Rich Campbell at the Chicago Tribune reviews the Bears victory over the Buccaneers Sunday:
“I-formation: The Bears used two tailbacks in an I-formation on some short-yardage plays, including both of Carey’s touchdowns.
“Carey was the up back on both scores, with Langford behind him as the tailback. Carey dived in from 1 yard on the first and caught a 1-yard play-action pass on the second.
“Cutler liked how the formation and personnel gave the offense options.
“‘The more dynamic guys you have on the field, the better,’ he said.”
This game was a good one for both coordinators. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, knowing the the was weak at inside linebacker, played predominantly nickel formations in which an extra defensive back was on the field. He frequently put eight in the box to stop Doug Martin while doing so, stopping the Buccaneers greatest strength while compensating for his defense’s greatest weakness.
And then there was this clever innovation by offensive coordinator Adam Gase. With the Bears weak at wide receiver and with Zack Miller as the only tight end that’s performing well right now, Gase went to two running backs.
No doubt about it. This put his best eleven on the field. Nice work.