No Passing Fancy or is it No Fancy Passing

The Bears came into this season with the thoughts that their offense could be one of the best in the NFL in terms of its ability to pass the football. They have quarterback Jay Cutler, known for his strong arm and ability to get the ball down the field quickly but not necessarily smartly (as we saw with the record number of interceptions that he threw last season. They may not have a group of well known wide receivers but from what we have seen so far, they aren’t bad. And the running backs (catching passes out of the backfield) have been very good.

Still, this passing attack has had its problems and like any problem that happens on a football team, the problems starts up front. The Bears offensive line has been one of the worst pass blocking lines in the NFL so far this season and they are personally responsible for the Bears problems passing the ball this season.

A perfect example of the line’s ineptitude was on full display in their game against the New York Giants a little bit earlier in the season when they pretty much looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL. They allowed their quarterbacks to get sacked ten times and couldn’t do much of anything running or passing the ball on offense. No offense can work with a quarterback that’s constantly on the run and can’t get the ball down the field.

The Bears did manage to get their running game going and that has helped them out a lot (when their passing game can’t). Running back Matt Forte has looked like he did in his rookie season playing the game with speed and smarts and has helped the Bears win games. The good thing about Forte is that he can catch passes out of the backfield (and often times turn them into long gains) and the Bears have realized this and have utilized him at times but perhaps not enough.

The Bears biggest problem in the passing game isn’t necessarily with the quarterback or the receivers but with the offensive line. The Bears have been constantly moving players in and out of the lineup not only to take care of holes left by injuries but also to see if they can find a combination that works well for them. This really hasn’t happened yet and that’s one of the things that are holding them back.

It’s hard to determine if a line works well if you don’t have the same guys starting for a period of time. One game isn’t going to tell you much of anything about how well a group of offensive linemen are going to play against each other. Instead, it’s going to take several games for them to get used to how one another play and how each player goes about blocking. This is a problem.

The Bears need to make sure that they are keeping the same guys in to block as much as possible (barring injury). This will only serve to help them gain continuity on the line, continuity that is very important. Granted, injuries happen (and they have as both guards Roberto Garza and Lance Louis have had their struggles with being hurt) but taking players out in an attempt to try to see if another player would work better is something that cannot happen. The Bears need to instill consistency in that unit.

Yes, even running the ball can help the Bears passing game. Right now, the Bears appear as if they are a one-dimensional offense that can really only pass the ball (or at least attempt to pass it). They really haven’t shown other teams that they have that much of a rushing attack. They did get the running game going well against the Carolina Panthers and did get some good production out of it at times against the Redskins but they have to keep using it on a regular basis.

The Bears have a good team with a lot of good players but they just need to put things together. If they can do that and get everyone on the right track, they could have a lot of success not just in the passing game but also in the running game and they could win a few more games and possibly make it into the playoffs at the end of the season.