Top 5 Concerns After the First Quarter of the Chicago Bears Season
Sep 29, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
You’re never as good as you think, you’re never as bad either.
I’ll repeat this throughout the season because people have a tendency to overreact. One week, the Bears are headed for the Super Bowl, the next week, they’re right there with the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s important not to overcorrect and vacillate between the two extremes on a weekly basis. Nothing that happened on Sunday in Detroit really surprised me; I’ve seen the same things you’ve seen, but I’ve tried to filter them appropriately.
With that said, there are some areas of concern following the unofficial first quarter of the season. Here are my Top 5:
5. The safeties
Sep 29, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush (21) jumps over Chicago Bears strong safety Major Wright (21) in the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Maybe we’re mistaking continuity for competence. The safety position was a revolving door for most of Lovie Smith’s tenure as Bears head coach. That changed since he settled on Major Wright and Chris Conte, a pair of third round draft picks from 2010 and 2011 respectively.
They’ve had their moments over the last couple of seasons, but this year, they seem lost in coverage. Maybe Brian Urlacher and his experience and ability to cover the deep middle of the field made up for their deficiencies? Maybe Mel Tucker’s twist on the old system puts them in bad spots? If the Bears defense is to turn things around in 2013, they will be keys to that success.
4. Special teams coverage units
The Bears special teams unit has been gashed for more big plays over the first four weeks of the 2013 season than I can remember during Dave Toub’s entire tenure running the Bears special teams. Joe DeCamillis was brought in with a great reputation and a wealth of experience. Neither have translated to the Bears.
Perhaps it’s the massive personnel overhaul trickling down to the bottom end of the roster which is impact special teams? Maybe it’s Joe D’s schemes? It’s probably a little bit of both. Joe D needs to figure it out and get the special teams, and especially the coverage units, back on par.