Bears Quarter Season Report

The Bears are the first team in recent memory to replace/lose their leading passer, rusher and receiver from a year ago and not start with any of the three the next season. The loss of Benson, Berrian and Griese while not huge losses meant the Bears offense lead by Kyle Orton would need a bit more time to hit their stride given the lack of standout go-to players in each position. Orton has fit the bill nicely and is coming around and emerging to be more than just a game manager. Running back Matt Forte has given the Bears a ground game explosiveness it was missing with Cedric Benson and allowed Orton to stretch the field in Weeks 3 and 4.

QB: Orton seems to be improving every game. Orton goes through his pass options and dumps it off when nothings there. Can’t ask for much more than that.

RB: Matt Forte has made an immediate impact in his first NFL Season. The Numbers may look only slightly above average but his versatility seems to be his biggest asset. Against the Eagles he was shut down but made key first downs when called upon. Once Kevin Jones digests the whole playbook he’ll be a decent change of pace back.

WR: Brandon Lloyd has shown a spark in the passing game. Here’s hoping his injury isn’t serious. Rasheid Davis needs to prove he can catch balls thrown to his hands and Marty Booker is a crafty veteran who should pick up his game as the season progresses. Devin Hester hasn’t been able to run the deep fly/post routes because there’s no other receiver on the Bears defenses are worried about. That may change as the offense spends more time together.

TE: I have been very disappointed by the play of both Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen. Before Olsen’s touchdown pass against the Eagles he’s only had 6 receptions with two fumbles. Desmond Clark only has 7 catches for 79 yards in 4 games. Both of these guys have potential to chew up yards across the middle. Maybe the emergence of a #1 WR will help their game out.

OL: The veterans on the o-line are starting to show their age as some youth is needed to add some spark. So far they’ve held up and opened holes for Forte and protected Orton. In the end, we all expected them to play a lot worse.

Defense: The first game against the Colts the defense was smart and moved quickly to hamper a rusty Peyton Manning. Since then however they’ve looked solid only to give up big plays when the Bears had the lead. Even if you force three-and-outs 80% in the first three quarters it still hurts to give up anything in the fourth. Playing 60 minutes (and overtime) is key to any teams success but when the Bears have been good, they’ve been very good.

I’m torn between playing more nickel as opposed to a base 4-3 defense means there’s an extra defensive back which is intended to stop the pass. The Nickel will limit the playing time of Hunter Hillenmeyer which is something that I’m against because of his size and speed. I can only hope Bob Babich game plans to a specific team rather than just stick with one base formation.

DE: The defensive ends have shown up on more than just the pass rush but also to help stuff the run. First for the safety against the Colts and again for the goal line stop on 4^th down against the Eagles. In situations they know to be pass the Bears have four relatively interchangeable linemen to eat up opposing QB’s. If Mark Anderson proved he could help in stopping the run he’d get more playing time but as it stands he’s a pass-rush specialist.

DT: Tommie Harris is nursing another nagging knee injury but as I’ve wrote in the past his presence has to be respected by opposing teams. Dusty Dvoracek is proving to be a nice run stopper with Marcus Harrison and Anthony Adams coming in to give them breathers. They need to get more a jump off the snap and I’d like to see some more hand in the air when they can’t get to the QB.

LB: When you have two of the best linebackers in the league it’s hard to find many faults. But if I had to point out something it has to be their underneath coverage. Brian Griese ate up the middle of the field and in the cover-2 the short middle of the field is the linebackers responsibility. They clean that up and I’ll be happy.

CB: Tillman and Vasher, when healthy, are the must underrated DB duo in the league. Tillman produces turnovers and Vasher is a good man-to-man corner. We can only hope they stay healthy.

S: The season ending injury to Brandon McGowan is a big loss for the Bears who now have to hope that Mike Brown stays healthy and Kevin Payne produces big. The Bears defensive backfield hasn’t had a real test against tough wide outs so far this season (The Lions don’t count) and in looking at the rest of their schedule I don’t foresee them having any trouble. 

Special Teams: Coverage teams have been good and the blocking teams have been even better. Add to that a couple trick plays to continue drives and it looks like Dave Toub’s squad is up for another league leading season. Garret Wolfe and Darrell McClover are players who’s name don’t get called often but they’ve filled a hole left by the departure of Brendan Ayanbadejo in the kick coverage department and Wolfe is a nice option to have in the middle of the field should teams squib kick away from Hester.

P: Brad Maynard continues to be a top 5 punter in the league.

K: Robbie Gould missed one field goal he really should’ve hit and has yet to prove he’s reliable past 50 yards.

KR: Hester has yet to return one for a TD but that’s to be expected as teams focus on stopping him. Daniel Manning has done a nice job returning kicks in Hester’s stead and is capable of breaking one for 6 himself.

The area I’d most like to see the Bears improve is in defending the pass. Shut a team down as long as you want but if at the end you allow them to get 15+ yards in one throw and you’re going to have problems. Tightening up the passing lanes and sticking closer to the receivers should be priority. 

2-2 is average at best but the bright side is that it’s like starting the season off fresh. Focusing on the strong points, running game, special teams, lights-out defense and things could be a whole lot worse than they are. Credit Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo for playing to their teams strengths and not trying to be something they’re not. With the NFC North not going the way most have predicted it the Bears have a golden opportunity to win their 3^rd division title in four years. The Bears need to keep their focus on finishing as they have all the tools necessary to win in the NFL.