The Bears offense is no longer a one man show.
Former offensive coordinator Mike Martz didn’t allow quarterback Jay Cutler to audible at the line, he rarely altered his game plan to reflect the game unfolding in front of him and didn’t offer other people much of a say in how the offense would be run. That didn’t endear him to many people in Chicago and contributed to his departure. It’s no surprise to learn new coordinator Mike Tice isn’t running things the same way.
“I’ve got a few things that I whisper in [Tice’s] ear, and he’s always receptive of it,” Cutler said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “At the end of the day, we’re going to do what’s best offensively for us, no matter if a rookie has the idea, if Mike has the idea, or [quarterbacks coach] Jeremy [Bates] or me. Whatever is going to work against a given defense, we’re going to use it.”
Calling audibles and taking suggestions from others are just part of an overall shift in the Bears’ offensive philosophy. After two years spent running Martz’s offense regardless of how well the pieces fit what he was trying to do, the Bears are going to be more flexible in hopes of maximizing what they get from everyone on the offense. Tice took a veiled shot at Martz while explaining part of the new business model in Chicago.
“When we’re running into bad number counts, then that falls back on us. Then we look like dummies,” Tice said. “We want to put them in position to succeed, and sometimes it’s scheme.”
The Bears identified one of the problems with their offense by making this change. Now they just need to execute when Tice’s calls put them in position to succeed.