SB Nation - Chicago Bears

Golden Nuggets: Transition all you want, just win a game!

Ninjames — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:35 -0000

So after a full day of playing my new video game until it hurts to keep my eyes open, I'm ready to do some thinking about my Niners. They're troubling thoughts, this season honestly felt different from seasons past. It however, isn't looking so good. Still, I'm not going to give up. I'll be leaving very early for the game tomorrow and I'll be rooting just as hard as everyone else in that stadium. Also, I just thought I'd throw this out there--if any of you readers are attending a game this season and want to meet up or anything like that--I have season tickets so I'll be at every home game. I bring this up because every now and then I find myself looking around during a game and wondering if any of you are there. I'm seriously hoping none of you are the guy a few seats to the right of me who will not stop with the "COME ON ALEX, DON'T BE SHY. HIT YOUR TIGHT END OVER THE MIDDLE!" on every single play, even like... when the punter is out there. I think he said it a few times while the defense was out on the field to. Anyway, on to the links!

I'm all for the offense being in a transition, so long as it's a positive one. If more shotgun will help, then bring on more shotgun. I'm not a coach, so I can't really say what I think will work the best, I just want whatever it is to actually work. (Scout.com)

A good look at WR Jason Hill and his rise into the starting lineup. I've been all for Hill, ever since Zeigler got put on the practice squad again I've been a staunch supporter of Hill. He's explosive, has great speed and has the route running skills akin to Isaac Bruce. (PressDemocrat.com)

Ex-49ers head coach Steve Mariucci breaks down Thursday's game against the Bears. (49ers.com)

Hm, another midseason report card for the 49ers. That's two sources and two times the coaching staff has received a C grade. (Scout.com)

QB Alex Smith is moving on and concentrating on the game against Chicago. He'll need to be incredibly focused to win this one. (Yahoo.com)

Davis had some words concerning the Bears; and also some quotes from Alex Smith. (PressDemocrat.com)

Seriously, props to who made this video, it's every pass that Nate Davis threw in the preseason, and it's.. impressive. (49ersWebZone.com)

Specifically, Vernon Davis thinks that the 49ers could "destroy their front." I certainly hope so. (MercuryNews.com)

I'm pretty pessimistic myself, but this article DOES say it best: "Too Early To Say It's Over." (49ersFancast)

LB Lance Briggs harbors no hard feelings towards the 49ers after all that tampering nonsense took place. (PressDemocrat.com)

RB Glen Coffee will for sure miss tomorrow's game. (NFL.com)

How about a midseason analysis? I didn't read it, but you may want to. (SFGate.com)

How about another midseason report card while we're at it? Always a good read, in my opinion. (Examiner.com)

Breaking Down The Bears, a preview from the official website. (49ers.com)

Mike Singletary says the loss on Sunday can't be attributed solely to QB Alex Smith, in fact he said Smith didn't have much to be at fault for. (SFGate.com)

WR Jason Hill is making the most out of his chance. (SFGate.com)

Stat of the Day: 100 Receptions

John (obviousman) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:44:39 -0000

I was around, and a San Diego Chargers fan, when LaDainian Tomlinson caught 100 passes in a season. I remember that being one of the most frustrating 4-12 teams in history. Anyways, I got an e-mail last night that I was perusing this morning when i saw this....

Rivers’ top two receiving threats -- TE ANTONIO GATES and WR VINCENT JACKSON -- are tied with 42 receptions apiece and can challenge RB LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON’s franchise record of 100 receptions in 2003.

What?!? While it's possible that I just forgot this stat, I am fairly certain that I remember his 100-reception season as a record as a running back. I had no idea that no WR in the history of the Chargers has ever caught 100 balls in a season. That's amazing, especially considering how potent the Bolts offense has been over it's history.

More to the point, only 1 of the top 3 Chargers' spots in terms of receptions is held by a WR. Here's the list.

LaDainian Tomlinson, 100 rec (2003)
Tony Martin, 90 rec (1995)
Antonio Gates, 89 rec (2005)

That's unbelievable! Even with Gates and VJ getting the majority of the catches this season, each of them is on pace for only 84 catches by season's end.

By comparison, the Denver Broncos have had 6 WRs with seasons of 100 receptions or more. The New England Patriots have had 3 WRs with 100+ catch seasons in the last decade alone. The Colts have had 5 seasons like that, with 4 coming from Marvin Harrison. Even the Chicago Bears' Marty Booker caught 100 passes in a season once. The youngest team in the league, the Houston Texans, already have 2 seasons of 100+ receptions from a WR.

This begs the question.....which teams in the NFL have never had a 100+ reception season from a WR? It has to be rare, right? Maybe not as rare as you'd think. Here's a list of them.

The Bears Den - 11/11/09

ChiFan13 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:26 -0000

....where Thursday night could get ugly.

ChicagoBears.com

Could a different mindset help the defense?

The Bears are confident they can still save the season.

Mike Singletary is set to face the Bears for the first time as HC.

Chicago Sun-Times

Mark Potash: How about Ron Rivera for HC of the Bears? Shut up, Mark, and stop being a meatball.

Lovie is accepting blame.

Vernon Davis is talkin smack about the defense. And he's absolutely right - I'm starting him on my fantasy team over Olsen.

Chicago Tribune

Lovie Smith will be fired....someday.

Ted Phillips believes the Bears can turn it around.

The D is lacking defense.

The Bears have some problems at safety.

Daily Herald

Tommie's big paydays with the Bears are over.

Lovie hates being average.

ESPN Chicago

Tommie is still waiting to hear from the NFL.

Tommie also said the 49ers game is a must-win. And must-punchie.

Lack of discipline: It's happened in the Lovie era before.

Watch out for Willis!

Mike Singletary: I will always love the Bears.

NightLink II: Looking at Thursday

Dane Noble — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:20:52 -0000

Just some quick notes to throw out your way this evening... all (except one) centered around the game Thursday.

Mike Singletary says that the Bears will always be a team he loves, and talks about the emotions of playing us.

TE Vernon Davis says that the SF offense will destroy the Bears defense up front.

And Brad Biggs tweets that former Bear WR Mike Hass was cut from the Seahawks.

And just a side note, Al Afalava did not practice today... we may very well see Craig Steltz this Thursday.

49ers-Bears Tuesday Injury Report

Fooch — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:33 -0000

I know all of us were a bit concerned by all the players on yesterday's injury report. However, as today's report shows, virtually all the "limited" and "non-participants" were full participants today. Yesterday's report was a projection because there was no actual practice, so I'm guessing the team was just being a bit more conservative. Of course, Glen Coffee is not going to be playing, and given that we haven't seen any transactions today, it looks like Gore and Robinson will be handling the load at running back.

After the jump we've got press conference transcripts for OC Jimmy Raye and Alex Smith.

49ers
Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
DE Demetric Evans (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)
RB Glen Coffee (concussion)

Limited Participation in Practice
LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder)

Full Participation in Practice
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
RB Michael Robinson (stinger)
G David Baas (stinger)
CB Tarell Brown (rib)
RB Frank Gore (eye lid)
S Curtis Taylor (shin)
TE Vernon Davis (shoulder)
WR Jason Hill (ankle)
TE Delanie Walker (shin, knee)

Bears
Out
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee)

Did not Participate in Practice
S Al Afalava (shoulder)
S Kevin Payne (back)
RB Garrett Wolfe (back)

Limited Participation in Practice
TE Desmond Clark (neck)
DT Tommie Harris (knee)
CB Charles Tillman (shoulder)

After the jump we've got transcripts for Jimmy Raye and Alex Smith...

Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye
Post-Walk Thru November 10, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On why WR Jason Hill received more playing time against the Titans:

"He has been practicing well since his hamstring injury and making progress. That coupled with the fact that [WR] Isaac [Bruce] had a tender ankle and ran a seven route over on the left boundary and rolled his ankle, tweaked it a little bit. So, we were down in numbers in the three-wide package and Jason was the next guy up. We were fortunate that we had him up for the game because he was the guy who had gotten the work as all three backups going into the game. It turned out that he was able to play and he made some plays for us."

On his background with the shotgun:

"Quite a bit, I would say extensive. There was a period of time where I coached with a couple of disciples of the Bill Walsh system that didn't believe in the gun that we didn't use it. But, in New York, Oakland, Atlanta and L.A. with Jim Everett, all of that was gun. I don't know if you want specifics, I don't know how to answer that question."

On whether you are limited in the types of runs you can call out of the shotgun:

"Somewhat, but it depends. When you make that decision, the kinds of runs that you are running, most of the time, are not direct runs because you don't have a lead blocker. But, they are runs that take advantage of the front and the alignment of the defense. They give you the same that is the likeness of pass and pass protection. They come not only in the draw variety, but across the formation kind of runs. We did have some success Sunday running the trap, but we had to relocate the back in order to do that."

On what QB coach Mike Johnson learned from watching college spread offenses in the offseason:

"You would have to ask Mike that. We discussed it in the offseason. I think what you need to understand is what we did Sunday has always been a part of what we do. We didn't invent the runs we ran Sunday out of the shotgun. We have had, and been practicing, our third down, our quarterback-not-under-the-center offense and runs since March. So, it wasn't something where, all of the sudden three weeks ago, because everyone thought we should be in the spread, that we went and looked at someone running the shotgun and came up with plays. It is a part of the offense that we have. What we did Sunday is a part of what we do."

On why he called it a third down offense:

"It is applicable to all downs, but what you had seen previously was when we were in the gun was basically on third down."

On the two interceptions QB Alex Smith has thrown when targeting WR Michael Crabtree:

"The one in Indianapolis was a tipped ball, and Sunday the one was a tipped ball that probably would fall to the ground harmlessly. The ball was thrown near the boundary and it was tipped and the linebacker came back within an eyelash of stepping out of bounds and got the rebound of the ball. I think tipped balls, you can't practice tipped balls. If the receiver and the defensive back are in a close confrontation, and they both get their hands on the ball at the same time, and there are other defenders near, that's why defensive backs work the tip drill. And, unfortunately for us, we've had two, not two but three deflections that have gone up in the air and the defense capitalized on them."

On whether he's comfortable going forward with the kind of offensive emphasis he showed on Sunday:

"I don't know that. I think sometimes the perception is that I should answer questions that give the defensive coordinators of the teams that we play a pre-game scouting report on what we're going to line up in. We have, as I said early on, the contingencies of what we do offensively to take care of the defenses that we play. If that is in fact the case that what we carry into the game is available for us and it helps us win the game, then I guess the answer to that would be yes."

On where the offense is as a unit:

"I think our record is 3-5. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. We're 3-5. I would say we're not near where we need to be. If it was better, I think we would have won more games or helped our cause in terms of winning more games. I think we made improvement, but there were areas of the game Sunday that were outstanding. The play was exceptional, was outstanding, but it's very difficult to overcome four turnovers."

On whether it's been difficult to find improvement given the changes in the offense:

"Yes and no. Continuity is very difficult to come by. We've changed a lot of places, and that's the nature of the NFL. If there's one thing that is constant about the NFL, it's change. And, unfortunately for us, in the first seven or eight weeks, we've had to change the quarterback. We've had to change the right guard. We've had to change the left guard. We've had to change the running back. We've had to change the wide receiver. We've had an onslaught of changes, but the way we manage that is a benefit to us if we can do it in an expeditious fashion so we can get on with winning games. It's been difficult, but we're probably going to have more changes going forward."

On the first touchdown pass from QB Alex Smith to WR Jason Hill in the back of the end zone:

"Well, what they did right was they applied the scramble rules that are in place that were taught in the red area, and Alex remained a passer. And, in most situations like that, the quarterback leaves his passer mentality and becomes a runner. But, he kept his eyes downfield and drifting and he was in a position where he could either throw or not take a negative and throw the ball out of bounds, and he remained a passer. That was the best thing about it. And then Jason applied his onside scramble rule, and we were able to get a completion for a touchdown, which gave us a completion of a T-2 at the end of the half and got points. And then we had a T-4 at the end of the game that got points. So, those things are very gratifying."

On whether he has met with head coach Mike Singletary about the receiving corps and WR Isaac Bruce's role:

"No, that meeting, I don't think has happened, unless I was excluded from it. We will visit that - we wanted to get through today and see where he is tomorrow, and in the meantime, we will increase the activity of [WR] Josh Morgan and [WR] Jason Hill. We'll see where he is, where his foot is or his injury is. And then we'll make a decision going forward."

On Bruce's injury:

"We'll see where he is physically. See where he is physically and then we'll make a decision going forward."

On the areas of the offense in Sunday's game that he was pleased with:

"Well, as I mentioned, I was pleased with our, as we refer to it, T-2 offense, which is our offense before the half, which was very good in Indianapolis that went down and got a score also. Our T-4 was very good, which we went down at the end of the game and got a score and an opportunity to onside kick the ball and have another chance to put the game into overtime. We were five for five in the red zone, three touchdowns and two field goals. We had a 19-play drive in that game that overcame three or four penalties and a negative that went down and got points. I thought our ‘me-to-you' factor was very good. Is he open? The pass to [TE] Vernon [Davis] was a great adjustment and throw. We threw the ball - he complete 29 balls, and we showed some ability in our deceptive game with our arounds and handing the ball to the wide receivers that made yards. So, I thought the playing area was very good. I was very disappointed that we had the mishaps that we had that led to 24 points for them, because, I think, without the turnovers, it would have been a different outcome."

On whether the T-2 and T-4 are similar plays:

"No, they're not."

On whether he can explain the time at the end of the half and the time at the end of the game:

"It changes because at the T-2, any points are good. When you're playing T-2 and you have the ball before the half, whether you get a field goal or a touchdown, any points you get are good. And, T-4, you're in a T-4 situation, you're either in an offense to try to either extend the game or win the game. So, the impetus of the play is totally different because you're operating against the timeouts. You're operating against a defense that's trying to prevent you from either extending the game or prolonging the game or, in a T-4 situation, winning the game at the end. That would be the difference."

QB Alex Smith
Post-Walk Thru - November 10, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On which package does he like better, the T-2, or T-4:

"It's pretty similar. You hope not to be in the T-4."

On why he performs well during the end of halves and games:

"I have no idea. I don't know."

On a theory that he performed better in a spread-offense similar to his college playing days at Utah:

"Spread out? Maybe, perhaps, I don't know. It could be you think that anytime that you are spread out and you're in the gun, all quarterbacks are going to see things better. I don't know, I'm not sure."

On his experience running the two-minute drill at Utah:

"It was more T-2's than T-4's."

On whether he likes playing better in a shotgun formation:

"In certain situations, yes, if there is no threat of a run. Sometimes is nice to mix it up and get back there. I think that in third down situations, pressure situations is when you get back and see it and maybe buy yourself half of second to get the ball out. Other than that, you'd like to keep a balance between the run and pass situations in the game to keep that and be under center."

On either having the opportunity to review film from the Tennessee game or going straight to game film to prepare for Chicago:

"I watched it quickly yesterday morning, then you move on pretty fast. I watched a lot of Chicago yesterday and it's such a short week."

On having one of his best offensive performances overshadowed by his interceptions:

"I felt that, in a sense, that I saw things well. You turn on the tape and it wasn't like I saw anything new. When I rehashed the game in my mind, it looked very similar to what I looked at when I turned on the tape which is a good thing. I felt like I saw everything well. A couple of balls were thrown tight - there was one on the boundary the safety was coming trying to make a play on it, it gets tipped in-bounds and the one that [WR] Josh [Morgan] had tighter coverage. There those are kind of the job hazards that kind of come with the territory. That is going to happen, I think that as a quarterback the important things are if you are making good decisions, are you throwing the ball where you want to throw it, are you getting the ball out on time, those are the types of decisions that you're looking at. That's how you prevent turnovers from the quarterback's perspective, by making sound decisions and throwing the ball accurately on time."

On whether he was relaying his throwing tendencies to the opposing defense with his eyes:

"The one on the boundary could have gone up. That half second maybe allowed that safety to come over and make a play that allowed that ball to stay in-bounds. The other two didn't feel like I was late at all. But the first one I could say, critically looking at it, I could have gone up quicker."

On whether working on his body language could have prevented that turnover:

"That was a third-and-long and we were trying to ‘hi-lo' the corner on the boundary. It was a matter of trusting what you see from that defender and letting the ball go."

On what Jason Hill did right on his first touchdown:

"The great thing he did - initially he started back down towards me, trying to give me a throw and saw that the inside receiver was kind of running in the flat there and a lot of passing is about spacing, so I think he immediately saw that, put his foot in the ground, turned and ran upfield, at least giving me two throws. Once he came down a little bit, his defender bit and he turned and slipped upfield and was open in the back of the end zone."

On whether defenses are playing WR Michael Crabtree differently:

"I guess I don't know. We are moving on so fast from this Tennessee game, it's hard to look at things like that. I think the more he plays, the more he is going to give people to think about, the more routes he's going to give corners to think about and the more comfortable he is going to be with things."

On why he hasn't been able to develop much chemistry with WR Josh Morgan:

"I don't know. It's a matter of what the defense is giving us sometimes, maybe sometimes what we are asking him to do. I think it's a combination of things."

On his ability to draw offsides penalties and whether it is something he has worked on a lot:

"It was something I never did as a younger guy. I never did it in college. I never did it much my first couple years. I just think I'm more conscious of it now in certain situations. I'm more conscious of using it to your advantage."

On how difficult it is to develop a rapport with WR Michael Crabtree:

"I think the thing you miss when he comes in like that is you miss the training camp practices where you can really build the fundamentals of your routes together. It's timing. When he comes in within the week we are doing our game plans and he is doing a great job of getting himself up to speed and not missing a beat and it's just a matter of us all working together to get that done."

On whether there is any sense of significance to this game:

"Every game is the biggest game at that point. That's the truth of it. This week, you play and you learn from it and you move on already and we're on to Chicago. Yes, this is the biggest game of the season and the next week that will probably be the biggest game. Right now, the focus is on Chicago and that's it. It's them coming in and getting a win and it is the biggest thing."

On how much losing four in a row weighs on the team:

"It might, but we can't let it weight on us. We have to continue to work to play harder, to execute better, and to win a game and that's what we have to get done."

On whether building a rapport with Crabtree is just a matter of time:

"I think so. Time and repetitions, but it's different. I think there are things that we ask him to do that he may be more comfortable with because he has a history with them. Yes, a little bit of that is just going to be time and repetitions."

NightLink: How to fix the Bears

wiltfongjr — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:00:38 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Browse more photos »

Today in his Monday Morning QB-Tuesday edition, Peter King of Sports Illustrated took an email question from Joseph of Chicago that started out like this:

If you're the Chicago Bears' management, who are you more inclined to fire, Lovie Smith or Ron Turner?

He goes on to get more in detail with his question, bashing both Turner and Smith, even bashing Lovie for being an ineffective drafter, a point King immediately corrects.

First, Smith is not the drafter. Jerry Angelo is. Is it a teamwork thing in Chicago, and does Smith have a major say? Yes. But don't lay the draft failures at the feet of Smith. Lay the failures on defense on Smith. Lay some of the disciplinary failures (Tommie Harris acting up, and subsequently being only a shell of the player he once was) on Smith.

I like to see Lovie called out on his "disciplinary failures". I wonder if Mike Singletary would have these same issues? You have to love what he's done with the career of Vernon Davis, after his rocky start with Samurai Mike, he's now a captain in San Fran.

King goes on to say;

I knew there'd be trouble when Brian Urlacherwent out for the year, because the Bears were going to use Urlacher as a pivot for everything they did on D, and he had come back healthy and in the best shape he'd been in since the Super Bowl season.

I haven't seen to much written about the loss of Urlacher, since it came so early I think it's kind of lost in the shuffle of other stories surrounding the Bears, but I believe a healthy Urlacher would have made a bit of difference.

He notices the same problems the rest of us see;

When I watch the Bears, I think the offensive line is a major problem. The running lanes for Matt Forte aren't there, and the pocket too often collapses around Cutler.

And I do agree with his final assessment;

What I'd do is see if Smith can get the team playing more competitively. If not, I'd consider firing him and the staff and starting over in January.

They may consider it, but does anyone really see the penny pinching Bears eating any salary?

When Lovie Goes, Likely Too Will Jerry

Dane Noble — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:40:12 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Browse more photos »

The last couple of weeks have been filled with radio stations, websites, and newspapers getting overrun with fans calling for Coach Lovie Smith's head. We all had higher expectations this past offseason, and rightly so.

The Bears traded for a 26 year old, gunslinging QB, saw young talent being developed into starting roles, the hiring of a DL guru, and signing three free agent offensive linemen.

Unfortunately, our expectations may have been too lofty, largely because our OL has turned out to be a bust, and our DL is still getting man-handled.

Well, after a 4-4 start, the fanbase is restless, and the shouts of "Fire Lovie, Fire Jerry, Fire Ron" have been heard for weeks now. I found a well-written article to discuss, but first, I want to give you my take:

Jerry Angelo- Traded for a high-profile QB... no doubt the biggest move of his career. Tried, but failed to upgrade the OL. This is the guy who is directly responsible for personnel.

Ron Turner- Say what you will about his plays not working, but when you have an OL that gets knocked backwards as soon as the ball is snapped, what else can he do?

Lovie Smith- I am not giving up in his scheme, or his football knowledge. Like Turner, all he can do is work with the talent he has. Our DBs are generally terrible. There is some talent back there, but it is young and undeveloped as of yet. Lovie's Tampa-2 isn't the problem... it's the lack of talent.

Rod Marinelli- I touched on this a couple days ago, but it bears repeating. Rod is the only guy that has the personnel that he needs to make his system work. And that is not happening. The first few games looked good, but our pass rush has since disappeared. Why is Rod not seeing success?

Of all of our managers/ coaches, I would say that Lovie and Ron are falling victims to lack of talent. Jerry Angelo has to be the guy that is on the line here.

As for Marinelli, he is a mystery as well, but still accountable nonetheless. You've got the talent, why can't you make it work?

Now, onto the article. I typically don't go along with a lot of what David Haugh does, but this article is great. he talks about how Lovie and Jerry are linked, and how when one of them go, the other will as well. An excerpt:

When contemplating Smith's future replacement, whenever that search begins, remember the words from Angelo himself when he hired Smith on Jan. 15, 2004.

"The next autopsy will be mine," he said. "If I did this wrongly, don't worry about me coming back here."

Translated six seasons later, that means the futures of Angelo and Smith remain intertwined. Except for some odd comments two weeks ago in which Angelo publicly questioned the coaching staff, the two have worked in lock step philosophically.

Make sure you check out the entire article... it's a great read, no matter where you stand on the issue.

Grading the Defense: Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears

Hawkwind — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:00:54 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

2 days ago: Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, bottom left, sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) in the second quarter of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. In the background is the Cardinals' Gabe Watson (98). (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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Coming off a disappointing loss against the Carolina Panthers, Kurt Warner wasn't the only Arizona Cardinals' player with something to prove this past weekend. The Cardinals' defense, namely the front seven, had some serious questions to answer after allowing the Panthers to run rough shot over them just seven days prior. Standing in their way would be a Chicago Bears team that was undefeated at home and one of the league's more complete running backs in Matt Forte. Needless to say the Cardinals defense had their work cut out for them and here's a breakdown of how they performed.

Overall Defensive Performance: Depending on how you look at it the Cardinals defense was anywhere from very good to very marginal. From the "very good" department, the defense only allowed two drives of 45 yards or longer but the two "very bad" drives were both 90+ yards and resulted in touchdowns. From the "very good" file, with roughly one minute left in the third quarter the defense had allowed just 200 yards on the Bears' first seven drives, 90 of which came on their opening drive, but the Bears also racked up another 180 yards on their final four drives (including a 93 yard TD drive). One thing is pretty clear, the defense either started to fail or relaxed in the fourth quarter resulting in most of their overall numbers looking very average. it is worth mentioning however that portions of the fourth quarter were played with backups like Will Davis and Kenny Iwebema. By the time the game was over the Bears' offense had racked up 417 yards from scrimmage (averaging 6.6 yards per snap) and had scored 21 points.

Rush Defense: It's pretty fair to say that the Bears' abandoned their run game early in the game considering that they played at least 3/4 of the game from a two touchdown deficit. For the game they attempted just 12 rushes, although they did average 5.8 yards per carry. Forte led the way with 33 yards on five carries while (the other) Adrian Peterson and Jay Cutler added another 40 yards on the ground with their five combined carries. Their running game simply never had a chance to get on track and was limited to draw plays out of shotgun for most of the game, a scenerio the Cardinals are quite familar with.

Pass Defense: Normally when a team gets behind early they are forced to air it out for the rest of the game and that was certainly the case for the Bears. Cutler set season highs in completions (29), attempts (47), yards (369) and touchdowns (3) and posted a very respectable 98.6 QB rating. Most of his completions were a result of their short passing game where YAC receivers like Devin Hester and Johny Knox could excel, although two of his most successful deep balls were to tight end Greg Olsen. The Cardinals registered four sacks but more importantly they continously pressured and knocked down Cutler. Pressure from guys like Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, Chike Okeafor and Clark Haggans were a big reason why the Bears were limited to short passes for most of the day.

Honor Roll:

Karlos Dansby and Ali Highsmith: Thanks to a back injury that prevented Gerald Hayes from suiting up, Highsmith got his first start as a pro and the defense didn't seem to miss a beat. There were times that he got pushed around but his energy and athleticism also made him an asset once the Bears turned pass-happy. Dansby did what he normally does, leading the team in tackles despite the Bears lack of a running game.

Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell: There may be better 3-4 defensive ends in this league but the way DD and CC are playing right now, I don't know that I'd trade them for any other pair. Dockett was his normal disruptive force and his second sack of the season. Campbell, regardless of what the boxscore says, recorded at least half a sack, if not a full sack (the sack that was awarded to Okeafor). One thing that really stands out about Campbell though is that he never gives up on a play. At least once a game it seems like he'll make a tackle ten yards down field while a back tries to wiggle through the secondary.

Matt Ware: We haven't talked much about Ware this season but if you me, that's a good thing. Ware has stepped into Aaron Francisco's role and has been a moster upgrade. He's not a great cover safety but he does alot of things well and so far the Cardinals are using him in a way that allows him to succeed. He registered his first career pick late in the fourth quarter.

Will Davis: Welcome to the NFL rook! Davis recorded his first career sack and don't look now but he's starting to get a couple of snaps a week with the defensive unit. He's already proving that he has the athletic ability to play in this league and his relentless motor and ability to get off blocks led to his fourth quarter sack on Cutler.

Overall Defensive Grade: C+

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Overall the Cardinals defensive effort can classified as good with plenty of room for improvement. One thing that will stick with me for a while is how dejected Jay Cutler looked after he continually got hit by the Arizona Cardinals. Very rarely do you visibly see a player quit, especially a quarterback, but he was very close on Sunday. As the game wore on he got up slower and slower as the hits kept coming and quaterbacks in the future will recognize that on tape. The Cardinals feel like they're building something special here and there were glimpses of that on Sunday. What's you're grade for the defense?

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How would you grade the Cardinals defensive effort on Sunday?

Cedric Benson nominated for FedEx Ground Player of the Week (again)

Kirkendall — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:19:07 -0000

For the second time in the last two games the Bengals have played, Cedric Benson is nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the game. He won it after the Bengals beat the Bears. In his last game, Benson recorded 117 yards rushing and a touchdown on 34 carries, becoming the first running back to record back-to-back 100-yard rushing games against the Baltimore Ravens defense since Ricky Williams did it in 2002-2003. Benson is also the first running back to record two 100-yard rushing efforts against the Ravens in the same season since Jerome Bettis did it in 1997. Note on the Bettis number: We're not 100% confident on that number. We ran through the history of Baltimore Ravens and could have easily missed something.

As a result, Benson is nominated with Titans running back Chris Johnson and Falcons running back Michael Turner for FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

Player	Opponent	Result	Att	Yards	TD
Cedric Benson	Baltimore	W, 17-7	34	117	1
Michael Turner	Redskins	W, 31-17	18	166	2
Chris Johnson	49ers	W, 34-27	25	135	2

Benson has won the award twice already this season. The first against the Baltimore Ravens the first time (27-120-1) and the second against the Chicago Bears (37-189-1).

Remember, it's a fan vote. So put get Benson the votes to win it again! Vote, vote, vote.

Cornerbacks: To press or not to press

wiltfongjr — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:57 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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A hot topic of discussion the last few years is how far the Bears usually have their corners off the line of scrimmage. Is it a coaching point, or do the players just play off on their own? When they do play some bump and run coverage is it in the defensive game plan to do so or are the DB's making the call to do it? Make no mistake about it, where ever the corners line up it's a coach's call.

It's schemed where they line up. If a CB is playing off on his own, going against the game plan, and he's getting burned with quick slants or hitches that player will be benched, and conversely if a CB is playing up tight against the coaches wishes and he isn't effective he'll find some pine time as well.

In last Sunday's game it was pointed out that Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald likes when corners play him close, and why not, at 6'3" & 217 pounds he's bigger and stronger than most every corner he plays against. While Charles Tillman played tight on a handful of snaps, the Bears played off the majority of the time. When is the opportune time to press? When is it best to play off? Unless you're an elite CB, blessed with incredible make up speed, you play according to scheme. And the Bears scheme usually dictates play loose.

In the Cover 2 type defense we've seen in Chicago during the Lovie Smith era, the corners are responsible for the sideline in about 12/13 yards, keeping balls thrown to the flats in front of them. The Bears favor physical corners (Tillman, Zackary Bowman, and Corey Graham) who should be able to press. In theory, the CB's could easily play press coverage while looking for a back coming to the flat or a slot WR or TE running an out or arrow route into their zone. By pressing the split end they'll throw off the timing of a quick slant or skinny post in between horizontal zones (CB/LB) or a fade or go route behind him (between the CB/S).

I've always felt that playing real soft coverage on the WR's in zone gives too much of an advantage to the offense. If the CB's play off the slant can be thrown immediately, before the wide out can get close to the 2nd defender in. Pressing up will make the WR have to work to get into his route and give the defense a chance to be effective. With all the 3 step drops the Bears see, doing anything to disrupt the timing patterns should be priority #1.

In some variations of the zone defense, the corners are actually responsible for sticking man to man if they go deep, so pressing them could be a problem. If you try to bump and run, but don't get a good jam, you risk getting blown by. The same can obviously be said when in man to man, so if the corner doesn't have the speed to stick with a WR, pressing isn't a good idea. None of the Bears corners have what you would call track speed. No 4.3 40's in that group. So why take a chance on playing tight. This is the biggest reason why they elect to rarely press.

Generally speaking, defenses that get to the QB with a regularity can press more, with the thinking that routes that take time to develop won't work if the QB is running for his life. And by pressing you take away the quick timing routes QB's look for when they sense a blitz.

Other times you'll see some teams funneling wide outs to their help with press coverage. For example, if a defense is in a rolled over 3 deep look, (The 3 deep consisting of both safeties rolling over to one corners side with the other corner responsible for the other third of the field) the corner that is pressing may try and induce the WR to an outside release knowing he has over the top help from a safety. If the team is a primarily a Cover 2 team, this is a great wrinkle to add to the defense. You may get a QB reading Cover 2 off the snap that attempts to hit his WR down the sideline (the usual hole in the Cover 2 between the CB/S), but with the safety over further than in the Cover 2 (because he only has deep third responsibility) he could be there for the pick.

Bottom line is the Bears don't press because they don't have the type of defense that allows you to press, both scheme wise and with their personnel. The Bears just don't bring the kind of heat on opposing QB's that would benefit from bump and run coverage. If the Bears did play tight, with the QB having plenty of time to scan the field, NFL WR's would eventually beat the press. Remember no track star DB's in this group. They could mix things up and press while in zone from time to time, but again if the QB is allowed to sit in the pocket, it'll be easy pickens.

If you think of the CB's and/or teams that are successful with the bump and run type coverage, you'll either think of the corners with great make up speed, that could make plays on the ball seemingly where ever they are on the field, or the teams that eat quarterbacks for lunch. Two things we don't see in Chicago.