Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
11.) The Bears lead the NFL in false starts from WRs
Alshon Jeffrey has false starts in each of the last two games. Marquess Wilson had a false start on 4th & 8 right before the Bears were planning on going for it. After Wilson’s penalty moved the Bears back 5 yards, they decided to punt and basically give up on winning the game. The Bears WRs as a group lead the NFL with 7 false starts. Gross.
12.) The Bears have been brutal on 3rd down
I metioned earlier that the Saints were the 30th ranked defense before Monday night’s game. They were also 30th in 3rd down conversions allowed. The Bears went 2-12 on 3rd downs, mainly because for some reason they keep running TE screens or dump offs to Forte on 3rd & long situations. Its either Trestman being ultra conservative (wimp) or Cutler just dumping the ball off to a safety-valve receiver (wimp). I guess we will find out who is at fault when Clausen starts this Sunday.
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
13.) A few young Bears played well
Most of the team played like they have already given up on the season and were just playing out the string until they can go on vacation in the offseason, but a couple of young players played well on Monday. As I mentioned in the intro, there wasn’t a young player who stood out as a future All-Pro, but there were a few who showed enough potential to eventually become solid NFL players. I’ll cover the rookies in my rookie report later today, but here is a breakdown of the 2nd year players who made a case for a starting spot next season:
T/G Jordan Mills – Over his last three stats Mills has an 8.0 grade from Pro Football Focus and has only allowed 1 sack and 4 QB hurries. Mills was giving up around 4 QB hurries per game last year, so his pass blocking has improved significantly. I thought Michael Ola should replace Mills at RT, but Ola has hit the rookie wall while Mills is playing the best football of his career. If he plays well the last 2 games of the season, Mills should be in line to start for the Bears again next year.
MLB Jon Bostic – After playing his worst game of the season against the Cowboys, Bostic bounced back with one of his best games last week. He is still inconsistent in pass coverage but he is becoming a force against the run. Bostic has the speed and athleticism to be a sideline-to-sideline run stopper but he needs to be more consistent. It would help Bostic’s development if the Bears could decide what position Bostic should play. He has played all three LB spots this season, but has been best at MLB. His 2.0 grade from PFF at MLB is the 20th best inside LB grade and similar to the grades of established starters like New England’s Jerrod Mayo (2.1) and the Jets Demario Davis (1.8). That is solid company.
CB Demontre Hurst – Has held his own playing the slot corner position the last few weeks. He gave up 3 catches and a TD to Marques Colston on Monday, but only gave up 38 yards total. Hurst is a solid run stopper, which the Bears obviously need, and I think he’s shown enough potential to be in the mix for the starting slot corner job next season.
15.) The Bears have finally found a kick returner
After trying 3 other kick returners this season (Perry, Ross, Williams) the Bears signed former Pro Bowl KR Marc Mariani. On Monday he had 5 returns for 142 yards. His average of 28.5 yards per return would be the 6th highest in the NFL this season. Mariani has given the Bears stability at the returner position and the Bears should bring him back next year.