Bears vs Broncos game

[Bears4Ever_34]

Rideau has struggled all preseason. It'll be tough for him to make the team.

[adam]

Rideau has struggled all preseason. It'll be tough for him to make the team.

 

Yeah, Rideau looks like the odd man out. Davis and Knox both get in due to Special Teams.

[GrizzlyBear]

For as big as Rideau is you think he would be more physical, But he is really trying to finess his on the roster, DA Plays physical.

[AZ54]

Tommie Harris limps when he runs, not a good sign. Harris rarely puts up much effort in preseason so hopefully he can still get upfield when it counts. Seemed like the Dline was able to get some pressure but it's tough with Orton throwing so many dink and dunk passes. I could have sworn Alex Brown was being held by Clady on several plays but no whistle. Nonetheless for Brown to get around the edge on Clady is a very good sign. Harrison is a beast if somebody can get inside this guys head and turn him into a true professional we've got a key component of this D for a long time to come. Still not sure why Adams gets so little respect but I like the guy.

 

LBs, some good, and some average play. I like the range Pisa has, he closes quickly and he's going to be a nice compliment to this group. Malast stays with this team, if not on the active roster he's on the practice squad.

 

DBs, McBride is at best a 5th CB on this team. Among the corners I don't think anyone stood out, at least not for playing well. The safeties were quiet tonight but several times Payne did what a safety should do...he stopped a big play by making a sure open field tackle. Afalava didn't get his name mentioned all night.

 

 

Cutler threaded a lot of passes into tight coverage and players caught them! I'm still not used to seeing that in a Bears uniform. The Oline, in particular Pace and Williams didn't play well. Pace changed his tactic from dropping back to trying to get out after Dumervil right off the snap and this seemed to at least give him another second to get his feet set on the outside. This is our first look at a 3-4 D and that's all we'll play from here on out until game 5. They settled down after a couple series but even then Cutler had to help with his mobility but that's part of the package.

 

WR...anyone surprised it's receiver by committee? Cutler did a great job spreading the ball around. I was pleasantly surprised to see Bennett run through a DB and then turn around and make a tough over-the-head catch on a key third down. I can't guess how the WR corps is going to shake out. Clearly we have Hester/Bennett and I think Iglesias and Knox both stick around. Among the final spot or two we have Rashied Davis who made some good plays on special teams but nada as a WR. Meanwhile Aromashodu and Rideau made some small plays at WR but didn't do much on special teams. This battle goes into game 4 Thursday night.

[Mongo3451]

Tommie Harris limps when he runs, not a good sign. Harris rarely puts up much effort in preseason so hopefully he can still get upfield when it counts. Seemed like the Dline was able to get some pressure but it's tough with Orton throwing so many dink and dunk passes. I could have sworn Alex Brown was being held by Clady on several plays but no whistle. Nonetheless for Brown to get around the edge on Clady is a very good sign. Harrison is a beast if somebody can get inside this guys head and turn him into a true professional we've got a key component of this D for a long time to come. Still not sure why Adams gets so little respect but I like the guy.

 

LBs, some good, and some average play. I like the range Pisa has, he closes quickly and he's going to be a nice compliment to this group. Malast stays with this team, if not on the active roster he's on the practice squad.

 

DBs, McBride is at best a 5th CB on this team. Among the corners I don't think anyone stood out, at least not for playing well. The safeties were quiet tonight but several times Payne did what a safety should do...he stopped a big play by making a sure open field tackle. Afalava didn't get his name mentioned all night.

 

 

Cutler threaded a lot of passes into tight coverage and players caught them! I'm still not used to seeing that in a Bears uniform. The Oline, in particular Pace and Williams didn't play well. Pace changed his tactic from dropping back to trying to get out after Dumervil right off the snap and this seemed to at least give him another second to get his feet set on the outside. This is our first look at a 3-4 D and that's all we'll play from here on out until game 5. They settled down after a couple series but even then Cutler had to help with his mobility but that's part of the package.

 

WR...anyone surprised it's receiver by committee? Cutler did a great job spreading the ball around. I was pleasantly surprised to see Bennett run through a DB and then turn around and make a tough over-the-head catch on a key third down. I can't guess how the WR corps is going to shake out. Clearly we have Hester/Bennett and I think Iglesias and Knox both stick around. Among the final spot or two we have Rashied Davis who made some good plays on special teams but nada as a WR. Meanwhile Aromashodu and Rideau made some small plays at WR but didn't do much on special teams. This battle goes into game 4 Thursday night.

 

To add to your analysis, I thought it was intriguing that AP looked to be involved more than Jones and Wolfe combined. Was that he could (1) have an audition for another team once we cut him,(2) a sign that Wolfe is out or (3) they just want to take a long hard look because Jones and Wolfe are safe and he's on the bubble to be #4? Heck, who knows.

 

It was also great to see Hester back in form. We relatively looked like crap untill he ignited the team. He truly is a game changer at returning. I hope he never gets so exclusive as a receiver that he gets less return opportunities.

[bowlingtwig]

Omg, the worst roughing the passer penalty of all time. Give me a freaking break! You can't even tackle a quarterback now?

I know that was a joke, even the commentators were saying that that was a joke. There is a difference between what Haynesworth did the other day and what Alex Brown. Brown didn't pick him up and drive him down, he only tackled the guy. Maybe the QB's need to start wearing red Jerseys overtop like they do in practice.

[nfoligno]

Tommie Harris limps when he runs, not a good sign. Harris rarely puts up much effort in preseason so hopefully he can still get upfield when it counts. Seemed like the Dline was able to get some pressure but it's tough with Orton throwing so many dink and dunk passes. I could have sworn Alex Brown was being held by Clady on several plays but no whistle. Nonetheless for Brown to get around the edge on Clady is a very good sign. Harrison is a beast if somebody can get inside this guys head and turn him into a true professional we've got a key component of this D for a long time to come. Still not sure why Adams gets so little respect but I like the guy.

 

Without question, this is my greatest area of concern for me. There has been so much talk about WRs and secondary, but our defense revolves around the DL, and thus far, I am simply not seeing it. While I realize Orton is going to more often then not make quicker and shorter throws, regardless, I just didn't see a lot of pressure. It sort of "looks" like we get pressure, as our DEs often get in the picture, but they are taking a wide angle and pushed outside where they can't do harm. Our DTs get a bit of push, but not enough to push the QB back into the DEs outside path. Thus, while it seems like we have bodies in the picture, the reality is the QB has a nice little pocket to work in.

 

I have seen a play here and there from most of our DL, but thus far, there has been nothing close to consistent pressure.

 

LBs, some good, and some average play. I like the range Pisa has, he closes quickly and he's going to be a nice compliment to this group. Malast stays with this team, if not on the active roster he's on the practice squad.

 

Overall, I thought I LBs played fine, and Pisa has really stood out. Man, that guy seems to be in on just about every play. If I have a gripe, its that we are still seeing that stupid fake blitz from our LBs. I really hoped that was a thing of the past.

 

DBs, McBride is at best a 5th CB on this team. Among the corners I don't think anyone stood out, at least not for playing well. The safeties were quiet tonight but several times Payne did what a safety should do...he stopped a big play by making a sure open field tackle. Afalava didn't get his name mentioned all night.

 

Ugly, and frankly, this made me sick. We are facing an offense w/ a QB who isn't exactly very good downfield, and yet regardless, our DBs are playing WAY off the WR. Someday, this will have to be explained to me. We show their WRs Steve Smith respect, and basically just make their jobs easy. WRs found so much room to make the catch it was sick. I just don't get the concept. You really should not be concerned about the deep pass. You know their game will be closer to dink/dunk. Thus I would think you try to take away the short passes, but instead, we basically give them that play.

 

Cutler threaded a lot of passes into tight coverage and players caught them! I'm still not used to seeing that in a Bears uniform. The Oline, in particular Pace and Williams didn't play well. Pace changed his tactic from dropping back to trying to get out after Dumervil right off the snap and this seemed to at least give him another second to get his feet set on the outside. This is our first look at a 3-4 D and that's all we'll play from here on out until game 5. They settled down after a couple series but even then Cutler had to help with his mobility but that's part of the package.

 

The OL was absolutely awful. I realize it was a 3-4, but regardless, this group better get better fast. Cutler was dealing w/ consistent pressure throughout the night. The only good thing I can say is, it gave an opportunity for Cutler to show just how fast he could get rid of the ball. I couldn't believe some of the passes he got off. Numerous times, I thought he was dead, but suddenly the ball is flying out of his hand, and w/ incredible velocity.

 

WR...anyone surprised it's receiver by committee? Cutler did a great job spreading the ball around. I was pleasantly surprised to see Bennett run through a DB and then turn around and make a tough over-the-head catch on a key third down. I can't guess how the WR corps is going to shake out. Clearly we have Hester/Bennett and I think Iglesias and Knox both stick around. Among the final spot or two we have Rashied Davis who made some good plays on special teams but nada as a WR. Meanwhile Aromashodu and Rideau made some small plays at WR but didn't do much on special teams. This battle goes into game 4 Thursday night.

 

Not surprised by the committee approach at all. It is basically what I expect to see. We don't have a #1, and even our #2(s) are unproven. I think our offense will key in on the TEs, and then we will see a lot of WRs contributing. Rideau, while a board favorite, is not looking good, and I think could be in serious trouble. I think Aromashadu has locked up his spot, and Davis may well have proven himself (on special teams) to get the nod over Rideau for a 6th spot.

[BearFan2000]

DBs, McBride is at best a 5th CB on this team. Among the corners I don't think anyone stood out, at least not for playing well. The safeties were quiet tonight but several times Payne did what a safety should do...he stopped a big play by making a sure open field tackle. Afalava didn't get his name mentioned all night.

 

Ugly, and frankly, this made me sick. We are facing an offense w/ a QB who isn't exactly very good downfield, and yet regardless, our DBs are playing WAY off the WR. Someday, this will have to be explained to me. We show their WRs Steve Smith respect, and basically just make their jobs easy. WRs found so much room to make the catch it was sick. I just don't get the concept. You really should not be concerned about the deep pass. You know their game will be closer to dink/dunk. Thus I would think you try to take away the short passes, but instead, we basically give them that play.

 

I wonder how much it is unwarranted respect of opposing WR's and/or QBs as it is lack of faith in our DB's. If we are not confident in our CBs I wonder if that is the big reason that we are backing them off. We do it no matter who we are facing and I agree with you it is mind boggling that we have played this way for many years now. We all want to see more aggressive play out of the DB's but perhaps the reality is we don't have the personnel to be that physical or at least the coaching staff doesn't think so. It could also just be that the coaching staff doesn't prescribe to that style of play and opts for the "safer" approach of trying to keep the play in front of you. If it's personal then lets bring in guys who can jam at the line without fear of getting beat by their man. If you jam them good you you should disrupt the timing, by not jamming sure you make it easier to keep the play in front of you but what's the point of giving them a free 5-10 yards anytime they want it. Any decent QB will pick you apart.

[adam]

I thought the playing off stuff was sort of a Cover-2 scheme thing, and press was when you would play more man to man?

[AZ54]

I can live with a cushion of a few yards, even as many as 5yds, but you have to be lined up on the inside of the WR to take away the quick slant. That's a gap that can be closed quickly but the 10 yard drops just kill me. There's no logic in that at all.

[nfoligno]

Well, even when Tillman and Vasher were at the top of their game, they didn't exactly play tight to the LOS. Even then, they played well off the LOS. I know because this is something I have ranted about for years. So I don't think it is so much personnel as much as it is scheme/coaching.

 

The only CB I have seen that moves up closer to the LOS is Graham. Maybe that is why he isn't being given an opportunity at CB this year, despite playing better than the others. Maybe the staff has the mentality that regardless of the results, he needs to play their way or not at all. What do you say we call this the "Rivera Rule".

 

I remember in school (math) I would work a problem, and could get the answer, but would fail regardless because I didn't do the problem the way the teacher wanted. I would ask if I got the right answer, and would be told yes, but it didn't matter. You have to work the problem our way, or you fail. Never understood that.

 

I wonder how much it is unwarranted respect of opposing WR's and/or QBs as it is lack of faith in our DB's. If we are not confident in our CBs I wonder if that is the big reason that we are backing them off. We do it no matter who we are facing and I agree with you it is mind boggling that we have played this way for many years now. We all want to see more aggressive play out of the DB's but perhaps the reality is we don't have the personnel to be that physical or at least the coaching staff doesn't think so. It could also just be that the coaching staff doesn't prescribe to that style of play and opts for the "safer" approach of trying to keep the play in front of you. If it's personal then lets bring in guys who can jam at the line without fear of getting beat by their man. If you jam them good you you should disrupt the timing, by not jamming sure you make it easier to keep the play in front of you but what's the point of giving them a free 5-10 yards anytime they want it. Any decent QB will pick you apart.

 

[CrackerDog]

Well, even when Tillman and Vasher were at the top of their game, they didn't exactly play tight to the LOS. Even then, they played well off the LOS. I know because this is something I have ranted about for years. So I don't think it is so much personnel as much as it is scheme/coaching.

 

It's definitely scheme. And it works. Even with average corners, it works if you get pressure on the QB. Since we aren't getting that pressure, I'd like to see them mix it a little better and use some jams at the line.

 

We also have young safeties. Which is a problem now. But it certainly wasn't an issue when Brown was in there.

[nfoligno]

I will never understand our mentality w/ regard to covage.

 

You say the DB should line up inside, but that is the exact opposite of what our players say they are supposed to do. Per Vasher (and I have heard others say this too) their primary job is to take away the outside and "push" the WR inside. The idea being that the LBs are their to help over the short middle and safety is there to help deeper middle. Problem is, the way we position and play our LBs takes them out of position. So even when the CB pushes the WR into the LBs section, as he is supposed to do, it still ugly as the LB is not in position after screwing around w/ that damned fake blitz.

 

Further, I do not understand the idea of lining up so far off the LOS. I get you want to "keep everything in front of you", but if you line up that far, what good are you doing. A WR now has a very easy 5 yard completion, and because you lined up so far off, the WR has some space to try and make a move to gain more yards. Even if the CB makes a sure tackle, you are still essentially giving them a free 5 yard gain.

 

And this only compounds the issues on the DL. Even our DL seemed to complain last year. I don't care how great your DL is. If you QB has quick open WRs, and uses them, your DL has no chance.

 

Further still, what kills me is the lack of game planning for specific teams. We seem to do the exact same things against a team like GB as we did Minny. If you are playing a team that has a good, strong armed QB and solid downfield threats, I can at least then understand the idea of not wanting to get beat deep, and backing up off the LOS. But when you face a team w/o a very good QB, and w/o solid deep threat WRs, why the hell are we not playing closer to the LOS. Even if we are not very good at playing bump and run, are our CBs so bad that we fear the most mediocre WRs in the game? I remember playing Carolina last year, and giving Muhammad so much cushion you would think we were facing Steve Smith. Muhammad is slow, yet we fear playing him tight because he could beat us deep? Huh?

 

Sorry for the rant, but this is a long term pet peeve of mine.

 

I can live with a cushion of a few yards, even as many as 5yds, but you have to be lined up on the inside of the WR to take away the quick slant. That's a gap that can be closed quickly but the 10 yard drops just kill me. There's no logic in that at all.

 

[nfoligno]

It works? Not so sure about that. I realize pass rush will make anything work, but I would counter by saying if you give WRs that much space, you can't get create pass rush.

 

Remember the TB game last year. Griese threw 67 freaking times, completing 38 of them for about 400 yards. More shocking than those numbers was the fact that we had ZERO sacks. 67 passes and ZERO sacks.

 

Some would rip our pass rush for that. While part of the problem, I would argue the real issue was that you simply can't get to the QB when he is throwing on the 3rd step. If you give the WRs a huge cushion, and essentially give them a free 5 yard completion, and the QB takes it, you are not going to get to the QB.

 

Pass rush and coverage have to work together. Just like you can't sit back and not pass rush, while asking CBs to play on an island, you can't line your CBs up 10 yards off the LOS and expect your DL to get to the QB.

 

 

 

It's definitely scheme. And it works. Even with average corners, it works if you get pressure on the QB. Since we aren't getting that pressure, I'd like to see them mix it a little better and use some jams at the line.

 

We also have young safeties. Which is a problem now. But it certainly wasn't an issue when Brown was in there.

 

[CrackerDog]

It works?

 

Yeah, it works. Lovie got his job based on it working. So did Dungy and any number of others who employ that Tampa 2 system. Not many QB's can consistently hit that 5 yard out and march down the field on you. And even if they can, you make adjustments then.

 

Like it or not, it's effective. You can mix it up a bit better, I agree with you there. Rivera did so when he was here and we went to the Superbowl with one of the best D's in the league that season. Playing bump all the time leads to an equal number of problems. For one, it isn't easy to actually bump a good WR consistently off the line. When you whiff, your ass is exposed for everyone to kick. Hey, our starting D hasn't really given up much in the last two weeks. Must work.

[nfoligno]

I am not saying it never can work. But, like I think you agree with, it doesn't always work.

 

One. To begin w/, I would argue our DBs play too far. I have watched many teams that run the cover two, and I don't recall watching any of their CBs consistently playing 8-10 yards off the LOS. Its one thing to talk about playing off the LOS, and keeping everything in front of you, but we seem to take that to an extreme.

 

Two. As said to begin, its one thing to have your base coverage one where the CB plays off, but you need to (a) change it up, especially when it isn't working and ( adapt to the team you are playing against.

 

- Okay, so you are facing Carolina, and Steve Smith is on suspension. Delhomme has not been looking good, and you have Tillman lined up against Muhammad. That simply does not seem like a situation where Tillman needs to give Moose 8-10 yards of space. Coaches throughout the league talk about playing matchups, but we seem to have the believe that we don't have to.

 

- As for the other part, take that TB game Griese was killing us. I do not recall us ever making a change. Our CBs continued to give up the free 5 yard passes, and all I heard the staff say after the game was we needed to do a better job of getting to the QB. Um, if the QB is throwing the ball almost as soon as it is snapped, not many DLs in the league can get to that QB.

 

As you said, Rivera did a much better job of mixing it up. I have said this before, but will never forget it. Heading into the playoff game against NO, Rivera really changed it up. I recall Brees talking after that game about how our CBs played man coverage, and played tight coverage at that. He said they practiced all week attacking our zone coverage, and our playing man really messes them up. He flat out said they were never able to adjust to our change. It made a ton of headlines as many in the media took that as calling the coaches into question. For me, it just made me realize (a) how effective changing this up was and ( how much zone we play. But, it is my believe that times like this caused us to let Rivera leave, and since then, I simply have not seen us mix it up. Most assumed it was Babich, but so far, I have seen our D doing many things w/ Lovie calling the plays that Babich was ripped for.

 

I realize having your DB keep everything in front can work, but would simply argue it can only work if you mix it up. Further, I would state that giving a cushion like that makes it far more difficult to get pressure on the QB, especially if they are capable of dinking and dunking you all day.

 

Yeah, it works. Lovie got his job based on it working. So did Dungy and any number of others who employ that Tampa 2 system. Not many QB's can consistently hit that 5 yard out and march down the field on you. And even if they can, you make adjustments then.

 

Like it or not, it's effective. You can mix it up a bit better, I agree with you there. Rivera did so when he was here and we went to the Superbowl with one of the best D's in the league that season. Playing bump all the time leads to an equal number of problems. For one, it isn't easy to actually bump a good WR consistently off the line. When you whiff, your ass is exposed for everyone to kick. Hey, our starting D hasn't really given up much in the last two weeks. Must work.

 

[CrackerDog]

I realize having your DB keep everything in front can work, but would simply argue it can only work if you mix it up. Further, I would state that giving a cushion like that makes it far more difficult to get pressure on the QB, especially if they are capable of dinking and dunking you all day.

 

Yeah, I don't think we disagree very much. I strongly prefer an aggressive D and Rivera was my guy. I understand what the "Lovie 2" tries to accomplish and I respect it. But I'd say mixing it up, changing things between games and at halftime, can always add to the mix. Confusion is the #1 tool of the defensive unit in football.

[AZ54]

Ahh, adjustments. When do we get them?