Bears Safeties Sure to Make Aaron Rodgers Drool
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Here’s a headline sure to make Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers drool: Bears Plan Steltz-Merriweather duo. With both starting safeties Chris Harris and Major Wright on the mend following injuries, the Bears are likely to trot Craig Steltz and newcomer Brandon Merriweather out as the starting safeties.
A lot of people have been heralding the Bears’ defense as a reason to believe they could hold down the vaunted Packers offense and pull off an upset on Sunday. In their last 6 meetings, the Bears have held the Pack down to 21 points or less thanks in large part to the Cover-2 defense which is designed to limit big plays. One of the keys to the defense working properly is having safety keep everything in front of them. Steltz is a special teamer disguised as a safety while Merriweather is opportunistic but undisciplined, not exactly a prototype Cover-2 safety.
Last week in New Orleans ,as soon as Drew Brees recognized inexperienced safety Chris Conte alongside first year starter Major Wright, he connected on a 79-yard bomb to Devery Henderson on a 3rd and 12 play. A savvy vet like Rodgers should be able to exploit that matchup, so it will be up to the Urlacher, Peppers and the front 7 to pressure Rodgers into mistakes or it could be a long day on the lakefront.