Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is proving one thing in his short time running the offense. He’s not afraid of getting creative. Already he’s unveiled a myriad of unorthodox formations and personnel groupings this year that teams don’t typically run. He delivered some T-formation in Green Bay. He lined up two quarterbacks in the backfield against Tampa Bay. Then on Sunday in Buffalo? It got stranger when Eddie Jackson popped up.
If people can’t grasp why that’s unusual, here’s a brief summary of why: he’s a safety. Jackson plays defense. He’s played defense since his days at Alabama in college. So appearing in an offensive huddle is unusual to say the least. It happened for only one play. It went by so fast that most people watching missed it.
#Bears film — Safety Eddie Jackson gets a snap on offense in 3Q. Goes in motion for possible handoff and then comes back around after snap. Ended up being a handoff to Cohen, but there are options here.
Nagy: “Just a little fun. We’ll see where it goes.” pic.twitter.com/fedOLcoIjt
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) November 5, 2018
The play ended up being a modest gain for Cohen on an outside toss. Nobody could figure out what the Bears were trying to do. Most believed it was just Nagy putting something unusual on tape for Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia to think about with their upcoming matchup at Soldier Field next Sunday. Could there be something more to it?
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Eddie Jackson has running ability and a nose for the end zone
The answer is yes. It’s not an accident Nagy chose Jackson above anybody else in that situation. There’s a big reason why. Good things happen when the guy gets his hands on the football. He’s already scored three touchdowns on defense in his Bears career. This is before recalling the fact that he was a dangerous return man for the Crimson Tide.
Jackson scored two touchdowns on punt returns in 2016, and that was in just in eight games before breaking his leg. He’s a playmaker. The Bears weren’t wise enough to realize that last year. It would seem Nagy wasn’t backing off a similar opportunity. He didn’t get the back to Jackson this time around, but logic suggests that will happen at some point later this season. This first time was merely a testing of the waters.
It’s another bit of film study defenses must keep in the back of their head from now on. That in addition to the long list of other formations the Bears have already run. It can get dizzying after a while. Precisely how Nagy likes it, no doubt. Either way, this will be something worth watching as the season goes down the stretch.
