Author: Tom Shannon

Do the Bears Regret Trading Greg Olsen? And Other Points of View.

Bears

“Despite what he said immediately after the season, Smith probably wouldn’t be too shattered if the rumors that have Packers assistant Winston Moss as the favorite to land the Raiders job are true.”

“So, the team needs to add at least two cornerbacks to the mix and probably three. If they can upgrade over what Jennings has given them the last two seasons, that would be a plus, especially when they run into the Green Bay Packers twice next season.”

“Former NFL scout Dave Razzano recently ranked his top general manager candidates in The Razz Report, and he listed Licht as No. 7.

“Wrote Razzano, ‘Both organized and thorough in his approach, the personable Licht has worked under some of the league’s more prominent names like Jimmy Johnson, Andy Reid and now Belichick, where he plays a big part in keeping the Pats on top of the AFC standings. Licht has played a strong role with three different teams now and will likely find himself on several GM short lists in the near future. His eye for talent and overall personnel skills are why Bill Belichick brought him back to New England after a short stint with the Arizona Cardinals.’”

“Here’s how former Tribune In the Wake of the News sports columnist Michael Holley described Emery in his book War Room:

“’He worked at the Naval Academy for seven years, so he’s not a career military man, although he does sound like one: His voice is clear and commanding. … He’s got an iPad in front of him with his notes as well as reports from the scouts. His recall is impressive. … You get the feeling the iPad isn’t always necessary due to his ability to give historical playbacks from memory.’”

“If the Bears hire Emery, he will have to be a good learner too. He doesn’t have much experience with the salary cap and contracts, pro personnel or sitting in an office.

“’That was the knock on Thomas Dimitroff, Jerry Reese, Ted Thompson, Trent Baalke and a number of guys who have become successful general managers,’ Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli said. ‘He runs the scouting staff, and that is quite a responsibility.’”

“But if the Bears franchise him not for the purpose of negotiations, but instead as their final decision on how to compensate him in 2012, there could be trouble.

“Forte [told ESPN Radio 1000]: “A lot of teams franchise guys so that they can get a deal done or negotiate a deal. It just depends on what the motive of that is.

“The franchise tag for running backs this offseason is expected to be a little less than $8 million. If it seems clear the Bears plan to pay him that salary, with no credible offer for an extension beyond the 2012 season, Forte implied he might not be in training camp on time.

“’I wouldn’t say holdout,’ he said, ‘but people probably wouldn’t know where I was.’”

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Elsewhere

  • Many people associated with the Kansas City Chiefs, including former head coach Todd Haley, thought Pioli had the team head quarters bugged.  From a very interesting article by Kent Babb at the Kansas City Star.
  • Think the Bears are taking too much time to hire a general manager?  You’ll want to see what Mike Silver at Yahoo sports has to say about the Raiders’ “search”.  Apparently you’re not doing it right no matter how you handle it.

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  • Omar Kelly at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin is the choice for head coach in Miami.  Philbin Is an interesting choice.  The Dolphins are looking for a proficient pass-oriented offense like the Packers.  But one wonders how much head coach Mike McCarthy had to do with designing that offense and getting it to run.  Philbin’s background is with the offensive line.  That’s usually not the kind of person a big time passing offense comes from.
  • McCarthy might be a Packer but his comments to the Associated Press indicate that he most certainly is not dumb.  Much has been said about Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers not being quite as sharp as usual throwing to receivers who were dropping balls all over the field last weekend in their loss to the Giants.  But McCarthy put his finger right on one of the major problems that went largely unappreciated:

“‘The tackling just was not there all year,’ McCarthy said in press conference to end the season, via the Associated Press.  ‘Without getting into the specific statistics, we did not tackle well enough as a football team, from start to finish.  It’s something that’s emphasized every single day in practice and something that [defensive coordinator] Dom [Capers] and I talked a lot about today.’”

“Success has its challenges, and one is replacing the inevitable brain drain that occurs as opponents try to replicate. This month, the Packers have lost a top front office talent in [Reggie] McKenzie and one of their top coaches in Philbin. The pressure is on the Packers to continue to develop qualified successors.”

“‘If you hit them in the mouth and you stand up to them, that’s the way you play it,’ Williams told the Baltimore Sun. ‘I think when you’re as good as they are, you get used to people kind of being intimidated. And I think when you show them that you’re not, it automatically makes them have to change the way they’re used to playing, and that automatically gives us an advantage.’”

One Final Thought

Biggs also reviews the Bears tight end position:

“As the Patriots other tight end Rob Gronkowski was tying an NFL playoff record with three touchdown receptions Saturday night in a 45-10 demolition of the Denver Broncos, former Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen reacted on Twitter. He pointed out the Bears had a tight end making plays for them in the postseason a year ago.

“He’s right. Olsen caught three passes for 113 yards with a 58-yard touchdown in the 35-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round. It was his second-to-last game in a Bears uniform as he was traded to the Carolina Panthers on the eve of training camp.”

“Trading Olsen didn’t help the Bears’ passing attack in 2011 but the moves made did augment the running game. It’s time to find a way for the tight ends to start helping the quarterback by doing more than chip blocking from time to time.”

If Greg Olsen wants to invite comparisons to the New England tight ends, he’s making a serious mistake.  Teams are showing once again that the tight end can be a great weapon in the passing game.  But you need more than Olsen, a glorified wide receiver who can be covered by a nickel back.  I doubt the Bears regret a thing.

Former Bear Chris Harris Was “Too Outspoken” and Other Points of View

Bears

  • Dave Toub is still in the mix for the Miami Dolphins job. We’d all hate to see him leave. But I have to say that, based upon what I’ve seen on the field from patch work personnel, I think Toub would make a great head coach. I’m rooting for him.

According to Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune, Toub may leave anyway. A 15 day exclusive negotiating rights period for the Bears ends Monday and Toub becomes a free agent. Hopefully he’s happy here and accepts a reasonable offer from the Bears.

“As someone who respects your NFL insights, I read your column on Jerry Angelo‘s departure with great interest and surprise. It seems that the 2011 Bears had a very thin roster due in large part to the high number of recent draft picks that never became solid NFL players, and I had assumed that Angelo was the person who should bear most of the responsibility for the poor draft performance. Or is player development the bigger issue? Am I missing something? John Bradford, Arlington Heights

“If you want to blame someone for draft picks that missed, ultimately you have to blame Angelo. The buck stops with the general manager. But it’s not as simple as saying one person is responsible for all the evils of the roster. Every selection of his was made by consensus decision. And, as you point out, there is a player development issue at work. An organization’s ability to identify, select and develop players is only as strong as its weakest link. And the weakest link isn’t always in one place. You have to look at every player who didn’t work out individually to figure out why.”

I have said that I believe that Lovie Smith is a good head coach. But I have to wonder if he isn’t the weakest link in terms of personnel. Can the Bears live with that? It will be interesting to see how the new general manager handles the situation.

In [Earl] Bennett’s absence, [Dane] Sanzenbacher, the undrafted free agent from Ohio State, stepped up. Nineteen of his 25 receptions came in the first seven games when, for a while, he was the team’s leading wide receiver. It’s not a condemnation of Sanzenbacher to say something is wrong with that. An undrafted college free agent should not step in and lead a team in receiving unless something is wrong with the receivers in place.

Biggs thinks wide receiver is the team’s number one need. If its not, its close. The Bears have so many holes that the new GM should have no problem taking the best player available regardless of position.

  • Biggs also reviews the defensive line. He notes that Stephen Paea started slow but came on towards the end of the year. I had my doubts about Paea but it looks like he might develop into something, yet. He also points out that Matt Toeaina moved ahead of Anthony Adams into the starting line up. Adams may have seen his last days as a Bear. Frankly, I wasn’t impressed with either one of these guys this year and no one would be surprised to see the Bears draft (yet another) defensive tackle. Toeaina needs to pick it up next year to make the roster.
  • Former NFL coach John Madden on Chicago Tribune Live talks about Mike Tice‘s promotion to offensive coordinator:

“I really like Mike Tice a lot. I have enormous respect for him as an offensive line coach and then his years there (as head coach) in Minnesota,” Aikman said. “I’ve just not seen offensive linemen come in and be coordinators and be very effective. We’ll see how it works out, but this is a passing league. Mike Tice wants to run the ball.

“Can you win? Yeah, you can win. But if I were a quarterback, I’d want to be playing for somebody who understands the passing game about as well as anyone else around the league.”

I heard local radio analysts moan about Mike Martz and offensive balance all year (despite the fact that they were balanced between the run and the pass most of the time).  But I’ll say this. The NFL is a passing league and you better be able to do it and you better be able to be aggressive about it. Mike Martz was a guy who could do that. Can Mike Tice? Like Aikman, I have my doubts.

Elsewhere

  • Justin Rogers at MLive.com writes about how teams took advantage of Ndamukong Suh‘s aggressivenessto run right at him. Suh, like the rest of the Lions team, has to learn to play with discipline if he wants to take the next step.
  • Dave Birkett at the Detroit Free Press makes this point about the Lions:

“Including Saturday night, when New Orleans amassed an NFL playoff-record 626 yards of offense and never punted once, the Lions went a combined 0-6 against conference teams that made the playoffs.”

No matter which way they turn, the Lions will be on the hook for a ceiling-crushing commitment to Johnson. Unless he makes a cash concession to lessen the cap hit, the Lions are in a really, really tough spot.

Johnson may have a cap number of $22 million dollars next year.

The reality of the Packers defense is somewhere between two numbers.

The first number is 32 — where the Packers ranked in yards allowed during the regular season.

The second number is 1 — where the Packers ranked in takeaways.

This is where I believe Lovie Smith and the Bears defensive coaching staff excel. Somehow, year after year, Smith seems to be able to get his players to strike a balance between the aggressiveness needed to generate turnovers and the risk associated with it. The get turnovers (when they’re playing well) but still manage to be consistent as a unit by giving up the big play. Smith seems to have a gift of instilling just the right kind of attitude of controlled aggression in defensive players. If only he could get the offensive players to execute with that kind of consistency and balance.

  • Rafael Vila at the Cowboys Nation blog always does a good job of analyzing the draft, particularly as it affects Dallas. This entryabout how teams determine whether they will move up or stay put was interesting.
  • Vila also notes the first thing that came to mind for many of us after watching the Atlanta Falcons rapidly exit the playoffs with obvious weaknesses at the line of scrimmage:

“The Falcons took a big step forward last year, but were throttled by the champion Packers in the divisional round.  Atlanta’s brass convinced themselves they were only a player short and went all-in for receiver Julio Jones.  They flipped last year’s 1st, 2nd and 4th rounders for the Alabama flyer.  Jones had a solid season, but yesterday, his offensive line and his team’s secondary looked anemic.  Might those marquee picks have been better spent filling in the remaining holes on the team?

“The Falcons will hear that question a lot, because they also owe this year’s 1st and 4th round picks to the Browns to complete the Jones deal.”

  • This one got by me completely but Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com notes that the hiring of Josh McDaniels to help the Patriots during their playoff run signals the existence of a loop hole in the NFL rules that needs to be closed:

“If player rosters become frozen in place when a team’s season ends, coaches who finish the season with one team shouldn’t be permitted to join a team that is still alive in the playoffs.

“Regardless of whether former Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ presence on the Patriots’ staff will make a difference for a team that has lost two straight home postseason games without him, the ability of a coach from a non-playoff team to climb aboard the bandwagon of a playoff squad seems unfair.”

One Final Thought
Dez Clark and Alex Brown interview former Bears and current Lions safety Chris Harris. Harris thinks he was released from the Bears because he was “too outspoken” about a number of things while with the Bears.

The role that Lovie Smith’s ego may have played in this aside, what Harris apparently doesn’t understand is that lack of discipline off the field leads to lack of discipline on it. In retrospect, he’s probably a better fit with the Lions.

Angelo’s Relationship with Ownership May Have Led to His Demise and Other Points of View

Bears

“An intriguing figure here is Bears receivers coach Darryl Drake.”

“[Drake] has a good relationship with [Mike] Tice, shares a smash-mouth philosophy that involves wideouts blocking (or sitting on the bench) and was part of the Bears managing to have nine different receivers with at least 18 receptions this season, the most since 10 in 1994.”

I hope the Bears look outside of the organization to fill this position.  Specifically I hope they use it to attract a top notch quarterback coach like former Bear coach Greg Olson.  Whether Olson would want to come back to the Bears after experiencing what he undoubtedly felt was a dysfunctional situation at the time is another question.

One of the many reasons why the Green Bay Packers are so successful offensively is that they have two quarterbacks coaches on their staff if you include the head coach.   The Bears don’t have any and arguably didn’t have any worth the name at all last year. Remember that Jay Cutler went outside the organization for coaching in the off season due to the lockout. I’m sure Mike Martz is OK with quarterbacks, especially as the X’s and O’s go.  But I would argue that Cutler probably got a lot more out of his offseason with a real QB coach than from either Martz and Shane Day during the season.

  • On a related note, Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune makes this valid point:

“Cutler might push for Jeremy Bates, who he worked with previously with the Broncos. Bates was out of the NFL this season after one year with the Seahawks. How would [Lovie] Smith perceive him after Bates declined overtures from the Bears for an interview two years ago? Maybe just fine. Sources said [Jerry] Angelo turned off Bates.”

I don’t know that Bates is the best choice.  But whatever else you think of him, at least he’s a quarterback coach who should have some idea of what he’s doing after serving under Mike Shanahan and as offensive coordinator under Pete Carroll.

“April 27, 2008:

“‘We’re in the business of winning football games. We’re not going to prostitute character. We don’t put winning in front of character.'”

“April 2011, on a botched trade with the Ravens:

“’Believe me, I am going into my 31st year in this league. There has been a hell of a lot worse that has been done, believe me, on the clock and there have been things out there documented so let’s not get into judging souls here. If there is something that needs to be done, I trust the league will do their due diligence and so be it.’”

 Angelo’s first quote is laudable and, in fact, I think he generally did his best to live up to it.  That makes it all the more disappointing that he badly failed in this respect by not making good on a botched trade with the Baltimore Ravens by giving them the fourth round pick they should have had in last year’s draft.

  • Dan Pompei  at the Chicago Tribune gives his thoughts on the way the organization is handling the search for a new general manager:

“[Ted] Phillips says he is unconcerned [about the search]. ‘There are a lot of candidates out there that would be proud to work with a coach like Lovie Smith,’ he said.

“Certainly, the new GM could do a lot worse than Smith. That’s not the point.

“The point is the coach should be an extension of the man he reports to. And it’s the GM who should decide if Smith can be that extension.”

In principal I agree with Pompei.  But in reality, as I look around the league teams with head coaching openings aren’t waiting to hire new general managers to make offers.  So, right or wrong, the Bears aren’t alone in approaching the situation this way.

  • Having said that, there is reason to question why Smith managed to keep his job.  Again from Pompei:

“Angelo gave the coaches the players they wanted. If he had a failing, it may have been that he gave in to them too much and wasn’t more forceful with his opinions. Angelo was hired because he was a consensus builder; he may have been fired because of it as well.

“So there is culpability on the part of Smith and his assistants for whatever personnel problems the Bears have endured.”

I totally agree.  This is a pretty good summary of what is perhaps the Bears biggest problem.  Smith is a good head coach.  He has managed to compete in the NFC North despite the talent gap that we all accept is there.   The challenge is to hire a GM who takes complete charge of supplying Smith with the players he needs without letting him have undue influence over the process or the decisions which are made.  It will be very interesting to see how the new man manges the situation.

  • Matt Bowen at the Tribune makes the very valid point that almost all of the players at Halas Hall have been put on notice:

“However, with change and new direction at Halas Hall comes the loss of that sense of security for the players.

“Angelo won’t be there to protect “his guys,” and although coach Lovie Smith is coming back for at least one more season, a new decision-maker won’t owe these players anything.

“He didn’t draft them or sign them to an offseason contract. No handshakes or false promises here.

“His job is to replace them with upgrades.”

This sense of discomfort and the extra effort that comes with it might make the Bears better next year.  Sometimes change no matter what it entails can be good.

“What defined this unit was its ability to create pressure and its inability to finish plays. The Bears tied for 19th in the league in sacks despite entering the final week leading the league in hurries, according to STATS.”

  • ESPN’s NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert makes the claim that the trade of tight end Greg Olsen look bad for the Bears now.  I disagree.  Olsen had only 4 more receptions with the Panthers last year than he did during a mediocre 2010 season despite performing in an offense that supposedly fit his skills (though he did have more yards).

Olsen was nothing more than a big, slow wide receiver.  Opponents generally stopped him by simply treated him like one and going into a nickel defense.  He was a liability when run blocking.  If Mike Tice really wants to maximize the receiving potential of the tight end position, the Bears were going to have to find another one anyway.

Elsewhere

“Saturday night’s 45-28 loss to the New Orleans Saints should be the last time the Lions are graded on a curve, cheered for their effort or applauded for an accomplishment other than a victory. It’s true: No one expected them to beat the Saints, who now are 9-0 at home since the start of the regular season. And few if any will have harsh words after the Lions collapsed in the fourth quarter against the NFL’s hottest quarterback.

“But after returning to relevance this season, the Lions have earned themselves big-boy treatment moving forward, both inside the organization and outside.”

Seifert’s got a point.  The Lions have been cut a lot of slack this year as a young team fighting its way out of a losing tradition.

But that has also worked against them.  I think right about week 11, analysts started to seriously underestimate the Lions, giving them little shot to make the playoffs.  Those of us who watched them all year in the the NFC North division knew better.

They played mighty well Saturday night and if they play with discipline from here on out, they’re going to have no trouble living up to the “big-boy treatment”.

“A trend is emerging among NFL teams in that they are seeking young, flexible general managers with strong personnel backgrounds. They want men like Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and who understand the big picture, are unafraid to make bold moves and are willing and able to deal with media and sponsors as well as agents and coaches. That’s why Eric DeCosta, Les Snead, Marc Ross, Tom Telesco, Ryan Grigson, Jason Licht and their ilk have been popular candidates for openings.”

  • Also from Pompei:

“The problem is not having captains, Rex Ryan.  It’s having the wrong captains.”

and

“The Raiders needed a guy just like Reggie McKenzie. And now they need to let him do his job.”

“APRIL 19 Draft babble reaches fever pitch. Your cubicle neighbor, who spends autumn Saturdays watching VH1 music countdowns and thinks Stanford’s nickname is the Trees, wants you to know that he does not think Andrew Luck is that good.”

“As the 2012 NFL playoffs begin, coaches across the league find themselves in agreement on one fundamental aspect of the game: Punting the ball sucks, because the other team gains possession of the ball.”

“In his final season at Stanford, 28.7 percent of his passes fell uselessly to the ground and cost his team a down while conferring absolutely no benefit whatsoever.”

  • I know its not football related but this clip of Charles Barkley talking about the Weight Watcher’s program during a period where he thinks the camera’s off is still worth posting.  Via The Sports Pickle:

One Final Thought

A couple more interesting quotes from Angelo:

“Dec. 16, 2011, after receiver Sam Hurd‘s drug arrest: ‘When we do our homework on players, we have a very sound and tested mythology that we go about researching all players in college to veteran free agents and it starts in college.’

“Dec. 16, 2011, after being asked whether Hurd’s shocking arrest would impact his future:

‘Whistle Dixie.'”

George McCaskey did his best to separate the family from the decision to fire Angelo.  But if you take a careful look at his words, you will note that he never actually says that the idea to fire Angelo came from team president Ted Phillips.  Via Biggs:

“‘It was Ted’s decision,’ McCaskey said. ‘He asked for my input. I gave it to him. I gave him the input of the rest of ownership, and Ted made the decision, which we fully support.'”

It’s entirely possible that McCaskey “input” was to suggest that Angelo be fired.  I’ve no doubt that he then left the final decision in Phillips hands.  And I’m sure Phillips is smart enough to know what to do in that situation.

Phillips insisted that the decision was made strictly on performance.  But in this respect, Pompei makes the a valid point:

“It’s not like Angelo and Smith put together an inferior team. ‘It can’t be that he was fired for the performance of the team,’ said one AFC  front-office man, who is not a friend of Angelo’s. ‘It has to be something else.'”

Exactly.  And lending credence to the idea that Phillips didn’t plan to see Angelo go before meeting with McCaskey is the fact that he’s only just now doing his “due diligence”.  While the Rams and Colts are interviewing candidates like potential republican presidential nominees, Phillips appears to be just now getting familiar with the landscape.

It’s all speculative because ownership didn’t make it clear.  But the fact that it wasn’t clear seems to me to be suggestive.  And no one who has thought about it would blame the McCaskeys for wanting Angelo’s head.  Let’s be honest.  From the checkbox fiasco right down through the Baltimore trade where the McCaskeys had to personally try to settle down Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti to the Hurd situation, Angelo’s management of the front office was a frequent source of embarrassment to ownership.  In retrospect, Angelo deserved his fate on that score if for no other reason.

Mike Tice Will Be Challenged to Adapt to His Situation

It was 1990 and I was attending a luncheon with football head  coach Bob Stull at the University of Missouri when he was asked by someone in the audience about Colorado coach Bill McCartney.  Stull thought for a moment before answering, “He’s not… quick.”

In fairness to the Buffalo’s coach, Stull had not long before that allowed McCartney’s team to run a play on “fifth down” to score a touchdown to beat the Tigers.  So one could argue that Stull wasn’t very “quick”, either.

Regardless, the comment stuck with me all of these years and came back to me again this morning.  There were half a dozen articles to read on the promotion of Mike Tice to offensive coordinator.  But this quote from Sean Jensen‘s story in the Chicago Sun-Times stood out:

 “’I have been organized my whole life,’ Tice said via e-mail, ‘because I am not smart.

“’Details are the key. We need to detail everything out. Have a play for every situation. And have a way to get out of all bad plays.’”

I love this quote.  First because I think its refreshingly honest.  Second because Tice sounds exactly like me.

I don’t consider myself to be “not smart”.  I’m betting that Tice doesn’t think of himself exactly that way, either.  But I think I know what he means.  Because I would apply the “not quick” description to myself much more often that I would like.

Regular readers know that I’m a research scientist.  This means that on occasion I am required to stand in front of a large audience and speak about what I’m doing.  I like doing this because I actually like what I do and I like to talk about it.  But at the same time its a terrifying experience.  That’s because of the question and answer period that follows each presentation.

I plan these talks for days.  Every detail has to be mapped out so that its presented in a clear and concise manner and so that nothing important is left out.  And I think as hard as I can about the audience and what people might ask afterward.  In fairness, I’ve gotten pretty good at anticipating the questions.  But no matter how much you plan, no matter how organized you are, someone is occasionally going to ask a question you just didn’t see coming and you are going to be required to think on the fly. When it’s me, the result is sometimes not good.

The whole problem translated into football terms can be demonstrated by what happened to the Bears earlier in the season when they played the Seahawks.  The Bears played a pretty good first half of football.  They were rolling Caleb Hanie out to his right and he was throwing well on the run.  On the other side of the ball, they were having a lot of success rushing Tarvaris Jackson, who was holding the ball too long.  Then the second half came.  The Seahawks adjusted by getting the ball out of Jackson’s hand quicker and by keeping Hanie in the pocket.  The Bears had no answer.

People who are very well organized and who plan well can sometimes tend to self-select.  We eventually come to the conclusion that this is the only way that we can get by and be successful.  We’re very often compensating because we’re “not quick”.

As the Bears official offensive X’s and O’s coach, Mike Tice is about to face a big challenge that he didn’t have as a head coach or as an offensive line coach.  Despite his comment above, I don’t have a single doubt that he’s smart.  Very smart.  But eventually someone is going to throw something at him in a game that he doesn’t expect.  And that’s when we’re going to find out who he really is.

The Real Fight and Other Points of View

Bears

  • It was a surprise to me when Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com included Lovie Smith in the “Possibly Fired” coaches category. Florio says he wouldn’t be but, to say the least, I’d be shocked.
  • Dan Pompei at The National Football Post writes about a deep 2012 inside linebacker class.  The Bears have to be at least considering doing something here.  Their linebacker depth is putrid and, though he’s still playing at a high level, Brian Urlacher isn’t getting any younger.  These guys don’t always gradually decline.  They often crash and the Bears should be prepared.
  • I’m guessing that Tim Jennings earned an offseason offer from the Bears. From the Tribune:

“Q: How important was it for you personally, going into a free agency?.
“It was definitely positive. Every guy stepped up in the last game like that. For me to come up there and make a few plays with the guys, it’s a plus for me. I enjoyed it.”

I’d say that the failure of Zack Bowman to show what he needed to against the Packers didn’t hurt Jennings’ status, either. Bowman is almost certainly gone they’ll want Jennings as insurance against the success of whatever option they take to replace him.

Elsewhere

The Lions are trying to extend the contract of Cliff Avril. The team may regret waiting until late in the season to try to lock up the defensive end, who has 11 sacks and six forced fumbles. His value has skyrocketed through the course of the season. At 25, Avril is just starting to come into his own. ‘He is an elite, playmaking pass rusher who is going to get better,’ Avril’s agent Brian Mackler told me. One way or another, the Lions are not likely to let Avril hit the open market. The franchise tag for defensive ends this year is expected to be in the vicinity of $10.5 million, and that remains a viable option if the two sides can’t come to an agreement on a long term deal.

I don’t doubt that Avril has benefited from the attention Ndamukong Suh gets.  But if he can benefit in the same way from playing with Peppers, I’m all for it.

“Managing the blitz: Entering Sunday’s game, no NFL quarterback had been blitzed on a lower percentage of his dropbacks (23.7) than the Lions’ Matthew Stafford. That makes sense, considering the number of skilled Lions pass-catchers who are left in favorable coverage against a blitz. But the Saints love to blitz under defensive coordinator Greg Williams, making for an interesting fulcrum point in this matchup. It’s worth noting that Sunday, the Packers blitzed Stafford 34.4 percent of the time and dramatically limited his production on those plays. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Stafford completed nine of his 21 passes against the blitz for 154 yards and an interception Sunday. Against the Packers’ standard pass rush, Stafford completed 27 of 38 passes for 366 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.”

“The first [Bears touchdown Sunday] was a blown coverage on the 22-yard touchdown pass to Roy Williams in the second quarter. Vikings safeties Jamarca Sanford and Mistral Raymond failed to pick up Williams, who ran uncovered into the end zone. The safeties were left looking at one another.

“‘I saw it three plays before that, they blew the coverage,’ Williams said. ‘We ran the same set and they did it again.'”

  • The Chicago press aren’t the only ones who have begun the process of trying to figure out how to fix an organization. The Minnesota presses also now getting into full gear. Tom Pelissaro at 1500ESPN.com starts by speculating about the overhaul of the coaching staff.

“The wild card is Mike Singletary, a longtime friend of [Leslie] Frazier‘s who was viewed as a coordinator candidate when he joined the team as assistant head coach/linebackers coach in January, less than a month after the San Francisco 49ers fired him as head coach.

“Concerns about Singletary’s strategic acumen followed him to Minnesota, and his approach to preparation has raised red flags. According to two sources, Singletary has left assistant Jeff Imamura in charge of some position meetings, skipped all of the Vikings’ meetings the night before last month’s game at Detroit to attend a wedding and has occupied himself much of the season with side projects instead of the next opponent.

“That all makes it far more likely Frazier will try to engineer a soft exit for Singletary than promote him into a coordinator position for which many experienced candidates could be available. But their close personal relationship complicates the issue.”

Pelissaro also has thoughts about what should happen at the top:

“Vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman has been the Wilfs’ guide on football matters for years, so giving him final say over (and accountability for) the roster wouldn’t be a total shock.”

But I tend to agree with Tom Powers at the Pioneer Press:

“The team needs one voice – and not the voice of Rick Spielman, who suffered season-long laryngitis, refusing to comment on the mess he helped to create.”

  • Jared Allen on what he would have done if he’d broken the NFL sack record Sunday. Via Seifert:

“‘I probably would have thrown my helmet into the crowd,’ Allen said, ‘jumped up, ran up, kissed my wife and my baby in the suite, walked into the locker room and quit. No, I might have done some turf angels. Probably would have cried. [The Chicago Bears] probably would have gotten a first down — a 15-yard penalty on me. I probably would have taken my shoulder pads off. So probably a good thing I didn’t get it, right?'”

I’ve said this before and I’ll no doubt say it again. Allen is impossible not to like.

“Jackson’s solution for all the problems: More Hue Jackson.

“‘I’m going take a stronger hand in this whole team, this whole organization,’ Jackson said. ‘There ain’t no way that I’m going to feel like I feel today a year from now, I promise you that. There’s no question. Defensively, offensively and special teams. I aint feeling like this no more. This is a joke. . . . Yeah, I’m going to take a hand in everything that goes on here.'”

  • I’m not the biggest fan but even I was surprised at this Audible from Pro Football Weekly. I wonder what’s behind it:

“Cincinnati has a quarterback. They have a great receiver. The defense is playing their (butts) off. The one piece they have to think about replacing is Cedric Benson.”

“Most Times Sacked in a Season: 76 — David Carr, Texans, 2002

“No attempted murder charges were ever brought against Carr’s offensive line. A true black mark on the criminal justice system.”

One Final Thought

Pompei attributes the Bears victory Sunday to a large extent to finally getting some luck that had been missing the previous five games. He’s right but I’d attribute it more to a few other things. Over the previous five games:

Turnovers: 14
Penalties: 31
Broken coverages and other assorted bone headed mental errors: No stat available. Fortunately.

Every game has an opponent. But these are the real enemy.

Quick Game Comments: Bears at Vikings

Defense

  1. The Bears came out and showed blitz on the first play. They continued to do it judiciously all day, including in the final series with less than two minutes left. No prevent defense there.
  2. The Bears generally kept a lot of guys near the line of scrimmage and played a lot of man coverage. This was all probably to pressure rookie Christian Ponder. It looked to me like the Vikings wide receivers were getting open. A better team would have taken advantage of the poor coverage.
  3. Interesting call by the Vikings on third down near the Bears ten yard line. It was a screen. I’m assuming that’s because they don’t trust Ponder not to turn the ball over, yet. It probably also meant they were willing to settle for a field goal figuring (correctly) it would be a low scoring game.
  4. On a related note, both Tony Siragusa and color man Daryl Johnston pointed out early that the Vikings were sticking with short passes, not stretching the field much. Again, this probably had a lot to do with making things easy for Ponder and then Joe Webb.
  5. Ponder’s accuracy looks suspect sometimes. Even with the short passes, I thought he sometimes made the ball tougher to catch than they should have been. Webb was better.
  6. To their credit, I think the Bears defense was prepared for Webb. They had both Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher paying special attention to him.
  7. Webb was very tough to bring down. He doesn’t really look that strong. I was impressed.
  8. The Vikings are a pretty good fundamental football team blocking at the line of scrimmage. I think their lack talent showed, though. They had a tough time with the Bears front seven.
  9. Julius Peppers didn’t have a good game but pressure did come from other guys on the field, which was nice.
  10. Israel Idonije got lots of penetration.
  11. Percy Harvin seemed to be everywhere this game. He looked good.
  12. Toby Gerhart had a big game. For a big guy he’s deceptively fast and agile.
  13. The guess is that Vikings WR Devin Aromashodu really wanted to make a mark against his old team today. I won’t say he was great but he did show up to play.
  14. Kind of wondering how the Vikings can come out of a timeout with one minute left in the half and still end up with both the field goal team and the offense running out on the field.
  15. Kudos to Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. He called a really good game. The Bears defense is a tough nut to crack and, with the exceptions above, there’s not a lot of talent ot work with.
  16. Gruesome looking play on the Urlacher injury. It looked like it was his knee as he landed on his leg awkwardly but the way he went down it looked like it could have easily been his back.
  17. Many will question the decision to play Urlacher this game (though I won’t). Tough to get hurt the last game of the season.
  18. With a few exceptions, I thought the Bears defense played with good discipline today.

Offense

  1. The Vikings got the message sent in previous Bears games and came out stacking the box – as they should. They crashed the line of scrimmage and shot the gaps at the merest hint of a run. They were aggressive on their pass rush.
  2. The Bears offensive line struggled with pressure up the middle and also did a poor job of run blocking.
  3. Given this fact, one started wondering early once again where the play action pass was. Is this maybe one of those things that “isn’t a big part” of Mike Martz’s offense?
  4. It looks to me like Josh McCown earned his way into Bears training camp and probably onto the Bears roster next season.
  5. First half, third and long and, knowing the Vikings will probably blitz, the Bears kept a tight end and a running back in to block but Jared Allen still had to be left alone on J’Marcus Webb. Sack.
  6. First down early in the third quarter. Armando Allen is set to Jared Allen’s side but fails to chip him. Webb is once again left one-on-one with Allen. Sack.
  7. Third quarter, third and thirteen. Armando Allen once again left in to block. The Vikings blitzed, of course, as they did all game in this situation. Allen picked it up as best he could. Earl Bennett was the short route option over the middle but was well covered. As a result, Jared Allen was left one-on-one with Webb. Sack.
  8. Too bad for Allen that he wasn’t playing Brett Favre. He might not have had to earn that record breaking sack.
  9. Former Bears and current Vikings defensive line coach Karl Dunbar must have enjoyed this game.
  10. Mike Martz will get a lot of criticism for not doing more to help J’Marcus Webb out this game. I’m going to disagree. Martz left guys in to help the line. As I’ve implied above, the problem was that they either didn’t execute or the Vikings blitzed and occupied the extra guys. You want to control Allen, the first thing you have to do is keep yourself out of compromising situations where the Vikings can take advantage of you.
  11. I’m very disappointed that the Bears didn’t handle the Vikings aggressive defense better earlier. They needed to execute the short passing game, throw more screens, run more misdirection, do more cutting back with the running backs and run some draw plays or delayed handoffs. I understand that when its third and long, some of that isn’t a good option. But they still had some opportunities and what they finally did was pretty late.

Miscellaneous

  1. Kenny Albert, Johnston and Siragusa did the announcing. I’m genuinely surprised that the Bears drew this announcing team. They did a serviceable job on a pretty meaningless game.
  2. You can tell its the seasons’ last game as the Vikings had a little fun and threw DE Everson Griffin out as the gunner on a punt.
  3. The Vikings field goal unit arguably blew this game single handedly. The Bears managed to block one but their return teams struggled.
  4. The Vikings didn’t help Christian Ponder out much as they frequently failed to come up with catchable balls. The Bears wide receivers once again did OK in this respect.
  5. Though he caught a touchdown pass, Roy Williams also managed to have his traditional drop.
  6. Griffin killed the Vikings early with two special teams penalties. One of them eliminated a Hester return to only the two yard line.
  7. Charles Tillman made a play and got a very timely interception in the second quarter. D.J. Moore iced the game with his.
  8. On the other side, the Bears came out the first series and immediately fumbled the ball away. Kahlil Bell did it again before the first quarter was even over. But the crowning play had to be McCown throwing a dangerous ball for an interception from the Viking end zone with the Bears up four in the fourth quarter. For heaven’s sake if you aren’t going to help win the game at least don’t lose it. You’d think the one thing these guys would have beaten into their heads is that this absolutely cannot happen. And yet it does, over and over. Frustrating.
  9. There obviously has been much talk over the last week about where the Bears biggest needs are (a much shorter list would be where they don’t have needs). One hot topic for debate will be whether they should be happy with where their offensive line is. I’m gong to say now that offensive tackle should be high on the list of needs. It’s in situations like this, in a noisy dome and particularly on third and long or in any other situation where a team has to pass when you find out how much talent you have. I know they don’t grow on trees but – at minimum – the Bears don’t have the left tackle they need. The interior of the line didn’t cover itself in glory, either, as pressure up the middle was an issue.

No matter what any fan tells you, football starts at the line of scrimmage. I’m going to say that the Bears offseason should once again start there as well. The Bears do need impact players but if the tackle you like is there again in the first round, I think you take him.

A Lament for Fans Everywhere and Other Points of View

Bears

‘‘’Which of our younger players? Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers,’ Smith said. ‘You’re talking about those .?.?. players? Or younger players?’’’

  • Despite Smiht’s hesitation, John Millin at CSNChicago.com points out that the Bears do have some youth at some key positions. I’d say its not great youth but I’ll acknowledge that they do have some to build on. On a related note, I’ll also do something I rarely do recently and compliment GM Jerry Angelo by saying that I didn’t think last years’ draft was a bad one.
  • On the other hand, I’m having a hard time disagreeing with Pat Boyle at CSNChicago.com:

“Angelo has had plenty of time and some success over the past decade plus with the Bears. Unfortunately, much like his roster, Angelo has too many holes in his game and he hasn’t been the difference making leader this franchise desperately needs.”

“The defensive line needs a growth spurt. The Bears head to Minnesota with 31 sacks and stand 27th in the league in sacks per pass play. They’ve had one or zero sacks in eight games.

“Peppers and tackle Henry Melton (seven) have more than half of the team’s sacks, magnifying the need for more production from others.”

  • The Bears are projected to have about $20 million dollars in cap space in 2012.  Almost $8 million of that will go to Matt Forte if the franchise him.  I’m still wondering why they sat on most of the cap space they had available in 2011.  It appears that much of it is going to go to waste.
  • Mullin also thinks the Bears will take care of Lance Briggs.
  • McClure writes about the Bears struggles at cornerback.  Everyone who reads this blog knows that I pushed hard for cornerback help last off season and will do so again this year.  But I’m also starting to wonder how safe the job of defensive backs coach Jon Hoke is.  They didn’t cover themselves in glory and one could argue that they should have done better in single coverage than they did, even given the miss match in talent.
  • Dan Pompei at the Chicago Tribune answers your questions. Though I agree with Pompei, I like the way this fan thinks outside the box:

“Am I the only person who thinks Craig Steltz plus 20 pounds could be a decent, if not very good, strong side LB? He can hit and play the run, but his coverage skills seem weak. With NFL training programs the weight gain is feasible but what about the position shift? — Dan; Jackson Hole, Wyo.

“As a strong side linebacker, Steltz always would be undersized. Even if you put 20 pounds on him — which you can’t assume you could do — he might struggle to keep it on. And it might slow him down to the point where he is no longer effective. Steltz is 6-1. That’s shorter than you’d like a strong side linebacker to be. I think he’s doing just fine at safety.”

“I like what I saw of McCown on Sunday, but I haven’t seen enough of him. I’ve seen enough to think I’d like to see him in camp next year competing with another player for the No. 2 spot. Remember, everyone evaluated Caleb Hanie off his one performance in the NFC championship game and thought he could be a fine No. 2. One game doesn’t tell you anything. Sometimes an entire camp and preseason doesn’t tell you enough. Usually, you don’t find out everything you need to know about a quarterback until he gets an extended playing opportunity in games that count.”

  • Which is why I mildly disagree with him here:

“We understand the Bears want to win the game. No one is suggesting they shouldn’t.

“But they should try to win with [Nathan] Enderle playing at least a good portion of the game.”

Pompei makes some good points and I wouldn’t object strongly to seeing Enderle get some time late in the game depending on the situation. But Enderle has plenty of time to develop. Remember, he didn’t have an off season to work with Mike Martz. Martz would probably like to have one with him before he threw him out there. And, bottom line, we know Enderle’s going to be on the roster next year. We don’t know about McCown. Both need to be evaluated but the need for McCown is more immediate.

“’I feel like I made plays when the opportunity came,’ Williams, 30, said Wednesday at Halas Hall. ‘Of course, everybody is going to bring up the negative, which is fine. But for the most part I think I made enough plays. I would be happy to re-sign, but if not, you know I will continue on elsewhere.’”

With the possible exception of Mike Martz, Williams is everyone’s favorite whipping boy. But I’m going to stick my neck out and say I agree with him. Williams habit of dropping the first or second ball thrown to him every day is intensely irritating. But he also made some good catches this year.  All you have to do is think back to the way that the Packers dominated Johnny Knox at the line of scrimmage last year to appreciate that Williams can at least use his size to help the Bears.

“After watching the success of New England’s Wes Welker, can the Bears useDevin Hester in a similar role?– Harry Tram, Chicago

“Yes they can, and they probably should. But Welker is a much better receiver than Hester and can catch a greater variety of passes. Hester has better speed. The two have similar short area quickness and elusiveness. Both cause matchup problems for defenses. And both are outstanding after the catch.”

  • Jay Cutler comments on ESPN Radio 1000 on whether Mike Martz should be retained, Via Seifert:

“‘I don’t want to learn a new offensive system, I know that,’ Cutler said. ‘I think we have a good thing going here. …

“‘We’re building something here,’ he added. ‘If you look at the offenses around the league that are really good — Green Bay, the Patriots, the Saints — there is consistency there. They’ve been in the same system. They’ve had the same offensive coordinator. They’ve had the same receivers, tight ends, guys around them that have grown up in the system.

“‘If you want to be an elite offense in this league, that’s what you have to do. You can’t keep shipping guys in and out. You can’t keep doing different offensive coordinators left and right. It’s hard on quarterbacks and it’s hard on everyone to learn that kind of stuff.'”

“Those at Halas Hall who find the offense a convenient dumping ground when things go south will have a hard time pinning this on a unit that dominated time of possession to keep the defense fresh.”

“Those at Halas Hall? Who are these “those at Halas Hall” that are undermining Martz? I think we know the answer.

Jerry Angelo is nothing short of a frustrated coach wanna be. I’m tired of hearing about this apparent in fighting between him and Smith over Martz. I’m going to tell you right now, and I think a lot of fans would agree, if it came to a choice between Smith and Angelo right now, Angelo would be the one to go.

For the good of the organization, Angelo needs to get his nose out of the coaches room and into the film room. As Smith’s frustrated responses to reporter’s questions about Martz this week indicate, this kind of stuff only creates bad feeling and works to destroy the coherence of an organization.

  • Pompei answers a fan who doesn’t seem to pleased with the coaching staff:

“Lately it seems all we can hope for is a close first half of the game before the opponent opens up and ultimately beats us in the second half. I realize our offense is a mess, but it sure seems the opponents make half time adjustments and we are challenged in that task. Over the years, I have noticed that half time adjustments aren’t Lovie’s strength. Am I way off base here? — Pat Cassidy

“I understand where you are coming from, but I actually think the Bears have gotten a lot better with in-game adjustments over the last couple of years. I think what you are seeing now in the third and fourth quarters is the Bears are just wearing down because they don’t have as many good players as the opponent. The Bears are losing games in part because they lost the war of attrition. On offense alone, they are without their quarterback, their best offensive player (Forte), the offensive lineman who was their best blocker as per Mike Tice (Gabe Carimi), another starting offensive lineman (Chris Williams), and their best wide receiver (Johnny Knox). The lack of depth has really shown up on special teams as well.”

I’ll buy this but it doesn’t explain the collapse of the defense in the second half of recent games. They’ve been reasonably healthy and the time of possession hasn’t been unbalanced. And its not like the opposing offenses have been extraordinarily healthy.

Something is off with the Bears defense. If it isn’t in game adjustments then we are left to occlude that they are losing mental intensity. We haven’t had to say it often over the last decade but they need to toughen up.

Elsewhere

“(715): i was drinking at the bar last night with a guy with no bottom teeth, wearing zubas and a polka dotted hat. if that isn’t the definition of wisconsin, i dont know what is.”

  • Rafael Vila at the Cowboys Nation blog on America’s team:

“There is at least one organization which advises new hires that, ‘the minute you start thinking like a fan, you’re on your way to becoming one again.’  What does it say for us that the biggest ‘fan’ in the building this year was the owner?”

  • Charlie Casserly found out what the NFLPA has proposed to congress on HGH testing. Via Mike Florio at profootballtlak.com:

“First, under the NFLPA’s proposal there would be no in-season testing.  Second, only 10 percent of players would be tested in offseason.  Third, players could decline to be tested.
“Again, players could decline to be tested.
“One more time, players could decline to be tested.
“Fourth, players would receive 24 hours notice before testing.  Fifth, three positive tests would be required before discipline would be imposed.”

Let’s face it. Most of the league is on HGH and the NFLPA knows it. How DeMaurice Smith could have agreed in principal to testing is beyond me. Ultimately its about player health but the current players aren’t going to thank him. It’s going to ruin a lot of them.

One Final Thought

It was in 2001 after a particularly tough loss to the Bears when I found this cry from a Viking fan on the Internet.  Long time readers of my blog posts at various sites over the years know that I have made a tradition of reposting it during Viking week.

My admiration for this anonymous fan is almost as strong as my sympathy for anyone who is stuck rooting for what is traditionally one the most gutless teams in the NFL.  We all understand this pain but I think that, more than any other organization, the Vikings have probably made the least out of the most talent over the last twenty years.  But I will never be able to express that sentiment with the eloquence of this poet.  Enjoy.

I’ve had it! I can’t take this shit no more! I’m done! THIS TEAM IS A  GODDAMN EMBARASSMENT AND I HAVE HAD IT! I BURNED MY VIKINGS FLAG YESTERDAY, CHUCK FOREMAN GAVE IT TO ME WHEN I WAS A KID! I BURNED THE FUCKING THING AND MY WIFE FREAKED OUT SO I ENDED UP FORKING THE FIERY RAG AND THROWING’ER IN THE WEBER GRILL. GODDAMN RACCOONS! AND GODDAMN THE HEARTLESS VIKINGS AND ALL THEIR GODDAMN EXCUSES! I WANT MY DEVOTION BACK! AND ALL THOSE GODDAMN GAMES, AND ALL THOSE GODDAMN HEARTBREAKS!.

I QUIT. I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!.

ARE WE CURSED? ARE WE CURSED?!!

As a bonus addition, I’ve added the radio call of the last Hail Mary pass in the Vikings’ (gutless and predictable) loss to the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals in the final game of 2003.  The loss (and the play) knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs.  Just listening will immediately warm any Bear fan’s heart.

Game Winning TD, Vikings-Cardinals, 2003

Game Comments: Bears at Packers 12/25/11

Defense

  1. The Packers started with seven in the box  against the run.  I think a lot of these teams want to just try to stop the Bears without bringing that extra guy down.  They don’t want to just give up too soon.   The Packers did resist and really didn’t start bringing that eight guy down and didn’t shoot the gaps regularly but when they did stop the Bears run, that’s what they did.
  2. And there’s no doubt the Bears did run the ball well.  The offensive line blocked well.  The tight ends blocked well.  Tyler Clutts blocked well.  Nice work.
  3. And the protection for quarterback Josh McCown wasn’t all that bad.  They did a nice job of picking up the blitz and when they didn’t, McCown sensed it, left the pocket and ran.
  4. Having said that, McCown never looked all that comfortable in the pocket to me.
  5. McCown’s accuracy wasn’t bad but it could have been better.  Its probable he’s still getting the timing down with the receivers but I don’t think that’s all of it.
  6. Kahlil Bell and Armando Allen both ran well and made yards on their own.  I thought Bell looked particularly good.  His only real gaff was fumbling the ball in the first half.  McCown recovered it but you’d think the one thing these guys would know to do is give the defense a chance and to under no circumstances turn the ball over.
  7. Roy Williams actually didn’t do too bad once he got his customary drop out of the way.  I wish there was a way to break him of that.
  8. Dane Sanzenbacher had a good game but eventually the Packers picked up on the fact that McCown was feeding him and started jumping his routes.
  9. Wow was there some bad Green Bay tackling out there.  This teams is going to have a hard time making the Super Bowl unless they clean up their fundamentals on defense.
  10. Down 17 points and McCown dunks the ball over the crossbar?  Bad form.

Defense

  1. The Bears went largely with single coverage most of this game which was, in terms of the X’s and O’s, the right way to play it.  It was, therefore, a re-enforcement of what I think we all know by now.  They can’t do this.  Their corners aren’t good enough.
  2. The Bears did try to blitz occasionally and put pressure on the Green Bay line, which was a bit banged up.  Green Bay picked it up well and they caught the Bears in the blitz a couple times for big gains with some good calls.
  3. Which emphasizes another problem.  The pressure on Aaron Rogers wasn’t there.  Many of the passes were coming out quick but when they weren’t, the Bears weren’t getting there.
  4. The Packers must really not be confident in their running game.  the Bears were inviting them to do it, playing seven in the box against running personnel and the Packers still threw the ball most of the time.
  5. Once again the Bears defense broke at crunch time and allowed a touch down in less than two minutes to end the half.  This has been a major problem for what is supposed to be a strength of the team.  They aren’t bowing up and stopping teams when they need to.
  6. Apparently if you want to score agains the Bears, you just isolate Zack Bowman in single coverage and throw at him.  I’ll be interested to hear what Lovie Smith has to say about this happening over and over again.  I’m not sure what, if any adjustments they could have made but that was way too easy.

Miscellaneous

  1. I was trying to watch the game amongst various and a sundry family members and there was far too much noise to hear the announcing team.  The Sunday Night crew usually does a good job.
  2. Is Chicago leading the league in interceptions thrown to pass rushers?  The interceptions obviously hurt.
  3. I thought Devin Hester called fair catch on a punt in the second quarter that he decided to run after catching the ball.
  4. If you’re going to pooch the ball on a kickoff into the empty space behind the hands team, make sure you practice it and can execute it.  That was pathetic.
  5. I can’t com pain about drops this game.  Except for Williams’ usual brain cramp they didn’t too too bad here.
  6. Too, too many penalties.  The defense was offsides.  There were false starts.  An legal shift?  There’s not excuse for this.
  7. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  You can’t succeed against the best teams in the modern NFL unless you have corners who can cover man-to-man.  Its too easy to set up mismatches against a zone.  To Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli’s credit, I think they know this.  But that doesn’t help when you simply don’t have the talent to do it.  The Bears don’t.  Its another of the many, many needs the Bears have going into the offseason.

The Bottom Line on the Bears Problems and Other Points of View

Bears

“It is possible a veteran quarterback might have been able to prevent Barber from committing his illegal formation penalty by verbally communicating with him when he saw him lined up incorrectly. I’m not sure the quarterback could have done anything about Barber running too close to the sidelines.”

[Caleb] Hanie’s Passer rating on the seven drop-backs he was blitzed? 2.5. No, I did not miss a digit.

“During the Patriots-Redskins game, Tom Brady was caught cursing at his offensive coordinator on the sideline after an interception. This is no different, if worse, than what Cutler did a few weeks ago in the game against Minnesota. Just because Brady has better credentials than Cutler doesn’t justify it any more. I find it strange that you haven’t come out and questioned Brady’s leadership and/or respectability. — Shaun Canady; Victorville, Calif.

“I didn’t have to question what Brady did because Brady owned up to being wrong. He and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien hugged it out on the sideline after the exchange. Then, Brady admitted to the media after the game that he was out of line. And he was.”

“There are a lot of ways the Bears can go with their first round pick, and it’s too early to zero in on needs because we don’t know what will happen in free agency in terms of additions and losses. As it stands now, you could see needs at receiver and cornerback, as you suggest, and linebacker, defensive line and offensive line. If all things are equal, I always lean towards going big. And I think the defense really needs a young player to build around. So put me down for a defensive end.”

The only thing I’d add is that the best available in the first round is almost always the way to go. And the Bears have enough needs (at the moment) that they can probably do that.

    1. guards/centers
    2. big wide receivers without top end speed.
    3. strong side linebackers.

All three could be argued to be Bears needs – depending on the definition of “without top end speed”: they don’t need a possession guy. None of them tends to be in demand in the first round but if there’s a really good one and the Bears are sitting at about #18, they might consider it. Otherwise these are spots to look for in rounds two and 3.

“The corners weren’t exactly playing against a group of all-star receivers, and they made a few significant mistakes.

“Tim Jennings whiffed on a jam attempt of Ben Obomanu, then was run by for a 43-yard completion. He later got grabby with Golden Tate and gave up 16 yards on a pass-interference penalty.

“Earlier, Jennings had his arms around Tate after a catch and Charles Tillman came barreling in with his head down and arms at his side. He knocked off Jennings, allowing Tate to run an additional 18 yards.”

The Bears decided to go with a lot of single coverage against the Seahawks, not the current group’s strength. I agree that sometimes this kind of coverage is called for. But if they’re going to execute it, they need at least one corner who is better at it.

  • I’ve debated with many people about where the problem with the Bears really lies. I’m a Lovie Smith guy and I think the team has over achieved for well over a year before the current losing streak but there are a number of people out there who think its the coaching staff. Mike Mulligan at the Chicago Tribunesummarizes my answer:

“The Bears will start just eight of their draft picks Sunday night, including Brian Urlacher, who was selected before general manager Jerry Angelo joined the team.

“With Gabe Carimi and Chris Williams injured and out for the season, Urlacher is the only former first-round pick currently on the Bears roster that was drafted by the team.

“He was selected in 2000.”

Case closed.

Elsewhere

  • Here’s another of those stories about out of control Packer fans after losses. In this case, an angry woman was arrested after trying to choke her daughter after the Packers lost to the Chiefs on Sunday.

I wouldn’t dare be dumb enough to suggest that this problem is limited to Packer fans. But I will say this. I’ve met a number of Packer fans and most are really nice. But many of the ones who have spent most of their lives in Wisconsin are a different breed. Playful banter isn’t something they engage in. Most give you a look like you insulted their mothers and I’ve basically stopped talking to them about football.

I love the Bears and follow them pretty religiously. I write a blog for heaven’s sake. But even I think some of these people need to get more of a life outside of football. Its a game not a world war.

  • Some might see some value to the Bears in this quote from the Audibles section at Pro Football Weekly:

“The reason Miami is winning right now is because they are healthier than everyone else. Give Bill Parcells credit — if there is one thing he understands, it is that you make the playoffs by what you do in November and December. He built a big team that plays big and they have weathered the storm. Outside of the quarterback, whom have they lost. When the rest of the league is rested, they will still have the same problems they did early.”

  • I’m not sure what this Audible means for the Matt Forte talks:

“You look at Buffalo’s decision to extend (QB Ryan) Fitzpatrick. It was kind of like buying a stock. His stock went through the roof, and Buffalo said — I am going to buy it. The next thing you know, the price cuts in half. What happens if the Bills start negotiating now — would they have paid what they did? You never negotiate when a guy has all the leverage.”

“If anyone thinks (Tim) Tebow is going to continue to win playing the way he has, they are nuts. You’ve got to be able to throw from the pocket to win in this league. Eventually, you have to make plays with your arm. I’m talking about making accurate throws with (defenders) covering. He has done a helluva job — they are running the ball, playing good defense and not screwing it up. Tebow is not turning it over at all — give him a lot of credit there. But he is going to have a hard time consistently winning if he cannot make throws in the pocket.”

The first thing that struck me about this comment was the parallel to Caleb Hanie and the question of how the Bears could have failed to realize this about him a long time ago. Its likely that offensive coordinator Mike Martz did. the second thing I’ll say is this: Tebow is making rapid progress. Long delivery aside, there’s nothing in my mind that says he won’t become a decent pocket passer with good coaching.

“Give (Chiefs GM) Scott Pioli credit — it’s Scott’s way. Whatever he does from here, whether he crashes or succeeds ­— it definitely is his way.”

“Bill Cowher is very smart and calculating. He knows what it takes to win. He’s not going somewhere just to take a paycheck like the Tuna (Bill Parcells) did in Miami. The worst thing that might have happened to Miami — they started winning games. They may not have a shot at a quarterback in the draft — and it’s going to make it more difficult to attract a (big-)name (head coach) capable of flipping it quickly.”

I admit that I haven’t seen him much. But from what I have seen of Matt Moore, they may already have the answer at quarterback in Miami.

  • Michael David Smith at profootballtalk.com highlights the fact that Juan Castillo isn’t looking like such a bad defensive coordinator in Philedelphia anymore.
  • Tom Pelissaro at 1500ESPN.com begins the process of scapegoating in Minnesota with some comments about Donovan McNabb that those who wanted him for the Bears might find interesting:

“For players familiar with Brett Favre’s precision and encyclopedic knowledge of Xs and Os, the contrast was stark. Coupled with some atrocious practice performances, questionable conditioning and a seemingly cavalier approach to correcting mistakes, McNabb had teammates wary even before he suited up for a regular-season game.”

Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com highlights this article and wonders if the coaching staff shouldn’t bear most of the blame. But I’m wondering when someone isn’t going to take a good hard look at Vice President of Player Personnel Rick Spielman.

  • Judy Batista at The New York Times writes a nice profile of Chief’s interim head coach Romeo Crennel. There’s strong sentiment around the league that he should succeed Todd Haley permanently. This excerpt reminds me of Lovie Smith:

“That Crennel is held in high regard by players should not be construed as his being soft as a coach. During halftime of the Chiefs’ game against Indianapolis this season — when the Chiefs had allowed the hapless Colts to score 24 points in the first two quarters and were trailing by a touchdown — Crennel lit into his defense, questioning the players’ professionalism and toughness. It left players, and even Haley, at a loss for words. But it is now viewed within the organization as a turning point in the season. The Chiefs shut out the Colts in the second half, shut out the Raiders in the next game and then beat the Chargers.”

  • These guys need to get a room. Via The Sports Pickle.
  • I’m guessing it had something to so with this. Via The Onion.
  • And The Sports Pickle also asks the question “Are the Packers still the favorite to win the Super Bowl?”. Here’s my choice:

“Maybe — they have serious problems on the offensive line and defense, but 50-50 Roger Goodell bans blocking and tackling by the playoffs, so they might be fine”

One Final Thought

Josh McCown begins the process of making excuses while denying he’s making excuses. Via Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune:

“Everybody expects you just to play well, and that’s the expectation for myself also.  If I keep looking back and saying, ‘I only got here six weeks ago,’ then it becomes an excuse and you leave an area for you not to play well because you’re leaving something to fall back on. I’m trying to refuse to do that and just say, ‘You have to play well. The team’s depending on you.'”

They’re screwed.

Quick Game Comments: Seahawks at Bears

Offense

  1. The Seahawks opened with seven in the box against run personnel. They did that a lot for most of the game.
  2. The Bears came out running Marion Barber into the line. Kahlil Bell followed on about the third series and then Barber was noticeably more effective after that. I’m wondering if the one-two-punch of two different types of runners didn’t making them both more effective (a la Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones in the Super Bowl year)
  3. Nice point from color man Tim Ryan about about how the blocking for Bell (largely zone) differs from the blocking for Barber (mostly man).
  4. I’m starting to wonder if we aren’t finding out why Jay Cutler wasn’t targeting Johnny Knox more. He’s a small receiver who spent a lot of time on the ground early (again) before leaving injured.
  5. Speaking of that, terrible looking injury to Knox. Scared the heck out of me.
  6. Caleb Hanie looked more accurate. I also liked what Hanie showed in terms of his mobility. He really bought a lot of time with it and to my eye, threw more accurately on the run.
  7. On a related note, nice half time adjustment by Seattle as they did what they could to keep Hanie from moving to his right. Its apparently that part of beating the Bears with Hanie is keeping him in the pocket.
  8. To my eye, Mike Martz did a good job of sticking with the run until the Bears fell too far behind and were forced to pass. Of course the game was over then anyway. There’s no way the Bears offensive line can protect under those conditions without max protect. There’s not enough talent for it.
  9. I still think Martz could do more with the play calling to help out against the rush with more delayed handoffs/draw plays or screen passes. Admittedly the few times they’ve runit, the Bears haven’t shown that they can run the screen very well since Hanie took over so that could be a big part of it.
  10. I thought the pass protection for Hanie was for the most part pretty miserable. Rushing yardage was occasionally hard to come by despite the fact that the Seahawks often weren’t stacking the box. Not a good game for the offensive line.
  11. Having said that, I was watching Lance Louis and he looked dominant at times in pass protection. Despite his flaws as a right tackle, I really do like his aggressiveness.
  12. Lest all of the blame fall on the offensive line, the other positions didn’t coever themselves in glory either. Some miserable blocking by the running backs.
  13. I thought Ryan was totally unfair to Martz when he started whaling on his scheme late in the game. There are plenty of teams who expect the receiver and the quarterback to adjust to the blitz at the line without audibles. I understand that not everyone is going to agree with that scheme. But it is legitimate and its not too much to ask for an offense to execute it.
  14. If Martz has a major fault its late in games when they’re behind that they call too many slowly developing plays, sending half the team out too many men on routes instead of using them for protection. Some teams can do that. The Bears with that offensive line can’t. They have to max protect under those conditions.
  15. Josh McCown threw his interception with authority.

Defense

  1. Unlike the Seahawks, the Bears come out with eight in the box against run personnel. They obviously identified Marshawn Lynch as the major threat. On the other hand they probaly remember how Tarvaris Jackson threw when he was with the Vikings.
  2. Nice stand on first and goal from the one yard line in the first quarter. Of course, it was ruined by a special teams penalty.
  3. It looked to me like the Bears were having a hard time getting pressure a good part of the time with their front four. It allowed Seattle to dissect their zone defensive coverages and move the ball. Blitzes were more effective.
  4. Its time to just say it. Julius Peppers just plain gets held on almost every play. Otherwise he just never get blocked at all.
  5. Jackson has a bad habit of holding the ball too long. He probably needed to be occasionally reminded by coaches to let go. The clock in his head isn’t any better with the Seahawks than it was with the Vikings.
  6. Having said that, Jackson does look more accurate than I’ve seen him in the past.
  7. The Bears are getting thin at safety without Major Wright and now Chris Conte.
  8. Long completion to Benjamin Obomanu in the third quarter led to a Seattle touchdown. It looked like Tim Jennings just totally blew the single coverage as Steltz was moving into the box and he had no safety help. I thought that Seattle tried to go at Jennings in the second half whenever they saw single safety.
  9. This brings up another point. I thought the Seahawks had too many big plays this game. Many of them came on Marshawn Lynch runs that went 15 or 20 yards. Those can’t happen.
  10. Nice game for Stephen Paea who ended up penetrating into the offensive backfield quite a bit.
  11. I’m tired of watching the Bears blow coverages at important times in ball games as teh Seahawks threw their touchdown to Michael Robinson to make it 31-14.
  12. The Bears defense looked tired in the second half of this game and there was no excuse for it. The time of possession was practically even when the Seahawks scored that touchdown.

Miscellaneous

  1. Ryan and Chris Myers did a good job. I’ve always liked Ryan. He does a good job of pointing out things I wouldn’t otherwise see.
  2. Ryan strongly implied that the Bears got out coached today. I saw nothing to indicate that he wasn’t right.
  3. Devin Hester looked indecisive most of the game taking returns. The Seattle kicking game stood out in limiting him. On a potentially related note, The Bears sent Earl Bennett out to return a Seattle punt near the end of the first half. The Bears probably thought Bennett had the more sure hands in that situation.
  4. Robbie Gould spent most of the game knocking kickoffs out of the end zone.
  5. Even one drop was too many in this game but I didn’t think the Bears receiers were too bad in this area otherwise.
  6. Unbelievable penalty on the Seahawks 22 yard field goal try in the firs quarter from Corey Graham. The Seahawks turned it into a touchdown.
  7. It looked to me like the official in the defensive backfield was letting both sides get away with a lot in coverage.
  8. Johnny Knox began early with a nice fumble of Caleb Hanie’s first decent pass to set the Seahawks up for their first score. Hanie’s poor decision to throw to Kellen Davis down the seam leading to an interception in the end zone in the first half hurt badly. On the other hand, Caleb Hanie was right on target to Red Bryant for his pick six in the third quarter. Couldn’t have been more accurate. The interceptions by Brandon Browner Richard Sherman were icing on the cake.
  9. What a play by Peppers, knocking the ball out of Jackson’s hand for a Idonije recovery for a touchdown near the end of the first quarter. Bad job by Jackson holding the ball too long in the end zone.
  10. Its no revelation to say that turnovers are what killed the Bears today when they couldn’t afford any errors. It was tough to watch this team literally throw contests away the last four games after watching them play so well for more than a year before that. The Bears met adversity in the form of a number of major injuries and went out with a whimper. But that’s what teams that don’t have what it takes do.