The Chicago Bears offense under former coordinator Mike Martz had numerous strengths and weaknesses last season, but one aspect of new coordinator Mike Tice's attack has been met with universal applause from players: The audible.
"It's just that when we're running the plays that we're running, we're going to actually look at the defense," RT Gabe Carimi said.
The last two seasons, the Bears lined up and ran the play regardless of the defense. There was no changing of plays at the line, only some blocking assignment switches made by C Roberto Garza.
"I mean, a smart quarterback like Jay (Cutler), he's going to be able make the calls on what we're going to be doing," Carimi said.
When Cutler went to the line in the past two years, he ran the play or wasted a timeout. The Bears led the league last season in timeouts taken in the first and third quarters, obviously an indication of confusion over the way to attack.
Offensive linemen think the new system will make them more effective pass blockers, just as fewer seven-step pass drops are expected to do. From now on, there should also be fewer situations where a lineman is in a no-win pass blocking matchup.
