The Chicago Bears coaches have remained steadfast in their desire to keep Cody Whitehair at center. There are a number of reasons for this. He’s already moved in and out of that position several times which isn’t good for his development. He already has a strong connection with Mitch Trubisky. Last but not least, he’s not a bad blocker. There have been lots of times he’s shown he blocks really well.
The primary problem is his snapping. Whitehair has developed a serious issue with his snaps since last season. A lot of his balls are ending up high, low and simply off target. Given that offenses are driven so much by rhythm and timing these days, few things can disrupt them more than a botched snap.
It’s made even worse now by the fact the Bears are introducing a lot more shotgun formations into their offense now. Last year Whitehair was able to mitigate some of the damage because Trubisky was under center a lot. That won’t be the case this time. It’s led to a lot of miscues both in practice and preseason games.
Fan outrage over the matter grows louder each day. Calls have amplified for the team to put rookie James Daniels, who was a great center at Iowa, into that spot. The Bears seem to have a different solution
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Bears coaches have altered way Cody Whitehair snaps the ball
It’s easy for coaches to simply switch out players who may be struggling. The thing is that’s not always a wise decision on the offensive line. Part of what makes that area of an offense successful is a familiarity between the five men involved. The more they play with each other on the field, the better they tend to perform. By moving Whitehair out of the center spot, it could instantly throw everything else into chaos.
So rather than remove a good player out of position he knows well because he has one problem, why not try fixing the problem? Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune noted that exactly what the Bears began to do last week and there are already positive results.
“Whitehair used a new snapping technique Saturday from the shotgun, something that is called the dead snap, holding the nose of the ball and almost flipping it back. It’s a departure from the traditional spiral snap…
…It’s akin to a pitcher changing his grip on a pitch and if this works, perhaps things will settle down for him. Whitehair said he worked on it the “past couple days” so with more time, he should become more proficient. You see the dead snap more at the college level.”
This move avoids any serious blowback
Whitehair looked much smoother in the preseason outing against Denver. The lone snap that drew criticism was one that resulted in Trubisky being sacked for a safety. It wasn’t perfect but the ball hit the QB right in the hands and should’ve been caught. Aside from that, it was a much quieter night for the embattled center.
This is good news. If the trend continues, the Bears will be able to keep Whitehair where he is. They won’t have to risk relying on a rookie at arguably the most important offensive line position in football. Daniels will be free to focus on left guard where he’ll eventually start. Then the Bears will have their best five on the field.
