No Quick Fix for Bears Offense Coming

If you're looking for easy answers about how the Bears can get their effective running attack to open things up for the anemic passing attack, then Bill Lazor is not the guy.

The Bears offensive coordinator on Thursday admitted the situation in passing demands hard work and no simple, fast solution. They're not going to throw some play-action pixie dust on it all and make it work.

"I mean, so, to stand up and say there's a bright spot would be pretty ridiculous I'd think."

"I'm not saying no one is playing well," Lazor said. "But to be honest, when you're 32nd in probably, still, I mean, sometimes I check the stats before all the games finish for the weekend but I'm assuming we're still 32nd in sacks per pass attempt, 32nd in passing yards per game, 32nd in passing yards per attempt.

"I mean, so, to stand up and say there's a bright spot would be pretty ridiculous I'd think."

The one real bright spot isn't in the passing attack. It's the Bears being ranked sixth in rushing.

While this isn't unusual for teams with prodigious quarterback rushing numbers like to be ranked so high in team rushing, like Baltimore, Justin Fields has rushed for just 140 yards and is seventh among quarterback rushers.

So there's nothing cheap about the rushing total compiled by David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert and Damien Williams.

And with rushing yards automatically comes the idea that they should gain passing yards easily using play-action passing.

Hold on there. Don't tell this to Lazor.

"The ability to run the ball statistically has almost zero to do with the effectiveness of play-action pass," Lazor said. "Teams that don't run the ball still have been effective in play-action passing.

"So running the ball right now effectively helps us get first downs more than maybe it has at times in the past, which helps keep us on the field so it gives us more opportunities. But we've got to be better in almost every single aspect of the passing game."

This is the difficult part. The play-action pass will not simply elevate the Bears out of their passing doldrums, Lazor maintains.

A better passing attack needs to be constructed with good materials from the ground floor up.

"I mean, our details in pass protection, our details in route running, our details in the decision-making and the throwing at quarterback and then putting it all together, it's hard," Fields said.

Lazor didn't hold back on why he thinks the passing game struggles.

"I think it has to do with we have to be better with the details of the pass game, fitting it together, making the plays when they're available," Lazor said. "And when I say making the plays, I don't just mean jumping up and catching the ball. I mean blocking the person we're supposed to block, being together with how we're going to block it, the timing of the quarterback matching the timing of the firmness of protection, matching the timing of the routes.

"When you're 32nd, we could spend a lot of time talking about this."

The frustration with it goes beyond the coaching staff.

"I'm pretty sure that its frustrating for everybody," wide receiver Darnell Mooney said. "You know, we're not doing the things that we want to do, and the goals that we have to go out there and be an explosive offense.

"I'm pretty sure it'll harm anybody in the league that aren't doing good offensively. We just gotta continue to stay focused, locked in, and do our part."

To that end, Mooney, Fields, Allen Robinson and other receivers are meeting on their own over Zoom to try to get more worked out in the passing game.

This sounds like someone either doing an end run around coaches or possibly possessing lack of faith in the coaching staff, but Lazor said it isn't quite as it seems.

"Well, the communication is pretty constant throughout the week as far as how we're adjusting things and whether it be audibles, whether it be built-in adjustments that are just inherent to the routes, whether it be hand signals that happen on the field," Lazor said. "So it's really constant. The quarterbacks also meet with the linemen without us to talk about their protection adjustments.

"So those communications aren't unique. That kind of happens as we go. And hopefully we all feel like we're all in it together. Maybe the fact that they have to do it in Zoom because of what's happened this week (with COVID) is unique, but those kind of meetings occur pretty much constantly."

So scratch off one more possible quick fix for the Bears passing game.

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