Month: December 2015

Johnny Manziel Gets More Chances. Too Many.

Chris Mortenson at ESPN reports that Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel will be returning to the starting lineup after a hiatus directly related to a visit to the clubs while the team was on bye a couple weeks ago:

Johnny Manziel
Johnny Manziel

The Browns obviously feel like they need to know what they have in Manziel. I would argue that they already know – a con man with low character that is unlikely to do what it takes to succeed in the NFL.

Manziel obviously promised the team he was going to lay low over the bye week before almost immediately being photographed holding a bottle of champaign in a club. This would be after his mea culpa over the off-season where he entered rehab and after which he promised to stay out of the clubs. He was photographed partying in a club after that, too.

The whole incident reminds me of former Bears first roud draft pick Cedric Benson. Benson was arrested on his boat. Upon talking to then head coach Lovie Smith about it, Smith obviously told him that the organization would stand by him if he laid low. The next thing you know, Benson is pulled over at 2 o’clock in the morning and charged with a DUI. At that point, it doesn’t matter if you are guilty or not. You were out at two or three in the morning after promising you wouldn’t let it happen.

The Browns are obviously being more lenient with Manziel, giving him both a third and a fourth chance. Which is bad for both them and him. Benson left the Bears to perform well here and there in Cincinnati and Green Bay. But to no one’s surprise, it didn’t last and despite his obvious talent, he’s no longer in the league. And for good reason. Manziel is headed in the same direction, arguably at a faster pace.

Alshon Jeffery as a True Number One Wide Receiver? It’s Going to Be Interesting to Find Out.

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune on how the 49ers were handling Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery Sunday:

“[San Francisco nickel cornerback Jimmie] Ward said the 49ers didn’t have anything special for Alshon Jeffery in terms of coverage other than the fact that he was to be double teamed in the red zone. Jeffery had 85 yards receiving but caught only four passes.”

Aishon_jeffreySince returning from injury to re-enter the starting lineup, I would call Jeffery productive but not outstanding at 11 catches for 175 yards. This is something to keep an eye on. If Jeffery isn’t dominating despite seeing nothing out of the ordinary in terms of coverage, you have to wonder if he’s really a number one receiver. If you are Jeffery, the worse news is that teams aren’t doing anything special to stop you despite the fact that you are surrounded by mediocre talent at the other wide receiver positions. That means other teams don’t view you as a true number one wide receiver either.

I still claim that the right thing to do is to franchise Jeffery and negotiate for a long-term contract. But I’m starting to wonder what he’s going to get on the open market should he find his way there.

Of History, Star Wars and the 2015 Chicago Bears

694px-Star_Wars_Logo.svgHub Arkush at chicagofootball.com damps down fans’ expectations for the Bears playoffs hopes while suggesting what the Bears need to do in the future:

“Muhammad Wilkerson is arguably the second-best five technique in the NFL right now – there is only one J.J. Watt – he will be a free agent, and with Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams under contract, it is unlikely the Jets can keep him.

“Sign Wilkerson, draft more pass rush, find inside linebackers in free agency and the draft, get [Pernell] McPhee healthy, keep pushing [Lamarr] Houston and [Willie] Young to their ceilings, and next year about this time Bears Nation just might have something legitimate to really cheer about.”

I think there’s plenty to legitimately cheer about now. To understand why, I’ll offer a little perspective on a completely different topic.

With the new Star Wars movie due out for the Christmas season, many of my friends and acquaintances are re-watching the first six movies. Here’s what one friend had to say on Twitter about them:

When trying to understand why people love Episode 4, the first Star Wars movie, so much, you have to try to look at where it came from.

In 1977 when I was a kid, my best friend’s father worked at McDonald Douglas. In other words, he was a geeky engineer/scientist who worked with other geeky engineers/scientists. One day he approached us and said he’d heard about this movie at work. He said he’d pay for us to go if we’d go with him to see it because, “that way if it’s not any good, you won’t be out any money.”

Can you imagine? He paid for us to see Star Wars because he was afraid it wouldn’t be any good.

Here’s this movie. It comes out of nowhere. No budget. No advertising. It opened in 32 theaters nation-wide. But it was something new and different that grew into a national phenomenon. It’s something that grew from nothing on a scale that we’ll never, ever see happen again. Certainly not in my lifetime. Can you imagine watching the movie from that perspective – without ever having seen any of the other episodes of the epic?

In terms of the movie, itself, it’s likely that I like it exactly for some of the reasons that my friend doesn’t. The first movie has a light quality that the others don’t. It doesn’t take itself anywhere near as seriously as, for instance, Empire does. It certainly didn’t have the eye toward marketing by creating cute little stuffed animals that make good action figures.

Though I didn’t at the time, I understand now why Empire and the other movies had to be what they were. These movies had to develop the necessary gravitas to carry an epic, six episode series detailing the environmentally friendly family history where that cute little kid gradually descends into darkness to become Darth Vader, only to be redeemed in the end. But I’ll always miss the light spontaneity of that first film that I saw as a kid. It was historic, impossible to reproduce and now it lives on only in the splinter of my mind’s eye.

I don’t expect to have changed my friend’s mind on this. But understand that this goes beyond the bounds of taste. It certainly goes beyond the bounds of “nostalgia”. It’s a question of art and history and perspective in the moment that goes beyond all that.

Why did I tell this story? Because there’s a lot to be said about the current Bears season in a similar vein. What’s happening is one of the most unbelievable coaching jobs I’ve ever seen. Certainly in Chicago. We have a gutsy group of no name players with nowhere near as much talent as the majority of teams in the league, especially on defense. And yet they continue to astound us by winning games no one thought that they could in spite of it. They play smart, tough football and they’ve bought entirely into the team concept body and soul. They’re a wonderful example of what can be done when that is the case, one that we can carry away with us and remember forever.

People respond to some of my posts and claim that I’m being negative by pointing out how slim the Bears hopes were/are of making the playoffs. But can’t you see, at least for this year, that it doesn’t matter? Can’t you sit back and appreciate what you are seeing as it happens on an entirely different – and much more important – scale?

As Hub suggests, the Bears might eventually get a lot better than they are now. They might make the playoffs for years to come, win multiple Super Bowls and achieve heights we could never have imagined this time last year. But some of us will always remember the feeling we have right now as we watch this team maximize it’s talent and achieve more than most of us thought was possible. For some of us, no matter what the future brings, this will always be our favorite team. And that, indeed, is worth cheering about. It’s worth a lifetime of it.

Game Comments: 49ers at Bears 12/6/15

Image-1Defense

  1. The 49ers came out with a conservative offensive game plan with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback. It was mostly dump offs and runs for much of the game with very little downfield until the game winner.
  2. The 49ers had a tough time moving the ball in the first quarter and, in particular, did a poor job of running the ball. They did a better job starting in the second quarter by going up temp and executing a little better. Shaun Draughn did a particularly nice job of running the ball.
  3. The 49er game plan did a particularly good job of taking advantage of the Bears lack of speed at linebacker. Time after time Gabbert would dump the ball off to a back coming out of the backfield that had managed to get good separation from the linebacker who was covering him.
  4. Gabbert wasn’t as accurate as I was led to believe he’s been in previous games. But he did a surprisingly good job of gashing the Bears with his mobility.
  5. As with the Packers game on Thanksgiving, the coverage by the defensive backs was generally excellent today. I thought Kyle Fuller did a particularly good job.
  6. The Bears only rushed four for most of this game and to my eye had a tough time getting pressure on Gabbert. Having said that, Willie Young had a good day with a sack and a half.

Offense

  1. The Bears came out running the ball and generally did a good job of it. The offensive line did a nice job of blocking the 49ers and moving them at the line of scrimmage, especially early. They also recommitted to the running game after halftime with some success. The Bears will always have a good chance if they can run the ball.
  2. Jay Cutler was unusually erratic with his throws downfield today. As usual, he saw some pressure.
  3. The 49ers did some damage with well-timed blitzes against both the run and the pass. The first 49er touchdown on a pick six from Cutler comes to mind immediately. The 49ers tricked Cutler into audibling into a quick pass to the outside by bringing a blitz. It was a very nice job by the 49er defense, which obviously anticipated that Cutler would do this based upon film study.
  4. The Bears game plan for the running backs was interesting. Tehy split both Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford wide and frequently went to an empty set with them on the field. This forced the 49ers to respond with a defensive alignment that respected the run with the Bears in a passing formation. This is something we’ve seen on occasion befor but I don’t remember them ever doing it this much.
  5. Matt Forte had a particularly good game. Sometimes he just wouldn’t go down. His touchdown run early in the second quarter where he literally dragged the defense from the line of scrimmage into the end zone comes to mind as a good example.
  6. Also, let’s give Ka’Deem Carey some love. The guy runs extremely hard.

Miscellaneous

  1. Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Laura Okmin did a nice job. Johnston, in particular, peppered the game with timely and insightful comments that we don’t see often enough from many other color men around the league outside of prime games.
  2. Robbie Gould missed a 40 yard field goal in the third quarter that the Bears could have really needed with the game tied at 13. It’s worth noting that the game was tied at 13 because the 49ers missed an extra point. Not a great game for the special teams until Deonte Thompson ran the ball back into field goal range with 1:32 remaining in the regulation. And of course, that was followed by another missed field goal. Robbie Gould is having an off year. Part of it may be losing Patrick Mannelly. They had yet another new long snapper this week. On the punt late in the second quarter that eventually went through the back of the endzone, someone will have to explain to me what Tracy Porter thought he was doing when he touched that ball.
  3. The Bears committed far too many penalties in this game (8 badly timed penalties for 75 yards). Time after time they would have a good, productive offensive play only to have it called back for a penalty. They can’t play a ball control offense and set themselves back like this. A hold on LaRoy Reynolds early in the game on a punt return was also particularly egregious as it took a Bryce Callahan touchdown off the board.
  4. Jeremy Langford has had a drop in each of the last three games. He’s got to do better than that, especially with the Bears splitting him out as a wide receiver.
  5. The Bears dominated the first quarter in this game but left the 49ers in it by giving up the pick as noted above under “Offense”. They have a narrow margin for error and need to avoid mistakes of that type more than most teams. Perhaps someone needs to give Cutler more options and/or remind him not to audible to that play so often to keep the defense guessing.
  6. This was a frustrating game to watch. The Bears were the better team on the field as they dominated the time of possession but, for the first time all year, time after time they shot themselves in the foot with sloppy play, especially penalties. Could it have been a let down coming off of the victory at Green Bay followed by a long 11 day break? I don’t know. But I do hope we don’t see this again and that the team gets back to the kind of play that has been their trademark for most of this season.

Bears Need to Evaluate the Plan at the Linebacker Position

Hub Arkush at chicagofootball.com answers you questions:

“From @BFlores44: Can Christian Jones develop into anything other than an average linebacker?

“Based on on what we’ve seen so far it’s looking more doubtful each week. Jones certainly has the size, athleticism and body type to be a very good one. But after 11 starts this year we’re not seeing any of the instincts and playmaking the position requires.”

Christian Jones isn’t even average. From what I can tell based upon performance, the Bears have a pretty big need at inside linebacker (like pretty much everywhere else on defense). It appears to me that the team actually does like Shea McClellin, probably because he’s show the ability to hold up a bit better inside against the run than any of us thought he could. Arkush’s opinion is even lower than mine:

“Shea is not the athlete Jones is and unlike Jones, McClellin has clearly learned the position, is usually in the right place at the right time on the field and is well past being a prospect. McClellin just doesn’t make plays and when he does they are usually chasing the ball from behind or getting dragged after initial contact.”

Both of the starting linebackers are liabilities in coverage and both are slow reacting to the ball, making the Bears more than usually vulnerable to the run-play action pass game.

The Bears need better play at this position if they are to become truly competitive with the best teams in the league. I can’t imagine Jones being on the team much beyond this season.

Miami Dolphins in Desperate Need of Change

Armando Salguero at the Miami Herald sees what I see when I watch the Dolphins:

“Why are the Dolphins asking [5-10 cornerback Brent Grimes] to do these things?

“Last Sunday, after it was clear to everyone in the stadium [Jets wide receiver Brandon] Marshall was winning [one-on-one against Grimes], why didn’t the Dolphins change things a bit. I mean, that 3-yard TD in which Marshall basically boxed out Grimes in the end zone in one-on-one coverage was predictable to everyone in the stadium the second the offense and defense lined up.

“It is a coach’s job to put a player in a position to succeed. Grimes was not put in a position to succeed there.”

“Compare Grimes to Jamar Taylor who has given up touchdown after touchdown, completion after completion, to the point he’s been benched. That should be and is a bigger concern because while Grimes wins much of the time, Taylor wins very infrequently.

“Compare that to safety Walt Aikens who has blown more coverages and given up more plays than anyone else in the Dolphins secondary this season. He’s benched now, too.”

“That is the bigger concern than a 5-10 guy predictably losing to a 6-4 guy. One-half of the secondary is simply not good enough to even be on the field. And that half is supposed to be the future.”

“Maybe instead of worrying about replacing [Grimes], everyone might want to think about putting him in better positions to succeed.”

Couldn’t agree more. I watch the Dolphins play and my first thought is, “That coaching staff has to go.”

Could it be that the talent wasn’t as good as we thought it was at the beginning of the year? Probably. But I don’t think we were that far off and the guess here is that its the coaching staff isn’t getting it done. They aren’t developing the talent. And they aren’t putting that talent in the best position to succeed. And after ownership tears the house down they aren’t going to have jobs next season.

An Endorsement for Grass Over Turf from the Men Who Know

It happens every year. There will be some game where a team will come to town and the ground at Solider Field will be painted green because they couldn’t get grass to grow and the condition of the field is terrible. That will be followed by a storm of comments and calls from fans demanding that the Bears change the field to artificial turf.

So before the annual calls for artificial turf at Soldier Field start, I thought it might be worthwhile to take a look at what’s happening in Baltimore where they are switching to grass next year. Via Jeff Zrebiec at The Baltimore Sun:

“[Ravens president Dick] Cass said. ‘… The primary factor was our players really wanted to play on grass and we think that playing on grass is just more consistent with the way football should be played in Baltimore.’

“The decision was well received in the Ravens locker room.

“‘Especially with me [having] two knee surgeries, I just walked off practice and I can tell the difference from practicing on the turf field and outside [on grass],’ cornerback Lardarius Webb said. ‘We’re looking at the numbers. They say injuries happen more on turf than on grass — simple as that.'”

When you come right down to it, this is a safety issue. I’m betting that is the way that Bears ownership views it and, despite the occasionally deplorable condition of the field in Chicago, I’m betting that’s why they haven’t changed to artificial turf.

I’ve long held that this is something that should be up to the players. And though the condition of the grass at Soldier Field almost certainly isn’t as good as the field will be in Baltimore, the bet here is that when push comes to shove, the majority of Bears players would prefer grass because even bad grass is safer than turf. If that’s the case, grass it should be.

Will We See Kevin White? Who Knows?

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune answers your questions yet again:

“What is the latest on Kevin White? Any chance he is activated and plays? — @GreaseMaul from Twitter

“White was involved in practice on Wednesday but I’d say it remains unlikely he is activated. Coach John Fox was asked about how White practiced and he responded that the first-round draft pick was ‘on target.’ When asked what he was on target for, Fox replied, ‘tomorrow’s practice.’ What’s been forgotten by some people is White has been out since early June. I don’t think a handful of practices over this week and next will be enough to get him ready to play this season. I believe he will first set foot on the field for the Bears in the 2016 season.”

kevin-white-chicago-bearsReports have consistently claimed that White won’t be playing this year. But its virtually impossible for them to know for sure without knowing exactly how much White is doing in practice and what he look slike while doing it. I would imagine that’s virtually impossible to determine in the limited time that practices are open to the media, particularly since Fox is probably trying to hide White’s true status.  Reporters are therefore likely getting most of their information from team sources that can’t be completely trusted.

There is something to be said for the question of how much White could help even if the Bears let him back on the field. He was thought to be the least ready of the top wide receivers in the draft, having a great deal of talent but needing a lot of work on things like route running and reading defenses. However, the guess here is that White couldn’t hurt. Even in his raw state, he’s probably better than the likes of Marc Mariani and Marquess Wilson on the outside.

Bottom line, though I’m inclined to think based upon the reports that White won’t play this year, I question the basis of those reports and I wouldn’t be too surprised if they turned out to be wrong. If they are wrong, the Bears will be better for it.

Still a True Need for the Best Available

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune answers more of your questions:

“How have the areas of need changed from the start of the season to now? Or have they? — @danjnolte

“I don’t know that things have shifted drastically for the Bears since the start of the season. I think the pass rush needs some more juice, and that is something pretty much everyone said when the season began, right? They could use another safety and they have to see what happens with Tracy Porter at cornerback as he will be a free agent. I think they need a good guard and I said that at the start of the season. Defensive end is another position that should be addressed. Inside linebacker too. I think pretty much all of those positions stood out at the end of August but it should be noted the Bears have gotten better play at most of those positions than most people expected.”

The problem with the Bears doing as well as they have been, particularly on defense, is that the good coaching tends to hide the lack of talent that the Bears have all over the field.

My eye tells me the same thing that Biggs’ answer says. The Bears have needs all over the field, particularly on defense. You can make an argument for literally any position on the field, even in the first round, except left tackle, running back and – maybe, depending on the status of Martellus Bennett and Zack Miller – tight end. You could argue cornerback in that list but who really believes that Tracy Porter will remain this healthy?  And I do include quarterback of the future in that if Ryan Pace finds one that he believes in, he can’t afford to pass him up in any round.

It’s worth re-iterating. The Bears have a talent gap. Its big enough to whee they will almost certainly be looking for the best available prospect at any position throughout the draft in 2016.

Doing It All the Time

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune answers your questions:

“Why hasn’t Lamarr Houston been promoted to starter yet? I think he’s proven over the last few weeks that he’s the answer opposite Pernell McPhee. It can’t be because he’s a liability on first and second down, can it? All I heard and read when he came over from Oakland was what a great run defender he is. Not to mention he’s certainly being paid like a starter, as opposed to Sam Acho or Willie Young. — Nicholas D., Birmingham, Ala.”

Biggs points out that Houston’s snaps increased dramatically against the Packers.

“More important than the designation of who is starting is playing time, so that’s worth keeping in mind, too. I don’t think decisions on playing time should be based on money either. When you start putting players on the field because they have a bigger paycheck, that’s when you get in trouble. Young’s contract isn’t shabby either. He’s earning a base salary of $2.45 million this season. I like the way they’re moving guys in and out at outside linebacker and handling McPhee’s knee situation, which is clearly keeping him on the sideline more than anyone would like.”

jimmy-garoppolo-lamarr-houston-nfl-chicago-bears-new-england-patriots-850x560I couldn’t agree more. Both Young and Houston have earned more playing time. I also feel the need to point out that Houston has a bad habit of disappearing until points in the game where the opponent absolutely has to pass and he can go all out after the quarterback without worrying about other responsibilities. I’d like to see him do it at other points in the game before I’ll become a real believer that he’s as good as his recent statistics indicate.