New Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy hasn’t even tried to hide his enthusiasm about the upcoming season. He feels this team is ready to have success. The defense is already good. If he can get things off the ground on offense, they should be able to win some games. Based on his reactions to questions of late, the player he might be most giddy about is running back Tarik Cohen.
Coaches like Nagy love to play the chess game. In chess, the most devastating piece on the board is the queen. Why? It can move in any direction and do almost anything. This can sometimes be the case with certain offensive players. Guys who can be moved around the field according to the situation and create mismatches against the defense.
As the 2017 season progress, it became clear that Cohen could potentially be one such piece. He scored touchdowns as a runner, a receiver, a returner and even as a passer. Considering how unimaginative that offense was last season, it’s easy to see why Nagy is so excited. His scheme could turn Cohen into a nightmare.
Assuming the second-year man can grasp his new role.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Tarik Cohen is dizzied by how diverse his job in the new offense is
Never one lacks the power of words, Cohen was asked to describe his role in this new system being installed on The Jim Rome Show on Tuesday. Rather than give a calm, if reserved answer like a normal person, Cohen did what he always does. He went over the top and it was glorious.
“I feel like if I could kick the football, he’d also want me to kick the football, too. It just goes to show how many places he has me at. I’ve been everywhere. I’ve been at every position. It’s crazy.”
Whispers out of minicamp and OTAs said the same thing. Cohen was all over the field. One play he’d be at running back, the next wide receiver and so on. The idea is that the defense can’t ever truly guess when and where he’s going to get the ball. This is frightening because the worst thing that can happen for NFL defenses is having to think.
This is exactly what Nagy did with Pro Bowler Tyreek Hill in Kansas City. The results were hard to miss. The Chiefs ranked fifth in total offense in 2017. Cohen is somewhat different as an athlete to Hill but he might actually be even more diverse thanks to his strength and running ability.
