Going nowhere fast: Bears inability to make halftime adjustments on offense costing them in a big way
The Bears' offense has been truly offensive this season.
On that we can all agree.
But what is happening in the third quarter is on such another level that it almost defies logic.
Matt Nagy's team — which will try to snap a six-game losing streak against Houston at Soldier Field on Sunday — has somehow managed to score a scant 14 points in the third quarter.
And 7 of those came on a kickoff return from Cordarrelle Patterson.
Each and every week you figure something has to change. It has to get better.
Yet it doesn't.
The utter and complete lack of production is perplexing to many — but not to former wide receiver Tom Waddle, who played for the Bears from 1989-94 and has been with WMVP AM-1000 for the past 13 years.
“It's a significant issue, but as you zoom out — honestly — I mean they are inept for three hours,” Waddle said. “There are some pretty naseauting stats about their inability to score in the first quarter and inability to score touchdowns in the first half.
“There's a long list of ineptitude facts that would really make you sick to your stomach.”
No doubt. Before diving into more of Waddle's thoughts let's run down some of the gory third-quarter details:
• The Bears are averaging 19 yards per series on drives that begin the third quarter (removing the Green Bay game when one began with just a minute remaining).
• They've thrown a whopping 7 interceptions.
• Sixteen of 33 drives have picked up 4 yards or less. Think about that — 4 yards or less half the time.
• Five drives have actually lost yardage.
These disastrous results are a huge reason why the Bears are in a death fall from which they can't seem to recover.
To wit:
In Week 7, there was Nick Foles' brutal end-zone interception against the Rams when the Bears had second-and-4 from the 9 while trailing just 17-3.
The next week against the Saints, the Bears — starting the third quarter with the ball and a 13-10 lead — ran plays that picked up 9, 4 and 5 yards. Not bad, right? Then came a delay of game, a 9-yard sack and a false start. New Orleans capitalized with a good punt return and kicked a field goal to tie things up.
Then Foles was intercepted on the second play of the next drive. Another Saints field goal and it was 16-13. The Bears went on to lose 26-23 in OT.
The next week against the Titans, the Bears went 41 yards in 5 plays and lined up to go for it on fourth-and-1. But back-to-back false starts killed yet another drive.
Against the Vikings, the Bears went three-and-out three straight times — losing 2 yards on 9 plays!
Finally, after racking up 23 points against the Lions last week, the Bears dialed up 5 passing plays that netted 14 yards and were forced to punt.
“We actually came out and did some things differently than we've done in the past and we went no huddle in that drive,” said offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who is now calling the plays. “That didn't solve the problem. So still working on it.”
Waddle couldn't figure out why the Bears didn't hand the ball to David Montgomery at least once or twice on that drive. After all, Montgomery picked up 62 yards in the first half on 11 carries.
“David Montgomery looked great,” Waddle said. “And then in the second half he got six carries. That's a bad decision in my opinion, especially when you are playing with the lead the majority of the time.
I've struggled to connect the dots with what they're trying to do.”
Waddle was quick to point out that coaches and players are adjusting to what the defense is showing all the time. It obviously doesn't only happen at halftime.
In addition to making more of a commitment to the run, Waddle wishes the Bears would put Mitch Trubisky in positions to succeed more often.
“They never really did enough to get the best out of him and accentuate the things he did do well,” Waddle said. “I think that's a coaching flaw.”
Lest you think Waddle was only tearing into the coaches, he absolutely did not give the players a pass.
“I'm always going to the players first — both when you succeed and you don't succeed,” he said. “It's a players league; you're paid millions of dollars. You have to perform.
“I mean you've seen a collective failure — whether it is guys not making a block, guys dropping a pass, quarterbacks throwing interceptions or coaches not putting their players in position to get the most out of what they do well.”
So what's the solution? Well, with this staff there may not be one.
Waddle talked about how he would always go back to the sideline after every drive and talk to his fellow wideouts about what they were seeing. Same thing at halftime.
There's little doubt these Bears do the same thing. But how well are they communicating? How much trust is there? How much football IQ is there to understand how to adjust?
“You spent time talking about what you'd seen and how it was different you'd seen on film,” Waddle said when asked to think back to his playing days. “Like you may (expect) a cornerback to shade you on the inside, now he's shading you on the outside. So you and your quarterback would have to make that adjustment, and he would have to have faith in you that you would make the necessary route adjustment.
“There was just a lot of technical discussion about what we were going to do. ... I don't think there's a magic elixir for it. It's like anything else — some guys are better at it than others.
“It's one of those things where I wish I could put a finger on it and tell you exactly why this is happening. But I think it's fair to say that this coaching staff does not do a very good job adjusting to what they see.”
Offensive results
The Bears' offense has produced just 7 points in the third quarter this season. Here's a look at how drives that started in the third fared:
<b>Game 1 vs. Lions</b>• 5 plays, 23 yards. Punt from midfield
• 11 plays, 59 yards (most of drive occurs in 3rd quarter. Touchdown with 13:39 remaining in fourth)
<b>Game 2 vs. Giants</b>• 2 plays, 0 yards. Interception
• 9 plays, 33 yards, Punt from Giants' 38
<b>Game 3 vs. Falcons</b>• 3 plays, 2 yards. Interception
• 7 plays, 39 yards. Interception
• 3 plays, 2 yards. Punt from 12-yard line
<b>Game 4 vs. Colts</b>• 3 plays, -3 yards. Punt from 21-yard line
• 8 plays, 33 yards. Punt from 38-yard line
• 3 plays, 8 yards (last play started 4th quarter). Punt from 25-yard line
<b>Game 5 vs. Bucs</b>• 3 plays, 2 yards. Punt from 33-yard line
• 3 plays, -8 yards. Punt from 17-yard line
• 12 plays, 59 yards. Field goal (first 5 plays in 3rd quarter).
<b>Game 6 vs. Panthers</b>• 6 plays, 33 yards. Punt from Panthers' 42
• 1 play, 0 yards. Interception
• 10 plays, 56 yards. Nick Foles, TD rush
<b>Game 7 vs. Rams</b>• 3 plays, 4 yards. Punt from 5-yard line
• 6 plays, 71 yards. Interception in end zone
• 4 plays, 7 yards. Turnover on downs
<b>Game 8 vs. Saints</b>• 5 plays, 0 yards. Delay of game, false start, and sack lose 19 yards. Punt from 13.
• 2 plays, -10 yards. Interception
• 3 plays, 3 yards. Punt from 14-yard line.
• 5 plays, 21 yards (first three plays in 3rd quarter). Turnover on downs
<b>Game 9 vs. Titans</b>• 5 plays, 31 yards. Punt from Titans' 40
• 15 plays, 63 yards. Field goal (first 9 plays in 3rd quarter).
<b>Game 10 vs. Vikings</b>• 3 plays, 3 yards. Punt from 28-yard line.
• 3 plays, 0 yards. Punt from Vikings' 46.
• 3 plays, -5 yards. Punt from 24-yard line.
<b>Game 11 vs. Packers</b>• 4 plays, 10 yards. Punt from 35-yard line
• 3 plays, -1 yards. Interception.
• 3 plays, 0 yards. Punt from 25-yard line
<b>Game 12 vs. Lions</b>• 5 plays, 14 yards. Punt from 34-yard line.
• 12 plays, 72 yards. Touchdown. (First 5 plays came in 3rd quarter).
<b>Notes: </b>• The Bears have produced 621 yards in 33 drives, a 19-yard average. Nineteen of 33 drives have produced 10 yards or less. Two touchdowns and 2 field goals were scored on drives that began in the third quarter and ended in the fourth.
• The Bears have thrown 7 third-quarter interceptions
• We are ignoring the TD drive vs. the Packers in Game 11 that begain with about a minute remaining in the third.