STAYING OUT FRONT
Next step for Trestman is adjusting to adjustments from opposing defenses
Bears coach Marc Trestman steered clear of acknowledging anything close to a schematic advantage he or any other coach might have in the NFL.
‘‘Mostly, it comes down to fundamentals and techniques,’’ Trestman said. ‘‘Playing fast, being disciplined and being smart; taking care of the football and creating turnovers.’’
Maybe so. But there’s a reason Trestman’s practices are closed to the media. There’s a reason we’re told we can’t take video of formations in training camp. Fundamentals and techniques matter, but there’s a reason coaches are reluctant to discuss publicly anything pertaining to strategy. It’s still a chess game out there.
With all due respect to the fundamentals and techniques, the intrigue of the Bears’ game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Soldier Field lies in the X’s and O’s, the adjustments — and Trestman’s ability to make those work in the Bears’ favor.
After the victory last Sunday over the Cincinnati Bengals, Trestman’s offense is on tape, and every team in the league has a copy. Now comes the fun part. How much did Trestman really show? Did he find weaknesses in the Vikings’ defense the Lions didn’t expose? How will the Vikings respond to what they saw in the Bears’ offense? And will Trestman already have a counter for the anticipated counter?
In other words, can Trestman stay one step ahead of the league, assuming he gets there in the first place?
‘‘I don’t know if I can make it that complicated,’’ Trestman said. ‘‘We have a plan, on all sides of the ball, based on what their fronts are — how to attack protections and protect, how to throw the ball against coverages and how to defend what they’re bringing.
‘‘We do the best job we can as coaches to find tendencies or something that’ll help us create an advantage.’’
The game last week was a good start, if it was just a start. We don’t even know what an NFL offense is anymore. Cutler throwing to five receivers was considered a balanced attack for the Bears. But no other team in the NFL used fewer. Half of the league’s 32 teams used seven or more.
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, a former defensive coordinator with the Bengals and Vikings, knows the Bengals-Bears film showed only a glimpse of what Trestman has in store.
‘‘It’s a challenge,’’ the former Bears cornerback said. ‘‘There’s so much more, I’m sure, in Week 7 or 8 that you’ll glean from their offense than what they showed in the first game.
‘‘You get an idea of their personnel and a little bit of what they’re thinking. But I don’t know if you can hang your hat on everything you saw. I’m sure there are going to be some tweaks based on our defense versus Cincinnati’s, so I don’t know if you can just say that’s their offense.’’
Asked if he felt better about this offense staying a step ahead of the defense more than previous Bears offenses, quarterback Jay Cutler didn’t say yes or no, but he professed faith in Trestman, offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer, quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh and the rest of the offensive staff.
‘‘There’s no doubt in my mind that Trest and Krom and Cav and Groh [wide receivers coach Mike Groh] and all those guys are going to give us plays that are going to work,’’ Cutler said.
But that’s the furthest thing from his mind, he said. Even to the players, it comes down to fundamentals and technique.
‘‘Our biggest concern is us as players being able to execute [those plays] and knowing our assignments,’’ Cutler said.