Chicago Bears Week 7 Milk Carton
When a player or coach doesn’t really show up during a Bear’s game, they get put on the Milk Carton. As most of you know, people’s pictures used to be put at the back of milk cartons when they went missing. So the Milk Carton for the Bears is more about who went missing or played terribly during the game.
This week’s selection is easy. I would need one more than ten fingers to point to all of them. The entire Bears defense belongs on the Milk Carton. There are two reasons as to why. The first reason is that there were many injuries to some of the best players, Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs. The second is that they squad gave up 38 points (the remaining 7 came on a pick-6). That is absolutely unacceptable. If the Bears want to contend, they need to come up with some kind of way to eliminate the defensive woes.
Oct 20, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris (46) carries the ball as Chicago Bears free safety Chris Conte (47) and Bears strong safety Major Wright (21) make the tackle in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 45-41. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The safeties are just plain bad. One would think that developing in a tampa 2 system would train them to not let anything get by them. But they were letting up big play after big play. Chris Conte and Major Wright would make adequate special teams players, but they are horrible defenders.
The defensive line is a nightmare. Julius Peppers is not nearly what he used to be, and I’m sure that is as frustrating for him as it is for the fans. Maybe he would be better if Shea McClellin was better at sealing the edge. Stephan Paea is not showing any signs of brilliance either. His 4th quarter holding penalty was costly. It cost the Bears a down and five yards.
The linebackers are just a set of mediocre patchwork. With Briggs and Williams gone, the Bears don’t have a lot of experience at the position. Jon Bostic is a few years away from being a good player, and Jon Anderson is just okay.
The cornerbacks are probably the best part of the defense, but they are still struggling. Charles Tillman is getting old and injured. Tim Jennings is playing fairly well, but that’s not going to be very helpful.
The defense is a train wreck. There is no way around that. There is no real solution for incompetence and injury. The only thing I’m thinking at this point is get pressure on the quarterback as much as possible. The safeties are not going to help when they are in coverage, so is there anything to lose by blitzing more often? If anyone has a better idea, let me know!