Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears’ fledgling offense have played elite defenses in back-to-back weeks. The Tennessee Titans are currently ranked #1 in total defense, and the Houston Texans are ranked #3. I know what you’re thinking: It’s because they’ve played the Chicago Bears, and their offense is terrible, making those defenses look better than they are. That is a fair argument, but I am here to tell you that things will improve drastically in week three.

Lucas Oil to Lube-up The Chicago Bears

Here’s the thing about playing in Indianapolis – most NFL players have been there already, even if they are rookies. Lucas Oil Stadium is the home of the NFL Combine every year. Players feel more comfortable there because they’ve been there, and they know what it’s all about. They’ve been in the locker rooms, and run on the turf, they know how it feels to be in that space. They have been out in the city, staying in hotels and eating at restaurants. It’s like a familiar homecoming, so that’s the first leg up for the Bears this week.

The second and most important leg up for the Chicago Bears is that the Colts have been terrible against defending the run. In two games, they have gotten run over by the Houston Texans (213 yards) and the Green Bay Packers (261 yards). To make matters worse for the Colts’ defense, they just had to put their best player on IR, DT Deforrest Buckner. The Colts rank dead last in rush defense, 31st in total defense, and 19th in points allowed. The Colts are ranked #8 on pass defense, but that’s largely because teams have not had to throw on them to win games, and they played against the Packers’ backup QB, Malik Willis.

This is the game for the Chicago Bears to get their run game going in a big way. Bears’ OC Shane Waldron needs to call some downhill running plays and deploy FB Khari Blasingame (if he’s healthy) as a lead blocker to help the offensive line develop a push. After several successful rushing plays, the Bears can set up some play-action throws to get Caleb Williams’ and his receiver’s confidence up. Sprinkle in a few screen passes to RB D’Andre Swift and some quick throws over the middle to TE Cole Kmet, and now the Bears have a formula to start dialing up whatever they want. That’s only IF the O-line can block someone.

Caleb’s Quest for Protection

Throw to score, run to win. That’s an old football proverb to live by as an offense. Essentially, that means throwing the ball to score a bunch of points early in the game and then running the ball later in the game to preserve your lead and eat up the clock. The Bears’ offense has only scored once in two games, and it was on a short Khalil Herbert run, not a pass. The Chicago Bears have yet to get into any rhythm on offense, and that is exactly what the passing game is about – rhythm, timing, and protection.

Protecting the quarterback is the cornerstone of any good offense. The Chicago Bears are not a good offense yet because there has been little to no protection for their developing rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams. The Bears’ coaching staff can help protect Caleb simultaneously from himself, from actual defenders, and from his horrendous offensive line.

One – establish any semblance of a run game. Identify your best run blockers on offense. Design *and call* plays that run behind those blockers in the game. Call those same plays in different formations and disguise those plays to look like other plays with pre-snap motion and dummy calls at the line of scrimmage. Use misdirection (counter steps, traps, and run action) to run the same play behind your best run blockers, but make it look like the play is going the other way.

Two – get the ball out of your rookie quarterback’s hands quickly. Identify your best pass catchers on offense. Design *and call* plays that get the ball out to those pass catchers in less than 2.5 seconds. Call those same plays in different formations and disguise those plays to look like other plays with pre-snap motion and dummy calls at the line of scrimmage. Get the quarterback off the line of scrimmage by putting him in shotgun or pistol formations. Use misdirection (bootlegs, naked boots, line shifts) in those formations to help buy an extra step or split second to make the play. If the QB must go under center, call pass plays with no more than a three-step drop.

Final Thoughts

This should go without saying, but the thing that needs to happen here is simply coaching. Or coaching simply. Simplify the game for your offensive line by focusing on the fundamentals of footwork and technique. Simplify pass protections and blitz pickups to help the players play instead of think. Read and react. Stay out of their heads. Identify and accentuate strengths and focus on calling plays that incorporate them. Play the mental game. Help your players build confidence in games by making sound decisions, effective play calls, and funneling the football to your difference makers.

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