No team wants to have a knee-jerk reaction when things don’t go right on one side of the ball or the other. However, there has to come a time when self-evaluation is critical to getting out of the cellar. The Chicago Bears offense is way too talented to rank near the bottom of the league in both scoring and total yards. Yes, they have a rookie quarterback, but it’s the #1 overall pick in the draft. Washington doesn’t have near the talent Chicago has, but they are 5th in scoring and 6th in total yards. A big reason for that is the ability of their coaching staff to help their young quarterback excel. That is why there is so much heat on Shane Waldron.
Nothing has gone right to start this season. His protection schemes are getting Caleb Williams hit way too often. Somehow, his running game is even worse, averaging 3.0 yards per carry. This is unacceptable. If this were two years ago and the Bears had limited talent, it would be one thing. That is not the case. This is almost the exact same offensive line that produced the 2nd-best rushing attack last year. D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet are studs. Rome Odunze is the 9th overall pick. Something isn’t working. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune admitted Waldron might be in trouble if this trend continues for a few more weeks.
The seat isn’t smoking yet, but the embers are burning.
If the Bears drop the next two games, noise surrounding the franchise will be amplified and things will get tense at Halas Hall. Changing the head coach coming off a Week 5 game — a day before a flight to London for a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars — would not make a lot of sense, especially with a bye after that game.
Odds are greater the team might make a move with coordinator Shane Waldron if the offense remains a mess the next couple of weeks. Developing Caleb Williams is Waldron’s No. 1 job and the Bears can feel like that’s headed in the right direction, but there has to be some tangible improvement in the running game to give Williams a better chance.
Replacing Shane Waldron wouldn’t be unprecedented.
Teams have fired their offensive coordinators during a season. In 2015, both the Rams and Lions did so. Detroit fired Joe Lombardi after seven games that year due to averaging just 19.85 points per game. He was replaced by Jim Bob Cooter, who improved that to 24.33. Cincinnati fired Ken Zampese just two games into the 2017 season after scoring nine points. Bill Lazor took over and managed to put the Bengals at 24.92 points per game for the season. So, the risk can sometimes be worth it.
The apparent difficulty is finding someone who can replace Shane Waldron if the Bears choose to proceed in that direction. Passing game coordinator Thomas Brown is the most logical answer. He has prior coordinating experience from his time in college in Miami and briefly with the Carolina Panthers last year. His work in college was notable, especially with young quarterbacks.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph is another option. He did some coordinating in college at McNeese State. However, he is basically considered a package deal with Waldron. The only other option with some experience is wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, which was also in college. It comes down to who the Bears think would have the best chance to craft a more cohesive scheme to help Williams and revive the running game.
Dr. Sallie: “I shall be looking for you.” Stalker much? Nothing is going to happen until at least the bye week. Remember the calls to fire Flus mid season last year? After the 0-4 start, he went 7-6, Poles praised him for keeping the team behind him despite the losing. But it sounds now like the team isn’t totally behind the coaching staff. We’ll see what Poles does, but I bet the most we can expect is some reassigning. Thomas Brown takes over as run game coordinator. Maybe Brown gets more involved in play calling. Maybe the Bears hire Pete… Read more »
Shane the Drifter: for better understanding of things currently, see a 2016 film, Dog Eat Dog. Then apply the lessons on offense in the next two games. If you do and win, then you can thank me in person in London on the 13th. I shall be looking for you.