What Would Ron Turner Do? Looking at the Past As Present

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The year is 2006.  Optimism is in the air around Halas Hall as the Chicago Bears' defensive performance in 2005 had just propelled them into the playoffs for the first time since 2002.  Particularly excited is Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner. 

After waiting for years through several disappointing season-ending injuries to his anticipated starter, Rex Grossman—one of the Bears' first round picks in 2003, and having been relegated to operating a severely limited version of his playbook with a rookie Kyle Orton at the helm, Turner is finally ready open up the playbook in the way he had envisioned it when taking over as the Bears' Offensive Coordinator for a second stint in 2005.

Despite the well-documented ups and downs of Grossman's stint that year as the starting QB, he managed to turn the previously lethargic Bears offense into somewhat of a revelation—tied for second in the league in total points scored with Peyton Manning's eventual Super Bowl champions, the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bears offense that year managed to exceed all expectations and although Rex Grossman's wildly inconsistent play often grabbed the headlines, the 2006 Chicago Bears would never had made it to the Super Bowl without a 180-degree turn around from the previous years anemic production.

Old news, right?  We all know the story.  Why relive it?

Well, in order to get an idea of what the Bears' offense could look like with Jay Cutler under center, it might be instructive to go back to the beginning half of 2006 in order to see what Turner's version of the West Coast Offense looked like with a big armed, pocket passer manning the QB position.

The West Coast Offense vs. Air Coryell

The most recognizable, or Bill Walsh inspired, WCO can simply be described as one that utilizes a short, horizontal passing game to set up a vertical running game, with the occasional deep shot mixed in to prevent the defense from shortening up their zones.

It requires a QB that can do three things-

1) Assess a play at the line of scrimmage to get it to the right receiver in a typical three to five-step drop.

2) Have good accuracy and touch in the short to medium passing range.

3) Ideally, he has the ability to stretch the field with accurate deep balls to his speedier receivers. Although the system doesn't rely on the vertical passing attack, it helps immensely to keep the defenses honest and opens up the draw and pitch plays in the running attack. 

Typically, the offensive line needs to be smaller and quicker in the zone pass protection schemes the WCO demands, rather than the mauler type offensive lineman in a typical power running attack. The term "sticky" or "tacky" has often been ascribed to the qualities a good WCO lineman needs to have.

The FB and HB are used often in the passing game to pick up blitzing defenders, but also to have to be accounted for as a route running threats in the passing game.  All skill positions need to have excellent route running capabilities since the passes are largely timing based with the QB throwing to a "spot" on the field.

2007-2008

The 2007-'08 versions of the Bears ran a hybrid WCO that utilized elements of a power rushing attack with the more recognizable, short passing game of the WCO.

There are a few inherent flaws with this hybridization, though.

A) You are asking smaller, zone blocking offensive linemen to power the the football between the tackles—not necessarily something they are physically programmed to do.

B) Without even the threat of a vertical passing game, the defense can play short zone pass protections and stack eight men in the box to counter the power rushing attack and short to mid throws that can move chains. 

In this scenario, you have to utilize your TE's and RB's to create personnel mismatches in the passing game—which Orton, particularly in 2008, was able to use to his advantage.

2006

When Rex Grossman operated the offense in 2006, Ron Turner's offense began morphing into something more identified with the Air Coryell offense—a scheme predicated on running the ball between the tackles and then making the defense pay for the run with a strong vertical passing game that accentuates a big armed QB's ability to make surgical strikes down the deep middle of the field with speedy WR's.

The basic difference can be summarized by read and progression emphasis. 

In Walsh's WCO, the QB's first reads are in the short passing routes- quick slants, outs, hitches, etc...while keeping one eye out later for a deep strike.

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