LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) – While Bears head coach Ben Johnson's offensive identity is often viewed by outsiders through his creative passing play calls, his core belief is rooted in the running game.
The Bears have now established a backfield tandem under Johnson’s watch in veteran D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai. With Swift sidelined by injury in Chicago's win at Cincinnati last Sunday, Monangai rushed for 176 yards and solidified the team's trust in him.
Prior to being hired by the Bears in January, Johnson had a dynamic backfield pairing during his time leading the Lions’ offense, leaning on both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. He had a formula in place back then for getting both of them work, and he now has a plan in place for striking a balance between Swift and Monangai.
“My experience has usually been there might be a couple plays on the plan, run game or pass game, that you put their number down for going into the week,” Johnson said Friday. “Other than that, I think normally it’s been by series – ‘Hey, this guy’s going to start us off this series and we’ll kind of see.’ The longer the drive, we’ll have to sub someone else in or if I call one of those selective plays, that might be the case. I think we’ll get that right balance as we go through it.
“(Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy) has got a really good feel for guys as they’re rolling. I believe in a guy having the hot hand. So, if one guy if he’s feeling it and giving us a spark, we might lean on that a little bit longer. We've got a really good room.”
The Bears' leading rusher, Swift has carried 100 times for 464 yards and four touchdowns in seven games this season. Monangai had just 42 carries in his first seven games prior to Sunday, when he rushed 26 times for a career-best 176 yards.
The Bears rank fourth in total offense in the NFL, averaging 378.4 yards per game this season. Chicago’s rushing offense ranks second, averaging 144.4 yards on the ground.
While Johnson’s philosophy in the rushing attack is more calculated – there's typically only one running back on the field each play – he manages the passing game differently in overseeing who gets the football.
“Those things, they go in cycles,” Johnson said. “Particularly with the perimeter players. It’s hard for me to predict when a guy is going to have a big game out there. You just can’t foresee what coverage you’re going to get every single time. You look to put them in good positions. I say it every week – there's a healthy amount of the game plan that DJ (Moore is) the No. 1 target, Rome (Odunze), Colston (Loveland), Cole (Kmet), Luther (Burden). Like, we kind of cycle through and make sure each guy has some plays for him. But you just can’t dictate what coverage. I can’t go across the field and ask them to do it.
“It’s just a matter of time. Each guy is going to have their own moment in the sun if you will. It’s hard to say each week that each guy is going to get a certain number of catches.”
The Bears (5-3) will host the Giants (2-7) on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.