Jerry Angelo did his weekly chat on the Chicago Bears official website on Wednesday. Some interesting nuggets coming out of the interview. Let’s see if we can read between the lines
"How do you explain what happened to the Bears in Cincinnati?I don’t want to take anything away from the Bengals because they are a very good offensive football team with a great receiver, a great quarterback and a running back who’s having a Pro Bowl year. But what really surprised me was that we weren’t able to make the needed adjustments in terms of slowing them down or stopping them. We let that go really throughout four quarters. We couldn’t slow them down and make some stops or even force them to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown to keep us in the game where we could have some hope. That surprised me. I didn’t expect to see that."
“weren’t able to make the needed adjustments” = coaching staff isn’t getting the job done.
"Do you have a problem with the effort on defense?One thing I want to make clear is that it wasn’t an effort issue. We played hard on defense. I don’t question anybody’s willingness to get to the ball. Defense starts with effort, and that’s always been and will continue to be one of our staples as a defense. We weren’t disciplined enough in some areas. Against a very good quarterback with seasoned receivers like the Bengals have, you can’t afford to play that way. Sometimes effort will cover up for some of your mistakes, but not last Sunday. You have to be razor-sharp and obviously we weren’t, and they were able to exploit that."
“We weren’t disciplined enough” = my guys aren’t getting coached up
"What was your impression of the Bears offense?The offense wasn’t on the field long enough to make an impression. They couldn’t get into a rhythm to really evaluate. When they were able to get something going, we’d have a penalty and/or an interception. Because we were trying to play catch-up, maybe guys were trying to do too much. We weren’t able to get into any flow. When you’re down 14-0 in the first quarter, your game plan is altered."
“The offense wasn’t on the field long enough to make an impression.” = What offense?
"Lovie Smith revealed Monday that Tommie Harris didn’t play against the Bengals due to a coach’s decision and not because of his knee. What light can you shed on Tommie’s situation?The bottom line is that Tommie’s fine. Tommie had some additional treatments, which are not uncommon for players to have during the season, and Lovie chose to rest him. Let me make something very clear, something that I think has clouded people’s thinking because of how it’s been reported by some in the media. When we say a player is healthy, it doesn’t mean he’s necessarily 100 percent healthy. There are many players who play in this league that aren’t. It’s a violent sport. Players get injured, they recover, and they continue to play with a degree of pain. That’s our sport; it’s not uncommon. There’s a big difference in playing with pain and playing with an injury. Dan Hampton played here for 12 years and had 10 knee surgeries, five on each knee, and I’m sure he played with some pain and discomfort. We never have nor ever will play a player who is injured because it puts him at further risk and also curtails his play. So when we say Tommie’s healthy, we’re saying that there’s no risk of further injury based on what he’s had and we also are saying he can physically play to or close to his potential or why else would we have paid him if that wasn’t the case? Let’s put that to bed and focus on his play. I can’t wait to get to Sunday to see him and our team play."
“There’s a big difference in playing with pain and playing with an injury. Dan Hampton played here for 12 years and had 10 knee surgeries, five on each knee, and I’m sure he played with some pain and discomfort” = Toughen up Tommie and earn your damn paycheck. You’re making me look bad!
BEAR DOWN!!!
Through the month of October, my usual BEAR DOWN signoff will be in pink to raise awareness for National Breast Cancer Awareness month.