Many are concerned about the future of the Bears with Mitch Trubisky at QB, but his former high school football coach isn’t one of them.
While many are concerned about the future of the Bears with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback, his former high school football coach Steve Trivisonno isn’t one of them.
Trivisonno is confident that Trubisky will turn things around in 2020 following a disappointing 2019 season.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Trivisonno told the Sun-Times. “He’s talented. . . You saw at the end of the year where he was and where he’s going to be.
“I think [the Bears] will be in good shape next year and get things going.”
Trubisky’s regression was the talk of the football world when discussing the Bears’ fall from grace, although an overall regression on offense was to blame — with Trubisky at the center of it.
Trubisky is entering his fourth season with the Bears — who have yet to pick up his fifth-year option — and there is doubt about whether he’ll be lining up under center for the Bears come the regular season.
The Bears are going to explore the free agent market for a veteran that will serve as competition for Trubisky — or at the very least a serviceable backup, with Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray set to become free agents.
If the Bears are in fact committed to Trubisky in 2020 — as general manager Ryan Pace stated on Dec. 31 — then Matt Nagy has surrounded him with some great coaches that can get the best out of him in offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.
“It’s very important to him,” Trivisonno said. “He’s very focused and locked in, and he’ll represent the Bears real well next year. He’ll be fine.”
With the hirings of Bill Lazor and John DeFilippo, you have to believe that the Bears are looking to get the best out of QB Mitch Trubisky.
The Bears are hoping that their newest coaching hires will bode well for their offense in 2020. And from the sound of things, the Bears hired the right guys for the job.
There were several players at the Pro Bowl that have worked with new Bears coaches Bill Lazor and John DeFilippo, and they had nothing but praise for their former coaches and what their presence in Chicago could mean for the Bears, particularly when it comes to the quarterback position.
The Bears are facing uncertainty at quarterback. While they remain committed to Mitchell Trubisky as their starter in 2020, there are doubts about whether or not they can win with him at quarterback. Look for the Bears to bring in veteran competition for Trubisky — perhaps even someone that could take over as starter should Trubisky struggle in 2020.
But with the coaching hires of Lazor and DeFilippo, you have to believe that they’re looking to get the best out of Trubisky — and to see if his best is enough to win them a championship.
Considering Lazor’s success with the Dolphins — they averaged 24.3 points and 350.1 yards per game, which was the most in nearly 20 years — there’s a hope that the Bears offense could see a similar resurrection.
“He’s very detailed, and that’s something that goes a long way, especially being an offensive coordinator,” former Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry said. “He wants to make sure that every guy is in the right place at the right time for the quarterback. It’s a quarterback-friendly system as well.”
Look no further than Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who learned under Lazor during his time with the Dolphins. In 2014, Tannehill passed for 4,045 yards and a career-best 27 touchdowns.
“Bill did a great job,” Tannehill said. “I have a ton of respect for Bill and what he was able to do [during] my short time with Miami. He’s extremely intelligent, thoughtful. He does a great job of game-planning, and I wish him the best in Chicago.”
While Lazor won’t call plays (that remains Matt Nagy’s job), he’ll be heavily involved in the install and weekly game plan of the offense.
Then there’s DeFilippo, whose reputation grooming quarterbacks precedes him. While DeFilippo hasn’t found success at the offensive coordinator position, he’s one of the best in coaching quarterbacks.
Look no further than Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who had an MVP-caliber season in 2017 before his injury. The Bears are hoping he’ll work similar wonders with Trubisky.
“[DeFilippo] will be outstanding,” said Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who worked with him in Minnesota . “He’s a great coach. He’s been around this league for a long time. I think it says a lot when someone like [Bears coach] Matt Nagy who knows quarterbacks so well hires him. I think that says a lot about ‘Flip.’
“When you look at what he did with Carson Wentz as a young player, I think there’s a lot to like there and he’s going to add a lot to that staff. I guess it’s going to be to my detriment because we’re in his division, but he’s a great coach.”
The Bears insisted this offseason would be about fixing the offense, and Nagy has already started with bringing in two coaches that could should be able to bring the best out of Trubisky — or whoever winds up as quarterback for the Bears.
For all the flack QB Mitchell Trubisky has received, many have wondered if the Bears can win with him. RG Kyle Long has his answer.
For all of the flack that Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky received this season — and there’s been a lot — there’s been one deafening question that analysts and critics alike keep wondering.
Can the Bears win with Mitchell Trubisky?
To be fair, many have already wagered a confident guess. It’s been a resounding NO.
But can the Bears win with Mitchell Trubisky?
It’s a question that’s simple enough, but one that the Bears need to come up with a definitive answer for moving forward. Because, keep in mind, this is a team that has a championship-caliber defense and a handful of offensive weapons. And with each passing season, they’re being wasted.
Ultimately, what critics or fans think doesn’t matter. It’s what general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy believe. Even the players to an extent.
Bears right guard Kyle Long was asked that very question by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Rapoport and Friends, and his answer was quick and to the point.
“The Bears have won with Mitchell Trubisky,” Long said.“We all regressed this year. But unfortunately heavy lies the head that wears the crown, and Mitch is a captain, Mitch is a quarterback.”
Long isn’t wrong. Trubisky has won with the Bears. He went 11-3 last season, missing two games due to injury, and he is 23-18 in his career as a starter for the Bears. Even last season, Trubisky had a winning record of 8-7. The only losing season he’s had as a starter was his rookie season, where he went 4-8.
The 2019 season was as bad as you could’ve imagined. Coming off a 12-4 season with lofty championship expectations, the Bears stumbled to an 8-8 record with plenty of questions that need to be answered.
While Trubisky was a big reason for the offense’s abysmal performance last season, the entire unit as a whole struggled. The Bears have already made moves to help fix the ailing offense, including bringing in four new offensive voices in offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, new quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone.
All signs point to Trubisky being the starting quarterback heading into 2020 — from Pace’s public commitment to the hirings of Lazor and DeFilippo.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what another set of eyes, from a coaching perspective, can give Mitch,” Long said, “and I’m looking forward to seeing him develop.”
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy has turned to veteran playcaller Bill Lazor to lead the offense in 2020.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer via USA TODAY NETWORK)
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy’s pass offensive success under Andy Reid hasn’t thoroughly translated to the Windy City over two seasons, and in 2020, long-time NFL coach Bill Lazor will take over for Mark Helfrich as the new offensive coordinator.
Lazor’s immediate plan will focus on getting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to take a massive step forward with his command of the offense and overcome a penchant to screw up what should be the “easy plays.” While nothing is cake in the NFL, Trubisky has notoriously struggled to get the most out of what a defense hands him. He tends to make difficult scenarios seem easier than they should, and it all appears to come at the sacrifice of conventional advancements. Consistently being better will go a long way for how efficient and effective the Bears can be on offense from week to week. Improving his mechanics will go far in limiting wasted opportunities.
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Before looking ahead, it helps to understand how we came to this point in time. Nagy, as mentioned, is a student of Reid’s West Coast-based spread system, and while we have seen moments of Reid’s coaching genius bleed through into Nagy’s designs, putting it together on a weekly basis has been a real struggle.
Replacing Helfrich with Lazor feels like one of those moves out of a sense of urgency to make a move rather than give it one more try to improve with the continuity of having Trubisky in the same system for a third straight season. Keep in mind, Trubisky didn’t have extensive quarterback experience entering the NFL. It was not meant to be, and Lazor will get a chance, in conjunction with new quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo to get Trubisky on track.
A former three-year starting signal-caller at Cornell, Lazor was once a quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia (2013) under the Chip Kelly regime. He doesn’t have a direct tie to Reid. However, he has worked with gifted minds in Mike Holmgren, Marvin Lewis, Joe Gibbs and Dan Reeves. While all of those men but Lewis cut their teeth on the offensive side of the ball, having the chance to learn defensive tendencies under the former Cincinnati Bengals head coach was a plus for Lazor’s development.
Despite all of the that experience under proven coaches, Lazor was unable to survive two full seasons in Miami as the offensive coordinator, getting fired Nov. 30, 2015. He’d become the quarterbacks coach in Cincinnati the next year and take over for the fired Ken Zampese in September of 2017. Lazor managed to make it through the two full seasons before being dismissed with the end of the Lewis regime in Cincy. Lazor sat out of football in 2019.
Coaching tendencies
Lazor likes to incorporate West Coast elements into a spread system, similarly to how Reid designs calls. The three-plus years of calling plays is an advantage, even though the results weren’t exciting. It is unclear how much of a role in actually calling plays and scripting game plans Lazor will have in relation to Nagy.
During the 2017 season, Lazor’s Bengals threw 57.5 percent of the offensive snaps, or the 12th-highest percentage of all teams. This number grew to 60.2 percent in 2018, ranking eighth. One upside to the increase in passing attempts was an extremely efficient backfield, and RB Joe Mixon led the AFC in rushing yardage.
In 2018, when Cincinnati ran the ball, 67 percent of the plays came from three-wide, one-TE sets, with 22 percent of the action being worked out of a two-tight end formation. The passing attack ran 79 percent of plays out of the 11 personnel grouping (three wide, 1 TE).
Table: Bill Lazor team rankings as offensive coordinator (lower number is better)
Offense
Rushing Off
Passing Off
Year
Tm
Role
Yds
Pts
TO
Att
Yds
TD
Y/A
FL
Att
Yds
TD
Int
2014
MIA
OC
14
11
13
22
12
14
2
19
12
17
12
8
2015
MIA
OC
26
27
8
32
23
16
9
2
17
19
19
11
2017
CIN
OC
32
26
19
29
31
28
29
22
25
27
12
11
2018
CIN
OC
26
17
5
26
21
16
8
1
18
24
16
18
A consistent theme is the need for efficiency from the running game to generate meaningful yardage, and despite being a pass-centric offense, the aerial yardage returns haven’t been impressive, either. Protecting the football has been a regular aspect of his teams.
Personnel changes
Right guard Rashaad Coward and his backup, Ted Larsen, are both set to become free agents in March, but Coward is of the restricted variety. The core of this team returns unscathed, and Chicago should not have to make major cuts to sign rookies and look at the open market. The offensive line will need to be improved after giving up 12th-most sacks (45) in 2019. Some of that can be done via coaching and playcalling. More concerning, perhaps, would be the 3.7 yards per carry averaged by this rushing game. It tied for third worst in the league, and it was quite apparent rookie David Montgomery needs the blocking to improve. He is an NFL-caliber talent but isn’t the type to create yardage on his own.
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An upgrade at tight end is a must. This offensive system is at its best when the position finds success. Trey Burton’s experience in a similar offense is encouraging, but he hasn’t been able to stay on the field. The same injury concerns go for Adam Shaheen. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bears make a bid to sign former Lazor tight end Tyler Eifert in free agency. Other options could include Eric Ebron, Vance McDonald, Austin Hooper or Hunter Henry.
Another receiver will help, but getting the most out of soon-to-be third-year wideout Anthony Miller will be the key. If he can stay healthy and play at his best, Allen Robinson will have a strong complementary target by his side. It will be intriguing to see the development of 2019 rookie WR Riley Ridley over the course of the upcoming offseason.
Backup quarterback Chase Daniel is a free agent and didn’t provide much of a spark when given the chance in 2020. Andy Dalton spent three years with Lazor in Cincinnati and is on the verge of being released. Could Chicago bring him in to compete with Trubisky, or at least help teach the system?
Fantasy football takeaway
As discussed, the theme of Lazor’s duties will center on getting the most out of Trubisky. Look for more short-area passing to get the ball out quicker and prevent him from having to do too much. Expect the Bears to let Trubisky utilize his mobility more than he has to date, and he could be sneaky in fantasy because of added value on the turf (think Josh Allen’s surprising value). Nevertheless, trusting all of it coming together in the first year is understandably a gamble most owners aren’t going to be keen on taking in 2020 fantasy drafts. Trubisky remains a low-end QB2 who will flash a few times at worst and start to show signs of being a fringe starter at his best.
An emphasis on the ground game could be in store, despite the limited utilization of the position in past stops. With a few tweaks, Chicago’s defense can get back on the right path.
Montgomery has RB2 potential and is a capable dual-threat back. Given the limited money tied up with him and Tarik Cohen, it’s not a crazy idea to think Chicago could trade for Arizona Cardinals back David Johnson. He and Montgomery offer similar skills, but at least Johnson has proven capable of playing at an elite level in the NFL. Much could change in this scenario before the dust settles. Presuming Montgomery is indeed the primary back in 2020, draft him as a flex and be prepared for another disappointing season.
Cohen should benefit from the move and is a PPR flex in traditional formats. Of course, a move, such as adding Johnson, would hamper this outlook.
At receiver, we witnessed Robinson return nicely on a WR3 or flex fantasy draft investment and post quality No. 2 stats in standard (No. 7 PPR). He finally started to show signs of his pre-ACL tear self. Even though there is always concern in changing offensive systems, it is clear Trubisky favors Robinson over all others.
Miller’s season didn’t start off well, and the 2019 second-year receiver struggled to overcome offseason rehab that lingered late into the summer. He finally picked up the pace from Weeks 11-15 to give a glimmer of hope that we’re poised to see a true breakout from the talented Memphis product. Keep in mind, he scored seven times as a 2018 rookie. Miller is a risk-reward decision as a No. 3 target come 2020 fantasy drafts.
Ridley didn’t really get a chance to showcase his abilities, landing only six catches as a rookie. The Georgia standout effectively red-shirted in 2019 and will be in the mix for an increased role in a three-wide base, as well as expanded packages. He’s no more than a late-round flier in conventional drafts at this stage, yet a strong summer could bump him up considerably.
There’s nothing of value to be found in the current crop of tight ends, and unless the Bears drastically upgrade the position, gamers can skip over this position for all intents and purposes. Track the personnel decisions before putting the final nail in this coffin.
With regards to Lazor being the right hire, his pedigree is impressive. One has to question whether the relative lack of results were more his fault or due to having inferior talent at his disposal.
There’s plenty to unpack here, given the direction of Matt Nagy’s new offensive coaching staff, including the value of experience.
The Chicago Bears officially announced the new additions to Matt Nagy’s coaching staff, which includes a continued overhaul on offense.
Nagy confirmed the hirings of Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator and John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach, as well as the promotion of Dave Ragone to pass game coordinator. They joined previously-announced coaches Juan Castillo (offensive line) and Clancy Barone (tight ends).
There’s plenty to unpack here, given the direction of Nagy’s hirings. Here are my five takeaways from the new additions to the Bears’ offensive coaching staff:
1. Fixing the offense a major priority this offseason
AP Photo/Amr Alfiky
Ask anyone about what doomed the Bears in 2019, and the answer will be an overwhelming chorus focused on the offense. While the Bears offense didn’t need to be a top-10 offense to live up to expectations, they needed to show progress in Year 2 of Matt Nagy’s system. Instead, they ranked near the bottom of nearly every statistical category.
Naturally, someone had to take the fall. And it wasn’t going to be Nagy. So it’s easy to assume that the firings of offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride were an attempt to pawn off the blame for the offense’s struggles. But it feels like it’s more about accountability at this point.
The offense needs to be significantly better this season than it was in 2019. It’s as simple as that. If not, Nagy’s seat will grow even hotter.
The Bears have announced their coaching staff additions, which includes some previously announced hirings and some new promotions.
The Chicago Bears have announced their coaching staff additions, which includes some previously announced hirings and some new promotions.
Chicago has hired Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator and John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach. They also announced Dave Ragone’s promotion from quarterbacks coach to pass game coordinator.
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The Bears had previously announced the hirings of Juan Castillo as offensive line coach and Clancy Barone as tight ends coach.
Aside from those hirings, the Bears also announced some more staff promotions, including Brian Ginn to assistant special teams coach, Chris Jackson to assistant wide receivers and Shane Toub to defensive quality control.
There are a lot of coaching connections to Nick Foles in Chicago which could make them a candidate to trade the veteran to.
The Jacksonville Jaguars decided to mutually part ways with offensive coordinator John DeFilippo Monday and his departure led to more speculations about Nick Foles’ future. Ultimately, DeFilippo ended up taking a job with the Chicago Bears as a quarterbacks coach, and with the struggles of Mitch Trubisky, the Jags would be wise to see if DeFilippo wants to bring Foles to the windy city with him.
In addition to the connection with DeFilippo, Foles has a connection with several others on the Chicago Bears’ staff, including head coach Matt Nagy, who was an offensive quality control coach for the Eagles during Foles’ rookie year in Philly.
However, it was during Foles’ time in Kansas City that the two got to establish a stronger connection as Nagy was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. Back in January of last year, Nagy praised Foles who was heading toward free-agency where the Jags eventually landed him.
The last connection worth mentioning when looking at the Bears staff is Foles’ connection with Bill Lazor, who is the Bears’ offensive coordinator. He too is a former Eagles assistant who has worked with Foles during his time in Philly (2013) as a quarterbacks coach.
Another reason the Bears could be open for a trade is because of their lack of draft picks in 2020. In exchange for taking Foles, the Jags, who are loaded with eight 2020 draft picks could offer them something within the top-100 picks. The Bears only have one selection in the top-3 rounds (pick No. 50) partly due to the Khalil Mack trade and moving up to select running back David Montgomery last season. That said, they could be swayed with a third-round selection in addition to acquiring Foles.
The last key thing to consider is the Bears’ salary cap. Unfortunately, they only are projected to have just under $21 million in cap space, per Spotrac. However, the retiring of offensive lineman Kyle Long will help add to that as would moving on from veteran cornerback Prince Amukamara, which would save $9 million. Of course, other moves could be made as well but we’ll have to wait to see with the Bears are working with financially in the coming months.
When looking at Foles’ 2020 salary, he has a signing bonus of $6.2 million due and a base salary of over $15 million to be made. With the signing bonus being on the team who originally signed the player (Jacksonville in this case), the Jags would still have to pay a good chunk of Foles 2020 salary if traded. That still would be better than outright releasing him, though.
Now, we’d like to hear from you all. Should the Jags look into trading Foles to the Bears? Give us your thought in our Jags Wire forum.
While new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor won’t call plays, how will he fit with the Bears offensive plans?
Following an embarrassing offensive output in 2019, the Bears have completely overhauled their offensive coaching staff in an effort to fix their ailing offense.
One of those hires was new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who we know won’t call plays as that’s Nagy’s territory. So how will Lazor factor into Chicago’s offense?
The marriage of Bill Lazor and the Bears will be interesting—Lazor’s known for simplifying scheme for players, weaponizing tempo and finding a way to get guys playing fast. With a quarterback, in Mitch Trubisky, who often seems to think too much on the field, injecting that influence into Matt Nagy’s offense could be a godsend.
Given Lazor’s expertise at simplifying scheme — something Trubisky needs — and utilizing tempo in their favor — something Trubisky does well — this hire is more about getting the most out of the offense. Especially considering Nagy will continue to call his plays with his offense.
You have to wonder what happened between the end of 2018 and 2019, where Trubisky went from encouraging to disappointing in a season of regression. While no one expected Trubisky to suddenly become an MVP overnight, it was a fair expectation for Trubisky to take a step forward in his second season with Nagy. So what happened?
Among the many criticisms of Trubisky has been his tendency to overthink. Could it be there were too many voices in Trubisky’s head? From Nagy to Mark Helfrich to Dave Ragone to Chase Daniel. Unless everyone was on the same page — which didn’t seem to be the case — Trubisky could’ve been told different things by multiple people, which might’ve caused him to overthink.
For someone that has played his best ball when his team needs a game-winning drive — moments where he doesn’t overthink, he just reacts — Trubisky needs consistency from his coaches. That, and Trubisky needs to show consistency as a quarterback.
With the overhaul of the Bears’ offensive coaching staff — including the hiring of John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach — Trubisky has no excuses in 2020. If this coaching staff can’t get success out of him, no one can.
Following the hiring of Bill Lazor as OC, there are even more changes coming to Chicago’s offensive coaching staff.
While it was previously reported that Bill Lazor will join the Bears as their new offensive coordinator, there are even more changes coming to Chicago’s offensive coaching staff.
Former Jaguars offensive coordinator John DeFilippo is joining the Bears as their new quarterbacks coach. As for that means for quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone, he’s being promoted to passing game coordinator, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Big changes to Bears coaching staff: former Jaguars’ OC John DeFilippo is being hired as their QB coach, QB coach Dave Ragone is being promoted to passing game coordinator, and Bill Lazor is being hired as OC, per league source.
DeFilippo interviewed for the Bears’ head coaching position two years ago. While he didn’t get the position, he joined the Vikings as their offensive coordinator in 2018 and was the Jaguars’ OC last year. DeFilippo and the Jaguars mutually parted ways on Monday.
With Ragone being promoted to passing game coordinator, it opens up Lazor to focus primarily on the running game, which will be a major focus as the Bears look to fix their ailing offense.
The Bears could always settle for Bengals QB Andy Dalton with Bill Lazor.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears now have an interesting link thanks to Bill Lazor.
Not that things weren’t interesting before. The Bengals are clearly ready to move on from Andy Dalton ahead of likely taking Joe Burrow at No. 1 in the 2020 NFL draft. Those Bears are a potential trade partner or free-agent destination for Dalton after a regression under Mitch Trubisky this year, supervised by Matt Nagy.
Earlier this week, the Bears made a move to hire Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator. And interestingly enough, Lazor’s offense during the same role with the Bengals looked very good until tight end Tyler Eifert got hurt.
That’s simplifying a bit, but what’s to stop Lazor from getting to the Windy City and advocating for Dalton?
Not much. On Dalton’s end, he got benched for rookie Ryan Finley and made it clear he had sought out a trade before the deadline. He became the starter again later in the season and even won two games, but it’s clear the relationship has run its course. Not only is Burrow likely inbound, but the Bengals would also like to save the cap space on Dalton ($17 million) and he still wants to be a starter in the league.
Much remains to be seen when it comes to the Bears and whether Nagy is willing or has permission to put the Trubisky experiment on the shelf. But if all involved decide it’s time for a veteran starter to salvage an otherwise talented roster and get the team back to the playoffs, Dalton figures to be available.
All the Lazor connection does is make this hypothetical a little more interesting, if not possible.
