Sean McVay had a challenge in front of him when he took over the Los Angeles Rams in 2017. Young quarterback Jared Goff looked lost during his rookie season the prior year. If McVay was going to get the team pointed in the right direction, he had to figure out how he could help Goff improve. He noticed the problem almost immediately. The previous coaching staff had him throw off play action fakes only 14.1% of the time despite clear evidence it’s where the quarterback functioned best. So McVay built his offensive play around that, increasing it to 28% that season. Goff made his first Pro Bowl with a 100.5 passer rating. It appears McVay’s pragmatic approach rubbed off on Luke Getsy.
The Bears offensive coordinator faced a crisis after three weeks. Justin Fields was struggling. He’d thrown more interceptions than touchdowns and couldn’t find any rhythm. People were ready to call for the heads of everybody in the organization unless adjustments were made. Getsy decided to increase the frequency of play action fakes, especially on early downs.
- vs. GB – 4
- at TB – 3
- at KC – 5
- vs. DEN – 12
- at WSH – 9
Luke Getsy has proof of concept from Fields’ numbers.
He has used play action on 45 dropbacks so far this season. He’s 24-of-33 for 333 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, with a 124.5 passer rating on those plays. Rather than wasting time trying to improve the screen game this off-season, the Bears should’ve been leaning into their play action work. It’s worth asking why it took so long to make those adjustments. Fields had a 95.6 passer rating on those plays last season, with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. If something works, you keep doing it. It’s football common sense.
All one can do is feel grateful that sanity prevailed with Luke Getsy before it was too late. Any further stubbornness on his part might’ve gotten him and the rest of the coaching staff fired. The tricky part will be sticking with this plan moving forward. Play action works best with a dependable running game. Chicago has three running backs hurt and are unlikely to play this week. That puts a lot of pressure on D’Onta Foreman. If he can at least force Minnesota to respect the running threat, Fields will have more play action opportunities.
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