Chicago Bears: How much has the offense actually changed?
By Joseph Herff
Shotgun vs. Under Center
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky was mainly a shotgun quarterback. He even said it is all he played in high school and college. His first year in the NFL, that changed greatly. If there was anything good that came from the John Fox experiment, Trubisky learned how to operate under center.
In 2019, the Bears ran essentially spread. They ran shotgun at the sixth-highest rate in the NFL at 76% percent. This was a lot like what most would think Trubisky was good at, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. He was much better under center, running play action, and with a run-game with him.
For the 2020 season, the Bears have almost the polar opposite. The Bears have operated under center the third-highest rate in the NFL at 57%. They only trail the LA Rams and Cleveland Browns in terms of percentage.
This has changed the aspect of what the Bears do in terms of play calls too.