Chicago Bears Week 5 Report Card: Grading Each Unit

Stop me if you've heard this one.  So this team walks into Motor City and after a brutal game says to the media "Jay's a big boy.  He'll be fine..."

Yep, that's right.  The Bears have officially become a joke.  And the worst part is that the guys telling that joke don't even get it.

If Lovie Smith thinks that Jay Cutler will be fine after he just spent 60 minutes being batted around like a beach ball at a lawn concert then either he is clueless or he thinks we are.  In other words, he either gave us a glimpse into his own intelligence level or he insulted ours.

Jay Cutler will not be fine if this continues.  As reported earlier today by ESPN's Kevin Seifert, in Detroit Cutler was under more duress than any quarterback in any single game this year.  By my own count from my notes on the game, Cutler was pressured 16 times, hit nine times and sacked three in 38 drop-backs.  That is insane.  And that doesn't even include the two sacks Cutty took that were erased by a facemask penalty and a defensive holding penalty.

Cutler will not finish the season if this sort of brutal assault continues.

With that said, let's get right into the grades for each unit.

Quarterback

At this point, you have to believe that Jay Cutler wishes someone else had offered the Broncos more for him than the Bears did.

The Bears have done little to surround this young talent with any help whatsoever and Jerry Angelo seems to be resting on the laurels of the Cutler trade and nothing more.

His receivers, outside of Matt Forte, can't get open.  When they can they often lose the handle.

His offensive line is truly offensive.

His best receiving threat was shipped off to Carolina.

His top four receivers on the depth chart—Hester, Knox, Williams and Bennett—have a combined total of 35 receptions for 526 yards and no touchdowns.

His leading receiver is a 5'11" 180-pound undrafted free agent who is fifth on the depth chart.  He has 16 receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

Yet Cutler played with poise and did everything you could ask to keep the Bears in the game.  He finished 28-of-38 for 249 yards and one touchdown.  

He was absolutely mauled throughout the game, being hurried 16 times, taking nine hits and three sacks.  That ignores two additional sacks that were negated by penalty.  Yet he still found his way around the pressure and gave the Bears a chance.

Grade: A+

Running Backs

Forte continues to be the most productive piece of the Bears offense, posting 151 yards from scrimmage.  He whiffed on a couple of blocks, though.  And his inability to gain yardage in short-yardage situations is still a problem.

Barber was quiet, providing 10 total yards on two touches.  Notably absent was his presence on the failed third- and fourth-down conversions that ended the Bears' second series, though he was on the field when the Bears originally lined up for the fourth-down try before the Bears called timeout and Forte entered.

Grade: B-

Receiving Corps

When the team's top two receivers are fifth and sixth on the depth chart, you have problems.  Dane Sanzenbacker and Sam Hurd combined for 10 receptions and 114 yards.  The rest of the receiving group, including the tight ends, combined for 12 receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown from TE Kellen Davis.

That alone should give you an idea of how poorly the receiving corps played.

Additionally, Kellen Davis gave the Bears two false starts and a bunch of whiffs in blocking assignments.

Sanz and Hurd tried to make a go of it, but the rest of the group should be ashamed of themselves.

Grade: F

Offensive Line aka Matadors of the Midway

Other than a couple of good blocks to seal the edges on outside runs, this line had a horrendous game.

Penalties were a regular occurrence. 

Run blocking inside was atrocious.  And pass protection left you wondering if Jay had a swinger party with the mothers of his offensive linemen.

Garza was beat up all night.  Webb was outclassed at nearly every turn.  Louis struggled a little less than the rest but still wasn't good.  Williams actually had a serviceable game.

Frank Omiyale shouldn't have been benched in the fourth quarter.  He should have been released in the fourth quarter.  He contributed the worst game in recent memory.

Jay was running for his life from the gun and the stat line doesn't show just how badly the Lions defensive line, which had been relatively quiet until Monday night, dominated the Bears offensive line.

Grade: F

Defensive Line

Notice in the picture that Peppers is on the ground?  Well, that's symbolic of what the Bears defensive line did in Detroit.  They laid down.

One sack registered by Idonije and very little pressure from the line made for a long day.  Peppers trudged on after injuring his knee in the first quarter and Matt Toeaina was lost later in the game.  That left the Bears very thin on the line, as they only suited seven defensive linemen Monday night.

Against the run, the line was not good.  In passing situations, they forced the secondary to defend too long.  This unit's performance was nearly as disappointing as the offensive line's.

Grade: F

Linebackers

Notice the picture of Urlacher and Briggs is from the Carolina game?  That's because they didn't show up in Detroit.

On a personal note, I was stunned at the poor play of Urlacher and Briggs.  I expect Roach to be out of position, if I notice him at all, but I don't expect Brian and Lance to be in the wrong place so often in a game. 

When the linebacking corps doesn't play well in Chicago, you know you're in for a bad day.

Grade: D-

Secondary

This is a hard group to grade.  The corners and safeties were almost separated this week because of the disparity in their play.  But in the end, they are a unit and will be graded as such.

Charles Tillman had a great game.  I know, I know—Calvin Johnson had five receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown.  But let me explain.

The Bears are the only team that can make the claim of holding Johnson to under two touchdowns so far this season.  And, Tillman wasn't assigned to Megatron when he took the 73-yarder to the house.  When Tillman was assigned to Johnson, he held him to four receptions for 67 yards.  You can't ask for more against the Lions' monster wide receiver.  Tillman did a great job covering Johnson.

Tim Jennings and DJ Moore had good games as well.  Both played well in coverage and Moore provided the game's only turnover when he intercepted Stafford at the end of the first half to preserve the Bears' lead going into halftime.

Considering the insane amount of time their defensive line was giving Stafford to throw and, thus, forcing them to cover, the corners did a good job.

But the play of the safeties was just horrible.  Chris Harris looked rusty and like he had come back too fast.  He was beat out of position on the 73-yard touchdown pass to Johnson.  He also read the wrong hole on both of Jahvid Best's long runs and took himself out of the play.

Meanwhile, Brandon Meriweather continued to show the world that Bill Belichick knew what he was doing when he released the two-time Pro Bowl safety.  He missed a tackle that would have prevented Megatron's touchdown, took bad angles all day and spent a good portion of the day filming a "What Not To Do" video on tackling technique.  

Jerry Angelo allowing Danieal Manning to walk is looking like a dumber decision by the minute.

Grade: D+

And now it's your turn, ladies and gentlemen.  Step up on the soapbox below and let us know what you think.