Bear Digest

Time management crisis confronts Caleb Williams and Bears offense

The short work week combined with Vic Fangio's defensive scheme make for a formidable 1-2 combination Ben Johnson's Chicago offense must overcome.
Gene Chamberlain|
Former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the Eagles defensive coordinator, celebrates the Super Bowl win in February.
Former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the Eagles defensive coordinator, celebrates the Super Bowl win in February. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

The Bears have been through this short work week thing before with mixed results.

Going against a team as good as the Philadelphia Eagles with an abbreviated practice schedule and in a 2 p.m. Friday road game can challenge what they're able to do on offense.

"I think, I mean, as a play caller it's the right balance between how do we attack that opposing defense but yet want our guys to play fast and they're not getting as many practice reps," coach Ben Johnson acknowledged on Wednesday.

That was then, this is now is what the Bears are basing their hopes on. It seems rather flimsy considering how poorly they handled their only other short week/road game this year.

That was the Week 2 game at Detroit with only six days between games. This is five and it's against the defending world champions.

The key here was Week 2. Johnson thinks the familiarity they all have now with the offense can make it easier to get a more workable game plan implemented.

"Fortunately we're towards the back half of the season now and I have a better feel for our guys and how much information they can handle and newness they can handle on a short week," Johnson said. "I feel better about that from a volume perspective, but yet as a head coach I still want to go through all this tape and make sure I have a big-picture mindset in terms of how we want this game to go for us that gives us the best chance to come away with the win.

"And so it will be all the way up until probably kickoff time that I'm watching the tape and I'm just making sure my head is in the right spot and I can help out our guys the most."

The big problem is Vic Fangio's defense that disguises different zone looks and occasional blitzes until just before snaps. Having defensive linemen like Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis allows Fangio to shut down running games and keep the secondary playing back for the pass in zone.

It isn't overly complicated but it's effective and the key is the defensive front handling the run without help from DBs or sometimes even linebackers.

The disguises in back right up until the snap will keep Caleb Williams guessing.

"It all looks the same for the most part presnap," Johnson said."He;s got to make sure he maintains discipline with his eyes."

That second week resulted in a 52-21 loss. The Eagles haven't exactly lit up the scoreboard lately but their defense has been solid with the exception of last week's late collapse against Dallas when they allowed 24 straight points. Even with that, they had given up only seven to Green Bay and nine to the Lions in successive weeks during a four-game winning streak that ended with their 24-21 loss at Dallas.

Teams just don't hold the Lions to nine points.

The only time an offense coached by Ben Johnson went up against Nick Sirianni's Eagles was Game 1, as in his first game coordinator an attack.

Johnson's first game as the Lions offensive coordinator nearly resulted in an upset of titanic proportions as the Lions, 3-13-1 punching bags the previous season, faced an Eagles team that started the season 13-1.

Detroit put on a late rush after falling behind 31-14 in the third quarter and lost 38-35.

That Eagles team went to the Super Bowl and lost to Kansas City. However, that performance didn't come against Fangio. He wasn't a coordinator that season after being fired as Denver's head coach

Johnson referred to Fangio as the "Godfather," on defense, considering all of the schemes that have popped up pattered after his. The Bears saw one earlier against one Fangio disciple and another former Bears defensive staff member from when Fangio was at Halas Hall, Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. It's all going to come down to Williams' eyes and his offensive line's ability to hold off a rush capable of getting home or of batting balls down.

"They do a good job of holding the (zone coverage) shell and trying to disguise and make things cloudy on the quarterback," Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. "The main thing is really it's still about us. It's still about his process and being able to see the defense and make sure that (Williams') post snap picture is either the same as what he saw presnap or very quickly transition into, 'hey, I need to move on,' or move my eyes, or my feet somewhere else.”

It's a lot to ponder in a very short time, but that's the theme for the entire Bears team as they try to take on the world champons with little preparation time.

More Chicago Bears News

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

X: BearsOnSI

Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.