Bears Blitz

Published by Zach Kruse on January 22, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have completed their coaching transformation, officially adding offensive coordinator Adam Gase to a new staff that includes head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Gase’s hiring on Wednesday, confirming a three-year deal between the Bears and the Denver Broncos‘ former offensive coordinator.  

The arrival of Gase in Chicago should have a trickle-down effect on an offense that sputtered to a standstill last season. Peyton Manning won’t be tagging along from Denver, but there’s still more than enough talent in Chicago for Gase to implement much of what he accomplished with the Broncos. Denver scored more points than any team in football over the last two seasons.  

Bleacher Report’s Adam Lefkoe, Chris Simms and Jonathan Vilma broke down how hiring Gase will help change the culture and positively affect the Bears offense: 

Below, we will determine who will benefit the most from Gase’s new offense in Chicago, using his tendencies and philosophies from Denver as our guiding light:

WR Alshon Jeffery 

No player should benefit more from Gase’s arrival than Jeffery, a multi-talented, Pro Bowl receiver who should fit perfectly into the Demaryius Thomas role in Chicago. If anything, Jeffery should plan on his usage and efficiency going way up. 

With Gase calling the plays over the last two seasons, Thomas (6’3″, 229 lbs) caught 203 passes for 3,049 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was targeted 326 times. Only Antonio Brown (239) had more receptions over the two-year span, while only Brown (348) and Andre Johnson (327) received more targets. 

Jeffery, who stands 6’3″ and weighs 219 pounds, has caught 174 passes on 293 targets with 17 touchdowns since 2013. 

Thomas’ targets came in a variety of ways. With Gase and Peyton Manning, the Broncos became the league’s most frequent user of the receiver bubble screen—a devastatingly effective play with Manning’s pre-snap awareness at the line of scrimmage and Thomas’ run-after-the-catch ability. Jeffery has similar short-area burst and a slippery nature with the ball in his hands, giving him a chance to make a lot of big plays out of easy throws in the Gase-planned offense. 

Denver was also one of the NFL’s best offenses at using pre-snap motion and personnel groupings. The play designs helped simplify reads, create mismatches and free up receivers, assets which a player of Thomas’ ability often took advantage of. The same can apply for Jeffery. The Bears struggled to get open passing windows down the field last season, which often resulted in Jay Cutler throwing harmlessly underneath or forcing the football into coverage. 

Now three years into his NFL career, Jeffery has developed into a top-15 receiver in a league packed to the brim with great pass-catchers. Gase’s arrival could help take Jeffery’s game from great to elite. Expect him to become one of the most highly used receivers in the game in Chicago’s new offense. 

QB Jay Cutler

Let’s get a few things out of the way: Cutler isn’t Peyton Manning, and Gase isn’t going to “fix” Cutler. No player may ever match Manning’s intelligence at the quarterback position, and Cutler—who will turn 32 in April—is past the age when meaningful and lasting change is going to happen. 

That said, Gase is capable of making life much easier on the turnover-prone quarterback. 

When Cutler is asked to shoulder the load, he gets into trouble. The Bears attempted 609 passes last season, which served as an indictment of how often Chicago was behind in games and how much former head coach Marc Trestman put on Cutler’s plate. 

Gase likely won’t fall into the same trap. Even with Manning as his quarterback, Gase showed an incredible ability to shape his offense to fit personnel and hide weakness. Down the stretch last season, the Broncos became what can only be considered a power-run offense, with undrafted free-agent running back C.J. Anderson as the focal point. When matchup-busting tight end Julius Thomas was forced to the sideline and Manning needed to play through injury, the Broncos adjusted—and still operated at a high level. 

The Bears are capable—with running back Matt Forte and some good players along the offensive line, including Pro Bowler Kyle Long—of playing a more run-based, power-orientated offense. Cutler has never been as efficient a quarterback as Tony Romo, but the results in Dallas this past season speak for themselves: a dedicated running game can still dramatically elevate the quarterback position.

Also, don’t discount what Gase can do in terms of getting Cutler easy throws. In the Trestman offense, an easy throw was a dumpoff to Forte. With Gase, the Bears will actively game-plan to bunch receivers and create the route combinations needed to deliver the same stress-free attempts Manning often had in Denver. 

One can only assume a slight rebound for Cutler if he’s in Chicago in 2015. 

There was simply no excuse for an offense featuring Forte, Jeffery, Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett to deal with the kind of inefficiency problems the Bears suffered through week after week last season. There was too much talent. Cutler’s regression and tendencies didn’t help, but Trestman and his staff consistently failed to find answers. 

A less-is-more approach from Gase could be exactly what Cutler needs. 

RB Matt Forte

Gase is transitioning from Manning to Cutler at quarterback, a stark reality that will likely force the Bears’ new offensive coordinator to become more run-centered. Forte, a two-time Pro Bowler, figures to be the biggest beneficiary of the change. 

In 2014, Forte averaged just 16.6 carries per game. Only three times did he receive 20 or more carries in a single week.

C.J. Anderson, meanwhile, enjoyed a four-game stretch in November and December in which he saw 20 or more attempts in every contest. In fact, over the final six games of 2014, Anderson averaged 23 carries and 4.6 yards per attempt. 

Again, the Bears were down in many games, and the Broncos were up in many games. The best offenses in the NFL don’t necessarily run to gain a lead, but run once they have a lead.

The Bears simply need more from Forte, and not in the form of 102 catches. He gained just 3.9 yards per carry in 2014, his worst finish in six years. He also averaged only 64.9 rushing yards per game, his lowest total since 2009. One of Gase’s primary objectives will be to get the Bears offense more efficient in running the football. 

Others

WR Brandon Marshall

A former receivers coach, Gase worked exclusively with Marshall in Denver back in 2009. The soon to be 31-year-old receiver isn’t the same kind of weapon in 2015 as ’09, but the familiarity between the two should be an asset. Marshall is still dangerous when healthy. 

TE Martellus Bennett

Bennett isn’t a dynamic athlete like Julius Thomas, but he’s also no slouch. His 90 catches helped send him to the Pro Bowl in 2014. Gase can be as clever as they come in terms of creativity at the tight end position, so it can be expected the 6’6″ Bennett will have ample opportunities in the new Chicago offense. 

Bears Slot Receiver

This could be Marquess Wilson, who came off injury and didn’t exactly grab his opportunity last season. Or it could be a yet unidentified player, whom the Bears will acquire either through free agency or the draft. Either way, the Bears need to find a slot option for Gase’s offense. His three-receiver sets demand a qualified target, and it’s not certain if that player is currently on the roster. Cutler could certainly use a player with the skills to consistently get open underneath and in the middle of the field. 

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