How Bout Dem Bears?

padraig_f

Quick reaction...much better than last week. I think Kyle Long just won the starting job, and maybe Mills as well. Didn't see them get beat once and most of Forte's runs were to the right side.

- Early sacks didn't look good, but I think are fixable ones, Bennett missed block and Cutler coverage sack.

- Cutler int was bad this time, had protection.

- Liked the variation on the play-calling.

- Small thing: was noticing Trestman's demeanour on the sideline, very calm, unflustered.

- If Long and Mills can repeat that performance next week, it's really something to build on.


@SI_DougFarrar:
When was the last time you could use "Bears offensive lineman" and "dominant" in the same sentence? Kyle Long, everybody.

Oat23

Long was class.

Bostic just ruined a receiver as I type this!

Realt Dearg Sec

Didn't get to watch this but it sounds promising. Did Marshall get many snaps? And how did Jeffrey get on? Good news on the o line by the sounds of things.

kennyb3

Didn't see it but will catch bits later. Saw Mr. Boom Bostic's hit - wow.

Great to hear Long playing well and Mills doing well. The real test will be against a decent d line tho - but promising and that's all you can hope for at this stage.

Cutler throwing a needless interception :mad: always trying to force it.

And heard he went for Bmarsh 5 times, MBennett must be getting pissed as they didn't throw him a pass in the whole of the last game.

How did Shea look in general, I know he got a sack/forced fumble but interested in his overall game.

padraig_f

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Didn't get to watch this but it sounds promising. Did Marshall get many snaps? And how did Jeffrey get on? Good news on the o line by the sounds of things.

That was one disappointing thing, don't think Jeffery or Bennett got a target. But when you're only playing 10-15 snaps, that kind of thing probably happens. They were obviously looking to go to Forte, and the Marshall picked up the others.

kennyb3 wrote: »

How did Shea look in general, I know he got a sack/forced fumble but interested in his overall game.

Wasn't watching him especially, don't think he did much before the sack. Defense looked great in general with Peppers and Melton out, but thought it was more the Chargers looking a bit of a shambles (had 4 turnovers in the first half).

Good to see a bit of continuity in the defense. I've been kind of concentrating on that side less, because seems it will be fine.

Oat23

I love this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdV7TGyJ7jo

padraig_f

Article on Mel Tucker:
Seamless transition for Bears defense

They did a sideline interview with Lance Briggs at the last game and he said a similar thing, that the players appreciated the way he's come in and listened to them, instead of trying to impose his own system too much.

padraig_f

This is cool, Mike Ditka watched practice today, and talked to the players after.

kennyb3

http://www.chicitysports.com/forum/showthread.php/37983-Preseason-Game-2-Long-and-Mills-Film-Review

Some analysis here play by play of long and mills in the chargers game. Obviously it's from a biased bears fan but still it's a nice read.

And the first game here:

http://www.chicitysports.com/forum/showthread.php/37775-Jordan-Mills-Film-Review

padraig_f

Great performance in the first half. Ok, the Raiders are ****, but it was still great.

Good protection, Cutler making good decisions and accurate throws, Forte looking electric, Jeffery having a big game.

Defense, I liked Frey's interception, and Bostic continuing to make plays.

Playcalling, really liked the variation again. I think my favourite play was a 3rd-and-1, which last season would've either been a run up the gut that got stuffed, or a 15-yard attempt to Marshall in double-coverage when you only needed 1. They hit Jeffery on a quick slant to secure the first down, and he ended up getting about 15 yards after the catch anyway.

O-line, actually great not to have to talk about it, they did their job.

The opposition was bad, but you still have to execute and they did that. The timing was good, Cutler made quick, decisive decisions, there was no hanging around in the pocket trying to improvise. It was designed plays or if the pressure came, he dealt with it quickly, either moving up in the pocket, or making a good dump-off pass.

You don't want to overreact to a preseason game against a bad team, but very encouraged by the performance. They've improved with each preseason game. After the Panthers game I was worried about the start of the season, now I'm looking forward to it.

kennyb3

The o-line looked s'hit against some very poor D's last year - so this looks a massive upgrade already. Yes it was the Raiders, yes it was a preaseason game but it's still pretty obvious it's a lot better than last year.

If it gets a little beat up by a good Bengals D, it shouldn't be panic stations.

baddebt

can't wait for the season to start ,
still can't believe Bostic got fined for "that" tackle , it was brilliant .

Beardown

padraig_f

kennyb3 wrote: »

The o-line looked s'hit against some very poor D's last year - so this looks a massive upgrade already. Yes it was the Raiders, yes it was a preaseason game but it's still pretty obvious it's a lot better than last year.

If it gets a little beat up by a good Bengals D, it shouldn't be panic stations.

Yeah their d-line is great and they'll look to go at the rookies, Bostic will probably be targeted as well, if he gets the start at MLB.

Saw this article the other day, only Bleacher Report, and I don't know the author, but some nice praise:

Why Chicago Bears' Kyle Long Has Been Most Impressive Rookie in NFL Preseason

Innish_Rebel

baddebt wrote: »

can't wait for the season to start ,
still can't believe Bostic got fined for "that" tackle , it was brilliant .

Beardown

unbelievable - how was that "highlight reel" hit illegal. Last time I checked it is a contact sport. Listening to the explanation of what he should have done - moving his head to the side, or keep his head up - 1. would mean he could damage his own neck 2. would have lead to a helmet to helmet which would have led to a more dangerous hit...

padraig_f

Innish_Rebel wrote: »

unbelievable - how was that "highlight reel" hit illegal. Last time I checked it is a contact sport. Listening to the explanation of what he should have done - moving his head to the side, or keep his head up - 1. would mean he could damage his own neck 2. would have lead to a helmet to helmet which would have led to a more dangerous hit...

Yeah, the tackle was good, but don't think it's much to worry about. I think it's just the NFL flexing their muscles in pre-season, trying send out a message to the league.

If the Bears are smart, they'll say to Bostic 'there was nothing wrong with that, just keep doing what you're doing' (and judging by Lance Briggs' tweet, I think that's probably what they've done).

I'm guessing he doesn't pay the fine out of his own pocket either, that the vets chip in and pay it for him (not strictly allowed, but I'd say it's easy enough to get around).


I notice DJ Williams is back in practice, so interesting to see who they give the start to for week 1. Bostic has has a great pre-season, but I could still see them going for the more experienced guy early on.

Spongey1975

Im not sure if Bostic has appealed the fine but if he does it will be reduced to around $6k cos he is on rookie contract.

It was a great hit and I hope he doesnt play as hard to avoid fines in future. Its amazing that was called illegal but its legal to hit low and injure people. Keller out for year and Kevin Williams injured too and season hasnt even started

Oat23

Marquess Wilson hasn't played offense yet tonight. Looks like he will make the 53! He's a very exciting talent!

Spongey1975

Cuts have started early today. J'Marcus Webb is gone, kinda expected that once Mills got the starting reps.

Also gone is Jordan Palmer (would have kept him ahead of Trent Edwards) Josh Lenz, Tom Nelson and Brandon Hardin (3rd round pick in 2012)

Innish_Rebel

Spongey1975 wrote: »

Cuts have started early today. J'Marcus Webb is gone, kinda expected that once Mills got the starting reps.

Also gone is Jordan Palmer (would have kept him ahead of Trent Edwards) Josh Lenz, Tom Nelson and Brandon Hardin (3rd round pick in 2012)

Yeah Jordan Palmer put in a good half - but they've gone to 2 Q-back option Trent Edwards gone too...

Big hope for OL with Mills & Long with Bushrod on other side - I just got so sick of hearing the coaches the last 2 years telling us the line was good & give the guys time - Webb/Carimi/Louis/Williams/Williams & Spencer all now gone - interesting times ahead...

padraig_f

Kicks off tomorrow, here's the schedule:

1. vs. Bengals
2. vs. Vikings
3. @ Steelers (SNF)
4. @ Lions
5. vs. Saints
6. vs. Giants (TNF)
7. @ Redskins

8. Bye week

9. @ Packers (MNF)
10. vs. Lions
11. vs. Ravens
12. @ Rams
13. @ Vikings
14. vs. Cowboys (MNF)
15. @ Browns
16. @ Eagles
17. vs. Packers

Really looking forward to this season, think it's gonna be a fun one. There won't be major expectation in Trestman's first year, that will come later, so I think that takes the pressure off to an extent.

The schedule is a tough one, but it's virtually the same for every team in the division, and if you don't mind the toughness of it, actually I think it's a fantastic schedule. With the exception of maybe the Browns and the Rams, 14 cracking games against quality opposition. 4 prime-time games, Packers after the bye-week, and again in the last game of the season at Soldier Field. With the tough schedule for the NFC North teams, it could be that no team in the division gets a wildcard, so that last game of the season could be a winner-take-all.

Expectations…I'm kind of thinking 7-10 wins, below that I'd be disappointed, above that, delighted. I think the division is winnable, I don't think there's all that much between the Bears and the Packers.

Getting to a Super Bowl would be tough, the NFC is loaded this year. I thought the best two teams in the NFL last year were the 49ers and the Seahawks, and you have to get past both of them. Still, get to the playoffs, and anything can happen.

Other schedule notes…4 of the first 6 games are at home, 4 of the last 6 on the road. So think it's important to get a good start. You probably want to be 4-2 after the first 6 games.

Anyway, very pleased with the off-season and pre-season, and looking forward to a new era with the Bears.

Realt Dearg Sec

padraig_f wrote: »

Kicks off tomorrow, here's the schedule:

1. vs. Bengals
2. vs. Vikings
3. @ Steelers (SNF)
4. @ Lions
5. vs. Saints
6. vs. Giants (TNF)
7. @ Redskins

8. Bye week

9. @ Packers (MNF)
10. vs. Lions
11. vs. Ravens
12. @ Rams
13. @ Vikings
14. vs. Cowboys (MNF)
15. @ Browns
16. @ Eagles
17. vs. Packers

Really looking forward to this season, think it's gonna be a fun one. There won't be major expectation in Trestman's first year, that will come later, so I think that takes the pressure off to an extent.

The schedule is a tough one, but it's virtually the same for every team in the division, and if you don't mind the toughness of it, actually I think it's a fantastic schedule. With the exception of maybe the Browns and the Rams, 14 cracking games against quality opposition. 4 prime-time games, Packers after the bye-week, and again in the last game of the season at Soldier Field. With the tough schedule for the NFC North teams, it could be that no team in the division gets a wildcard, so that last game of the season could be a winner-take-all.

Expectations…I'm kind of thinking 7-10 wins, below that I'd be disappointed, above that, delighted. I think the division is winnable, I don't think there's all that much between the Bears and the Packers.

Getting to a Super Bowl would be tough, the NFC is loaded this year. I thought the best two teams in the NFL last year were the 49ers and the Seahawks, and you have to get past both of them. Still, get to the playoffs, and anything can happen.

Other schedule notes…4 of the first 6 games are at home, 4 of the last 6 on the road. So think it's important to get a good start. You probably want to be 4-2 after the first 6 games.

Anyway, very pleased with the off-season and pre-season, and looking forward to a new era with the Bears.

It is a tough schedule, but I also think the Bears are being nicely underrated coming into the season. Of course there'll be a learning curve and mistakes along the way, but I for one think our defence will be even better than last year. It at least LOOKS like they have developed some real options for Cutler in the passing game, and as long as Marshall's hip holds up and Bennett and Jeffery work out (plus the promise that they will begin using Forte in the passing game as well) I can see us causing some surprises.

In terms of our record for the season, maybe 9-7? I'd be happy with 8 or higher, given the new coaching staff and very tough schedule. Sadly I don't see us beating the Packers (although with a little luck I'll be in Soldier Field to be proven gloriously wrong in December), but hell, you never know. God knows it's been a while. I think the Super Bowl is far beyond us right now, but a playoff place is a slim-to-decent possibility this year. And what's more, I'd be happy with that. Some consistency on offense and we can start putting results together, maybe avoid the late season collapse...who knows?

Anyway, playoffs or not, I'd be happy to see evidence of a more dynamic and unpredictable offense developing (hopefully the changes in the O-line will pan out medium to long term), maintaining defensive dominance, and a half decent few results, particularly within NFC North.

kennyb3

Great win - delighted

Realt Dearg Sec

kennyb3 wrote: »

Great win - delighted

Da bearsss

Innish_Rebel

Wow - good win - 1 very interesting stat.
Sacks - yards lost
0

---

0

Well done O-Line, credit to the Mills/Long combo - did v well against Geno Atkins & co...

padraig_f

Innish_Rebel wrote: »

Wow - good win - 1 very interesting stat.
Sacks - yards lost
0

---

0

Well done O-Line, credit to the Mills/Long combo - did v well against Geno Atkins & co...

Yeah they did great. Run-blocking could've been better, but the pass-protection was great considering the d-line they were up against. Was expecting to see the pocket collapsing much more than it did.

Great win. Wasn't a perfect performance...defense was worse than I thought, no pass-rush to speak of and AJ Green caused massive problems (he's a beast in fairness).

They stepped it up in the second half to get some stops, but some definite room for improvement there.

Offense was mixed, but good overall I thought. Iffy first half, one bad interception, but I liked the way they were able to close out the game with sustained drives at the end.

The 4th-and-1 call from the Bengals' 27 was a gutsy one. Down by 4 with 8 minutes left, a lot of OCs will go for a field goal there. I like that Trestman is prepared to be aggressive that situation....not for the sake of being aggressive, just that it's normally the right strategy, when a lot of OC's will take the safe option of a field-goal.

Fortune favours the brave, and they got it. Game could've gone either way, but great to get the win against a good Bengals team.

padraig_f

Breakdown of game-winning touchdown:
Durkin’s Playbook: Cutler To Marshall Game-Winner

Shows the benefit of spreading the ball around and hitting Bennett for a TD earlier in the game: single coverage on Marshall.

Oat23

The Fighting Illini played Washington at SF last night and the grass isn't in good condition. Hopefully it'll slow down AP a little and make him slip! Rain expected as well.

Very good article on Trestman here if anyone wants some pre-game reading.

padraig_f

Oat23 wrote: »

The Fighting Illini played Washington at SF last night and the grass isn't in good condition. Hopefully it'll slow down AP a little and make him slip! Rain expected as well.

Very good article on Trestman here if anyone wants some pre-game reading.

Damn, that probably suits the Vikings more.

Watched Lions-Vikings during the week. The Lions were better than I thought (Reggie Bush looks a good addition), and the Vikings worse. The Lions stopped the Vikings run pretty effectively. Peterson had a 78-yard TD on his first play, but after that? Finished the game with 93 yards and 18 carries. So he had just 15 yards for the rest of the game. It's up to the Bears front-seven to match what the Lions did, if they do, they win the game.

Another feature was the Lions using Reggie Bush effectively in screen passes. It looks a good option to counter the pass-rush, and I expect the Bears to try a similar thing with Forte.

The Vikings' biggest problem was their o-line (both in run-blocking and pass-protection), and the Bears d-line didn't have a great game last week, so looking for them to step up.

I think the Vikings are the weakest team in the division, so I don't know are there many must-win games this season, but playing at home, this is probably one of them.

padraig_f

Oat23 wrote: »

Very good article on Trestman here if anyone wants some pre-game reading.

Good article. I'm still learning about him, but seems a very interesting guy with some different ways of doing things.

I like this detail:

New players, accustomed to a traditional football world where each position group had separate meetings, were stunned to find themselves asked to sit in another position's meetings. London, for instance, didn't understand why Trestman wanted the receivers to watch film with the offensive linemen, listening as the coach broke down designed runs that had nothing to do with wide receivers.

That seems to be a big thing with him, building a cohesive team.

kennyb3

Wow - full range of emotions during that one. Great to get the win.

Anyone else spot Kyle Long pulling his hammy during Cutlers strip? He hobbled on for the rest. Really hope it's not serious and he hasn't done proper damage by playing on.

We need to use Jeffrey more and get a 3rd WR involved. Too much Forte and Marshall in the second half.

aaronm13

Bears were far from impressive but fantastic spirit to keep it together and make the touchdown in the end. Defence needs work but great to start the season 2-0

Realt Dearg Sec

Had meant to come on earlier. Must say there was a lot to like Sunday. On offense, the one sack aside, it was just heart-warming to see how much time Cutler had in the pocket. The O-line is light-years ahead of last year, and can only improve as the year goes on. I think Kyle Long is going to pan out pretty well as a 1st round pick (of which I was critical, but so was everyone else). Elsewhere on the offense it's just very reassuring that there are more options this year, in particular Martellus Bennett. I read he has only sat out two offensive snaps in the two games this year. Works very well in the kind of offense Trestman is building. Marshall is still the Beast, but it says a lot that he was left in single coverage at the end: clearly the Vikings realised there are other threats now (and the use of Forte throughout was great to see after he was wasted last year). Far from flawless performance (Cutler still a bit too Cutler at times...)

Defense was a bit mixed as well but again there was more positive than negative. Still, Ponder is awful so maybe not worth reading much into it.

On another note: Hester was great, looked completely fired up and focused. Took a lot of (largely deserved but far too venomous) abuse last year, but quite clearly still has the instincts to do what he does. More importantly he did it at a moment (just after the opening TD) when it would have been very easy to bottle it and give the Vikings another little boost.

I dunno about ye but I'm happy with the start. Dunno how much longer we'll remain underrated by everyone else though.

padraig_f

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

On another note: Hester was great, looked completely fired up and focused. Took a lot of (largely deserved but far too venomous) abuse last year, but quite clearly still has the instincts to do what he does. More importantly he did it at a moment (just after the opening TD) when it would have been very easy to bottle it and give the Vikings another little boost.

I dunno about ye but I'm happy with the start. Dunno how much longer we'll remain underrated by everyone else though.

Yeah Hester was great, he seemed to take that TD return from the rookie Patterson personally. I read afterwards that he set a franchise record for return yards in a game. I was wondering why they kept kicking to him, and not out the back of the end zone, but I wasn't really complaining.

You could find fault with a number of things in the performance, but it'd probably be petty to point them out after that last drive. Lot of things going against them for that....the rain, the ball deflecting off the ref, the holding penalty, and still they punched it in.

I was playing around with capturing video from Gamepass, and put up the final drive on YouTube. My video-editing skills aren't great, but here it is if you want to see it again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1WXr9LEYdI

Realt Dearg Sec

Bah, the video is blocked already...

padraig_f

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Bah, the video is blocked already...

Feck, I guess I can still view it cos I uploaded it, knew it wasn't gonna last long. Was just the drive pretty much ripped from Gamepass, so you can watch the same thing there if you have that.

Watching it again...some great catches on the drive from Jeffery, Marshall and Bennett. And as Brian Billick pointed out in the commentary, a great back-shoulder throw from Cutler for the TD pass.

Realt Dearg Sec

padraig_f wrote: »

Feck, I guess I can still view it cos I uploaded it, knew it wasn't gonna last long. Was just the drive pretty much ripped from Gamepass, so you can watch the same thing there if you have that.

Watching it again...some great catches on the drive from Jeffery, Marshall and Bennett. And as Brian Billick pointed out in the commentary, a great back-shoulder throw from Cutler for the TD pass.

Yeah it kind of summed up what's most optimistic about the Offense in general this year: multi-dimensional, exciting, not really conservative and cagey, up-tempo, using Cutler's arm, and most of all they showed some serious heart on the drive. None of these things were true last year. It's not always going to go as well as that drive (hell there were some terrible moments in the game too) but it shows what's possible.

I wonder if the Bears fanbase will be patient with all of this, or will it be all Superbowl talk again?

padraig_f

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Yeah it kind of summed up what's most optimistic about the Offense in general this year: multi-dimensional, exciting, not really conservative and cagey, up-tempo, using Cutler's arm, and most of all they showed some serious heart on the drive. None of these things were true last year. It's not always going to go as well as that drive (hell there were some terrible moments in the game too) but it shows what's possible.

I wonder if the Bears fanbase will be patient with all of this, or will it be all Superbowl talk again?

Yeah that's it, there was significant flaws in the performance, but the last drive was probably not something that could've been done last year.

Actually I see they have an analysis of it up on NFL.com:
Drive of the Week: Jay Cutler does it again

Not sure about Bears fans in general, my guess is, while there will be optimism, people won't be getting carried away, just because the NFC is so tough right now.

baddebt

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Yeah it kind of summed up what's most optimistic about the Offense in general this year: multi-dimensional, exciting, not really conservative and cagey, up-tempo, using Cutler's arm, and most of all they showed some serious heart on the drive. None of these things were true last year. It's not always going to go as well as that drive (hell there were some terrible moments in the game too) but it shows what's possible.

I wonder if the Bears fanbase will be patient with all of this, or will it be all Superbowl talk again?

I don't know too many Bears fans talk about superbowls,
personally speaking , sunday was an ugly win , but a win is a win .
roll on Sunday night

Realt Dearg Sec

baddebt wrote: »

I don't know too many Bears fans talk about superbowls,
personally speaking , sunday was an ugly win , but a win is a win .
roll on Sunday night

It's just that reading bears discussion forums (like dabears.com or whatever) there is a tendency to talk about winning the superbowl, to the point where some of the posters don't regard anything less as a successful year. More generally, I think Bears fans (by which I mean people actually from Chicago, rather than the rest of us) are highly impatient and venomous towards their own players and coaches when things are going wrong (Devin Hester is a prime example, but Cutler and Lovie Smith spring to mind too - the latter being somewhat more justified but it was remarkable to me how negative people were last year about him coming up to the second Packers game). Nothing wrong with criticism, it's just that often there is more expectation than realism around the Bears.

baddebt

yep the locals demand victory ( and well we've been starved of it for so long , yeh can understand) ,
its the same in new york with the Giants.

anyway , I must say i'd be happy to get to the playoffs , see can we kick on from there for next season an season after

kennyb3

I love watching games back play by play trying to learn about defensive and offensive plays etc. It’s so hard to not just watch the ball and quarter back in real time. I’m not fully technically proficient having only got into the game seriously a couple of years ago so it’s a great way to learn. Anyway I got to watch the first quarter of our game back last night – hopefully get the rest in over the weekend.

Anyway here’s some stuff I noticed from this quarter – mainly regards the DL and OL;

The DL;

What was said about Peppers being ill is true and not just an excuse, in the first quarter he only took the first 3 plays or so (about 9 snaps) and didn’t return. McClellin played right DE for most of the first quarter.

McClellin still relies entirely on his speed, seems to want to beat his man without getting a finger laid on him. Still he got two decent pressures this way. But it seems if he gets held up he has no push and he was being run/pushed by the pocket on a regular basis. Kalil was pushing him back easily in the run game. He seems to look good or awful on plays not much in between.

Melton was being double teamed on nearly every play and so was finding it hard to collapse the pocket. He did well a few times though.

Wooton looked good against the run, they seemed to run a lot to his side in this quarter for some reason. I didn’t watch him enough pass rush wise but it was evident that Wooton and McClellin weren’t getting much pressure so this makes it easier to leave the tackles 1 on 1 and double team the defensive tackles.

Briggs was brilliant against the run and came up quickly twice to stuff two runs early.

The OL;

Mills was generally brilliant in pass protection – he uses his arms and size brilliantly against the bull rush. He can knocked back a bit put usually holds off the DE comfortably. He only got beat once the whole quarter and that was when he got locked up early, forgot to finish the block (mental error) and the end went again and beat him.

Mills and Long we’re given TE blocking help when required. Long looked good – really strong but made a couple of mental errors.

Bushrod was left 1 on 1 against Allen for every play – Allen is a beast and Bushrod did well to only give two pressures – no sacks.

Garza, Slauson and Long did well to hold the pocket. Their DT’s couldn’t get much of a push at all and at times the guards and Centre were completely dominant.

Cutler had time on most plays (80/90%) and on 15-20% of these he literally had all day.

Hester aside with the first return our special teams had a nightmare Q1 – allowing a kick off return and then having 12 men on the filed for a punt which caused an automatic 1st down and could have been another costly touch down. Trestman seems like a details guy so this was surprising.

As I said I hope to watch more but not sure I’ll get time to post on it.

Hopefully be back posting about a win on Monday morning!

kennyb3

Melton confirmed out for the season with an ACL tear - wafer thin on the dline now.

Rough for him especially as a tagged player.

kennyb3

Also on last nights game, few points of note;

- The blocking for Forte's big run before the 2nd down was a thing of beauty. Mills and Long picked up the blitz perfectly and used it against the Steelers. fote is having a great season so far.

- Loving the fact that Trestman plays each team on it's merits, working on blitzes all week. Getting Cutler comfortable dumping off the ball early in the game. Watching tape and working on the opposition really pays off.

- Loved that a 1st year head coach, who just lost a challenge and watched his team unable to run it in on 2 attempts before goes for it on 4th.

- I think Peppers is being used inside too much, with Tucker trying to get McClellin on the field. I'm not sold on Tucker yet to be honest. The blitzes were picked up second half and still we were persisted leaving man coverage down field rather than playing nickel - it got too close at one stage. Yet the defence keeps getting turnovers so it's a hard one to guage.

mayordenis

just on that point about the challenge, I think the bears really scored 3 times on those 4 downs.

padraig_f

Tough one today, first time the Bears are underdogs this season. Had a look at Lions-Redskins last week on condensed view.

My impressions of them:
They seem to be spreading the ball round more this year. Similar to the Bears and Brandon Marshall, they're apparently trying to be a more balanced offense and not be over-dependent on Calvin Johnson. Reggie Bush was out last week, but looked very good when I saw him before. He'll be back today, and will be a challenge for the linebackers.

Defensively, their strength is in the pass-rush, with Suh & Fairley. I don't think the linebackers and secondary are great. The Redskins were able to move the ball whenever they used it quickly....running the ball, quick slants, short throws underneath. Whenever RG3 held onto the ball, he was in trouble.

The Bears like to get it out quick anyway, but the execution needs to be good, and I think Forte will be an important player. If you find yourself in 3rd-and-long situations, it's gonna be difficult.

Will be a 50-50 game. I don't have a great feeling about it, with the loss of Melton and Tillman being questionable (confirmed playing), just a few possible holes there. Will need to play better than last week to win.

kennyb3

Not much to say about last night - basically got beaten up. The late scores gave the scorline some credibility but it was junk time really if we're honest. Cutler - brilliant or awful who knows what you'll get one week to the next.

The defensive weaknesses were there to be seen the last 3 weeks - plenty of points given up to the Vikes and Steelers - hardly superbowl contenders and the Bengals hardly covered themselves in glory last night either. As i said in a few posts above i'm not sold on Tucker, tho losing Melton was a big blow. Our run D looks awful.

I so wanted Shea to push on this season but he looks like a first round bust. Got man handled again last night. Just watched the Pats Atlanta game and it really hurts watching chandler Jones getting pressure on nearly every play - looking like a beast.

I'm dreading what Brees will do to us next week. Hopefully Trestman will figure it out and Cutler gets back to something approaching a top 10 QB.

Badabing

After watching New Orleans on Setanta today i'm not very hopefull for the Bears but you never know, we have a very tough run of games coming up tho the Giants don't look great this year.

kennyb3

Badabing wrote: »

After watching New Orleans on Setanta today i'm not very hopefull for the Bears

Agree, very worried about us getting cut apart

Realt Dearg Sec

We'll, first up I suppose we have to look at what really went wrong last week, and it was more than just Cutler. The o line was cut up, as bad as last year. I dunno if they're likely to be as bad again, and hopefully they'll have learned a bit. Probably should keep in mind it was their first road game so it was a big challenge.

The d line is a serious worry too and would be very worried for them if they can't start getting the pressure on. Meltons absence is a headache that will require some rethinking of things.

Then there's Cutler, but everyone has bad days and junk time or not, he nearly had is back in it. Ordinarily, according to the bears website, Cutler follows virtually any game in which he throws three ints with a big win. But that kind of wild variation is kind of the problem and the jury is still out, it seems, on whether trestman can work his magic.

But there were some really good points too. Forte is still playing great, and the run game is still strong. I also thought Jeffrey was excellent. On defense Calvin Johnson was pretty well held (for the most part).

Can we win at the weekend? Yeah, I don't see why not. We'll, I see exactly why not, but I'm not reading too much into one performance and we definitely have the weapons to challenge the saints d.

Read somewhere we're the second highest scoring team in the league...which is...kind of surprising.

kennyb3

It was the second road game (Pittsburgh last week were they did good) and I thought the Oline did okay given the Dline they faced and the fact that once we got behind cutler had to look for more time for longer passes - which is tough on the line. At the end of the day there are 2 rookies on the line and it hasn't turned into a superstar line all of a sudden.

The D is the big problem - still generating turnovers yes, blitzing well yes, everything else is not much short of awful. No pass rush, horrible against the run, giving up yards and touchdowns for fun. Cohen played some snaps off the street FFS. We've 6 sacks in 4 games, most of them from blitzing linebackers. Only the Giants and Steelers have less - and look how they are doing. Most teams have 11-13 sacks. We've the 8th most points given up.

Peppers has looked average - very far from the superstar his salary suggests. McClellin - awful, just awful. Whitney Mercilus and Chandler Jones have more career sacks than this guy has tackles - 1 solo tackle in 4 games and half a sack - give me a break. We may as well be playing with 3 line men so. If you can't get to the quarterback your going to get cut apart regardless of your cornerbacks or safties.

If we don't sort the pass rush out we won't be going to the playoffs - end of. The question is given our cap space issue, do we trade and get a decent DT to generate pressure up the middle allowing Wotton and Pepper to get to the QB. (please god bench McClellin or keep him to passing downs as a stunter/stand up rover). Thoughts on trading?

Looking ahead to the weekend game and people are saying we should cut up the saints D - well their D has 12 sacks and the 4th fewest points given up. I think we'll get thonked - I hope i'm wrong.