The Chicago Bears dress rehearsal for the regular season takes place Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. This game won’t hold drama equivalent to Jedi Apprentice Luke Skywalker getting schooled by Jedi Master Yoda but the similarities are striking.

Andy Reid comes to Chicago to test the progress of apprentice Matt Nagy, the latest branch from his coaching tree. Strong with “the Force” was the previous apprentice. In his second season as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Doug Pederson went Darth Vader on the NFL. The Eagles flew all the way to a victory in Super LI.

The question in Chicago is how much of the movement and misdirection offense that Nagy brought from Kansas City do the Bears currently understand and can execute? With elements of a game plan in place for both sides. Here are five things Bears fans should be looking for.

What to Watch for In Saturday’s Chicago Bears Dress Rehearsal

Mitch Trubisky’s Decision Making in the Pocket

Mitch Trubisky looked like he had a better handle on the offense last week. Still, there were times you could tell he wasn’t sure where was the best place to go with the ball.

One example was during the Bears’ first offensive series. On first-and-10 at the Denver Broncos’ 34, Trubisky looked to the right, left, then launched a pass about 10 feet over Kevin White’s head out the back of the end zone.

It looked exciting like Trubisky was taking a shot at the end zone on a first down play but it was more of an example of him throwing the ball away. For that pass to be an end zone shot White, working against single coverage, should have been the first read.

After receiving criticism during training camp about the interceptions, was Trubisky being gun shy about giving White a chance to fight for that ball? Or, was it a sign of the amount of trust he currently has in White’s ability? 

The other decision Trubisky has to get better at making is understanding who is the target and where he can put the ball. On his final play before being pulled for Chase Daniel, Trubisky slung a sidearm rocket to Tarik Cohen cutting across the middle. The ball was well thrown but in coverage was Justin Williams, a safety who has 6 inches and about 40 pounds over him.

Williams outfought the diminutive running back for position and made the interception. The better target for the pass would have been on Cohen’s back hip where he could have shielded the defender from the ball, or look somewhere else.

On Saturday Trubisky face a defense that sees this same style offense every day in practice. We will get a great read on the improvement in Trubisky’s decision process and ball placement.

Mitch Trubisky’s Chemistry With His Receivers

You could see during the game against Denver that Trubiskey and Trey Burton have already established a bond of trust. That will serve the Bears well during the regular season. In the first series, Trubiskey hit Burton for a nine-yard gain, then three plays later connected with him for 18 yards. Burton was also the recipient of Trubisky’s seven-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter.

Trubisky also connected on a couple of big plays with rookie wide receiver Anthony Miller. On the first, he hung the ball up and let Miller win the fight for the catch. The second connection found Miller on the left sideline, who showed some fancy footwork to get past the first down marker.

There’s been a lot of talk about the chemistry between Trubisky and Allen Robinson in training camp. We should get to see some of that chemistry on display against the Chiefs. Also look to see who else Trubisky appears ready to trust.

Will Kevin White Continue His Strong Play (and stay healthy)?

White is looking more like the receiver the Bears thought they were getting with the seventh overall pick in 2015. He’s been strong off the line and aggressively working his routes.

White caught two passes for 15 yards against the Broncos but gained position and drew a 37-yard pass interference penalty that helped make the touchdown three plays later possible.

There’s no question that as a top 10 draft pick, and Ryan Pace’s first draft pick, that White is going to make the team. Let’s see if he can continue to stay on the field and gain more of Trubisky’s confidence.

Improvements in the Shotgun Snaps from Center

The accuracy of the snaps in the shotgun from Cody Whitehair was better last week but still need improvement.

Most would blame Whitehair’s snap that Trubisky fumbled in his own end zone for the Broncos’ safety. That wouldn’t be fair though. It was a hard snap about shoulder pad high but one that Trubisky should have securely got his hands on.

The overlooked issue with inconsistent snaps is they interfere with Trubisky’s opportunity to fake on hand-off plays. On a play against Denver, Cohen came down behind the line from the right to the left. A moment later he shot back up the line just when the ball was snapped, about helmet high to Trubisky. The opportunity to either fake or give the ball off quickly to Cohen was out-the-window.

In an offense that likes to run a lot of misdirection, Whitehair needs to provide a more consistent snap. Supposedly the Bears worked extensively on this over the past week. We’ll see how much better it gets.

Where is the pass rush going to come from?

You can’t watch all offense then take a snack or bathroom break while the defense is on the field. Outside linebacker Leonard Floyd broke two fingers on his right hand, which were repaired last week. On the other side, Aaron Lynch has yet to see the field this summer due to a hamstring injury. If any player on the Bears second or third string want to nail down a roster spot, working against Kansas City’s first string is the time to do it.

Sam Acho will start in Floyd’s spot on the left side of the line. He’s an above average linebacker and one of the leaders of the defense, he’s not an effective pass rusher.

The focus of attention is going to be the competition between Isaiah Irving and 2018 sixth round pick Kylie Fitz. Winner gets a roster spot. Loser will end up on Practice Squad duty.

The Chiefs made the playoffs last season and are regular competitors in the postseason under Andy Reid. It’s unreasonable to expect the apprentice to surpass the master with only three games under his belt but we will see how far the Bears have come. Chicago fans should get a good indication in this dress rehearsal of what to expect, at least during the first few weeks of the 2018 season.

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