by Gibby McCaleb - AccuScore Analyst
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How to Fix the Bears' and Chargers' Offenses

These two teams, both Super Bowl contenders coming into the season, are struggling at the bottom of their respective divisions at 1-3.  Both teams are coached by guys named Turner.  If they can get on track, the Bears have a tougher climb with the Packers rolling at 4-0 whereas the Chargers are in the AFC West where the top team is only one game ahead at 2-2.  So what can these teams do to get their season back heading in the right direction? I am so glad you asked.  Let me be of some assistance.

Both teams have a common problem beyond the last name of Turner.  Both teams continue to put the games in the hands of their quarterbacks and are losing because of it.  To me, both guys named Turner are coaching other teams, seemingly not taking into account the players they actually have on their rosters, not recognizing their strengths and weaknesses and adjusting the play calling accordingly.

First, San Diego.  In winnable games, Ladainian Tomlinson takes on a smaller and smaller role as the game goes on.  Unless there is some injury situation we are not aware of, this move makes about as much sense as wearing a George Bush tee shirt to a Dixie Chicks concert.  The guy is the best running back in the game.  A future hall of famer.  What are you thinking?  Against the Chiefs; the Chargers ran Tomlinson only six times in the second half after LT had over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown in the first half and the Chargers were winning by 10 points.  Let’s break out the good old Texas Instruments calculator: run LT in 1st half, up by 10.  Don’t run LT in 2nd half, out scored 24-0.  OK, add that up, divide by 19, carry the two…well, I think it shows you need to run more in the second half.  I’m not sure.  I can’t remember how to work this damn thing.

Against Green Bay, the Packers seemed to know exactly what play the Chargers were going to run on every down of the first half.  Watch the film.  The Packers called run blitzes on every single one of LT’s carries and dropped into zone coverage on every pass.  Maybe Bilichick was on the side line with a camcorder. 

You can’t be that predictable.  Use play action, especially on some first downs when the opposition is expecting a run.  On blitzes, run some screen passes.  Quick out patterns.  Take the blitz away from the defense and force the line backers to back off.  On running downs, run some counter plays.  In the Packer game, San Diego ran two counters and both went for around 10 yards each.  That’s what you do when defenses over pursue.

Use Antonio Gates as a tight end and not as a wide out.  He’s good enough to be a wide out, don’t get me wrong, but if he’s lined up outside, that frees up a line backer to play the run.  Use Gates to clear out the middle.

But the biggest thing is you can’t abandon the running game, it’s your bread and butter.  True, you may have some boring three-and-outs early in the game, but as the game wears on, the defenses wear out.  If you look at the great backs like Emmitt Smith, whom Norv coached before, they get the bulk of their yardage as the game goes on.  Norv should know that and why he’s putting winnable games in the hands of Philip Rivers in the second half is beyond me.  This team was built to be a boring, grind out the running game team and that is the personnel Norv has to work with.  This is not the Dallas Cowboys of 1992 and for that matter; it isn’t even the 49ers of last year.  Not to say the 49ers are a better team, they’re not.  I am only saying that San Diego doesn’t have the same personnel.  Play the cards you have, not the cards you wish you had.  This is a good, solid team and should be winning these games.

In Chicago, the fix isn’t as easy since they don’t have a solid running back.  I think letting Jones go in the off-season was a huge mistake but can’t cry over spilled milk now.  Time to move forward.

First be honest about where you are at.  Your running game sucks.  Benson was not the future as you thought, or at least he hasn’t played that way up to this point.  Your offensive line isn’t helping and you are asking some so-so quarterbacks to make some very risky throws.  Stop doing that.

From an offensive standpoint, you have nothing to lose, do you?  It’s not like you are building anything so time to chuck a lot of that playbook of yours out into the Chicago river.

For starters, it is time to take a hard look at rookie Garret Wolfe.  No, he’s not your every down running back but he may be a great receiving back and you desperately need one of those right about now.  You should start using him much in the way the Eagles use Brian Westbrook or the old 49ers teams used Roger Craig.  Line up in two back sets with Benson working in between the tackles and Wolfe on the outside, especially on screen plays and coming out of the backfield on passing downs.  Have Wolfe be the only back in 3rd down situations unless it’s third and long, then keep Benson or a fullback in to block.

Both Adrian Peterson and Cedric Benson are fumble-prone so while Wolfe is a complete unknown, he’s also a complete unknown.  You’ll never know what he’s capable of until you try him but at his small size, he’s probably not going to be a between the tackles sort of guy.  If Benson can’t hang, consider a full back in passing downs.  If he fumbles, bench him.  It’s not like he is putting up amazing stats right now.  Could someone else be any worse?

Throw the ball deep several times a game.  And I mean really deep.  Not a 20 yard crossing route but a deep fly pattern.  Send the receiver towards the end zone and heave it as far as you can.  This pulls the safeties back as they have to be concerned with deep routes.  Send someone on a deep pattern often.

Work Desmond Clark out of the middle.  Same advice as Gates; make the line backers cover him not cornerbacks.  Maybe his stats will go down.  So what, the rushing game will go up.

No one respects your offense.  Any part of your offense.  As long as that is the situation, teams will play soft zones waiting for your quarterback to make a mistake and they will stack the line to stop your running game.  Something has to change.  By utilizing Wolfe out of the back field as a receiver and Clark over the short middle, you force linebackers to pull back.  By running screen passes and sticking to high percentage passing plays, teams will be forced to play more pass coverage, hoping that will loosen up the running game and lead to less costly turnovers made because of low percentage pass plays.

Although only four weeks into the season, it may already be time to panic for these two teams and by using the players they both have in better ways, both teams can still improve in time to make a playoff run but if both teams stick to business as usual, the odds are great that they’ll be on a golf course come January.  AccuScore still gives both teams decent shots at making the playoffs but their odds are decreasing each week.  The Bears still have a 50.4% chance and the Chargers have a 44.4% chance at the post season.  Still, if either team is going to make a playbook change, the time to do that would be now, not later.  The Bears especially can’t afford to lose any more ground to the Packers.

Lastly, look at history as a guide.  Many teams have won Super Bowls with great defenses and average offenses.  Both the Bears and Chargers have great defenses but both offenses are losing games for them.  Time for a change.

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