Why Kevin White Is the Key to the Chicago Bears’ Success on Offense This Season
Published by Matt Eurich on July 10, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
A year ago at this time, wide receiver Kevin White was preparing for his senior season at West Virginia. But in a few short weeks, he will be lining up on the fields at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, as he begins his first training camp with the Chicago Bears.
White was taken by the Bears with the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, and the young receiver is going to be the key to Chicago’s success on offense in 2015.
The Bears struggled for years to find a true No. 1 wide receiver before former general manager Phil Emery pulled off a trade with the Miami Dolphins for Brandon Marshall in 2012.
Marshall had a checkered past, but Emery took a risk and gave up two third-round picks to acquire Marshall that offseason. He finished his first season in Chicago with 118 catches for 1,508 yards with 11 touchdowns, and he backed that performance up the next season with 100 catches for 1,295 yards and 12 touchdowns.
An injury forced him to miss the final three games of the 2014 season, and he finished the year with just 61 catches for 721 yards with eight touchdowns. Emery and head coach Marc Trestman were both fired following the conclusion of last season, and new general manager Ryan Pace decided it was time to move on from Marshall.
The Bears sent Marshall and a seventh-round pick to the New York Jets in early March in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
“He’s a good football player,” Pace said about Marshall, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. “Going forward, we felt this was the best for us. Quite frankly, it’s the best situation for him, too. So that’s where we’re at.”
With Marshall out of the picture, Pace used his first draft pick this past April to select White.
“This was an easy pick,” Pace said after selecting White seventh overall, according to John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. “Stay true to our board, take the best player available, and let’s get a playmaker. Whether it’s defense or offense, let’s get a playmaker in the top 10 and that’s what we did.”
White was a two-year starter for the Mountaineers, and he followed up an average junior season with a stellar campaign his senior year.
Even with White now in the picture, fourth-year man Alshon Jeffery will be viewed as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver in 2015. Jeffery is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in Chicago, and quarterback Jay Cutler thinks the former South Carolina standout has what it takes to be a No. 1.
“I don’t see why [Jeffery can’t be the No. 1],” Cutler said, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. “He makes big plays for us, he knows the offense, he’s a big target, and I think more importantly that’s the guy he wants to become. He wants to become the No. 1 everyday out here, and he’s taking the proper steps.”
In order for the offense to be successful in 2015, White will need to perform when opposing teams try to take Jeffery away in the passing game.
Jeffery is a big, strong wide receiver who has great hands and a knack for making spectacular catches. Opposing teams will try their best to slow down Jeffery in 2015 by double-teaming him or shading a safety to his side of the field, and if that is the case, White will need to capitalize on his opportunities going against single coverage.
If White goes up against man-to-man coverage on the outside without safety help over the top, he has the ability to exploit the defense with his speed. His 4.35-second 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine in February was third fastest among all wide receivers, and that speed makes him dangerous in the open field.
“What’s dangerous about this guy is he can catch a quick slant and break a tackle and go 99 yards,” Pace said, according to Mullin. “He has that kind of playmaking ability. You see the WR screens, the ‘now’ routes and things like that. You throw him a little, short checkdown, and he’s gone.”
Not only does White have the speed to break free in the open field, he is a good route-runner who gets off the line of scrimmage quickly.
He showed off that speed and ability to get off the line of scrimmage against Oklahoma last season. With just under a minute remaining in the first quarter, White lined up to the right of the formation while Oklahoma played man coverage against him:
White first cut to the outside before crossing in front of the cornerback to the inside:
White was able to create separation from his man, and quarterback Clint Trickett found White in the middle of the field. White made the wide-open catch and easily ran into the end zone for a 68-yard touchdown:
Creating separation like he did against Oklahoma will not come as easily in the NFL for White, but that game was a perfect example of what he can do when opposing teams do not bring help to his side.
If Jeffery is constantly double-teamed with a cornerback and a safety, the other safety will be forced to cover a large portion of the field by himself.
Since the Bears have other weapons on offense like slot receiver Eddie Royal, tight end Martellus Bennett and running back Matt Forte, opposing defenses are going to have to pick and choose their battles in the passing game.
Guys like Jeffery, Royal, Bennett and Forte are proven pass-catchers in the NFL, so they will likely get the majority of the attention from opposing defenses early in the season. If teams decide it makes more sense for them to shut down Chicago’s proven receivers, White will have to take advantage of the opportunities he is given.
Another reason why White is the key to Chicago’s success on offense is because of how he fits in new offensive coordinator Adam Gase‘s scheme.
White worked out with the team in late April prior to the draft, and Gase later talked about what he saw from the young receiver in that workout, according to Dickerson:
He was outstanding. He could tell you exactly what the checks were, what him and the quarterback, what page they were on. It was pretty impressive when he came in the building. We really like what he brought to the table, and we look for specific routes, and when we see one or two things, we know they can do the entire tree, so his speed, his body control, the way that he bursts off the ball, all those things we really liked.
Gase likes to create mismatches on the outside with his receivers, and he likes to use a variety of different wide receiver screens to help put the football in the hands of his playmakers. Not only is White’s speed an asset on the outside in the deep-passing game, but it is also an ideal fit in Gase‘s screen game.
Because of his quick feet and ability to make people miss, White excels in the screen game. He has good vision and is strong after the catch. White is not afraid of contact and could become a reliable target for Cutler in the middle of the field.
Chicago has more weapons on offense in 2015 than it has ever had, but since opposing teams are going to try to shut down Jeffery in the passing game, White is going to be the key to Chicago’s offense this season.
He is a great fit in Gase‘s scheme because of his speed and ability in the screen game, but Chicago’s offense will struggle if he cannot take advantage of single coverage on the outside or if he cannot utilize his speed to stretch the field.
All screenshots were made using videos from Draft Breakdown. Statistical information courtesy of Sports-Reference.com and NFL.com.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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