“The big questions about him now are: Why was he ever behind [backup quarterback Todd Collins] to begin with and what might have been if he had gotten into the game earlier? Did the Bears give away two possessions because of bad coaching decisions?”
These are good questions.
I doubt very much that getting Hanie into the game earlier would have helped all that much. He did throw two interceptions after all. And even had he been second on the depth chart, I’m quite certain that with a new offense being installed, Cutler still got virtually all the reps. I’m sure that’s why offensive coordinator Mike Martz wanted a veteran backup in the first place.
“Hanie played well enough to make everyone wonder why he was the third-string quarterback and not the second-stringer. He also made a strong statement about where he belongs on the depth chart moving forward.”
The real issue, the one where the organization really needs to look critically at itself, was how they handled the back up position from the time they drafted sixth-round pick Dan LeFevour until now.
The Bears drafted LeFevour instead of Packer running back James Starks in a move which former Bears personnel man Greg Gabriel called an embarrassment for the organization. Karma is a bitch.
Though general manager Jerry Angelo was ultimately responsible for this move, my advice to him would be to look very closely next time at who is influencing him when it comes to these personnel moves and when it comes to how the depth chart is stacked. If its Martz then Angelo needs to think carefully about what happened to the Rams roster as Martz acculumated more power over personnel. It wasn’t good over time.
“The addition of coordinator Mike Martz remains a good topic for debate, and his insistence on having the 39-year-old Collins ahead of Hanie on the depth chart was a head scratcher.”
This was a tough way to learn a lesson. It shouldn’t be wasted.
“They basically weren’t doing anything (special), it was us,” Hester said, referring to the offense’s slow start. “We didn’t start off fast. We picked it up in the second half, but we didn’t start off fast.”
True that.
The Bears came out unprepared for what they saw from the Packers in the first half. But even more than that, they were mentally unprepared to play with the speed necessary to win a playoff game.
You could sense it even before the game started. The Bears were dancing at midfield during warmups. Linebacker Brian Urlacher smiled and gave sideline reporter Pam Oliver some nice comments seconds before kickoff. Meanwhile linebacker Clay Matthews was interviewed just before Urlacher. The question seemed to barely get through. He gave a vague answer and couldn’t wait to get away. He was already playing the game in his head.
This was a major difference between the teams. The Packers effectively played three playoff games in a row at the necessary intensity to win. The Bears let down.
The Bears came out in the cover two and stuck with it for the most part during the first drive. But I think it quickly became evident that it wasn’t going to work and they started mixing some single safety with man coverage underneath. The aggressive defense, particularly in the second half, did a better job of confusing and stopping Aaron Rogers.
There weren’t many times when Roger had a lot of time but he gets rid of the ball so fast he’s tough to get to. Again, the BEars did a better job of pressuring him in the second half and it really threw his accuracy off.
On a related note, the contrast between Rogers and Jay Cutler was never so evident as when they ran the ball. Rogers drops back, looks quickly and runs. Cutler drops back, waits…, waits…, waits and runs at the last minute. Weather its a question of style or personality, quick decisions just aren’t in him. Rogers is clearly the more efficient thinker of the two.
I really thought the Bears defense was playing on their heels for much of the first half. They looked pretty confused. I don’t think they were mentally in the right frame of mind nor do I think they looked particularly prepared for what they saw on the field. You can chalk much of their success in the first half up for the Packers coaches.
Rogers is masterful at drifting to the right, drawing the defenders with him, then taking off to the left. It takes discipline to stop him.
Speaking of discipline, the Bears defense wasn’t doing a very good job of filling gaps against the run in the first half. There were some massive holes. They tightened it up in the second half.
The Bears actually got some good penetration on some runs. But particularly in the first half it looked to me like they just weren’t wrapping up and thenPackers running backs were allowed to escape.
Offense
The Packers started the game with four down linemen on the first play. I’ve never seen them do that before. They didn’t do it often but they mixed it in occasionally, apparently when they expected a run. Other than that, I think we probably saw two down linemen most frequently.
Mike Martz apparently thought that little off tackle run to the left with the pulling linemen was going to work again. It didn’t. The Packers were looking for it and adjusted adjusted well to stop it.
I thought the Bear wide receivers had more success getting off the line of scrimmage this game than they did the last time they saw the Packers.
Too bad the rest of what we saw at the line of scrimmage wasn’t better. There were stretches where the Packers dominated it.
But what really hurt the Bears was the pressure that the Packers were able to bring. They were constantly resenting whatever quarterback was in the game. As a result the offense had no rhythm for most of it. The BEars were particularly susceptible to the delayed blitz and the blitz of Sam Shields off the edge. These have been their achilles heel all year. They never managed to counter them.
As bad of a day as Rogers had, Cutler’s was much worse. His accuracy was as bad as I’ve ever seen it. He left some big plays on the field.
I don’t know why the Bears continue to run screens against the Packers. They have the best offense in the league at running them and their defenses sees them in practice every week. There has to be a better way to counter the blitz.
The Bears had to bring in Caleb Hanie. Todd Collins was a sitting duck in the pocket and with the problems the Bears offense had in protection, they had to have a quarterback who could move. I thought Hanie did fine all things considered. Yes, two interceptions but what do you expect from your emergency quarterback who probably hasn’t taken a snap in practice in weeks. Give him credit for bringing energy to the game and engineering a drive which made this game closer than it really was.
I don’t think its any coincidence that the Bears best drive came about when they managed to get Greg Olsen and Earl Bennett involved in the game.
Defensive coordinator Dom Capers did a masterful job of scheming today to take the Bears offense out of their element. Kudos.
Miscellaneous
I thought that Troy Aikman and Joe Buck did their usual solid job during this game. I’ve complained about Buck in the past because I’ve felt he was biased. Whether it was fair when I said it or not I have absolutely no complaints today. Good call.
Man, did penalties hurt the Bears today. They cropped up at crucial times and it always seemed like first and 15 or 20 all game. Once again the offensive line was a major culprit but the defense really got into the act as well. They did a lot of complaining during one particular series in the forth quarter but those all looked like good calls to me.
The Bears special teams were OK. They covered fine and generally speaking they did as well as they could giving the Bears decent field position. But with the offense not moving the ball there wasn’t a lot they could do other than on kickoffs where they performed reasonably well.
But the star of the game was Packers punter Tim Masthay who picked up where he left off at the end of the last Packer-Bears game. He did a masterful job of pinning the Bears against their own goal line. He was huge today.
The Bears defense really didn’t meet expectations as far as turnovers were concerned. Hanie’s interceptions obviously were the game killers.
I didn’t think the Bears dropped the ball too much. I think the Packers receivers did. These guys are used to having Rogers lay it in for them and when it doesn’t happen, they don’t catch the ball as often as they should.
Having just watch ESPN’s NFL Matchup show, I’m glad Michael David Smith at profootballtalk.com took the time to note down some of the interesting and unique analysis of the Bears-Packers game by Ron Jaworski and Merril Hoge. You can find it here.
The village mayor basks in the big city spot light as he wagers with Mayor Daley on today’s game. Via the Chicago Sun-Times.
Earl Bennett‘s wife just had a baby boy. I guess he was involved somewhere in the process as well. Via Neil Hayes at the Sun-Times.
Five year old Jack Lawyer won the Bears game face contest by ripping the head off of a Packer Christmas ornament. Via the Sun-Times.
“It’s a risk to send pressure at [Green Bay quarterback Aaron] Rodgers. He has shown the ability to get the ball out of his hands quickly and accurately. With the Packers using a six-man protection (the running back stays in the protection scheme), there is no guarantee the Bears will get a hit on Rodgers. Therefore, the coverage and tackling in this scheme are crucial to the Bears’ success”
“‘I think if he gets under pressure, he’ll just start slinging that sucker around like free loaves of bread in the hood, man,’ Strahan said during an appearance on the ‘T.Ocho Show.’ ‘I don’t think he’s going to sit back there hold it and be cool with it.'”
Pompei also got this comment from Saints safety Darren Sharper regarding the leadership ability of both quarterbacks in this game:
“You talk about body language — Aaron’s might be 10 times better than Jay’s. Jay’s body language sometimes just kills you.”
Doug Bufonegot a taste of the Packers early as he played in the college All-star game before heading to Bears training camp after he was drafted in 1966:
“It so happened the college kids were playing the defending NFL champion Packers.
“‘It’s an all-star game and they came out to pounce our ass,’ Buffone said. ‘I remember what Jimmy Taylor’s first words were: ‘You guys didn’t come up here to play football, you came up here to count your money.’ I told him as he was screaming at me, ‘Look you (jerk), I was drafted by the Bears. There is no money.'”
“Under [Bears offensive coordinator] Mike Martz, the Bears have not attempted to get Olsen the ball downfield as much. In fact, they have not attempted to get him the ball as much, period.”
Its worth noting that Olsen was not Cutler’s primary receiver even on that play.
PTI debates Barak Obama going to the Super Bowl. Couldn’t agree more with Tony Kornheiser on this.
Elsewhere
Dan Le Batard at the Miami Heraldwriting about the Dolphins. But he could have easily been saying the same thing about the pre-Jay Cutler Bears.
“A slew of alleged Dolphins leaders have been run through this rinse-repeat car wash since – a cornucopia of alleged offensive minds, defensive minds, culture changers, hot candidates and legends. And all have left here varying degrees of exposed or diminished. It isn’t a coincidence that the organization’s descent began when Dan Marino’s did. You don’t need greatness and stability atop your organization as much as you need it atop your huddle.”
“Ideally, find a young guy, build around him, know you’re going to have him for the next nine, 10 years as your starting quarterback. Those guys are sometimes hard to find.”
“I called him up, interviewed him on the phone. I said, ‘Hey, man, you want to come out here and help me out, help us win a championship?’ That was his interview.”
“Asked about the 18-game season by Judy Battista of the New York Times, Steelers chairman and American ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney said, ‘I’d rather not have the money.’ I say the NFL needs this guy more than Ireland needs him.”
Chip Scoggins and Judd Zulgad at the Minneapolis Star Tribune write that new Vikings quarterback coach Craig Johnsonwants Vince Young in Minnesota. So do most Bear fans.
“Mike McCarthy will need to win about five Super Bowls before most Packers fans will elevate him to Vince Lombardi‘s exalted status, but I say he’s already a better coach.”
Michael Lombardi at NFL.com thinks the Ravens need to move tackle Michael Oher back to where they can see him.
“With two picks in every round for the first four rounds, the Patriots will not have enough roster spots available to ensure those players will make the team. As a result, I can see them being aggressive in the draft to ensure they come away with the specific players they need. They have depth, they have youth, but they need an impact defensive player who can be impactful right away — not down the road.”
The New York Jets did well keeping their mouths shut this week. But they finally exploded Thursday. Here’s Jets safety James Ihedigbo‘s message to Jets fans. Via Steve Serby at the New York Post:
“Stock the refrigerator full of champagne and get ready to celebrate.”
“One thing I wanted to make sure he knew was how important it was for me to be there,” Marinelli said of the meeting. “He was important to us.
“You have to know the guy. He doesn’t want to hear someone in his ear yakking. I understand players. I have a good beat on a person. And one thing I really wanted to express to him was that I really wanted to coach him.”
Vaughn McClure at the Chicago Tribunewrites about Bears safety Chris Harris. Harris sustained a hip injury and is questionable for Sunday’s game. Questionable in that he has a decision to make:
“‘I have to be smart about it,’ Harris said Friday. ‘If gutting it out means I can’t get over the top of Donald Driver on a deep route, then no.
“‘I’m going to go out there and go. If it happens to bother me to a significant extent, then absolutely, I definitely would come out the game. I wouldn’t try to play tough guy for my on gratification to say I played in the NFC championship game.”’
Most fans understand that safety is probably the toughest position to play in the cover two defense. Most teams attack the position by giving the safety a choice of two receivers to cover. Its critical that the right decisions be quickly made by the man during any given play. You could argue that Harris’ veteran presence will be more important than athletic ability. However, as Harris points out, that needs to be balanced with the speed needed to get over the top to help out the corner on the outside.
Its not an easy balance to strike. What Harris decides to do will be crucial to the Bears success. Here’s hoping he makes all the right moves.
“With O-Line and D-Line being the Bears’ biggest areas of need this offseason, what are the chances, CBA issues aside, they try to acquire Albert Haynesworth?… What are your thoughts on him Rick, Springfield, Mo.
“I don’t think that’s a bad idea. But in order for it to work, the trade compensation for Haynesworth would have to be reasonable. You wouldn’t want to pay a premium for a player with a history like Haynesworth’s. And the Bears need their draft picks. So far, the Redskins have wanted too much for Haynesworth. There wasn’t a team in the entire league willing to meet their asking price, which was rumored to be a second-round pick. But I could see a scenario in which Rod Marinelli revives Haynesworth’s career and makes him a great player again. If Haynesworth plays like he is capable, and [Julius] Peppers plays like he did this year, they could form a lethal combination.”
My first reaction when I read this question was “absolutely not”. But as I thought about it more I have to admit that the idea is intriguing.
Haynesworth got along OK in Tennessee before signing with Washington. The Bears are a high character team and it is possible that they could lift him up rather than have him drag them down. Factor in the idea that this is exactly the kind of defense that Haynesworth wants to play in – one where he can rush the passer and accumulate statistics – and he would certainly be motivated. He would make an excellent three technique tackle.
It really all depends upon the gut feeling that coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo have about how Haynesworth would affect the locker room. And the other way around.
“What are the Bears going to do to slow down Greg Jennings? R.A. Pickett, Houston
“Jennings is a difficult player to slow down. That’s why he made the Pro Bowl and had a 1,200 yard season. The Bears could devote more defensive attention to Jennings, but the problem is if you do that, the Packers have many other weapons to hurt them with. The best way to play Jennings is probably with a healthy dose of zone coverage with a safety over the top. That’s what I would expect Sunday, but Ron Jaworski of ESPN tells me that in the last game between these teams, the Bears played with one safety high 60 percent of the time. I’m not so sure they can get by living so dangerously Sunday.”
I’m not surprised. The Bears have played much more aggressive defense over the last month.
There’s little doubt that the Bears need to play a healthy dose of cover two on Sunday. But, as they’ve learned the last couple years, they can’t just sit back in it all game. Pressure or not it’s simply too easy to pick it apart if you know its coming every time.
The Bears can and probably play zone most of the game. But they need to continue to disguise their coverages and in order to do that, they need to play at least some man-to-man. Its been hard for me to tell for sure but to my eye they’ve played at least a little quarters coverage as well and continuing to throw that in a minority of the time isn’t a bad idea.
Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribunewrites about Earl Bennett, who was out for the last Packers game with a sprained ankle:
“Now, Bennett is healthy from a sprained ankle suffered in the Dec. 20 game in Minnesota when linebacker Chad Greenway tackled him on a play over the middle. If he’s lined up in the slot, he could be a primary target for quarterback Jay Cutler when the Packers bring pressure. Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers is expected to blitz early and often.”
“The Bears face a considerable challenge going against the Packers. With cornerbacks Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams, the Packers play press man coverage better than any secondary in the league. Woodson is the reigning NFL defensive player of the year and Williams has three interceptions in Green Bay’s first two playoff games. The Packers have given the Bears trouble in the past.”
The Bears definitely missed Bennett January 2. He is a sizable receiver and that will help him, in particular, get off the line of scrimmage. But they’re going to need more than just him to beat the Packers. Green Bay did an excellent job of scouting the Bears. They anticipated and took away their hot routes on the blitz. Now they will need to adjust.
From my favorite feature, Pro Football Weekly‘s Audibles containing quotes from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“I’ve given this a lot of thought. One of the key ingredients to a head coach — you have to have that swagger or confidence and be able to instill it in your players. It could come in a lot of forms. Rex Ryan does it his way with bravado. (Bill)Belichick uses intelligence. Whoever the head coach is, he has to convince his team (that) they are going to win. You could go team-by-team and give the test. The one that I would worry about is Jim Caldwell — does he really get up and induce confidence? He always looks scared. There was no one worse than (Dave) Wannstedt looking worried on the sideline. Having been around Pat Shurmur, I don’t think he has the swagger. (Brad) Childress did not have it at all — players did not trust him. With (Steve Spagnuolo), there is something in his personality that gets people excited. Leslie Frazier will have it as a trust factor like (Tony) Dungy. They will trust him.Ron Rivera will have some intensity to him, and the fact that he played helps. The most confident guy I’ve ever been around is Jim Harbaugh. If there were ever a coach with swagger — it is Jimmy. And he’s always been that way. This is a guy that would kick his feet up on Bo Schembechler‘s desk to get a rise out of him. He could lose a game and it will not faze him. He’ll stand in front of his football team and convince them they will win.”
I don’t have a single doubt this person is right. It isn’t just swagger or confidence. Those are just characteristics. You want the coach to have a personality that can be mimicked with success on the football field. Its why Wade Phillips didn’t succeed in Dallas. Its why Norv Turner‘s teams likely will never live up to expectations.
“Of course Dom does a great job. It’s the final four. There are a lot of great coaches coaching this week, but in the end, what it will come down to is it’s a players game. I think it will be something as simple as blocking and tackling. Some of those basic fundamentals will win this football game.”
Give the Bears credit. No matter what happens tomorrow it has to be admitted that they are generally a well-coached team with good fundamentals. Smith has a point.
“Would the Bears be playing in the NFC Championship had they lost as many starters for the season as Green Bay has? Tom Zanette, West Chester, Pa.
“I doubt it. I doubt any other team would have made it this far with as many injuries as the Packers had. And I’m surprised the Packers made it this far. I don’t think the Bears have the same depth. Look at what happened to them last year when they lost Brian Urlacher. It’s a real testament to the entire Packers organization that they made it this far. General manager Ted Thompson and his staff built up the team’s depth with draft choices, and then they found replacement parts on the street. Coach Mike McCarthy and his staff found ways to minimize the impact of player losses. And substitute players stepped up big time.”
Hard for even a jealous Bear fan to argue though I might point out that the Bears have a pretty good coaching staff as well.
“How come Jay Cutler never pump fakes before throwing a pass? I think there are a few times a game where he could get a D-back or D-lineman to bite. Jim from Los Angeles
“He pump fakes a little, but certainly he could use the pump fake more frequently and effectively. Some players are just more comfortable doing it than others. What’s more important is that he’s not locking onto receivers and telegraphing his passes. And for the most part, he’s not doing that.”
“PEOPLE ARE WORRIED about the SI cover jinx now that Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, center Olin Kreutz and guard Roberto Garza are on the current cover of Sports Illustrated.
“You know how the superstition goes: Be on the SI cover, and you’re doomed.
“‘Doesn’t affect me because I’m Mexican,’ Garza said with a chuckle at Halas Hall.
“Here’s the thing: Joe Montana, John Elway, Michael Jordan and every Super Bowl winner has been on the cover of SI.
“(Bears WLB Lance) Briggs plays with great base. He is great taking on blocks. He is always around the ball. He is very underrated. … (On the other hand, Bears RB) Chester Taylor is 31 and can’t avoid anymore. He’s done.”
“On Friday, Mark Sanchez said of Scott: ‘That’s his personality. If I would have done an interview like that, it wouldn’t have gone over so well. That’s just not me. But that’s Bart to a T.’”
The Buffalo Bills have hired former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt as assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach. Wannstedt certainly knows his X’s and O’s. Good hire.
And the Browns have hired another former Bear head coach, the stubborn but even-tempered Dick Jauron, as their defensive coordinator.
Todd McShay at ESPN thinks that another quarterback from Delaware might be on the NFL radar:
Former Jet Greg Buttle talks about the inspiration the Jets have drawn from Dennis Byrd:
Adam Schefter at ESPN talks about how the Steelers are different compared to the first time they played the Jets:
More good betting advice on the Jets-Steelers:
There isn’t a single comment I could make about this college mascot that wouldn’t get me in trouble. From The Sports Pickle:
“The game today hasn’t even started, but there’s already an elemental urge to preserve it, to keep it just as it is, in suspended anticipation. The game can’t possibly live up to the buildup, can it?
