Nagy hopes good offensive tempo leads to more TDs
In the Bears' season opener two years ago in Green Bay, they took a 20-0 lead in the third quarter.
Last year against the Packers at Soldier Field, they never scored a touchdown and lost 10-3.
So at kickoff Sunday in Detroit, without benefit of any preseason games, what signs will head coach Matt Nagy be looking for to see if the offense is showing improvement?
"The biggest thing we look for is staying away from negative plays, the penalties, the sloppiness," Nagy told reporters on a Zoom call Wednesday. "That's really the No. 1 thing you look for. The way that a play call comes in, what's the tempo like in and out of the huddle? Are you playing fast?
"Is it choppy where all of the sudden somebody lines up in the wrong formation and they've got to run across the field and get in the right spot?" Defensively are there any communication issues in regards to where a guy lines up, running on and off the field? That's the stuff that you look for.
"I go back to that very first drive we had two years ago in Green Bay. It felt really efficient. You could tell the guys were really playing fast. Then we ended it with a touchdown. So it's about a fast start."
The pressure is on quarterback Mitch Trubisky to show everyone he can take a step forward, after a disappointing 2019 season, knowing the Bears added backup Nick Foles to create competition and step in when needed.
"I think it's all about how we come out of the huddle, how we come out aggressive and focused, attention to detail," Trubisky said Wednesday. "I think you'll be able to see like a little pep in our step. A sense of urgency, getting up to the line of scrimmage, an aggressive offense that just looks like it's clicking on all cylinders. Guys who know exactly what they're doing and they're playing really hard.
"So I think if you see that from the first drive, and you can usually tell from the vibe in the locker room and when you look the guy in the eye when you step in the huddle, who's ready to go. And I think we will be, so I'm excited about that. But you should be able to tell from first snap where we're at just by our body language and how we're carrying ourselves."
The personnel won't be much different from last season. The Bears added guard Germain Ifedi and veteran receiver Ted Ginn Jr. The biggest change is at tight end, where veteran Jimmy Graham and rookie Cole Kmet should get most of the work.
Nagy suggested an area of focus Wednesday - scoring touchdowns.
"I think that's a big emphasis for us," he said. "Let's get touchdowns and let's try to do everything we can, because when you score touchdowns, things are a lot easier.
"So as a quarterback, it doesn't always mean that has to be a special throw. Maybe it's a special decision that you made in another part of the game. But that's his No. 1 deal right now is to do that."