The Chicago Bears coaching staff has said they will be more detailed than ever with their practices this year. This is a necessity born of the COVID-19 pandemic that has removed the preseason from their evaluation process. For a team conducting a rather important quarterback competition, the timing couldn't be worse. So they have no choice but to get creative.
Quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo explained the process the team will go through in evaluating both Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky. Everything will matter. Obviously how many throws they complete in every drill matters along with their incompletions and interceptions. Things like ball placement, adjustments at the line of scrimmage, and leadership in and out of the huddle will take on greater significance as well.
An interesting question though is whether there's any specific part of the process that may hold greater sway than the rest. DeFilippo, intentionally or not, revealed what that could be during his recent press conference with the media.
Chicago Bears live and die on 3rd downs like every other team
It's not a stat that gets brought up a ton, but there is no arguing the importance of 3rd down conversion rate. The best teams tend to be the ones that can consistently convert on 3rd down. Don't believe it? The Kansas City Chiefs ranked 3rd overall in 2019 with a 47.03% conversion rate. Their Super Bowl opponent the San Francisco 49ers were 5th at 44.35%.
The Bears ranked a distant 25th last season. For some context, they were a more respectable 13th the year before in 2018 when they finished 12-4. Not being able to stay on the field was a major reason the offense couldn't score enough points and the defense started to wear down as the season went on.
They call 3rd down the "money down" for a reason. Trubisky and Foles can make all the nice throws they want. It will be how they execute in those situations though that coaches will watch most carefully.
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