Noots' Notes Game 7: 48-41 Win over MIN

[Noots]

Noots’ Notes-Game 7: 48-41 Win over Minnesota

By

Michael Nudo

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The Bears (4-3) treated their home crowd to an exciting 48-41 shootout with the Vikings on Sunday. Yet again, the offense put up big numbers while the defense held on as much as they could. This time, the defense was able to force a few turnovers. A few fortuitous bounces the special teams capitalized upon helped the cause as well. The Bears go into the bye week with a share of first place in the NFC North, and have an opportunity to get some of their injured players back on the field.

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Zack Bowman puts the game on ice (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green).

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OFFENSE

QuarterbackKyle Orton (21-32-283, 2 TD, Fumble) had a marvelous game. After the Vikings scored on their opening drive, Orton led the Bears down the field and connected over the middle with tight end Greg Olsen for an 18-yard touchdown. Orton placed the ball perfectly between defenders. He also hit Marty Booker perfectly on a slant in the end zone, but the pass was dropped. Booker later atoned by taking a short pass up the left seam and cut against the grain for a 51-yard touchdown. Orton would have had another touchdown when he found Desmond Clark for a 35-yard pass over the middle, but the ball was punched out as he crossed the goal line. Rashied Davis alertly pounced on it for a touchdown. Orton led the offense expertly in no huddle situations and checked to a pitchout to Forte for a nice gain off left tackle when he saw vulnerability in the Viking defense’s left side. He had couple of passes dropped and also had a few that were nearly intercepted. Overall, it was an excellent performance. GRADE: A-

Running BacksMatt Forte (20-56, TD, 2/8) picked up another touchdown. The bye week comes at a good time for Forte. Although he was facing a stout run defense, he didn’t seem to be hitting the point of attack with gusto when he had the opportunity. Forte made a nice cut to score his touchdown from the 1-yard line. Fullback Jason McKie made a good block on the touchdown to seal off the edge. Kevin Jones did not receive any carries. GRADE: C-

ReceiversWith wide receiver Brandon Lloyd out the past few weeks, Rashied Davis (3/24, FR touchdown) and Devin Hester (2/22) had stepped up. This week, it was time for Marty Booker and tight ends Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen. Booker (3/79, TD) looked like a running back when he took a short pass from Orton and burst through the Viking secondary for a 51-yard touchdown. He had a drop as well as a near touchdown on a tough pass over his head. He was open most of the day. Desmond Clark (3/59, Fumble) exploited the middle of the Viking defense for key pickups. He also had a drop. Greg Olsen (6/74, TD) led the Bears in receiving, and was a factor in the red zone with an 18-yard touchdown reception. With Hester getting banged up, he even split out wide to catch the ball. An honorary mention goes to Rashied Davis for being at the right place at the right time to pick up Clark’s fumble for a score. It might have been the difference in the game. GRADE: B

Offensive LineKyle Orton was sacked twice, but both sacks were more coverage related than jailbreaks. Even when the Vikings blitzed, he had time to step up and deliver the football. The majority of the pressure came from Jared Allen matched up with John St. Clair. The interior line of Josh Beekman, Olin Kreutz and Roberto Garza did an excellent job keeping Kevin Williams from getting to Orton. Beekman made several excellent blocks pulling around end to open up running room for Forte. He had a false start in the red zone. Garza did well to break up a near interception. There was an excellent blitz pickup on Booker’s touchdown. This was another game where pass protection was above average and run blocking was below average. The Vikings’ defensive line is a huge challenge. The Bears’ line was just a little bit better, and it was a key to the victory. GRADE: C

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DEFENSE

Defensive LineTommie Harris is showing signs of improvement. He’s getting more and more pressure. Harris registered a sack in the final moments of action, and had several hits on Gus Frerotte (25-40-298, 2 TD, 4 INT). Tackles Dusty Dvoracek (4 tackles) and Israel Idonije (PD) made key contributions. Defensive end Alex Brown (3 tackles, TFL) made a few big stops against the run. He and Mark Anderson were abused by the Vikings’ tackles for big gains. Brown slanted down hard on Adrian Peterson’s big run outside him. Anderson was knocked three gaps sideways on one sequence. Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye (2 tackles, PD, neutral zone infraction) is playing the run well, but is rarely getting so much as a whiff of the quarterback. Tackles Marcus Harrison and Anthony Adams saw action but didn’t make major contributions. The Vikings picked up 155 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns and didn’t face nearly enough pressure attributable to the line. GRADE: D

LinebackersThe linebackers were nowhere to be found on Adrian Peterson’s (22-121, 2 TD, 1/9) 54-yard touchdown run over left tackle. Brian Urlacher (8 tackles, TFL) has gone eons since his last big play. He took a bad angle on Peterson’s touchdown. Lance Briggs only had five tackles, but managed to get into a passing lane to deflect the ball to Corey Graham, who came up with the interception. Hunter Hillenmeyer had six tackles in spite of missing a few plays with an injury. Tight ends and running backs were able to pick up big chunks of yardage, although much of it fell short of the first down mark. GRADE: C-

SecondaryWith Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher and Danieal Manning out, it was up to Trumaine McBride and Corey Graham to start at the cornerback position. They both were huge factors in the win. Graham (8 tackles, 2 PD, INT) has been quite a tackling machine since he has been inserted into the starting lineup. Although Bernard Berrian (6/81, TD) broke one of his tackles and he committed a pass interference penalty, Graham also made a great interception. He stepped in front of the receiver to pick off the pass. McBride allowed Berrian to shake him loose at the end of the half. He made up for it with a leaping interception. He would later lay out to deflect a pass up the left sideline in the fourth quarter. Safety Kevin Payne had a tremendous all-around performance (9 tackles, Sack, TFL, PD, INT). He shook off giving up a 24-yard touchdown to Shiancoe. Payne ran his interception back 50 yards. Mike Brown (6 tackles) delivered several key shots, including stopping Chester Taylor short of the goal line on a pass early in the contest. How do you spell team victory? The cut, re-signed, and recently activated Zackary Bowman intercepted Frerotte on the Vikings’ final drive to ice the game. Bowman’s interception prevented the Bears from having another fourth quarter meltdown. He came off the bench after a biceps injury. They were able to finish. GRADE: A-

Special Teams

The special teams were a major factor in the victory, producing two touchdowns. Rookie Craig Steltz blocked a punt that Garrett Wolfe returned 17 yards for a score. Lady luck shined on the Bears as well. Rookie Zackary Bowman scored a touchdown on a muffed punt return. Charles Gordon called for a fair catch and let the ball bounce behind him. It bounced back into him and rolled into the end zone, where Bowman recovered it. Robbie Gould connected on field goals from 26 and 48. He had a 42-yarder blocked up the middle that appeared to be a low kick. Devin Hester didn’t have many opportunities to return kicks, and then left with an apparent quadriceps bruise. Short kicks to Wolfe, McKie and Peterson resulted in excellent field position. Gould and Maynard had good distance on their kicks. Coverage was good. GRADE: A

Coaching

On defense, the line finally put their hands up to block a few passes. The linebackers disrupted passing lanes. Defensive backs stepped in front of the seemingly endless barrage of slants and hooks to make interceptions. Although the time of possession and yardage were heavily tilted toward the Vikings, it was misleading. The Bears won the turnover battle 5 to 1, including two special teams touchdowns. Ron Turner is not falling in love with the pass. He’s still running the ball enough to force defenses to respect Forte. The Bears are doing a great job of attacking all areas of the field. It was great to see the Bears use the no huddle, screens and pitchouts to keep the Vikings off balanced and to tire out their linemen. A big thumbs up to Dave Toub, who was working with a bunch of new faces on special teams. They turned in one of their best performances of the year. GRADE: A

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Noots’ Nut Crackers

Mike Brown on Chester Taylor

Mike Brown on Visanthe Shiancoe

Kevin Payne on Chester Taylor

Nudo’s Kudos

Kyle Orton

Greg Olsen

Zackary Bowman

Kevin Payne

Trumaine McBride

Corey Graham

Garrett Wolfe

Tommie Harris

Ron Turner and Dave Toub

Horns

Mark Anderson

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[Mongo3451]

On offense: I am loving what I am seeing from Orton. It seems like he get cooler every week. We are finally getting our TE's more involved. Our OL gets no push, but are surprising me at pass blocking. Matt Forte is being used too much. IMO - Jones should be getting more reps in the 2nd half of the season, as I don't want to see Forte completly worn down.

 

On defense: I have to believe there is some life left in the pass rush. Hunter and M. Brown look slow as get out. We are 8 points away from being undefeated. In each of those defeats our defense was gashed when it counted. Time for the money side of the ball to step up or I can see some surprising cuts and/or trades this off-season.

 

ST: Solid as usual!

[selection7]

The Chicago Bears are the hightest scoring team in the NFL after 6 games. That's mind boggling.

 

EDIT: I mean after 7 games.

[Pixote]

It has been a long time (if ever) I have seen Turner's name as a Kudo (game ball) candidate.

 

If our defense can step it up, and I think they will if Vasher & Tillman return healthy in week 9, then the sky is the limit for this team. I am looking forward to seeing the Bears with their "new" offense.

 

I think this off season we will see a WR pickup to deepen our lineup. Now that we have a QB that can be effective, it is time to add some weapons for him to use. Before I feel it would be like buying shoes for a double amputee. Now I see it as a necessity.

[Bears4Ever_34]

Kudos to Orton for driving our offense downfield and making the necessary audibles to allow us to be in the best situation. Dare I say almost Manning-esque? Maybe so, he looks so comfortable out there, and he just flat out wins.

[madlithuanian]

Noots,

 

Aren't you being generous with an A for coaching? Doesn't an A mean you get some modicom of D line pressure?

 

Noots’ Notes-Game 7: 48-41 Win over Minnesota

 

By

 

Michael Nudo

 

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The Bears (4-3) treated their home crowd to an exciting 48-41 shootout with the Vikings on Sunday. Yet again, the offense put up big numbers while the defense held on as much as they could. This time, the defense was able to force a few turnovers. A few fortuitous bounces the special teams capitalized upon helped the cause as well. The Bears go into the bye week with a share of first place in the NFC North, and have an opportunity to get some of their injured players back on the field.

 

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Zack Bowman puts the game on ice (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green).

 

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OFFENSE

 

Quarterback

Kyle Orton (21-32-283, 2 TD, Fumble) had a marvelous game. After the Vikings scored on their opening drive, Orton led the Bears down the field and connected over the middle with tight end Greg Olsen for an 18-yard touchdown. Orton placed the ball perfectly between defenders. He also hit Marty Booker perfectly on a slant in the end zone, but the pass was dropped. Booker later atoned by taking a short pass up the left seam and cut against the grain for a 51-yard touchdown. Orton would have had another touchdown when he found Desmond Clark for a 35-yard pass over the middle, but the ball was punched out as he crossed the goal line. Rashied Davis alertly pounced on it for a touchdown. Orton led the offense expertly in no huddle situations and checked to a pitchout to Forte for a nice gain off left tackle when he saw vulnerability in the Viking defense’s left side. He had couple of passes dropped and also had a few that were nearly intercepted. Overall, it was an excellent performance. GRADE: A-

 

Running Backs

Matt Forte (20-56, TD, 2/8) picked up another touchdown. The bye week comes at a good time for Forte. Although he was facing a stout run defense, he didn’t seem to be hitting the point of attack with gusto when he had the opportunity. Forte made a nice cut to score his touchdown from the 1-yard line. Fullback Jason McKie made a good block on the touchdown to seal off the edge. Kevin Jones did not receive any carries. GRADE: C-

 

Receivers

With wide receiver Brandon Lloyd out the past few weeks, Rashied Davis (3/24, FR touchdown) and Devin Hester (2/22) had stepped up. This week, it was time for Marty Booker and tight ends Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen. Booker (3/79, TD) looked like a running back when he took a short pass from Orton and burst through the Viking secondary for a 51-yard touchdown. He had a drop as well as a near touchdown on a tough pass over his head. He was open most of the day. Desmond Clark (3/59, Fumble) exploited the middle of the Viking defense for key pickups. He also had a drop. Greg Olsen (6/74, TD) led the Bears in receiving, and was a factor in the red zone with an 18-yard touchdown reception. With Hester getting banged up, he even split out wide to catch the ball. An honorary mention goes to Rashied Davis for being at the right place at the right time to pick up Clark’s fumble for a score. It might have been the difference in the game. GRADE: B

 

Offensive Line

Kyle Orton was sacked twice, but both sacks were more coverage related than jailbreaks. Even when the Vikings blitzed, he had time to step up and deliver the football. The majority of the pressure came from Jared Allen matched up with John St. Clair. The interior line of Josh Beekman, Olin Kreutz and Roberto Garza did an excellent job keeping Kevin Williams from getting to Orton. Beekman made several excellent blocks pulling around end to open up running room for Forte. He had a false start in the red zone. Garza did well to break up a near interception. There was an excellent blitz pickup on Booker’s touchdown. This was another game where pass protection was above average and run blocking was below average. The Vikings’ defensive line is a huge challenge. The Bears’ line was just a little bit better, and it was a key to the victory. GRADE: C

 

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DEFENSE

 

Defensive Line

Tommie Harris is showing signs of improvement. He’s getting more and more pressure. Harris registered a sack in the final moments of action, and had several hits on Gus Frerotte (25-40-298, 2 TD, 4 INT). Tackles Dusty Dvoracek (4 tackles) and Israel Idonije (PD) made key contributions. Defensive end Alex Brown (3 tackles, TFL) made a few big stops against the run. He and Mark Anderson were abused by the Vikings’ tackles for big gains. Brown slanted down hard on Adrian Peterson’s big run outside him. Anderson was knocked three gaps sideways on one sequence. Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye (2 tackles, PD, neutral zone infraction) is playing the run well, but is rarely getting so much as a whiff of the quarterback. Tackles Marcus Harrison and Anthony Adams saw action but didn’t make major contributions. The Vikings picked up 155 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns and didn’t face nearly enough pressure attributable to the line. GRADE: D

 

Linebackers

The linebackers were nowhere to be found on Adrian Peterson’s (22-121, 2 TD, 1/9) 54-yard touchdown run over left tackle. Brian Urlacher (8 tackles, TFL) has gone eons since his last big play. He took a bad angle on Peterson’s touchdown. Lance Briggs only had five tackles, but managed to get into a passing lane to deflect the ball to Corey Graham, who came up with the interception. Hunter Hillenmeyer had six tackles in spite of missing a few plays with an injury. Tight ends and running backs were able to pick up big chunks of yardage, although much of it fell short of the first down mark. GRADE: C-

 

Secondary

With Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher and Danieal Manning out, it was up to Trumaine McBride and Corey Graham to start at the cornerback position. They both were huge factors in the win. Graham (8 tackles, 2 PD, INT) has been quite a tackling machine since he has been inserted into the starting lineup. Although Bernard Berrian (6/81, TD) broke one of his tackles and he committed a pass interference penalty, Graham also made a great interception. He stepped in front of the receiver to pick off the pass. McBride allowed Berrian to shake him loose at the end of the half. He made up for it with a leaping interception. He would later lay out to deflect a pass up the left sideline in the fourth quarter. Safety Kevin Payne had a tremendous all-around performance (9 tackles, Sack, TFL, PD, INT). He shook off giving up a 24-yard touchdown to Shiancoe. Payne ran his interception back 50 yards. Mike Brown (6 tackles) delivered several key shots, including stopping Chester Taylor short of the goal line on a pass early in the contest. How do you spell team victory? The cut, re-signed, and recently activated Zackary Bowman intercepted Frerotte on the Vikings’ final drive to ice the game. Bowman’s interception prevented the Bears from having another fourth quarter meltdown. He came off the bench after a biceps injury. They were able to finish. GRADE: A-

 

Special Teams

 

The special teams were a major factor in the victory, producing two touchdowns. Rookie Craig Steltz blocked a punt that Garrett Wolfe returned 17 yards for a score. Lady luck shined on the Bears as well. Rookie Zackary Bowman scored a touchdown on a muffed punt return. Charles Gordon called for a fair catch and let the ball bounce behind him. It bounced back into him and rolled into the end zone, where Bowman recovered it. Robbie Gould connected on field goals from 26 and 48. He had a 42-yarder blocked up the middle that appeared to be a low kick. Devin Hester didn’t have many opportunities to return kicks, and then left with an apparent quadriceps bruise. Short kicks to Wolfe, McKie and Peterson resulted in excellent field position. Gould and Maynard had good distance on their kicks. Coverage was good. GRADE: A

 

Coaching

 

On defense, the line finally put their hands up to block a few passes. The linebackers disrupted passing lanes. Defensive backs stepped in front of the seemingly endless barrage of slants and hooks to make interceptions. Although the time of possession and yardage were heavily tilted toward the Vikings, it was misleading. The Bears won the turnover battle 5 to 1, including two special teams touchdowns. Ron Turner is not falling in love with the pass. He’s still running the ball enough to force defenses to respect Forte. The Bears are doing a great job of attacking all areas of the field. It was great to see the Bears use the no huddle, screens and pitchouts to keep the Vikings off balanced and to tire out their linemen. A big thumbs up to Dave Toub, who was working with a bunch of new faces on special teams. They turned in one of their best performances of the year. GRADE: A

 

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Noots’ Nut Crackers

 

Mike Brown on Chester Taylor

 

Mike Brown on Visanthe Shiancoe

 

Kevin Payne on Chester Taylor

 

Nudo’s Kudos

 

Kyle Orton

 

Greg Olsen

 

Zackary Bowman

 

Kevin Payne

 

Trumaine McBride

 

Corey Graham

 

Garrett Wolfe

 

Tommie Harris

 

Ron Turner and Dave Toub

 

Horns

 

Mark Anderson

 

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[Noots]

Yes, I'm being generous. Not all that's related to QB pressure is about coaching. It'd have been nice if Wale could have gotten some pressure on his own against the OT he was matched up with. He should have. It's not coaching that's at fault when Mark Anderson gets knocked three gaps over to create a huge running lane.

 

I gave them an A because they finished the game instead of getting torched yet again. Babich, who is getting bbq'd across the MBs today, got 4 ints outta his secondary, which had guys in it who were just signed this week (Bowman), etc. I thought he could have done more as well to help create some blitzes to create pressure. But the overall heights we got from the O and the ST still had me well into the A, even with a few setbacks on Babich's D, which again, I wasn't as displeased with as many, because they had four picks.

 

I understand your sentiment, but I don't necessarily agree with. If Frerotte threw for the same 300 yds but had 4 tds versus 2 picks (the opposite of what he had), then I'd have a much tougher time with the Secondary grade, as well as the coaching, provided I was seeing the same picking apart we were seeing of guys continually getting open breaking from the outside in on slants, hooks and ins. This week, the passing lanes were disrupted with a few DL PDs, the LBs weren't always up front and Briggs forced a pick with his PD, and our CBs, bless them, they stepped up and broke on the ball instead of letting everything get completed in front of them all the way down the field. That's change. That's coaching. That's a key to why we're looking at 4-3 division leaders, my Bear Brothers!

[madlithuanian]

I think nfo's been clamoring for months on how this defensive staff doesn't allow for stunts,etc...just wide swinging attacks. I think that's coaching. The players have to play, but something tells me other coordinators would be salivating at the talent we have... (And on a side note, why are coaches putting Anderson in on running plays when we know he cannot stop the run?)

 

I'm not sure the D finished the game as much as it was given to them by Frerotte. Those were awful throws... I do think you're right that the DB's did a great job all considered...but still on 4th and long's, we're sending no pressure only to allow a hack QB pick us apart with zero pressure. That, to me falls on the coaching.

 

I aslo think you set the bar too low...our schemes should have been doing these things all along. Now that they are, I call it improvement, but not great. I also feel our changes come as reactionary, and not proactive... I think that will burn us in the long run. We can escape teams like Minny, but one we get on a really good team, we won't be given the charity of Frerotte...

 

I guess for me, any time a team gives up 41 points, they don't deserve an A in coaching. I could justify a B...but an A is simply too generous!

 

 

 

Yes, I'm being generous. Not all that's related to QB pressure is about coaching. It'd have been nice if Wale could have gotten some pressure on his own against the OT he was matched up with. He should have. It's not coaching that's at fault when Mark Anderson gets knocked three gaps over to create a huge running lane.

 

I gave them an A because they finished the game instead of getting torched yet again. Babich, who is getting bbq'd across the MBs today, got 4 ints outta his secondary, which had guys in it who were just signed this week (Bowman), etc. I thought he could have done more as well to help create some blitzes to create pressure. But the overall heights we got from the O and the ST still had me well into the A, even with a few setbacks on Babich's D, which again, I wasn't as displeased with as many, because they had four picks.

 

I understand your sentiment, but I don't necessarily agree with. If Frerotte threw for the same 300 yds but had 4 tds versus 2 picks (the opposite of what he had), then I'd have a much tougher time with the Secondary grade, as well as the coaching, provided I was seeing the same picking apart we were seeing of guys continually getting open breaking from the outside in on slants, hooks and ins. This week, the passing lanes were disrupted with a few DL PDs, the LBs weren't always up front and Briggs forced a pick with his PD, and our CBs, bless them, they stepped up and broke on the ball instead of letting everything get completed in front of them all the way down the field. That's change. That's coaching. That's a key to why we're looking at 4-3 division leaders, my Bear Brothers!

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

It was Tommie's best game this season, and Mark Anderson still sucks. Since I called him and Olsen out, only Olsen answered. Now, it's time for my 2nd calling out of Mark. If he continues to struggle, I say we deal him for a 4th or 5th.

[madlithuanian]

I'd keep him for a 5th...and not of the liqour variety! But, I'd certianly consider a 4th if his lack of production continues.

 

 

 

It was Tommie's best game this season, and Mark Anderson still sucks. Since I called him and Olsen out, only Olsen answered. Now, it's time for my 2nd calling out of Mark. If he continues to struggle, I say we deal him for a 4th or 5th.