Bleacher Report - Articles by Ian Sheppard

Jay Cutler and The Chicago Bears Offense Is Perplexing

Ian Sheppard — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:16:59 -0500

Back in April, I remember getting a text message from a friend of mine telling me that the Bears had traded for Jay Cutler; I then realized it was an April Fools joke.

Kyle Orton and three draft picks later, the deal was done and Chicago rejoiced;I know I did.

The trade looked really good on paper. You have a premier QB coming to a team that had been quarterback hungry since the departure of Jim McMahon in the mid-1980s. He is young (25) and a Pro Bowl talent with just about all the physical attributes one would want out of their quarterback.

This is what Chicago had been waiting for, right?

Seven months later, we are staring at a Bears team that is 4-5 after an abysmal 10-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The whole team is struggling this season, but Jay Cutler seems to be a perplexing issue.

For one, Cutler commands a Bear offense that is struggling to run the football (ranking 29th in the NFL in rushing offense).

Many are calling out the offensive line and amidst are some struggles, Cutler's protection is also perplexing.

The offensive line is tied for seventh in the NFL for QB hits allowed while tied for 19th with sacks allowed.

This means that while the offensive line has been struggling protecting Cutler, he hasn't taken that many sacks, though the hits are probably starting to take their toll a bit.

So, it's clear that the Bears have some issues with running the football to set up the pass. More issues arise, however, in the passing game.

The turnovers have been given away and often in bunches.

The multiple interceptions (five) against the Niners is a continuing trend, as Cutler also threw multiple interceptions in week one vs. Green Bay (four), week six against Atlanta (two) and week seven against the Bengals (three).

What's interesting about this is, all of these games (including the past game at San Fran) were significant losses on the road. Another point of interest is that 14 of Cutlers 19 total interceptions of the year came out of these four losses and Cutler has only been sacked five times within those four games.

And if that's not enough, a great stat brought up during the national telecast got larger in week 10;Cutler leads the league in interceptions thrown in the redzone.

Evaluation time

Are the Bears struggling? Absolutely. Is the offensive line struggling to open holes for the running game and protect Jay Cutler? You bet.

Is the defense struggling? Not that much last night, but overall this season, they have been.

Who is to blame, then?

While many would like to point fingers at the defense, or the offensive line–and both, there are integral places to focus on. I'm choosing to go in two directions that I feel are connected (and could possibly get me run out of Chicago).

1. Cutler

I know Cutler has young receivers, a struggling offensive line, and no running game to speak of, but it still does not excuse the fact that Cutler is making poor decisions with the football.

Remember, Cutler is considered to be one of the premier QB talents in the NFL.

Do you think the Bears traded two first round draft picks, another draft pick, and Kyle Orton to get a turnover machine?

I sure hope not.

What's more is that we had turnover issues like this in the past with a guy having similar problems.

While Rex Grossman had his own problems and issues, Cutler has his own too. The main issue is that while I enjoy his short memory of past mistakes, I do not enjoy his recklessness with the football.

Cutler is a team captain and therefore, a team leader.

He needs to take better care of the football than what he's been doing, especially since he turns it over so often to put the defense in a bad spots to. Which potentially, leads up to a big play–which leads to falling behind early and often.

2. Fans and Chicago Media

I really disliked how fans and the Chicago Sports media (as well as the national sports media) treated Rex Grossman.

I bring this up only because (and this has been highly debated) Grossman–while he also had issues turning over the football–also played with a struggling offensive line, receivers who struggled with catching the football, and making plays, and not so great running backs in pockets of his career in Chicago (2003-2008).

Furthermore, Kyle Orton, Brian Griese, and Grossman all struggled under the offensive line–particularly in 2007 when all took a collective 42 sacks (Orton, two; Griese, 15; Grossman, 25).

The point is this: the Bears offensive line issues–in terms of pass protection–is nothing new.

In fact, it's been around for quite some time, but a lot fans and media decided to blame it on Rex and cry for a "good" quarterback instead of focusing on the lack of an offensive line, good running backs, and receivers.

Well, now we have the "good" quarterback in Jay Cutler, but the problem is there are additional issues among Cutler's turnovers.

Final thought

Like I mentioned earlier, I was excited about the Jay Cutler deal. However, I also came to a conclusion at the end of last season:

If the Bears do not produce an offensive line that can protect a quarterback for longer than three seconds, it won't matter who's under center calling plays.

Now, given the Jay Cutler's current progress, I have made this conclusion:

While a good offensive line is necessary, turnovers are the quickest mistakes to losing football games.

Cutler needs to take ownership for his mistakes and learn to make better decisions regardless of who his supporting cast is.

If he does that, he could be considered something greater than a premier quarterback and actually be seen as a true leader.

I agree with the guys at NFL Total Access in what the Chicago Bears need: good leadership.

The Five Most Significant Players (MSP) of the 2008 NFL Season

Ian Sheppard — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:28:12 -0500

I love this time of year. It's December, which means lots of cold weather (for those who live in the mid-west and the East Coast), football season is still in the air with teams pushing to make the playoffs, voting for the Pro Bowl occurs, and the discussion heats up as to who should should be named the annual NFL MVP. What exactly does it mean, anyways? I know that MVP stands for Most Valuable Player, but how do you define this player? Is it by amazing statistical play at a position that is on pace for breaking a historic record (i.e. Drew Brees on pace to break the season record for passing yards)? Or is it the player who excels well enough to put his team in a position to do something that hasn't happened in years (i.e. Kurt Warner getting the Arizona Cardinals it's first playoff berth and division title in at least five years)? I thought this might be a time to talk about five players who I think have shaped the course of this season by being where they are on their respective teams. I call it the MSP because while all these players may not get MVP-type recognition, these players have (arguably) sent shockwaves through the league in terms of shaping things the way they are. So without further ado...

Begin Slideshow

Which Would You Rather Have: Devin Hester as a Returner or a Receiver?

Ian Sheppard — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:29:07 -0500

I love signs like these. They sure capture the essence of what many people mean when they say Devin Hester is 'ridiculous' (but with good connotation, of course).

I mean, this guy is two returned touchdowns away from breaking the NFL all-time record...and this is only his third season in the NFL. Yet, he's also on the verge of going a full season without returning a touchdown by a kick, punt or missed field goal return.

But, it's safe to say that he probably is one of the best returners in NFL history, right? So...you're probably wondering "Why mention this?"

Let me answer that question with another question: Given Hester's track record returning touchdowns and playing wide receiver on offense, which would you rather have—Hester as a returner or as a receiver?

While I intend to answer this question, this is something I want to hear your (Bears fans or NFL fans alike) thoughts on as well.

In answering this question, another question might surface like this:

Are you disappointed with Hester's performance returning kicks and punts this season?

Certainly I am. After watching Hester be 'ridiculous' the past two seasons, this season seems to be missing the 'magic' of Hester as a returner. Sure, I still watch Hester waiting deep for a return with the hope that he might break one...but I'm only met with the disappointment of a short return, a decent return, a long return, or fumble.

Story of Devin's season, right?

Yet, while Hester hasn't been returning touchdowns this season, he has made his presence felt as a wide receiver.

Statistically, Hester currently ranks second on the team with 39 receptions, is tied for second with three receiving touchdowns, and has the team's longest reception for a touchdown (65 yards).

I realize that these numbers are not very great among teams in the league, but a couple of things should be taken into consideration. For starters, the Bears are currently working things by committee at the wide receiver position—meaning that Hester equally splits time with Rashied Davis, Marty Booker, and Brandon Lloyd.

Secondly, Hester is being eased into his role as a receiver and—given the aformentioned rotation—I think he's emerged as enough of a consistent playmaker this season to go into the offsesaon (provided that things finish well this season) to compete for more more time at receiver.

Maybe he will become the Bears undisputed number one receiver.

Believe me when I say that I would love to see Hester break the return record, but maybe Hester could serve better as another piece of the puzzle to build a more legitimate Bears offense.

With Hester emerging, the promise and upside of Matt Forte, the blossoming of Kyle Orton, and the improvement of the Bears offensive line, this offense could be one or two players away from being a very good offense.

Maybe they could become good enough to carry this team when the defense cannot.

Maybe this could be the kind of offense a championship team has.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves—there are still three games left in this season, which means Hester has three opportunities left to return a touchdown this season.

Thursday night would certainly be a good start against the Saints, wouldn't it?

10 Things I Would Do If I Was The Chicago Bears Head Coach

Ian Sheppard — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:45:54 -0500

Ever had that moment as a kid, or in junior high, or high school, when you had a dream about what you wanted to do as a career? I certainly did when I played football in high school—and I talked a lot about how I would become a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears.

Since then, things never went well enough for that to happen (a lack of physical talent and desire to play this game is a big reason why). However, once I was switched over to defense, I was able to learn the game a little bit more completely, as I understood both offense and defense on a fundamental level.

That's why this article is about 10 things I would do if I was their head coach (gotta dream a little, right?).

I decided to break these off into sections. Feel free to make note of the areas I pay more attention to.

Offense

1. Bench Kyle Orton until he's completely healthy.

Look, I really like what Kyle Orton has done this season and I understand that he is the quarterback the Bears (and fans) want on the field...That's why I think he needs to take a seat until his ankle is fully ready.

Besides, Rex Grossman (here comes the groans) is still capable of playing. Sure, he didn't play very well against Detroit or Tennessee, but neither did Orton until the first meeting at Ford field (which was the fifth game of the season).

Quarterbacks, probably more-so than other positions, need a couple of games to dust off the rust from their shoes before they can run without problems. Game-time speed is a very hard thing to replicate in practice...and the only way you can see game-time speed is during a game (brilliant, isn't it?).

I'd rather deal with some tough games from Rex than Kyle coming in early and potentially getting hurt worse than what he is now.

2. Get Kevin Jones more carries.

I understand that Matt Forte has become a huge bright spot for the Bears' offense this year by leading the team in receptions, rushing yards, and is second in the NFL among rookie running backs in yards rushing (777).

But Kevin Jones is an excellent athlete who has the quick burst that the Bears have been looking for in a change-of-pace-back.

Sure, Jones' 3.2 rushing average is probably not very attractive, but just think of what the Bears offense could be if both Forte and Jones start to excel together...in the same game. Or the same season. They could be something like what Carolina's DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart or the New York Giants' with Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward.

Defense

3. Bench Nathan Vasher.

This is a really hard move because Nathan Vasher makes a lot of big plays on the defense. Or at least he did in 2005 (46 total tackles and eight interceptions with one touchdown). In the past two seasons, he has had four inteceptions—one interception this season—and has had problems staying healthy.

In games this season, he's either not tackling someone or getting beat by a slant play. He got beat by former Bear Justin Gage a couple of weeks ago against Tennessee. That's not acceptable, at all. Corey Graham has fared much better this season, with 54 total tackles (even though he only has one interception) and, thus, should start in Vasher's place.

4. Bench Tommie Harris.

This isn't hard for me at all. Harris is the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL and has been a force for the Bears the past couple of years, but he doesn't really look like he's playing that well this season (like much of the Bears defense).

What really doesn't help his case, though, is all of the trash he talks about how good he is when he only has 16 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble that was lost on the season. He needs to just shut up and play or Marcus Harrison needs to start in his place. Either way, it sounds like a good solution.

5. Start Hunter Hillenmeyer.

I have no idea what is up with Hunter, but he needs to be on the field. Unlike Urlacher and Briggs, I really think Hunter is a big part of holding this defense (the line-backing corps, anyways) together.

Last year, he had 78 total tackles, and while that's not anywhere near the team lead, Hillenmeyer was in on stopping a lot of plays because of his intelligence in playing his position.

I think Nick Roach is a decent linebacker, but did you see him get blasted by Green Bay this past Sunday? Hunter needs to be on the field and starting.

6. Activate Anthony Adams and get him in the rotation.

Remember before the 2007 season when everyone (mainly on ESPN) talked about how the defensive line was going to be one of the weak-spots after losing Darwin Walker, Ian Scott, and Tank Johnson?

Well, Adams was a really solid player on the defensive line with 26 total tackles and half a sack before being injured late in the year. He especially stepped up after Dusty Dvorack's week one season-ending injury...and he's only played in three games this season.

I would activate this guy and at least get him in the rotation to play and maybe start in place of Tommie Harris or Dusty Dvorack. It might be a good move to help out this struggling defensive line.

7. Take over Defensive Play-Calling.

This season has been a rough one for the defense that now ranks 19th in total defense, 30th in passing defense, and sixth against the run. One of the issues that keeps coming up is whether the cover-two defense is broken or not.

One thing that Larry Mayer (writer for Chicago Bears.com's section "Chalk Talk") brought up was that the Bears only use the cover-two defense a third of their defensive snaps. That means that they're either getting beat when in cover-three or they just can't match up in man two thirds of their snaps.

My idea is to scrap the cover-three entirely and either run a two-deep man or zone as my base plays. I would, however, try and throw different looks and formations at the offense and encourage defensive players to shift around and not allow the offense to get any idea of what might happen.

8. Send a distinct message to the defense...

The message to the defense is this:

"You guys are not playing well...at all. So, shut up and do your work so you can get better. Look at yourselves in the mirror and take care of whatever your job is and encourage your teammates to do the same.

"Trash talking will NOT be tolerated and anyone who does so (i.e. in interviews) will be subject to losing playing time and possibly their jobs. This play will have to change if this team is going to have a chance in winning this division."

Special Teams

9. Take Devin Hester off of punt return.

I know that Bears fans are probably wondering what is up with Devin Hester this year. I mean, he's a few touchdowns away from setting the all-time return touchdown record in NFL history...and probably being declared the best returner ever.

Hester is definitely falling on hard times, though, particularly on punt returns. After averaging over 10 yards a punt return in each of the past two seasons (12.8 in 2006 and 15.5 in 2007), Hester is only averaging 6.3 yards per punt return.

To make matters worse, Hester only has 16 punt return attempts this season after having over 40 attempts the last two seasons (47 in 2006 and 42 in 2007).

This is significant because it means that punters are not kicking to Hester and it also means that when they do give Hester an opportunity, the coverage is good enough to render Hester ineffective.

So...if opposing teams won't punt to Hester, no problem. Just take him off of punt returns and put someone else back there, like Nathan Vasher, Garrett Wolfe, Danieal Manning, or Earl Bennett (to name a few potential candidates). This leads me to my next and final point.

10. Keep Devin Hester on Kick Returns

This is a pretty tough season because many of Chicago fans want to see Hester break the all-time return touchdown record.

But, while Hester hasn't had a return touchdown this season, he is playing up to par at the wide receiver position. He is second among the Bears' receivers in receptions (26), receiving yards (318), yards per catch (12.2), and is tied for first in touchdown catches (2) with Marty Booker and Rashied Davis.

However, getting back to kick returns, there are two main reasons I feel he should stay on this unit. One is that statistically, his production has not dropped off dramatically since last year. His return average this year (21.8) is slightly better than last year's (21.7), meaning that his production has not dropped off that much.

The second reason, and most important, though, is the generally good field position that the offense gets with Hester returning kicks as opposed to punts. Think of it this way: Since punters can kick the ball out of bounds with no penalty, they can pin an offense deep in their own territory if it's executed well enough (Generally, inside their own 20-yard line).

However, with Hester only on kick returns, the other team will have to kick to Hester and risk a touchdown return (or a big return), kick the ball out of bounds to give the offense a short field (at their own 40-yard line for an illegal procedure penalty), or kick the ball into or beyond Chicago's end zone (which not all kickers have the leg-strength to do).

No matter what, those are better choices than leaving Hester on both punt and kick returns.

It's definitely nice to dream, isn't it. Maybe I could be like the man in this picture and coach the Bears someday. I'd definitely do things a little differently, though.

We'll just have to see what Lovie has in store for us this weekend. I hope it's good.

Kyle Orton and His Ankle: Why He Should Sit on Sunday

Ian Sheppard — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:23:14 -0500

During the Bears game on Sunday, I was working at my part-time job and was hoping to see good news periodically on how the game was going. My first glimpse of the game was watching Rex Grossman under center—which made me happy until I realized:

Something happened to Kyle Orton.

Sure enough, I saw the play that everyone has been talking about all week—where his ankle was injured from a tackle by Dewayne White of the Detroit Lions. Being carted off the field was not a good sign.

But that's where things get foggy.

Apparently, ESPN reported that Orton was going to be out for at least a month (That's four games, at least!). Then the Chicago Sun-Times reported a similar claim, though Orton's injury isn't as bad as expected.

And the Bears?

Sure, Lovie Smith was hopeful that Orton would return, but he didn't really give a lot of information about this injury (This remind you of The Patriots via Tom Brady's injury or the Colts speaking on Peyton Manning?).

Now, Orton isn't ruling himself out for Sunday's game against the Titans.

That is great. I'm glad the Bears have a starting quarterback who has a desire to play in, probably, the biggest game of their season. But with the nature of this injury that either is unknown or can't be agreed upon, the Bears need to plan on—brace yourself, fans—Rex Grossman starting on Sunday.

I know, the name that current fans just don't want to hear: Rex Grossman. But, here are a few reasons why I think the Bears should take their precautions with Orton's situation.

The first deals with the fact that the injury itself wasn't season-ending (like your usual Mike Brown injury). Orton himself acknowledged that things could have been a lot worse than what they are. For the Bears to rush him back onto the field might bring about worse results...like a season-ending injury to one of the most important players and leaders on the team.

Second, as much as fans don't like Rex Grossman (which I am one of the few that do, sadly), two things should be noted about him. The first is that his relief performance—along with the defense not allowing any points in the second half—against the Lions allowed the Bears to win and, thus, made him 3-0 in relief-duty.

Speaking of the defense, that brings me to my last point. It's been well-documented this season that the Bears defense has hit a rare slump in their play. But Sunday's game against the Titans could be a great opportunity for this defense to make a statement to the NFL about their unit by leading their team by shutting down the Tennessee Titans offense that ranks third in rushing offense.

It might also help that they have an opportunity to play a major role in knocking off the last undefeated team in the NFL.

Whatever happens, though, I am pretty sure of one thing: the Bears will do what they can to keep Kyle Orton on the field as long as they can. Their season depends on that.

Second Thing's Best: Matt Ryan Beats the Chicago Bears With No Time Left

Ian Sheppard — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:02:48 -0400

"First thing's first, second thing's best..."

I'm sure that's what the Atlanta Falcons are thinking after their stunning 22 to 20 victory over the Chicago Bears.

After all, two was a common theme for this past game. You don't believe me? Well, let's just take a look or...two.

The Bears defense had the task this week to stop two big play makers in Matt Ryan and Michael Turner. Ryan has been a sensational rookie quarterback whose jersey number is... two. Michael Turner spent the first four years of his career playing number two running back to some guy in San Diego that's pretty good (two initials—L.T.).

The Falcons offense was ranked second in rushing offense going into this game with Turner was also leading the league in rushing.

Still need convincing? There's plenty more.

Coming into this game, Atlanta had two losses—as did the Bears. Too bad the Bears had to add another loss to their season.

You know what's worse about this? Atlanta came into this game beating two other teams in the Bears' division—the Detroit Lions (in week one) and the Green Bay Packers last weekend. So...what do you call this?

The second straight win over an NFC North opponent in back-to-back weeks? Or do you come up with some amusing title like "Number two beats the Bear-2 (Cover 2) by two"?

Well... at least it's not the second time the Bears have lost a game in the final minutes to an NFC South opponent this season. In fact—it's the third—and they still have New Orleans left to play later in the season.

So...I guess the big question is this: Should the Bears be concerned?

I don't think so, at least not yet. Sure, they did lose another close second came to an NFC South team on defense, but it was also a tough game to play in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome.

While Matt Ryan was second to none, Kyle Orton showed up later in the game to throw a touchdown pass to Rashied Davis late in the game for a 20 to 19 lead with 11 seconds remaining.

It's too bad the Bears didn't win, because if they did, we might be talking about Kyle Orton and his dynamic two-minute drill.

Instead, we have to rest with the Bears being the second team listed in a three-way tie for first place in a strange NFC North...with Minnesota coming in to try and steal some thunder.

But worry not, Bears fans: Minnesota still has yet to see Matt Ryan and the Falcons this season. Maybe number two will lead his team in a sweep of the NFC North. That would merit for some kind of award...right?