People tend to focus on players when it comes to determining the success of a football team. While their efforts have the most direct impact, people cannot and should not overlook how vital coaching is in this sport. It might be more critical in the NFL than in any other major North American sport. That is why the Chicago Bears have underachieved for so many years. Not enough people talk about how crummy their coaching situation has been during those lean years, especially on the offensive side. Maybe Luke Getsy is ready to change that.
The new Bears offensive coordinator faces a difficult task ahead. He inherits an offense that failed to crack the top 20 in each of the past four seasons under Matt Nagy. Every position group has underachieved enough to where most believe the talent isn’t adequate. GM Ryan Poles said he doesn’t think that’s true. Part of the issue was the coaching not being good enough. He and head coach Matt Eberflus have confidence that Getsy will get things pointed in the right direction.
They aren’t alone.
Several people around the NFL have high opinions of the young assistant coach. They view him as an ascending talent with the necessary traits to make the Bears’ offense a success. Lindsay Jones of The Athletic polled several people in the league for suggestions about who to watch. It appears Getsy’s name came up a few times. Expectations are high as he takes on the biggest challenge of his career.
“We solicited input and nominations across the league for this list, seeking to identify current power brokers as well as rising stars in their fields. This list includes head coaches, coordinators and play callers…
…Luke Getsy, Bears offensive coordinator | Age: 38
Getsy has a major task in his first year as a coordinator and play caller: developing quarterback Justin Fields, a 2021 first-round pick, into a quality NFL starter.
Getsy spent the past three seasons in Green Bay as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Matt LaFleur. He worked closely with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers and 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love and knows that developing a close relationship with his new pupil in Chicago will be critical to Fields’ success and what the Bears hope to accomplish this season.”
One thing that has stood out already with Getsy is his philosophy.
Though he brings an established wide-zone system from Green Bay, he’s made it clear what he helped run with the Packers won’t be carbon copied in Chicago. His goal is to craft a scheme that works to his players’ strengths. Especially Justin Fields. He understands that players are different and must be accommodated as such. A lesson that Nagy never seemed to learn.
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Luke Getsy has a straightforward plan.
It isn’t anything groundbreaking. He hopes to improve Fields’ fundamentals and utilize an offensive strategy that accents his strengths and hides his weaknesses. Expectations are this will include a run-first philosophy with heavy doses of play action. It will also include bootlegs and moving pockets to get Fields on the move, using his natural athleticism to full effect. It might sound overly simple, but sometimes coaches can outsmart themselves by not doing the obvious.
Nagy is one such example. Luke Getsy has no intention of falling into that same trap. It remains to be seen whether he can be a competent play caller. He only has one year of top-level experience doing so when he was offensive coordinator at Mississippi State. So the man remains somewhat of a mystery. Nobody questions his teaching skills, but making everything flow during games is a different matter.
It will be exciting to see how things unfold this season. Players and coach will learn a lot about each other in the coming months. If Getsy does his job well, he might be running his own team before too long.
