ASK THE REPORTER
One thing I’ve noticed this year is nobody seems to be throwing slants in short-yardage situations anymore, particularly the Bears. Why? — @carlso1
You’re right, we aren’t seeing a ton of slants from the Bears. But it’s still a staple play for a lot of teams, especially in short yardage. The Bears ran slant routes Monday night at New England. It’s never going out of style because it can defeat man and zone coverage. Against man, it’s winning the matchup at the line of scrimmage, and versus zone it’s relying on the quarterback to move a defender with his eyes to create a throwing window.
The Bears don’t have a lot of personnel that would make them top-tier. Fields hasn’t been reading the action and delivering the ball as fast as he needs to at all times, and GM Ryan Poles discussed that a little bit Monday. That might be a small issue here. You have to pull the trigger right away on a slant route. And the Bears are deficient at wide receiver. They don’t have electric athletes at the line of scrimmage with the exception of Darnell Mooney. They probably want him running other routes. They don’t have that big-bodied wide receiver who can create space with his frame and be a great target. Think about former Bears such as Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.
What has been the greatest surprise about the Bears season to date?
— Luke, Moline
The rushing offense has been the greatest development, and that’s a credit to the coaching staff — especially offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and offensive line coach Chris Morgan — the running backs, quarterback Justin Fields, the tight ends and don’t forget the wide receivers, who have been doing a fine job blocking on the edges. The Bears have a dominant rushing attack and are playing a physical brand of ball. They lead the NFL in rushing through seven weeks, averaging 181 yards.
You have to go back to 2012 to find the last time the Bears finished in the top 10 in rushing. They were 10th that year at 123.1 yards per game. The last time they led the league in rushing was 1986, when they averaged 168.8 yards with Walter Payton leading the way in his second-to-last season. With David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert sharing the load and Fields tops among quarterbacks in rushing (364 yards), the Bears have been getting it done behind an offensive line that has made huge gains in terms of run blocking.
You expected the Bears to be more committed to the run this season. I don’t think anyone expected them to be quite this successful at it.
What’s more likely: Addressing center before the offseason via a trade or a free agent or a Round 1-2 draft pick?
— @schmidtshow14
I would be surprised if the Bears are a buyer at the trade deadline. There’s no pressing need for GM Ryan Poles to make a move at this point. He established a plan when he arrived, and I don’t see anything in Week 8, with the team 3-4, that dictates he should deviate from that plan. What kind of center would be available? What would the price be? How much control would the team have with the player moving forward? I firmly believe Poles wants to maintain his draft capital looking ahead to April.
I don’t think there is a center on the street that the Bears view as a clear upgrade, and I say that without knowing the prognosis for Lucas Patrick, who was carted off the field in the first quarter Monday with a toe injury. The early hunch is Patrick could miss significant time. Sam Mustipher stepped in and played well, and despite what the masses say, he has had some solid games this season.
I’d be even more surprised if the Bears used a first-round pick on a center, and my hunch is that would be a rather unpopular position choice. Since 2000, only 11 centers have been taken in Round 1. There are more instances of centers selected in Round 2, but if the Bears want to fill that position, they likely could get a good one in Round 3. I’d lean heavily on positional value unless there’s a prospect who evaluators believe has the chance to be elite.