What is it about leaders from the state of Texas that makes them sound like hopeless morons when they say phrases like “stay the course.” President George W. Bush – he of the approval rating south of post-Watergate Nixon – said that “those who don’t want to stay the course side with the terrorists.” He was talking about the Iraq War, not the Bears beyond-porous pass defense. Lovie Smith – he whose tone often equates any and all critics with terrorists – said, “stay the course and things will be okay.” He was talking about his failing defensive scheme which has led offensive coordinators to abandon their run games early and throw on every down. Why? Because it works.
Albert Einstein is famously quoted, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” He also once said, “I don’t know much about this relativity business but I know you gotta pressure the quarterback.”
Sunday - against Tennessee - the Chicago Bears defense illustrated clearly what the Chicago Bears offense has been hiding all season long. They're not very good. The Bears have yet to win a ballgame where they've scored less than 24 points. Read that sentence again. You don't want to? Too bad. The Bears have yet to win a ballgame where they've scored less than 24 points. Here's a sad fact: the defense allowed less points a year ago. Remember a year ago? When they had their entire secondary injured?
With apologies to Susan Powter, it is time to stop the goddamn insanity. The Bears must adapt from their stubborn philosophies or risk blowing a prime opportunity to reach the post-season. They have their three most difficult division contests and the game's most prolific offense in the final two months. If they insist on waiting for "things" to be "okay" they'll be doomed to an 8-8 year (at best). If this team fails to win the division, a convincing case can be made for the firing of their head coach.
The Packers are against the ropes late in a fight and a loss on Sunday can knock out their season. Deliver the right hook. Knock these cheese-loving pricks out. Send the house at Aaron Rodgers. Treat this rivalry like it's important to you because it's damn sure still important to us. Play defense with an offensive mindset.
Either that or you'll wake up Monday morning in third place in the NFC North.
#2 The Duke said . . .first!
November 11, 2008
#3 The Duke said . . .well said Jeff. I guess Einstein was pretty smart. although I don't agree the entire defense sucks. just our pass coverage. I know that comes back to the d-line getting pressure on the QB, but sweet jesus somebody cover a receiver down-field already. and is it just me or does anyone else find that Lovie seems to not care anymore? his relaxed demeanor is a little too relaxed if you ask me. It's almost like he's getting a little too comfortable in his role after the superbowl appearance. which by the way was with the same defense under a different Defensive coach. Come back Rivera!
November 11, 2008
#4 Prefontaine said . . .well said Jeff. I guess Einstein was pretty smart. although I don't agree the entire defense sucks. just our pass coverage. I know that comes back to the d-line getting pressure on the QB, but sweet jesus somebody cover a receiver down-field already. and is it just me or does anyone else find that Lovie seems to not care anymore? his relaxed demeanor is a little too relaxed if you ask me. It's almost like he's getting a little too comfortable in his role after the superbowl appearance. which by the way was with the same defense under a different Defensive coach. Come back Rivera!
November 11, 2008
#5 Shady said . . .Do we still get off the bus running the ball??
I'm also scared that with all the pub Mike Singletary is getting now, he won't be available when the Bears come calling. It wouldn't be this year, but in another Lovies head will be on a platter. Love the Fire, Love the Intensity, Love the Iron.
A a reformed Rex supporter, I am now doomed and will pay my respects. Rex sucks, Kyle is the man. I was wrong.
November 11, 2008
#6 Z said . . .Pretty funny stuff about Einstein there, nice work.
Not sure what's going on with the defense this year, there's really no explanation for what's been going on. The unit is playing some of the best run defense I've ever seen, while the secondary is getting carved up like a Thanksgiving Day turkey.
My only explanation is this: The Bears have been blitzing a lot this year, but have not been getting to the QB with that pressure. Sure thos extra bodies in the gaps are shutting opposing run games down, but if those guys aren't getting through to the QB, then somebody is probably going to be open down field.
No doubt something needs to change on defense on passing downs, whatever the Bears are doing on defense to defend the pass isn't working and it's time to try something new. Who knows, maybe they actually WILL try something new this sunday against the pack. Lovie always likes to use subterfuge (Phil) in order to disguise what his plans are, so maybe while Lovie is saying "we're gonna stay the course", perhaps the Bears will actually mix it up on 3rd downs this week. I like Lovie, in fact I think he's done a pretty damn good job. Fuck Ron Rivera, the selfish son of a bitch wanted out and that's exactly what he got. What's he done in SD this year that make people want him back? I don't get it.
Anyway, Lovie has no other choice than to try something new on how to defend 3rd and longs, because whatever they're doing isn't working. I actually feel more comfortable with our defense defending 3rd and short than 3rd and long... What the hell is going on? maybe the corners have lost a step... I don't know what the explanation is, but not getting off the field on 3rd and long is too painful to watch any longer.
November 11, 2008
#7 Crown said . . .I must rant.
Yes, yes, yes Jeff. The players are not executing the schemes so unless you are going to change the players you must adjust the scheme.
All three phases are not getting it done enough.
ST is not blocking for shit for #23. If those guys don't want it bad enough, put more starters in. Your job description is to win footbnall games. Sign practice squad players, someone off the street. Someone knows how to throw a block out there. #23 we need you to be as focused on ST as you are trying to be on O.
On O, Forte keep it up buddy. U are our saving grace. TE's doing good. Line is getting some pass protection. Now since they can't push forward from their stance, how about those stunts running behind Garza, Ron Turner, that seemed to work pretty good. With Rex rusty how could we not run more, especially with Forte having a very good half. Again bad coaching. We were only down 7 with plenty of time.
Only two WR's had catches the whole game and Davis had one of them. #23 had the other 4. Bears WR's total catches while abandoning the run? 5 total. Is that on Rex, the WR's or RT most? They all are not getting it done. And releasing Bradley just seems arrogant and stupid if Booker, Lloyd and Bennett are not going to play for shit.
And the D. Well it was said earlier if you have 8 or 9 up there, of course you will stop the run. Let's risk giving up a couple yards on the run to spread the line out and try to find a gap on passes to sneak into. Put #54 on the outside, make him a safety, run some crazy safety and corner blitzes, jam the receivers at the line, let the LB's stay back a little so they aren't sprinting to get back and catch up to the middle of the field, do anything but what you are doing because it is painfully, pathetically, unintelligently, obviously and disgustingly not working. Especially now that every team knows to pass like crazy against us and not run much. We know they will because we can't stop them. Adapt, adjust, try something. Put ideas in a hat and pull one. What's the worst that will happen? Old, weak armed, crappy QB's will look like Unitas and Starr against us? Too late, so fucking do it. Yes the front 4 should get pressure and the secondary should be covering better for longer and getting TO's but they are not. This is your reality. The players aren't changing so you must change what you are asking them to do. You are not getting pressure on the QB and are not stopping receivers from lighting us up. Fucking Bobby Wade? Fuck. This is not working and you are running out of time.
The players or scheme must change. Until they prove they can execute the current schemes, those are your only two choices. Pick one and quit trying to throw the division away or don't and probably lose and risk your jobs. Please do something.
I have never been this angry at a team in first place in my life. Fucking Bizzaro World. WTF?
November 11, 2008
#8 Z said . . .I am sick of people blaming the cornerbacks for our weak pass coverage. This is all on the front four getting owned week in and week out. When any QB in the league is given 5 to 10 seconds to find a receiver and throw (besides Rex Grossman), he is going to gash your D. CBs cannot touch WRs after 5 yards. Many of the WRs in the league are the fastest and most athletic players on their respective teams. It's nearly impossible to stay on man coverage perfectly for 5+ seconds. The real question is why hasn't Patch Babich switched it up and let the CBs jam their receivers at the line? I have not seen that once this year. It seems as if Vash and Peanut are being told to avoid contact at the line and just try and stay step for step with their man. I know the fear is that the CB will fall or get beat big, but that is what safeties are for in the cover 2. Why not at least try it.
November 11, 2008
#9 Phil from SATX said . . .And yes I meant Justin Gage, got my shitty ex-Bear WR's mixed up. But Wade did have 5 catches for 60 yards against us for a total of 11 catches 141 yards and a TD for ex-Bears against us in that game.
Besides that we haven't practiced it at all I am sure, why wouldn't the 3-4 work better with our personnel?
November 11, 2008
#10 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .I sure do agree with everything everyone's saying here, especially Z's, which I thought maybe I had written myself until I remembered I didn't. I love Z's last comment - never been as angry as a team in first place in my life. I so agree. I just read the last posts from the last thread and saw the Bradley stats. It's happening. That guy was a bona fide receiver and our coaches respected him not one lick.
Know who I don't respect one lick? Our coaches. Now they're doing the same shit with one Earl Bennett. Now I haven't seen him play much, so I still don't know whether he's a bust or just another Mark Bradley - but I have my suspicions. Maybe we should throw him out on the trash heap too, huh coaches? He was only a 3rd rounder. Plenty of those to go around, they'll just be thrown away anyway. They're like milky minutes - who wants them? Plus once we cut him we can sign truly dynamic players like Marcus Hamilton off someone else's practice squad - that guy has single-handedly rescued our secondary! Maybe he has a brother or something.
Do you REALLY think Babich is going to change anything? Remember that for Lovie, "negative reinforcement doesn't really work" for him. Remember that he likes to "stay the course." Remember that we have to "trust him."
Do you realize that if it weren't for Matt Forte, Kyle Orton, John St. Clair and Josh Beekman, (and even RT) that we'd probably be something like 0-9? Can you believe that the Bears D is this freaking bad with the players we have on the field? Do you know who to blame when you know you have better personnel than average yet you're still being outplayed week in and week out?
Just a final comment - and apologies to Mikeb, someone whom I admire greatly around here - the routine rejoinder that the coaches don't make tackles or defend passes or rush quarterbacks - since failed football plays are ALWAYS about players not making plays, you could use that same line to defend every single coach that ever walked the sidelines, no matter what was happening out there. I think a better way to look at coaching is to ask, are the guys on the field consistently playing up to their abilities? Do the coaches have a good gameplan going in to the game? Do they make needed adjustments as the game unfolds, in response to what the other team is doing? Do they pick the right personnel to be on the field? Lastly, do they appear to be good motivators of their players?
Can I answer?
No.
Sometimes, but it doesn't help, because...(see next answer)
No.
No.
No.On a more positive note, thanks to Duff Diggler and to Pankster for their service to our country. Although I do love free holidays which allow me to be up at 3 am on a Tuesday morning, this is truly an important and meaningful one. Let's have everyone who's a veteran post up today so we can give them our thanks - I know there's a bunch more out there (and sorry if there are other regulars whom I'm forgetting).
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
GOD BLESS OUR VETERANS AND ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN!
GOD BLESS DA BEARS!November 11, 2008
#11 BearDown1982 said . . .D. Haugh as a intreresting take on how to fix the Defense
An here a article with Lovie defending his defense
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-11-bears-chicagonov11,0,5400719.story
theres 2 things to chew on before we face the pack
November 11, 2008
#12 Peanut FTW said . . .I think the cover two works if you have the players that fit the scheme. It's clear that we don't.
A. Our defensive line is still a solid group, but they are not capable of getting a consistant pass rush by any means. Wale has been a bust to a degree, Alex Brown does a lot of the dirty work but isn't a pass rushing specialist, Anderson has decided to be a total nonfactor after his 'breakout; rookie season, Dusty helps in the run game, and Tommie hasn't found a way to still make his presense felt despite being double teamed.
B. Urlacher is not the force in the middle of the field that he used to be. Case in point...teams now kill us with passes in the middle of the field.
C. Our secondary is average at best. I never thought our corners were lock down type guys by any means...and have long thought that Vasher is overrated thanks to a 2005 season where a ton of easy interceptions fell into his lap (haven't seen many of those since). Peanut is a physical corner asked to play 7 yards off the ball in the cover 2. I don't get it. Mike Brown is still good against the run, but it does appear that he has lost a step due to age and injuries. Payne can hit. Payne can't cover.
So, I'd say it is what it is at this point. The only good thing is we have proved that we can sto the run. If we can somehow manage to be a bit better against the pass...oh what am I talking about!
November 11, 2008
#13 Phil from SATX said . . .I really think the biggest issues are the "mug look" okay it got us 1 week of how the heck do we beat that D but people have been slanting and cross patterning us to death ever since so.. good idea, maybe you shoulda saved it for like a playoff game or something but it's out and everyone knows how to beat it. Dith the MUG.
Look I don't see any problem in running some cover 2, it has it's place. Pittsburgh runs it a few times a game, like 3rd and 14 or more. But normally they man up, push back a 1 deep safety, and come after the QB. The Eagles do similar things and run exotic blitzes instead of high school ones. The major point is, if you do more man and some of those things, you can still get beat, but it takes perfect passes because well people are covered and there is usually pressure on the qb so, it doesn't happen very often. And when you do get beat occasionally you have an Offense that can go score points, guess what, this year so do we, (Orton healthy of course). I would just like to see us run more stuff that relies on the talent of our players instead of the D every college uses to try and limit damage because of player rotation.November 11, 2008
#14 jdawg said . . .Thanks for the link Decatur. Lovie is a d-bag. He's blaming his players, and exonerating his coaching. Now you know why there is a lack of personal responsibility on this team, that includes Tommie whining that we don't know shit cause the QB's not "patting the ball," we have Hester saying it's because of the blocking that he's not returning punts (which it very well may be, but still...), we have Urlacher mocking the crowd for booing them.
We've lost 4 games out of 9. In several of the games we won, the QB still torched us and remained unscathed, we just happen to have a much better offense this year thanks to a better QB, running back and better pass-protecting line. Our defense STINKS, and we're more than halfway through the schedule, and it's NOT GETTING BETTER, and the worst thing, wish I had a bigger font, WE'RE HEALTHY ON D!!!!
Haugh did a nice job in that article, although he could have just read our blog and copied it for the most part. We all talked about the mug not working because the linebackers can't get into position, about the need to better disguise what you're doing and keep accelerating and changing your blitzing if you're not getting to the QB, and about the need to potentially change who's out there on your personnel even if you end up sitting a guy you paid a lot of money to. It doesn't mean we're geniuses, it just means it's obvious - what's the opposite of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" -
IT'S BROKE!!!! FIX IT!!!!!!
NUMBNUTS!!!!!
November 11, 2008
#15 traveling bears fan said . . .didn't see the game but heard snippets.
Part of the reason slants are open is the LBs are playing so close to the LoS.
One anylist said Grossman disappears in the pocket because he is short.
It will be good to see KO back.
Man, this team doesn't suck, but its sure hard to get excited about it.
November 11, 2008
#16 Z said . . .what is the point of stuffing the box and pressuring the QB if the underneath routes are always left open. A halfway decent QB will always find that opening in fact they have to otherwise they will get sacked or hurried. But if the Bears covered the short stuff and forced the other team to go deep I would think that the QB would be under a lot of pressure as it obviously takes longer for a deep route to develop. But if they are going to give up the 5-15 yard pass every time they won't get to the QB and they won't give up a deep ball but they will be marched up and down the field upon. As the offense under KO has become bolder, the defense has become somewhat cowardly, they need to risk giving up the occasional big play in order to create havoc in the backfield.
November 11, 2008
#17 zisk said . . .Yeah Phil that was me posting the Bradley stats. I am not trying to be that bitchy cry over spilled milk fan and most people we let go I have been pretty ok with.
But timing is everything. What is fine one week can be a big need the next. Why did we need that roster spot right then so badly? And with not having played Bennett at all that meant we might be 1 WR short of where we thought we were.
While I did not want to see the RB to not be named ever carry the ball for us again, I thought the timing of it was suspect. B4 your rookie RB is signed or proven when you are already paying the veteran (cough, cough) whether u cut him or not. Yeah it worked out, thank god.
Yeah Tank didn't have his paperwork right and liked guns. A lot.
But the Harris trade for a 6th Rounder and the TJ trade (Dan Bazuin and who else did we get for that?) were pretty dumb and not just in retrospect. They were not positions of overwhelming strength so why basically give these people away.
Yes these guys can draft D (until those superstars start pointing fingers at others when they aren't getting it done), especially gems in the late rounds. And finally a few hits on Offense. Took long enough, although we weren't counting Orton until recently. But development, trades and cuts are like a foreign language to these guys and they don't speak it. Confusion and errors.
Oh and thank goodness our line situation has been at least half working out. Remember what we all thought of that before the season started. Orton getting better each week (who didn't think he was a game manager at best before preseason), Forte is a stud (big stats but from a small conference school), line playing way above expectations (1 addition in the draft that was hurt the second day of camp and we have to sign Miller) . We have some things that really went our way so far that I didn't expect. I can't believe it is the D and ST that are breaking our hearts.
November 11, 2008
#18 Z said . . .The lovie duece is great if you have a stud MLB. The secondary can lock down the outside and everytime you go to the middle 250 lbs of urlacher is there to make you pay for it. Even if you get that seven yard gain you have to be asking yourself if it was worth it. I want every catch over the middle to be reggie bush meets sheldon brown painful. I don't think urlacher can handle it any more but I bet briggs can. Switch urlacher and briggs, let peanut and graham jam recievers, and let mike brown call audibles. God knows I trust him more than babitch. Happy veterans day, especialy to all soldiers and bears fans.
November 11, 2008
#19 Peanut FTW said . . .And on a note of something that is actually important, Duff and Pankster and anyone else here that has ever served, Thank You for each moment you gave defending our great country. You are the true heroes and role models in our society. Our citizens are free to criticize the reasons our leaders put our heroes in certain situations (again because of their protecting that freedom for us) but no one has the right to question these young men and women's patriotism, honor or sacrifice of risking their very lives to protect us each and every day.
I know new events pop up and everyone has their problems, but we should remember everyday that there are still so many of our troops in harms way and they at the very least deserve our thoughts and respect and much, much more.
November 11, 2008
#20 traveling bears fan said . . .I could pretty much just cut and paste Z's last post with a few exceptions.
I did like the canning of Ced, even the timing; I did feel a little bad after both charges were dropped but look at the charges OJ got dropped so you never really know if he was innocent or not.
I really didn't think it should have gotten there, Jones was a great and underrated RB and leader on Offense, if there was a real disagreement in the locker room, Ced should have been dealt then, people say they wouldn't have gotten much, well what did they get for him a year later?
I have been a beleiver in KO since he was in college, I live in Iowa where he's from and used to hope the Bears would get him, I thought he was a steal in the 4th round. I thought he really got screwed the way he had really no development or prep time, got handed a watered down playbook and told to go win, and really he did it just wasn't pretty at all. I was really glad when he won the job and watching him change plays at the line, throw deep with touch, I am just really happy for the kid and for the Bears. I think the biggest miss was not getting Garcia at the begining of last season when he lft Philly a UFA. He could have gone in and we could have let grossman go this year instead of extending the inevitable, and the QB comp woulda been between Orton and Garcia, with the loser coming in now.
So I guess I like the way they draft I just think they are so stubborn about developing their own talent and assuring their #1 picks, sometimes they cant see the forest for the trees.
My choices would have differed by having
+Jeff Garcia -Rex Grossman
+Thomas Jones -Kevin Jones
+Mark Bradley -That noname CB from TB
oh and +Ron Rivera -BabitchNovember 11, 2008
#21 Peanut FTW said . . .PFTW,
Great points, Garcia would have been good but we had Griese and got virtually nothing for him. How many teams after their starter went down would have given up something good for him. It would have been better to cut Grossman and keep Griese that way Orton could continue developing and Griese would have been a quality backup(plus he wouldn't have been on Tampa Bay) and Hanie is there to develop also. Instead we have Rex as the backup and might just torpedo the season. I hope Lovie isn't falling into Wannstadtism where he plays so many favorites that the talent level drops to nothing and where he is so in lovie with his systems he never adjusts to the other team and to his own changing personnel as long term quality coaches do, such as Cowher, Parcells, Belichik etc. But those personnel decisions(Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson, Griese, Grossman, Babich, Rivera) have really overshadowed all the good things that I see on the field.November 11, 2008
#22 sean said . . .Urlacher has actually played ok the last few games. He is getting pressure and making tackles, he isn't however knocking down passes and knocking out receivers this year. Most times the Bears gap stunt or blitz they are sending Urlacher and dropping Briggs into zone cover, they are essentially switching their roles just not pre-snap. While I think nowadays Briggs is a better athelte, Urlacher reads QBs better than most LBs in the NFL. I personally would rather see Urlacher sit back and run the D and take up the middle of the field again and let Briggs, who fights off blocks better, rush and clog the gaps. I do like getting Mike Brown into the backfield but again Id rather sneak Payne in and let Brown... who still leads the team in ints returned for TDs? sitting back in coverage.
November 11, 2008
#23 animal said . . .One of the more frustrating things about this season has to be the fact that so many people got paid over the spring and summer and none of them are earning their money. I hope the Bears and other teams remember the results of 54's threatened training camp holdout. Just think if Urlacher is healthy today and not a premiere MLB just wait 4 more years, then we can really bitch.
It was good to see Mike Brown up near the line of scrimmage playing SS. Sounds like that switch will stick.
Every team seems to be running a max protect and even when the bears blitz they aren't getting enough pressure. They need to start giving up a little more on the run and play the receivers a little tighter. This might allow for more big plays but long accurate passes are what seperates great quarterbacks from mediocre ones. Presently a high school QB could pass on us. The fact that Lovie continues to say he's not going to change (which could be one thing), but then out on the field we see the same soft coverage.
November 11, 2008
#24 jdawg said . . .Simplistically, I believe teams have just figured out the Cover 2. They throw at the holes in it all day long. It is obsolete. Time for a new D coordinator, a new scheme. Like the man press the Packers run. Our two big, physical corners w0uld be idea (I mean Tillman and Graham) and Vash can play the nickel and jump routes.
Wow, you guys have enough long rants on here to fill a book. I will have to get back here later when I have some time to read.
November 11, 2008
#25 jeff said . . .man -- cover 2 is not the problem. Cover 2 is not 8 and 9 men in the box.
This is driving me crazy.
This is what I expect next week. You'll see 54 drop back into coverage and a lot of nickel and dime packages. We'll try to stop the GB rushing attack with 7 in the box. Let's just hope our guys remember how to cover.
November 11, 2008
#26 PolygonHell said . . .we never had 8 men in the box on third down.
November 11, 2008
#27 Shady said . . .I've missed a couple of games this year, but I'm still not sure how much of it is the playcalling and how much of it is bad technique.
The corners don't seem to be playing particularly well at times, giving too much of a cusion. and there is a total lack of contact at the line of scrimmage to disrupt the timing routes.
And at times, our pass rush is none existent. What I don't understand on the pass rush front, is that in the past the Bears have provided pressure from the front 4 and it seems to me to be largely down to individual technique, rather than scheme. In fact they've shown they can do it this year against Indy.
I'm not sure that the defensive play calls are radically different from circa 2005/6, and we should have the personell on the field to pull it off.
Perhaps it is just that we're seeing different offensive gameplans now than say 2005/6 offenses using more of a quick passing game to replace the run when they play the Bears.
I'm more worried about the return on investment we're getting from the defense at this point. We have 60% of our salary tied up in defense, they have to perform, or it doesn't bode well for a long time to come.
At some level though what's frustrating about the 2008 team is how close they come in every game, you can point at one or two plays in any of the games that would have resulted in Bears wins if they'd fallen differently.
November 11, 2008
#28 Pankster in Da Carolina's said . . .Something that stood out to me was Lovie Smith's interesting post game interview. He said that there is no reason why the Bears shouldn't be able to stop the pass when they stack 7 or 8 in the box. The defense is supposed to be able to stop 3 WRs and a TE by stacking the line with 3 LBs and a Safety? If the Bears don't get pressure on the QB then SOMEbody is gonna be open, and any QB worth his salt can hit an open receiver once in a while.
But Lovie says it's about getting the execution from the players. I hope he doesn't continue blaming the players or they just might quit on him. Lovie is a big picture kind of guy, he didn't seem to take the loss too badly. He said it might have been an ideal loss because it they were playing an undefeated team and it wasn't a division rival.
There is no doubt in my mind that at least a third of the season is riding on this game against the Packers. I would definitely consider it a must win if the Bears want to conquer the division. Right now there are about 3 pretty equal teams and it should make for a good finish down the stretch. I'm just hoping the defense decides as a unit that it's time to play. Get it right already!
I also have a feeling there's a 99.9% chance we see Kyle Orton on Sunday kicking ass in Green Bay if you listen to Lovie, again very interesting interview.
November 11, 2008
#29 Willie from Chicago said . . .Note:Hey Babich Patch Let's take a page out of Buddy Ryans Book and goto the 4-6 defense Hell it can't hurt anything!Bear Down!
November 11, 2008
#30 The Duke said . . .DoDoes anyone know when KO will return, he keeps on saying that he should be back for the packer game but i really doubt that.
November 11, 2008
#31 DaBears Win! said . . .Interesting take from Larry Mayer after watching the game tape that should have us all watching what we say about "cover 2":
I wouldn’t blame the cover-two defense for the Bears’ inability to stop the pass in Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Titans. I spent Monday morning watching tape of the game and discovered a few interesting things. I’m not a coach, but according to what I charted, the Bears were lined up in their cover-two defense on only 12 of Tennessee’s 41 pass attempts. In addition, Kerry Collins took 15 three-step drops, 10 five-step drops and 13 seven-step drops while also rolling out three times. It’s virtually impossible to generate pressure with three-step drops, but there were chances to sack him. Interestingly, Collins was only pressured on two of his 23 passes in the first half—by Brian Urlacher and Dusty Dvoracek—even though 11 of his 13 deep drops came in the first two quarters. Of course, you can’t just blame the rush. On the majority of those passes, Collins unloaded the ball as soon as he set up in the pocket, which tells me that the coverage was just as responsible. It didn’t show on the scoreboard, but the Bears defense really intensified its pass rush in the second half. Collins was pressured on eight of 18 passes in the final two periods even though he utilized seven-step drops on only two passes. Adewale Ogunleye generated pressure on four plays, one of which resulted in the Bears’ only sack. Others who pressured Collins in the second half were Tommie Harris, Israel Idonije, Marcus Harrison, Mark Anderson and blitzing nickel back Corey Graham. Collins completed 17 of 23 passes for 180 yards in the first half before connecting on 13 of 18 for 109 yards in the second half.
November 12, 2008
#32 Peanut FTW said . . .Jeff,
You hit it right on the head, except that our atrocious defense hasn't been hidden by the offense. You said it yourself, "The Bears have yet to win a ballgame where they've scored less than 24 points." We should be blowing teams out with the capability (on paper) of our defense and the actual scoring ability of the KO-lead offense. I'm so disappointed with the defense, I'm not wearing my Urlacher shirt on Sunday in protest. The next step is a paper bag over my head. (I hope it doesn't come to that, though. It's difficult and messy to drink beer wearing a paper bag....)I agree with David Haugh and many of the bloggers; move Briggs & Urlacher back into 'normal' position rather than, as DH put it, "Dancing around the line of scrimmage." It's making BU look slow when he can't get back to cover the middle. I have a feeling the MUG alignment was dreamed up by Babich and Lovie doesn't want to stifle him by getting more involved in it. A little like his stubborn, "Rex is our quarterback." It's what he's referring to when he mentions negative reinforcement. Don't say anything negative to the players & coaches and everything will be just fine.
Finally, to my brothers & sisters in uniform my heartfelt thanks for carrying on the traditions of Honor and Courage in defense of our freedoms. This is your day.
Dennis Fahey
U.S. Army (Viet Nam)
U.S. Navy (Retired)
November 12, 2008
#33 shonbear said . . .I never feel like a real veteran, I went in during desert storm to be a s.e.a.l. but I flunked out after 5 weeks and got stuck on a shore duty stint for 4 years and got out. But a real thank you does go out to all vets today. :)
November 12, 2008
Is it negative to constantly say that the players aren't executing?
So what, he menas is that their Defensive play calling is right, the plays just aren't making the plays.
The players are becoming wise of his blatant inuendo and responding by finger pointing also.
This team needs to be inserted with some Mike Singletary type of inspiration and passion for the love of the game and the desire to win.
Lovie Smith is the face of this franchise. I'm disappointed that such great players like Tillman, Urlacher, Brown, Harris and etc... are allowing him to water down their character, love of the game and desire to win.
IT IS NEVER OK TO LOSE, THERE ARE NO "GOOD TIMING" OR GOOD LOSSES EVER. THEY ARE WAY TOO HARD TO COME BY IN A LEAGUE FULL OF THIS MUCH PARODY!
I don't care what anybody says, this is a coaching failure, when they barely squeak out a win that should have been a loss because they got lucky, they get overconfident about how good they think they are and act like that was supposed to happen. When they barely lose, they say "we left some plays on the field, we didn't execute".
This team (especially the currently overpaid defense) needs a shot of some Singletary ass kicking
November 12, 2008
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.