Cole Kmet called a “unicorn” by Ben Johnson as offense evolves |
Ariana Pensy
· · 3 hours ago
CHICAGO - While the Chicago Bears had numerous problems on offense last season, one issue that seemed to keep coming up was the cadence. That issue is resurfacing a little bit so far in training camp. With so many new pieces on the offense, particularly the offensive line, this is not surprising.
But it is still something to keep an eye on. “I think the cadence within the whole unit has been choppy at times. The get-off hasn’t been the way we want it, center snapping it maybe a tick early or a little bit late and then we’ve had a couple times, the hot days, the ball’s wet and it’s gotten away from us,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “But, we’re working to be more consistent in that regard. I think when we do, whether it’s under center or in the shotgun, I think we’ll feel a lot better about how practices went.” Although the Bears elected to use their first-round pick on a tight end, Colston Loveland out of Michigan, Johnson is going to have fun creating matchup nightmares for defenses with Chicago’s veteran tight end, Cole Kmet. Kmet is No. 4 among tight ends in franchise history in receiving yards and easily could move into No. 2 by the end of this season. Throughout his time in Chicago, Kmet has been a consistent player and security blanket for the quarterback. “I think he’s a little bit of a unicorn. You can put him all over the place and in-line to out the numbers, slot, I think you can move him around quite a bit. I think the beauty of having him outside the numbers is if you get him matched up on a safety or a linebacker even and that’s going to be a good thing. He’s going to be able to win those matchups on a consistent basis. He’s such a large target that if you put it somewhere close to him, he’ll find a way to come down with it.” Defensively, there is also a lot of promise with new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and other new additions to the defensive coaching staff. Allen’s mentality pairs perfectly with Johnson’s demand for perfection. Further, his defense has already been challenging Johnson’s offense a lot in training camp so far. “I have a high level of confidence in the entire coaching staff. I told them last night that they’re doing just a phenomenal job across the board. They’re bringing energy to every practice. They’re coaching up the little things. I think their guys are ready to play and compete everyday that we go out there and so, with (Allen) in particular, I think (the) defense has had the upper hand on the offense for the most part of camp and I think that he’s a guy that’s not going to show any mercy,” Johnson said. “He’s keeping his foot on the pedal and wants to keep on installing and bringing the noise and so, I appreciate that. His mentality is rubbing off on our players, certainly on the defensive side and then even this morning, I go into his office and he gives me some tips here and there about being a head coach and so, that’s invaluable.” Chicago will open their season with a defensive challenge against the Minnesota Vikings on Mon, Sept 8 (7:15 p.m. / ABC). However, it is possible they will be without star cornerback Jaylon Johnson. “I think there’s a scenario where he’ll be ready for week one and that’s really the target date,” Johnson said. “I know he’s working hard and diligently to get there for that and with those types of injuries that he’s got, you just never know. You never know. So, it’s still early in that process, but I know he’s attacking that rehab really well.”
