Chicago Bears Offensive Approach in 2022 Continues to Point in a Familiar Direction
After a dreadful 2021 season again offensively by Matt Nagy and Co. it was time for the Bears to restart once again. The Bears invested 2 first-round selections in Quarterback Justin Fields, and in his rookie season to very little to set him up for success. Between the week-to-week inconsistency between the offensive line and the play calling it was surely a season to forget.
Now fast forward to Off-season 2022 as training camp approaches and there isn't much that's the same. Newly hired Generals Manager Ryan Poles has had a common trend this off-season taking chances on high-ceiling players who may have a chip on their shoulders and may be a new home away from blossoming, along with being patient and building through the draft and trusting the process. This rebuild won't happen overnight but if Poles can remind true to his approach with future draft capital and a surplus of cap room, the Bears can surround this young quarterback with the tools to lead Chicago back to the top of The NFC North.
So far this off-season I don't think we've seen a teammate of Fields, new or old describe a day where he's not in the facility or training to prepare for 2022. He is driven and wants to excel in the league. Newly hired Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy branches from the Shannahan tree, which is known for a west coast style offense, outzone running concept and offensive lineman who are quick, athletic and not afraid to take off the backside of fellow defenders. This scheme is exceptional when executed properly but the chemistry and intricacies of the offense are not easily found in the league, many can try to replicate it but not everyone succeeds. Mike Shanahan of course is The Godfather of the scheme and even stated in a Sports Illustrated interview himself «It's gonna take you years, it's not going to happen overnight,». «You gotta believe in it. You gotta be a product of the environment. It's gonna take time.»
The Chicago Bears certainly have pieces already on the offensive that can help them thrive as they work on mastering the concept. Quarterback Justin Fields has Dual-Threat ability when running the outside zone read, and also even in a subpar rookie season flashed his accuracy deep down the field and his ability to make throws out of play action. Fields and Mooney built chemistry immediately in 2021 and have continued that through the off-season. The Bears also have rookie Velus Jones Jr, who is set to make an impact right away with his deep threat ability, Tight End Cole Kmet will receive a high workload as a three-down tight end and has high expectations heading into Year Three, and the Bears also added Byron Pringle and most recently former first-rounder N'keal Harry, both of which are exceptional run blockers and have deep threat ability too. Arguably the strongest position for the Bears on offense would be their backfield. Once again the Bears appear to have struck gold with a late-round running back in Khalil Herbert, who will backup Bears fan favorite and one of the most aggressive runners in the league David Montgomery. The offensive tone will be set through the running game, and it's extremely important for success in the entire offense. The two should see a large workload and certainly should look to make the most of their opportunity.
Many analysts and insiders have been critical of the Bears front office for the lack of talent that they have given Justin Fields. When running this style of offense there's more to it than needing a «number one receiver». Chemistry, running ability, yards after the catch, and the play-action game are the most important keys here.
In 2019 Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers had the league's 3rd highest-scoring offense. Below is a list of the team's main receivers and their stats. This should easily provide an example of reassurance and just relax. Trust in the process.
George Kittle 85-1053-5Deebo Samuel 57-802-3Emmanuel Sanders 36-502-3Kendrick Bourne 30-358-5Ross Dwelley 15-91-2Marquise Goodwin 12-186-1
As far as «number one» receiver number goes, with the exception of possibly Kittle, there was not one receiver in that category. Yet Jimmy Garoppolo and Co. were able to become the third highest-scoring offense in the league and make the Super Bowl.
Last season the Bears receivers achieved the following statistics
Darnell Mooney 81-1055-4Cole Kmet 60-612-0Byron Pringle(KC) 42-568-5Velus Jones Jr(College) 62-807-7Tajae Sharpe(ATL) 25-230-0
Neither of the team's rosters hosted «number one» or barely even «number two» numbers but in a successful scheme with a strong run presence, the points scored are all the difference. 2019 49ers scored 479 points(29.9 per game) and the 2021 Bears scored 311 points (18.8 per game).
There's is reason to have excitement for the offense in 2022, especially to witness Fields' growth. There certainly will be hiccups but with Getsy calling the shots there certainly will be an identity and a game plan week in and week out.
Below are a few examples over the years of some plays out of the Shanahan tree across the league.
