The Chicago Bears have always been a team that exhibits a strong rushing attack. It’s part of their longstanding identity. That is why this season has been so frustrating for fans. Make no mistake. Few are taking it harder than head coach Ben Johnson. He has admitted to being annoyed by the team’s inability to run it better, especially since it’s a core part of his offensive system. Many have blamed the running backs for these problems, but Johnson has dismissed that. He believes the issues have been widespread, but particularly up front.
Indeed, the blocking hasn’t been adequate in any sense of the word. Left tackle Braxton Jones was already benched because of his constant mistakes in the run game. The problem is, it might not be just him. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune contacted league sources to gather their perspectives on the situation. It appears they feel the Bears might have a problem with certain players not being the best fit for the scheme they’re trying to run. It isn’t difficult to surmise who they’re talking about.
You’re right, the Bears invested heavily in the offensive line, signing center Drew Dalman in free agency and trading for, and then extending the contracts of, guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. The first goal, I believe, was to create a better pocket for quarterback Caleb Williams, and that has worked when you look at how he has improved in playing on schedule with the sack rate tumbling.
Dalman is regarded as one of the best centers in the league for an outside zone scheme. The Bears haven’t been highly productive doing this, and some have wondered if the rest of the personnel is a great fit for that.
The Chicago Bears may have a Jonah Jackson problem.
Running outside zone is something plenty of teams in the NFL do. However, it is a scheme that requires a specific type of offensive lineman. They must be agile, mobile, and quick. The goal of the outside zone is to get running backs to the edges. For that, linemen must be able to block on the move and in space. Drew Dalman and Joe Thuney fit that perfectly. Jackson wasn’t asked to run many outside zone plays in Detroit. The Lions have mostly been a team that runs a mix of gap power and inside zone. Guards with limited athleticism can function just fine in that situation.
However, things changed once he signed with the Los Angeles Rams, who are primarily an outside zone team. While an injury setback didn’t help matters, he was eventually benched by head coach Sean McVay. It was apparent he didn’t have the necessary range to run the system properly. Now, we must be fair. Jackson has played well after a slow start to the season. His pass protection has been solid. Though he might not be the best fit for this rushing scheme, the Chicago Bears cannot justify benching him.
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They must find a way to deal with it.
If the defense wasn’t getting penetration so often, I’d conclude that the RBs were the problem. But we can’t even drive the opp back on short yardage runs.
The OL and receivers have to do their job on every rushing attempt where even slow ass Roschon can gain 6 yds!
I still think Swift is the main issue, he’s an over paid 3rd down back. Give the ball to Kyle and Roschon more frequently. Stop mixing in Swift unless it’s 3rd down.
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Hey Erik — You really got it twisted, when you wrote: “The goal of the outside zone is to get running backs to the edges.” Wrong! The primary goal of the outside zone run play is to create a vertical running lane by stretching the defense horizontally — and achieve chunk plays through cutback runs. It’s not to be confused with the old power sweep, where the RB is racing down the sideline (although that seems to be what D’Andre Swift believes it is). Rather, it is a more versatile scheme that offers cutback opportunities on the way to the… Read more »
Not me. So keep making things up like your government and military.
Just the opposite. None of us here knows the exact lines of authority, power, and influence inside the Bears org, both formal and informal.
As to Jackson, perhaps Poles asked my HC Ben, which OG do you prefer X, Y, Z but we need one of those. He might not have know much of the others if any.
PS–Swift is a Bambi