Holding back on offense

[noonthirtyjoe]

Our offense should be putting up 30+ a game. So what is the problem? Were fine in the second half of games. We have a very talented group of skill position players and move the ball at will when the game is on the line. Why can't we score until we have too? Why can't we score before the other team? Why are we holding back? I really feel we can rebuild the def in one off season and keep this offense together for next year. The STs need better coaching but I could see us competing next year. Time to open up this offense. I'm getting frustrated because I see we can move the ball when we have too but call to conservative of plays until were behind. Open it up before were behind please.

 

[antone112]

Limit turnovers, control the clock, keeping our thin defense off of the field. Thats what they'll continue to do.

 

[anotheridiot]

I dont know who they dressed instead of Meridith, but back to Mariani playing offense and only one completion to Wilson, I dont know where they could open it up, especially with the jumbled offensive line again. Not only did they move Slausen back to center, they switched the guards to protect Jays blind side. I am more wondering if they are gonna move Long to the left side this season or next.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

I watched the 22 of the first half this morning, what an awful experience. Aside from the conservative play designs, it didn't help that Cutler yet again was not throwing to open guys downfield, usually Marquess Wilson. I don't know if this is Cutler being Cutler, or if the coaching staff has ingrained the "don't throw risky passes" so hard into his mind that he can't help himself.

As far as Wilson...he wasn't open in the Seattle game, and he was heavily targeted against both Oakland and KC (and delivered, by the way). In every other game, he's been wide open or at least open enough and ignored. Forget Cutler, you think whatever you think about him and it's a waste of time arguing it any longer. What is interesting is that Wilson is clearly developing into a legitimate receiver. Why is he being left open so much? Do the safeties just know Jay won't throw it to him often and so they don't bother? He's not strong, and so he does have some problems on beating the press, but when he does...does Gase really not know how often he is getting open? I really don't know what to think about this.

The missing piece of the offense is in long throws to the boundary. I think the offense is fundamentally decent, and it is nice seeing Cutler not throw so many ints (can he finally go two games in a row without an interception? The world anxiously awaits next Sunday). But the inability, unwillingness, rule, bad luck...I don't know what...but SOMETHING is causing our offense to take shorter throws and to game plan that way. I honestly don't know what to think they should do here.

Look, clearly the anemic 1st half offense was not the only, nor the main culprit in yesterday's game. The run defense continues to be the worst thing about this team, and if they had simply done an even somewhat decent job on that front, no one would care about Langford's dropped pass because Minn wouldn't have been tied. (Remind me....why on Earth did they call a pass in that situation?) You can even fault special teams more than the offense for this one.

The offense is competent, but the offense is made up of a bunch of guys who simply aren't playing that great either. And when they have played solidly, they have virtually nothing whatsoever in the way of big plays. We are near the bottom in big play percent. Every team has big plays, but ours are just too few and far between.

Something stands between this offense and realizing it's potential. I don't think the talent is great, but it is good enough that they should be scoring more. They have had one big offensive game out of 7 games. One.

As Martellus Bennett pointed out, we are only a couple of plays away from being winless. Of course, we are a couple of plays away from being 4-3. If the offense made a few more big plays, maybe we would be there.

 

[JoeyTourettes]

Back to topic. Holding back the offense... I could make the argument that keeping it conservative or safe or whatever you want to call it is the reason it's working. I know we didn't like the WR screens and 1 step drops...but what would have happened if they took deep drops and tried to throw it down field early? I'm guessing sacks, some more sacks, maybe a fumble and/or a pick. (and a whole lot of blame)
While those plays didn't work. They did force the D to respect that throw, that play and make them. Later in the game when they lined up in the same formations they DID throw it down field and made some big plays with it. Such is the way with smart football.
Vikings D is good and fast- the other thing is they were hoping to break one of those loose and get a big gain out of it. While that hasn't happened yet (and now Royal is hurt again) but to get the D to over pursue or fall down or get the Oline/WR blocking up front to get there a half a second sooner- big run.
Oh and there will never be a day where Cali doesn't say that Jay missed "wide open targets down field" it's just reflex for him now.

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

If you look at the film all QBs miss a few wide open guys. Is Jay missing more then the average QB? I have been on the Wilson bandwagon from the day we drafted him. I agree the run def is the bigger reason for the loss but we all know the def is not good and is being rebuilt. It's the offense that upsets me, they have the talent to do much more. I would say the def is doing as much as can be expected and the O is falling short based off talent to both units. I don't get the (smart) play calling on offense. I get that we risk more bad plays being aggressive but so what. We are out of it and there is no reason to be safe. The def is not gonna win games that is up to the offense. Go aggressive/play the young guys/ lose every game I would be happy with that. I'm excited for next year already.

 

[anotheridiot]

Well, just like play action helps, throwing deep also helps open up the dump offs and 10 yard throws. Jay overthrew Wilson on the right side and hit Jeffrey deep on the left side, and look what it did to open up those shorter throws. So at least they went deeper a few times against the vikings. Its when they refuse to throw deep that the safeties are staying close. I would prefer to see the scripted first 15 include at least one 40 plus yard attempt if not two.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

If you look at the film all QBs miss a few wide open guys. Is Jay missing more then the average QB?

Obviously, all QBs miss open guys. The point i am making is that yes, he misses more than the average. It is not a new problem. However, I am wondering how much of the issue this year is Jay, and how much of it is Gase. It is possible that in tamping down Cutler, Gase dialed him back a little TOO much. I don't know the answer here...obviously you don't want to take the brakes fully off Cutler. It is nice that he has cut down on the interceptions. But it seems like somewhere between that Jay and this Jay, there is an optimum.

I don't think there is an easy answer here, but if you want to understand where the offense is not at full speed, it starts with that.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

Well, just like play action helps, throwing deep also helps open up the dump offs and 10 yard throws. Jay overthrew Wilson on the right side and hit Jeffrey deep on the left side, and look what it did to open up those shorter throws. So at least they went deeper a few times against the vikings. Its when they refuse to throw deep that the safeties are staying close. I would prefer to see the scripted first 15 include at least one 40 plus yard attempt if not two.

The problem is we waited too long to start throwing deep. Yes, sure, you need to set up both the short game and the long game, but throwing 4-5 times long in the second half is way too conservative of a game plan. I agree sort of with your last sentence, except they don't even have to be 40+ throws. Just a couple of 20 yarders are worth trying.

 

[beardown07]

Nobody is going to mention the hodge-podged o-line?


They have played admiral considering, and Jay has done a great job making them look better by having pretty great pocket-awareness and good feet. But we are signoing dudes off the street en sech?


I think Jay is the least of our problems. I think a shoddy o-line dictates a conservative gameplan. A gameplan that HAS had us in the last 4 games with a chance to win them all.

I think with the skill players we have, this Offense should be unstoppable. But it starts up front and with Jay. Maybe he is missing open receivers, but last week the play calls were a little repetitious in the first half, with not much called downfield.

The Defense is not good. Anyone heard of Callahan before last week? Me neither, but he apparently has supplanted shitty McManus. WTF happened to Alan Ball? Will he see the field again? Our interior D Tackles aren't doing much either. Jones did look better than all year this last week, but he has been average at best. McPhee, Fuller and Amos appear to be legit "dogs" but not many others on that D seem like that?

 

[anotheridiot]

I think Ball and Porter were just reactions to letting Tillman go and wanting a veteran presence that was not in legal trouble. Another think we are missing is a chance for better starting field position by letting one of these speed backups attempt to return a kickoff. Loved the fans cheering Mariani when he caught the punts clean, but why not try someone else returning the one or two kicks that are not touchbacks? You get up to the 40 and go for the jugular with a long one and it turns games around.

 

[JoeyTourettes]

"OH NO that long missed pass to Wilson has GOT to be the play that Another Idiot will come with to force some type of blame on Jay Cutler. SMH." Posted in the IN game Thread on Sunday when it happened... and there you have it!

Jay overthrew Wilson on the right side

Beardown07- Completely agree with the Oline issues. I don't think we've had the same 5 oline guys in the same position in back to back games yet? Maybe one time?

 

[anotheridiot]

"OH NO that long missed pass to Wilson has GOT to be the play that Another Idiot will come with to force some type of blame on Jay Cutler. SMH." Posted in the IN game Thread on Sunday when it happened... and there you have it!

Asshole, read it again where I said it was necessary. Now you are doing the selective reading?

 

[JoeyTourettes]

Asshole, read it again where I said it was necessary. Now you are doing the selective reading?

You still had to point it out. I know your game. It's weak. Get a new thought process.

 

[Peter Gozintite]

Whole thread is too long didn't read, except to find out that noon has a man crush on Wilson.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

hey, I'm developing a man crush on Wilson too. I'm going to outduel Noon on this one.

The offensive line is not playing great, but they also aren't playing badly. They score middle of the league in power blocking (15th), tenth on short yardage, but the run offense drops to 25th in open field running. Open field running is largely on the running backs, not the line. They are ranked 17th in pass protection...granted, they are being helped by the coaching staff and Cutler emphasizing the short yardage game. But they aren't terrible.

I don't even think Cutler has been bad. I thought he hurt us against Green Bay, and he certainly hasn't played great, and could have played better, but I'm not blaming him any more than anything else. He has cut down on INTs, and that helps. I think he's been like a C+/B- grade QB, and it could be worse. But that's pretty much the story for the whole offense. More or less mediocre. It's the third quarter where the Bears struggle offensively the most. We are 29th in the league in 3rd quarter PPG.

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

BD07's point about the Oline is spot on. AI is right about going long some to loosen up the safety's.

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

Whole thread is too long didn't read, except to find out that noon has a man crush on Wilson.

Where is my man crush gif? I thought the guy was 2nd rd talent and we got him in the 6th.

 

[anotheridiot]

You still had to point it out. I know your game. It's weak. Get a new thought process.

Whether I am negative on Jay or positive on Jay, you are the one with the one way thought process.
Sounds more like you are the one losing credibility. Does not bother me. Beardown made all the points, shit injured line, injured receivers, I guess we see what happens if we get enough players back or settle in that these guys are our line and they are becoming cohesive. But for some like you, there will always be excuses.

If we get players back, the only reason for "holding back" is to prove elite is not necessary or elite is necessary so its time we find one.

 

[Peter Gozintite]

Where is my man crush gif? I thought the guy was 2nd rd talent and we got him in the 6th.

Noon watching Wilson catch balls