The Chicago Bears took a calculated risk when they fired Luke Getsy this off-season, knowing they would have to reset the offensive scheme after only two years. Head coach Matt Eberflus felt that with a new quarterback coming in, they had to find somebody who could maximize him. Shane Waldron became the choice after the success he had with Geno Smith in Seattle over the past two years. In their first glimpse of his offense during the Hall of Fame game, fans got an idea of why the guy was likely the right choice.
The first example came with the Bears down 10-0. After reaching the Texans’ 19, they were facing 2nd and 1. Conventional wisdom says they run it for a first down. Instead, Waldron called for a shot at the end zone. He had tight end Stephen Carlson run a leak out to the left side while wide receiver Collin Johnson ran a vertical route up the seam. This put the defense in no-mans-land. As they moved to keep Carlson covered, Johnson split the coverage for a wide open touchdown.
The next play was another seam route, this time to tight end Tommy Sweeney. With two receivers wide to the right, Waldron had Sweeney matched up on a linebacker. He evaded contact and found an opening in front of the safeties for a walk-in touchdown.
That stood out right away. He didn’t settle for the dink-and-dunk style that became pervasive in Getsy’s offense. When the situation dictated it, the coordinator gave his quarterback the green light to take some shots. It worked out. Chicago scored 14 points in the first half. Not only that, their running game looked sharp as well. Both Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert popped big runs. The pass protection looked solid. It was an exciting first glimpse of what the Waldron offense could be once the starters begin running it next month.
One thing to always watch is how the quarterbacks play. Tyson Bagent looked fine, and Brett Rypien looked excellent. He was calm and poised and made some excellent throws. This falls right in line with how others have looked under Shane Waldron. Keep in mind that he’s not even running the full breadth of his offense. Preseason is mostly vanilla stuff. For players to be getting this open anyway is a sign of good coaching. Fans should be more than encouraged by this start.
