Monday Night May Decide Lovie’s Fate

Thanksgiving Game Thread & Picks Contest

Jeff Hughes | November 23rd, 2010

I’ll be away from a computer for 48 hours so special for Thanksgiving Day, we’re giving you guys a chance to get back into the season-long contest. A perfect score on the three Thanksgiving games will be the equivalent of (2) perfect scores. As the JMCyclone attempts to run away with this thing, the day could be critical.

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Executing/Altering the Big Blueprint

Jeff Hughes | November 23rd, 2010

Congrats to JAB and FRESNO, CA BEAR FAN – both are headed to the Bears v. Eagles game Sunday. The decision was not easy and the entries were terrific but I went with a combination of good story and site loyalty. JAB will be bringing his eight year-old son and FRESNO his father, set to redeploy to Afghanistan in March. I’m working on a best of the submissions and it will be on the site later in the week. Special thanks StubHub! for the gift. Enjoy gentlemen.

ALSO DaBearsBlog will not be updating our Twitter account. So go follow us, jerks.

Now to football…

The Giants defense, led by Lovie Smith disciple Perry Fewell, laid the groundwork for how to play Michael Vick and the Eagles in the coming weeks. For most of the game, the Giants went to a three safety set – blitzing Antrel Rolle from Vick’s strong side (the left) and leaving Kenny Phillips and Deon Grant to prevent against the Eagles best weapon: the deep toss. It was some of the most exemplary defensive coaching I’ve seen in a long time and it was unfortunately lost in the flurry of turnovers committed by Eli “Not Danieal” Manning and the Ahmad “Not Carrie” Bradshaw.

Do the Bears have the personnel to execute this kind of scheme? Doubtful. While the safeties have been surprisingly proficient this season, only beaten deep in those rare moments when Chris Harris seems to be napping, I don’t think Major Wright is quite ready to be an every down player. (DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are not the time to find out.) Deon Grant, the Giants third safety, is a starter for about twenty-eight teams in the league. So what do the Bears do?

They can not rely on pressure from the front four and expect to keep the Eagles offense out of the end zone. Our pass rush, especially edge work from Idonije and Melton, has been vastly improving but it’s too much of a risk. They need to be rigidly schemed and create pressure whenever possible. Here is my game plan to stop Michael Vick:

Step One: Keep Peppers on the Left Side

I understand that Julius Peppers has often flourished by rotating to the side he feels most comfortable on but the disparity with Vick is simply too great. When he rolls to his right, he is a middling-to-average thrower of the ball. Rolling to his left he is lethal, the league’s highest rated passer and a threat to score on every play. The Giants have Tuck and Osi. The Bears don’t. Their best needs to stay on the left side.

Step Two: Blitz Lance Briggs or Pisa Tinoisamoa

I’d be hesitant to blitz Brian Urlacher because Urlacher’s open field speed will be critical if/when Vick evades the rush and takes off. Briggs and Pisa’s closing speed to running backs and quarterbacks can be downright frightening and should force Vick into his struggle throws: short and intermediate routes. This also protects the safeties downfield.

Step Three: Hit the Shit out of Vick

When Vick scrambled out of the pocket against the Giants, the Giants made him pay and by the fourth quarter it was taking him 3-5 seconds to get off the ground with almost every hit. If Vick wants to gain yards with his legs, the Bears must crush him. We saw Vick, albeit in a Falcons uniform, moping on the sideline of a primetime Soldier Field contest a few years ago. (This was also the Rex Grossman return game.) Vick can be rattled – emotionally and physically. For now the Bears should focus on the physical.

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Sunday Football Thread, or Go…Favre?

Jeff Hughes | November 19th, 2010

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DaBearsBlog Picks Contest!

Jeff Hughes | November 19th, 2010

You still have til the end of the Giants/Eagles game to email me (jeff@dabearsblog.com) why you deserve one of the two pairs of tickets we’re giving away to Bears v. Eagles at Soldier Field! Click here to read the full post.

The official spreads for the DaBlog Picks Contest.

Home team in CAPS.

Remember, you can not use the combinations used by either of my brothers or myself.

STEELERS -7.5 Raiders

JETS -7 Texans

Ravens – 10 PANTHERS

TITANS -7 Redskins

COWBOYS -6.5 Lions

Packers -3 VIKINGS

BENGALS -5.5 Bills

JAGS -1.5 Browns

CHIEFS -7.5 Cardinals

SAINTS -11.5 Seahawks

Falcons -3 RAMS

49ERS -3 Bucs

PATS -3 Colts

EAGLES -3 Giants

CHARGERS -10 Broncos

The Jon Picks (14-14-2): Browns, Falcons, Eagles

The Chris Picks (14-15-1): Ravens, Falcons, Colts

The Only Picks That Matter (17-12-1): Bills, Vikings, Ravens

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Bears Have Championship Defense

Jeff Hughes | November 19th, 2010

We all wondered, heading into the bye week, whether Lovie Smith and Mike Martz could fix their offensive struggles. To a certain extent they did, committing to the run and minimizing the risks Jay Cutler takes down the field. But what’s been even more impressive is that since the bye week the Bears have been the best defense in the NFL. And right now, they are playing well enough to make a Super Bowl appearance feel much closer than I ever thought it would in 2010.

Use last night as the example.

Julius Peppers, Henry Melton and Israel Idonije looked unblockable on the edges, harassing Tyler Thigpen and limiting his escapability when the play broke down. When the ends didn’t get to the quarterback, the Bears used their trademark stunt blitz, took advantage of an overmatched Richie Incognito and sent Brian Urlacher after Thiggies.

Tommie Harris showed up and made one dominant tackle for a loss. Lance Briggs continued to play like the best run-stopping linebacker in the sport. Charles Tillman performed like the quintessential cover-2 corner. Chris Harris stayed home over-the-top and limited Brandon Marshall deep. Danieal Manning….Danieal….Manning….delivered the biggest hit of the night.

The Bears ran the ball all game last night not because they were running the ball well. They ran the ball all night because they knew the Dolphins could not score on them. They were right and pitched their first shutout since I watched Brian Urlacher intercept Chad Pennington in the end zone of the old Meadowlands. That was in 2006. A magical year. This defense might be better.

TICKET GIVEAWAY FOR BEARS V. EAGLES AT 4:00 PM TODAY.

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Bears at Dolphins Game Thread

Jeff Hughes | November 18th, 2010

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Two Blog Announcements!

Jeff Hughes | November 18th, 2010

A few notes on the weekend ahead on DaBearsBlog.

StubHub! has given DaBearsBlog two pairs of tickets for the Bears home game on November 28th against the Philadelphia Eagles at 3:15 CST. Both pairs will be going to loyal readers of the site and I’ll announce tomorrow how you can win those tickets. They are very good seats.

There will be no Saturday Show this week. Jon, Chris and I will post our picks Saturday morning in a special post (which may be accompanied by audio rants on tonight’s game by myself and the Reverend if they are deemed necessary). Tomorrow the site will be devoted to reflecting on tonight’s game in typical post-game manner.

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DaBearsBlog Ticket Giveaway!

Jeff Hughes | November 17th, 2010

DaBearsBlog, courtesy of StubHub!, is pleased to announce that we have two (2) pairs of tickets for Sunday’s Bears v. Eagles game at Soldier Field – kicking off at 3:15 pm CST.

We’re going to award the tickets to our loyal readers through a very simple contest.

Write me (jeff@dabearsblog.com) explaining why you want these tickets. Have you not been to a game in years? Is there somebody special you want to take? Do you love dogs and want to shout things at Michael Vick? No reason is too absurd. No reason is too sappy. ALSO POST YOUR EMAIL IN THE COMMENTS IF YOU CHOOSE TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE.

Make sure you include your name and your site handle (Crown, GPLDAN…etc) in the email.

The cutoff for submissions is the end of the Giants/Eagles Sunday night game. I’ll announce the winners of the tickets by Tuesday at 1:00 PM CST – giving you enough time to make appropriate plans.

I am also going to publish the winning and some non-winning responses.

These tickets were courtesy of StubHub!

Where Fans Buy & Sell Tickets

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Bears at Dolphins Game Preview

Jeff Hughes | November 17th, 2010

The 6-3 Chicago Bears have had one of the strangest seasons in recent memory, losing when they should win and winning when they should lose. Who are they? Who knows. But stringing together three straight wins heading into the Thanksgiving holiday would surely announce them as contenders not only for the NFC North but the entire conference.

YOUR STARTING TO GEL 2010 CHICAGO BEARS

over

Miami Dolphins

Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?

I always like the Chicago Bears.
I detailed the mismatch this game presents for the Dolphins on special teams and it can’t be overstated. In a game where I think both teams will play close to the vest, especially with the short week limiting preparation time, field position will be crucial. The Bears have Devin Hester. The Dolphins have some of the worst specials in the sport.
The Ravens were able to control the Dolphins defense and neutralize Cameron Wake on the outside by throwing to Ray Rice seven times for ninety-seven yards. Jay Cutler has found a rhythm with his hot routes and it’s actually bought him more time in the pocket and enabled him to make big first downs with his legs.
I understand Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are tough, physical runners. I understand Brian Hartline and Davone Bess are talented receivers. But there are only two Dolphins that scare me this week as Tyle Thigpen assumes the starting quarterback job: Brandon Marshall and Anthony Fasano. The Lovie Bears have a track record of identifying the opponent’s number one receiver and then letting him catch a dozen balls for over a hundred yards and a couple touchdowns. And with the new QB, Fasano will be the safety blanket over the middle. (He’s also coming off the best game of his career.) Urlacher and the safeties have done a nice job on tight ends this year but Charles Tillman will need to keep Marshall from gaining massive yardage after the catch.
Jake Long is reportedly going to attempt to play this week. If he does, I expect Julius Peppers to test him early. If he doesn’t, I expect Julius Peppers to set up base camp over the left tackle and attack Thigpen from the blindside all evening long.
I can’t imagine the wildcat being effective against linebackers with our speed.
Miami is a significantly better team on the road than at home.
I think Jay Cutler knows he’s thrown 1.6 million interceptions in primetime over the past two seasons and I think he’ll be quite determined to protect the ball and let the defense/specials win this one. (Cutler on his red zone interception: “I’m not that worried about it.” Can’t lie. I like the kid.)
Here’s what I’ve noticed from the Bears. They are improving on the offensive line. They are starting to get short bursts from the running backs. They are committing to the run. I think this is the night the Bears decide to put the game on the back of Forte/Taylor. And I think Forte/Taylor have a big night.
I think the Bears have found their best four down linemen with Orange Julius, Izzy, Henry Melton and Matt Toeaina.
I think the Bears have their ballhawk back and it’s because of players like Tim Jennings and DJ Moore. No one is more surprised by that sentence than I am.
Basic reason why? I think the Bears have found their rhythm and are coming into this game Thursday night as confident as they’ve been in a long time. Watching the press conferences with Lovie, Jay and Brian made it apparent these guys were energized by that win Sunday and want back on the field ASAP. They get their wish. They get another win.

Chicago Bears 24, Miami Dolphins 18

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A Most Special Advantage

Jeff Hughes | November 16th, 2010

When analyzing the coming contest with the Miami Dolphins, one thing becomes abundantly clear: the Bears have their most lopsided special teams advantage of the 2010 season.

The Bears are fourth in kickoff return average; the Dolphins twentieth. Neither team has scored a touchdown but the Bears have a 4-1 advantage when it comes to returns over forty yards. The combination of Devin Hester’s return to the goal line and the Dolphins sporting the third-worst kickoff coverage in the league leads me to believe Tony Sporano will have to either instruct Dan Carpenter to directionally kick the ball towards the sidelines or watch the Bears dominate the field position battle. (I also hope the Dolphins aren’t kicking off all that often.) I continue to contest that when teams try to kick off away from Hester, they end up getting themselves in an awful lot of trouble.

There have been only five punt return touchdowns this season. Two by Devin Hester. Two by Dez Bryant. And one by the rest of the NFL. (Hester and Bryant are also 1-2 in the league in return average.) Brandon Fields has had a difficult time getting his punts off this season, never mind aiming them for the sidelines. Brad Maynard’s kicks have been below mediocre this season but his lack of distance has been balanced by the almost total lack of return yardage.

And the Dolphins delivered one of the world’s worst special teams performances this season against the New England Patriots. The performance was so disastrous that coach John Bonamego was fired the following morning. Just watch the highlights of that performance (linked above) and you’ll be salivating at the thought of our specials facing these guys.

The Bears have a propensity for blocking kicks and live off the return yard. Thursday night they should be able to compensate for the night-averse quarterback and short-week struggler head coach but controlling possession throughout.

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