| 23 August 2010
Bears fans last week complained about how little the offense played and this week they received a much better view of what the 2010 Chicago Bears will bring to the table. At times it wasn't pretty, in fact a lot of it was down right ugly, but there were scraps here and there that gave reason for hope. The main question is however are the bad things a sign of overall shortcomings, or are there things that can happen before the games start to count for something other than criticism?
The first drive of the game was a microcosm of the entire night for the Bears on defense. Ironic that you can fit an entire 60-minutes of football into a one drive summary description, but that is a fair description of what happened.
Bears start out on defense:
Pisa Tiniosamoa attacks the line of scrimmage down hill with the type of ferocity we've come to expect from him, even though his play has been limited to the Packers game and now going on six pre-season games. He drops the ball carrier for a loss as there is ample push from the defensive front. Second play is more of the same, great up the field penetration by Tommie Harris, a holding call in fact Raiders second and 19. Defense is playing really solid right off the bat to start this game, another false start. Then a quick pass for a gain of seven and then all of a sudden the wheels come off. The offensive coordinator is one step ahead of Lovie Smith, a well executed screen play for a big gain and a first down. Solid effort by Tommie Harris to try and chase it down but he comes up empty.
Play action pass max protection, bump and run is on by the Bears Bowman slips receiver is open, another big completion. Bowman I'm not sure if he would have made the play had he not slipped but it's going to be talked about anyway even though it's on the same level as Devin Hester's slip in the 49ers game from last year, a shit happens play.
TE split wide, Danieal Manning matched up in man coverage makes a bad decision. For some reason Danieal Manning thinks a TE is going to run a streak route down the field past him....so he turns his hips and Zach Miller immediately comes back to the football and makes the catch. The first real WTF are you thinking Danieal Manning play of the year.
The hand off to Michael Bush goes for a nice gain but Anthony Adams about gets butt raped he's held so badly. By butt raped I mean the offensive linemen grabs him around the waist, (Adams gets by anyway) and then tried to pull Adams into his body. This is how this run play was sprung....pun intended....
Julius Peppers is out the previous two major successful plays and the pass rush and run defense looks like it did in 2009 as a result. No pressure, no penetration and no real ability to hold up on the edges by either Idonije or Anderson. Mark Anderson drives me nuts and Idonije will have to move to Israel if he can't improve his game.
The completion to Louis Murphy is a severe match up problem, Murphy is in the slot against Tiniosamoa who is supposed to get a bump. Murphy instead gets a free release and runs right down the middle of the defense for a big catch and gain down to the two yard line.
First and goal good penetration by Adams and Toeaina, Peppers cleans up the mess second and goal. Peppers collapses down the line and makes the tackle. A QB sneak puts the Raiders up 7-0 and then the offense gets into the ugly act.
Bears on offense their first drive of the game on offense:
Bears go G-power decent blocking Forte gains two yards. Second eight, play-action fake Lance Louis can't pass block and down goes Cutler for the first of five sacks in the first half allowed by the Bears defense. A twist by the Raiders Bears get completely mixed up in pass protection and Cutler is dropped again for a sack. This is a correctable mistake, but you don't like to see it anyway. Three and out, Raiders back on offense
Play action, pretty solid effort rushing the passer by Anderson as he fights through the OT and then has to take on the back, but he doesn't get much pressure. The throw is rushed, incomplete. Second and ten, Bush breaks through the line pretty easily the Bears' D-Line is pretty well blocked. This is the type of play that makes me wonder why in the hell Hunter Hillenmeyer is even on the roster anymore. He's in completely the wrong gap and then he gets muscled away by a blocker rather easily to top it all off. Anthony Adams with a play that keeps him on the roster, fighting through a double team gets his hands up in the passing lane and bats the ball down. It doesn't seem like much but those type of plays that level of effort matters and Adams shows a lot of that to his credit.
Another good play by Adams as he gets penetration, which causes the back to bounce outside where Chris Harris comes down hill to make the takcle for a loss. This type of play is what the one-gap defensive scheme is all about, get down hill fast attack the back field, or attack the LOS and get to the back or make him change direction or stutter step.
There may have been just enough pressure from Mark Anderson and Julius Peppers off the edge on this pass play to make it go incomplete. Raiders kick a field goal, 10-0 Raiders.
Bears back on offense:
Quick hand off to Forte on an inside zone play up the gut, great blocking all the way around on this play, with Manumaleuna as the FB, just great execution and Forte gets a good chunk of yards. Garza does a good job of getting up to the second level and finding the LB to break Forte loose for about 12.
For some reason Chris Williams is lined up at RT on this play. Not sure why but he gets a good block on the back side LB and it helps Forte get another good run up the sideline. Forte cuts to the outside off of a Louis pulling block and gets another eight yards. Two carries 20 yards for Forte as he hits his stride.
Forte dropped for a loss, there appeared to be some confusion on this play as Garza pulls but Forte runs into the vacated Garza gap right into the waiting arms of the DT. I think Forte was supposed to follow Garza or Garza wasn't supposed to pull. Either way there appears to be an obvious misscommunication on this play.
Cutler out of the shot gun gets great pass protection from his line up front, Raiders try to stunt the DE and the DT on the weak side. The O-Line picks it up and Cutler has all day to throw, problem is he throws way too high for Johnny Knox, incomplete on third and six.
Bears back on defense:
Good power penetration and a down hill push by the defense on Michael Bush keeps the run to a minimum. Just good power up front by the front four as they start to settle in. Great penetration by Idonije who gets past the TE, Tommie Harris also gets good penetration and they gang up and tackle the RB for a loss. Quick slant right at Corey Graham for a first down, Graham over the slot in coverage gives up inside position and gets burned for a first down. Ugly coverage by Graham on this play. Play-action pass screen play that goes for another big gainer....Bears look lost on these screen plays. Props to the Raiders for executing so well 40-yard gain on the play. Wow Matt Toeaina splits the double team and gets great pressure up the middle, he fights hard to get this pressure on Campbell who makes the throw and is picked off by Tillman.
Up next is the play of the game for the Bears, Matt Forte's 89-yard touchdown run. I still love watching this play over and over again because of how well it's executed. It's the same play as the Bears ran last week out of a slightly different formation. The play last week against the Chargers was the one block away type of run that Mike Tice talked about on Tuesday after the game. The quote last week was as follows:
"Run game, exactly how it has been in practice, one block off here, one block off there. We just have got to continue to work on our timing, pay attention to some of the smaller details like splits and things like that. " The one block off was the Kreutz block last week where the safety dove underneath and tripped up Forte. This week there was no such luck for the Raiders as EVERYONE executed their assignment to perfection leaving Forte with a one on one match up at the third level with the safety. The safety is juked out of his jock and Forte turns on the afterburners for the rest of the 89-yard touchdown run. Greg Olsen's superb block, down to seal things to the inside, a big block, Kellen Davis' drive block to open up the hole.....and Kreutz and Louis leading the way popping each of their defenders in the mouth just opened things wide for Forte. The rest was just pure bliss, Forte wasn't even touched on this run, he makes the run look effortless. The patience to let Kreutz and Louis lead him through the hole and then when that hole opens up he EXPLODES to day light, just love those types of running plays. You can't draw it up on the chalk board any better than the way the Bears just ran this play. Pure perfection in it's entirety.....empty out the football cliches and dictionary of superlatives.
Raiders start a drive in Bears territory for the second time tonight first and 10 from the 48.
False start by the Raiders, first and 15 something weird happ g because Bush barrels ahead for some positive yards when he should have been dropped for a loss. It looks like Hillenmeyer got out of his gap on the play.
Start of the second quarter second and 12 for the Raiders on offense:
Zack Bowman comes on a corner blitz, a great powerful inside move by Mark Anderson to open up a clean lane to the QB. On the other side Peppers gets good pressure but Campbell does enough to break containment and gets away from being sacked and gains a couple yards. Pretty well executed CB blitz for the most part with the clear out by Anderson and then pressure by Bowman. Sometimes the other guy just makes a good enough play with his feet, nothing you can do about that. Anderson gets good pressure on this play Campbell steps up and throws, it's nearly picked off by Briggs. A unique looking screen call here by the Bears, Kreutz releases one way with the FB and Garza releases the other direction with Taylor in tow. A complete miss-direction screen with one blocker and receiver going one way and the other two going the complete opposite direction. Anyway the play doesn't go for much of a gain...
Cutler gets a little bit of time but Chris Williams is essentially beaten pretty bad by a bull rush and there is a hit on Cutler. The throw however is perfect although Greg Olsen has it bounce right off his hands, what a crap play by Olsen to not haul that pass in.
Hester hauls in a deep pass from Cutler, Cutler pressured by the blitz, Olsen struggling to make a block in pass protection, but he delivers a strike anyway. Hester on an end around here set up by successful ability to run the football. Bears putting together their best sustained drive of the game here. Cutler with nearly four seconds to throw can't find a receiver off the play action fake, flushed from the pocket he scrambles and picks up a first down. Bears in the red-zone needing to step up and score, Cutler has time to throw but even with time he overthrows Greg Olsen. I have no idea what happens here, a busted play that becomes a QB sneak that becomes a no gain third and long. Raiders come with a blitz, Cutler with a bullet throw that goes through the hands of Johnny Knox....fourth down. Bad snap problems again and Robbie Gould has to throw it away.
Bears back on defense:
Raiders run outside good up front penetration Bears' linebackers run free Hillenmeyer is just slow gain of about three. Minor pass rush by the Bears, the pass falls incomplete. Third and seven, Campbell pressured again, pass incomplete nice three and out here by the defense.
To summarize from this point on without getting further long winded, the offense didn't ever really get in sync and Mike Martz abandoned the run game far too quickly. Matt Forte had a good night running the football, but only had five carries on the night. Beyond the 89-yard touchdown run, Forte had back to back solid runs of 12 and 8 yards that really generated some momentum. Dropped passes, over thrown balls Cutler was never really in sync with his receivers, even when he got protection. That may be yet another over looked aspect of the struggles the Bears faced, Cutler never got in a rhythm and rattled off consecutive solid passes.
Beyond that the pass protection was pretty awful, fundamentally Chris Williams was all over the place, waving his arms rather than keeping them in tight and delivering a punch to the rusher on a bull rush and never fully keeping his feet beneath him on a few other bad plays. The Bears struggled to work as a unit letting a simple stunt really cause havoc on their protection and dropping Cutler for a loss.
Elsewhere the secondary really looked bad outside of the true starters, Danieal Manning struggled in one on one coverage over the TE, Corey Graham was burned pretty badly, more bad fundamentals for the once promising young players in the secondary who should now be stepping up their game.
Positives, the linebackers were aggressive and played down hill and attacked the gaps well for the most part. Pressure came on occasion from Idonije and Anderson. Matt Toeaina continues to impress, he's likely going to push to be a starter before too long. Marcus Harrison had a good game, attacking gaps getting penetration and combining with Mark Anderson on a sack. The four man defensive tackle rotation really looked promising against the Raiders, although the level of consistency you'd like to see wasn't there very often. Third down defense struggled primarily because of the lack of coverage in the secondary, not so much the lack of pressure on the QB. Three of the third down conversions in the first half were the result of two screen passes and just a decent escape from pressure by Jason Campbell.
The Raiders had one sustained drive the entire game, and it set a negative tone from there on. However looking deeper into the drive chart you see that the Raiders did nothing consistently once the defense settled in. The Raiders started three drives in Chicago territory in the first half and only managed two field goals, which means the Bears' starters played pretty consistently beyond the opening drive. Third down conversion defense stands out as a negative,
All in all though the complete effort by the starters results in a grade of a C. The Bears led 14-13 but also left points on the board with the fumbled snap that led to the Robbie Gould heave ho into no man's land. Not a complete effort and the engine never really got going, but the starters walked off the field with the lead.
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