Fahey breaks down Tarik Cohen

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Cian Fahey has a patreon page where he posts a handful of really good breakdowns per month...

https://www.patreon.com/Cianaf/overview

He also has his own website where he gives in depth breakdowns on every QB each season as well as compiles his own advanced statistics for each QB based on film study of every single snap...

http://presnapreads.com

Table Set for Tarik Cohen to Become One of the NFL's Best Running Backs - Page 1

Jordan Howard was one of the best running backs in the NFL just two seasons ago. It was 2016. He was a rookie. He ran for 1,313 yards and six touchdowns on 252 carries while pitching in with 298 receiving yards also. At that point of his career, the only real concern about Howard was his inability to catch the ball. He was explosive, consistent, powerful and didn't fumble the ball. He was even comfortable running routes out of the backfield. He just couldn't catch the ball consistently.

Of course, Howard was also playing in a John Fox offense. If you're not familiar with what that means it's an extremely conservative offense that allows the running back to primarily run when his quarterback is under center.

It didn't matter for the Bears that Howard hadn't proven himself running from shotgun. He was rarely asked to.

That offense allowed Howard to average 5.2 yards per attempt. During his second season he played in that offense again but only averaged 4.1 yards per attempt, though he did score nine touchdowns. Howard scored nine touchdowns last season too, his first with Matt Nagy as the head coach. But his yards per carry dropped to 3.7 while Tarik Cohen became the best back in the Bears locker room.

In just two years, Howard went from being the focal point of the Bears offense to being traded away for nothing. He's now a Philadelphia Eagle, projected into the LeGarrette Blount role of a crowded backfield.

Although it's a confluence of events, it's still startling how quickly things can change in the NFL. Especially when you're dealing with a player whose production is so situation dependent.

Howard washing out of Nagy's offense so quickly should give us pause on Cohen's rise in Chicago, but the two backs aren't the same. Not only is Cohen a completely different style of back to Howard and a perfect fit in Nagy's spread-out offense, his versatility also makes him a perfect fit for what the NFL wants from its running backs in this era of football.

Prior to being drafted, Howard weighed in at 6'0" and 224 lbs. He's a big, bruising back in the mold of a Willis McGahee, Jamal Lewis or Shaun Alexander. Howard was anatomically designed to power his way through defenders between the tackles. Cohen measured in at 5'6" and 181 lbs when he was drafted.

He's basically a wide receiver. A short wide receiver. And he plays that way too. Cohen never fights for extra yardage against contact and he's always happy to step out of bounds prematurely to protect himself. That's not a negative. He's preserving himself to maximize his touches over the course of a full season.
If he manages to play a full season in 2019, Cohen could establish himself as one of the best backs in the league.
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Cohen carried the ball 99 times last season. He averaged 4.5 yards per attempt. 125-150 attempts over a 16-game season is about what Cohen should carry. His size means it's probably not a good idea to give him the ball 300 times and ask him to absorb constant hits from much bigger defenders. But he also is effective enough and smart enough to protect himself in a bigger role than he had last season.

In Nagy's offense, the defense is generally forced into their nickel packages. That takes a defensive lineman or linebacker off the field, which can also be described as a player who is significantly bigger than Cohen. That allows him to run against more defensive backs but it also makes it easier for him to find space between the tackles.

The above gif was his longest run of the season against the Los Angeles Rams on a Second-and-9. He gains 32 yards without ever being touched.

Howard's departure obviously clears up snaps for Cohen to get more touches as a runner. But Mike Davis is a perfect fit in Nagy's offense as a runner so he should soak up the majority of Howard's vacated touches. The franchise also added third-round pick David Montgomery to the depth chart and Taquan Mizzell proved to be capable when he played last season too.

Only carrying the ball 99 times meant that Cohen's bigger impact was felt in the passing game. He caught 71 passes for 725 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season. Allen Robinson was the team's most effective receiver but Cohen was next in-line. His numbers were curtailed by Mitchell Trubisky's inaccuracy and his absence. Chase Daniel kept the season on track for the playoffs but wasn't an efficient passer.

The inconsistent quarterback play meant that Cohen's production had peaks and valleys. He had three games with 90 or more receiving yards and five games with 69 or more receiving yards. But he had seven games with 20 or fewer receiving yards.

Cohen is constantly open and he didn't have major drop issues. The Bears need to get him the ball more often in positions to be effective next season.

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The Bears throw a lot of screens and Cohen is a prominent part of that. His straight-line speed to take advantage of open space was highlighted during his longest play of the season against the New York Jets. That was a 70-yard screen touchdown that was the result of Nagy catching the defense out on a blitz with the perfect play call.

While that play showcased his speed, that was essentially all it did. He only had to outrun the cornerback recovering from the opposite side of the field.

In the above gif, Cohen's second-longest screen gain of the season can be seen. It's a 30-yard play from the Week 4 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nagy uses misdirection with Trubisky pump faking to the opposite side of the field before his linemen release left. That helps to create the initial space for Cohen to catch the ball in. A catch that is made more difficult than it needed to be by Trubisky slightly overthrowing the ball.

Cohen makes the one-handed catch look routine before turning upfield. He doesn't hesitate as his initial blocker picks up his defender. Kevin White on the outside has allowed his defender to come uncovered though, meaning that there is a defensive back closing on Cohen as soon as he crosses the line of scrimmage.

The running back drifts before accelerating upfield sharply to escape the defender's attention. From there he shows off vision to work back to the outside, where White redeems himself with an outstanding block that springs Cohen free down the sideline.

45 of Cohen's 55 receptions with Trubisky were passes caught within five yards of the line of scrimmage. Like most backs in the league, Cohen's primary role was as a checkdown/screen option rather than a route runner to the intermediate or deep level of the field.

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He was hugely valuable on this routes because of his ability to create yards after the catch from any starting point. On this play Trubisky motions Cohen from the left side to the right in the backfield. This is a key move because it puts Cohen behind the tight end releasing up the seam and it tips the quarterback off to the blitz.

With the quarterback knowing that the blitz is coming, he can get the ball out to Cohen in space. With Cohen releasing behind the tight end, the running back knows he is going to have space because the safety in man coverage is picked off en route. Once Cohen catches the ball, the defender stops his feet because he's concerned with Cohen slipping past him if he dives in aggressively.

It doesn't matter that the defender tries to hold his position, Cohen can easily accelerate away from him.

Blitzing Trubisky is very difficult because of how dangerous Cohen is on quick throws out of the backfield. When he's escaping defensive backs this easily, linebackers and defensive ends have no shot of running with him past the line of scrimmage. This type of throw should be easily contained. It should result in a four or five yard gain. Instead, Cohen's elusiveness turns it into a touchdown. A simple touchdown for the quarterback.

That play came on First-and-10 at the end of the second quarter. It was only a good throw because it was to Cohen. Throwing that ball to your average running back who gets tackled short of the first down line makes this a pointless play when you're already in field goal range.

Converting first downs with short throws is Cohen's specialty.

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From that same game, early in the third quarter, the Packers again tried to blitz Trubisky. This time Cohen lined up as the interior slot receiver as part of a three receiver set on the wide side of the field. The Bears are hoping to get Cohen aligned on a linebacker to win underneath on Second-and-10. Instead, the Packers blitz that linebacker so he's working against a safety.
 
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Page 2

Because the Packers have disguised their coverage, the safety has to work across the field to locate Cohen. Cohen's route sends him away from the middle of the field so he's beginning the play with a head start. Trubisky gets the ball out quickly and Cohen is able to maximize his gain after the catch by pressing the inside before cutting outside of his blocker on the edge.


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Against the Vikings, Trubisky checked the ball down to Cohen between two defenders on First-and-10. Critically he worked back to the ball with one step so that he could change the angle on the inside defender. That linebacker still managed to contact him as he turned upfield, but Cohen was strong enough to break that tackle and cross the first down line.

Despite his listed size, Cohen is strong enough to break tackles and he runs hard between the tackles. He needs to have some momentum built up and some space to throw defenders off balance to keep moving through contact. But that's a huge detail because it means he's not being consistently taken down by arm tackles.

Working from the backfield is valuable, but to unlock Cohen and maximize his impact as a receiver the Bears need to use him as a receiver deeper downfield more often.

It's not necessarily easy to do because Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller and Trey Burton all have to be on the field a significant amount. But Cohen's mismatch ability and quality as a route runner, as well as Trubisky's ability to execute designed running plays from an empty backfield, mean the Bears' best formation might be five-wide.

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On this play against the New England Patriots Cohen lines up in the slot and is being covered by a safety. The safety plays with outside leverage from the beginning of the play, that setup allows Cohen to sprint away from him from the very beginning of the play. The linebacker in the middle of the field, Dont'a Hightower, is drawn to Cohen but changes his mind at the last moment.

Even if Hightower had closed on Cohen, that means he would have forced a double team and occupied the free defender in the middle of the field through his route. That frees up the middle of the field for Trubisky to attack and gives his receivers easier wins against single coverage.

Working with a two-way go from the slot is something a lot of receiving backs can do. Cohen can do it. But it's not his most valuable trait as a mismatch receiver out wide. Unlike most running backs, Cohen is comfortable running vertical routes that aren't just sprinting past an overmatched linebacker down the sideline.

His versatility can be used to pull coverage for teammates or to set up his own big plays.

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This play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is significant because it was Cohen's deepest reception of the season and one of the few times he was targeted on a true vertical route. But it's also significant because it reflects the type of beautifully-designed vertical shot play that is common in Andy Reid's offense and in turn Matt Nagy's offense.

Cohen lines up as the inside slot as part of a three receiver set on the narrow side of the field. The offense keeps a tight end and running back in pas protection to give Trubisky time for the slow-developing route combinations to climax.

Allen Robinson runs a post route from the outside, that's specifically designed to take away the outside cornerback. The outer slot runs a short curl route to occupy the underneath defender's coverage. This is a Cover-3 beater. So when the outside cornerback is taken away and the underneath defender is drawn too far forward, there is a huge window for the quarterback to throw into.

What Cohen needs to do is avoid drawing the attention of the underneath defender by advancing vertically to the linebacker inside then making a sharp cut outside. From there he can begin to bend his route upfield. He's in behind the recovering defender underneath and with his speed there is no chance of him being caught before the ball arrives.

The Bears have a lot of speed on offense. Cohen adds to that and should be used more often on vertical play designs to force defensive backs into unwinnable positions.

Of course, scheming receivers so they are wide open is one thing. Having Trubisky hit them consistently, something he failed to do last year, is another. Trubisky needs to be more accurate if Cohen's good work is going to be reflected in his production. The Bears aren't going to run the kind of offense that force feeds one specific player. For that reason, it's unlikely that Cohen posts huge numbers next year. He can still take a jump and crack 1,500 total yards.

But even if he doesn't, his impact on the offense should still be huge. He's going to be one of the most impactful players in the NFL next year and an x-factor for a team hoping to return to the playoffs.
 

TL1961

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Davis should get the majority of the carries, and, oh yeah they have Montgomery and Mizzell also.

Beautiful.
 

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Good stuff Aldi, but I'm a little disappointed, I was hoping the title was a reference to famed Chicago news legend Fahey Flynn.

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Davis should get the majority of the carries, and, oh yeah they have Montgomery and Mizzell also.

Beautiful.

I'm hoping Mizzell is gone and Montgomery gets the most carries. Cohen should be a receiver first and a RB second, I would like to see him play for a few years.
 

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How much better do ppl think he's going to get? He's already getting around 12 touches per game. We need to get some of the other guys more involved. A couple of the other WRs had disappointing years for what they're paid.

Sorry, I really don't think there is a much higher ceiling for Cohen. He's a good player but I feel like he'll put up similar numbers next year. Not a lot more.
 
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Bearly

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I think Fahey does a good job in general but he certainly blew off Cohen's biggest flaw as an asset. Not taking too many hits may be a good thing but passing up lanes and bumping outside to avoid contact, and yards, is not always a positive. That said, some improvement in that area and he becomes that much more effective. Last year he may even have been told to protect himself because he was the only jack of all trades back we had.

This year we have 3 which will limit his carries as halfempty has noted but he could also get more play time in the slot etc. He's had a year to fully grasp this O which he's noted is still evolving for him.

He still sees room for growth. Last year, Cohen learned just the specifics of plays installed specifically for him. This year, the Bears are building on those packages.

“We’d just take bits and pieces,” he said. “Now because I’ve got bits and pieces from last year and the year before, it’s starting to come in as a whole.”

He can see the offense evolving — because of coach Matt Nagy’s creativity and quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s grasp of it.

“We’re taking it a step further now,” Cohen said. “Some of the things that were basic last year, we’re starting to add onto it, elevating our game plan. It’s always good to stack one on top of another.”
 

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In short summary:

Cohen is fast.. oh and quick too. Shouldn’t rush much more than he already is. Can run all the routes. SHOULD run more deep routes, which would open up everything underneath . He can break tackles. And he can catch where Howard could not. Trubisky needs to be more accurate. Bears strength should be 5 wide. Too many mouths to feed for him to be a top fantasy RB.
 

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How much better do ppl think he's going to get? He's already getting around 12 touches per game. We need to get some of the other guys more involved. A couple of the other WRs had disappointing years for what they're paid.

Sorry, I really don't think there is a much higher ceiling for Cohen. He's a good player but I feel like he'll put up similar number next year. Not a lot more.
I think getting him touches in varied formations will be best. Running more from the backfield? Not really what I would expect. Not significantly more, anyway.

Off season stuff - all kinds of reasons everybody needs to get the ball more, while nobody gets it less.
 

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How much better do ppl think he's going to get? He's already getting around 12 touches per game. We need to get some of the other guys more involved. A couple of the other WRs had disappointing years for what they're paid.

Sorry, I really don't think there is a much higher ceiling for Cohen. He's a good player but I feel like he'll put up similar number next year. Not a lot more.

Most of his fumbles have come late in games when he's seen a lot of touches. I'm not sure he's a guy that can handle a much bigger workload, seems to wear down easily once he's around 12+ touches.
 

hebs

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How much better do ppl think he's going to get? He's already getting around 12 touches per game. We need to get some of the other guys more involved. A couple of the other WRs had disappointing years for what they're paid.

Sorry, I really don't think there is a much higher ceiling for Cohen. He's a good player but I feel like he'll put up similar number next year. Not a lot more.

What do you believe limits him from getting better, or being used better in the offense?
 

Rory Sparrow

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How much better do ppl think he's going to get? He's already getting around 12 touches per game. We need to get some of the other guys more involved. A couple of the other WRs had disappointing years for what they're paid.

Sorry, I really don't think there is a much higher ceiling for Cohen. He's a good player but I feel like he'll put up similar number next year. Not a lot more.

Yeah, in one snippet of the article they talk of how Cohen was kind of boom or bust, and they laid that at the feet of Trubisky's inaccuracy. I don't think that's the case. I think that Cohen's productivity was somewhat dependent on the defensive gameplan and the game situation (like most players). He's not like Todd Gurley of "just hand him the ball" or an AJ Green of "just throw it up and let him get it"...he needs open space to operate. Some defenses didn't give Cohen that space, which opened up other areas of the field but also limited Cohen's production.

To me, he was the most important player on the Bears offense last year. I think even if he continues to get 'only' 12 touches a game, he will be very effective.
 

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Did he touch on Cohen's intimate relationship with going out of bounds?

Yes, he said it was an asset because he's less likely to get injured, and that makes him available to get more touches for the year.

That's when I questioned how many more touches do they really think he's going to get? And if he does, defenses will zero in on him. The element of surprise is a lot of his game because he certainly doesn't break tackles or get tough yards.
 

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Yeah, in one snippet of the article they talk of how Cohen was kind of boom or bust, and they laid that at the feet of Trubisky's inaccuracy. I don't think that's the case. I think that Cohen's productivity was somewhat dependent on the defensive gameplan and the game situation (like most players). He's not like Todd Gurley of "just hand him the ball" or an AJ Green of "just throw it up and let him get it"...he needs open space to operate. Some defenses didn't give Cohen that space, which opened up other areas of the field but also limited Cohen's production.

To me, he was the most important player on the Bears offense last year. I think even if he continues to get 'only' 12 touches a game, he will be very effective.

I agree about needing that 'open space' and getting 12 touches a game
Looking forward to the Nagster's utilization of Montgomery and Davis also

Did he touch on Cohen's intimate relationship with going out of bounds?

No he didn't, but as long as he gets some yards N/S
I'm fine with the 'little' guy protecting himself.

We Now have Montgomery PinBall 2.0 to break tackles !!
 

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[QUOTE="gwharris2254, post: 3118268, member: 11287

PrideisBears said:
Did he touch on Cohen's intimate relationship with going out of bounds?

No he didn't, but as long as he gets some yards N/S
I'm fine with the 'little' guy protecting himself.
[/QUOTE]
"Cohen never fights for extra yardage against contact and he's always happy to step out of bounds prematurely to protect himself. That's not a negative. He's preserving himself to maximize his touches over the course of a full season. "

Don't get this wrong because Cohen is definitely an big positive for this team but avoiding running lanes to run for the sidelines goes beyond protecting yourself. I don't know if it's vision, protection or the assumption that he can run around everyone like he did in college but if he made better reads, he'd be a monster.
 

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