SAME SAD REFRAIN
Bears’ offense has long way to go under coordinator Loggains
Let the record show that quarterback Jay Cutler made no promises about the Bears’ offense getting off to a fast start this season.
‘‘ Don’t know; it could go either way,’’ Cutler said after his final preseason game. ‘‘ You never really know how it’s going to go until you’re really out there. That first game will give us all an indication of where we’re at.’’
Indeed, it did. In fact, the first two regular- season games have exposed a frustrating reality: The Bears’ offense under coordinator Dowell Loggains is undergoing some significant growing pains, has a long way to go and has yet to show any signs that it will be anything but what it has been for virtually Cutler’s entire time in Chicago — a hot- and- cold mixture of potential, disappointment and frustration.
‘‘ There’s definitely positive things [ fans can] see,’’ tight end Zach Miller said. ‘‘ But for us, we see it on a daily basis. I see guys work, make plays. But it’s got to carry over to Sunday and Monday.
‘‘ You’ve seen glimpses of it [ clicking]. Against Houston, we showed it early. [ But] we’ve got to be able to sustain it for four quarters. That’s just something you’ve got to learn to do. You can’t play two quarters or three quarters or one. When teams come in and play good football for four quarters and they out- execute you, you get beat.’’
Continuity was an expected benefit of promoting Loggains from quarterbacks coach to coordinator when Adam Gase was hired as the Dolphins’ head coach, but the transition has been affected by personnel changes and injuries. The biggest injury has been to Cutler, who is not expected to play Sunday against the Cowboys because of a sprained right thumb.
But even with Cutler, Loggains was off to a rocky start. Cutler, who fumbled only eight times in 15 games last season, has fumbled three times ( losing one) in two games. He was sacked 29 times last season but already has been sacked eight times in 2016. The offense has struggled in the second half of both games — 3.7 yards per play and no points compared with seven yards per play and 21 points in the first half.
It’s a small sample size, for sure, but this isn’t an offense with a lot of equity. Telling Bears fans to be patient isn’t exactly like Aaron Rodgers telling Packers fans to relax.
What has Loggains learned about his offense?
‘‘ That we’re not there yet and that we need to keep getting better each week,’’ he said. ‘‘ Getting to know the personnel and getting the personnel to know each other is still an ongoing process.’’
‘‘ It’s just details,’’ receiver Eddie Royal said. ‘‘ It’s always the little things that go wrong. We’ve just got to iron out those little details. That’s the name of the game in football. . . . I think once we iron those things out, it’ll turn into wins for us.’’ If only it were that simple. ‘‘ Sometimes it only takes one play to get things going,’’ Royal said. ‘‘ But it’s going to take work. Nothing comes easy in this league. We know that; we see that. We know the work we’ve got to put in, and we’re doing it. We’re bustin’ our butts, trust me. Hopefully on Sunday, we’ll get better results.’’