After one week of training camp, the reports regarding the offense were all pretty much the same: They had some big plays, but no consistency. That, very likely, is what the team should reasonably expect from the passing game this year, but we’re all still a long way from finding out exactly what this offense will be.
Based on the talent on the roster and the scheme being implemented, we can assume the Bears will have a run-based offense. It wasn’t until Tuesday of this week that the team practiced in pads and, therefore, impossible to accurately gauge how effective they will be in the ground game. Even with the pads, it will be difficult to tell as most teams don’t do full contact tackling in camp and the Bears won’t be able to incorporate the quarterback in their running game during practice.
The quarterback’s ability to run is something we won’t see at all until the real games begin.
Even without designed runs, we can’t tell how effective Justin Fields’ scrambles are simply because the defense can’t tackle him. Perhaps there are plays that media members are counting as sacks that Fields would escape? Or maybe not. We won’t know until he can be tackled. We do know that a quarterback who runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash has to be accounted for during the course of a game, but not in practice.
Offseason work is essentially a passing camp until the pads come on and, while the offense certainly has an advantage, in Bears camp, it’s essentially a weakness against a strength.
With rave reviews coming about second-round picks Jaquon Brisker and Kyler Gordon, we can expect that the Bears will have a good secondary. We know their receivers aren’t good. Those are matchups the defense should win.
If the Bears are going to be successful offensively this year, it’s going to be because they run the ball well and get big plays in the passing game. Most have reported the big plays in the passing game are apparent, the running game is still to be determined.
