Live Sports Bar Audio! This is what a girlfriend (not mine) sounds like when she’s mad about Christian Ponder:

The Bears played like a team that deserved to lose on Sunday. But since they won, here are my winning thoughts:

•  Jay Cutler played the kind of game that is going to drive us all crazy. He was awful and brilliant. That’s him. Get used to it. But we should also get used Jay Cutler being the quarterback we want with the ball in his hands and the clock winding down. He’s frustrating but there are few players as entertaining.
• For those of you who’ve killed Devin Hester in the comments below (you know who you are) you can send your apologies to me at YOU.DID.THE.SAME.THING.TO.PEANUT.TILLMAN.LAST.YEAR@DaBearsBlog.com. Hester still has every bit of his genius and he could have scored twice Sunday. Bears lose Sunday if Hester isn’t on the team.
• Sometimes praising Adam Podlesh can lead to Adam Podlesh showing up. A 26 yard punt?
• Joe DeCamillis may get put on the clock by Bears fans sooner than he thinks. The Soldier Field faithful have gotten used to exemplary special teams units under Dave Toub and they won’t take kindly to allowing kick return touchdowns… ESPECIALLY on home soil.
• Tim Jennings looks lost on half of his snaps. The other half he’s creating turnovers.
• Still very little coming off the edge from McClellin, Wootton and Peppers. This will start being a concern with deep passing opponents on the horizon.
• Spectacular performance from Martellus Bennett. Phil Emery’s offseason gets better by the day.
• Semi-spectacular performance from Lance Briggs. It seemed the defensive captain was the ringleader of the stop Adrian Peterson brigade.
• I was confused. Here’s the Weems report from Dan Wiederer: “Allow us to explain. Bears special teamer Eric Weems drew plenty of ire from confused fans in the second quarter when he dove into a loose ball near his end zone after a Vikings punt was originally touched at the 1 by the Vikings’ Marcus Sherels. By rule, once Sherels touched the ball, Weems’ botched attempt to scoop the ball could not have resulted in a fumble. When Weems knocked the ball into the end zone, the Vikings’ Robert Blanton tried recovering it but knocked it out of the end zone for a touchback. Had the Vikings not touched the ball again, the Bears would have been pinned at their own 1.”
• When I watch the tape I am going to focus on Bushrod v. Allen. The fact that Allen did not dominate proceedings should prove Bushrod had a solid afternoon but it seemed Cutler was under significant pressure most of the afternoon.
• Anybody else get the sense the Bears have not tapped into the Matt Forte well yet? It seems Trestman is still trying to figure the best way to utilize his unique skill set. I expect that when this relationship hits its stride so will the Bears offense.
• I loved Stephen Paea’s pregame dance ritual. Felt like I was watching an international rugby match. Juiced me up.
• Quietest addition of note: Tony Fiammetta. Fullback love from DaBearsBlog.

Nothing else burst off the screen to me Sunday in what was as frustrating and exhilarating a game as I can remember. Will look at the game again this afternoon and – of course – will provide more thoughts straight through Wednesday. For now the Bears are 2-0.

Final note on today’s game:

It is far too early in the season to regard a ballgame as “must win” and Adrian Peterson is quite capable of wrecking the afternoon by simply being untacklable. But this is a game the Bears need to win. The conference is loaded. The division is semi-loaded. As they find themselves in a playoff race come December, the Bears will rue a loss in mid-September to a touchdown underdog with an uber-inferior quarterback.

They should win comfortably. The need to win period.

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t the final note:

Why in God’s name are the Bears and the city allowing the University of Illinois to play a game at Soldier Field last night? The Bears have a bye week and eight road games this season. They already have one of the diciest surfaces in the sport. Did it really need four quarters of wear and tear sixteen hours before kickoff?

Side note: I will withdraw this criticism entirely if Adrian Peterson losing his footing a few times.

It definitely wasn’t the final note:

Weather looks to be a factor today, with rain forecasted from about 12:30 pm CT on. Two thoughts: (1) A premium is now placed on running the football and that could benefit the Vikings. (2) It will make it more difficult to hold onto the football so Christian Ponder might want to ignore whatever receiver is near Charles Tillman.

Bear down.

I’m biased, sure, but find me someone who has analyzed the following in a more enjoyable manner.

It took the Bears about thirty minutes to begin their 2013 season in earnest. Now they take the momentum from an opening day win, stay at home, and face the team that kept them from the postseason in 2012.

So…

WHY DO I LIKE THE CHICAGO BEARS THIS WEEK?

I always like the Chicago Bears.

BUT WHAT FOOTBALL REASONS, JEFF?

• Christian Ponder is playing quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings and he’s on the road. The combination of Ponder and the most consistently ball-hawking defense in the sport should mean a long afternoon for the visitors.
• Tangible improvement from the first-to-second half Sunday was about as inspiring as anything we’ve seen offensively since Cutler went down at 7-3 a few years back. This Bears offense will grow in comfort level each Sunday, especially at home.
• Trestman will put the emphasis on pass rush this week in practice. I expect it to be improved.
• Yes, Adrian Peterson is arguably the best player in the sport but the Bears have proven in the past they can beat the Vikings even when they DON’T stop him. And based on the run defense displayed in the opener, I’d be surprised if Peterson puts up the 150-200 yards necessary to take this game on the road.
• Robbie Gould, Adam Podlesh and Devin Hester all played well Sunday and I expect it to continue. If Eric Weems can attempt a block or two on punt returns, Hester can spring one.
• Vikings have never faced this Bears offensive line and, in the past few years, their dominance over that unit has been the factor keeping them in almost every tilt. That ends Sunday.
• Minnesota at home has been the week Jay Cutler shines.

DA BEAR CONCERNS

• Concern #1: Kyle Rudolph had a quiet opening day performance against the Lions but the Bengals had a lot of success throwing underneath the Bears defense. When Rudolph played against the Bears last year he was a dynamic threat going for 5-55-1. Expect him to be a main target Sunday.
• Concern #2: I think it will take an announcement by Jared Allen that he’s retiring for me to take him for granted on Sundays.
• Concern #3: The Bears arm tackled in the first half Sunday more than they had in the last two seasons. Arm tackles + Adrian Peters = long touchdown runs.

THE MATCH-UP OF REMARKABLE IMPORTANCE

• LB James Anderson vs. Rudolph. Anderson was something of a revelation in coverage week one, closing space with confidence and showing tremendous awareness once the ball went airborne. He’ll need to be even better this Sunday
• Runner Up: LT Jermon Bushrod v. Allen. One word came to mind watching Bushrod on tape: balance. His footwork seems excellent. But Allen will be the first significant test for him this year.

GREAT QUOTE

From the Star Tribune:

J’Marcus Webb, the new swing tackle for the Vikings offensive line, was asked Monday what went so wrong in Chicago that it landed him in Minnesota via the NFL’s waiver wire.

“No comment,” he said.

Laughter. Pause. Uncomfortable silence.

“I’m not too sure,” he said. “Things work out the way they need to at times, and things don’t when they don’t. Moving forward, I’m really excited to be here. I’m loving every day of it. I just got here [Sunday] and it’s beautiful.”

Um, J’Marcus, it was 59 degrees and overcast.

“It’s beautiful!” he said. “I’m excited.”

There has been ACTUAL talk of the Vikings attempting to pull information from J’Marcus Webb this week in preparation for the Bears. I responded to this with two Tweets:

Wait. Now there’s a JWebb as information machine storyline? How do people think NFL works? Webb never experienced a game plan installation.

Side note: if Les Frazier is depending 0.007% on JWebb for his game-planning Sunday he should be fired before kickoff.

THE MOST INTERESTING PLAYER ON THE FIELD

• Julius Peppers. Contrary to popular opinion I did not think Peppers looked old or slow upon further review of the Bengals game. I thought he looked rusty, which is to be expected from the veteran player who logged the fewest combined practice/preseason game reps outside DJ Williams. Peppers needs a solid performance Sunday to silence the townsfolk preparing to march up the castle because even if the Bears win easily, eyes will be focused on his performance.

THIS VIDEO HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH FOOTBALL

A SINGLE STAT PREDICTION (1-0 on the season)

• Jay Cutler will NOT turn the ball over.

WRAPPING IT UP IN TWO SENTENCES

• Bears commit to stopping Adrian Peterson and have enough success to force Christian Ponder into several timely errors. The offense continues to improve on Week One, second-half success and delivers a knockout.

FINAL SCORE

Chicago Bears 34, Minnesota Vikings 16

Not a ton of relevant information out there about the first week of the Bears season but I scrounged together a few bits and bobs.

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Ditka to Shave Mustache?

I assume because someone comically sign me up for it, I receive emails from an organization called the American Mustache Institute. This week’s was, of course, Bears related. CLICK HERE to read the entirety of the piece.

There are many good jokes in this world. Whether it be clean jokes, dirty ones, knock-knock jokes, Paulie Shore’s career, why did the chicken cross the road, the music of Justin Bieber — it’s all very, very funny.

The prospect of Mike Ditka shaving his mustache, however, is  not funny in any way.

Apparently this specter of a bare-faced Ditka is a possibility, as in an interview with WGN’s Pat Tomasulo (below), the former Chicago Bears coach said if a large donation is made to his favorite charity, he will forcibly remove his lower nose forestry embankment.

“Clearly Mr. Ditka has forgotten his place in this world — that he is a shining beacon of freedom in representing the Mustached American community with his consistency of purpose allowing our people to flourish,” said Dr. Adam Paul Causgrove, chief executive officer of the American Mustache Institute, when told of Ditka’s gambit. “And biblically speaking, he must keep in mind that each time a mustache is shaved an angel in heaven dies and falls to earth, according to the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

While AMI has always stood for charitable intentions — and in fact, every endeavor undertaken by the organization has a charitable tie including our forthcoming ‘Stache Bash 2013 in Pittsburgh – this may go too far.

Sure.

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Here is Our Weekly Schedule

I am settling into a new season groove. This will be the weekly schedule of posts as we move forward:

Monday (or day after game): Bullet point responses to the previous game.

Tuesday: the column, drawing something of a larger meaning from the game.

Wednesday: The Play That Wasn’t There

Thursday: Audibles From the Long Snapper

Friday: Game Preview

Saturday: Reverend’s Rant

Sunday: Game Thread

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Pro Football Focus Praises Cutler, Mills, Long

I disagree with some evaluations by the Focus guys but thought their work on Bears v. Bengals was pretty solid. To read the entire game report, CLICK HERE.

One rookie offensive lineman stepped onto the field Sunday and played like a Top 5 pick from the first snap to the last. That rookie was not Kyle Long (-1.7), rather it was fifth-rounder Jordan Mills (+3.4) out of Louisiana Tech. Mills allowed just that one pressure while Long allowed two and Mills was solid all day on the ground. All in all, it was a great showing for both considering that Long was matched up with the best defensive tackle in the NFL, Geno Atkins, for 25 snaps. Starting two rookies on the same side of the line is a dangerous proposition, but so far Mills and Long have made Marc Trestman look like a genius for it.

Jay Cutler’s (+6.1) play was a breath of fresh air for Bears fans. Poised in the pocket, under control, and accurate. It was the most comfortable he’s ever looked in a Bears uniform and his performance deserves this game ball.

All in all, the second half of Sunday’s game proved the Bears offense can thrive under Trestman and the numbers seem to lean that way.

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This Was Called The Bear Song on YouTube…

And I think some of you will quite enjoy it.

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The Effect of an Offensive Line?

I was planning to do a comparison of the Bears current position in power rankings across the internet in an effort to show how arbitrary and downright silly they tend to be. Instead, after looking at the ESPN Power Ranking, I was shocked. They made a magnificent point.

Jay Cutler was 8-of-10 for 94 yards and a touchdown against at least five rushers Sunday against the Bengals. Cutler ranked 33rd with a 23.5 Total QBR last year against added pressure.

The idiocy of that QBR stat aside, this was an impossible achievement for Jay in 2012 because five rushers meant three making contact with his body. Most impressive is fact that Bengals defensive line is as good as any Bears face this year.

This is a new feature on DaBearsBlog to compensate for what is usually the Wednesday doldrums. Each week I will provide a breakdown of a single play from the previous game that didn’t work and try to see a bigger picture.

The play:

1st and 10, Chicago at the Bengals 23 yard line

11:59 remaining in the first quarter

THE FORMATION.

• Three out wide right with Earl Bennett, Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall ranging from sideline in.
• Martellus Bennett in the slot (essentially) left.
• Alshon Jeffery out wide left.

 THE INTENTION.

• Forte is circled above and this is play is designed ONLY for him. He is essentially going to delay for a second or two and then cross underneath the defense.
• Marshall, in the slot, is going to take his defender towards the sideline/corner and essentially out of the play.
• Earl Bennett will explode off the line of scrimmage into blocking mode and shield the far corner from making a play on the ball.
• This leave Bengals middle linebacker Rey Maualuga covering Matt Forte.
• Garza, Slauson and Long will release into the middle of the field and become lead blockers for Forte.

WHAT WENT WRONG.

• First, the penalty. Slauson & Garza are BOTH guilty of being ineligible receivers down field as the play takes too long to develop.
• Forte cuts the route too thin and runs into Kyle Long, who is actually caught up with Domata Peko a bit longer than he’d like to be.

BIGGER PICTURE.

• This is the type of play one expects from a Trestman/West Coast offense, using the lateral crossing routes that made Rich Gannon a league MVP.
• Look at the rest of this field. Martellus Bennett and Alshon Jeffery have sealed off the deep left side of the field. Garza and Slauson are positioned to take the linebackers out of the play. If the timing is right on this play Matt Forte is going to MAYBE need to shake one tackle to score. It is the kind of play design Chicago never saw in Tice Time and never had time to see in the Martz era.

It is a play that jumped off the screen for its originality and intricacy. It is a sign of things to come.

Charles Tillman could punch the whiskey out of a drunkard’s hand.

But that doesn’t mean the Bears defense should rely on he and his band of merry men’s remarkable ability to create turnovers as a sound defensive strategy. Turnovers are to defensive football what fifty-yard plus touchdown passes are to offensive football: thrilling, momentum-shifting moments. But they are also unreliable, even for teams with a particular specialty in creating them.

Defenses need to be good for three downs. They need to be consistent for three downs. And to be a consistent three-down defense in the modern NFL means you must pressure the opposing quarterback. There was only one NFL running back to go over 100 yards Sunday. One. The position has been devalued. It’s only a matter of time before some statistic proves a team is likelier to win if they throw every down and an inspired young coach gives it a try. Pressuring the quarterback has become more important than stopping the run and Item #1 for defensive coordinators for the first time in football history.

And according to the new-age statisticians over at Pro Football Focus and my human eyes, nobody in the NFL did a worse job of pressuring the opposing quarterback Sunday than the Chicago Bears. This with Bengals quarterbacks being sacked more than Bears quarterbacks in 2012.

There is no need to overreact to the results of the season’s first game. Sunday’s lack of pass rush does not signal the end of Julius Peppers’ career or that Henry Melton is headed for a flop contract year. But if the Bears find themselves lacking consistent pressure out of their front it will be incumbent upon defensive coordinator Mel Tucker to generate pressure with a blitz here or there. That is a risky proposition but it may be a necessary risk.

Because players like A.J. Green are coming down the line. Calvin Johnson twice. Dez Bryant. Passing games far better than Cincy’s are coming too. Green Bay twice. Washington. New Orleans. New York Giants’ three-headed monster. Trestman said in his Monday press conference, “You can’t cover without a rush”. He’s right. The rules don’t allow it any longer. The only way to stop an opposing offense is to hit the fella attempting to do the passing.

And it’s more than just a defensive consideration. The Bears finally have an offensive head coach and a system capable of stringing together successful drives and lighting up the scoreboard. The old Lovie Smith approach of allowing the opponent to move down the field and eventually forcing them to kick field goal or take the ball away was fine with his record of offensive production. For the Trestman Bears, the ball needs to be in Jay Cutler’s hands as often as possible.

That won’t be possible should the defense allow quarterbacks to sit in the pocket, survey the field and throw it deep. Now matter how good Peanut and Jennings are. No wonder how prolific they are punching the football loose. They must pressure and hit the opposing quarterback.

It starts with the men up front. Then it moves to the coach upstairs.

NOTE: I hear your complaints on the game thread and comments section in general. I’m working to remedy the awfulness. Unfortunately re-launching the site rogue is a time-consuming endeavor. We’ve begun that process but in the meantime I am working to make the experience below better.

There are many blossoming themes from Sunday’s thrilling Bears victory but I’ll be using this space to discuss the particulars of the game. I almost went to the notebook during a game for the first time in my life because there was literally something interesting happening every play.

Here are many of them.

• My favorite moment of the game was one of its final moments. As Rey Maualuga was committing an idiotic personal foul on Jordan Mills, Jay Cutler burst in and made sure the rookie right tackle did not retaliate once the flag was in the air. It was the most visible on-field leadership he’s shown as a Chicago Bear.
• Tim Jennings played poorly almost all afternoon but his forced fumble/recovery on Mohamed Sanu was the most important play of the game. Weren’t we all told the Bears wouldn’t be able to force turnovers anymore because Lovie Smith left town?
• Whatever the “game plan” was to defend A.J. Green, it should be thrown in the trash. There are a handful of receivers in this game that require double teams and Green is one of them. Tillman and Jennings are fine corners but there isn’t a corner in the game capable of winning a one-on-one battle with this kid.
• Now that he’s done it in a real game, I’m preparing to take my Kyle Long bow. Long and Jordan Mills both held their own admirably against one of the best defensive fronts in the sport.
• I am all for Cutler spreading the ball around but the Bears offense is at its best when the central figure is Brandon Marshall.
• Magnificent catch by Martellus Bennett on the touchdown…
• …but too many penalties and a bad drop by the tight end tainted his afternoon.
• James Anderson might have been the best Bears defender yesterday. He was excellent in coverage – especially early in the game.
• Adam Podlesh was the Bears best player in the first half and you could make an argument his punting kept the team close. Nobody has been more critical of Podlesh than myself and he proved me wrong yesterday.
• Where did all this Robbie Gould leg come from?
• In my pre-game analysis, I thought Devin Hester would make a difference. Instead Mike Nugent sent every kickoff into the third row. The NFL got what they wanted: the end of one of the most potentially exciting plays in sports.
• Outside of one play, a Shea McClellin sack, there were no signs of a pass rush for the Bears yesterday. I thought Andrew Whitworth’s injury was going to be significant, Jeff? I was dead wrong and the Bears edge was DOA.
• I thought Lance Briggs played nervous. Bad angles, arm tackles…etc.
• Another big play that gets lost in the splashy finish is Matt Forte’s eight-yard, bounce it outside gain on fourth-and-one. Not a great debut for Forte in the Trestman offense but he got the yards when he needed them.
• What was that Cutler interception? I have to assume the contact led to the poor throw otherwise he saw a phantom receiver.
• It’s only the first week but I expect Forte to be more involved in the passing game moving forward. Yesterday he seemed entrenched in the check down spot in front of the linebackers.

Overall it was a tale of two distinct halves and the Bears coaching staff should be praised for whatever adjustments they made in the locker room. One thing became very clear. As Cutler gets comfortable in this offense, the Bears are going to have a chance to score a ton of points.

It is the Sanzenbacher Bowl at Soldier Field!

Two final thoughts heading into the ballgame:

• Hard not to feel great for Marc Trestman today as he finally realizes his dream of being an NFL head coach. Would imagine he’ll be quite emotional as the game kicks off.
• I wonder if the news of a resurgent Devin Hester will lead to Marvin Lewis avoiding him right from the opening whistle. Will the Bengals test the Skunk and see if the electricity is still there? Or will they boot the ball out of bounds and take their chances against a developing Trestman/Cutler offense?
• For a team with a new head coach and a crop of rookies on the roster the Bears have a surprisingly few number of question marks heading into the opener. It seems they have things well sorted. Now we find out if they have been sorted correctly.

And because it’s tradition…