Fangio Only Blitzes an Incredible 5.0 Times Per Game

[Kazu2324]

When it comes to getting at the quarterback, the Bears are off to the third-best start in franchise history. Even though the team had a bye in Week 5, its 18 sacks rank second in the league, one shy of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 19. One-fourth of Chicago’s 16 best single-game sack performances since 2015 came in the first four weeks of this season. At 4.5 sacks per contest so far, Chicago is on pace to tie the NFL single-season sack record of 72, a record the Bears set in 1984.

Chicago’s 11.6 percent sack rate 1 is 1.5 percentage points ahead of the next-best team. If the Bears can maintain that pace, they would set the the fifth-best mark since 1980, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. Chicago’s defense is collapsing the pocket better than perhaps any team.


But here’s the remarkable thing about the Bears: They are racking up the sacks despite hardly blitzing.


The Bears rank last in the league in blitzing, defined as sending five or more pass rushers at a quarterback who’s dropping back to throw, with 5.0 per contest, according to data from ESPN Stats & Information Group. If Chicago maintained its blitz average for the rest of the season, it would be the sixth-lowest rate since 2006, the first year for which data is available.

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Already knew that the Bears D uses the least amount of blitzes but I didn't realize it was only 5 times a game. Insanely low compared to the rest of the league but still leading the league in sack %. Can't wait to see what they do to the Dolphins' O.

 

[Bearly]

Kinda. It's a 3/4 so technically, he's sending an extra guy on a lot of plays. Mac lines up down a lot so technically not blitzing and it's more standard this year even when he moves around because they expect him to come. When we didn't have Mack, we would also send 4 but try to keep the O guessing as to who #4 was.

 

[JoJoBoxer]

Kinda. It's a 3/4 so technically, he's sending an extra guy on a lot of plays. Mac lines up down a lot so technically not blitzing and it's more standard this year even when he moves around because they expect him to come. When we didn't have Mack, we would also send 4 but try to keep the O guessing as to who #4 was.

The article considers a blitz as sending at least 5 defenders.

 

[Bearly]

The article considers a blitz as sending at least 5 defenders.

Exactly and didn't need to read it to know that.

 

[Chicago Staleys]

Image if he did blitz more? Oh the humanity!

 

[Visionman]

Kinda. It's a 3/4 so technically, he's sending an extra guy on a lot of plays. Mac lines up down a lot so technically not blitzing and it's more standard this year even when he moves around because they expect him to come. When we didn't have Mack, we would also send 4 but try to keep the O guessing as to who #4 was.

Even in a 4-3, teams will drop a DE into coverage and bring a LB to try and confuse the OL once in awhile.

Considering we have Mack and 3 down linemen, we are probably the most predictable pass rush in the league.

 

[Bearly]

Nice to be the big dogs. If only they'd start barking. I expect to see more of Smith coming towards the end of the year once he fully understands the d and sees no other primary threat to his responsibility.

 

[CaptnSUG]

This is the future of the NFL.

Cram as much size and strength into a 4 man rush as possible then drop back 7 guys who can run and have a nose for the ball. Its no longer the mark of a creative defensive coordinator to employ all this boutique Jim Johnson blitzes designed to mask and confuse 5+ pressures.

The 3 deep Seattle zone scheme that literally half the league is running is trash. Its over. The rules aren't helping but the real reason scoring is going up is that so many teams have built their defenses to mimic an outdated scheme and the only way they can think of to liven it up is to blitz. But blitzing is really the most counterproductive thing you can do. It just opens the field up even more for the offense.

I would not even call the Bears a 3/4 team anymore. I dont know what I would call them. Its the same thing that's happening in Buffalo, we are in a lull where only a couple defensive minds leaguewide are making the right kinds of scheme changes to counter these offenses. Difference between the Bears and Buffalo is the Bears are overflowing with talent at every single defensive position and Buffalo is not.

 

[legendxofxlink]

This is the future of the NFL.

Cram as much size and strength into a 4 man rush as possible then drop back 7 guys who can run and have a nose for the ball. Its no longer the mark of a creative defensive coordinator to employ all this boutique Jim Johnson blitzes designed to mask and confuse 5+ pressures.

The 3 deep Seattle zone scheme that literally half the league is running is trash. Its over. The rules aren't helping but the real reason scoring is going up is that so many teams have built their defenses to mimic an outdated scheme and the only way they can think of to liven it up is to blitz. But blitzing is really the most counterproductive thing you can do. It just opens the field up even more for the offense.

I would not even call the Bears a 3/4 team anymore. I dont know what I would call them. Its the same thing that's happening in Buffalo, we are in a lull where only a couple defensive minds leaguewide are making the right kinds of scheme changes to counter these offenses. Difference between the Bears and Buffalo is the Bears are overflowing with talent at every single defensive position and Buffalo is not.

Correct. Qb's are getting the ball out too quick to too many WR's to cover. Aggressive DB's with a quality 4 man rush is about as good as you can get.

 

[msadows]

Correct. Qb's are getting the ball out too quick to too many WR's to cover. Aggressive DB's with a quality 4 man rush is about as good as you can get.

yupyup, only place the blitz works effectively is old men with bad knees and young guns with zero accuracy(Cant wait to play josh allen)

 

[CaptnSUG]

Fangio did dial one up at the just the right time in the Arizona game against Rosen. There's still a time and place for bringing the house down and Fangio seems to know it.