This was a crazy game in just about every way.
Special teams won the game for us. Dave Toub called a better game than Ron Turner has all year. His formation shfts led directly to Peanut Tillman's blocked field goal, and to Denver burning a 2nd half timeout on a punt play. Devin Hester continues to live up to Jeff Joniak's assessment of him ("Devin Hester, you are RIDICULOUS").
The offense did ok. I thought Benson was having his 2nd good game in a row, when his season was lost to injury. I don't care what Hub Arkush or any other mouth-breathing sports talk radio meathead thinks....Benson is BY FAR the best running back on this roster, and if they think Adrian Peterson taking over as the starter is going to help the running game, they've got another thing coming (cue Rob halford...)
The two bright spots for the offense were Rex Grossman (who played a solid game, held up well under pressure, and made some big passes with the game on the line) and John St. Clair. By entering the game in the 4th quarter and doing a very average job (no penalities, no sacks allowed, at least held his ground on run plays), St. Clair proved to be a huge upgrade over Fred Miller-thusela. Replacing Miller has got to be our top offensive priority this off-season, and replacing him in this game paid immediate dividends. While St. Clair is not the future of this position for the Bears, he is an average, journeyman/backup, and that's alot better than what Miller is right now.
As far as the defense goes, ugh. Wale is finally playing like he deserves that fat contract the Bears gave him. The rest of their D-line needs to get their act together, cause we're going to need more of a push up the middle, and some pressure from the other side, if we're really going to get in the head of an opposing quarterback. A home game this week against the Giants, with a young & fairly easily rattled Eli 'Muppet' Manning at the helm, would be the ideal opponent against whom we should bring pressure.
The LBs looked average. Urlacher played better than he has, so hopefully his back is improving incrementally.
As far as the secondary goes....man do I miss Mike Brown and Nate Vasher. Peanut is great, and D. Manning is playing solid ball, but Archuleta is absolutely terrible (replacing him also a top off-season priority) and there's a reason Ricky Manning plays the nickel, and not outside (doesn't have the pure speed to cover guys 50 yards downfield).
So here we are again, just 1 game out of a wild-card spot, 1 game below 500, with a big game looming. Last time we were in this spot we lost a tough road game against a well prepared, efficient Seattle team who showed up & played well. This time we're at home, against a Giants team who is wildly inconsistent, especially at the QB position. Our only chance is if the o-line plays their best game of the year (their pass rush is fierce and we have no running back) and if the d-line creates havoc (as Eli can be rattled, and our secondary is not playing very well).
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Game 10 - Bears vs. Seahawks
I am Mr. Mixed Emotions. The Bears lost a tough game in Seattle 30-23.
The hard part about this one is that they never really seemed out of it. They were close, even until the end.
The offense played pretty well on the road in front of a noisy crowd. Well, let's make an exception: Fred Miller. Other than him, they seemed to play well. I still can't understand why Benson went missing in this game. Keep giving him the ball when he's running like he did early on.
The defense didn't get the job done, but I didn't think they played terribly. Hasselbeck is a great quarterback and Seattle has excellent receivers. Holmgren, well, what can you say? This one hurts, because it showed that the Bears are close to being able to play good teams on the road - but the weak spot was the defense.
The hard part about this one is that they never really seemed out of it. They were close, even until the end.
The offense played pretty well on the road in front of a noisy crowd. Well, let's make an exception: Fred Miller. Other than him, they seemed to play well. I still can't understand why Benson went missing in this game. Keep giving him the ball when he's running like he did early on.
The defense didn't get the job done, but I didn't think they played terribly. Hasselbeck is a great quarterback and Seattle has excellent receivers. Holmgren, well, what can you say? This one hurts, because it showed that the Bears are close to being able to play good teams on the road - but the weak spot was the defense.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Winning Ugly
The most important thing for the Bears to do in Oakland was to win, and they accomplished that. I was disappointed in the offense and the special teams, but at the end of the day the only thing that mattered was a W to keep the playoff hope alive.
Oakland played a hell of a game on special teams...one of the few times in the past 3 years that we've truly been outplayed on special teams. My first reaction was to be surprised, since it rarely happens. That said, it's actually not a bad thing. Maybe some future opponents will look at the film & think "If a crappy team like Oakland can kick to Hester & contain him, why can't we?" That would be a great thing for the Bears. Hopefully, it will also serve as a wake up call to our speical teams that they aren't invincible, and they need to bring it every week to help win games.
The D played like it was 2006. They contained the run, conceded nothing through the air, harassed the quarterback, and caused 3 turnovers. We need them to play consistently at this level in order to win enough games to make the playoffs.
The offense still needs some work, but also showed some flashes. I think they gotta go back to Rex for the Seattle game. Griese is not gonna be 100%, and as it is he is making just as many mistakes as Rex. Rex can throw the deep ball, and we need that threat. At this point, we need to win the next 2 games at any cost, and I think the time for a conservative game manager at QB has passed...we need a guy who can WIN the game for us. While Grossman also has a better chance of losing the game than Griese does, he also has a better chance to win the game,a nd we nee that now. If he fails, slide him to #3, make Orton #1 the rest of the season, and keep Griese at #2 where he's best suited.
Somehow, someway, they gotta get the running game on track. Roberto Garza is a terrible guard, and Turner's run play calling is still terrible, and Benson is not creating anything on his own. Something has to give so this team can string together some wins.
Oakland played a hell of a game on special teams...one of the few times in the past 3 years that we've truly been outplayed on special teams. My first reaction was to be surprised, since it rarely happens. That said, it's actually not a bad thing. Maybe some future opponents will look at the film & think "If a crappy team like Oakland can kick to Hester & contain him, why can't we?" That would be a great thing for the Bears. Hopefully, it will also serve as a wake up call to our speical teams that they aren't invincible, and they need to bring it every week to help win games.
The D played like it was 2006. They contained the run, conceded nothing through the air, harassed the quarterback, and caused 3 turnovers. We need them to play consistently at this level in order to win enough games to make the playoffs.
The offense still needs some work, but also showed some flashes. I think they gotta go back to Rex for the Seattle game. Griese is not gonna be 100%, and as it is he is making just as many mistakes as Rex. Rex can throw the deep ball, and we need that threat. At this point, we need to win the next 2 games at any cost, and I think the time for a conservative game manager at QB has passed...we need a guy who can WIN the game for us. While Grossman also has a better chance of losing the game than Griese does, he also has a better chance to win the game,a nd we nee that now. If he fails, slide him to #3, make Orton #1 the rest of the season, and keep Griese at #2 where he's best suited.
Somehow, someway, they gotta get the running game on track. Roberto Garza is a terrible guard, and Turner's run play calling is still terrible, and Benson is not creating anything on his own. Something has to give so this team can string together some wins.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Mid-Season Reflections
It's been a surprisingly rough 8 weeks for Da Beloved, and there are changes to be made and work to be done if this team is going to return to its successful ways of the past 2 seasons. All of the assumptions and 'conventional wisdom' about this team coming into 2007 need to be discarded, and top to bottom this organization needs a cold, hard look to determine EXACTLY what is wrong, why its wrong, and how can it be fixed. I'm mainly looking ahead to the off-season here, cause wholesale changes are nearly impossible to pull off in the regular season.
I will start with special teams, simply because this is where the Bears are strongest & need the least work. Of the Bears 3 coorindators, Dave Toub has done the best job thus far in 2007. We have great specialists (Ayanbadejo, Hester, Mannelly, Gould, and Maynard) and Toub has done a good job keeping these guys sharp and keeping coverage & blocking units playing hard. We've done a good job blocking kicks and blocking for Hester. The one area where I would like to see some improvement is in the philosophy on countering these short kickoffs we are getting. Teams are kicking these short, high kicks to neutralize Hester, and its working. While the good field position is typically a gift for the offense, ours has failed to capitalize on most of these opportunities, and I think Toub should try & find some creative ways to make opponents pay on special teams for kicking away from Hester.
Offense is our area of greatest concern, and the biggest problem, by a mile, is the offensive line. Benson has received alot of criticism, some justified, but when I watch him play, he runs hard and hits the hold with authority when its there. The problem is, its rarely there. This o-line aged alot in the last offseason, and its showing. These guys are not getting off the snap quickly enough, and they aren't a strong enough unit to outmuscle the big tough D-tackles we've faced. This unit needs an overhaul, and this should be Jerry Angelo's top priority this off-season. John Tait and Olin Kreutz are the only starters who should be penciled in as starters for 2008. Ruben Brown and Fred Miller are just too old & slow to play at the level we need them to, and Roberto Garza is the definition of mediocre. We need at least 1 new, young, talent at both guard and tackle. I would like to see both a guard and tackle drafted on the first day, and a top-notch free agent brough in at 1 of the positions. The line we have now was built through free agency, but that can only work for so long. It's high time we start devoting valuable first day picks to bolstering this important area.
The receiver position also needs an overhaul. Davis stinks, Muhammad is overpaid & overrated, Bradley is a talent but is still unseasoned, Hester is raw, and Berrian is nothing more than an occasional deep threat who fits in well as a #2. We need a first day pick devoted to this position, but not a project like Bradley...someone who has proven in college that they can play the position at a consistently high level.
Tight ends I'm ok with. QBs...I think we stick with Griese, keep Orton, and draft a college QB in the middle rounds. Griese is the best veteran/journeyman you can find, and Orton has the talent to be a good starting QB a la Hasslebeck, Bulger, etc. As much as fans scream for a top flight #1 draft pick QB, until we get the running game & o-line straight, the best QB in the world isn't gonna win this team a Super Bowl. We would be best served allowing Griese to kep the position stable for the short term, try & develop Orton to take over, and draft a rookiw with potential to groom as the #3. This will not be the off-season to make a big splash in the QB market, so developing our own guys will be top priority.
Finally, onto the defense. I'll keep it simple here. We need Trumaine McBride to continue developing into a competent backup corner. We need Dusty D to stay healthy. We need Mike Brown to come back healthy, Kevin Payne to come back healthy, Archuleta cut, and a rookie to take his roster spot. We need our D ends to show up every week. And we need to re-sign Briggs. And leave D. Manning at free safety, where he has the talent to develop into a top 10 player at that position.
I will start with special teams, simply because this is where the Bears are strongest & need the least work. Of the Bears 3 coorindators, Dave Toub has done the best job thus far in 2007. We have great specialists (Ayanbadejo, Hester, Mannelly, Gould, and Maynard) and Toub has done a good job keeping these guys sharp and keeping coverage & blocking units playing hard. We've done a good job blocking kicks and blocking for Hester. The one area where I would like to see some improvement is in the philosophy on countering these short kickoffs we are getting. Teams are kicking these short, high kicks to neutralize Hester, and its working. While the good field position is typically a gift for the offense, ours has failed to capitalize on most of these opportunities, and I think Toub should try & find some creative ways to make opponents pay on special teams for kicking away from Hester.
Offense is our area of greatest concern, and the biggest problem, by a mile, is the offensive line. Benson has received alot of criticism, some justified, but when I watch him play, he runs hard and hits the hold with authority when its there. The problem is, its rarely there. This o-line aged alot in the last offseason, and its showing. These guys are not getting off the snap quickly enough, and they aren't a strong enough unit to outmuscle the big tough D-tackles we've faced. This unit needs an overhaul, and this should be Jerry Angelo's top priority this off-season. John Tait and Olin Kreutz are the only starters who should be penciled in as starters for 2008. Ruben Brown and Fred Miller are just too old & slow to play at the level we need them to, and Roberto Garza is the definition of mediocre. We need at least 1 new, young, talent at both guard and tackle. I would like to see both a guard and tackle drafted on the first day, and a top-notch free agent brough in at 1 of the positions. The line we have now was built through free agency, but that can only work for so long. It's high time we start devoting valuable first day picks to bolstering this important area.
The receiver position also needs an overhaul. Davis stinks, Muhammad is overpaid & overrated, Bradley is a talent but is still unseasoned, Hester is raw, and Berrian is nothing more than an occasional deep threat who fits in well as a #2. We need a first day pick devoted to this position, but not a project like Bradley...someone who has proven in college that they can play the position at a consistently high level.
Tight ends I'm ok with. QBs...I think we stick with Griese, keep Orton, and draft a college QB in the middle rounds. Griese is the best veteran/journeyman you can find, and Orton has the talent to be a good starting QB a la Hasslebeck, Bulger, etc. As much as fans scream for a top flight #1 draft pick QB, until we get the running game & o-line straight, the best QB in the world isn't gonna win this team a Super Bowl. We would be best served allowing Griese to kep the position stable for the short term, try & develop Orton to take over, and draft a rookiw with potential to groom as the #3. This will not be the off-season to make a big splash in the QB market, so developing our own guys will be top priority.
Finally, onto the defense. I'll keep it simple here. We need Trumaine McBride to continue developing into a competent backup corner. We need Dusty D to stay healthy. We need Mike Brown to come back healthy, Kevin Payne to come back healthy, Archuleta cut, and a rookie to take his roster spot. We need our D ends to show up every week. And we need to re-sign Briggs. And leave D. Manning at free safety, where he has the talent to develop into a top 10 player at that position.
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