People aren’t quite grasping just how big an acquisition Harry Hiestand is. Sure he’s an offensive line coach. Not exactly a glamorous title. Then again great offensive line play tends to create winning teams. Ask the Philadelphia Eagles. People have already assured fans that Hiestand is one of the best in the business. His resume at Notre Dame alone should reinforce that.
He’s already produced multiple high draft choices for the NFL including All-Pro Zack Martin. This coming April could see two more of his pupils, Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey, go in the first round. The man is really good at his job. Problem is Bears fans seem to have taken that for granted, forgetting what he did for the team last time.
Hiestand was hired by the Bears back in 2005 by Lovie Smith. A job he’d hold through 2009 before a switch at offensive coordinator saw him depart elsewhere. It was a huge error by Chicago to lose him because he was easily the best assistant coach on their staff. If fans want to know just how big his impact can be, look at his first season.
Harry Hiestand transformed Bears O-line almost overnight
People think 2017 was the epitome of putrid for Bears offensive football. They should check themselves on that and be reminded of the garbage fire that was the 2004 offense. Four different quarterbacks combined for 2,641 yards passing, nine touchdowns and 16 interceptions. A big part of that problem was the offensive line which gave up a whopping 66 sacks.
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Even their traditionally decent running game was sluggish most of the year. As a team, they managed just 3.8 yards per carry and 10 touchdowns despite running it 430 times. They shuffled starters in and out of the lineup up front, partly due to injuries and partly poor performance. It was a jumbled mess. A year later the Bears called on Hiestand to fix it.
He complied. In 2005 the Bears offensive brought back three starters from the previous year. Hiestand though made a couple tweaks to the alignment. The results were immediate. Chicago gave up 31 sacks total, cutting their previous mark by more than half. They also ran the ball far more efficiently, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. The offense went from 32nd to 26th in scoring despite starting a rookie QB in Kyle Orton for 15 games.
That’s real progress and it didn’t come until Hiestand worked his magic. If the Bears continue to invest in the offensive line as well as they have to this point, there’s a chance this offense could do serious damage moving forward.
