Happy Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving to all my loyal readers!  Your reward is getting to sit through the epic match-up of the Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans.  What a complete scheduling disaster.  I thought you were supposed to fall asleep on the couch after eating the turkey, not before.  But don’t worry, after enjoying your wonderful feast, you get to return to the television to enjoy the nail-biting drama of the Seattle Seahawks against the Dallas Cowboys.  I hear the Seahawks are 12 point underdogs, which ironically is the same number of people that subscribe to the NFL network and get to see the only decent game of the day.  The Arizona Cardinals taking on the Philadelphia Eagles is a good match up, especially given the recent drama in Philly after the McNabb benching.  It would make for great national television, but it will go into obscurity on the NFL network instead.

Let’s Simmer Down

The Bears beat the St. Louis Rams last weekend to stay tied in first place in the division.  I realize the Bears got spanked the week before by the Packers, but can we all just simmer down?  They beat the Rams, who are I think are tied with the Raiders for the most lost franchise in football.  Despite their record I think the Chiefs are on the upside but that’s for another day.  Of course the Bears were going to beat the Rams, yet after the victory many Bears fans are suddenly talking playoffs again.  I blame it on the ups and downs of Chicago baseball carrying over into football.

The BIG Game

There is no way to understate the importance of this weekend’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.  Both are tied for first place in the division and will duke it out on prime time Sunday night.  Based on the rest of the NFC, there won’t be any Wild Card teams coming out of the NFC North this year.  Getting to the playoffs will likely mean winning the division or go home.  The Bears already beat the Vikings once this year, so the sweep would help lock up the title.  Last time the game turned into a shoot out, this game don’t be surprised if the game turns into a defense battle.  A loss would not count the Bears out, but it will mean the showdown on December 22nd between the Packers and Bears at Soldier Field will be big.

Switcheroo

What has happened to Bears football?  The offense has become explosive and the defense has turned timid.  Kyle Orton and Matt Forte look like a bonafide offense, even without a top receiver to keep defenses busy.  The Bears have managed to utilize a dominant back that can play all fazes of offense and use a receiver by committee approach.  Having a clear number 1 receiving threat is helpful, but the Bears have found having a corps of good receivers is giving offenses more trouble than anything else.  It may be frustrating for fantasy owners, but for real football it has proven effective.  Meanwhile the defense has broken down and become a shell of its former self.  They still play well against the run and can shut down running backs, but the secondary as imploded and given up big days to extremely average receivers.  For years the defense was able to shoulder the pressure of winning games for the offense, no we will have to see if the offense can do the same.

Beaming With Pride

I would like to take a moment to say how proud I am of Matt Forte.  I talked all preseason about how great I thought this kid would be and he has delivered.  He carries himself with humility after a great game and takes it in stride when he has a mediocre game.  Young players have a tendency to get down on themselves and he has managed to stay even tempered through the ups and downs.  He is handling to pressure of being the number one running AND receiving option on the offense with great poise.  I have to pinch myself and remember he is only a rookie.  He is already over 900 yards rushing and could break records by the end of his rookie season that haven’t been touched since guys named Payton and Sayers were wearing Bears jerseys.  After all these years we finally have a running back.

Draft Talk Already?

Is it too soon to talk about how badly the Bears need a talented free safety?  Early draft predictions show a few good prospects in the first round and the Bears secondary looks pitiful.  Rookie Craig Steltz wasn’t a bad gamble, but he turned out to be another strong safety to compliment Mike Brown.  It’s a good move to ensure depth at the position but it means there still isn’t a clear solution for free safety.  The Bears need a smart, speedy player out of college that can terrorize receivers down field and break up passes.  The rest of the defense isn’t suffering that bad, but the inability to prevent big pass plays is making the rest of the defense play tentatively and second guess themselves.  They almost seem to get frustrated and give up on themselves when they start to give up big pass plays.  A good safety out of the draft that can stop big plays could be enough to return this defense to dominance.

Footnote

Even though I just said the Bears defense could drastically improve with a talented free safety, that doesn’t take the front four off the hook.  The Bears couldn’t sack a potato and at the end of the season there will have to be questions answered why they can’t get any pressure.  Tommie Harris is running out of excuses for not looking like the kid the Bears drafted and made a Pro Bowl appearance.  I want a legitimate answer why Mark Anderson went from rookie sensation to bust.  This was supposed to be a highly talented group of kids that were going to terrorize the quarterback all season.  We’ve reached the breaking point.  It’s time to start giving other players a shot to play and see if they can deliver.  Start Anthony Adams and Matt Toeaina at tackle and see what they can do.  The Bears were thin at defensive tackle last year and signed Matt Toeaina in mid-season.  He responded by coming up with some very nice tackles on Adrian Peterson in the backfield.  Maybe he could put up a repeat performance against the Vikings.

]]> http://beargoggleson.com/2008/11/26/un-bear-able-thanksgiving-schedule/feed/ 0 http://beargoggleson.com/2008/10/19/bears-survive-shoot-out/ http://beargoggleson.com/2008/10/19/bears-survive-shoot-out/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 01:51:43 +0000 beargogglebob http://beargoggleson.com/?p=284 The Chicago Bears are known for many things, great defense, gritty running, and flashy special teams.  For today, the Bears took on an unusual role as participant in a shoot out, running up the score to 48-41 against the Minnesota Vikings.  At one point the Bears were up by 17 points in the 4th quarter [...]

Bears Survive Shoot Out - Bear Goggles On - Bear Goggles On - A Chicago Bears Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

Starting cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher are both becoming question marks week-by-week for their availability on Sundays.  Vasher has a wrist injury and Tillman appeared at Halas Hall today with his arm in a black sling after a shoulder injury that took him out of Sundays game.  Tillman’s replacement, Trumaine McBride, injured his shoulder later in the game and had to come out.  Safety Danieal Manning suffered hamstring troubles and will also miss practice time this week.  Oh, and don’t forget safety Brandon McGowan has already been put on injured reserve earlier in the season. 

The Bears are a leg injury to Mike Brown away from complete disaster at the secondary.  This is not a good way to go into a game against the Vikings and former teammate Bernard Berrian.  The Bears could be forced to put second year corner Corey Graham and Marcus Hamilton, just signed from the Tampa Bay Bucs a few weeks ago as their starting corners. 

Tillman and Vasher are still holding on to hopes of playing this Sunday, but neither are 100% and would have to play through the pain.  This Sunday could be a repeat on last Sunday when the Bears did a great job of stopping the run but appeared helpless stopping the pass.  The front four on defense will have to work twice as hard to get at the quarterback and create havoc.  If the Vikings pass the ball a lot, they may force the Bears to take linebackers of the field (their strength) and put an extra corner on the field (their weakness). 

The more I see of this Bears defense, the more I think we need to start talking about talented safeties coming out of college and entering next year’s draft.  Coaches are making due with safeties and corners selected in fifth and sixth rounds of the past few drafts.  Some have some talent but none are particularly ready to take on a starting role on their own.  As good as the Bears defense may be, it lacks an intimidating presence at safety to put next to Mike Brown.  Kevin Payne has emerged as a solid starter with his solid tackling and good coverage, but he cannot take on the load himself.  After a couple injuries this defense gets thin very fast in the secondary. 

The one bright spot is the Vikings commitment to the run and Adrian Peterson may force them to stick with the run and keep a more balance attack.  The Bears defense can handle stopping the run and will certainly look for payback after Peterson torched them last season.  However, at some point the Vikings will have to go to the air and if the Bears cannot find a way to put pressure on either the quarterback or the receiver, this could be an ugly game. 

I’ve gone over it in my head over and over again and I just can’t see a game plan that would allow the Bears to take advantage of any weaknesses on the Eagles.  The only possibility would be if Eagles back Brian Westbrook has to sit out and Devin Hester is cleared to play.  Even then the Bears would need some breaks, a little luck, and a great game plan to get a win tonight. 

The Eagles are one of the best teams in the league right now on both sides of the ball.  There is no doubt the offense will struggle against a great Eagles defense and a majority of points may come from field goals.  Anything is possible from rookie back Matt Forte to break some plays and create points but I don’t expect anything great from Kyle Orton. 

The Bears have a great defense but they have fallen apart two weeks in a row and they need to look inward to find their identity.  The normally smother the run and force the quarterback to make throws that can turn into interceptions and fumbles.  In every game they have been successful in making the quarterback throw the ball to beat them, but in two of those games, the quarterback did beat them.  Changes may be made in the defensive starters to generate a spark.  However, it appears that the problem has more to do with coaching than the caliber of players.  The Bears have one of the most talented, highly paid defenses in football and there is no excuse for them not performing.  Defensive coordinator Bob Babich needs to figure out why his defensive scheme allows opposing offenses to figure them out in the fourth quarter. 

Perhaps its as simple as making more half-time adjustments so the opposing team cannot make adjustments with their offensive game plan that over powers the Bears.  I still think the Bears have an extremely talented team, but they are lacking leadership at the end of games.  Maybe the Eagles are exactly what the Bears players need to test themselves and prove to themselves that they can hang with the big dogs.  If they can hang in with the Eagles, they can hang with anyone.  However, most of that hinges on their performance in the fourth quarter.

If the Bears drop to 1-3 when they had a golden opportunity to start the season 3-0 coming into this game, fans may already start to sour on this season.

More importantly, the Bears are trying to figure out what chemistry is leading to losing games late.  Last week the Bears opted to start cornerback Corey Graham instead of veteran Nathan Vasher for what they called personnel matchups.  I’m a bit perplexed since Vasher is probably the most talented corner the Bears have had in a while and has shown a great ability to get interceptions.  Perhaps it served as a wake up call to Vasher that he needs to step up his game if this defense is going to continue to do well.  The passing defense has looked horrible and opposing quarterbacks are doing whatever they want, leading to easy touchdowns late in the game.

The scapegoat appears to be linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, who is the player responsible for giving up key touchdowns late in both losses.  Hunter is an extremely smart, capable linebacker, but it is obvious teams have found a way to exploit his weaknesses.  Coaches have a tough decision if they will continue with Hillenmeyer or give capable backups Nick Roach and Jamar Williams more playing time. 

The Bears seemed perfectly healthy a week ago but now that the losses are piling up, so are the injuries.  There is no reason the Bears shouldn’t be 3-0 right now except for the complete breakdown of the defense late in the game.  The starting point for me is lack of pressure on the quarterback.  The Bears have always prided themselves on good defense and a strong rotation of players to apply constant pressure on the quarterback.  There is something wrong with the Bears front four, they should be more productive and producing more sacks. 

There are rumors that Tommie Harris is having knee problems again and he is attempting to play through the pain yet again.  Whether its true or not, that doesn’t excuse the rest of the men on the line for getting taken out of the game.  Brian Griese may be accurate but he sure is not nimble and the Bears should have been able to get at him with the blitz.  Instead he tore the Bears defense up for the winning drive. 

The penalties late in the game that cost the Bears were probably pure frustration for the sudden inability to hold the lead late.  That isn’t the identity the Bears defense has carved for itself and they have not changed any of the players from previous years.  Fans are starting to turn to coaches for answers and more specifically, defensive coach Bob Babich.  His defenses and blitzes are working good throughout the game, but opposing teams are making easy reads and finding ways to beat them late.  More needs to be done to change up the defensive attack late in games to keep offenses confused and maintain the win.  If not, the murmurs are already starting in Chicago for a change in coaching staff if this trend continues.

Luckily the Bears still have some depth at the position.  In training camp the starting nickel back was Danieal Manning but by the end of camp he had been beaten out by McGowan for the position.  Manning will have an opportunity to step up and prove that the job should have rightfully belonged to him.

Manning already knows the position well and should not have too difficult of a learning curve to get back into action.  However, the Bears are debating the options of using Manning or leaving linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer on the field to concentrate on shutting down the run.  The problem is leaving too many linebackers could leave the secondary exposed to big passing plays.

The other element comes from opponent Tampa Bay starting former Bears quarterback Brian Griese on Sunday.  Whether the Bears go with a nickel back or an extra linebacker could dictate how difficult they want to make life for Griese on Sunday.  Griese had some mild success in Chicago but lacked consistency.  The Bears defense may contest his ability to make throws on the run.  Griese’s biggest drawback is his lack of mobility and the ability of Manning or Hillenmeyer to reach the quarterback may make the difference of which gets more playing time.

The injury to Devin Hester still remains a mystery.  He simply ran out of bounds and held his side with extreme discomfort and has been held out of practice.  Hester made an appearance at practice today but did not participate.  He told reporters he plans to play on Sunday but his availability remains unknown.

The other rumor on the block is the Bears and Lovie Smith may be interested in pursuing free agent safety John Lynch.  Smith has experience with Lynch when they both were in Tampa Bay and he might have interest in bringing him in.  In that case, Lynch would give another talented and able body to help shore up the secondary in McGowan’s absense.  The Bears took a gamble last year on Adam Archuletta and it blew up in their face.  Regardless, the Bears may take another gamble with another aging safety and see if he has any gas left in the tank.

There hasn’t been a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Chicago since Marty Booker did his first tour here and that was a long time ago.  It’s hard for any receiver to establish themselves in a town with so much quarterback controversy.  Joey Galloway would be probably be more of a household name if not for all the quarterback issues in Tampa Bay. 

But you know what?  The last time I checked, football is a team sport.  Receivers want to pad their stats and look good so they can get endorsement deals and be famous.  Not every receiver has that opportunity and more often than not, every receiver trying to be that guy ends up hurting the team.  Sometimes being a great receiver means making great blocks downfield so your running back can get longer runs.  Sometimes being a great receiver means breaking off your route and getting a four yard catch when your quarterback is in trouble.  Sometimes being a great receiver means catching the ball over the middle and taking the hit from the linebacker so your team can get a first down.

I’ve been talking to people for a while now how the receiver position in dying in the NFL.  The age of Jerry Rice and the unstoppable receivers of his time appears to be in the decline, if not almost dead.  There are only a handful of elite receivers left in the NFL and some of their egos are proving disasterous to their teams.  After Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Chad Johnson, there is a big drop off of talent.  Marvin Harrison used to be the best but he’s starting to look old.  There are a few young guys like Reggie Wayne and Braylon Edwards to carry the torch, but each passing year there are fewer big time receivers in the NFL.  So is it really the Bears fault?  Look around the NFL, there are a lot of good receivers, but the number of great ones is dropping off. 

The modern NFL is leaning towards offenses that feature a two-back system and have at least one huge tight end that can run just as fast as a receiver.  It’s actually the evolution of the tight end that’s killing the receiver.  Every team had that hard ass receiver that would go over the middle for six or eight catches a game, get killed by the linebacker, and the sick bastard loved it.  Now everyone wants to be on the cover of a video game and can’t afford to hurt their pretty face. 

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more things stay the same.  The game of football demands for someone to take the open space defenses usually create over the middle to catch the ball and move the offense.  Since receivers are no longer willing to do it, coaches have evolved ultra-tight ends that are big as houses but move like receivers.  Their bodies allow them to take on linebackers and their talent allows them to make plays for the end zone.  All over the country, coaches are finding these huge kids that are fast and good with their hands.  Up until a few years ago they were probably put at fullback, defensive end, or linebacker.  If he was drafted today, Mike Alstott probably would have been a tight end for Tampa Bay.  Meanwhile the prima dona receivers sit on the sideline and watch their job dimish to a minimal role. 

The evolution of the game has created faster linebackers and the old end around plays don’t have the effectiveness they used to.  More offenses are using running backs with good hands to slide to the sidelines and give a place for the quarterback to dump the ball.  Quarterbacks used to scramble around looking for receivers to break their route and make an amazing play.  Those highlights are reserved for runnings backs now as they swing along the sidelines making dashing cuts for the endzone. 

The dynamics of the game are changing and big play wide receivers are a dying breed.  There will always be a select few that will collect the big money and get on the magazine covers.  The sad part is their rarity will only drive up their value and force teams to dump money at a position they know will only have minimal impact.  What good does a big contract for Bernard Berrian have for Minnesota if Tarvaris Jackson can’t even get him the ball?  The Bears went with an approach that may become more common in the NFL.  A rotating core of slot receivers that block downfield and make key third down plays to keep the drive going.  The big plays are no reserved for running backs and tight ends, with receivers running a distant third. 

Anyway you look at it, Muhsin Muhammad is right.  Chicago is the place where receivers go to die, and so is every other city in the NFL. 

Low and behold after resigning with the team for a one-year contract worth $830,000 (he was due $4 million before the Bears cut him in the offseason) he announced he played last year injured.  Prior to last season, Miller had surgery on his ankle and had one of his worst years as a player.  Yesterday he announced that after taking out bone spurs and leaving cartilage floating around, he was probably only playing at 40 to 50 percent.  He added he’ll never be 100 percent after the surgery but he’s at about 90 percent now as opposed to last season. 

This comes as a big blow to the Bears, who say this is the first they’ve heard of it, and to Bears fan who wanted answers why the offensive line broke down so quickly.  In one season the offensive line of the Bears went from Super Bowl caliber to barely able to get across mid-field.  If Miller would have expressed his lingering problem the Bears probably would have kept him and possibly would have taken a different approach in the draft.  Instead, the Bears have Chris Williams on the bench indefinately and Fred Miller needs to get back into game shape.

It’s also an interesting move since I thought John St. Clair played admirably at the left tackle position against Dwight Freeney on Sunday.  Freeney got a sack on Kyle Orton but St. Clair did a good enough job to keep him away from Matt Forte and Orton most of the game.  You know a lineman is doing well when you never hear their name and St. Clair’s name was called only once in that game.  However, the Bears have never had and appear never will have confidence in the ability of St. Clair to be a starting tackle. 

There’s no doubt the Bears will plug Miller into the offensive line, it’s just a matter of how long it will take to get him in game shape and at what position.  Veteran John Tait is currently at right tackle and John St. Clair is playing left tackle.  Fred Miller prefers the right tackle position and the last three years Tait offered to play left tackle, even though he much prefers right tackle.  When asked earlier in the year about the possibility of Miller returning, Tait didn’t appear happy.  Tait has spent all offseason preparing for making the switch from left tackle to right tackle, which he says is no small effort.  Lining up on the left or right side of the line involves lining up on the different side of your body and working different muscles in a different, fluid motion to stop defensive ends and linebackers.  Tait played almost his entire career with Kansas City as a right tackle and made the switch for the Bears so Miller could play right tackle. 

Tait is a good natured player and has always brought a team first attitude.  Since Miller is the new guy it would only be fair for him to take the left tackle spot and figure it out.  Whether he gets his right tackle spot back depends upon how pissed Tait will be about having to make yet another switch. 

As of right now, the Bears have Miller listed as back-up tackle behind St. Clair and Tait.  There is no set time table for how long it takes an NFL lineman to get back into game shape.  I would be suprised if he sees any game time on Sunday against the Panthers.  I would realistically give him 2 or 3 weeks before even considering plugging him into the line.  However, in the world of pro football, things have a tendancy to get put into fast forward when coaches want it to happen.  Only time will tell. 

In the meantime, if Miller can play like the guy he was two years ago when the offensive line could control the ball and the game, he is welcome back.  I don’t know if this ankle injury is an excuse or an attempt to apologize to fans for what he knows was a terrible performance last year.  Either way, all will be forgiven if he can get back to form. 

Left guard Josh Beekman had a quiet day on Sunday, which again is a good thing.  However, he’s only in his second year and came out of nowhere to win the spot after spending all last year on the bench and only playing in the season ending game against Green Bay.  If Miller gets back into game shape the Bears may opt to plug St. Clair into the left guard spot since he has more experience.  It looks like it will be at least another month before the offensive line will have stability but if they keep playing like they did Sunday then it won’t matter.