Bear Digest

Bears on Offense Vent Frustration with Attack to Shane Waldron

Bears seeing an abundance of offensive leadership trying to focus the team on more production at a time when the season is still young. Will it work, though?

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams tries throwing around Colts defensive end Kwity Paye in Sunday's 21-16 Bears loss to Indianapolis.
Caleb Williams tries throwing around Colts defensive end Kwity Paye in Sunday's 21-16 Bears loss to Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
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It seems rather early in an NFL season for a team one game below .500 to be turning to its "leadership council" or conducting special meetings of some sort.

The Bears offense had their own "Council of Elrod" meeting regarding their last game, according to coordinator Shane Waldron.

If only leadership could be traded for points.

Considering they are worse statistically than last year and completely revamped their offense, it can't be described as too soon to worry about the slow start in the running game or the sporadic passing.

"One thing I want to start out with was what a tremendous job I thought our leadership group did this week, knowing that we're working on improving on offense every single day.

"I thought Marcedes Lewis, Cole Kmet, DJ Moore, Caleb Williams, the energy they brought, the communication they brought, Monday, Tuesday through today, getting to our walk-throughs today, knowing that we’re built the right way and looking to get better every single week as an offense."

This is all fine and dandy but the result in the end must be a more productive offense than one with three touchdowns for three games, ranked next to last in rushing and 30th in yardage.

"Our desired identity hasn’t changed," Waldron said. "We want the marriage of the run and the pass, we want to be multiple, we want to be able to utilize our personnel in certain situations.

"The promising thing of this past week was seeing some of our pass game come to life, whether it was all three levels of the throws, play-action world, a ton of third downs right there, third and fourth downs combined, over 20 of those. So, seeing those things come to life. And then the thing that we're working on relentlessly is getting our run game going, improving that area, so that we can play a balanced game."

The big benefit from this meeting was nothing more than better communication, but there were points in the game Sunday against the Colts where some better communication could actually have meant something -- like the failed fourth-and-1 play at the goal line and the wasted timeout after Rome Odunze's TD catch.

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"Yeah, I think for us, it's just constant communication, attention to detail, all the stuff that we stress, and then how do we keep communicating that player to coach, coach to player, so we know that we get the results that we’re looking for on the field," Waldron said.

Waldron had to answer for some more specific things than discussions between coaches and players.

Like, for one, how did backup slot receiver and kick returner DeAndre Carter end up blocking a defensive end on a running play inside the 4.

"Yeah, I think there's also situations where a lineman is presenting themselves, that we can do a better job as a coaching staff," Waldron said. "Love 'Dre. He's going to do anything and everything we ask. But that's our part as coaches, putting guys in the best positions for success. That was one of those moments where we (coaches) can be better."

Expediency seems a major sticking point, like with getting plays in faster. Coach Matt Eberflus had criticized the staff, including himself, for not having the two-point conversion play called and ready after Odunze's TD catch, resulting in the lost timeout. Another such situation was when they got to the line on the failed fourth-and-goal option toss to D'Andre Swift for a 12-yard loss. Williams had the chance to audible out of a play they felt wouldn't work against the defensive personnel grouping and alignment but they were up at the line too late to change it.

"For us, just being able to communicate, get to the line of scrimmage a little bit faster right there, so we can get what we want out of the play," Waldron said.

"And so again, all those things start with me. I got to be better in that situation, and I will moving forward."

Then there is just common sense, like not using so much shotgun once the offense is inside the 5-yard line. Actually, it sounds like Waldron wants to keep doing this.

"I think when you're in the shotgun in the low red zone there, you obviously present the option of the quarterback to run it right there," he said. "I know that when it comes down, everyone will want to talk about it and ask about it, the fourth=down call right there where it didn't work out.

"We had some interior runs. I know for me, I can't look back at the past in that negative light. I got to look back on the past and live in the present, be better for us, learn from it and improve there. But in terms of being in the gun versus being under center, there's different styles. I know when you present that extra element, because in the low red zone, defense has that extra hat down there, quarterback in the gun presents that opportunity."

At one point during the game, Williams looked frustrated coming to the sidelines. Waldon traced this back to the need to streamline things. It's a time-and-motion study, quality control type of thing, and he thinks this corrects with his quarterback getting more time on task.

"Yeah, I think for us going back to the comfort level is just the operation, down-in, down-out, in and out of the huddle, owning play calls, understanding the more reps that he's saccumulating the more chances he's able to see different structures of defense.

"And we talked about that comfort level leads to stealing a second, two seconds, three seconds here on the front end and the back end if we do huddle or if we're at the line of scrimmage."

It's not the 52 pass attempts or the yardage totals Waldron worries about in particular. It's the W.

"I think we’re all so competitive in this business right here, starting with me," Waldron said. "The goal of every single game really has nothing to do with stats, other than winning and losing. So for us on offense, our job is to do whatever we can do to help the Bears win. And that’s the starting point right there, and for me, when you talk about, I’m not going to live in the past, but I'm going to learn from it. I'm going to move forward. And I believe in that. I'm not going to flinch or blink on any of those things. I'm looking forward for a solution to everything that we’ve been through and can’t wait for the next game."

Will all of this meeting and communicating and identifying work?

"Well, I mean, what we put out there so far is just not what we have wanted to put out there to start the season," Marcedes Lewis said. "Obviously you come into every season wanting to win every game but obviously the guys on the other side get paid too. We've had lapses as far as execution of those but the good part of it is everything that has happened that hasn't been in our favor isn't under our control. And we want to go out there and showcase our best ball.

"We just haven’t been able to do that.  And I think how we carry ourselves around the building, the practice habits that we have when we're out there are winning habits and we're all doing the right things. We're all pulling in the same direction. All it takes is one. So we're just looking forward to going out there."

In other words, your guess is as good as theirs.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.