Chicago Bears Week 4: Rookie Report
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
That was a tough loss to watch, but the Bears rookies weren’t the problem. Granted, Fuller had his first bad day of his career and Sutton didn’t provide much pass rush, but the Bears have way bigger problems than their rookies struggling a little . Here is a breakdown of how the Bears rookies played in a frustrating loss to the rival Packers.
Bears Rookie Report:
Kyle Fuller – Welcome to the NFL Kyle Fuller. He has been awesome against sub-par QBs like Kapernick and Geno Smith, but he got a taste of the elite yesterday against Bear killer Aaron Rodgers. Fuller was beat repeatedly like the rest of the Bears seconday; He wasn’t as bad as Frey or Conte, but was a little worse than Tim Jennings. The Bears pass rush didn’t do Fuller any favors as it’s next to impossible to cover for the 6-8 seconds Rodgers was generously given by the Bears D-line. The Packers receivers are also top notch, so you add the talent of GB’s receivers and plenty of time for Rodgers to find someone open and I’m not sure any CBs would have succeeded on Sunday. Fuller was still solid in run defense and had a key tackle on a 3rd and long that would have been a 1st down if Fuller wouldn’t have stopped Cobb in the open field. I’m not worried about Fuller at all, his struggles Sunday were a direct result of the incompetence of the D-line and a tough match-up against Jordy Nelson. Understandable.
Ka’Deem Carey – The Bears made an effort to run the ball today and it worked well. They also involved Carey for the first time all year and he didn’t disappoint. Carey didn’t break any huge runs, but he took what was blocked and gained some yards after contact. It was the best Carey has looked since the Bears drafted him and a sign that Carey can be an effective backup to Forte this year. Carey finished the day with 72 yards on 14 carries (5.1 ypc); most of those yards were in garbage time, but he ran well with the game still in doubt and his strong performance should lead to more touches for Carey as the season progresses.
Will Sutton – None of the Bears D-lineman played well, but Sutton was decent and actually generated some interior push occasionally. The Bears were only rushing 4 the majority of the game so even when Sutton beat his man, which he did more anyone but Willie Young, there was someone else waiting for him. Sutton also played solid against the run including a stop on Lacy about a yard behind the line of scrimmage. I’m still confident in Sutton’s ability and thought he was one of the only Bears D-lineman who gave a respectable effort on Sunday.
Ego Ferguson –He deserved more than 15 snaps which is the lowest amount he’s played since week 1. Ferguson was much better than starter Stephen Paea (again). Ferguson had a sack, 2 QB hurries, and 3 tackles in just 15 snaps. He was one of the only lineman to consistently win their 1-1 battles (Sutton was the other) and Ferguson did a solid job clogging the line of scrimmage against the run. I think we will be seeing more of Ferguson the next few weeks.
Michael Ola – After two mediocre games, Ola played a hell of a game on Sunday. There were consistent holes inside for Forte and Ola held his own in pass coverage as well. Ola struggled against all-Pros Justin Smith and Muhammed Wilkerson the last two weeks, but has exerted his will on the mediocre D-lineman from GB this week. He’s looking like a valuable swing lineman this season and a future starter. Ola finished Sunday’s game with a season high single-game grade of 5.2 from Pro Football Focus. If injured starter Matt Slausen doesn’t play at a high level when he returns from injury the Bears may be better off with Ola in the lineup.
Brock Vereen – After one of Conte’s worst games ever, I don’t know why the Bears are hesitant to insert Vereen into the lineup. He has been solid the last two weeks at two different positions (Slot, FS) and he literally can’t be any worse than Chris Conte was Sunday against the Packers. Worst case, at least start Vereen against the Packers the next time these two teams meet because clearly Aaron Rodgers has a Conte voodoo doll in his pocket.
Pat O’Donnell – No punts this week.
Christian Jones – Played on special teams coverage units but had no impact on the game.
Senorise Perry – He lost his kick return job to recently signed Rashad “The Rocket” Ross, but Ross has actually been worse than Perry was in the first two weeks of the season. Ross had some room to run on a 2nd half return Sunday, but fell down (untouched) before the 10 yard line and stumbled for a few more yards. Perry looked nervous as a return man in the first two games of the season, but there was a reason he won the job in training camp and I think it’s time the Bears gave him another chance. Perry didn’t see the field for the second game in a row.
Ahmad Dixon – After a big fumble recovery last week, Dixon wasn’t part of the special teams coverage unit this week. Strange decision.
Inactives
Charles Leno Jr.