| 22 May 2010
So far the news from mandatory mini-camp 2010 could be described as predictably boring. Most reports from various sources from around the web have stated most of the information you would expect coming out of camp with no real revelations in any of the workouts. But I'm goinghe to do my best to paint to paint the picture of what's happening out there. Try to visualize what's happening and put you inside the mind of the mad scientist. Thanks to the power of the internet we can go inside the teaching of Mike Martz and get an idea of what all the reports and quotes mean. This is a different look at mini-camp you won't find anywhere else on the web. Yes it includes high lights and reports from around the web but I also want to emphasize what Mike Martz is teaching and give you an idea of what all the media rhetoric surrounding "throwing the ball to a spot" exactly means.
Some of the high lights I've gathered through the first three practices with two practices to go:
Mike Martz is a very detail oriented man, detailed to the point that he will stop practice all together if the offense isn't lined up PRECISELY the way he has it aligned in the play book. Martz prefers to have his players lined up EXACTLY the way he has them diagrammed on the field of play on paper. Each player has to have a specific split and distance and position in the formation and based on that the player has to run that route or protection as a mirror image of the way Martz has it written down and thought based on alignments and formations of the defense.
From the 2000 Mike Martz playbook with the St. Louis Rams we have this screen shot to prove how detail oriented Mike Martz is in his demands
When Martz states that he prefers to have his quarterback throw the ball to a spot, he does that based on the defensive coverage and formations. If the linebacker is supposed to drop to a spot seven yards from his initial set and cover a zone five yards from one side to five yards to another side, Martz wants his quarterback to throw the football into that half yard window between each linebackers' zone of coverage, that window within the defense where it's the receivers' job to run his route into that weakness and make the catch. Martz has his receivers run five yards on the DOT and then make their breaks AT five yards not five and a half FIVE YARDS on the money.
Martz even goes so far as to lay out the precise dimensions of the football field in this diagram from his playbook. He has the dimensions of the field down to specifics, from the edge of the numbers to the hash marks, it's literally down to those EXACT dimensions and the offense has to line up PERFECTLY. This is the type of attention to detail that needs to be stressed that needs to be drilled into the heads of this offensive personnel. No one should be lackadasical and accountability and responsibility is a strong point of empasis.
When you hear the same old tired cliche "football is a game of inches" you can guarantee that Martz the mad scientist is going to use every inch of the field to attack the defense.
In fact quotes from various beat writers from Saturday's first workout had Martz stating this about his offense:
"I'm impressed at how quickly Cutler has shown a knack for throwing to spots...I guess normally it’s an adjustment. But if it was for him,(an adjustment) it didn’t take him very long because he’s gotten it right away."
Martz went on to say to the media gathered around him regarding his offensive philosophy, "I’m trying to make the defense defend the entire field."
There are also reports of just how fast paced Martz runs his offense, the pace of practice is so fast paced in fact that the Bears have squeezed in an average of eight more plays per practice than they did last year. Eight more plays per practice shows a difference in tempo and an all around mentality of the team. There's a new mind set up at Halas Hall as a result of Mad Mike being in charge of the offense.
Outside of Jay Cutler there are specific roles taking shape for each of the three receivers. Martz will specifically have each wide receiver learn one primary position and then IDEALLY he'd like to have one receiver who can play all three spots. What will happen first is each receiver getting one specific spot down and their primary focus will be dedicated to that role.
Things that have materialized through three practices is the receivers have been as advertised. Earl Bennett is missing time due to a scope knee surgery he had back in March but he'll be ready to go by training camp. Devin Hester was hit in stride with a nice 45-yard bomb Cutler that elicited a lot of ooos and aaahs from the assembled media. Martz will run a lot of deep dig routes with his receivers and take advantage of their speed and quickness.
What Bears receivers make lack in size they can make up for with speed a precise route running and getting open and catching the football. When Cutler throws the ball to the spot the receiver needs to be at that spot to make the catch because if the play is as exact as it's supposed to be then the pass will be completed and the receiver will be open.
As an example refer to the Cover-2 or Cover-3 diagram from Matt Bowen's inside the playbook series, if you think in simple football terms Cutler has to deliver the football into the spots in these defensive formations and coverages where there is no red. Those are the windows of opportunity the spots that Mike Martz dissects when looking at a defense and diagramming his plays.
Where do you attack the Cover-2? Down the middle of the field with your TE, enter Greg Olsen and his ability to stretch the field, or Devin Hester in the slot or Devin Aromashodu and his size and jumping advantage on the outside catching a pass over the top of the C and the SS at the window between the 47 and 46 yard line. Hell Aromashodu doesn't even have to jump, with Cutler's arm strength he can simply throw it on a line to that spot for D.A. to snag with his finger tips as he did so often last year.
Then shift to plays that attack the Cover-3 defense alignment and coverage in this diagram:
Attacking the Cover-3 alignment and coverage a simple play-action motion draws in the SS while the Z again can attack the middle of the defense by running a hard five yards up the seven yards up the field to sell going deep, and then break in or out on either a cross or an out route to the side line and make a big catch in front of the C. Both Cs have to respect either Hester's or Aromashodu's speed from the Z or the X so if they open their hips they're going to run down the field with the Z or X and then if Hester breaks in or out he's still going full speed across the defense, catches a pass from Cutler in stride and then attacks the open field accordingly.
This is the type of precise work that the Bears are working on in mini-camp, attacking these alignments attacking these holes working together in sycn to attack a defense. Once a practice is over the personnel groups break up and then go watch the film from practice to go over what they did right and wrong. There is little to no down time between practices, when they are not going through the motions on the field the Bears are attacking it in the film room and on the white board.
Next we move to the reports around mini-camp about the TEs and how they are being utilized. Greg Olsen, Kellen Davis and Desmond Clark ARE a part of this offense and Martz is designing or adjusting his offense accordingly. So far the TEs have been heavily involved and with Brandon Manumaleuna missing time because of a surgery his knee this off-season there are more reps going to the usual suspects. Reports are that there have been many throws that have gone to the TEs and their places are beginning to take shape. Olsen manning the Y is interchangable with Hester or Knox in the slot depending on down and distance situation because Olsen has the same speed required to get open.
This is an offense where Mike Martz may prove that size is overrated and that speed and precise route running which we saw a lot of from the Bears in 2009 is more important than the size. If you were going to design a receiver speed and route running would be preferable to a slow plodding receiver who can't get open or get separation from the defender. Bears receivers DO in fact have that ability in the speed and quickness department.
Johnny Knox has made strides from this year to last, where as last year he needed a map to find his way around Halas Hall, he's able to now attack his role in the offense and prepare to succeed.
Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce the two main receivers who had the most success in Martz' offense in 2000 were both receivers in the 6-foot range. They weren't the big receivers like Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, or Larry Fitzgerald they ou were like the Bears' receivers are now. This is not to say that you wouldn't mind having one of those three studs on your team but you don't need them to succeed.
As this quick three-minute camp high light reel shows Cutler is working on finding the timing and the rhythm with his receivers. The goal of this offense will be something we have never seen before in Bears history, hurry to the line, spread the defense thin, call cadence, make the necessary reads and when the defense starts to align itself to counter the offensive alignments snap the ball to attack the weaknesses. Catch them off guard don't allow them to adjust and attack weaknesses accordingly.
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