Bears Coaching Staff Sees FB Role Differently Than Tice..........

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Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

I think ERod takes a lot of flack for his lead blocking simply because he wasn't all we had imagined he'd be in the passing game. In reality, he improved greatly as the year went on opening lanes while being depended on greatly learning the position on the fly -- a position with a much under-appreciated and steep learning curve. He also simply did not play this H-back role we had all heard Tice wanted to utilize, and got lost in the pack of doing a yoeman's job at an unglamorous position. As for everyone's mediocre hero, Clutts. He was the thumper lead blocker at FB that we all love, but let's stop perpetuating this myth that he had any sort of coordination or body control to catch the ball or be anything but a utility blocker. In the end, he brought us a player I'm a big fan of in McManus and we replaced his role with a vastly more gifted and talented player. Ideally, you find a guy who's skillset is somewhere between the two and call it a day, but that's easier said than done. If the staff wants to move Erod to TE and find their FB, then I'm all for it because it's their system and their job to scout, coach and develop the guys they need. However, I'd be just as happy keeping Evan back there and having his athletic ability and pass catching experience developed instead of a PS lunch pail conversion player.

Now onto the the semantics of what a FB is and body-type talk.

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I don't think you're at all off base as far as how well ERod progressed as a lead blocker but I think we'd both agree that he was woefully under utilized in Tice's scheme vs how the guy was promoted to everyone when he was drafted. How many times did they even throw to him last year?

From what Kromer is saying I'd take it to mean they see moving ERod back into that H-back/Move TE role and looking for a more conventional lead blocker type which Clutts was. He could catch a little but he's not a guy you're gonna throw to often I agree with you there. Safety valve releases that can get you 3-5 yards is about all he'd be good for. But I'd much prefer him back there picking up blitzes and allowing Forte to get out and catch passes.

As far as last season goes we got the better of the trade because Tice wasn't interested in what Clutts could do well and McManis turned into a hell of a good STeam guy for us. I don't regret it from that aspect but if we're going to be looking for a FB/STeams guy and Clutts is released by Houston he's a guy I'd be looking at.

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Originally Posted by soulman

I don't think you're at all off base as far as how well ERod progressed as a lead blocker but I think we'd both agree that he was woefully under utilized in Tice's scheme vs how the guy was promoted to everyone when he was drafted. How many times did they even throw to him last year?

From what Kromer is saying I'd take it to mean they see moving ERod back into that H-back/Move TE role and looking for a more conventional lead blocker type which Clutts was. He could catch a little but he's not a guy you're gonna throw to often I agree with you there. Safety valve releases that can get you 3-5 yards is about all he'd be good for. But I'd much prefer him back there picking up blitzes and allowing Forte to get out and catch passes.

As far as last season goes we got the better of the trade because Tice wasn't interested in what Clutts could do well and McManis turned into a hell of a good STeam guy for us. I don't regret it from that aspect but if we're going to be looking for a FB/STeams guy and Clutts is released by Houston he's a guy I'd be looking at.

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E.Rod may end up being a solid pickup, and I sure haven't given up on him. The problem wasn't his ability or lack of ability. It was the fact that due to our problems with the offensive line, he was reduced to being the "max protect guy" most of the time. That wasn't his fault. Just an indictment of the GM and HC not putting a solid OL in place. It reduced our skill player's effectiveness.

My only issue with Lovie Smith letting solid players go to other teams, is that NOW we have to go back and re-acquire people to replace what we already had. I'm telling you, that Greg Olsen has evolved into one heck of a TE with the Panthers. If you watch the Panthers now (I have) you see one of the best TE's in the NFL. He's everything we need on the Bears in a receiving TE. And he's better now as a blocker (not great, but plenty good enough). He's the kind of guy who could have helped us now march to a Super Bowl.

But he's another guy Angelo/Lovie got rid of.

We didn't believe in FB's -- or TE's who could catch.

Now we have to spend time and money on new players to replace what we already had. I have to let all this Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith frustration go. I know that. But I'm really struggling over it. Those guys did some things that really really hurt us. Badly.

They could always use a 7th rd pick / or priority FA on Zach Boren out of OHio State .

Would'nt mind seeing Clutts back tho .

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Originally Posted by Alf The Ref

They could always use a 7th rd pick / or priority FA on Zach Boren out of OHio State .

Would'nt mind seeing Clutts back tho .

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Taimi Tutogi is going to be an absolute beast of a lead-blocker, earmark this thread and give me props in a few years when he's ten times better than Tyler ever was or will be. The dude victimized my Sun Devils running downhill from the backfield and the other side of the ball.

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Originally Posted by JustAnotherBearsFan99

E.Rod may end up being a solid pickup, and I sure haven't given up on him. The problem wasn't his ability or lack of ability. It was the fact that due to our problems with the offensive line, he was reduced to being the "max protect guy" most of the time. That wasn't his fault. Just an indictment of the GM and HC not putting a solid OL in place. It reduced our skill player's effectiveness.

My only issue with Lovie Smith letting solid players go to other teams, is that NOW we have to go back and re-acquire people to replace what we already had. I'm telling you, that Greg Olsen has evolved into one heck of a TE with the Panthers. If you watch the Panthers now (I have) you see one of the best TE's in the NFL. He's everything we need on the Bears in a receiving TE. And he's better now as a blocker (not great, but plenty good enough). He's the kind of guy who could have helped us now march to a Super Bowl.

But he's another guy Angelo/Lovie got rid of.

We didn't believe in FB's -- or TE's who could catch.

Now we have to spend time and money on new players to replace what we already had. I have to let all this Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith frustration go. I know that. But I'm really struggling over it. Those guys did some things that really really hurt us. Badly.

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Well it's probably safe to say that we had some of the poorest offensive coaching and personnel management in the NFL during Lovie's reign. When Ron Turner ends up on the top of that OC heap that's setting the bar awfully low.

Lovie knew little or nothing about the offense and simply trusted his OCs to handle everything on that side of the ball. There was a lot of both money and talent wasted and all pretty much due to benign neglect.

But that's ancient history now and we have offensive minded people running the show so things should change. I was getting pretty tired of watching Tice not be able to teach guys how to pass block well and solving the problem by just adding more blockers who should have been catching passes instead of blocking for them.

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Originally Posted by soulman

When Ron Turner ends up on the top of that OC heap that's setting the bar awfully low.

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