Brian Urlacher Doesn’t Get It

Vaughn McClure at the Chicago Tribune writes about Brian Urlacher‘s objection to Julius Pepper‘s roughing the passer penalty last Sunday.  Urlacher makes the following two contradictory statements literally in the same breath:

“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.

    “Vince Lombardi” Motivates the Teams for Wild Card Weekend and Other News

    Bears

    “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.

    Elsewhere

    “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 Ireland was 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.
    • Former Bear Adam Archuletta is reportedly engaged to this:
    • “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.)
    • The Vikings are reportedly interviewing Josh McDaniels for offensive coordinator and Mike Singletary for linebackers coach (via Seifert). McDaniels is likely a candidate in Kansas City as well, where he’d be a better fit. But it might depend upon whether he wants to work with head coach Todd Haley.
    • Mark Schlereth at ESPN thinks the Packers will beat the Eagles this weekend by blitzing Michael Vick:

    One Final Thought

    Isreal Idonije on Brian Urlacher (via McClure):

    “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.”

    Has Jerry Angelo Done a Good Job After All? And Other News

    Bears

    ‘‘”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 Tribune gets an interesting nugget from kicker Robbie Gould on the new overtime rules that kick in for the playoffs:

    “You might see a couple of extra onside kicks.”

    • 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.’’

    Can Jay Cutler lead the Bears to Playoff Victory?

    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.


    Brett Favre May Be Retiring But the Boys Aren’t Going Down Without a Fight and Other News

    Bears

    • Dan Pompei at the Chicago Tribune goes 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.
    • Seifert also notes this interesting statistic:

    “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.”

    I couldn’t agree more.

    “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.com makes the relevant point about the retention of the current power structure in Minnesota with new head coach Leslie Frazier:

    “We believe what we have right now as an organization has worked,” [team owner] Zygi Wilf said, per Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.

    “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.

    One Final Thought

    The always thoughtful Matt Forte gives his perspective on the Bears’ season to Jim Rome:

    Jay Cutler’s Situation Defines “Catch 22”

    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.”

    In a related way, the Chicago Tribune‘s David Haugh‘s does his own psychoanalysis of Bears quarterback Jay Cutler today.

    “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.

    NFC Playoffs Will Be All About the Matchups

    Analysts Kurt Warner and Trent Green agree that the Bears will want the Saints coming into Soldier Field rather than the Eagles (via Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times).

      “’With how well [the Bears] defense is playing, the Saints coming to Chicago would be a better matchup because Michael Vick is playing at such a high level,’ former Rams quarterback and current NFL Network analyst Trent Green said. ‘I don’t necessarily believe Philly is going to beat Green Bay, but the inconsistencies have been a little surprising from New Orleans, some of which is due to injury, some of which is Drew forcing things more than he did last year. Based on that, and especially since they are a dome team and if you can dial up the right kind of weather they could have problems, I would say the Saints, even though it’s hard to say you hope the matchup is against the defending Super Bowl champs.’”

      But Hayes also sees the Eagles as a good match up for the Bears:

      “If there is a defense equipped to stop Michael Vick, it’s the Bears. They proved as much during a 31-26 win on Nov. 28 that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. The Bears are quick and disciplined defensively. They kept Vick in front of them and forced him to run around in cold weather on slick sod trying to throw touch passes over Brian Urlacher’s head.”

      I would agree.  I would also have to say that, for all of the reasons that were demonstrated Sunday, the worst individual match up for the Bears is probably the Packers.  The Packers exposed many Bear weaknesses in that game.  Fortunately, the Bears won’t see either them or the NFC favorite Atlanta Falcons until the NFC championship game.

      Indeed, there is a decent chance that the Bears won’t see the Packers at all.  The same characteristics that make the Bears vulnerable to the Packers makes the Eagles an awful match up for them.  Kevin Seifert at ESPN.com explains the reason why:

      “[LeSean] McCoy has gotten his YAC on (Yards After Catch) this season. In fact, he has 724 YAC this season, the most in the NFL. His average of 9.3 YAC per reception ranks No. 9 in the NFL. Meanwhile, [DeSean] Jackson has 359 YAC and is averaging 7.6 YAC per reception.”

      “The Packers will not only have to keep track of where Vick, McCoy and Jackson are before the snap. They’ll need to take special care to wrap them up when they have a chance.”

      ESPN’s Trent Dilfer agrees:

      The Packers can, in fact, do that and they are perfectly capable of winning this game.  But, as indicated above, while the Bears cover two is specifically designed to stop the West Coast offense and limit the YAC, the aggressive man-to-man defense that the Packers specialize in is vulnerable to it.

      Bottom line, it isn’t just about who the best team is or even who the best team is on a given day.  Its also about the personnel and the scheme.  And how things fall together in those terms after this weekend will ultimately determine the Bears fate as much as any other factor.

      Packers Provide a Blueprint for Beating the Bears But Not the Bricks

      And Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times, makes a point that might turn out to be over-blown:

      “Worse yet, the Packers’ approach will likely serve as a blueprint for the Bears’ first playoff opponent. [offensive coordinator Mike] Martz can expect the Eagles, Seahawks or Saints to attack similarly.”

      You hear this kind of thing a lot after a bad offensive performance and I admit that it also crossed my mind.  Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune apparently has similar thoughts:

      “The fear moving forward has to be that a talented secondary can throw a net over these receivers and really limit Cutler’s options. The Packers have mugged the Bears’ receivers in Lambeau Field before and Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams are a talented duo. Darryl Drake’s position group must improve.”

      Its possible that the Packers did provide a blueprint for beating the Bears but I don’t think its as relevant in this case as it might be otherwise.

      First, the New York Jets play a very similar style of defense.  They play very aggressive man-to-man coverage with a lot of blitzes from many different angles.  Indeed, they do it with arguably better personnel than the Packers have.  But the Bears offense was well prepared and handled them reasonably well.  They’ll be a tougher out if the Bears have to play them again in the Super Bowl but I think the game demonstrates that they are capable of handling that kind of defensive game plan.

      Second, and more importantly, very few defenses play that style as well as the Packers do.  They just don’t come any better than defensive coordinator Dom Capers and the Packers have been playing that style of coverage for considerably longer than he’s been there.  And the Packers know the Bears better than probably anyone else in the league.  More Biggs:

      “[Bears quarterback Jay] Cutler explained that one reason the passing game struggled was because the Bears had not changed their hot reads from the first meeting with the Packers in September. They used the same adjustments as they did for that game, and the Packers were on to them this time.

      “‘They kept us out of sync,’ Cutler said. ‘We didn’t change a lot from last game to this game and I think they did a really good job of taking away some of our hots, keeping us off balance with some of the hots.'”

      I would expect some changes over the bye week.

      Bottom line if the Seahawks and the Saints, in particular, want to try to duplicate what the Packers did without their personnel and without their coaching staff, the Bears should welcome them to try.

      Do Defensive Coordinators Make Better Head Coaches?

      Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune had this nugget today:

      “Former Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera has been mentioned as an early candidate to replace John Fox in Carolina. One league insider said it was the preference of owner Jerry Richardson and general manager Marty Hurney to hire a coach with a defensive background.”

      Like most Bear fans I wish Rivera well though I’m not as inclined as I once was after Rivera released the hounds on the Bears in their first preseason game.  A Bears offense that really needed the practice under new coordinator Mike Martz got almost no work done and young backup quarterback Caleb Hanie got hurt, stunting his growth in the offense.

      But what really struck me was the general preference of Richardson and Hurney for a defensive head coach.  They aren’t alone.  Adam Schefter at ESPN is reporting that former Bear defensive coach Perry Fewell will be interviewing in Cleveland and Carolina (via Michael David Smith at profootballtalk.com).

      All of this reminded me of this anonymous quote from Pro Football Weekly‘s Audibles feature:

      “Why is it that defensive coaches can pick good offensive coordinators, but good offensive coordinators don’t always pick good defensive coordinators? I don’t think they understand matchups as well. Every situation is different. If I’m looking for a head coach, I’d be more interested in a coach with a defensive track.”

      I’m not entirely sure I agree with this, particularly after seeing the Bears struggle to find the right offense under Lovie Smith.

      Statistically speaking offensive ranking correlates almost directly with team winning percentage.  The correlation is much stronger than it is for defensive ranking (and special teams) and its particularly strong for passing offense.

      Bottom line, if you find a good offensive mind, it seems to me like you grab that first to be the head coach, then find a defensive coordinator who understands match ups.  Nevertheless it looks like it might be the year of the defensive coordinator as far as head coaching interviews go.

      The Bears Need a Healthy Earl Bennett for the Playoffs

      Mark Potash at the Chicago Sun-Times has a relevant point:

        “Maybe Earl Bennett is more of a security blanket for [Bears quarterback Jay] Cutler than it appears. Bennett, who has been a clutch third-down receiver during the Bears’ resurgence, missed Sunday’s game with a leg injury.”

        Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune would seem to agree:

        “Yes, the Bears were playing without Earl Bennett, who has become almost a starter. He sat out with a tweaked ankle that has been a lingering issue, but the expectation is he will be fine for the playoffs. Without Bennett, this group was throttled.”

        The Bears wide receivers got physically handled at the line of scrimmage.  Its possible that Bennett’s size would have prevented them from manhandling him had he been there.  We’ll likely find out in a couple weeks.