Dan Pompei at the Chicago Tribune answers your questions:
“Hi Dan. Did you see Rodney Harrison‘s take on playing Tom Brady? He said the only way they got to Tom in practice was to play tight press coverage and make him throw it into tight spaces. If the Bears somehow make the Super Bowl and face the Pats, are they capable of this type of gameplan? I’m just looking for some hope after this backhand from reality. Vinny Diemelo, Chicago
“I did see Rodney Harrison say that on profootballtalk.com. Interesting take. And certainly, it would be worth trying. But I’d be dubious about the chances of it succeeding for a couple of reasons. The Bears don’t have the type of cornerbacks who match up well playing tight press coverage against the Patriots’ smaller, quicker receivers. And with the way Brady is playing now, I’m not sure any kind of defense would slow him down much. The only way to stop him is to put him on his back, and that’s not easy to do either.”
I didn’t see Harrison say this but I’m not surprised. I think the only way to prevent the Patriots from using their personnel groupings to generate unfavorable match ups is to play man-to-man.
I also agree with Pompei that the Bears don’t have the defensive backs to do it. But for those who watched or reviewed last night’s game, you will note that the Packers do have the type of players that match up will with the Patriots and they gave them a good, competitive game despite a plethora of injuries this year.
Its good for the Bears that the Patriots won. If they take care of business tonight, they can clinch the division. But don’t make the mistake of believing that the Pats are a freight train headed toward a Super Bowl. There’s still a lot of football to be played and the right kind of team can and maybe will beat them.