“Welcome to the upside-down world of the NFL playoffs, where even the most ardent of Bears fans will be cheering for the Green Bay Packers today.
“If the Packers pull off an upset in Philadelphia, then the Bears will be hosting the worst playoff team in NFL history a week from today.”
Most Bear fans agree. But be careful what you wish for. Though Seattle is very beatable seeing Green Bay go should probably be the number one priority.
The Packers are very inconsistent. They didn’t play well in either of the games against the Bears with 18 penalties in game 1 at Soldier Field and with quarterback Aaron Rogers not throwing with his usual accuracy in game 2, not to mention the wide receivers dropping balls all over the field.
But if the Packers somehow put together four good games in a row, they are the most dangerous team in the NFC playoffs. And their tenacious man-to-man defense along with their patience on offense with screens and the underneath passing game make them far and away the worst match up for the Bears in the NFC playoffs.
Like a lot of young people, when I was a graduate student I thought I knew a lot more than I actual did. Teaching people like me at that point can sometimes be a struggle. I’ll never forget one a senior member of our laboratory turning to me after one particularly frustrating experience and saying, “There are a thousand things you can do wrong with this. I’ve done them all. Listen to what I’m saying.”
As an older adult I’m now doing my level best to try to evaluate the job that general manager Jerry Angelo has done in the face of the successful regular season which the Bears just completed. It’s not easy. You end up walking a tight rope between the positive view point expressed by Dan Pompei and the more negative view point of Dan McNeil, both writing for the Chicago Tribune.
Millen was an utter failure as GM. In his own words, he “stunk at it.” Most would say that makes him somewhat less than an expert at how to manage a football team. But there’s a lot to be gained by listening to someone who is an expert at how to fail at it, as well. Here’s what Millen had to say:
“It’s less about the game of football. It’s less about X’s and O’s. It’s less about personnel decisions. It’s a job about managing people. It’s about building a consensus when you pick the right head coach. You can’t go in and be this football czar and say, ‘This is how it’s going to work.’ If you pick somebody that a coach doesn’t like and doesn’t coach, that’s a bad situation.”
To his everlasting credit, this is something Angelo knows and has known for a long time. He has, in fact, been talking about consensus building since he was hired. For instance, he knows very well that Lovie Smith and the relevant position coaches have to be on board when you select a draft pick. You can’t ask them to coach someone they don’t believe in. And, of course, you have to balance that against what the scouts say and what you think personally. If there’s a disagreement, you have to do some convincing and get all parties completely on board. Indeed, occasionally Angelo undoubtedly has to select players he doesn’t think much of in the spirit of compromise. Overall its an incredibly difficult task.
Many fans (like me) have wondered just how much influence Smith has over personnel issues, particularly as it pertains to the draft. We wonder how much to “blame” him for Angelo’s failures there. And in the end, we usually come to the conclusion that Angelo makes the final decision and, therefore, he has to bear ultimate responsibility.
This is technically true. But what people don’t understand is that its not true because Angelo decided not to override Lovie Smith. As is clear from Millen’s comments, he can’t override him. Not if he wants a successful organization. The reason the draft picks are ultimately Angelo’s responsibility is because he hired Smith in the first place. That makes them inseparable partners in everything they do and, frankly, it means you can’t criticize Angelo without criticizing everyone in the organization from him on down for their role in the process.
So give Angelo credit for recognizing and doing at least a reasonable job of holding together an organization of diverse personalities and keeping them all headed more or less in the same direction. A lot of people have failed to accomplish that much. Just ask Matt Millen.
“Any chance the Bears make a run at Sidney Rice in free agency? Other than the outside chance A.J. Green or Julio Jones fall to the Bears, their draft picks will be tied up in the offensive line for the first two days. Acquiring Rice kills two birds with one stone: You get a top-flight receiver and the big target [Bears quarterback Jay] Cutler needs, and you take him away from the Vikings. And, you spend your picks to build a strong O-Line. What do you think? — Tyler Coppock
“Interesting thought Tyler, but I think it’s a real long shot. First off, I doubt Minnesota will let Rice go. I think they’ll do what they need to do to keep him. If the Bears are going to make a big splash in free agency again, and that’s a big if, I doubt they will do it with a receiver. They like their receivers. They have bigger needs–at offensive line and defensive line. In fact, Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards might be a better fit. Remember that name. And one more thing–I don’t think Rice would be an ideal fit in Mike Martz‘ offense.”
I find Pompei’s priorities to be interesting.
I’ve talked to a lot of fans and I can say that not many are going to want to hear that the Bears like their receivers after watching them get physically dominated by the Packers. Personally I am not so sure after one game but it is obvious that they didn’t do well against the press coverage. And I’ll say it out right: Johnny Knox just plain gave up. You could see it in his eyes. He was a beaten man.
I’m all in favor of making the line of scrimmage a priority at any time. I am firmly of the belief that is where games are won and lost. Pompei may be thinking that Ray Edwards could dhave the same impact for the Bears that ke did for the Vikings opposite Jared Allen. But with the addition of defensive end Julius Peppers I would have thought that the Bears would continue to try to get by on the defensive line with guys like the ones they have at the other positions. True, if the right guy falls to them in the draft, they’ll grab him. GM Jerry Angelo likes to leave himself flexible enough going in to where he’ll feel comfortable taking any position with the top pick.
But I’m not sure they’re going to spend a lot more money on the defensive line. I would have put defensive back as a higher priority and I’ve a feeling that we’re going to find out just how high that priority should be in the playoffs.
“If the Bears win the Super Bowl, would that help bring them a new stadium to Chicago? Not only is Soldier Field the smallest stadium in the league, it’s pretty bad when the home team’s players constantly gripe about how bad the playing surface is. We’re the third-largest market in the league. No way Soldier Field should be the smallest stadium in the league, especially with the rich tradition the Chicago Bears have. — Corey, Chicago”
“I have heard absolutely no talk about a new stadium in Chicago and would be shocked if I did. Mountains are moved more easily than stadiums are built in Chicago, especially on the public’s dime. By the way Corey, would you like to see your taxes go up to pay for a new stadium? I wouldn’t. And I fully expect that in my lifetime I’ll never see the Bears call another stadium home other than the one they are currently playing in.”
As a resident of the city of Chicago I can agree whole heartedly and without reservation with Pompei. I think the outside of Soldier Field is a horrible abomination but the inside is as nice as you could ask and I have no desire whatsoever to watch a game in another stadium. I certainly have no desire to pay for one. Until it was lowered slightly last July Chicago had the highest total sales tax of all major U.S. cities. I’m as big a football fan as you’ll find but as things are right now I could guarantee a tax payer revolt if anyone tried to build a new stadium here and I’d be right with them every step of the way.
‘‘[it always seems he’s on the fringe] because you guys put me on the fringe. Nobody else does. I’ve never seen myself as a roster-bubble guy. Maybe a little bit last year. But no — you guys see that. In the locker room, they don’t think I am. My coaches don’t think I am. They haven’t told me that.’’
Its nice that Davis has confidence. But if you’re not a starter, there’s always the potential that you’re going to be considered a roster bubble guy in the NFL. No one should have to tell Davis that.
Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times points out that the Bears will have 14 unrestricted free agents after the season. The top two strong side linebackers are on the list and, interestingly, Hayes puts a higher priority on signing backup Nick Roach than starter Pisa Tinoisamoa.
Elsewhere
Steve Hyde and Mark Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel talk about the Dolphins coaching situation and the embarrassing consequences resulting from the attempt of GM Jeff Ireland, owner Steven Ross, and Carl Peterson to hire Jim Harbaugh in this interesting video shot before Sparano’s contract was extended:
Hyde also writes about the apparently expanding, if unofficial, role of Carl Peterson in all of this:
The people on Steve Ross’ plane told the strange story. How Jeff Ireland was anointed a survivor over Tony Sparano is mystifing. But Carl Peterson is the really strange and disturbing figure, as I wrote in my column today. Peterson flew under the radar in this entire episode but was the loudest presence of all. He was Bill Parcells. He was the acting football czar. A guy who won nothing in running Kansas City for the final 15 years was setting the course for this franchise. Not only that but surely he was the one behind telling Bill Cowher that he had to inherit Ireland and Mike Nolan. Why would Cowher accept the job under those conditions? Peterson’s a scary presence, folks, not just for what happened this past week but for what it means for the future.
Snoop Dogg and John Legend do the Peyton dance (via ESPN.com):
“How the Saints attack the middle: There’s a good chance the Seahawks take a conservative approach to covering New Orleans in the secondary in an attempt to eliminate big plays. But that shouldn’t slow down the Saints because they’ll just lean on intermediate routes, which are the bulk of the offense anyway.
“[Saints quarterback Drew] Brees will have to be patient and settle for underneath throws to the slot receivers, tight ends — such as Jeremy Shockey — and running backs with the Seahawks playing so conservatively. But will he?
Plymouth police are investigating a 22-year-old woman’s claim that she was the victim of “inappropriate contact” by an as yet unidentified Lions player Thursday. She is lawyering up. Via Dave Birkett and Eric Lawrence at the Detroit Free Press.
“There’s a reason why the players don’t seem uptight after a turnover or other mistake and why they don’t turn on one another when they lose a close game, and it starts with the coach.
“McCarthy is not a screamer for the sake of theatrics. If practice turns sloppy, he breaks the monotone buzz of the fluorescent lights in the Don Hutson Center with angry, sharp instructions. He yells. Profanity is used just to emphasize the point. But once it’s made, McCarthy moves on, without the long, drawn-out drama.”
“I think we did play tight,” Davis said. “Guys were a little scared. They were more worried about coach Singletary getting on them than playing football.”
“You have three choices in life when looking at any situation. You can take a positive angle, a negative angle or no angle at all.
“I clearly believe in positive mind-sets. Positive needs to be the starting point. I believe in positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is a useful teaching tool, but it is a short-term teaching tool.
“At the end of the day, when you’re building a program, it’s all about culture. Positive culture equates growth, and that is very important to me – that everyone in our program continue to grow.”
One Final Thought
Rutgers’ Eric LeGrand discusses his recovery progress after he was paralyzed in a football game with ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi:
“The ref said to Pep, ‘You didn’t have to hit him.’ Well, [Green Bay quarterback Aaron] Rodgers didn’t have to sprint out, either. He didn’t have to take the snap.
“Pep didn’t hit him in the head. It was a good hit. It wasn’t late. I don’t understand the rules, but they’re going to do what they want to do. But the penalty could have cost us.”
Urlacher simply can’t wrap his head around the fact that the NFL is changing and he has to change with it. The statement “You didn’t have to hit him” when you are talking about a quarterback in today’s NFL means the hit was late.
There’s nothing to “not understand” about this rule. I personally didn’t agree with the call because I don’t think Peppers could have pulled up. But the referee did and that’s the point.
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has stressed the need to adjust to the new way that the game is being officiated on defense:
“We had to adjust, because those are the rules. The team that adjusts the quickest and fastest will continue to play hard and fast.”
Anyone with any common sense must agree. And yet here is Brian Urlacher’s statement:
“Heck no, I’m not going to change [the way I play]. I miss enough tackles without second-guessing. It’s a physical game. I’m not going to not take a shot because I’m afraid of getting fined.”
Then the Bears are doomed. It is, in fact, amazing that they haven’t been fined more by the NFL already, a fact which McClure points out.
Let’s put it this way. If Bears center Olin Kreutz were to make the following statement, how would Urlacher, indeed the rest of the league, react: “Heck no, I’m not going to change. I miss enough blocks without second-guessing. It’s a physical game. I’m not going to not block a guy in the back.”
Urlacher has to realize his statement is no less ridiculous. Tackling on defense from now, particularly tackling quarterbacks, isn’t any different than blocking on offense. If Urlacher wants to call it “second guessing” so be it. He’s going to have to play with his head as well as his body. He’s going to have to exert control over his emotions or the game will pass him by and the Bears with him.
“I don’t even know why that is even important to anybody,” Angelo said. “I’ve heard it. … It’s no big deal. … I am very fortunate to be here, and as long as I am blessed with health, I continue to do what I love to do, and that’s being a part of football.”
I haven’t seen a transcript of the press conference so I don’t know what else was said. But that’s not a denial.
“Maybe [Angelo] was referring to his litany of personnel mistakes when he admired the team for overcoming ‘all it has been through.’
“What?
Angelo would be correct if what he meant was that not fielding a professional offensive line can be an obstacle. It also is problematic that he plopped an eternally mortal cast of receivers in Jay Cutler‘s lap.
“Did you ever dream you’d be thinking “Man, we gotta get Earl Bennett back” as you were after the Bears’ 10-3 loss in Green Bay on Sunday?”
To be fair, the column should be balanced against Dan Pompei‘s more positive article yesterday.
“A No. 2 seed is usually a solid team, a team people feel is a favorite to win everything,” said John Avello, director of race and sports book operations at the Wynn. “But that’s not the case with the Bears.
“Eleven-to-1 to win the Super Bowl for a second seed is the biggest number I can remember putting up. But once you get to this point, we’ve seen the Giants run the table, and the Steelers too.”
For what its worth, the Bears seem to have beaten the odds all season.
“In any event, the Panthers had better choose wisely [in the draft]: They have the first pick for a reason, and that reason is that they were the worst team in the league this season. Oh, and they don’t have a second-round pick because they traded what turned out to be the 33rd pick in this year’s draft to the Patriots to acquire the 89th pick in last year’s draft. They used that pick to draft Armanti Edwards, a wide receiver who played in three games and didn’t catch a single pass as a rookie.”
Florio says that Miami GM Jeff Irelandwas breaking the unwritten rule that says that you don’t interview people for head coaching jobs that are currently occupied, in this case by Tony Sparano.In fairness, Jay Galzer at FOX sports said last night on the Tony Bruno Show that Ireland has been pushing owner Stephen Ross to retain Sparano.Its more than likely that Ross, who is less likely to understand or care about such niceties, is the one who wanted to interview Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh without firing Sparano first.
“Vince Lombardi” opens Wild Card weekend with words of encouragement for the teams involved in Saturday’s playoff games.(I wish I could have embedded this video into the page.It’s absolutely beautiful.)
“He hasn’t changed.He’s the same guy. He worked tirelessly to get back to the player he was after last year’s (wrist) injury. Adversity never got him to the point where it changed his attitude. Through everything, he just has been an incredible leader.”
‘‘”The great thing about the Green Bay game was that we don’t have to give anybody a speech about the playoffs because we were in one. If anybody wondered what defenses do to you in the playoffs, (Packers defensive coordinator) Dom Capers showed us. They’re fighting for their playoffs lives, so you’re going to see everything they have in their playbook.’’
The difference in this kind of experience may be one reason why the defense preformed so much better.
I thought Johnny Knox, in particular, wilted under the pressure and the relentless physical nature of the game Sunday. Here’s hoping he responds better in the playoffs. However, the game may have been an indication that the Bear wide receivers aren’t as good as many people thought. offensive coordinator Mike Martz may be having similar thoughts (via McClure, again):
“We had eight opportunities in the passing game to make really big plays, and we didn’t make one of them, which is not like us. Very disappointed.”
McClure also points out that the Bears had to offer Levi Horn more money to keep him from leaving the Bear practice squad to join the Dolphins 53 man roster. The Bears lost Juaquin Iglesias to the Vikings last week. An glass half full kind of person might condor other teams trying to raid the Bears practice squad as a good sign.
Sean Jensen, also at the Sun-Times, writes a nice article which provides some insight into the duties of the running back as a pass protector in Martz’s offense:
“Under former Bears coordinator Ron Turner, running backs might have been responsible for a part of the field. Under Martz, they have to ‘scan’ the entire field to identify a blitzer. If none comes, the running back may have to quickly find space to provide an option for the quarterback and become the ‘hot read.'”
Fred Mitchell at the Chicago Tribunegets an interesting nugget from kicker Robbie Gould on the new overtime rules that kick in for the playoffs:
When the Bears played the eagles in week 12, the Eagles didn’t have Asante Samuel. Jeff Dickerson at ESPNChicago thinks his presence could make a difference in the Bears see them in the playoffs.
One Final Thought
Jensen again, quoting former Ram running back Marshall Faulk on Matt Forte in Martz’s scheme:
‘‘Once he gets that confidence in this system, you’ll see him stop thinking. There are times he’s thinking and not playing. I’ve watched him grow into this offense.’’
The issue of the day at ESPN was apparently whether quarterback Jay Cutler can lead the Bears in to playoff success.
Former Bear Tom Waddle answers the question essentially as “Yes. As long as they don’t have to ask him to actually do anything”:
Jeff Dickerson at ESPNChicago essentially agrees:
and finally Michael Wilbon at the mothership gets closer to the real point:
and what is the real point?
If Cutler tries to do too much, as he is definitely apt to do, the Bears are in trouble. He’ll hold the ball forever and try to make plays that aren’t there. If, however, Cutler plays within himself and lets the offense work, he’ll be fine and things will go well.
It seems clear that everyone agrees that if the Bears fall behind and they have to pass, there’s probably a playoff loss on the horizon. Therefore the defense will have to play at least as well as they did Sunday against the Packers and the special teams will have to play considerably better than they did.
Dan Pompei at the Chicago Tribunegoes through what I thought was a key play in the game when Lovie Smith decided to go for it on fourth and 1 from the Packer 40 yard line. With the defense playing well in a tight, field position game this is not the decision I would have made. I’m surprised Smith hasn’t seen more heat over it.
“I don’t know who called it. I did my job. What was it, third-and-15? That was big. I think that was the changing point in the game right there. We had opportunities. We didn’t capitalize.”
You can almost hear the frustration in Taylor’s voice as he can’t catch a break in what has turned out to be a rough second half of the season for him. Smith says that he made the decision to call the time out.
Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune on the large pass to run ratio in offensive coordinator Mike Matz‘s play calling:
“Was Martz trying to hide something for the playoffs? That doesn’t mesh with the explanations given that the Bears played to win the game Sunday. They didn’t use the formula they had been winning with and if they get out of whack in the playoffs, this has proved to be a recipe for disaster.”
I’ve heard the theory put forth that this game was more about testing the offense to see what they can do by Martz than it was about calling plays to otherwise win the game. Like Biggs, I’m not sure I buy it.
Lost in the playoff excitement was the fact that the Bears lost yet another third round pick. Biggs reports that the Bears offered to promote wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias from the practice squad to the 53 man roster (and to give him playoff game checks) to keep him leaving for the Vikings. The Bears signed Eric Peterman to take his place on the practice squad.
Kevin Seifert at ESPN.com believes that Devin Hester‘s revival as a return man was due to the perfect balance between that and his role as a complementary receiver on offense.
“Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has struggled throwing to the left side of the field all season. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Cutler finished the year ranked 27th among NFL quarterbacks in passes thrown outside of the left hashmark. Sunday, he completed six of 14 passes and threw both of his interceptions in that direction. I don’t know if it’s a mechanical issue, a matter of the Bears’ scheme or if it’s just happenstance. But it’s worth monitoring.”
Soldier Field general manager Tim Lefebvre comments to ESPNChicago.com about the upheaval over the state of the stadium’s turf:
“It’s unfortunate. You see them spending too much time talking about conditions rather than just playing the game.”
“No one seems to be talking about it of late, but the Bears won the Jay Cutler trade with Denver. Cutler didn’t do much against the Packers in Week 17, but he has played very well of late. … All that being said, Kyle Orton had a fine season, but no way does he lead the Bears to the No. 2 seed in the NFC this season. This is exactly what Chicago envisioned when it made the blockbuster deal for its franchise quarterback.”
Jeff Dickerson tells the ESPN mothership that talk about Devin Hester over shadows Danieal Manning‘s performance as a kick returner:
Elsewhere
Mike Florio at profootballtalk.commakes the relevant point about the retention of the current power structure in Minnesota with new head coach Leslie Frazier:
“Well, if it really was working, [Brad] Childress would still be the head coach.”
Albert Breer at the NFL Network is reporting that the Titans owner Bud Adams will meet with head coach Jeff Fisher to determine his fate. Indications are that Adams wants Vince Young, who is feuding with Fisher, as his quarterback but he also doesn’t want to hire a new head coach in the face of a potential work stoppage.
Joseph Heller, author of the famous book Catch 22, describes the essence of the no win situation that the books title has come to represent. He does it in terms of the psychology of a bomber pilot, Orr, during World War II:
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he were sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.”
“I didn’t address Cutler berating Chester Taylor at Lambeau Field after Taylor lined up in the wrong spot and cost the Bears a timeout because the very public outburst didn’t affect Sunday’s game. But the tantrum revealed Cutler’s impulsiveness that could hurt a Bears offense that needs more prudence than passion from its quarterback.
“One minute he’s losing his cool with a teammate, the next he’s letting the ball sail over an open receiver into the arms of a safety. I want to believe Cutler’s hair-trigger emotion and his execution are unrelated. I also want to believe there’s no connection between a half-hour on the treadmill and chronic knee pain but I would be kidding myself about that too.”
I’m not as inclined as I used to be to judge Cutler’s mental state on the field based upon his body language. Yes, he was a bit mercurial last week but his emotions have been showing through the cracks in that armor of disinterest he shows the world more and more over the last six seeks even as his performance behind center has improved.
I’m really not sure that these outbursts are a bad thing. Cutler is showing some leadership qualities that he failed to demonstrate last year and, though the form sometimes shows his immaturity, I’d rather he was being more demonstrative than less.
But admittedly its a delicate balance and in many ways it demonstrates the Catch 22 bind that Cutler is in. Like most of us, Cutler has to deal with a mass of contradictions. He’s got to show some emotional leadership but if he does that he’s not cool and collected. He’s got to be competitive and want to make plays but if he does that he’s holding the ball too long.
So what do you do? Most of us dance in the middle, trying to please everyone and in the process pleasing no one. You can’t win – no one can.
It’s a simple question of moderation. But there are no simple answers. No one knows that better than Jay Cutler.
