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http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-jordan-howard-running-game-20180920-story.html
Jordan Howard lifted himself from the Soldier Field turf Monday night about 9 yards behind where he had hoped to be. All he could do was flick the ball to the referee.
The Bears were trying to eat yards and drain clock with a 14-point lead and less than four minutes remaining against the Seahawks. A 5-yard loss on second-and-7 was hardly what Matt Nagy envisioned when he called an inside zone run to the right behind two tight ends.
But a blocking breakdown resulted in their worst run of the game. They punted two plays later.
“We as an offense,” Nagy said, “can’t let that happen.”
And that wasn’t Howard’s only vexing rush of the game. His totals of 14 carries and 35 yards just didn’t match up with the fact the Bears never trailed in their 24-17 victory.
“In this offense, generally, when you have the lead, that’s when you get 8-10 carries just on top of that in the fourth quarter,” Nagy said. “That hasn’t been happening.”
Why not, exactly?
That’s the question Nagy carries to Arizona for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. After all, he’s the play-caller. It’s his choice.
The answer is multifaceted. For one thing, Nagy has quarterback DNA. Gone is the 2017 approach of playing defense with the offense. He wants Mitch Trubisky to let it rip, inexperience be damned.
But the Bears’ 42-percent run rate is 13th-most frequent in the NFL. Perhaps that should be higher, given that they have trailed for only 2 minutes, 13 seconds in two games. But it’s not like they’re ignoring the run.
Bears offensive linemen have an introspective outlook. On Howard’s 5-yard loss, defensive end Frank Clark got into the backfield virtually untouched between right tackle Bobby Massie and right guard Kyle Long. It was either a missed assignment or the result of Long stumbling off the ball.
“We need to stay on our blocks for the entirety of the play,” Long said. “Moving the line of scrimmage is always our first priority in the run game. Maintaining our blocks from snap to whistle is imperative.
“Too often, myself included, I’m looking to go get the linebacker or safety. If we just stay on the down guy, good things tend to happen.”
Massie echoed that the Bears need to stay on their blocks until the whistle. That must be a point of emphasis this week from line coach Harry Hiestand.
After the Packers game, in which Howard rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries, Hiestand acknowledged the need to improve the timing and execution of combination blocks.
“There’s nothing like game speed and game experience with it.,” Hiestand said. “I think we’re on the right track, not as good as it needs to be, though. We have a good understanding of it, but we have to do it more consistently.”
The Seahawks had eight defenders in the box on only three of Howard’s 14 carries, so the Bears weren’t outnumbered up front.
And Nagy, Long and Massie each downplayed the line’s transition from the inside/outside zone blocking attack of the last three seasons to a scheme that involves more straight-ahead power blocking.
Nagy said that blocking style has more to do with the offense’s identity. But, as Howard explained, it does slightly affect his vision. Specifically, what he must read to be effective.
“Sometimes in outside zone, you have to read the end man on the line of scrimmage,” Howard said. “On power blocking, you have to read the flow of the linebackers. I feel like power hits a little quicker. I just have to master it in practice.”
Howard, though, downplayed how that has affected his production through two games.
Since joining the Bears in 2016, he has maintained openly that he benefits from getting enough carries to develop a rhythm and wear down opponents with his physical style.
Offensive linemen feel the same way.
“You keep pounding on a D-line, (even) if they stop it early, in the fourth quarter you have handed the ball off 28, 29 times, they’re going to break,” Massie said. “They ain’t going to be able to hold up.”
Nagy, though, implied the offensive line must win blocks more consistently to prove it warrants such a big workload.
Howard is determined to do his part too.
“I don’t know how many I’m going to get a game,” Howard said, “so I just have to take advantage of my reps and make them count.”
rcampbell@chicagotribune.com
Jordan Howard lifted himself from the Soldier Field turf Monday night about 9 yards behind where he had hoped to be. All he could do was flick the ball to the referee.
The Bears were trying to eat yards and drain clock with a 14-point lead and less than four minutes remaining against the Seahawks. A 5-yard loss on second-and-7 was hardly what Matt Nagy envisioned when he called an inside zone run to the right behind two tight ends.
But a blocking breakdown resulted in their worst run of the game. They punted two plays later.
“We as an offense,” Nagy said, “can’t let that happen.”
And that wasn’t Howard’s only vexing rush of the game. His totals of 14 carries and 35 yards just didn’t match up with the fact the Bears never trailed in their 24-17 victory.
“In this offense, generally, when you have the lead, that’s when you get 8-10 carries just on top of that in the fourth quarter,” Nagy said. “That hasn’t been happening.”
Why not, exactly?
That’s the question Nagy carries to Arizona for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. After all, he’s the play-caller. It’s his choice.
The answer is multifaceted. For one thing, Nagy has quarterback DNA. Gone is the 2017 approach of playing defense with the offense. He wants Mitch Trubisky to let it rip, inexperience be damned.
But the Bears’ 42-percent run rate is 13th-most frequent in the NFL. Perhaps that should be higher, given that they have trailed for only 2 minutes, 13 seconds in two games. But it’s not like they’re ignoring the run.
Bears offensive linemen have an introspective outlook. On Howard’s 5-yard loss, defensive end Frank Clark got into the backfield virtually untouched between right tackle Bobby Massie and right guard Kyle Long. It was either a missed assignment or the result of Long stumbling off the ball.
“We need to stay on our blocks for the entirety of the play,” Long said. “Moving the line of scrimmage is always our first priority in the run game. Maintaining our blocks from snap to whistle is imperative.
“Too often, myself included, I’m looking to go get the linebacker or safety. If we just stay on the down guy, good things tend to happen.”
Massie echoed that the Bears need to stay on their blocks until the whistle. That must be a point of emphasis this week from line coach Harry Hiestand.
After the Packers game, in which Howard rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries, Hiestand acknowledged the need to improve the timing and execution of combination blocks.
“There’s nothing like game speed and game experience with it.,” Hiestand said. “I think we’re on the right track, not as good as it needs to be, though. We have a good understanding of it, but we have to do it more consistently.”
The Seahawks had eight defenders in the box on only three of Howard’s 14 carries, so the Bears weren’t outnumbered up front.
And Nagy, Long and Massie each downplayed the line’s transition from the inside/outside zone blocking attack of the last three seasons to a scheme that involves more straight-ahead power blocking.
Nagy said that blocking style has more to do with the offense’s identity. But, as Howard explained, it does slightly affect his vision. Specifically, what he must read to be effective.
“Sometimes in outside zone, you have to read the end man on the line of scrimmage,” Howard said. “On power blocking, you have to read the flow of the linebackers. I feel like power hits a little quicker. I just have to master it in practice.”
Howard, though, downplayed how that has affected his production through two games.
Since joining the Bears in 2016, he has maintained openly that he benefits from getting enough carries to develop a rhythm and wear down opponents with his physical style.
Offensive linemen feel the same way.
“You keep pounding on a D-line, (even) if they stop it early, in the fourth quarter you have handed the ball off 28, 29 times, they’re going to break,” Massie said. “They ain’t going to be able to hold up.”
Nagy, though, implied the offensive line must win blocks more consistently to prove it warrants such a big workload.
Howard is determined to do his part too.
“I don’t know how many I’m going to get a game,” Howard said, “so I just have to take advantage of my reps and make them count.”
rcampbell@chicagotribune.com
