Thayer: Running The Ball Effectively Creates Deception
One of the biggest matchups in Sunday's game will be the Bears' offense against the Patriots' defense. The longer the Bears can keep Tom Brady off the field, the better chance they have to win.
"I would put a gameplan together that is very time consuming, and then results in scores," said former Bear and current analyst Tom Thayer. "I want to try to get a gameplan that keeps Tom Brady off the field. And I think running the ball effectively creates deception in the other parts of the game."
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Matt Forte has had success throughout the season with breaking big gains, but hasn't really been able to churn out solid gains for an entire game. The combination of Forte and Chester Taylor could be asked to shoulder a big load for 60 minutes. Because, as Thayer says, running the ball will open up other areas of the offense.
"[Running the ball] creates deception in play action passes, it helps your down field passing game. The better you can run the ball at the point of attack, also gives you opportunity to run traps and screen and draws, and those types of plays."
A staple of the traditional Mike Martz offense is variety. Martz likes to show plenty of looks and plays to create uncertainty in the defense. But, they can take advantage of the Patriots' youth and create uncertainty through running.
"[Running the ball] will allow [the offense] to be more effective, because there is uncertainty for the defensive players. And you have a lot of young players on the defense of New England, so they're always thinking. If you get them thinking, you get them out of position. If they're thinking, sometimes they're not making good tackles. The balance is good, the balance creates deception."
