Chicago Bears: Analyzing the Passing Game
Published by Bryan Dietzler on May 17, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Alshon Jeffery came into the Bear’s mini-camp with a lot of hope and promise after being drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. After having some problems with leg cramps in mini-camp this past week, the Bears aren’t still quite sure yet what they got when they picked Jeffery. Hopes soared through the roof after he was picked as Bears fans felt that Jeffery, along with offseason acquisition Brandon Marshall, could help eliminate the Bear’s woes in the passing game and make things better on offense.
Has Chicago finally found the answers they seek at the wide receiver position?
After suffering through two crazy seasons under the rule of Mike Martz, the Bear’s offense is poised for a breakout year now that they have some weapons to throw the ball to. Add in some work by Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and whoever starts at tight end for the Bears and this might be one of the most potent passing offenses the Bears have had in a long time.
But we haven’t even seen what Marshall and Jeffery are able to do yet so are we putting the cart before the horse in this instance? Or are we guaranteed to see success right away?
We must keep in mind that the passing game starts and ends with quarterback Jay Cutler. We must remember that Cutler is coming off of an injury that kept him out at the end of the year, and from what we can tell (and from what we hear), the thumb has healed and is doing just fine. So hopefully he is healed up and ready to go.
Another important part of having success in the passing game is how well the offensive line does this season. The Bears didn’t do a lot to improve their offensive line during the offseason and will be walking into the 2012 season with basically the same group of guys that they had last year. Is this group good enough to protect Cutler and give him the time that he needs to throw the ball to the new wide receivers? If they are unable to do this then the passing game will fail.
The wide receivers are an interesting group that, provided Cutler can get them the ball, should be able to make an impact this season. Marshall has been very productive over the past few seasons and as long as he can stay out of trouble, the Bears should have a valuable weapon with which to work. The jury is still out on Jeffery, but he showed a lot of promise in college. As long as he can keep his weight down, he should be able to play well.
There is still the issue of what to do with Hester. Hester is going to be used on special teams and on offense, but just how much and in what way will he be used on offense? If you listen to what the Bears are saying, it appears as if Hester will be used in special situations and that the offense will have special packages that they will run with him in it. It will be interesting to see how he is used.
Earl Bennett should remain one of Cutler’s favorite receivers while Johnny Knox may not make it back until the middle of the season. The Bears also have other wide receivers including guys like Dane Sanzenbacher and two new veteran additions Devin Thomas and Eric Weems. Some of the other rookie talent on the roster at the wide receiver position includes guys like Joseph Anderson, Terriun Crump, Brittan Golden and Chris Summers.
While the rookies are a long shot to make the roster, they will help provide some good competition in training camp and help relieve some of the stress off of the big name players like Marshall and Jeffery.
The Bears passing game hasn’t featured the tight end that much over the course of the past two seasons with Martz in charge, but that could change this year. The Bears still have Kellen Davis on the roster and also have kept Matt Spaeth. They drafted Evan Rodriguez this year and have Kyle Adams, Draylen Ross and Brandon Venson on the roster.
Hopefully the Bears will be able to utilize their tight ends much more this year.
The Bears success in the passing game begins with the quarterback position and the passing game isn’t going to go anywhere if the Bear’s offensive line can’t properly protect Cutler. Cutler is a good quarterback but he can’t do it on his own. He needs help from his offensive line and hopefully he will be able to get that help; even though it appears as if the line is going to continue to be in a state of flux.
The wide receiver position looks good heading into workouts and the tight end position is a little bit up in the air as we head into training camp in July. All of the questions surrounding these positions will be answered in training camp and we will get a much better idea of what is going to happen with the Bear’s passing game then.
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