INDIANAPOLIS — Fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. It’s the time to make use of considered one of your finest, go-to performs. It’s time to ship in a name that you just’re 99.99 p.c sure will work for a landing.
What did offensive coordinator Shane Waldron name for the Chicago Bears in opposition to the Indianapolis Colts in that scenario within the second quarter Sunday?
A speed-option play to the left with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and operating again D’Andre Swift.
Severely. That’s what Waldron despatched in for Williams after three consecutive runs by operating again Khalil Herbert out of shotgun bought the Bears from the Colts’ 4-yard line to inside inches of scoring.
“It’s a play we’ve practiced,” tight finish Cole Kmet stated after the Bears’ 21-16 loss to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We wished to get a sure look. I don’t know if we bought the look we wished on it. In order that’s one thing I’ll have to check out. I can’t actually for certain say what went into all that. However we wished to get a sure look that they have been displaying on movie on the aim line and you bought to offer them credit score, they performed it proper.”
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We’ll get into the small print of that “look” shortly. However the extra you watch the Bears flounder on offense, the extra you surprise if Williams’ growth is in good palms with Waldron.
Williams did throw for 363 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. Rookie receiver Rome Odunze made six catches for 112 yards and a landing, whereas Kmet made 10 receptions for 97 yards and a rating.
Williams confirmed indicators of growth, however extra questions have been raised, beginning with: Why did you run the choice on fourth-and-goal from 1? Waldron received’t meet the media till his repeatedly scheduled window Thursday at Halas Corridor, leaving Williams, Kmet, Swift and coach Matt Eberflus to debate it.
“That was a tricky one being proper there on the inch-yard line or so, the 1-yard line, and to not get that,” stated Williams, who was 33-for-52 passing. “It’s a play we practiced all week, understanding that after they get across the 5-yard line to the 1-yard line, their protection modifications and so they get into these 6-1 defenses and issues like that. They usually crash (the defensive ends).
“I suppose I possibly didn’t get on the sting quick sufficient or regardless of the case might have been. However they didn’t crash how they usually do or how we noticed on movie. They made a very good play. They’d an additional overhang participant over there and it might have been due to the pistol (formation) or regardless of the case might have been.”
As a substitute of a 6-1 look, the Colts had two linebackers and 5 down defensive linemen. The additional “overhang participant” was linebacker Zaire Franklin. Defensive finish Tyquan Lewis didn’t crash on Williams because the Bears predicted.
Franklin, although, was the difference-maker. Williams pitched the ball from the 5-yard line again to Swift close to the 8. Franklin went unblocked and chased Swift previous the 10-yard line, the place Lewis finally stopped him for a 12-yard loss on a play that was lower than a yard from the tip zone.
“It was known as,” Swift stated. “It’s on us to execute. See what I may have achieved in a different way to make it occur.”
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— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 22, 2024
It was the Bears’ worst play throughout a primary half during which they ran 49 performs of offense however scored zero factors. It raised extra questions and issues about Waldron’s play calling but additionally his sport planning contemplating that each participant who was requested about it stated they practiced the choice play a lot final week.
The entire sequence for the Bears from the 4-yard line felt baffling. Why did Herbert change Roschon Johnson after Johnson fought for a 1-yard achieve on fourth-and-1 from the 5 to place the Bears in that scoring scenario? Why did the Bears not go beneath heart as soon as for 3 consecutive runs to Herbert, which included a wildcat run?
And, typically talking, why does it proceed to be so darn onerous for the Bears to run the ball, together with in opposition to the Colts, who allowed 261 dashing yards final week to the Inexperienced Bay Packers?
On fourth-and-goal, Williams stated he had the choice to alter the choice play however that the Bears broke the huddle with 10 seconds left on the play clock. The ball was then snapped with 5 seconds left, in keeping with the published.
“I didn’t wish to rise up there and alert the play or change the play … having round 5 (seconds) or so or each time everyone bought set,” Williams stated. “At that time, you bought to name and run it and get going.”
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Williams stated he might need modified the play if he had extra time. This simply results in extra questions in regards to the Bears’ offensive course of. Why are seemingly late play calls changing into a pattern?
“We appreciated the play,” Eberflus stated. “We simply bought to get to the second stage, get to the linebacker there, zone as much as him and get him there on that. We have been going to pitch off the tip man on the road of scrimmage. We bought to execute higher.”
It wasn’t a rookie second for Williams however one other dangerous second for your entire offense, beginning with Waldron’s choice to name it.
One other one was a training gaffe. The Bears despatched out their discipline aim unit after their first landing, known as a timeout after which failed on their two-point conversion. The plan ought to have been established nicely earlier than Williams hit Odunze for the primary NFL landing of their careers.
“We’ve got to be higher there,” Eberflus stated. “That’s on the coaches. We bought to be higher there, from the highest to the underside, from upstairs right down to the underside. So we bought to do a greater job there.”
Rather a lot ought to be on the Bears coaches proper now. It was a messy sport Sunday, however a lot of that mess was of their very own making.
“We’ll maintain slinging it. We’ll maintain engaged on run sport,” Williams stated. “And we’ll maintain getting higher positively as an offense. We’re going to get this going right here quickly.”
(Picture: Michael Hickey / Getty Photos)