Only 13 offensive snaps? Bears defend usage of rookie RB Tarik Cohen

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Bears running back Tarik Cohen runs against the Packers. (Getty Images)

Rookie Tarik Cohen was double-teamed out of the left slot on the second play of the game last Sunday.

“I hate it,” he said. “I want them to play me one-on-one. Make it fair.”

Cohen was used to the defense stalking him as a college running back — “I felt like I was 11-teamed the whole game,” he said — but not as a pro receiver. It was the ultimate sign of respect from the Packers, who hadn’t doubled a Bears receiver in the last three years.

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And yet, for some reason, Cohen played only 12 more downs.

One of the Bears’ many pass-catching personnel tweaks, Cohen was limited to one catch and one rush while being on the field only 21.7 percent of the time.

Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains understands it seems odd — “It’s hard not to get impatient and say, ‘Hey, look, we gotta get him on the field more,’ ” he said — but, along with coach John Fox, tried to explain why Wednesday:

Reason 1: Pass protection

The last skill rookies acquire, Fox said, is pass protection. The Bears preferred that veteran Benny Cunningham try to block Clay Matthews. He had more than double Cohen’s snaps.

“Things change altogether on third down,” Fox said. “Defenses are way more exotic. Everybody in the stadium kind of knows that it’s going to be a pass if it’s third-and-two or more. So it becomes a little bit more critical.”

Patience is the biggest key to pass-blocking, Cohen said.

“Nothing’s going to start without the protection coming first,” he said. “So it’s staying in, making sure everything is picked up and then getting out in your route.”

Cohen is both willing and smart enough to pass-block, Fox said. But he plays receiver and running back and returns kicks and punts.

“It’s just that we’ve got a lot on his plate,” Fox said, “and that plate is getting heavier.”

Reason 2: Defensive adjustments

Cohen had eight catches in each of his first two games. Defenses adjusted, and he has only 13 since.

The Packers doubled Cohen, and the Saints ran a special nickel package whenever he was on the field. Teams throw as many unique looks at Cohen as they do rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky, Loggains said.

“Sometimes you go in anticipating one thing,” Loggains said. “And when they do something they’ve never done before, now it’s, ‘Make sure those two young players get on the same page.’ ”

The Bears, of course, must counterpunch.

“It’s more about one-on-one matchups,” Cohen said. “Or one-on-two, in this case.”

The Bears want to play Cohen at running back more — it’s harder to double-team him that way — but not at the expense of Jordan Howard. The two shared the backfield on an option play, but Cohen still finished with only one rush.

Since running 14 times in Baltimore, Cohen has five attempts combined the last three games.

Reason 3: Other weapons

Shuffling receivers each week has hurt the Bears, Trubisky said, but he hopes those days are over. They had their best game against the Packers.

“I think we finally figured that room out and who brings what to the table,” Trubisky said. “And we continue to get better and grow as a group.

“I like what I’m seeing, so we just need to continue to develop that rhythm and timing and keep building that chemistry.”

That lets the Bears be more judicious with Cohen’s snaps. They used him as a decoy against the Packers, too. He motioned defenses away from the ball on “ghost routes.”

The Bears made other curious personnel changes to the their receiving corps against Green Bay. Fox took responsibility, although it was a staff decision.

Josh Bellamy played a whopping 40 snaps because “he’s probably our fastest wide receiver” and blocks well, Loggains said. Tre McBride had only seven snaps. Loggains argued that he had played his best game the week before, saying that “might not match with what the coaches see on tape when balls aren’t going your way or how you’re getting separation vs. man coverage.”

Dontrelle Inman kept Trubisky calm in his Bears debut. Another vet, Markus Wheaton, played only two snaps in his return from a groin pull in part because he hasn’t developed chemistry with Trubisky in practice.

“It was extremely frustrating, but I am coming off an injury,” Wheaton said of his playing time. “I just gotta keep pushing, man, keep getting healthy, show them that I am healthy, and I’m sure it’ll change.”

Cohen’s playing time should, too. Despite the Bears’ reasoning, 13 snaps are too few.

Follow me on Twitter @patrickfinley.

Email: pfinley@suntimes.com

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