Postgame Thoughts

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

1. Cutler was great. Aside from his pick-6 and first 10 throws, he finished 20-25 with 320 yards and 2 TD's.

2. Maybe I'm over-reacting but I think Alshon Jeffery will get to 1,000 yards this year.

3. Marshall is a beast. Bennett is a nice compliment to everything the offense has.

4. Putting the first few plays to the side, the OL wasn't too bad. Freeney going out helped too, I'm sure. Spencer is clearly the worst OL they have, however. Maybe it's already time to give Williams a try there?

5. Tim Jennings was awesome today. Peppers and Melton were forces. Briggs was fun to watch.

[Connorbear]

Here is my only thought:

 

1 - Brandon Marshall is a beast. He absolutely changes our offense. Our receiving core is outstanding.

 

Peace

[madlithuanian]

Mostly agreed.

 

However, my big concern was a real lack of pass rush. It's one thing against Indy, it's another against GB.

 

But they did well enough today.

 

Seriously, hats off to an amazing offensive game.

 

1. Cutler was great. Aside from his pick-6 and first 10 throws, he finished 20-25 with 320 yards and 2 TD's.

2. Maybe I'm over-reacting but I think Alshon Jeffery will get to 1,000 yards this year.

3. Marshall is a beast. Bennett is a nice compliment to everything the offense has.

4. Putting the first few plays to the side, the OL wasn't too bad. Freeney going out helped too, I'm sure. Spencer is clearly the worst OL they have, however. Maybe it's already time to give Williams a try there?

5. Tim Jennings was awesome today. Peppers and Melton were forces. Briggs was fun to watch.

 

[Bears4Ever_34]

Here is my only thought:

 

1 - Brandon Marshall is a beast. He absolutely changes our offense. Our receiving core is outstanding.

 

Peace

That back shoulder pass Cutler threw to Marshall was a thing of beauty. Those two have legit chemistry together it's no wonder why he was targeted 15 times today and why they lead the league in that category during their time in Denver.

[Wesson44]

1. Cutler was great. Aside from his pick-6 and first 10 throws, he finished 20-25 with 320 yards and 2 TD's.

2. Maybe I'm over-reacting but I think Alshon Jeffery will get to 1,000 yards this year.

3. Marshall is a beast. Bennett is a nice compliment to everything the offense has.

4. Putting the first few plays to the side, the OL wasn't too bad. Freeney going out helped too, I'm sure. Spencer is clearly the worst OL they have, however. Maybe it's already time to give Williams a try there?

5. Tim Jennings was awesome today. Peppers and Melton were forces. Briggs was fun to watch.

 

I agree they played well after the bad start but they need to block matthews by double team. I saw that the Packers were scared of having Moss beat them deep when they played the 49ers ...so this is a goodt sign for Marshall & Jeffery. Also they have a formation with Cobb in the backfield that we need to plan for...but i see the Bears winning 20-17

[BearFan2000]

another way of looking at the slow start, and I was thinking like many of us what the heck is going on here, we looked totally out of sync, no protection, poor discipline poor throws by Jay, and the pick six... still not sure what the hell he was looking at. I was getting worried. The issues that showed up in the preseason game against the Giants were showing up again today. But all that said It was about as bad of a start as you could imagine. Jay was 1 for 10, with one TD pass (only it was to a Colt DB). I got to give this team and particularly the offense and Jay Cutler for putting it behind them and turning things around. A start like that could throw a team into a funk for the whole game and we've seen that happen here. Not today, they pulled their crap together and started making plays, and got some rhythm going and then turned on the gas. I liked that we settled down as an offense and you could see the confidence growing. I loved that for once we were dictating to the their D and pushing the ball down the field. We finally have the weapons in the passing game and run game to do that.

[AZ54]

I agree they played well after the bad start but they need to block matthews by double team. I saw that the Packers were scared of having Moss beat them deep when they played the 49ers ...so this is a goodt sign for Marshall & Jeffery. Also they have a formation with Cobb in the backfield that we need to plan for...but i see the Bears winning 20-17

 

 

Matthews double team? No, Carimi can handle that assignment. Webb will need some help off the edge.

 

-----------------------

 

Overall I was impressed with the team's performance both on offense and defense. We still have weaknesses to improve upon but plays on both sides of the ball negated that.

 

Defense:

Jennings was outstanding.

 

Urlacher was not and really looked lost out there over-running plays. However having him back and with some game time under his belt he should be more ready for the Packers game.

 

Pass rush....was a bit inconsistent but we saw pressure throughout the game and quite often forced Luck to make off-balance throws that went for incompletions. It seemed almost everyone on the Dline had pressure at various points in the game except perhaps for Toeaina. Hopefully Paea is in better shape for the Packers game.

 

Run D...meh some good some bad.

 

 

 

Offense:

Marshall is the real deal and it's nice to have a WR who can get off press coverage quickly. Cutler was targetting him too often forcing passes into tight coverage. It was week 1 and after seeing some film I expect Cutler to improve. Despite that there were plenty of big plays among the receivers proving it will be difficult to defend this offense. Alshon Jeffrey...to whoever said he was slow before the draft....THANK YOU!

 

Hester needs to be a little more decisive when he gets the ball but he'll be a good compliment to Marshall and Jeffrey.

 

Didn't see much from the TEs, some missed blocks, some good blocks but nothing much in the passing game. I thought Rodriguez make some very good blocks in the run game on the edge. He was missing in the passing game, maybe we kept that in our back pocket for the Packers game.

 

Oline:

Confused early on, they were effective throughout the rest of the game.

 

 

 

 

 

[CrackerDog]

I was at the game and went with a group of Colts fans. Their interior lineman up against Melton, per these guys, sucks. Melton was the only one getting consistent pressure up the middle. I'm not sure how much we can count on that going forward. There was some good edge pressure and the Packers line isn't that good so we might have some luck here for Peppers.

 

Once Freeney went out, the game was over. They got almost no pressure on Cutler after that. It was night and day. I'd like to say the line "came together" or whatnot, but I can't. We'll learn more on Thursday.

 

Alshon is friggen stud. Absolutely the real deal. And with Marshall out there opposite him, I'd dare say we have the best starting two WR's in the NFC. OK, maybe not today but by the end of the season we may be able to say that!

 

The running game had some nice moments. I was surprised because the O Line scared me more in run blocking during the preseason than in pass blocking. I figured our RB's were in for disappointing years. Again, the Colts are notoriously horrible against the run so who knows what this means. but it's a good sign!

 

Defensively, there were WR's wide open all day in our secondary. We were lucky to be playing the Colts with their weak interior O Line giving us the opportunity to rush a rookie QB. I can see this being a huge problem on Thursday. The O will have to put up a lot of points for us to beat the Packers. Is Jennings really this good? Is Peanut hurt badly enough to keep him out for a while? All of this could make the next few games a lot more difficult than they otherwise would've been.

 

It was a perfect day at Soldier Field and when the B-52 went over I got goosebumps. I'm burnt to a crisp from being in the sun all day but I've got no complaints. What a great way to start the football season! I know my comments above are overly negative after a big W, but I have some serious questions remaining about these guys. I suppose we can hope for an offense than can produce enough points to overcome the D's weaknesses but that just isn't what we're used to in Chicago and I'm not sure I'd be able to spot it if I saw it.

[jason]

It's in the nature of Bears fans to be somewhat pessimistic even after a big win. I agree with most of the posts above, but a summary of my thoughts:

 

1) Cutler looked great for the most part

2) The OL looked horrible to start, did very well the rest of the game. If Williams isn't going to be used at LT (still a mistake in my opinion), then he should replace Spencer.

3) The lack of pass rush against a rookie QB with a mediocre OL doesn't hurt as much as it does against other teams

4) Jennings made two nice picks, but I thought the second one was more a product of an underthrown ball than anything

5) That rookie QB, regardless of the game situation, still threw for 300+ yards.

6) #3-#5 is OK against a rookie QB, but not against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' WRs

[AZ54]

Toeaina didn't do much IMO although I haven't watched a replay of the game. The addition of Collins back into the mix should help us if Paea is healthy. Paea will move into Toeaina's spot as the starter at NT, or at a minimum this week split the time there with Toeaina leaving Melton/Collins to rotate at the 3-spot.

[madlithuanian]

I think you pretty much hit all of my points and concerns...

 

It's in the nature of Bears fans to be somewhat pessimistic even after a big win. I agree with most of the posts above, but a summary of my thoughts:

 

1) Cutler looked great for the most part

2) The OL looked horrible to start, did very well the rest of the game. If Williams isn't going to be used at LT (still a mistake in my opinion), then he should replace Spencer.

3) The lack of pass rush against a rookie QB with a mediocre OL doesn't hurt as much as it does against other teams

4) Jennings made two nice picks, but I thought the second one was more a product of an underthrown ball than anything

5) That rookie QB, regardless of the game situation, still threw for 300+ yards.

6) #3-#5 is OK against a rookie QB, but not against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' WRs

 

[BearFan2000]

A lot of yards were racked up by the Colts when we went into prevent at the end of the first half and when we put it in neutral in the second half. Which is why I wish we'd toss out that prevent D as all it does is let teams do whatever they want on us

[DABEARSDABOMB]

1. Cutler was great. Aside from his pick-6 and first 10 throws, he finished 20-25 with 320 yards and 2 TD's.

2. Maybe I'm over-reacting but I think Alshon Jeffery will get to 1,000 yards this year.

3. Marshall is a beast. Bennett is a nice compliment to everything the offense has.

4. Putting the first few plays to the side, the OL wasn't too bad. Freeney going out helped too, I'm sure. Spencer is clearly the worst OL they have, however. Maybe it's already time to give Williams a try there?

5. Tim Jennings was awesome today. Peppers and Melton were forces. Briggs was fun to watch.

Defense did look susceptible. Real poor defense against the rush and the middle of the defense looked soft at times against the pass. Still a lot to work on. As a whole, I'm happy, but they will have to continue to improve. Oline really did a nice job after the 1st 2 drives. Spencer was the worst and Webb really had a great game. The thing is, Webb's issue has alwasy been the bonehead plays vs. the great plays. He's going to have to show that he can do things consistent and it will take a while to prove that. Hopefully he does.

 

Kellen Davis is garbage. Rodriguez had some nice blocks though and I won't be surprised when he's starting by the end of the year.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Here is my only thought:

 

1 - Brandon Marshall is a beast. He absolutely changes our offense. Our receiving core is outstanding.

 

Peace

Best performance I've ever seen from a Bears wideout. I know they've had guys put up more yards, etc, but he had some dominant plays. Total game changer. Beautiful to see. He makes everyone so much better as they all move into more complimentary roles. I hope Alshon learns from Marshall's prowess and abilities on the field.

[jason]

Defense did look susceptible. Real poor defense against the rush and the middle of the defense looked soft at times against the pass. Still a lot to work on. As a whole, I'm happy, but they will have to continue to improve. Oline really did a nice job after the 1st 2 drives. Spencer was the worst and Webb really had a great game. The thing is, Webb's issue has alwasy been the bonehead plays vs. the great plays. He's going to have to show that he can do things consistent and it will take a while to prove that. Hopefully he does.

 

Kellen Davis is garbage. Rodriguez had some nice blocks though and I won't be surprised when he's starting by the end of the year.

 

Agreed with the bolded part quite a bit. Keep the faith for both of us, because history indicates it won't last. I just hope he doesn't screw the pooch when the Bears need him the most.

[Daventry]

I was finally able to watch the full game and felt like most others that Marshall was really special. Also very encouraged by Jeffery, I have every confidence he is going to be getting better and better and will be a huge asset.

 

Forte looked very strong and the O line did not look too bad.

 

Cutler was a bit erratic in the beginning but certainly made many good throws and I am sure is going to have a great year.

 

The defence did not get much pressure and seemed a bit porous, especially against a pretty weak Colts team, but they were playing alot of prevent in the 2nd half etc....

 

We will see what the Bears really have Thursday!

[Alaskan Grizzly]

You know its funny because I saw in this string (and I agree) that the first couple of Bears' series were garbage. And listening to the announcers they said that Tice had scripted the first 10 plays. (Which is low I believe for an O coordinator). So my thought is perhaps they shouldn't script anymore plays?

[jason]

You know its funny because I saw in this string (and I agree) that the first couple of Bears' series were garbage. And listening to the announcers they said that Tice had scripted the first 10 plays. (Which is low I believe for an O coordinator). So my thought is perhaps they shouldn't script anymore plays?

 

Ordinarily I'd agree with you, but the horrendous play had little to do with Tice. The OL was complete garbage, Jay was rattled, and they didn't stand a chance of doing anything worthwhile.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Ordinarily I'd agree with you, but the horrendous play had little to do with Tice. The OL was complete garbage, Jay was rattled, and they didn't stand a chance of doing anything worthwhile.

Cutler threw 34 passes from preseason game #1-#3. From week 4 of the preseason until 9/9 (16 days, if my math is right), he threw 0 passes in in-game situations.

 

Lesson: next year, have him throw more passes in the preseason.

[lemonej]

Cutler threw 34 passes from preseason game #1-#3. From week 4 of the preseason until 9/9 (16 days, if my math is right), he threw 0 passes in in-game situations.

 

Lesson: next year, have him throw more passes in the preseason.

I agree and the thing that really is puzzling to me is that everyone seems to be on the defense when they gave up only 14 points and the pick 6 was the other score. The Colts didn't run for 100 yards and aside from Reggie Wayne who did nothing while Tillman was in the game, the Bears took control of this game from the 3rd series on. On defense with 3 sacks and one negated by penalty,if we average the 3 out for the season that is 48. Nowadays thats considered a great season.I remember the 72 sack season in 84 which is still the NFL record and considering how teams are getting the ball out faster # sacks is a decent game in terms of pressure.There were times when Luck was over throwing a wide open WR. Why? He felt pressure whether it was visible on the TV screen or not.The ohter thing that was evident was that we brought only 4 guys most of the game.

 

With the TEs being a non-factor in this game and the defense doing minimal blitzing while playing a lot of man coverage. I like our chances Thurs. Nite against the packers and thier porous run D.