What we think we know about Bill Lazor, the play-caller: prioritizing rhythm and tempo, marrying concepts, etc.



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When the Chicago Bears hired Bill Lazor to replace Mark Helfrich as the team’s offensive coordinator, it was easy to connect the dots to his previous relationship with Andy Dalton and Nick Foles as the reasons Chicago grabbed him after. a year away from football. Beginning Monday, Lazor takes on greater responsibilities as the Bears’ new caller.

But let’s be clear on one thing: Lazor won’t be reinventing the wheel here. Matt Nagy didn’t hand over the call tasks to install a new playbook over the weekend. Instead, Lazor’s promotion as a player-caller is rooted in the idea of ​​making the most of what’s already available. Keep in mind that Lazor was hired – in part – because of his familiarity with this system and its concepts. The fact that Lazor has a past as a coordinator suggests he could build on what the Bears have with new perspectives.

Here is the tempo

For example, we know that some of the Bears’ offensive problems are rooted in the lack of pace. The Bears have struggled to line up players properly and fight too often to get a game before the game clock expires. This is problematic on many levels. Not only does this result in hasty decision making, but it also limits what the quarterback can audibly do. Lazor should stress the importance of decision and urgency. Get to the line quickly, assess what the defense presents, and adapt.

And at this point, Lazor indicated that it was a priority based on a 2014 USA Today track when he picked up the Dolphins’ OC concert.

“My voice is like that because I’m screaming, ‘Tempo!’ I try to get them out of the clique faster. They go as fast as they can, and it’s my job to show them that they can go faster. It’s my job to take them to places they might not have thought they could go to. Every time you do this with a player his eyes go wide and he says, “I can be better.” This is what we are looking for. “

I’m not suggesting that playing with the beat solves all of the Bears’ problems. But it could open up the offense to revert to some things that previously worked, such as the lag and movement opportunities that allow quarterbacks to read defense or take their opponents out of position. It’s a small thing, I admit. But it could pay big dividends if used correctly.

Rhythm and reason in the racing game

Rhythm is not a word often associated with bear offense in recent years. And while it’s difficult to establish something that vaguely resembles the beat when the attack doesn’t extend the urges, Lazor understands the importance of getting two key cogs in the attack going. And frankly, it should appeal to Bears fans.

“In a very short time today I thought about the start of the game, as a coordinator – and for some games you have different plans – but two of the most important things you need to do is get the quarterback up to speed and get the running back up to speedLazor said, via Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2017. “We have a number of good running backs that we’re sharing this with right now, but I think we have time tonight and tomorrow to think about it. About that and especially the questions with Andy (Dalton), I think a lot of my responsibility will be to make sure that we move it forward.

I added the accent with good reason. The running game hasn’t been able to start recently because the Bears didn’t commit to it early on. And then, when they fell behind, Nick Foles found himself throwing in catching up. It is not that I am against the first runs. But when it becomes predictable, it puts the offensive in a difficult position. It’s never good when a defense understands you. Maybe Lazor will throw a curve ball here and there to keep the opponents honest.

Marry Air Coryell, West Coast and Spread Concepts

“I don’t know if you can put a label on it. We want to be very multiple ”, because when you look at the players we have, the number of tight ends and wide receivers and wide backs that we think are good players, we have a system that uses them all easily … In today’s NFL, you have to build a system that lets you mix and match and move things. “

I think back to why Lazor is here in the first place, so I’m glad I unearthed this quote from a 2018 Bengals.com profile. One of the biggest criticisms I have of the offensive of Nagy and the game’s appeal is that he doesn’t. t always correspond to the players on the list. Do not mistake yourself. I don’t know anyone who born want to handle what they lack in Kansas City. But the Bears don’t have these players, so adjustments are needed. Nagy wasn’t making them, so here’s Lazor.

When Lazor says ‘we want to be very multiple’, I imagine he wants to be able to infuse whatever is in his past into his attack. Incorporate the aggressive vertical concepts of Air Coryell with Darnell Mooney. Push with prevalent concepts that use movement and the wrong direction to throw defenders out of the scent. Launch ideas from the west coast that punctuate running back. Trying to do everything at once is a foolish task. But creating a diagram where one part builds on the next is not impossible.

To be clear, there is no magic cure for the Bears’ offensive mess. But I have long believed that putting new eyes on old problems could be a good start to move in the right direction.

(Photo by Joe Robbins / Getty Images)

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