Chicago Bears Week 5 Report Card: Oh, Line!
By Deez
Well, to sum up the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions game on Monday night: The Bears got schooled. The Lions protected their quarterback, utilized big plays and pressured the opposing quarterback, all things the Bears didn’t do.
What’s worse is that the Lions were doing everything they could to let the Bears ace their first Monday night test of the season. The Bears controlled the ball for 39 minutes, the Lions committed 12 penalties for 94 yards, and the Lions scored a TD on one of only two red zone trips. But the game was a disaster from the get-go.
Let’s give some grades to the Bears players that stood out, some like a sore thumb, last night. Feel free to throw out a penalty flag and a comment if you disagree.
Jay Cutler – I have to hand it to him. He did as much as any person could with what he was given. Cutler completed 28 of 38 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown, despite no blocking and a lackluster performance by the receivers. He also achieved his highest Total QBR of the season at 66.2. It’s becoming obvious that Mike Martz has no idea how to use him. Quick throws over the middle worked but were rarely called.
Grade: A
Lovie Smith – Let me say what everyone is thinking, “Why the hell did you go for it on 4th-and-one in the first quarter when the O-line was playing terrible, call a timeout, go for it again and then challenge the spot when it was obvious you didn’t get it? Then you get another 4th-and-one in the second quarter when the offense was playing well and you kick the field goal. What’s your deal, Lovie?” The man is terrible, inconsistent and clearly has no passion in his body. Also, who needs time outs late in the second and fourth quarter of a game, anyway?
Grade: F
Robbie Gould – Now, you want to talk about a man of consistency, Gould is just that. He connected on two 40+ yard field goals, keeping him a perfect 10-10 overall on the year. His extra point in the second quarter ran his streak of consecutive extra points without a miss to 205. And the best part of his night came on kickoffs. Four kickoffs, four touchbacks, no returns. A perfect night for Gould. It’s too bad the Bears didn’t let him kick one at the end and try an onside kick with under a minute to go in the fourth.
Grade: A+
Brandon Meriweather – Try breaking up a pass or hitting a guy before the whistle blows. Oh, and how does Megatron’s hand taste? Cut this waste of a safety already.
Grade: F
Frank Omiyale – Look for him at the deli counter at your local grocery store making blocks of cheese. It’s the only blocking that he’s qualified to do.
Grade: F-
Dane Sanzenbacher – Compared to the rest of the Bears receivers, he’s been doing a pretty good job. He did drop a couple of passes on Monday night, but as an undrafted rookie, how much can you really ask of the guy? He recorded six catches for a season high 64 yards on 10 targets. For the season, he’s second on the team with 16 catches and is tied for first in touchdowns with two. Cutler surprised Dane with a quick pass late in the game and looked disgusted after it was dropped. However, Sanzenbacher caught four passes for 40 yards on that drive.
Grade: C+
Manufacturer of NFL Penalty Flags – The NFL sure makes durable penalty flags. Twenty-six penalties and 198 yards later, those small yellow projectiles kept on coming. At least no serious eye injuries occurred.
Grade: A
Kellen Davis – At least he had a touch…TWEET…False Start. Damn.
Grade: D-