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Jay Cutler and Dicey Run Game Have Chicago’s Offense Coming Together in Pieces
Published: September 30, 2009
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The Bears’ offense is coming together piece by piece.
It’s just that the pieces aren’t fitting together in the order many thought they would.
“I know it is going to take some time and I knew it wasn’t going to be the first week, and it’s hard to make everything gel the way you want it to in the first few weeks,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “It’s going to take some time and as long as we get a little bit better each week, which I think we’re doing, it will fall into place and it will come.”
The Bears always have counted on their running game first and then their passes. So far this season the running game has struggled to a 2.8 yards-per-carry pace.
Meanwhile, quarterback Jay Cutler has taken the passing attack on a torrid pace after a nightmare first half at Green Bay.
Since he threw three first-half interceptions in the opener against Green Bay, Cutler is 57-of-79 for 633 yards with two interceptions and six touchdowns for a 110.4 passer rating. His completion percentage of .721 is the best in the NFL the last 10 quarters of ball.
“It’s really early in the season,” Cutler said. “Offensively, we’re doing some good things, we’re doing some bad things.
“We just need to keep going in the right direction. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
The Bears acquired Cutler thinking the quarterback makes the receivers, not the other way around.
The Bears acquired Cutler thinking the quarterback makes the receivers, not the other way around.
“That is what great quarterbacks do, they elevate the play of those around them,” Turner said. “I think he is doing that because they all believe if they do their job, he can do that he can make something happen, he can do something special.”
It’s for this reason the Bears didn’t sign a big name receiver and haven’t brought anyone in—contrary to false rumors that surfaced this week saying the team had interest in Marvin Harrison and that a car with the license plates “Indy88” had turned up at Halas Hall.
“They’re playing really well,” Cutler said about Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox. “We never doubted them. There was no chance of us bringing anybody else in.
“We knew we were going to go with this crew. We felt good about it and they’re playing really well right now. I’m proud of them.”
“We knew we were going to go with this crew. We felt good about it and they’re playing really well right now. I’m proud of them.”
Although the Knox has a 68-yard catch on a bomb, Hester a 36-yard TD catch against the Packers on a go route and Bennett a 31-yard catch the last game, most of the bigger gains have come after short passes.
“They’ve done a great job of that—Devin, Earl and Johnny,” Cutler said. “I try to get the ball in their hands as quickly as possible and let them do their thing.
“They’ve done a great job of breaking tackles and making people miss, but they know when to get down. So they’re not out their sacrificing their bodies.”
The offense hasn’t started fast in any of the games even though Cutler’s statistics have been good in the last 2 ½ games.
They’ve been outscored 17-0 in first quarters, 30-16 in the first half and and outscored opponents 41-24 in the second half.
“Well, we went to Green Bay, really didn’t have a good feel for what they were going to do defensively, didn’t have a lot on film on them,” Cutler said. “Pittsburgh’s Pittsburgh, a great defense. In Seattle, it’s the loudest stadium I’ve ever been in, so it’s hard for us to start fast. We had a couple shots early that we just missed. Would have got us on the board early. We just need to keep fighting.
“The good thing about it is we are making plays in the fourth quarter and we are finishing strong.”
The only thing which hasn’t clicked at all has been the running game. They think it’s coming, although Matt Forte’s slight knee injury casts some doubt on this at this point. He was involved in only part of Wednesday’s practice.
And Turner admitted he didn’t make things better last Sunday himself with a mistake. He called inside running plays when diminuitive running back Garrett Wolfe was on the field.
“They were called and the third one, short yardage, honestly he shouldn’t have been in there,” Turner said. “We get in a short yardage situation and that’s usually Matt and AP (Adrian Peterson) in there running that. That was an error on our part, my part, (it) should have had one of those guys in there.”
The longest runs produced by the running game have been 11 yards by Forte and 15 by Peterson, but coach Lovie Smith wouldn’t be surprised if the running game starts to pop
“It’s improving,” he said. “We got some production from it (against Seattle), we still need to take another step with it, but we’re still committed to it by the number of rushes that we have.”
In this piece-by-piece approach to offense, the rushes are there, the next piece is the yardage.
If that happens, the faster starts could follow.
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Lovie Smith’s Philosophical Alteration Helps Chicago Bears to 2-1 Mark
Published: September 29, 2009
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If one person is more responsible for the Bears owning a 2-1 record, it’s obviously quarterback Jay Cutler for engineering two fourth-quarter rallies.
If you’re looking for one other name, try Lovie Smith—the same Bears coach who gets blasted all the time for “not being emotional enough” or for being too silent on the sidelines.
Smith’s impact since taking over the defensive scheme calling this year has been apparent and his modus operandi has been entirely surprising.
This hasn’t been the conservative cover-2 shutting down Ben Roethlisberger and then harassing Seattle backup quarterback Seneca Wallace into defeat.
Instead, it’s been Lovie the wild man, Lovie the blitz caller.
“It’s part of what we do,” linebacker Lance Briggs said. “Being aggressive is how we play football. In this game, especially with the way we play ball, it’s high-risk, high reward, right up to the end.”
It’s ironic.
Smith added defensive coordinator duties to his head coach responsibilities because Bob Babich failed at it, and Babich was doing it because Smith fired Ron Rivera. The two had definite philosophical differences.
Rivera’s defensive style is Buddy Ryan and Jim Johnson influenced and involves blitz after blitz. Smith has always been less of a gambler.
However, when the Bears played Pittsburgh Smith called 15 consecutive blitzes at one point.
Against Seattle, it seemed they never stopped blitzing Wallace.
“That was the plan, to pressure him from the start,” said Smith, who pointed out he also made a mistake by calling a blitz on the third-and-long screen pass Julius Jones turned into a touchdown by running through Charles Tillman‘s attempt to pry loose the football.
“Whenever you have a new (quarterback) you want to make him make some tough throws,” Smith added.
Is this the cover-2 or the famed “46” of the 1985 Bears?
Behind all the blitzing are a few facts, good and bad.
On the positive side, the blitzes show Smith has confidence in his deep safeties. Whether it’s Danieal Manning in the base defensive package or Kevin Payne in the nickel package, the pressure is on your free safety when someone is blitzing.
On the negative side, if the Bears’ front four had been dominant with the pass rush there would be no need to blitz. They’re not, although they haven’t been too bad and the defense is sixth in the league in sacks per pass attempt and six of the nine sacks have been by defensive linemen.
Nevertheless, Smith is creating a lot of the havoc along the line by blitzing, whether defensive linemen get the sack or not. There is constant pressure.
“As long as it’s at the right time and as long as we continue to be effective with it, that’s the key,” Briggs said. “If we aren’t effective, we won’t keep doing it.”
So far, Smith has his finger right on the defense’s pulse. Expect him to pull off the pressure when it’s necessary.
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Weakly Football Forecast, Week Three: Empty Stadiums, to Be or Not to Be?
Published: September 25, 2009
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The Bard would have loved the past week in the NFL.
True to Hamlet, it was a case of “to thine own self be true” throughout the league.
Of course Chad Ochocinco would stage his Lambeau Leap by purchasing tickets for friendly Bengals fans in order to have a place to land.
Why should he do any type of end zone celebration that wasn’t rehearsed, planned or staged in some way? He never has.
And Brett Favre complained about Eric Mangini and the Jets being fined by the NFL for not giving out the whole truth about his injury last year.
What else was Favre supposed to say? When has he ever been against keeping people in the dark?
But the true Nick Bottoms in a donkey head this week were NFL officials, and in particular, senior vice president for broadcasting and media operations Howard Katz.
The NFL could have a record number of local TV blackouts this season due to the lack of sellouts resulting from the recession. Games must be sold out 72 hours in advance to get the home team on local TV.
No one really has had to worry about this much since the 1970’s, but Jacksonville and a few others face seasons when they’ll only get to see their team in road games.
The NFL waived the blackout policy in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina because the Saints couldn’t really be expected to sell out games in Baton Rouge.
Now it only seems fair if the NFL lifts the blackout in other towns that might not sell out games, right?
“To the person who lost his or her job in Detroit, this (recession) is every bit as difficult a situation to deal with as Katrina might have been in New Orleans,” Katz said.
However, Katz then went on to explain the NFL really needs this blackout rule.
He conveniently ignored the best answer to the problem, which would be to admit to a changing market place due to the economy and accept far, far less for the tickets.
Ah, but filling stadiums isn’t really what it’s about—TV revenue is.
Katz certainly used the wrong city to make his point.
He should realize the NFL would be doing Detroit the greatest favor ever by blacking out Lions home games. In fact, they could really be humanitarians by blacking out all Lions road games.
At least give the league and Katz credit for consistency. At a time when white collar money-grubbers have taken a beating throughout Wall Street and Washington, the cash cow NFL continues to champion the cause.
As the Bard might say, “To cash in big or merely cash in, that is the question.”
On another front, if this pro football picks/betting line column continues on its current course, neither a borrower nor a lender will be paying attention to it.
An 8-8 week straight up made my record 20-12 straight up on the year. However, a second straight 5-11 mark picking against the spread dragged my record down into a 10-22 cesspool and had to put me in line for some sort of government handout.
Maybe Bleacher Report should black out my picks.
This week’s guesses:
Ravens by 13 over Browns
Perhaps Browns coach and former Jets coach Eric Mangini can find a way to cover up the final score of this one. This used to be a grudge match because the Ravens were the Browns until Baltimore stole them. Now Cleveland fans wish Baltimore could also steal these Browns. The pick: Ravens 19, Browns 7.
Giants by 7 at Bucs
With Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon, and Steve Smith the Giants appear set for the future at wide receiver as long as no one shoots themselves in the foot. The pick: Giants 24, Bucs 23.
Packers by 6 1/2 at Rams
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is a prime candidate for an Aflac policy after getting sacked 10 times in two games. But you can’t get sacked when you don’t have the ball. Running back Ryan Grant gets rolling against a defense giving up 146 yards a game on the ground. The pick: Packers 24, Rams 20.
Eagles by 9 1/2 over Chiefs
It’s Kevin Kolb again at QB this week for the Eagles, but after five interceptions and only two TD passes he’s heading for coach Andy Reid’s doghouse. And now he’ll have newly activated QB Michael Vick nipping at his heels. The pick: Eagles 23, Chiefs 9.
Patriots by 4 over Falcons
Somewhere, Bill Belichick was smiling when he saw the Jets organization got fined for lying last year about Brett Favre’s injury. Belichick remains the master at telling nothing about injuries and getting away with it, and to see his old antagonists get slapped for a cover-up had to be amusing. Smiles will fade Sunday. The pick: Falcons 24, Patriots 21.
Vikings by 7 over 49ers
A true test for Brett Favre. The 49ers defense will come with pressure and Favre can’t possibly react like a QB who knows the offense well. However, he will know enough to hand it to Adrian Peterson. The pick: Vikings 20, 49ers 16.
Texans by 3 1/2 over Jaguars
Jaguars feel faint after seeing a stadium crowd larger than 30,000. The pick: Texans 27, Jaguars 20.
Redskins by 6 1/2 over Lions
The Lions are making progress. First they lost by 18, then by 14. They’re not four points better again this week playing in the house that Jack Kent Cooke built and Daniel Snyder charges media members $75 per person per game for internet (really). The pick: Redskins 21, Lions 10.
Jets by 2 1/2 over Titans
Jets LB Bart Scott, a former Raven, said new coach Rex Ryan was really the head coach of the Baltimore team that made the AFC title last year and not John Harbaugh. Whatever. By any other name, Scott will be getting beat this Sunday by the team Harbaugh coaches. The pick: Ravens 24, Jets 20.
Saints by 6 over Bills
T.O. might be the biggest bunch of hot air to blow into New Orleans since Katrina, but he’ll be quietly dispatched much like the Eagles and Lions were by the Saints. The pick: Saints 31, Bills 21.
Bears by 2 1/2 at Seahawks
T.J. Houshmandzadah is showing he might have played alongside Chad Ochocinco a bit too long in Cincinnati and inherited some bad traits, because it’s never good to brag about how you are going to torch opposing cornerbacks when you’re going to have a backup QB with a weak arm throwing you passes. The pick: Bears 20, Seahawks 16.
Steelers by 4 at Bengals
Cincinnati tailback Cedric Benson is a runaway train these days. So consider the Steelers’ defense a break in the train tracks. The pick: Steelers 23, Bengals 14.
Broncos by 1 1/2 at Raiders
Kyle Orton is the master of ugly victories, and there isn’t a much uglier matchup than Raiders-Broncos. The pick: Broncos 19, Raiders 13.
Chargers by 6 over Dolphins
The beat-up, injury-plagued Chargers need a game against the physical, wildcat-running Dolphins like TV needs another reality show. But the hits just keep on coming, and they will Sunday, too. The pick: Chargers 17, Dolphins 14.
Cardinals by 2 1/2 over Colts
It used to be that Peyton Manning went into games easily armed with the best receiving corps. Kurt Warner has it this week. But he also has to face a Colts defense that can’t stop the run but still remembers how to play cover-2. The pick: Colts 23, Cardinals 20.
Cowboys by 9 over Panthers
There hasn’t been a matchup of QB’s this turnover prone since Rex Grossman and the Bears played Joey Harrington and the Lions. Usually Tony Romo is getting yelled at by T.O., but this week T.D. (Tony Dorsett) was criticizing him. But at least Romo isn’t Jake Delhomme. The pick: Cowboys 26, Panthers 20.
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Chicago Bears vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Who has the Edge?
Published: September 19, 2009
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For the first time since 1995, the Pittsburgh Steelers come to Chicago and encounter a Bears team lacking their greatest weapon, big play middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. How can the Bears compensate for losing a middle linebacker who has the size of a defensive end and speed of a safety? It’s up to Hunter Hillenmeyer to replace him, but they would like to see their offense pick up some of the slack. That means Jay Cutler bouncing back from a four-interception start. Cutler’s only game against the Steelers was a success, a 31-28 victory in 2007 over the Steelers. The Bears need him to duplicate that day he had for Denver in order to offset the efforts of Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers are favored by 3 points in this 3 p.m. matchup.
Ochocinco Wild For Cheese Curds: Week Two of Our Weakly NFL Forecast
Published: September 17, 2009
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It’s reality check time for some heading into Week Two.
This picks column needs one, that’s for sure, after going 5-11 last week against the spread.
The New Orleans Saints are certain to get a reality check after last week when they beat up on the closest thing to a CFL team that the NFL has to offer.
The Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo (Does anyone else think he staged that coyote taking Jessica’s dog? Just asking.) will get their reality check. You don’t give up 450 yards to a Tampa team void of offense and think you’re going to beat the New York Giants the next week.
However, the biggest reality check is coming for the man who goes by the name Chad Ochocinco.
Chad Johnson, as he should be known, has been living a life of reality denial for years, but even he will have to admit he was dealing in pure fantasy after Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field.
That’s because Ochocinco has announced a celebratory “Lambeau Leap” if he gets into the end zone Sunday against the Packers.
“I’m looking for the Cheeseheads to embrace ‘Ocho,”’ he said Wednesday on a conference call with Green Bay reporters.
Certainly the Cheeseheads will “embrace” Ocho, who will then be known as “Oucho” after they give him what he richly deserves if he ever does attempt that leap.
Unless it is wearing green and yellow, has the word “Miller” written on the side, or can be eaten on a bun with ‘kraut and mustard, the Cheeseheads aren’t embracing it.
Besides, you just simply don’t want to be embraced by some of those Wisconsin people.
Now it’s on to Week Two and time to embrace the reality that, although I was right on 12 of 16 winners, the spread is where it’s at. And 5-11 is very Cutlerish.
The line: Falcons by 6 over Panthers
It’s very apparent that Jake Delhomme has some sort of wager going with Jay Cutler on who can lead the league in interceptions. It’s a dead heat after Week One, but Atlanta is certain to do its share to keep Jake in the running. The pick: Falcons 24, Panthers 20.
It’s very apparent that Jake Delhomme has some sort of wager going with Jay Cutler on who can lead the league in interceptions. It’s a dead heat after Week One, but Atlanta is certain to do its share to keep Jake in the running. The pick: Falcons 24, Panthers 20.
The line: Redskins by 9 1/2 over Rams
The Rams managed to surprise the Redskins last year. The only way they could surprise Washington this time would be to show up looking like a legit NFL team. The pick: Redskins 31, Rams 17.
The Rams managed to surprise the Redskins last year. The only way they could surprise Washington this time would be to show up looking like a legit NFL team. The pick: Redskins 31, Rams 17.
The line: Titans by 7 over Texans
If the Jets were able to hold the Texans to a touchdown last week, Tennessee’s defense might hold Houston to negative points. And if this keeps up, Matt Schaub is sure to hear the public outcry for Rex Grossman. Or not. The pick: Titans 14, Texans 3.
If the Jets were able to hold the Texans to a touchdown last week, Tennessee’s defense might hold Houston to negative points. And if this keeps up, Matt Schaub is sure to hear the public outcry for Rex Grossman. Or not. The pick: Titans 14, Texans 3.
The line: Eagles by 3 over Saints
Donovan McNabb’s injury status gives New Orleans hope, but the way the Eagles’ defense played last week there is no need for a quarterback. Philly could just as easily punt when it gets the ball. The Saints were 2-6 on the road last year and traditionally can’t play anywhere but in the Stupordome. The pick: Eagles 20, Saints 14.
Donovan McNabb’s injury status gives New Orleans hope, but the way the Eagles’ defense played last week there is no need for a quarterback. Philly could just as easily punt when it gets the ball. The Saints were 2-6 on the road last year and traditionally can’t play anywhere but in the Stupordome. The pick: Eagles 20, Saints 14.
The line: Patriots by 3 1/2 over Jets
The Patriots can’t be nearly as bad as they looked on their own field against Buffalo when they lucked into a win, and the Jets can’t be nearly as good as they looked last week in stunning Houston. The pick: Patriots 27, Jets 16.
The Patriots can’t be nearly as bad as they looked on their own field against Buffalo when they lucked into a win, and the Jets can’t be nearly as good as they looked last week in stunning Houston. The pick: Patriots 27, Jets 16.
The line: Chiefs by 3 over Raiders
Two teams that gave surprisingly good accounts of themselves in Week One losses. The Raiders look like a team capable of ending their run of six straight seasons of 11 losses or more. But it won’t start this week. The pick: Chiefs 24, Raiders 17.
Two teams that gave surprisingly good accounts of themselves in Week One losses. The Raiders look like a team capable of ending their run of six straight seasons of 11 losses or more. But it won’t start this week. The pick: Chiefs 24, Raiders 17.
The line: Jaguars by 3 over Cardinals
The Cardinals can’t be expected to underwhelm two straight games, but the good news for Jacksonville is that no one will see it. It’s a home game, which means empty seats, a TV blackout and more calls for moving the franchise to L.A.—where they can play before more empty seats. The pick: Cardinals 27, Jaguars 20.
The Cardinals can’t be expected to underwhelm two straight games, but the good news for Jacksonville is that no one will see it. It’s a home game, which means empty seats, a TV blackout and more calls for moving the franchise to L.A.—where they can play before more empty seats. The pick: Cardinals 27, Jaguars 20.
The line: Packers by 9 1/2 over Bengals
Fortunately for Chad Ochocinco, he probably won’t have to worry about what will happen to him if he tries to do the “Lambeau Leap.” If the Bungles could manage only a touchdown at home against Denver, then they’re not getting into the end zone at all in Green Bay. The pick: Packers 24, Bengals 6.
Fortunately for Chad Ochocinco, he probably won’t have to worry about what will happen to him if he tries to do the “Lambeau Leap.” If the Bungles could manage only a touchdown at home against Denver, then they’re not getting into the end zone at all in Green Bay. The pick: Packers 24, Bengals 6.
The line: Vikings by 10 over Lions
Detroit’s defense last week elevated the Saints’ Mike Bell, who had just 722 yards in three seasons combined, to rush for 143 yards—a career game high. Just imagine what wonders Detroit can work with someone as talented as Adrian Peterson. “Miles” might replace “yards” in the box score this week. The pick: Vikings 27, Lions 13.
Detroit’s defense last week elevated the Saints’ Mike Bell, who had just 722 yards in three seasons combined, to rush for 143 yards—a career game high. Just imagine what wonders Detroit can work with someone as talented as Adrian Peterson. “Miles” might replace “yards” in the box score this week. The pick: Vikings 27, Lions 13.
The line: Bills by 5 over Bucs
There hasn’t been a worse beating delivered in Buffalo since Patrick Kane got in a taxi last month. The pick: Bills 27, Bucs 10.
There hasn’t been a worse beating delivered in Buffalo since Patrick Kane got in a taxi last month. The pick: Bills 27, Bucs 10.
The line: 49ers by 1 1/2 over Seahawks
The Niners were able to beat Arizona with only 30 rushing yards from Frank Gore. When they get him rolling, they could be dangerous. It won’t be this week. The pick: Seahawks 17, 49ers 13.
The Niners were able to beat Arizona with only 30 rushing yards from Frank Gore. When they get him rolling, they could be dangerous. It won’t be this week. The pick: Seahawks 17, 49ers 13.
The line: Steelers by 3 over Bears
Jay Cutler’s face won’t have a bored or petulant expression. Instead, it will be an expression of terror as he flees for his life from Pittsburgh’s blitzers. The pick: Steelers 27, Bears 19.
Jay Cutler’s face won’t have a bored or petulant expression. Instead, it will be an expression of terror as he flees for his life from Pittsburgh’s blitzers. The pick: Steelers 27, Bears 19.
The line: Broncos by 3 over Browns
Finally, Kyle Orton found a way to be more accurate with his passes: bounce it off the hands of one receiver, then to another receiver for an 87-yard touchdown. If he’d discovered this before this year the Bears wouldn’t have wanted to trade him. Against Cleveland, he might not need to bounce it off anyone. Something in the general vicinity should do just fine. The pick: Broncos 17, Browns 16.
Finally, Kyle Orton found a way to be more accurate with his passes: bounce it off the hands of one receiver, then to another receiver for an 87-yard touchdown. If he’d discovered this before this year the Bears wouldn’t have wanted to trade him. Against Cleveland, he might not need to bounce it off anyone. Something in the general vicinity should do just fine. The pick: Broncos 17, Browns 16.
The line: Chargers by 3 over Ravens
It makes me feel uncomfortable when the Ravens allow 24 points to any team. That shouldn’t happen, even if they won. Could this be the end of Baltimore’s defensive dominance? The pick: Chargers 24, Ravens 17.
It makes me feel uncomfortable when the Ravens allow 24 points to any team. That shouldn’t happen, even if they won. Could this be the end of Baltimore’s defensive dominance? The pick: Chargers 24, Ravens 17.
The line: Cowboys by 3 over Giants
Tony Romo will be running like a little dog fleeing a coyote when the Giants’ pass rush gets after him. The Giants’ defensive front will dominate even without injured Chris Canty. The pick: Giants 20, Cowboys 16.
Tony Romo will be running like a little dog fleeing a coyote when the Giants’ pass rush gets after him. The Giants’ defensive front will dominate even without injured Chris Canty. The pick: Giants 20, Cowboys 16.
The line: Indianapolis by 3 over Miami
Look for the Colts to be distracted because Kendra Wilkinson is at the game to support her husband, who will probably be cut in a week by Indy despite having an injury-riddled receiving corps. The pick: Colts 19, Dolphins 13.
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Chicago Bears Defend Jay Cutler As If He’s the Goal Line
Published: September 16, 2009
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It’s probably not surprising how Bears coaches and players rushed Wednesday to defend quarterback Jay Cutler from the verbal attack of a couple former NFL head coaches.
Cutler is going to need every bit of backing from the team—and their confidence—this Sunday if not the rest of the season.
Facing the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at Soldier Field and playing out the schedule without Brian Urlacher on defense only puts so much more pressure on Cutler to produce.
Coming off a career-worst, four-interception effort against Green Bay can leave anyone in need of a confidence injection. Cutler certainly couldn’t help but get one from the words of head coach Lovie Smith and offensive coordinator Ron Turner Wednesday when they answered Rams coach Mike Martz and former Saints/Colts coach Jim Mora, who on “The Coaches Show” had lambasted Cutler’s “nonchalant” attitude during his post-Packer game press conference.
“We had just come off of a tough loss to one of our rivals,” Smith said. “I looked at Jay’s comments that he made, and it’s a little disappointing especially coming from a couple of former coaches to make those type of comments about Jay.
“Everyone that has been around him, his teammates, former coaches, they know what type of player he is, what type of person he is. He represents our organization well. We’re glad he is on our football team, but at the same time we cannot be concerned about criticism coming from the outside. Right now it’s easy to dog pile us because we didn’t play well. But how you get rid of things like that is to play well. That’s why we’re anxious to play Pittsburgh this week and go from there.”
Turner insisted he had talked to former Denver coaches and players about Cutler’s leadership prior to the trade and that the Bears have found their QB to be exactly what they wanted.
“He is a tremendous leader. He’s great,” Turner said. “I’ve heard the receivers say he’s as good a leader that we’ve had and I’ve never heard guys say stuff like that, to tell you the truth.”
Turner’s voice got to the verge of breaking.
“It’s upsetting to hear that stuff to be honest with you,” he said. “If you want to talk about interceptions, talk about his play, that’s one thing. But to talk about that when you don’t know is totally, totally off base. It’s off base.”
Considering Jim Mora’s infamous “Playoffs? Playoffs?” and “we suck… we didn’t do diddily pooh,” press conferences, the comments smack of being hypocritical.
Even Smith didn’t mind delivering a sort of “who cares?” toward Martz, the coach who was his boss in St. Louis.
Asked if he had talked to Martz about the situation, Smith said: “I’m trying to get ready for Pittsburgh. I’m talking to my wife, a little bit, right now. Everyone else is a little bit lower on my list.”
Cutler found it no surprise that everything from his facial expressions to his body language and comments have been scrutinized after the season-opening loss.
“You expect it, and when you lose, that stuff gets magnified even more,” Cutler said. “If we win that ballgame and I play a little bit better, it’s going to be a lot better outcome.
“I’m sure some of the columns are going to be a little more positive. When you throw picks, you’re going to get criticized, you’re going to get picked apart a little bit, and that’s as expected.”
If all the attention on Cutler’s pouting lips, slumped shoulders, or disinterested answers bothered him, he sure did a good job of disguising it.
“I haven’t really read anything this week or previous weeks,” he said. “I’m worried about the guys in the locker room; this offense, this team and how we’re playing on a week-in, week-out basis.
“We’re worried about the Steelers right now.”
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Hunter Hillenmeyer Filling Big Shoes For Chicago Bears
Published: September 14, 2009
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The Bears believe we’ll see a different Hunter Hillenmeyer now as Brian Urlacher’s replacement than the one who held the job when their perennial Pro Bowl middle linebacker suffered a series of injuries in 2004.
With Urlacher out for the season due to a dislocated wrist, Hillenmeyer is being counted on to man the middle. The Bears went 0-7 in 2004 without Urlacher.
“We feel that Hunter has the best grasp of the entire defense, being in that role, and our team is comfortable with him playing, and again he played well last night,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said Monday at Halas Hall after announcing the end of Urlacher’s season.
To be sure, the Bears had options. There was the possibility of moving Lance Briggs from the weak side to the middle.
“I don’t need to move,” Briggs said. “Hunter is capable. Hunter is very capable, more than capable.
“We’ve had good depth at our linebacker position.”
They also had the opportunity to sign former Bucs star Derrick Brooks, who played under Smith with the Bucs and knows the Bears’ system like the back of his hand.
Trouble is, it’s an aging hand, 36 years old, too old even to land him a job with New Orleans or Oakland.
“We’re probably looking more at guys maybe with special teams value but a guy who can play also,” Smith said, which pretty much rules out Brooks. “We’ll keep all of our options open.”
The options closed quickly after Smith said that because it took about five minutes and the Bears signed former Panther and Jaguar linebacker Tim Shaw to help special teams. He was second on the Panthers in special teams tackles in 2007.
The Bears’ defense on Sunday held a Packer offense that hadn’t punted in preseason to 226 yards, including 122 when Hillenmeyer was on the field. Of the 226 yards, 50 came on one play to win the game. The Packers had no sustained touchdown drives beyond the last one and that came on a mistake that Smith on Monday all but admitted was the fault of safety Kevin Payne for not providing deep support for cornerback Nate Vasher.
“I judge our (current) defense based on how we played the time that Brian was hurt or out until the end of that game,” Briggs said. “And that’s the type of defense we have to play, minus that big play at the end of the game.
“We played shutout defense. When you get an offense that gets 220 total yards and most of it comes on the last play of the game, that’s the type of defense,” he said.
Hillenmeyer played strong side linebacker for the Bears part of 2004 through part of 2008 and had expected to compete for the spot with Nick Roach and Pisa Tinoisamoa in training camp.But they never really got the chance.
Coaches put him at backup middle linebacker and now it’s looking like a blessing in disguise because he got more practice reps in the middle than any time since 2004.
“Truth be told, at the start of training camp I wanted to be over on the strong side to compete for a starting job there, but it turns out to be a good thing that I got that experience, and it’s not anything new,” he said. “Even though it’s been since my second year in the league that I’ve played middle linebacker, I’ve been the backup nickel middle linebacker for years. So assignment-wise and comfort-wise from a practice standpoint, it’s not anything new. It’s just a little different in game situations.”
Hillenmeyer has had success in the middle, even if it wasn’t in the NFL.
“Honestly, I feel more comfortable in the middle,” he said. “My best year in college was the one year out of four (at Vanderbilt) that I played in the middle. I loved playing middle when I got the chance in my second year, but obviously, you know, with a guy like Brian here, I was never going to get to play in the middle except for something like this happening.”
Hillenmeyer is well aware of the 0-7 record the Bears had in 2004 when he played the middle.
“We were also not the same football team then,” he said.
The Bears were in Smith’s first year as coach and Hillenmeyer’s first real year as a contributor.
“But it’s a team sport,” Hillenmeyer said. “There is no one guy that can have that profound of an impact so as important as (Urlacher) is, we need everybody to step their game up and the difference for me is when I was filling in for him then, those were my first starts as an NFL football player. That was a long time ago. That was six years ago. Hopefully, I have learned and I will have a lot more experience and a lot more comfort factor out there than I would have then.”
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Packers-Bears: Green Bay Gets Picky in Jay Cutler’s Chicago Debut
Published: September 14, 2009
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GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Bears’ defense Sunday night overcame Jay Cutler’s three first half interceptions, a stupid fourth quarter mistake by long snapper Patrick Mannelly, and the loss of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher due to a dislocated wrist.
What it couldn’t do in the end was exactly what it was supposed to do—stop the Green Bay Packers in the clutch.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers hadn’t completed a pass longer than 14 yards all night, but burned the Bears for a 50-yard play-action touchdown bomb to wide receiver Greg Jennings with 1:11 left in the game for a 21-15 Green Bay victory.
“It was pretty simple on what happened tonight,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “Any time you have four turnovers you’re normally not going to win a football game, especially against a good Packers team.
“The turnover ratio normally tells the story. We turned the ball over, they capitalized on it and on the other side of the ball we weren’t able to take the football away.”
The fourth turnover was Cutler’s fourth interception, the most by a Bears quarterback since Brian Griese threw four at Detroit on Oct. 28, 2007. Cornerback Al Harris produced the pick with 1:06 remaining and the Bears trying to drive to the winning TD after Rodgers’ TD pass. Cutler threw off the left edge for wide receiver Johnny Knox but Harris cheated up and made the game-sealing pick.
“We’re still in a learning process,” Cutler said about the offense. “We haven’t been together that long. We haven’t really been together that long in game situations but that is no excuse for what happened out there.”
Cutler went 17-of-36 for 277 yards and found Devin Hester for a 36-yard third quarter TD that got the Bears within 10-9 after they had fallen behind 10-2 in the first half, when he threw interceptions to Nick Collins at the Packers’ 43, defensive end Johnny Jolly at the Packers’ 14, and Tramon Williams. Williams returned his 45 yards to the Bears’ one with 4:40 left in the first half and Ryan Grant scored a play later for a 10-2 Green Bay lead.
“Three turnovers,” Cutler said. “It’s a tough hole. We can’t do that. We can’t put the defense in that position. We know that.
“It’s hard to win football games with three turnovers in the first half.”
The defense, led by defensive end Adewale Ogunleye’s pass rush, not only kept the Bears close despite turnovers, but actually did the offense’s job and scored.
Safety Danieal Manning blitzed and wrapped up Rodgers (17-of-28, 184 yards) for a safety in the second quarter to get the Bears within 3-2 following Mason Crosby’s second quarter 52-yard field goal.
Then, Urlacher went out, but the Bears fought back with Hester’s score and took the lead 12-10 on Robbie Gould’s 47-yard field goal with 3:51 left in the third quarter.
However, a special teams snafu let the Packers kick the go-ahead field goal, a Crosby 39-yarder with 10:10 left in the game. Mannelly snapped the ball to blocking back Garrett Wolfe on 4th-and-11 with the Bears back at their own 26. Wolfe gained only four yards.
However, a special teams snafu let the Packers kick the go-ahead field goal, a Crosby 39-yarder with 10:10 left in the game. Mannelly snapped the ball to blocking back Garrett Wolfe on 4th-and-11 with the Bears back at their own 26. Wolfe gained only four yards.
Mannelly thought he had a free play when he snapped it.
“I thought they had 12 men on the field,” Mannelly said. “Originally the count was 12 men. I didn’t see the guy run off the field.
“We actually have a play in that if there is 12 men in it’s pretty much a free play. It’s a direct snap to Garrett and he just tries to get as many yards as he can. I didn’t see the guy run off the field, unfortunately. I wish I would have, otherwise I wouldn’t have done that. It’s just a dumb play on my part not seeing that. Of course I’m going to be disappointed. I felt stupid.”
The Bears came right back with a 14-play, 69-yard drive highlighted by Hester’s 24-yard catch-and-run with a short toss to the Packers’ 31. The Bears got to the three, but the drive stalled and Gould kicked the go-ahead 21-yard field goal with 2:38 remaining.
On the Packers’ winning TD pass, Rodgers’ play fake left Nate Vasher guarding Jennings by himself and no safety help because strong safety Al Afalava was near the line of scrimmage in run support.
“We were just playing the down and distance because it was third and short and I just lost my footing a little bit,” Vasher said. “It’s one of those things you can’t do in the secondary. You’ll definitely be caught.
“Regardless of whatever else happened in the game, we’ll take that the hardest because we had an opportunity to win. We’ll hopefully have a short memory about it and go back and get ready for next week.”
The Bears also lost tight end Desmond Clark to a back bruise, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa to a knee sprain, and reserve cornerback Trumaine McBride to a knee sprain.
Urlacher’s injury could be a serious one. He’ll have surgery sometime this week.
Urlacher’s injury could be a serious one. He’ll have surgery sometime this week.
The Bears got by with Hunter Hillenmeyer in the middle after Urlacher left.
“It was tough,” Ogunleye said. “But as you could see we responded really well. My hat goes off to Hunter. He couldn’t play that position any better.
“The good thing about this team now is we have good depth. We have some guys banged up but we have good guys to come in.”
With the world champions up next in Chicago Sunday, they’ll need the depth.
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Bears-Packers: Offensive and Defensive Match-ups
Published: September 12, 2009
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Sunday Night Football, Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.
The line: Packers by 3 ½. Over/under: 46 ½.
This is the 178th meeting in the NFL’s primordial rivalry. They started throwing punches in this series in the 1920s and it has seen everything from William “The Refrigerator” Perry to Brett Favre beating the Bears in a driving ice storm on Halloween Night at Soldier Field when Chicago retired the jersey numbers of Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus. Coach Mike Ditka’s teams dominated the 1980s in this series much like Favre’s teams dominated former coach Dave Wannstedt’s Bears. It’s gone the Bears’ way more in recent years, with six wins in the last eight games. Chicago leads the series 91-80-6.
Here’s how this one shakes down.
Cutler Thrown Right Into The Fire Against Chicago Bears Biggest Rival
Published: September 9, 2009
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Jay Cutler has never been to Green Bay, Wis. and really can’t be entirely sure what to expect from the Packers defense he’ll face on Sunday in Lambeau Field.
The Bears quarterback is sure of this much, however: He and the Bears offense is ready to go live when the season opens on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
“I was thinking about it today; it went by pretty fast,” Cutler said Wednesday. “Once the trade was a done deal, we’ve been kind of in fast-forward mode, learning the offense trying to get through the (organized team activities) and preseason and the first game is on us and I think everyone in this building is excited.”
Cutler’s Bears career begins with immediate exposure to the team’s biggest rival.
He may or may not have started the week by angering some Green Bay fans by saying he imagined Green Bay must be like “Kansas City,” a smaller place with an older stadium and loud, loyal fans—or perhaps he angered some in Kansas City for comparing them to Green Bay.
The season also begins against a friend who now is a rival in Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
The two became friends after attending some of the same off-field events together. While it will be a competitive friendship, it’s not going to be anything like Cutler’s rivalry with San Diego QB Philip Rivers, who can best be described as an enemy of Cutler Nation.
“I think the world of (Rodgers),” Cutler said. “I think he’s playing really well right now. We text each other every once in a while.
“When I got traded here I just texted him and said I get to see him twice a year. So I wish him the best, except for this game, and I think he feels the same.”
It’s Rodgers’ defensive teammates who will have Cutler’s attention Sunday. The Packers new 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Dom Capers certainly has caught their attention in film study this week.
“We don’t really have a lot on them, have to go back and look at the past and see what Dom Capers has done and just trust in the first three or four games that they played that they’re going to hold up,” Cutler said. “But we’re going to see some stuff that we aren’t prepared for, and we’re going to do some stuff offensively and defensively that they’re not prepared for.
“So we just have to go out there and react, do our jobs and let it all fall out there.”
The Bears have focused a lot on film from New England and Miami, the two places where Capers last coached.
The Bears have focused a lot on film from New England and Miami, the two places where Capers last coached.
“We just have to go out and be ready to make adjustments to things they’re doing,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “Fortunately, we’ve worked against 3-4 teams the last two weeks, so that helps a little bit.
“But still we’ve got to see what they’re doing and apply our rules and then be ready to make adjustments.”
One thing the Bears do know they’ll face from Green Bay’s 3-4 is bump-and-run coverage on their receivers. It’s not necessarily standard fare for a 3-4, but Packers cornerbacks Charles Woodson and Al Harris are strongest in man to man. They completely shut down Bears wide receivers in the first game at Green Bay last year, a 37-3 Packer win.
“They’ve got two guys that can do it really well, and we’ll definitely see it,” Turner said.
The anticipation overseeing the Bears’ offense with a bonafide quarterback and without the normal preseason restraints is building.
“We’re going to go out there and try to control the ball, limit turnovers and execute our offense,” Cutler said. “Are we going to put up 40 points, are we going to put up seven points?
“We’ll have to see.”
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