying to do in the passing game? I don't know that. But it's clear that Howard running in the current system, is trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

Jordan Howard

I've been screaming this from the mountaintops all season. Our run blocking scheme isn't best for this personnel nor Jordan Howard. I hate that we changed it but I'll gladly take the points.

[G08]

I'm watching this Rams/Seahawks game and the Rams are so freaking simple in what they do... outside zone left, outside zone right, play action. Outside zone left, outside zone right, play action.

[Pagan]

the Bears running game overall is their real work in progress, and I don't think Nagy has quite got that aspect figured out

but I know he is working on it

Oh wow.. what a great vid breakdown!
Not sure how I missed this last year, but I but this is EXACTLY what I was saying in my last reply to this post.

I also agree that I believe that the coaches are aware of the problem & are banking on Howard (& the Oline) being able to adjust to the new blocking scheme= OR Nagy tryly believes that the new scheme is simply what's necessary to help Mitch blossom into the franchise QB that he has the potential to be... & that he'd rather trade Howard's run production (the 1st part of the season only? ) for that of Trubiski & all of the other Offense weapons.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Chris Collinsworth was saying that the Bears were in a zone blocking scheme in the first half, when Howard was gaining 4-6 yards a carry. Can anyone confirm that? Were they zone blocking in the first half?

[EricTighe]

yeppers they were.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

yeppers they were.

Well that goes right back to the Jordan Howard video I posted. He is a pure zone runner. He was really doing well, until they stuck an extra guy in the box.

[Pagan]

Confirmed... I believe this is all going to Nagys plan.

1st half of the season.. changed the blocking scheme that better suits your young franchise QB/offense weapons (not named Howard) or if Howard & the running game gels... continue as is, and if not... switch to a more ballanced/Zone blocking heavy scheme that works to Howard's strengths for cold weather offense.

This way your passing offense has 1/2 a season to gel.

I called it a few weeks ago... we'll start seeing this zone scheme /under center more the rest of the way so long as it doesn't have adverse effects on Trubiskis efficiency.