Our D sucks

[CrackerDog]

Alright, let me start by saying I realize we went into the game banged up on D and we took even more injuries during the game. I get that and it's a reasonable excuse. But it's an excuse nonetheless. I also realize we got three turnovers and the win, which is all that's important. Most importantly, we now have a week and a half to get healthy which should be extremely beneficial under the circumstances.

 

With all of that said, I'm downright pissed off about what I saw last night while the D was out there. We got ZERO QB pressure without sending extra guys and our front 7 couldn't stop Jacobs at all. Third down was like taking candy from a baby. If it wasn't for Eli's continued meltdown, we'd be talking about being 500 today.

 

What I don't yet know is if this is Tucker's fault or the aforementioned injuries. If we just don't have the horses in the D line to be effective with all the plug-in LB's we have. If we really miss Urlacher this much. These are the things I ponder.

 

I hate being the wet blanket. I'm very happy we won. But we tried really hard to lose to a shit team at home. And we probably should've if their QB played reasonably well. I don't feel good about this team playing Detroit or Green Bay, our division opponents much less the other tough teams on the schedule.

 

Thoughts?

[Chitownhustla]

Alright, let me start by saying I realize we went into the game banged up on D and we took even more injuries during the game. I get that and it's a reasonable excuse. But it's an excuse nonetheless. I also realize we got three turnovers and the win, which is all that's important. Most importantly, we now have a week and a half to get healthy which should be extremely beneficial under the circumstances.

 

With all of that said, I'm downright pissed off about what I saw last night while the D was out there. We got ZERO QB pressure without sending extra guys and our front 7 couldn't stop Jacobs at all. Third down was like taking candy from a baby. If it wasn't for Eli's continued meltdown, we'd be talking about being 500 today.

 

What I don't yet know is if this is Tucker's fault or the aforementioned injuries. If we just don't have the horses in the D line to be effective with all the plug-in LB's we have. If we really miss Urlacher this much. These are the things I ponder.

 

I hate being the wet blanket. I'm very happy we won. But we tried really hard to lose to a shit team at home. And we probably should've if their QB played reasonably well. I don't feel good about this team playing Detroit or Green Bay, our division opponents much less the other tough teams on the schedule.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

The D looks like shit because of injuries. Its being down Melton, Paea, Collins, Tillman and Hayden. Hopefully Tillman is only missing this game. How long is Paea suppose to be out? The D line needs help and quick. Is Peppers hurt or not? If he is not hurt then he aged 5 years in one off season.

 

 

When you get hit with the injury bug good teams find a way to win bad teams don't, I don't care what you say a Win is Win is a Win.

 

 

The year the Pack won the superbowl they were hit hard by injuries. Not saying we are superbowl bound just that good teams find ways to win no matter what.

[scs787]

It's the injuries. I shouldn't have to tell you that the key to a cover 2 is getting pressure from your front 4, and when you can't get that pressure the defense as a whole is going to struggle.

 

At this point it is what it is and it's beating a dead horse. Nothing short of a trade or getting Warren Sapp out of retirement(sarcasm) is gonna change this.

[Bears4Ever_34]

I want to see more of McClellin in a 2 point stance, like ALL THE TIME! Enough with this pretending. He's not a defensive end. When he plays, he should be rushing as an OLB in the 3-4 front the Bears have been teasing with 1 or 2 times a game lately. That needs to happen 75% with him on the field.

 

I think the Bears are last in the NFL in giving up plays over 20+ yards this season, which is a pretty good indication that they are definitely "breaking" in this bend but don't break defense. Most of that is on the lack of pass rush from the front four, but some of it is the confusion from the safeties and bad overall execution from Mel Tucker's schemes. They'll need to make a trade for a NFL DT or this is likely the way it's going to be for the rest of the year, and it can get even worse with injuries. The offense hasn't gotten to the point yet where they can win shootouts against legit teams, but they will need to be if this team wants to smell postseason success. The learning curve needs to be sped up.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

I want to see more of McClellin in a 2 point stance, like ALL THE TIME! Enough with this pretending. He's not a defensive end. When he plays, he should be rushing as an OLB in the 3-4 front the Bears have been teasing with 1 or 2 times a game lately. That needs to happen 75% with him on the field.

 

I was starting to warm to the idea of transitioning to a 3-4 next year but with the way things are going maybe they should do it sooner than later. I agree whole-heartedly in having SMC as an OLB. Briggs, SMC, Bostic and Anderson(?) should be able to cover it for this year.

 

That helps in stockpiling D linemen. I would agree that find a trade partner for a stout NT and keep Wooten and Peppers rotating with one other DE. Maybe Washington's time is now?

[Alaskan Grizzly]

What I don't yet know is if this is Tucker's fault or the aforementioned injuries. If we just don't have the horses in the D line to be effective with all the plug-in LB's we have. If we really miss Urlacher this much. These are the things I ponder.

 

Thoughts?

 

Of course my stance on Urlacher is steadfast. The team pulled the trigger too soon and is paying for it. With Williams hurt...again this year...the virtual swap out for the two is a huge loss for the team. Williams hasn't shown a whole lot since joining the team. Additionally Izzy's departure has turned out to be another loss the Bears couldn't afford.

 

Not sure if Emery's brashness is paying off after all. In these two instances alone his misdealings have proven costly.

[Uncle Buck]

The Mully & Hanley show this morning was discussing the game with Tom Thayer and this defensive stat came up:

 

According to PFF the Bears missed 85 tackles last year; this year they are measuring at 55 through 6 games.

 

 

[scs787]

Of course my stance on Urlacher is steadfast. The team pulled the trigger too soon and is paying for it. With Williams hurt...again this year...the virtual swap out for the two is a huge loss for the team. Williams hasn't shown a whole lot since joining the team. Additionally Izzy's departure has turned out to be another loss the Bears couldn't afford.

 

Not sure if Emery's brashness is paying off after all. In these two instances alone his misdealings have proven costly.

 

Gotta see what Boom does before saying the move didn't pay off....If he was relying on Williams to play the whole year then ya, he made a mistake, but since he "handcuffed" Williams with a 2nd round pick that's not the case....On that note, Mr. Bostic your table is ready.

 

@BradBiggs

 

Trestman indicates injury for DJ Williams could be season-ending. Team continuing to evaluate situation.

 

 

[Connorbear]

Of course my stance on Urlacher is steadfast. The team pulled the trigger too soon and is paying for it. With Williams hurt...again this year...the virtual swap out for the two is a huge loss for the team. Williams hasn't shown a whole lot since joining the team. Additionally Izzy's departure has turned out to be another loss the Bears couldn't afford.

 

Not sure if Emery's brashness is paying off after all. In these two instances alone his misdealings have proven costly.

 

The team??? The team offered him a contract that was obviously more than fair and he rejected it. They moved on. Brian did not receive another offer he felt was acceptable.

 

That's hardly pulling the trigger too soon.

 

Peace

[Alaskan Grizzly]

The team??? The team offered him a contract that was obviously more than fair and he rejected it. They moved on. Brian did not receive another offer he felt was acceptable.

 

That's hardly pulling the trigger too soon.

 

Peace

 

Context Connor. Meaning that looking back, it wasn't a good deal then and it especially isn't a good deal now. But I know...that's my opinion.

[jason]

Context Connor. Meaning that looking back, it wasn't a good deal then and it especially isn't a good deal now. But I know...that's my opinion.

 

Agreed. I don't buy the "it was a good deal" thing. It was a low-ball offer that he refused. And once the rest of the league saw what was being offered by the home-town team, and the fact that the offer was refused, they didn't want to spend a whole lot more on a veteran with lots of miles on the odometer.

 

Simply put, the Bears could have offered him a little more, fit it easily in the cap, and had the heart of their defense, their team, for one year (maybe two), which would have obviously helped. And then an easy transition to Bostic.

[Connorbear]

Agreed. I don't buy the "it was a good deal" thing. It was a low-ball offer that he refused. And once the rest of the league saw what was being offered by the home-town team, and the fact that the offer was refused, they didn't want to spend a whole lot more on a veteran with lots of miles on the odometer.

 

Simply put, the Bears could have offered him a little more, fit it easily in the cap, and had the heart of their defense, their team, for one year (maybe two), which would have obviously helped. And then an easy transition to Bostic.

Pure conjecture (as was my statement . I'll remove 'good' from my statement.

 

They made him an offer (after paying him a crap load of money previously plus extending him when they didn't have to). He did not find any other offers on the market and is now not playing.

 

Again, they didn't pull the trigger on anything. He rejected their offer. How much more would they have had to offer him to stay???? We have no idea but since there was no market for him, they did the right thing by not offering him more.

 

Peace

[CrackerDog]

Simply put, the Bears could have offered him a little more, fit it easily in the cap,

 

Let's not turn this thread into a pissing match about Urlacher. That's water under the bridge and I'm disappointed I even mentioned his name at this point.

 

THAT doesn't solve our problem in the line. Peppers is hobbled, McClellin is just plain weak and our tackles are all in the hospital. Meanwhile we have Briggs with a hodgepodge of rent-a-players at linebacker and Nut sipping iced tea on the sidelines. This isn't how you run a god damn lemonade stand let alone a ferkin' NFL defense.

 

McC was seen running behind the QB by like 10 yards on multiple plays. Does the dude know a swim move? Can he swivel his hips or twist his torso of is he one of those players in Tecmo Bowl?

 

Someone get Peppers a cane and sign him up for AARP. The guy is done. DONE!

 

Sad day when Wright is one of the best players on the field. Not one of these guys could tackle. Brutal shit.

[ChileBear]

Let's not turn this thread into a pissing match about Urlacher. That's water under the bridge and I'm disappointed I even mentioned his name at this point.

 

THAT doesn't solve our problem in the line. Peppers is hobbled, McClellin is just plain weak and our tackles are all in the hospital. Meanwhile we have Briggs with a hodgepodge of rent-a-players at linebacker and Nut sipping iced tea on the sidelines. This isn't how you run a god damn lemonade stand let alone a ferkin' NFL defense.

 

McC was seen running behind the QB by like 10 yards on multiple plays. Does the dude know a swim move? Can he swivel his hips or twist his torso of is he one of those players in Tecmo Bowl?

 

Someone get Peppers a cane and sign him up for AARP. The guy is done. DONE!

 

Sad day when Wright is one of the best players on the field. Not one of these guys could tackle. Brutal shit.

Agreed. After living and dying with the D for how many years (/) it is wierd to watch the O carry the team, for the most part. Thank God we had the generous Giants this week. That win was important any way you look at it. ow, what do we do with the D on life support?

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Let's not turn this thread into a pissing match about Urlacher. That's water under the bridge and I'm disappointed I even mentioned his name at this point.

 

But it underlines a potential concern. The point that I'm making that Emery perhaps could be too stubborn for his own good. As was the case with Url and Izzy he effectively "hobbled" the D with not trying to work with either of these players. Instead bringing in a couple "rent-a-players" that are for the most part ineffective if not useless. Hindsight being what it is (I have that benefit) losing both the aforementioned players, if not just Urlacher, could reveal that Emery may make choices on pride before necessity. I'm just suggestin'.

 

McC was seen running behind the QB by like 10 yards on multiple plays. Does the dude know a swim move? Can he swivel his hips or twist his torso of is he one of those players in Tecmo Bowl?

 

Still say he is miscast as a 'hand in the dirt' DE. Should be playing more upright like an OLB. I'd be willing to bet his production would go up.

[50england50]

Should Wotten be moved back to DE and look to play 2 bigger bodies. With Peppars looking old and slow would he be more effective at his size than Wotten. Hopefully Paea will be back and I would look at Wooten Paea Peppers Washington/ McCellan. We can't keep playing small bodies inside.

[adam]

Our defense is totally inconsistent right now and has either been gashed by a RB with over 100 yards rushing or a Receiver with over 130 yards receiving. It is interesting that we have alternated with a big day for a Receiver to a big day for a RB every game so far. If things hold serve, then Garcon or another WAS Receiver is in for a big game.

 

1. AJ Green - 162 yards, 2 TDs

2. AP - 100 yards

3. A. Brown - 196 yards, 2 TDs

4. R. Bush - 139 yards, 1 TD

5. Graham - 135 yards

6. Jacobs - 106 yards, 2 TDs

7. Insert WAS Receiver here, +100 yards

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Our defense is totally inconsistent right now and has either been gashed by a RB with over 100 yards rushing or a Receiver with over 130 yards receiving. It is interesting that we have alternated with a big day for a Receiver to a big day for a RB every game so far. If things hold serve, then Garcon or another WAS Receiver is in for a big game.

 

1. AJ Green - 162 yards, 2 TDs

2. AP - 100 yards

3. A. Brown - 196 yards, 2 TDs

4. R. Bush - 139 yards, 1 TD

5. Graham - 135 yards

6. Jacobs - 106 yards, 2 TDs

7. Insert WAS Receiver here, +100 yards

 

I would hazard to say that in four of the above examples (AP, Bush, Graham and Jacobs) a lot has to do with the poor "front 7" play. Obviously the runners are making plays because the LB's are not able to adequately provide run support and Graham had a big day because the intermediate pass lanes were left open. Again, poor LB and nickel coverage. (And Brees is a pretty good QB).

['TD']

The defensive line is crap. In general tho, I think the D is above average. Everyone is so used to a dominate D they are looking on par with the offense.

 

The offense will continue to prove as the years go on and the D will regress as the focus changes. Most D's in the NFL not get near the turn overs. It may not be a top 5 D but its definitely in the top half when you consider the TO's and the offense not being able to stay on the field.

[Uncle Buck]

Jim Finks always looked to build a team from the line out; that being said, Emery took on the O-Line last year. With the injuries this year, he is going to have to look to do the same on the other side of the ball. With Melton's injury, will he be back, for the money he may still demand? Will Collins rebound well enough to get back into the backup role.

[AZ54]

How many realize we have lost our top 5 DTs? Granted Paea should be back this next game. Otherwise we have lost: Melton, Collins, Turk McBride in camp, and Sedrick Ellis who quit at the beginning of camp. I keep seeing that Emery did nothing on the Dline this past offseason but he in fact did bring in some talent. None of it was great talent because there was no budget for it but he did what he could reasonably do given our cap space. I can't sit here and say what either Ellis or McBride would be doing on the field but I feel confident they'd be better than UDFA Minter from Montana State. I do like Minter and his potential for the future but right now that's all it is...potential.

 

Emery offered Urlacher $2,000,000 more than any other team in the NFL and he didn't bite. End of story. I'm not sure how he'd improve a pass rush from the front four anyway and he was never that good at shedding blocks to make plays. Given the state of our DTs our MLB always has an OG in his face.

 

We are going to be a bend but (hopefully) don't break too often D all year long. There is no other option and we will likely always see one player have a great game against us as Adam pointed out. We are at a point where we can try to take away something from the other team but our D won't stop everything. I agree that Tucker deserves some of the blame for the lack of discipline. Discipline, not regarding penalties but assignments and sound tackling, we need to see improvement there.

 

I do expect we'll see improvement from players like Cohen and Minter as the season progresses. Not that they'll be great but they will get better at reads on runs and pass rush should improve a bit. Just get in the way a little bit more often would be helpful even if they can't make the tackle. I'm very excited to see Bostic on the field. He adds a lot of energy and his athleticism was immediately apparent. Much like how Long is becoming the energizer for the offense, we need an infusion of energy on D. I know Bostic will make mistakes but he is going to also make some big plays for us. I'm old enough to remember a young Urlacher getting his first few starts at MLB. He wasn't great but he made plays at times that made me say we got something here.

 

My focus now on D is to watch some of these young guys that represent our future and how they improve the rest of the season.

Frey

Bostic

Bass ...who has flashed a few times already

Minter ...he's come pretty far as a small school UDFA just on raw talent, can he adjust to the speed of the game?

Washington .... freak athleticism hasn't shown up on the field in pass rush. Can he earn some playing time?

 

Speaking of Shea....I agree we should be using him as our wildcard. He can't be an every down DE but I've seen defenses use a guy with his talent to stand up and do a little bit of everything from rush to cover TEs, to drop into zones. Yeah they are called OLB in 3-4 defense but why not mix it in?

 

Get Wootton back to the DE position where he impacted games for us. At this point it seems to me we are creating two or three holes on the dline by using him so often at DT. Shea can't handle that many reps. It is what it is...arguments for bust notwithstanding....just get Shea to spot (less reps) where he can make some plays during the game. He's shown he can do that. Plus Wootton will help on run D from DE far more than he is at DT.

 

At the end of it we're 4-2 and I really didn't think we'd be there. We're still on track to match last year's 10 win season and that's not bad for overhauling the Oline and offense while we all hoped an aging D could hang on for one more year. The Giants arrived at the perfect time for us and we pulled off a win but let's be realistic, despite being 0-6 they are not nearly as bad as the Jaguars. In fact I wouldn't even put them in the bottom 5 teams in the league. Now we have one game in 25 days so we can work on sorting out some of these issues with the middle of our defense and our pass rush before we get back to a couple division games. Yeah, my kool-aid has a little kick to it... and now it's time to finish my beer and get some sleep.

 

 

[adam]

I would hazard to say that in four of the above examples (AP, Bush, Graham and Jacobs) a lot has to do with the poor "front 7" play. Obviously the runners are making plays because the LB's are not able to adequately provide run support and Graham had a big day because the intermediate pass lanes were left open. Again, poor LB and nickel coverage. (And Brees is a pretty good QB).

The Safety play hasn't been that great either. When I look at those names and think back to those games, there were too many easy yards. Even the commentators were questioning how Green, Graham, Brown were so open. For the RBs, they would get to the 2nd level on almost every run.

[AZ54]

The Safety play hasn't been that great either. When I look at those names and think back to those games, there were too many easy yards. Even the commentators were questioning how Green, Graham, Brown were so open. For the RBs, they would get to the 2nd level on almost every run.

 

 

I agree. I think part of the problem is they are having to play too much of a role in run support and that is now their first read instead of the pass. Even so on 3rd and long downs they are often out of position.