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Passing Game Ready for Takeoff Bears Say
Even though the Bears didn't have Darnell Mooney all offseason and Chase Claypool for the majority of the offseason it didn't slow progress in the eyes of Bears wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Tyke Tolbert or offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
For that reason, they think the passing game should take off in training camp.
"As of right now the passing game is, in my opinion, miles ahead of what it was a year ago," Tolbert said.
The basis for his confidence came from the way players operated within the system and not necessarily one or two players who were better, new or were not available—although Tolbert did love the way Justin Fields and DJ Moore immediately developed a rapport.
-Bears receivers coach/passing game coordinator Tyke Tolbert
They see this as a case of the rising water floating all boats. The offense, the passing, Fields and all receivers are upgraded so missing some work shouldn't hold back one or two individuals for long if they were involved mentally—and even physically for one week in Claypool's case—with what was going on at OTAs and minicamp.
"I think this part of the year looks different because we've added some things to the offense," Tolbert said.
It's not simply seeing one two players look better. They've all played so much better in it that coaches were able to alter the attack.
"Because they're so comfortable with the system, being in it for a year, the way we add certain things based on research of other players, other places and other teams," Tolbert said. "We research the offensive staff, research some other things, put some more neat packages together.
"So I think this time of year enables you to do more because we're—I wouldn't say comfortable—but we're more advanced in the system than we were a year ago. So I think all that works together."
The entire group of receivers learned and advanced, Getsy said. There was evidence of this daily at OTAs and minicamp as they had plays made by Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis and Velus Jones more often than in the past.
"You're trying to teach conceptually," Getsy said. "You're trying to teach fundamentals, so we're working on all that stuff. We're not scheming our defense, we're not planning our defense or anything like that.
"We're trying to get everybody to understand the entire offense so that whatever direction we need to go when it's time, we're ready to rock and roll and the guys are able to respond. So, it’s more important for us to teach the details, fundamentals of why we do what we do, so that you can build off of all that teaching."
Bears receivers and quarterbacks know what they're doing to such a better extent overall that they're using new plays, formations or twists on plays and formations they couldn't execute a year ago. It's not merely in the pass-and-catch aspect of the attack where improvement is seen.
"Oh there's a ton," Getsy said. "I mean, geez, you can just take the (pass) protection game in the beginning part of it. How quickly the guys are adjusting because the defense has given us looks that we're not preparing for.
"So usually you go into a game and you're preparing for particular fronts, particular pressures, particular whatever. So we're just trying to play by our rules and to learn the reason whys and then react the way that we need to accordingly. So, those guys, seeing how quickly they're responding from where they were last year has been really good."
As for when Claypool and Mooney come back, the coaches view this as a minor obstacle.
For one, Mooney already had a strong passing game connection with Fields.
As for Claypool, he wasn't entirely absent. He was involved with watching some of practice when he wasn't practicing but did work for one week.
"The time he was out there he made a lot of good plays for us," Tolbert said. "I'm excited where he is. He's more into what we're doing offensively. He asks a lot of good questions.
"He's here extra, too—when he doesn't have to be here, he's here doing a lot of extra things, trying to get better, watching tape on his own, that kinda thing."
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