Tarik Cohen stands tall as difference-maker for the Bears
Chicago Tribune linkTarik Cohen took the toss left from Mike Glennon, went about five steps before realizing the Falcons had the play outflanked, and reversed field.
From there, the Bears rookie running back captured the imagination of those still wondering if a 5-foot-6, 181-pound running back can make it in the NFL. Cohen quickly zipped past defensive end Brooks Reed, who failed to contain the back side, and easily eluded speedy linebacker Deion Jones, zipping 46 yards down the sideline before cornerback Desmond Trufant eventually dragged him down.
The Bears lost to the Falcons 23-17 on Sunday at Soldier Field, their fourth consecutive loss in a season opener, but an offensive weapon was unveiled on a roster desperately in need of one. Cohen is what the Bears long ago hoped Devin Hester would become — a mismatch in the open field, a terror with the ball in his hands and a constant headache for opponents.
Cohen will be hard-pressed to ever approach what Hester was as a returner, but as far as versatility on offense and the ease in which you can get him the ball, it's no contest. For an offense that lost wide receiver Cameron Meredith in the preseason and now might be without Kevin White, who went for X-rays after what coach John Fox called a shoulder injury, the Bears can use any difference-maker they can find, even if it's the smallest guy on the field.
Yes, the Bears knew quite well what they had. Cohen was on the field for 28 of the 67 snaps (including plays wiped out by penalty) and he touched the ball or was targeted with a pass on 18 of those plays. Cohen rushed five times for 66 yards, caught eight passes for 47 yards, handed off to Jordan Howard as the Wildcat quarterback on a zone read that went for a 4-yard touchdown and returned three punts for 45 yards. His 158 all-purpose yards set a franchise record for a rookie in a season opener, eclipsing the 148 Bob Margarita had in 1944 against the Packers.
"Not real surprised," Fox said. "We've seen him every day."
With the game on the line, Cohen was on the field for the final offensive play when Mike Glennon was sacked. Howard had dropped a pass and a potential game-winning touchdown two plays before. Howard wound up with 38 snaps, and he and Cohen were on the field at the same time on three snaps.
Cohen took a huge shot from linebacker De'Vondre Campbell and was leveled across the middle on a short pass by safety Keanu Neal. He popped back up and kept going but acknowledged afterward he needs to do a better job of turning to avoid the big collisions.
"He was awesome, man," Reed said. "He can really stretch the field. We knew he could pose a lot of problems. He got out a couple times."
Said Jones: "Oh, man, he was electrifying. He was real good. Kudos to the offensive coordinator. They did a real good job of creating plays for him to get the ball in his hands so he can do what he does. He's a real shifty guy and he's a tough competitor."
The Falcons were expecting a bigger dose of Howard, but coach Dan Quinn said they weren't asleep on Cohen as a receiver. Interestingly, the Bears didn't target him once in the preseason.
"Not like we weren't thinking about it," Quinn said. "Because we knew he had such an explosive career at (North Carolina) A&T."
The challenge moving forward, of course, is for play-caller Dowell Loggains to continue to get the ball in Cohen's hands. He made a one-handed grab and was fluid releasing from the backfield to catch a 19-yard touchdown, bowling over Trufant at the 1-yard line to get in. Considering Cohen's wide skill set, getting him the ball doesn't figure to be too difficult.
"We've seen that day in and day out," tight end Zach Miller said. "He's a stud. There was every negative thing said about the kid coming out. Too small. Can't take a hit. Blah, blah, blah. Baller. I don't care about your size.
"He's special and he's going to be that way for a long time. Taking hit after hit. Getting up. That's a man right there. I love playing football for the dude because his game is infectious. He's a stud. You can't say anything else about the kid."
Wide receiver Kendall Wright paused for a moment when asked if Cohen reminded him of anyone. Plenty of people reference Eagles running back Darren Sproles, in his 13th season, but he didn't rush for more than 350 yards until his seventh year.
"Cohen reminds me of ... Cohen," Wright said. "There ain't nobody like him. He came in and as a player, you don't know what he can do. He's so little. You see the videos, the backflips with him catching the football, but at all times he is probably the best athlete on the field.
"He comes in and he has the most energy on the team and on the field at all times. And any guy that comes in and is probably the smallest person that you have ever seen and he says, 'Call me Big Daddy,' you've got to respect that. He's special."
