Chicago Bears Film Review: Rashaad Coward holds back run game

The Chicago Bears running game was held back by Rashaad Coward in Week 6

Losing James Daniels was going to be tough to replace. The Chicago Bears had to choose between Alex Bars, a UDFA who redshirted his rookie year, or Rashaad Coward, who had started at right guard most of 2019.

The issue with starting Coward is that he is a former defensive tackle who was developing into a right tackle. However, he was thrust into right guard and learned on the fly. Still, that means that while he has played guard, every snap he has taken at an NFL level has been from the right side.

The Chicago Bears run game struggled as a whole, and it is impossible to say that Coward is solely to blame for the team not being able to get the ground game going against the league’s worst run defense.

However, a review of the tape does make it clear that Coward cost his team yards in the running game. Take a look at the play below. This is on the first drive after the turnover. Coward is pulling from left to right. However, you can see how long his route is. David Montgomery runs into Coward and Coward whiffs on a collection of players who he could have blocked.

Instead, it leaves Montgomery taking on three or four defenders.

One of the better attributes that James Daniels offers is his ability to pull and get into the second level. He is a smooth mover for his size and can complete complex blocks. The outside-zone running scheme is built perfectly for an athletic lineman like him.

However, in the play below as well as the one above you can see that Coward does not move quite the same. In this play, you can see that Coward should be blocking 54. Cole Kmet is going to block the closest linebacker, while Coward is leading in front. However, as the linebacker cross, Coward gets confused and gets stuck on his man. Coward and Kmet double team one linebacker, and the other is able to force Montgomery to cut back.

The first two plays can be excused. He is pulling from a position he has never played and making reads in a zone-blocking scheme he has never run. The play below hurts, though. He gets completely blown off of the football by rookie Derrick Brown. This blows the play up in the backfield.

The issues with power are not scheme related. You can argue things are flying at him, and he is thinking and not reacting. Still, as a former defensive tackle, the best trait of Coward is his bulldog mentality and power. Brown blew him up above, and 92, Zach Kerr holds him up and pushes him away to make run stuff in the play below.

The last play we will look into is below. This once again goes back to the change in scheme. At the snap, you can see all of the linemen in unison pull and find their man. That is how the zone blocking system works. In a power blocking scheme, you take on the man in front of you. Coward sees 93 in front of him and gets preoccupied once again. 93 moves into the zone of Charles Leno. Coward needs to move with the line and he would step into the gap that 52 filled. Instead, he forgets his role, looks lost, and misses his assignment. You can tell that Coward is the only one off-sync in this play.

It may be hard to admit, but the play above can inspire some confidence. Coward got better as the year went on in 2019, but in 2020, he is looking at a new position and a new scheme. As he gets more NFL snaps, he should slowly be able to get accustomed to playing and pulling from a completely different side. Also, his first instinct will not be the man blocking scheme that he spent so much time developing into.

Still, each and every play you can point to lost yards that were left on the field. In the three plays in which Coward is pulling or moving, you could easily assume that Daniels would pick those blocks up. While Coward may slowly pick things up, you also have to wonder just how scaled back things are becoming for the Bears run game as well.