[CBFF] Shotgun part of plan to aid Grossman's development

[Phil DeNomme]

"That was one of the things I have in my notes; that we do need to implement
(the) shotgun, that that is something that would help him a little bit."

brilliant!  bout damn time, dumbass.


On 4/2/07, Tom Shannon <tshanno at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Shotgun part of plan to aid Grossman's development
> By Larry Mayer
>
> CHICAGO - Like a blitzing linebacker on third-and-long, Ron Turner knew
> that
> it was coming.
>
> The only thing that surprised the Bears offensive coordinator was that he
> wasn't asked about the shotgun formation until 30 minutes had elapsed
> during
> a seminar Sunday at the fan convention.
>
>
> Rex Grossman threw 23 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions this past
> season.
> After joking that he was expecting the issue to be addressed among the
> first
> four questions from fans, Turner revealed that the Bears will implement a
> little bit more of the shotgun in 2007.
>
> The offensive coordinator made the decision after spending countless hours
> reviewing tape of Rex Grossman, from the quarterback's first NFL start as
> a
> rookie in 2003 to every snap he took this past season for the NFC
> champions.
>
> "I went back and looked at all our tape by myself before we met as an
> offensive staff," Turner said. "I watched all our games and all the passes
> and everything Rex did. I also went back and looked at every play that he
> had in the NFL prior to this year just to see if I could pick up anything
> that's going to help.
>
> "That was one of the things I have in my notes; that we do need to
> implement
> (the) shotgun, that that is something that would help him a little bit. It
> won't be a drastic change to what we do offensively, but we will go to
> some
> shotgun, especially more in the third down situations. You will see more
> of
> that."
>
> Studying the tape, Turner discovered that Grossman's well-documented
> struggles came primarily when he retreated and threw off his back foot.
> Earlier in the season when he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month
> in
> September, Grossman consistently stepped up to deliver the ball.
>
> "When he got back in the pocket and he didn't like what he saw right away
> or
> his No. 1 read wasn't open, instead of stepping up in the pocket, he got
> in
> the habit of bailing out," Turner said.
>
> "That's not really what we want. All our protections are based on stepping
> up in the pocket, and then if something breaks down, get out of the pocket
> and attack the line of scrimmage and try to make something happen.
>
> "It was a habit that he got in, but he worked hard on it late in the year
> and he got better. If you watch the last three or four games, he was much
> better as far as stepping up in the pocket."
>
> Turner and new quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton will focus on those
> fundamentals and mechanics with Grossman throughout the offseason and
> training camp.
>
> "That's something we'll work real hard on," Turner said. "When he sets his
> feet and steps up, there's nobody in the league who throws it better than
> Rex. Where he got in trouble was when he was bailing out and throwing off
> his back foot."
>
> Stepping up in the pocket also should make it easier for Grossman to
> scramble for positive yards when his receivers are covered, something that
> the Bears quarterback appeared reluctant to do last season.
>
> "That's an area that Rex and I talked about in the offseason and actually
> during the season," Turner said. "He started to do a little bit more of
> that
> as the season went on. That's something that he's got to do.
>
> "If he steps up in the pocket, he'll see those lanes, he'll feel those
> lanes
> and he'll be able to pull it down and run. A two-, three- or four-yard run
> is better than forcing the ball or holding onto the ball and taking a
> sack.
>
> "That's an area that I think as Rex gets more experience, he'll get better
> at being able to tuck the ball and go and get some positive yards when
> nothing's there. Then all of a sudden the linebackers have to worry about
> that and that's going to open up some other things."
>
> While the Bears remain committed to Grossman after he helped lead them to
> the Super Bowl in his first full season as a starter, Turner insisted that
> they haven't just handed the No. 1 job to him. Like every other position,
> coaches constantly evaluate backup quarterbacks Brian Griese and Kyle
> Orton
> in practice.
>
> "Competition is great," Turner said. "Competition is good for everybody no
> matter what field you're in. It is tremendous, and the thing is there is
> competition. Rex knows there's competition. He knows he's got to go out
> and
> perform well.
>
> "If we felt at any time that (Griese or Orton) could have done a better
> job
> and could have given us a better chance to win, then maybe we would have
> made a change. But Rex is our best quarterback in our mind and he had an
> outstanding year."
>
>
>
>
>
>
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