Turns Out A Baffling Shane Waldron Decision Led To Bears’ Slow Start

Shane Waldron didn’t exactly arrive with grace in his first few games as Chicago Bears offensive coordinator. His unit looked sloppy, disjointed, and downright lost at times in the first three games. Fans pointed the finger at him for not having players ready. If only they knew how deep that story goes. NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales appeared on 670 The Score with Mully & Haugh to discuss the team. When the topic of the offense came around, she revealed something difficult to absorb at first.

Apparently, Waldron did not script the opening drive of each game during the first few weeks. For anybody who has followed the NFL long enough, using a script of 12-15 plays to open a game is common practice. It helps an offense find an early rhythm, build confidence, and get quick points on the board. Bill Walsh was the first coach to popularize that approach. Waldron refused to do this despite knowing he had a rookie quarterback and a group of players still new to the system.

That is elite-tier negligence.

Early this season, Shane Waldron and the Bears weren’t scripting their first 15 or so plays, @StaceyDales told @mullyhaugh.

They’ve started doing that recently.

"Now you're seeing a little bit more polish," Dales says.

Listen to full interview: https://t.co/NC2H43iafA pic.twitter.com/VerCRjJV3T

— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) October 11, 2024

Waldron had priority calls, but now this is a very specific first 15 calls, which is obviously more defined by ordering them, and practicing the same order ahead of the game. The O can now mentally/physically rehearse the plays in focused order. Given the unit more confidence.

— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) October 11, 2024

The player intervention saved Shane Waldron from himself.

It is hard to understand what he could’ve been thinking with that approach. Asking a rookie quarterback to wing it from the game’s opening drive is asking for trouble. Caleb Williams, D.J. Moore, Marcedes Lewis, and others recognized it wasn’t working. That is why they pulled Waldron aside to have a frank discussion. Over the past two weeks, the offense has looked much sharper early in games, and that momentum has carried into stronger overall performances.

Lewis hinted that Shane Waldron was “walking on eggshells” around guys. He may not have felt comfortable installing a script because he wasn’t yet sure what his players could and couldn’t accomplish. If so, it’s a poor excuse. The job of the offensive coordinator is to exercise control over his unit. That means demanding crisp execution and making sure all 11 guys are on the same page. Waldron wasn’t doing that for almost a month.