Bears Fans Should not Be Blaming Chris Conte

Sep 7, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson (22) rushes the ball against Chicago Bears free safety Chris Conte (47) in overtime at Soldier Field. Buffalo Bills defeat the Chicago Bears 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

For most who watched the Bears game on Sunday, the play that seems to stick out like a sore thumb is the final dagger. The long overtime Fred Jackson run that culminated in Chris Conte being shoved to the ground was viewed as humiliating for the already condemned safety. But there was more to Chris Conte’s game than that play. Overall, I think his performance was decent.

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First of all, that last play was not on him; he was the last line of defense. Jackson got into the secondary and was already in field goal range by the time he shoved the safety to the ground. The 10 yard shove looked awful, but it only made the difference between a chip shot and a shorter chip shot. Conte actually was smart about it. He knew the game situation and realized the only smart play was to go for the fumble.

His interception in the third quarter was a tremendous play. He did a great job of reading Manuel rolling out and getting in front of the pass. If it wasn’t for that play, the Bears wouldn’t have been in the game.

As for the rest of the game, he did an okay job in coverage. The defensive line’s lack of pass rush led to Manuel’s downfield completions; it wasn’t all on Conte. So why are almost all the Bears fans hopelessly begging for the best safety on the team to be cut?