The Chicago Bears have filled their offensive coaching openings over the past week and a half following the hiring of Shane Waldron as the new offensive coordinator. Waldron and his new staff are expected to improve the Bears' offense, which struggled with passing consistency and scoring over the past two seasons. Fans and media members had been highly critical of former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who they viewed as the main culprit for the struggles of not just the offense but also quarterback Justin Fields, but now other NFL teams are interviewing Getsy, demonstrating that might not have been the case.
Getsy Has Had Success That Hasn't been Recognized
Getsy was hired in January of 2022 as Chicago's offensive coordinator with the sole goal of developing and overseeing the growth of Fields following Fields' rookie season of 2021. Although the quarterback was one of the more exciting players in 2022 and parts of 2023, he did not develop as a consistent passing threat, and the play-caller was blamed. Many believed that Getsy never made a legitimate attempt to tailor the offensive scheme to highlight the strengths of Fields.
In 28 starts at quarterback with Getsy as offensive coordinator, Fields threw 31 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, and 6674 yards. The most significant stat to look at during that span was passing yards per game by Chicago's quarterback, averaging 149.5 yards in 2022 and 197.1 in 2023. Fields recorded more games throwing less than 150 yards than over 300 yards.
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Although Getsy's downfall was his inability to develop Fields as a passer, along with inconsistent in-game play-calling, there are several things that he did well that are the driving reason why he is receiving interviews for offensive coordinator openings in New England, New Orleans, and Las Vegas. The Bears have had one of the best-rushing offenses the past two seasons, as they have finished first and second in the league in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert combined for over 1,500 rushing yards, while last season, Chicago's three running backs combined for over 1,300 yards.
The other aspect of what might be driving NFL teams' desire to interview Getsy for their open position is his success with quarterbacks other than Fields. In the past two years, Chicago has had five quarterbacks play in games. Although Fields played most games, other quarterbacks recorded playing time, including Trevor Siemian, Nathan Peterman, Tim Boyle, and undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent. Siemian and Peterman started games in 2022 and played adequately as a backup quarterback, leading the Bears' offense on multiple scoring drives in their respective starts.
Getsy's most significant success at quarterback development and preparation was with Bagent, who started four games for the Bears in 2023 when Fields went down with a thumb injury. The rookie quarterback recorded a record of 2-2 and looked unfazed by the moment. Although Bagent struggled with interceptions, as he was picked off six times, most of the turnovers were due to a lack of arm strength rather than the rookie being fooled by the opposing defense.
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NFL Teams Appear Able To Separate Getsy From Fields
The play of Siemian, Peterman, and especially Bagent provides evidence of what Getsy's offense looked like in its' simplest form without Fields. Chicago's former offensive coordinator was accused of often being too reliant on calling wide receiver screens, especially with his starting quarterback. One reason why analysts believe Getsy utilized screens often with Fields was because the quarterback struggled with getting the ball out fast and executing quick passing plays.
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When Bagent took over as Chicago's starting quarterback, there was an apparent difference in the offensive execution right away as he on several quick throws and avoided potential sacks. In the four games started by the rookie, he had a higher yards-per-game average and took fewer sacks than Chicago's starting quarterback took in the four games before his injury. There was a distinct difference in what Getsy called for his other quarterbacks compared to what was called for Fields, leading to some believing Fields was treated unfairly, but it also could have demonstrated the starter couldn't execute the offense either.
The idea that it may be Fields being an issue with the offense more than Getsy's offensive scheme is somewhat proven by the Bears' hiring of Waldron. Both offensive coordinators have ties to the Sean McVay offensive scheme, which incorporated quick passing plays. Waldron's offense will be similar to Getsy's and shows that head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles believe that Fields may be to blame to an extent for the passing struggles the past two seasons.
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Getsy may have his issues as a play-caller, but he may have a chance to prove that he wasn't solely responsible for the offensive failures seen by the Bears the last two seasons. With numerous NFL teams giving him first and even second interviews, it demonstrates that other teams may believe there is more to the play-caller than what transpired the last two years in Chicago. The heated debate tied to Fields and Getsy may be resolved in 2024, with both being on different teams.
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