New personality' of offense: Speed it up
May, 11, 2012
4:39
PM CT
By Michael C. Wright | ESPNChicago.com
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice kept mentioning the “new personality” of the offense Friday during a seven-minute meeting with reporters following the first practice of rookie minicamp at Halas Hall.
Mike Tice will have installed the new Bears' offense four times by the time training camp has ended.
The problem, however was Tice didn’t elaborate. At first, anyway.
So what exactly is this new personality?
“Just that we want to play fast,” Tice explained later. “We don’t want to be out on the field and have the kids think[ing] too much. We don’t want to make it hard for the kids. We want to make sure the kids know exactly what we’re gonna do, when we’re gonna call it and why we’re gonna call it. That’s our job as coaches. We have some great athletes on offense. We have to put them in a position to show us and show the fans, and show the people that love the Bears, their athleticism and explosiveness. We want to be explosive.”
That’s perfectly fine, but obviously steps need to be taken to accomplish the task. So thus far in an offseason somewhat lacking on a free flow of information from Halas Hall, the Bears have actually installed their 2012 offense not once, but twice.
So basically, the team’s progress in terms of offensive installation stands at the halfway point with training camp approaching in July.
“When we go to OTA days, we’ll go through [installing the offense] for a third time,” Tice said. “When we go to training camp, we’ll go through for a fourth time. So we’re excited about that process because we’re gonna have a large playbook, and we’re gonna be able to pull from that and draw from that playbook as the season progresses, and as we find what the talents of our players are.”
The Bears walked away from the first day of rookie camp encouraged by the glimpse they caught of rookie second-round receiver Alshon Jeffery, who eventually left the field close to the end of practice after catching leg cramps. Prior to Jeffery leaving, Tice watched the rookie “picking peanuts off some guys’ heads,” during drills.
Jeffery will play the “Z” receiver spot in the slot. New acquisition Brandon Marshall and veteran Devin Hester will play on the outside, with the latter playing a much more significant role in 2012 than in years past on offense because of the club’s plans to creatively deploy him in a variety of places.
One NFL source said the Bears’ 2012 passing game will essentially be the 2008 passing offense of the Denver Broncos, a system well known by new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, both Marshall and quarterback Jay Cutler, who the source said, “really likes Hester in the new system.”
New personality' of offense: Speed it up
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New personality' of offense: Speed it up
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New personality' of offense: Speed it up
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
First thing that caught my attention from this article was the continued veiled shots at Mike Martz. They have been throwing haymakers at him since his departure.
The second thing was Hester starting, while the rookie is being groomed for the slot. They are paying Earl Bennett a ton of money to be a backup. I thought that Marshall & Jeffery would be the starters on the outside, while Bennett would be our slot receiver.
The second thing was Hester starting, while the rookie is being groomed for the slot. They are paying Earl Bennett a ton of money to be a backup. I thought that Marshall & Jeffery would be the starters on the outside, while Bennett would be our slot receiver.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
I think Hester starts to stretch the field. Bennett is going to get plenty of snaps. I like having a huge receiver in the slot. That's a big matchup problem.
It's amazing how quickly receiver went from a weakness to a potential strength.
It's amazing how quickly receiver went from a weakness to a potential strength.
Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
BIGGIEsmalls 23 wrote:
The second thing was Hester starting, while the rookie is being groomed for the slot. They are paying Earl Bennett a ton of money to be a backup. I thought that Marshall & Jeffery would be the starters on the outside, while Bennett would be our slot receiver.
surprising, yet it makes sense.
We'll get the final answer as to the quality of Hester as a receiver. If he cant be effective in this setup, then....
One thing is sure, with these receivers along with Forte, the Bears are going to lead the NFL in YAC by a wide margin.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
Hester starting and Bennett being a backup caught me by surprise too. But like fleet said, this will let us know very quickly if Hester has what it takes.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
Yea, you guys are probably right. I think Tice explained it in the quote below:
That seems like a shot against Martz's complicated system, which "whispers" suggested Hester was not intelligent enough for.
“Just that we want to play fast,” Tice explained later. “We don’t want to be out on the field and have the kids think[ing] too much. We don’t want to make it hard for the kids. We want to make sure the kids know exactly what we’re gonna do, when we’re gonna call it and why we’re gonna call it. That’s our job as coaches. We have some great athletes on offense. We have to put them in a position to show us and show the fans, and show the people that love the Bears, their athleticism and explosiveness. We want to be explosive.”
That seems like a shot against Martz's complicated system, which "whispers" suggested Hester was not intelligent enough for.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
the more I think about it, I will reverse and say I don't really like it just for the sake of Devin Hester getting some usage. Moving Jeffrey to the slot to experiment with Hester at flanker seems dubious. Jeffrey has a real chance to have to move back outside when/if Hester fails. Meanwhile your bellcow rookie receiver is getting jerked around trying to learn 2 different positions. Jeffrey isn't supposed to play the slot anyways. It would be a different story if Hester was an established guy. I would rather put Jeffrey where he belongs from day 1 and learn his best position.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
Hopefully, this is not another Daniele Manning situation. To this day, I feel that Lovie screwed that up, by not giving him a defined position.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
BIGGIEsmalls 23 wrote:First thing that caught my attention from this article was the continued veiled shots at Mike Martz. They have been throwing haymakers at him since his departure.
Bates mentioned something about using his athleticism, getting him out on the edges since he can throw on the run. Another thing Cliff Levingston read mentioned Tice saying something like "getting the call in quickly." Sounds like everyone wasn't too happy with the Martz way.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
I like the direction they seem to be going with the offense. I think Jeffrey is in the slot because the Bears might have concerns about his separation skills but I wouldn't worry. His technique isn't the greatest off the line so that part can be taught IMO.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
count Boomer as a skeptic:
he also sees Cow as a future Bears coach:
its all just one man's point of view, but I agree the Bears would be wise to do as Boomer says and get off the bus passing. Or Lovie's seat could get hot.
Esiason was asked what he expected from the Bears' offense this season with wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery added to quarterback Jay Cutler's arsenal.
"To me, it really comes down to Mike Tice,” said Esiason, referring to the Bears' new offensive coordinator. “Is Mike Tice going to be (stuck) in tradition, and run the ball and keeping it simple, or is he going to spread it out and join the rest of the NFL and utilize the new weapons that they have? It’s great to have weapons, but if your coaches and your coaching staff can’t put those weapons in positions where they can win and actually go out and get a championship, then it doesn’t really matter who you have."
Esiason said the kind of modern NFL offense on display in places such as Green Bay and New England needs to be embraced in Chicago.
"The traditional way of doing things in the NFL has gone by the wayside," Esiason said. "I know that Mike Tice, a former offensive line coach and all this other nonsense, is going to be about protection first and running the ball. You're going to win your share of games doing that ... but if you want to join the NFL, in this day and age, you'd better spread it out and learn to throw effectively. ... And I'm not sure that's in his DNA makeup.
"You've got to throw the ball, and you've got to throw the ball effectively. And you've got to do it at least 25 to 35 times a game. It’s not about running the ball 25 times and playing defense. I know you have a great running back there in Matt Forte, but if you want to win, if you want to get to the next level, your quarterback and your offense have gotta do it.”
he also sees Cow as a future Bears coach:
NFL analyst Boomer Esiason shared his thoughts Monday on the Chicago Bears' need to commit to the passing game and whether he ever could envision Bill Cowher coming out of retirement and perhaps pacing the Soldier Field sidelines.
“The only two coaching spots that I think that he would ever come out of retirement for ... one would be the New York Giants and the other one would be the Chicago Bears, because he’s that type of guy,” Esiason said of Cowher, his CBS Sports colleague, on "The McNeil and Spiegel Show" on WSCR-AM 670.
its all just one man's point of view, but I agree the Bears would be wise to do as Boomer says and get off the bus passing. Or Lovie's seat could get hot.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
Much respect to Boomer, but the Vikings offense was on fire when Tice was the Head Coach. Especially, their passing game in his 2nd & 3rd seasons.
http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?sea ... easonType=
http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?sea ... easonType=
http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?sea ... easonType=
Culpepper injured during & Randy Moss traded before the season below:
http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?sea ... easonType=
http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?sea ... easonType=
http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?sea ... easonType=
http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?sea ... easonType=
Culpepper injured during & Randy Moss traded before the season below:
http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?sea ... easonType=
Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
Cutler sounds happy:
On the kid:
Did Cutler personally hand pick Jeffrey?
on Bates and Tice:
On Forte:
sounds like Forte will make a lot of noise that amounts to a somewhat distracting hold out and nada
On the kid:
Cutler worked with Jeffery during Monday's organized team activities (OTAs) at Halas Hall.
"It’s going to be fun," Cutler said of the offense. "We’re kinda putting things together now. OTAs are structured a little bit different now. We’re on air, for right now. We get it cranked up against the defense next week.
"Getting the young guy ... I got Alshon and got to see what he could do today. With Brandon, we know what Brandon is. Getting Matt (Forte) back at some point. We have the makings of a good offense."
Did Cutler personally hand pick Jeffrey?
on Bates and Tice:
"To get back -- and I think we’re doing a lot of the stuff we were successful with in Denver -- kind of going back and looking at that film and trying to incorporate it with some of the stuff we’ve done here in the past," Cutler said. "So it’s a lot of give and take.
"And (offensive coordinator) Mike Tice is kind of organizing and managing it all, and kind of putting it in a book. But every day, it’s different. It’s fun working with him. Mike Tice makes it very enjoyable. Brandon Marshall out there makes it fun. We have a really good group of guys and it’s fun to go to work."
On Forte:
"I’ve talked to him," Cutler said of Forte. "The last time I saw him, he said he was lonely. ... Matt’s got to do what Matt’s got to do for him. Maybe they get him to a deal; maybe they don’t. At the end of the day, we’ll have him first game."
sounds like Forte will make a lot of noise that amounts to a somewhat distracting hold out and nada
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http://chicago.sbnation.com/chicago-bea ... cago-bears
of course this is exactly what he has to say. Not that I give much credence to what Boomer said, but it would be nice.
Anyhow as far as the offense goes, lets hope Jerry Angelo was mostly the one keeping this offense down which I do think is true to a significant extent. Stop getting off the bus running though Lovie.
Bill Cowher On Coaching Chicago Bears: "I Never Talked To Anybody From The Bears"
By Ricky O'Donnell - Editor
Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher denied interest in the Chicago Bears on Wednesday.
May 17, 2012 - The Chicago Bears have one of the longest tenured head coaches in the NFL, but so long as former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher is out of work, most of Chicago will prefer him over Lovie Smith. Cowher appeared on The Score (WSCR 670) on Wednesday and addressed the rumors connecting him to Chicago.
As expected, Cowher shot down interest from either side:
Zach Zaidman@ZachZaidman
Bill Cowher to WSCR: "I never talked to anybody from the Bears."
Zach Zaidman@ZachZaidman
Bill Cowher to WSCR: "I don't foresee coming back coaching in the near future."
of course this is exactly what he has to say. Not that I give much credence to what Boomer said, but it would be nice.
Anyhow as far as the offense goes, lets hope Jerry Angelo was mostly the one keeping this offense down which I do think is true to a significant extent. Stop getting off the bus running though Lovie.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
In terms of the offense, Urlacher raved about what he has witnessed so far.
"The ball is gone quick,'' Urlacher said. "Jay (Cutler) makes his reads and gets rid of the football. … Our offensive line is good. We're big up front. Obviously Brandon Marshall and Devin (Hester) out there; Alshon Jeffery's good. Michael Bush. I could go on and on about our guys.''
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/fo ... 3163.story
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
After watching just one day of OTAs, it's clear the Bears have significantly upgraded their skill level on offense.
Some observations from seeing the new offense:
Earl Bennett worked mostly in the slot in three wide receiver sets. He is a great technician when it comes to finding holes.
Devin Hester looked fantastic lining up outside opposite of Brandon Marshall. He was unstoppable during one-on-one against the corners, but his quick feet and hard work have made him an elite route runner, at least in practice.
Rookie Alshon Jeffery looks nothing short of a professional and is silky smooth. Like all rookies, he still needs to adjust to the mental side of the game.
Michael Bush is an added plus. He moves well for being a big guy and catches the ball well. He should provide a great compliment to Forte.
Until pads are included for contact, it will be hard to evaluate the "big guys".
http://www.csnchicago.com/football-chic ... edID=10330
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
Will Cutler be the first 4,000 yard passer in Bears history this season?
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
I think he will top the 4500 yards he posted in his pro bowl season.
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Re: New personality' of offense: Speed it up
heir_jordan22 wrote:I think he will top the 4500 yards he posted in his pro bowl season.
How many TD's?
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ChicagoStrong wrote:heir_jordan22 wrote:I think he will top the 4500 yards he posted in his pro bowl season.
How many TD's?
He'll throw for plenty of yards but inside the 20 I think they will work Bush and Forte to death taking away the TD total of Cutler. So I say he will throw anywhere from 30 to 35 TDs which is gravy