For the past three seasons, Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen has dazzled with incredible runs, catches and game-breaking returns that earned him All-Pro honors.
He’s also had frustrating moments in which he’s failed to gain positive yards more than a few occasions, resulting in stalled offensive drives. Now, entering his fourth season and final season in his rookie contract, “The Human Joystick” promises to make some changes to his play.
On Saturday morning, Cohen posted on his Twitter page that he was done running east and west, responding to critics who pointed out how he wasn’t getting upfield enough. “Imma stop running sideways this year. Issa wrap,” he tweeted using a couple of emojis.
Imma stop running sideways this year . Issa wrap 😈😂 https://t.co/XhNCZNEBxi
— Tarik Cohen (@TarikCohen) June 20, 2020
The electric running back also interacted with fans, insisting they post videos of when they believed he screwed up on the field. Clips consisted of his memorable punt return touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during his rookie season, to missed opportunities last year. Cohen then broke down his thinking and why those plays did or didn’t work.
Finally, during one of those interactions, Cohen revealed he prefers to be utilized in power and man schemes. This may come as a surprise given his ability to explode off the edge and beat defenders in a foot race, but the former North Carolina A&T back believes running inside will catch defenders off guard since he’s known for breaking runs off on the outside.
Wanna hear something y’all don’t know about me ? Power scheme and man scheme are my favorites …. ask @CoachShawnGibbs . https://t.co/3RuB4DT3JY
— Tarik Cohen (@TarikCohen) June 20, 2020
These clips are a reminder of how dangerous Cohen can be, but how quickly he can be shut down if a play goes sideways. He continues to be an integral part of the Bears offense, as he accounted for 170 and 143 touches in the air and on the ground in 2018 and 2019, respectively. While his touches didn’t dramatically drop off, his yardage did.
After totaling 1,169 yards from scrimmage during the Bears’ 12-4 playoff run two years ago, Cohen managed only 669 yards last season. His yards per catch also plummeted, going from 10.2 to 5.8. He had the reps, but didn’t do as much with them as he used to.
Cohen’s admission shows he knows what he needs to do to return to his game-changing self and his film breakdown proves he has a plan when the ball gets in his hands. All he needs to do is put it all together and he’ll continue to be a handful for opposing defenses.
[vertical-gallery id=445985]
[lawrence-related id=449013,448893,448994,448968,448758]