Ever since Head Coach Matt Nagy came into town in 2018, the Bears run game just hasn’t been the same. We saw Jordan Howard, a guy who was second in the league in rushing yards as a rookie (in just a slim 13 starts) have the worst year of his career, despite the Bears having the best year with him on the team.
So this begs the question, what changed from the time that Dowell Loggins was running the offense, until Matt Nagy was running the offense?
Since Matt Nagy has taken over the offense, the run game hasn’t been the same; and in my opinion, the problem lies within the play designs. Matt Nagy has introduced a running scheme that had way too many assignments and way too many moving pieces. On any given play, you could see the offensive lineman quite literally forgetting their assignments in the midst of the play. Also, not to mention that these assignments for these lineman are often too tall of a task for them, as they’re just not athletic enough to make the play.
So, how can this lackluster offense be fixed?
If the Bears get back to the basics and adopt a zone scheme similar to what Loggins ran during his stay in Chicago, we will see current RB David Montgomery take the next step.
Going back to a simple scheme could include looks from the I-formation or even a single back look. In 2019, we saw David Montgomery get sold out by his lineman way too many times before he had enough time to even make a move. An I-formation would simply give Montgomery nothing more than a chance to strive.
The I-formation might not have the highest ceiling potential, as there’s not much you can add to the formation, but David Montgomery doesn’t need that. Montgomery is a phenomenal talent that just needs a chance to flourish. Going back to a scheme that’s rather simple and mainly consists of getting blockers to the second level will give him that chance to finally let the world of football know who he is.
Photo: 247 Sports
