Bears’ Shane Waldron takes blame for Cole Kmet’s curious usage in win vs. Titans originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron knows he has to be better.
That starts with Waldron finding a way to get all of the Bears’ playmakers on the field and involved more than he did during Chicago‘s 24-17 Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans, during which the Bears’ offense failed to gain 150 yards.
Star tight end Cole Kmet played just 48 snaps in the win. While head coach Matt Eberflus said the decision to give tight end Gerald Everett more snaps than Kmet was a product of the “rotation,” Waldron took the blame.
“We know Cole is one of the top tight ends in the league,” Waldron said Thursday at Halas Hall. “He does a great job for us. He has done nothing but the right thing ever since I’ve been around him. So, that’s more on us, starting with me, getting the reps a little bit more balance. But it also goes back to playing efficient football. And when we’re doing that, not getting titled out of some of the plays we wanted going into that game.”
Kmet said he didn’t require an “explanation” for the lack of playing time and hopes to return to his normal workload as he continues to put good things on tape.
“Obviously, I wasn’t thrilled about it,” Kmet said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “But it’s not something that I can control, and I’m not in control of. The thing I can control is how I operate while I’m out there and how I execute and what I put on film with the snaps that I do get.
“Look, it is what it is. I’m kind of going to chalk it up to Week 1 and us trying to figure some things out, especially with all the guys we have in here. We got a lot of guys, and I know that we want to be able to use everybody in a certain way. We want to be able to play to their strengths. Kind of just leave it up to that, but I just got to kind of continue to take care of my business. I can’t be in the woes is me deal. That’s not good for anybody. I can continue coming here and have a good attitude about it and we’ll just see where it goes.”
Kmet’s playing time wasn’t the only personnel issue Waldron encountered during his debut as Bears play-caller.
Despite months of excitement about the Bears’ new three-headed monster at wide receiver, the trio of DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Keenan Allen only played 10 snaps together.
That’s another thing that has to change quickly as the Bears prepare to face the Houston Texans on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 2.
“I think just in terms of the flow of the game, I think starting with me, stuff we can do a better job of coaching is getting us into a better rhythm,” Waldron said. “I think we get in some of those games where we get in a little bit of an up-and-down rhythm throughout the course of a game, some of those personnel pairings that we’re looking to get to really didn’t play out the way we were hoping to as far as the course of the game. And it’s going to be tough each week, obviously, to have a perfect distribution of everyone’s reps right there, but it’s something we look at as a staff to how we can do a better job to help our guys, get in that rotation and get those guys out there together more often.”
Waldron’s challenge on Sunday could be even tougher, with Odunze and Allen’s status uncertain.
Odunze suffered a sprained MCL in the win over the Titans and is day-to-day, while Allen re-aggravated a heel injury in the win. Neither practiced Wednesday as the Bears started prep for Houston.
After racking up just 148 total yards against Tennessee, Waldon and the Bears’ offense enter Week 2 still searching for any semblance of an offensive identity.
That task will be much harder on Sunday if Odunze and Allen can’t go. Even if the two receivers are cleared to play, Waldron knows building this offense will be a work in progress.
“Each year is its own year,” Waldron said. “So, when we’re building the offense, the identities might form a little bit quicker. I think with our group right now, with the amount of newness and moving young players at certain positions, I think it’s something we know what we want to be, what we want to look like, and as we move forward, I think we’ll get closer and closer to that. I expect us to be there sooner rather than later as far as what our identity looks like.”
Quick improvement from quarterback Caleb Williams would be a boon to the Bears’ search for an offensive identity.
Williams was shaky in his offical NFL debut, going 14-for-29 for 93 yards. He was uncharacteristically inaccurate, wasn’t on the same page with his receivers, and had several balls batted down at the line as the Bears’ offense struggled to get out of neutral.
Despite the ugly opener, there is no concern about Williams. Rookie quarterbacks usually struggle out of the gate, and Williams has the talent and pedigree that suggests he can take a giant leap forward soon.
“We have seen him make all these throws throughout the course of practice, throughout his college career, and have all the confidence in the world that each week that will get incrementally better and we’ll be excited with what we see,” Waldron said.
The Bears hope they start to see it Sunday in Houston.
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