If timing, route-running are crisp, Bears have a chance to take off
By Brad Biggs, Tribune reporter
6:49 PM CDT, July 26, 2010
They will be making final preparations on campus at Olivet Nazarene University this week for the arrival of the Bears on Thursday, but no trapeze will be hung.
The Bears won't need one for the high-flying act new offensive coordinator Mike Martz is bringing with him, the cause for as much anticipation this summer as there was a year ago with the arrival of quarterback Jay Cutler.
This is the second time in Lovie Smith's seven years the Bears have tried the offense tracing its roots to Don Coryell's playbook. Martz, though, is considered a master based on his track record, whereas Terry Shea was a one-year mistake.
Plus, Shea was forced to work with a three-headed monster at quarterback. Martz has praised Cutler for being the most intelligent and talented passer he has worked with in a long career. If you're headed to Bourbonnais, here are six things to look for:
- Timing. The offense is predicated on detail and Cutler and his receivers are going to have to be on the same page. It's not difficult to tell when things are awry. Is he hooking up with his targets on the deep in routes and other staples of the offense? Cutler's body language is easy to read, so if something is amiss, you'll know it.
- The routes. There should be a lot more in the way of vertical routes than there was in the past under Ron Turner. This offense will give Cutler more opportunities to make big plays and that's something he needs to do in order to mitigate the interceptions. No one is expecting him to lead the league with 26 again, but Martz's offense takes chances and there are going to be turnovers.
- The drops. No, not those kind of drops. The Bears were actually one of the more sure-handed teams in the NFL a year ago. We're talking about the pass drops by Cutler. Martz's offense calls for more seven-step drops. How comfortable are offensive tackles Chris Williams and Frank Omiyale? What more is being done to protect Cutler? Is a back consistently staying in as a pass blocker? A tight end? Both? The quarterback gets hit in this offense and the Bears need to prepare to minimize that as much as possible.
- He thinks they can play. Martz boldly proclaimed he believes the wide receivers will be one of the strengths of the team. That's fine. How does he stack them up? The early guess is Johnny Knox is lined up as a starter opposite Devin Hester, but Devin Aromashodu will have opportunities to push for a starting job. One of the nice things you get when a new coordinator comes in is the slate is wiped clean and there are no preconceived notions. Earl Bennett should be healthy following an offseason scope on his knee and Juaquin Iglesias has been praised throughout the offseason. Now we'll get an idea how Martz evaluates the individuals.
- The tight ends. Much has been made about the role of former first-round draft pick Greg Olsen in this scheme. But much has been paid to Brandon Manumaleuna, a blocker with experience playing in the scheme. Factor in veteran Desmond Clark and Kellen Davis and it will be very interesting to see how the personnel groupings shake out and how the playing time is divided. Through the last two years, few teams in the league used more double tight end formations than the Bears. You'd have to imagine with Manumaleuna receiving $6 million guaranteed that the plan is to have him on the field half of the time. Olsen figures to be on the field a lot. He was on the field for 84.1 percent of the snaps last season, a career high, and has been on the field for 80.4 percent of the plays the last 32 games.
- The backups. The offseason plan was to sign a veteran backup QB to the roster, but that changed when the team was surprised to see Central Michigan record-setter Dan Lefevour on the board in the sixth round of the draft. Martz and the college scouting department both had strong grades on LeFevour, so he was the draft choice even though the Bears didn't enter the draft with plans of selecting a passer. Once LeFevour got on board, it solidified Caleb Hanie's position as the No. 2. It will be interesting to see how Hanie performs along with LeFevour and recently signed Mike Teel. Cutler has a track record of durability, but you just never know. Kurt Warner's Hall of Fame career was born in Martz's offense because of a fluke knee injury to Trent Green.