One More Reason That We're Not Seeing What We Thought on Offense......

Tight end Evan Rodriguez is playing more fullback these days

BY MARK POTASH mpotash@suntimes.com September 29, 2012 8:36PM http://www.suntimes.com/csp/cms/site...YPE=image/jpeg Chicago Bears tight end Evan Rodriguez (88) and Chicago Bears offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb (73) are seen in action against the Denver Broncos during the second half of an NFL preseason football game in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. The Broncos won 31-3.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Updated: September 30, 2012 2:53AM

On draft day, Evan Rodriguez looked like yet another sign that a new day was dawning for the Bears’ offense.

The fourth-round pick from Temple was billed as an athletic ‘‘move’’ tight end with the versatility to create mismatches and the 4.56 40 speed to stretch the field and give the Bears a downfield receiving threat at tight end that almost every highly rated NFL offense has. Even general manager Phil Emery acknowledged Rodriguez’s self-comparison to Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez.

Three games into his rookie season, Rodriguez is the new Tyler Clutts, playing the much more boring role of blocking fullback and wearing the much more boring No. 48. It’s an important role in the Bears’ offense. But it’s not Aaron Hernandez.

‘‘How do I like wearing 48? It wouldn’t be my first option,’’ the 6-2, 239-pound Rodriguez said. ‘‘But I’m just doing what I’ve got to do for the team. I’m out here playing as a rookie, so I can’t complain.’’

What happened to the move tight end who could stretch the field?

‘‘Things haven’t changed,’’ Rodriguez said. ‘‘I’m listed as a fullback. But I’m still an H-back/tight end. The playbook’s still open. I’m just doing what I’m told to do, basically. I’m just embracing my role.’’

With the Bears’ offense struggling to live up to the ‘‘explosive’’ potential it showed in the opening-week 41-21 victory over the Colts, the Bears already are missing Clutts — whom they traded to the Texans for Sherrick McManis. Now Rodriguez is out for Monday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with a knee injury he suffered on the opening kickoff against the Rams last week.

‘‘We moved Evan because we felt like he could play on the line of scrimmage and play in the backfield,’’ Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice said. ‘‘He had a couple of good games and some good plays. When you lose a guy like that you take a step backwards. We have to come up with other way to run other plays.’’

Rodriguez said he played the blocking role at Temple when Al Golden was the Owls’ offensive coordinator. And he’s not surprised the Bears are using him at that position.

‘‘That’s why they brought me in here, for blocking,’’ he said. ‘‘They said, ‘We don’t care if you can catch. Can you block? When they brought me in they made sure — they asked me several times if I could block.’’

As he has proven already, he definitely can. ‘‘He’s an aggressive blocker,’’ running backs coach Tim Spencer said. ‘‘There are some things we need to work on. But I like his aggressiveness.’’

The coaching staff still has plans to use Rodriguez as a pass-catching, downefield threat. But not yet.

‘‘I’m just a versatile athlete. That stuff comes naturally to me,’’ Rodriguez said. ‘‘My time will come for all that. And when it doesn, I’ll be ready for my opportunity. Until then, I’m just going to do what they tell me to do.’’

If only we kept Clutts. Really, what was the harm in keeping a FB that can block?

This article highlights another area on offense that I'm pissed about. Two hold over problems from last year were our blocking and the was we used, or should I say didn't use, our TEs in the passing game like we should have.

So what does we do? We trade a guy who was unarguably one of the best blockers on the team and move the guy we were sold as a pass catching threat who could stretch defenses to the FB to replace the blocker. This just seems like more Mike Martz "square pegs in round holes' stuff to me and it's beginning to make me question whether or not Martz we really the one most responsible for that.

When he was drafted Evan Rodriguez was compared to Aaron Hernandez but so far the only similarity in them is that they both have Hispanic surnames. We're still not taking advantage of having a speedy TE to draw down field coverage away from the WR or create mismatches with a LB and now we no longer have the one guy who might truly have compensated for Webbs inability to handle great pass rushers without taking a receiver out of the mix.

I don't know about you guys but I'm about one game or two at the very most from calling "bullshit" on Mike Tice and his entire approach and handling of this offense. Keeping Kyle Adams over Clutts and having to move Rodriguez from a spot where he could be a real pass catching threat to one he never even played before smacks of another failed experiment on the part of Tice.

Even if Rodriguez does a decent job at FB, and of course now that he's hurt we'll be delayed in finding that out, we still lose his threat as a pass receiver. At the very least they should be running some screens or other routes that can get the ball in his hands. Asking him to take on blocking assignments and carry them out with the same consistency and results as Clutts was able to do is foolish.

To me this is one more nail in the coffin I'm preparing for Mike Tice's stint as OC of the Bears. If I don't see some real improvement after game five I'm gonna be pulling really hard for some team to offer him a HC spot in 2013 and for us to move Bates to OC where he should be.

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Originally Posted by weneedmorelinemen

If only we kept Clutts. Really, what was the harm in keeping a FB that can block?

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Especially since he could do it as well or better than most of the lineman. He was at least a partial solution to your board name bother. He was the best blocker we had on the team who didn't wear a jersey with a 50, 60, or 70 series number.

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Bears already are missing Clutts — whom they traded to the Texans for Sherrick McManis. Now Rodriguez is out for Monday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with a knee injury he suffered on the opening kickoff against the Rams last week.

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So far Rodriguez has not been a good blocker, and edge rushers who get by Webb get by him too. Hopefully he can learn to block. He's small for a TE. 6'2" and 235 pounds. Clutts at 260 pounds was night-and-day better blocking and almost as fast.

Right now, with the oline not blocking, it sure would have been nice to have Clutts helping to protect Cutler's blind side.

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Originally Posted by soulman

This article highlights another area on offense that I'm pissed about. Two hold over problems from last year were our blocking and the was we used, or should I say didn't use, our TEs in the passing game like we should have.

So what does we do? We trade a guy who was unarguably one of the best blockers on the team and move the guy we were sold as a pass catching threat who could stretch defenses to the FB to replace the blocker. This just seems like more Mike Martz "square pegs in round holes' stuff to me and it's beginning to make me question whether or not Martz we really the one most responsible for that.

When he was drafted Evan Rodriguez was compared to Aaron Hernandez but so far the only similarity in them is that they both have Hispanic surnames. We're still not taking advantage of having a speedy TE to draw down field coverage away from the WR or create mismatches with a LB and now we no longer have the one guy who might truly have compensated for Webbs inability to handle great pass rushers without taking a receiver out of the mix.

I don't know about you guys but I'm about one game or two at the very most from calling "bullshit" on Mike Tice and his entire approach and handling of this offense. Keeping Kyle Adams over Clutts and having to move Rodriguez from a spot where he could be a real pass catching threat to one he never even played before smacks of another failed experiment on the part of Tice.

Even if Rodriguez does a decent job at FB, and of course now that he's hurt we'll be delayed in finding that out, we still lose his threat as a pass receiver. At the very least they should be running some screens or other routes that can get the ball in his hands. Asking him to take on blocking assignments and carry them out with the same consistency and results as Clutts was able to do is foolish.

To me this is one more nail in the coffin I'm preparing for Mike Tice's stint as OC of the Bears. If I don't see some real improvement after game five I'm gonna be pulling really hard for some team to offer him a HC spot in 2013 and for us to move Bates to OC where he should be.

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Yeah, I don't have any room for one more straw on my back. Tice needs to shape up tonight, or I'll need to be strapped onto a back board. Thing is, as bad as he's screwing up our O, who would offer him a HC gig? And I don't think Bates is any answer either. That guy is just plain crazy. I hate to say it, but I think Cutler needs an OC who butts head with him instead of being all buddy buddy.

I agree with what you are saying, soul, but if there is absolutely no rhythm by the jags game, i'm gonna worry. Give the offense a little more time, because not every unit in the nfl "clicks" early and through the whole season. For whatever reason, the Bears are "late bloomers" that always seem to figure stuff out AFTER the bye week....i think a little improvement until the midway point, and vast improvements after that are not unrealistic.

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Originally Posted by Shark86x

Yeah, I don't have any room for one more straw on my back. Tice needs to shape up tonight, or I'll need to be strapped onto a back board. Thing is, as bad as he's screwing up our O, who would offer him a HC gig? And I don't think Bates is any answer either. That guy is just plain crazy. I hate to say it, but I think Cutler needs an OC who butts head with him instead of being all buddy buddy.

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I don't see Bates as being crazy. I see him as being a much better architect of the passing game than Tice is. Bates proved that here in Denver and he knows how to get the best out of Cutler something two former Bears OCs and Tice have yet to do.

They're not all that buddy buddy when they disagree either and they do disagree at times. Cutler was a lot more effective at throwing underneath coverage when he played in Denver than he has been with the Bears. The problem that I see is that both Martz and Tice are insistent on building their passing games around down field routes that to date the line hasn't been able to give enough protection to complete successfully often enough.

The crossing routes and 10-12 yard hitches were a staple of the Broncos offense when Cutler was here. Hester and Sanz are both Eddie Royal size guys who can run those crossing routes and Marshall and Jeffery have the size to dominate the others along with Bennett who is one of the best 3rd down "go to" guy in the NFL.

There are things missing from the Bears offense that would benefit both the run and the pass but for whatever reason either Tice doesn't use them in his game plans or they're not even a part of his base offense.