(670 The Score) Welcome to Chicago, Luke Getsy.
Unofficially, your job as Bears offensive coordinator starts now, the day after a 27-10 loss to the Packers on Sunday directly related to a single play you called.
We know you arrived at Halas Hall last winter, spent the spring making a strong impression and the summer answering questions about how long before you will become an NFL head coach.
That’s just how we do it here in this football city, by the way. We tend to get our collective head over our skis when it comes to the Bears and conflate play-calling to splitting the atom, especially when it comes to bright, young play-callers like you appear to be. Especially when it comes to the woebegone Bears offense, whose problem scoring touchdowns in recent years was directly related to the previous coaching staff being allergic to common sense.
We thought you were different, Luke, and maybe you still will be nothing like your long list of predecessors. Maybe this frustration will soon be forgotten and you can regain any confidence you just lost from many fans or media.
But Sunday night at Lambeau Field, you seemed like so many of your predecessors.
You outsmarted yourself. You called the play that killed everybody’s football buzz in town.
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Your honeymoon at Halas Hall ended on fourth-and-goal at the Packers' 1-yard line with 8:13 left when the Bears lined up in the shotgun formation. Defenders of the decision will Google some metrics or point out that the formation allowed quarterback Justin Fields to build momentum running downhill. In fairness, Fields took the snap at the 5-yard line and came close enough to breaking the plane to require a lengthy replay review. Ultimately, the play was upheld because officials called it a stop on the field.
And upon further review, Getsy’s call out of the shotgun formation still stinks.
“We’ll never know if I got it or not," Fields said.
OK, but why not line up in the I-formation and hand the ball to 122-yard rusher David Montgomery? Why not grasp the obvious at the end of a 13-play, 89-yard drive that had worn down the Packers? Why not bunch everybody up and then use the element of surprise with a play-action pass if you want to get cute?
I’m not suggesting the Bears would've found a way to stop the Packers had they cut the lead to 24-17 – this is the Bears-Packers rivalry, after all – but they wouldn’t have finished a game of inches leaving the impression they still were miles away from the Packers.
“We thought that was the best play we had right there," coach Matt Eberflus said of the Fields run out of the shotgun. “I like it … (Our) coaches liked it…you outnumber the box. The quarterback is a runner and you like your numbers in the box there. If we score there, it’s a different ball game."
On that, everybody agrees.
You just knew what would happen once the Bears turned the ball over on downs. On cue, on the fifth play of the ensuing Packers drive, Aaron Rodgers found Sammy Watkins for a 55-yard gain behind rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon that set up a 28-yard insurance field goal by Mason Crosby.
If the movie was familiar, at least the plot included a few new twists.
For all the talk of the new Bears regime entering this phase of the rivalry, perhaps we overlooked a fresh Packers approach that presages an even bigger evolution in the NFC North.
Traditionally, Rodgers always has elevated the play of his wide receivers as Green Bay’s running game complemented a dangerous and deadly passing attack. But after seeing the Packers run roughshod over the Bears for 203 rushing yards, they clearly look more like a team that will go as far as its running game takes it. By design or necessity, Rodgers rarely went deep – his 55-yarder to Watkins the exception to the rule. Rodgers completed 19 of 25 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns for 131.1 passer rating, an effort more efficient than explosive. No Packers receiver had more than three catches. But the bigger problems came from the Bears’ inability to stop Aaron Jones – who had 15 carries for 132 yards – and A.J. Dillon, who added 61 yards on 18 rushes. Jones and Dillon exposed the weakest part of the Bears -- their run defense, which is worse than even the limited passing game.
This is what it looks like when the HITS principle gets smacked in the mouth.
There are many concerns, but they start with the so-called leader of the Bears defense, the guy commonly referred to during his training camp contract hold-in as the best player on the roster. But through two games, linebacker Roquan Smith has been closer to ordinary than exceptional. And so far, the linebacker betting on himself this season is losing big. The worst part about Sunday was Smith looking like a player relying more on luck than skill to make plays. Who expected Smith’s move to weakside linebacker would make him so feeble?
On Jones’ first touchdown run, Smith allowed wide receiver Allen Lazard to impede his path – a no-no for any self-respecting linebacker. On Jones’ second touchdown scamper, at least it was a running back, Dillon, easily blocking Smith. But on both plays and all game, Smith provided too passive of resistance at the point of attack for a linebacker who considers himself among the best at his position. On national television, with an opportunity to amplify his value around the league, Smith raised questions about how good he really is and whether his preseason protest prepared him for a challenge like the Packers running backs.
Speaking of doubts, Gordon raised some himself after an experience against Rodgers that could leave a psychological scar. Gordon made an athletic pass breakup on an encouraging opening series but struggled in coverage and against the run the rest of the night – none more than when he lost his feet flying up in run support and whiffing on Jones’ 36-yard run in the third quarter. When playing the slot, which the Bears believe takes advantage of Gordon’s versatility, he has too often found himself in position to make tackles he’s not yet equipped to make. When playing coverage, especially in man-to-man situations, Gordon reminded us he was playing in his second NFL game. On Lazard’s five-yard touchdown catch, for example, he easily got inside Gordon on the route Rodgers wanted him to run so he could put the ball where it needed to be. On Watkins’ 55-yard dagger, he trailed as if he thought he had help that wasn’t there.
Eberflus singled out Eddie Jackson for a strong game. Trevis Gipson sacked Rodgers twice. Jaylon Johnson never gave up a completion. But none of the progress Eberflus cited postgame will matter if the Bears defense can't find ways to stop teams control games on the ground.
Offensively, the Bears took a step closer to establishing an identity with 180 rushing yards on 27 carries – led by Montgomery’s 122 yards. Khalil Herbert added 38 yards on four carries. At one point, the Bears and Packers were relying so much on their respective old-school running games that NBC could’ve considered showing highlights in black and white. Problem is, the Bears passing game looked anything but modern too. Fields attempted just 11 passes, completing seven for 70 yards with a 43.8 passer rating.
“Luke said before the game that we were going to run it down their throats," Fields answered when asked about the game plan. “My job is to run the play that’s given to me the best I can."
The opening series made an emphatic statement. It included a 30-yard completion from Fields to Equanimeous St. Brown off a flea-flicker that began with a handoff to Montgomery. But the offense peaked early and sputtered often.
Through two games, Fields has yet to develop a rhythm as a pocket passer. He was flagged for throwing the ball past the line of scrimmage by nearly three yards. He lacks playmakers, yes, but there’s more to it than that. Fields’ natural athleticism makes every play potentially an explosive one, but at some point, he'll have to prove he can be as dangerous with his arm as well as his legs. The conversation about the Bears offense now shifts to whether Fields is affecting the emergence of wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet or is it the other way around? Meanwhile, the best thing the Bears can do for Fields’ growth is lean into the running game to set up the play-action passing game. Therein lies the key that can unlock Fields’ potential as a passer the quickest.
Today, that reality makes Getsy more important than he is popular.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-10 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.
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