All the talk about the quarterbacks has made it easy to forget the Chicago Bears offense also couldn’t run the ball in 2019. Poor blocking mixed with a lack of explosion at running back was a rough recipe. The team finished 27th in the league in rushing yards with David Montgomery averaging just 3.7 per carry. This was part of the reason why the offensive coaching staff was overhauled. One of the key additions being Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator.
Most people assumed the main reason he was added by Matt Nagy was his track record of coaching up quarterbacks. While that is true to an extent, it’s often overlooked how influential the man can be in the running game. The reason nobody gives him attention on that front is that in four seasons as an offensive coordinator for Miami and Cincinnati, his teams finished 12th, 23rd, 31st, and 21st in rushing.
A big reason for those low ranking was ineffectiveness. It was a lack of commitment. In reality, Lazor’s offenses were good whenever they decided to run it. In Miami, they finished 2nd and 9th in yards per attempt. Then in Cincinnati, they went from 29th his first year to 8th in his second. So while total yardage has never been great, he’s been consistently good at getting bang for the buck from his units.
That is why it was encouraging to hear him say he already sees significant improvement from the Bears’ ground attack.
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Media reports back up what Bill Lazor is saying
This isn’t just typical coach-speak either. What Lazor said was already being hinted at by a number of Bears media members who were attending practices. After a slow start to training camp, they began to notice the running game being more effective with each passing day. More consistent lanes to run through and chunk plays for the backs. Something that was in desperately short supply last year.
For an idea of how important this could be to the Bears’ season? The team is 10-6 since 2018 when they manage at least 100 yards on the ground. They are 10-12 when they fail to. It’s also worth noting three of their losses in the 100+ department were last-second heartbreakers. Two in overtime in 2018 and another on a missed field goal against the Chargers last year.
This team functions so differently when they can run the ball. Hopefully what Lazor says is true.
