The Blame Game

[Moriarty]

The Bears passing attack has been poor (32nd yards, 22nd passer rating, 29th comp %)

Log your vote, for most culpable to least (4pts = biggest part of problem, 1pt = smallest part of problem)


Fields - not seeing open receivers, choosing not to throw, and/or missing the target
Getsey - playcalling
OL - the pass protection
WR - not getting separation


In order to help me tally, please format like this:
reason1 4
reason2 3
reason3 2
reason4 1

[Moriarty]

Mine:

Fields 4
OL 3
WR 2
Getsey 1

[Grizzled]

It's somewhat difficult to assess this. We don't know what play Getsy's called much of the time, especially when JF doesn't go to a primary receiver. Cameras don't typically pan down the field enough on every play so we can see WRs working and see if they're getting separation. That said, I'm going with:

OL play
Getsy playcalling
Fields
WR separation

[Arkansasbear]

The Bears passing attack has been poor (32nd yards, 22nd passer rating, 29th comp %)

Log your vote, for most culpable to least (4 = biggest part of problem, 1 = smallest part of problem)


Fields - not seeing open receivers, choosing not to throw, and/or missing the target
Getsey - playcalling
OL - the pass protection
WR - not getting separation


In order to help me tally, please format like this:
reason1 4
reason2 3
reason3 2
reason4 1

Well I"m going to say the biggest "reason" for it is is Getsey's play calling., because despite all the other factors if the OC isn't calling the plays you need to open up the passing game, you can't overcomre the other factors. But you used "biggest part of the problem." I don't think the play calling is a "problem" I think it is the reality of what he needs to do for the offense to function. If he altered the play calling the OL and WR problems would show up more and the offense would perform worse. Furthermore, calling more plays that force Fields to have to overcome his shortcomings (I DON'T HATE THE GUY!!!!!!!!!) rather than play to what he does well RIGHT NOW (doesn't mean I think that's all he will ever do well) Getsey would also likely have the offense perform at a lesser level.

So as far the ":problems" go:
4. OL - the game starts in the trenches and we simply get beat way to often. The right side of the OL cost us the Falcon's game IMO (although Patterson's return hurt too),

3. WR - Getting better, especially Kmet and Mooney as of late, but big drops at key moments,

2. Fields - This could be 1b as I think he has shown improvements in the passing game as dplank points out, but still has room to grow and get better.

1. Getsey - again real close to Fields and maybe he needs to open it up a bit more and have more faith in his QB.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

OL
WR
Getsy
Fields

The WR “reason” is not fair, there is a huge amount of bias in the “reasons”. If you look at the “reasons” Fields has 3, the others have 1 each.

This is a biased poll.
What about WR dropping the ball (losing a heck of a lot of ‘passing yards’ not to mention TDs)?
What about WR catching the ball and then instead of getting out of bounds they get the ball stripped turning a definite positive yards into negative.
What about the OL (Mustipher) being shit at snapping the ball and Fields having to search for the damn ball whilst he’s got defenders round his ears?

Anyway we know the truth, it’s a combination of factors and one doesn’t happen without the others.

[Arkansasbear]

OL
WR
Getsy
Fields

The WR “reason” is not fair, there is a huge amount of bias in the “reasons”. If you look at the “reasons” Fields has 3, the others have 1 each.

This is a biased poll.
What about WR dropping the ball (losing a heck of a lot of ‘passing yards’ not to mention TDs)?
What about WR catching the ball and then instead of getting out of bounds they get the ball stripped turning a definite positive yards into negative.
What about the OL (Mustipher) being shit at snapping the ball and Fields having to search for the damn ball whilst he’s got defenders round his ears?

Anyway we know the truth, it’s a combination of factors and one doesn’t happen without the others.

I agree its a combination and there isn't one that is light years ahead of the others.

[AZ_Bearfan]

4 - O-Line
3 - JF1
2 - WR
1 - Getsy

I think Getsy is the least of our problems. The late calls last week were brutal and now Fields is hurting, but he did implement an offense for Fields that put up historical numbers over the last month.

The o-line is just bad. We knew it going into the season, but man it's ugly. I think Patrick at center would have been a huge boon to the line, but injuries happen and the next man up isn't cutting it. I expect this off-season to focus on both sides of the lines (yay!).

[otis]

4 oline. they collapse so fast. fields is standing nut to butt when he throws half the time
3 fields. he waits to long to throw. hit some quick ins to the tight ends once in awhile
2 receivers. they seem to only be open after fields starts to run and defenders peel off
1 getsy . we lead in rushing but if you take fields out of that what do we have? quick hits. over the middle, take some shots with claypool.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

I’m sorry Moriarty, I don’t want to come across as agitated.

You can see why the poll has bias. Fields - first in your list, the first thing you read, he has 3 reasons the others have 1 each.

Not a personal attack and thanks for starting the thread to allow this discussion

I agree with AZ - without an adequately functioning (let alone dumpster fire) O line then it is all moot. I think we saw that in SB Bucks vs Chiefs. Mahomes had ripped up the NFL all season but got his arse handed to him in the SB as his O line was porous.

That said it all to me, you need the line to function before anything else happens.

[thunderspirit]

4 OL
3 WR
2 Fields
1 Getsy

3 and 2 are really close, and probably interchangeable.

[Moriarty]

What about WR dropping the ball (losing a heck of a lot of ‘passing yards’ not to mention TDs)?

Bear WRs have had a very low number of drops. http://stats.washingtonpost.com/fb/tmle ... L&rank=232 Even if you adjust for lower numbers of attempts, they aren't especially high.

What about WR catching the ball and then instead of getting out of bounds they get the ball stripped turning a definite positive yards into negative.
What about the OL (Mustipher) being shit at snapping the ball and Fields having to search for the damn ball whilst he’s got defenders round his ears?

How often have these happened, though?
One time all season and ?

The WR “reason” is not fair, there is a huge amount of bias in the “reasons”. If you look at the “reasons” Fields has 3, the others have 1 each.

Those are the primary complaints I've heard.
Yes, the QB has more listed.
The QB is inherently a more involved and important part of an offense.
That's why they're the highest paid, drafted in the top spots so often, and known as the most important position in sports.

[Rusty Trombagent]

this might be a mucchhhh easier question to answer after a few weeks of siemien. unless your intent is to get people on record before we see that.

[Moriarty]

this might be a mucchhhh easier question to answer after a few weeks of siemien. unless your intent is to get people on record before we see that.

I don't know.


I was kind of just inspired by

4 things need to happen if we want to see more passing attack:

1. The OL needs to improve pass protection
2. The WR's need to get open faster and more frequently
3. Justin Fields needs to improve his read/timing and let the ball fly
4. Getsy needs to let if fly also and call more pass plays

Rank these in your order of preference. That's my order above

And I started thinking that we aren't going to see Siemian anyway, after the latest rumor/leak.

[WagonForce]

4 OL
3 WR
2 Fields
1 Getsy

3 and 2 are really close, and probably interchangeable.

I see things the same way Thunderspirit. While I think there are some reasons for optimism (Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins) this line cannot pass block to save their lives.

Fields has definitely missed some key throws but in general they've been balls sailing on him, which I attribute in part to the fact that he is in survival mode from the very first snap game in and game out.

Weirdly enough, I'm not that worried about the Bears passing attack going into next season, assuming the offseason isn't a complete disaster. Get a center, a tackle, a decent developmental interior lineman (not a short list I'll admit), get another weapon at WR in the pipeline, continue to let Fields gain experience after he gets healthy, and I think this offense will be humming next year.

[karhu]

4: Fields. The changes we made after the mini-bye only covered up the fundamental stuff he needs to improve on. That list has changed throughout the season, but not enough.
3: WRs. A very close second. Aside from Mooney, they're poor route-runners and are slow to make necessary adjustments. I just don't see a lot of alacrity there, from releasing off the line to running crisp routes. Claypool gets a half-nod for having arrived mid-season, but he doesn't seem to be doing consistently the things, like releasing, that were always under his control.
2: OL. A very close third? There's a lot of work to do here, and we could've used a bye at around week 10.
1: Getsy. I haven't agreed with every decision he's made, but he's contorted himself to come up with a coherent offensive strategy that plays to his personnel's short (if fun-to-watch) list of strengths.

[Rusty Trombagent]

4 - O-Line
3 - JF1
2 - WR
1 - Getsy

I think Getsy is the least of our problems. The late calls last week were brutal and now Fields is hurting, but he did implement an offense for Fields that put up historical numbers over the last month.

The o-line is just bad. We knew it going into the season, but man it's ugly. I think Patrick at center would have been a huge boon to the line, but injuries happen and the next man up isn't cutting it. I expect this off-season to focus on both sides of the lines (yay!).

I think after some waffling this is where I am. I think JF and the OL are trapped in a feedback loop. JF doesnt trust his OL, which is sometimes warranted and sometimes not. His footwork has been really bad, he's got some seriously happy feet. That slows his decision making as well because he's losing that second resetting before his throw.

So fields is holding it way too long, which makes the OL look worse, wears em down faster, creates chaos.

But there's no question, we improve the pass blocking and JF looks better, maybe settles down, gets more comfortable. So I guess OL is 4 and JF is 3?

The thought I keep going back to, though, is that we've had years in the last 10 years where our WR's and OL (and honestly, our OC) have both been ABYSMAL. So much worse than they are now, and our passing game was never as moribund as it is now. Nothing exists in a vacuum but they're still data points.

[Moriarty]

The thought I keep going back to, though, is that we've had years in the last 10 years where our WR's and OL (and honestly, our OC) have both been ABYSMAL. So much worse than they are now, and our passing game was never as moribund as it is now.

yup

[The Marshall Plan]

Fields 4
OL 3
Getsy 2
WRs 1

Fields and the OL are interchangeable to me at the top spot.

To preface, I do believe that Soldier Fields is The One (like in The Matrix). I am certain we have our guy.

However he is still learning and finding his confidence. He has all the physical abilities in the world and can easily become a top 5ish QB in this league.

The OL has pass pro issues and we see it when we watch the games. IMHO, you cannot build a line from UDFAs, castoffs, and low cost FAs. You just can't. I still hold the opinion that the OL is the most important position on the football field. You control that LOS and you can do anything you want. You let in the opposing DL and I don't care if you have The GOAT or Baby GOAT Mahomes behind center, you're toast. If we're lucky we have Teven Jenkins penciled in at RG for the next decade. Otherwise, we need up to 4 guys.

Getsy is starting to go to the well one too many times with having JF1 run and we paid the price towards the end of the Atlanta game. I get it. We don't have much that works in the offense. But it's Getsy's job to be the adult in the room and to be the one that develops Fields.

The WRs are a problem. We do not have a legit #1 that defenses gameplan for. Mooney is good, but like I've said before, I don't think the opposing CB1 or DC stay up on Saturday night gameplanning for Mooney or having insomnia in the hotel room the night before the game.

Claypool is a toss up. Who knows? The rest are castoffs meant to fill out a roster.

I have the WRs last because it's happened before where great QBs make WRs look good because of where they place the ball and the ability to spread out the offense. Even though I have WR last, I want to emphasize that I think acquiring an elite WR this offseason via trade (provided we can trade down in the first and acquire more picks) or via FA has to be a high priority.

[Otis Day]

Fields 4
OL 3
WRs 2
Getsy 1

There have been times, more than people want to admit, that Fields has had time, and just didn't pull the trigger. There was talk earlier of how long he held onto the ball. The OL does suck but there have been moments where he just pulled it down and ran.

[spudbear]

While we are comparing different units, it may be interesting to look at the start of the season and where the Bears are at.

The anticipated starting OL (BJones, Whitehair, Patrick, Jenkins, Borom) had to be changed due to Patrick's hand injury, and I doubt they've actually played many snaps together this season. All of them have been injured at one time or another except for rookie Braxton. And when Patrick came back they jerked Teven around. It's very difficult to establish effective pass protection with this much change, let alone having to rely on three young blockers.
The WR corps was Mooney and some guys, where the other anticipated "good'" WR Pringle was injured to start. Kmet at TE was a question mark coming in and started slowly to the point that half the board was giving up on him.
Getsey was a newly minted OC from Green Bay.

We still see the revolving doors on the OL. The WR corps was bolstered by Harry and Claypool though the results are incomplete. Kmet has now become a playmaker for the O. Getsey has had more ups than downs, and until last week has been effective with post-halftime adjustments.

The Ravens are a pretty good comparison. Their QB Jackson also leads their team in rushing and has averaged about 30 more yards/game passing than Fields. They also have a WR corps without a stud #1 WR and have a decent TE. The difference between the Ravens and Bears is a solid OL and good defense, hence the 7-3 record. Bears seem to be close to that record except for some bad endings on at least 4 games.

So it's difficult to rank the "blame" as this is an evolving situation.

[Rusty Trombagent]

Ehhhh, I dont think the Ravens comp is very cut and dry. They have years of experience in the same offensive system. *cough* Unless you dont think coaching matters that's a huge difference.*cough* They have a stellar TE (Lol at "decent"), but ironically, I'd take our receiving corp right now over theirs, straight up.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

4 - OL
3 - OL
2 - OL
1 - OL

[malk]

Mine:

Fields 4
OL 3
WR 2
Getsey 1

Agree with this but would add with Fields that his legs are such a viable option that they're also a big reason. Basically if he sees the option to run for a first down and avoid contact, or take an easy five yards or so, that's a better option in nearly all cases to a checkdown. Checkdowns are a high percentage pass but rushing 5 yards into space is virtually 100%.

[dplank]

Mine:

Fields 4
OL 3
WR 2
Getsey 1

Agree with this but would add with Fields that his legs are such a viable option that they're also a big reason. Basically if he sees the option to run for a first down and avoid contact, or take an easy five yards or so, that's a better option in nearly all cases to a checkdown. Checkdowns are a high percentage pass but rushing 5 yards into space is virtually 100%.

I believe he’s also being coached to play that way, according to a recent article that was shared here

[malk]

Agree with this but would add with Fields that his legs are such a viable option that they're also a big reason. Basically if he sees the option to run for a first down and avoid contact, or take an easy five yards or so, that's a better option in nearly all cases to a checkdown. Checkdowns are a high percentage pass but rushing 5 yards into space is virtually 100%.

I believe he’s also being coached to play that way, according to a recent article that was shared here

And with the small caveat that this is a development year and I want to see him improve his passing more, long may the easy runs continue! Taking what the defence offers to get ahead on down/distance is going to make his life so much easier, and if coordinators start to adjust for that next year there will be some pretty soft spots in their coverages which I'm hopefully Getsy will explot.

[IE]

1. Inexperience
2. Familiarity between players
3. Internalization of the new system
4. Quality of pass game weapons

[BigDaddy]

1. fields- Yes, the changes made in the mini break did camoflage much of what Fields needs to work on like his accuracy, not seeing his receivers, not being able to throw his WR open.
2. O line- They are not good at pass blocking, period.
3 and 4 are tied. I refuse to believe this WR corp is so horrible they can't get open, I also think Getsyu has to work to get synergy with all the WRs, not just Mooney.

[Middleguard]

1) Fields needs to learn to ANTICIPATE a receiver coming open or a receiver moving into a position where he has a good chance to win a contested chance (he never does this).
2) Getsy has to force Fields into situations where he has to learn #1.
3) OL has to give Fields enough time to remember how to hit the long ones (which he has forgotten).
4) WR need to catch the ball.

[RichH55]

I think people really, really overrate the OL play across the league. Or how small some of these windows are for most QBs

There are some good units out there - but really only a handful - and that's before you start getting into injuries (I think the Cardinals had a game where they were playing 4 backups all at the same time)

Fields is probably the best athlete playing QB today. He can do things - with his legs - that maybe no other QB can do (or maybe just half a handful can do) - but its also why his deficiencies in the passing game didn't preclude him from being a Highly picked NFL QB.

[RichH55]

The one thing I don't really understand is Fields taking a step back in terms of accuracy.

I thought the deep ball accuracy was a bit overstated at tOSU (there are a lot of throws to Olave and the like where its a completion/TD because Olave is Wide, wide open so the ball isn't really leading him - Because there is No Need to lead them)

But - this was a very accurate QB in College - So I'm really at a loss to explain that part - like the miss to Montgomery that was just really high for no reason - there are very few examples of that from Fields in College