Chicago Bears self-scout can reveal solutions after flawed 2-2 start

The self-scout being done this week by the Bears should tell them what to improve and how to do it. The what, with this team, is fairly apparent in a general sense.

More specifically, it's not complicated, either.

Here's a Bears self scout for the bye week to ponder.

Left side disaster

It probably surprises no one to know when the Bears run to the left they do not get the necessary gains to help keep the sticks moving or the virtual chains moving, whatever they are.

This is the side of the line where left tackle Braxton Jones plays and he's had his  problems, whether blocking for the run or pass.

The Bears rank 24th in average gain on runs around left end at 4.17 yards according to NFLGSIS.com. Yet, they keep running left. They lead the league in number of runs around left end with 23.

What's the definition of insanity, again? Doing the same thing and  expecting a different result, right?

They have run as many times around left end as they have behind left tackle  and left guard combined. However, they don't do much better when they run behind those positions, either. They're 24th when they run off left tackle at 3.0 yards a carry and 30th behind left guard at 2.0 yards.

On the other side, they average 6.85 yards on their 13 runs around right  end and 4.57 when they run off right tackle. Considering Darnell Wright is the tackle on that side, it's probably no surprise they are sixth in the league running around right end and 12th off right tackle. They run to the left side 58% and right side 42%.

Solution: Duh. Run it around right end and to the right side more often and left end and left side less?

Yah think?

It might also help to run more gap blocking scheme. They've overloaded with about two-thirds of their running plays using zone, either wide or inside.

Tight end waste

There are some who watched Cole Kmet drop a pass when he was wide open over the middle against the Raiders and wondered why they have him.

They should wonder this and also why they have Colston Loveland, but not because of a dropped pass. Kmet normally is as sure-handed as tight ends come and last year led all NFL tight ends in catches per target at 85.5%. He was at 81.1% the previous year.

What needs to be addressed is why they went out and drafted Loveland 10th overall and have two tight ends with reputations for being good receivers but they don't throw them the ball. Kmet dropped a pass? Maybe he needs more reps. He doesn't get it thrown his way enough.

The Bears have thrown 66% of their passes to wide receivers. They have thrown  only 17% of their passes to tight ends. Only five teams have thrown fewer times to tight ends. Whatever happened to the need for another tight end so they could use 12-personnel packages? They are using 12-personnel about 39% of the time, the fourth most in the league according to Sumer Sports.

With receivers like DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, it's easy to understand why their wideouts would get a lot of work, but why waste the 10th pick of the draft then on a tight end when he's not even going to get targeted? The question everyone is wondering now is why they took Loveland and not Ty Warren after Warren started with 19 receptions.

What's the difference? If they had Warren, why would he have more catches when they're not throwing to tight ends anyway.

Obviously this must change, whether it's through more passes called to tight ends or Caleb Williams deciding to get it to them more often to keep the chains going.

If tight ends weren't getting open, it would be one thing. Kmet sure looked open on the one he dropped. Loveland has been open and made three receptions.

Maybe they needed the other tight end for blocking purposes in the run game? Get real, their two running backs average 3.3 and 3.6 yards per carry.

Solution: Williams needs to be less fixated downfield and more often on tight ends while getting the ball out quicker.

Run stop issue

Whatever the game films tell the Bears from their first four efforts against the run, they should ignore.

Whatever they were doing in the first four games it didn't work in a big way,  but injuries may have impacted this.

The 11 plays teams ran behind left guard against the Bears netted 10.27 yards a carry. They're giving up more than a first down per rush.

Obviously that's last in the league. It didn't help when Jeanty broke one 64 yards for a TD. But they're giving up 7.64 yards a run around left end, 6.54 yards around right end, 6.2 yards behind right guard and 6.07 behind right tackle.

Solution: Get healthier. T.J. Edwards, Kyler Gordon and possibly Grady Jarrett could all impact this greatly.

Edwards had 20 tackles for loss since joining the Bears and led them with 12 last year. He's an upfield threat and suddenly with a few TFLs, the big averages don't look as good. He could return this week.

Jarrett had nine TFLs last year in Atlanta, but none yet this season.

“Each week we have keys to victory and that was the biggest thing that we missed this week, was our run defense," Ben Johnson said. "We really felt like this was a week we needed to get back on track in that regard. But other than that, we hit on the turnovers, we hit on being great in our situational football. We were excellent in critical downs, two-minute situations. So, even though we missed on one of the big ones for us here this week, the other ones came through for us in a big way."

Teams don't usually compensate for the league's worst run defense on a weekly basis. They need these players back.

More Chicago Bears News

• How the Bears became too much of a finesse team and their quick fixes

• Chicago Bears hope benefits of bye week outweigh a major drawback

• Grading Chicago Baers rookies at the bye requires a good imagination

• Maxx Crosby's surprising comments debunk the Caleb Williams narrative