Martz making better use of Forte
With Matt Forte having a career year, offensive coordinator Mike Martz has wisely adapted the offense to make better use of its best weapon.
“Mad Mike” has called more runs and fewer passes. The bottom line has been 3 straight victories in which Forte has rushed for 365 yards and 5.5 yards per carry.
The Bears also have made concessions to an offensive line that has improved significantly but still is not an elite pass-blocking unit.
To make it easier on the group, Martz has called for shorter drops by Jay Cutler and quicker passes.
The Bears also have max protected more frequently than they did during a 2-3 start. Last week in the victory at Philadelphia, Cutler threw some passes off planned rollouts, which previously hadn’t been in the Bears’ repertoire.
“We made some subtle changes,” Martz said. “We moved the quarterback around a little bit more than in the past (and used) a little bit more play-action because we’re running the ball so well.
“A team that’s running the ball as well as we are right now, it just seems like it would help the passing game, too.”
In his last four games Cutler has thrown 6 TD passes and just 2 interceptions, with passer ratings of better than 96 in three of those games.
The previous lack of rollouts seemed odd, given how well they worked for Cutler in his three years in Denver.
“That’s been a strength of Jay’s his whole career,” Martz said. “If things break down a little bit, he’s able to scramble or move around in the pocket and take off with the ball and go with it.
“He’s got excellent speed and of course (is effective) moving around and throwing the ball on the move. He’s always been very good at it. We’ve done a couple things to get him on the perimeter to take advantage of that.”
Smart move:There was no guarantee that Roberto Garza#146;s move to center after 10 years as a guard would succeed, but it has worked out well for all concerned.#147;You just have to go with what you feel and what you know,#148; coach Lovie Smith said. #147;What we knew about Roberto is that he#146;s a steady player, he#146;s been around here, he#146;s smart, and he had played a little bit of the position before.#147;Everything that we knew about the situation and about Roberto said that he would be able to handle it, and he was our best option. We#146;re pleased with what he#146;s done.#148;It worked out well for Garza, too. He signed a two-year, $6.55 million contract extension Tuesday.One and only:Earl Bennett made an immediate impact in his return last week from a five-game injury absence, because he brings a unique skill set to the offense.#147;He#146;s unique,#148; offensive coordinator Mike Martz said. #147;You can#146;t consider him a slot receiver because he#146;s got too much speed. He could line up outside and start for us outside, too.#147;He can do anything. That#146;s the beauty of it. He#146;s comfortable inside or outside. He does so many things for us. It#146;s good to have him back.#148;Talk is cheap:By some accounts there was an unusual amount of chippy play in the Bears#146; last meeting with Detroit, but cornerback D.J. Moore says it was no big deal.#147;I don#146;t even talk trash,#148; Moore said, #147;but I#146;m sure people were talking. That#146;s part of the game. After the game, everybody#146;s hugging and kissing and whatever.#148;Can#146;t wait:Lovie Smith is counting on the boost his team got from Monday night#146;s victory in Philadelphia to offset the advantage the Lions have after their off week.#147;If you#146;re coming off the bye, you#146;d have to say that that#146;s an advantage for you,#148; Smith said. #147;You#146;re fresh, you#146;re ready to go, and that#146;s what we said last week.#147;But when you#146;re playing like we are, you feel pretty good about how you played the last time, so you want to play quickly.#148;ŸFollow Bob#146;s Bears reports via Twitter @Bob LeGere and check out our Bear Essentials blog at dailyherald.com.