One of the more frustrating things about Matt Nagy is his somewhat false pretense at accountability. After every bad game the Chicago Bears play on offense, which is an almost weekly occurrence, he steps to the podium and says he didn’t do a good enough job. He needs to be better. What makes it so maddening is he never offers specifics. What exactly do you need to do better? Where did you screw up? There are rarely such answers. Such is not the case with Bill Lazor.
The Bears offensive coordinator isn’t known for being quotable compared to other coaches on the staff. However, he does try to be forthright. That was never more the case than on Thursday. He was asked if he and the other coaches might’ve realized early in the game against Cleveland that the game plan they’d put together wasn’t going to work against what the Browns were doing. Lazor said that while he felt the game plan had enough in it to work, he did admit he’d do one thing differently.
Have a different protection plan for the offensive line.
This is a big admission from somebody of Lazor’s status. He is basically saying he and the coaches had a bad plan for the offensive line going into that game. Not enough easy quick throws for Fields. Not enough moving the pocket or keeping tight ends in to help chip those excellent Browns pass rushers. No screens to help beat the myriad of blitzes they ran. It was a mess and the Bears were caught completely unprepared.
Now Fields earns some blame. There were plays he could’ve and should’ve gotten the ball out to an open receiver. That is something he has to improve. Still, for a young QB in his first-ever start against a Super Bowl contender? Lazor admitted the coaches didn’t do nearly enough to help him. That is how somebody gets sacked nine times.
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Bill Lazor may have a chance to fix these problems
Rumors are the Bears might be handing him the call sheet again. Something that gained more credibility when Nagy refused to directly answer whether he was still calling plays. This would mark the second time Lazor has taken over the offense midseason. Something only this team could somehow accomplish. If true, then he has a chance to get Fields back on track against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The drops by #Ravens Hollywood Brown today..pic.twitter.com/32PC7D3I8H
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 26, 2021
While nobody would accuse him of being a premier coordinator, Bill Lazor had more success than Nagy at least. The offense looked much better in the second half of last season with him calling plays. A greater commitment to the run. More plays under center. Finding ways to get the ball out fast and on time. It probably won’t be enough to make the offense good, but it should at least make life for Fields a little easier.
That should be the goal.
One thing is for sure. The Bears need this game in the absolute worst way. If they fall to 1-3, they have the Raiders, Packers, and Buccaneers next. Odds are they could be 1-6 in the blink of an eye with their season all but dead before the bye week. To avoid that they have to start scoring more points. The defense is no longer good enough to carry them alone.
