So I watched every snap from the starting units in slow motion this morning. Why? (1) I’m a football nerd. (2) I don’t like other people telling me about linemen play. Here’s my three responses to the both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Offense
- As Jay Cutler rolls to his right and fires deep down the field to Devin Hester, something goes slightly unnoticed. Matt Forte was not only wide open in the flat but there wasn’t a defender within ten yards of him. Cutler never looked. Didn’t care. It’s those kinds of decisions that are going to both thrill and frustrate fans for the entire season but it’s also those kinds of decisions that lead to big plays and lots of points.
- David Haugh thinks Frank Omiyale was one of three Bears who helped themselves but I didn’t see it. Sure, Frank buried Giants’ backup middle linebacker Chase Blackburn on Forte’s touchdown run but for the remainder of his time on the field he looked a bit slow and out of position. The Bears also had no push from the middle of the offensive line and – while that isn’t all on Yale – he didn’t help.
- The rest of this summer is about one player: Devin Hester. Hester and Cutler must get on the same page or the number one project will be relegated to gadget plays and go routes. The Bears had the most exciting weapon in the sport and it’s starting to look like they gave it up for a diet version of Peerless Price.
Defense
- I’m going to give Tommie Harris a pass but his performance last night was terrible. Lined up against a backup guard, #91 came out of every stance slow and was never near making a play. Tommie has three weeks to get into game shape for Green Bay and – right now – he’s not close.
- David Haugh was right about Pisa Tinoisamoa. He is the team’s strongside linebacker. There were a series of about six plays where Pisa was in on every single tackle, assisting both Urlacher and Briggs in bringing down the dominant Brandon Jacobs. I knew he was a good tackler but I didn’t know about his speed. Hard not to be excited about this linebacking corps (And no, I’m not going to go crazy about Urlacher being trampled by BJ.)
- I think Rod Marinelli is going to transition Alex Brown from a very good player to great one. AB has always been a favorite of mine but last night he had an unending motor and gave David Diehl everything he could handle. The way he used those big paws to gain position and ultimately get to Eli Manning was a work of art.
