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Looks to be the usual tough, close game:
I'm going with Packers 17 Bears 13
Chicago Bears' Jay Cutler picks up game to complement stout defense
By Pete Dougherty • [email protected] • September 21, 2010
Following is a scouting report on the Chicago Bears based on interviews with several NFL scouts who have seen them play live or on videotape this season:
Additional information
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♦ This week's featured player photo gallery: Donald Driver.
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♦ Passing offense: New offensive coordinator Mike Martz is the toast of Chicago after the Bears improved to 2-0 with a 27-20 win at Dallas last week. It’s early, but Martz seems to be meshing well with Jay Cutler, who played like a franchise quarterback against the Cowboys and after two games has the NFL’s top passer rating (121.2 points). After throwing an NFL-high 26 interceptions last season, Cutler has taken much better care of the ball so far this year (five touchdown passes, one interception), which was Martz’s mission No. 1. “It seems like a pretty good fit because Cutler likes to throw the football,” one scout said. “The Cowboys were banking on that if you pressure him like the Lions did (in the opener) he’s going to throw it to you. The Cowboys put pressure on him and he didn’t make any mistakes.” The Bears don’t have marquee playmakers, but they have the speed at receiver that Martz covets for his downfield routes and a complete halfback in Matt Forte. Forte has a team-high 12 catches, including an 89-yard touchdown on a screen against Detroit in the opener. Johnny Knox (seven catches, 19.7-yard average) and Devin Hester (five catches, 18.8-yard average) are deep threats. Earl Bennett, a possession receiver who played with Cutler in college at Vanderbilt, was the No. 3 receiver against Dallas, ahead of Devin Aromashodu. “Those guys have speed,” a scout said. “The Cowboys made them look much better than they are, but those guys made plays down the field. And you have to deal with the runner, you have to deal with Matt Forte coming out of the backfield catching balls, catching screens.”
♦ Running offense: The Bears are average at best on the offensive line, though they made a key move last week when left tackle Chris Williams, their best lineman, went down because of a hamstring injury in the first quarter. They replaced him with Kevin Shaffer, but Shaffer played right tackle and Frank Omiyale moved from right tackle to the left side. The line held up surprisingly well. “Omiyale was terrible against the Lions (in the opener),” another scout said. “I thought he was their worst player (in the opener), but he battled his (butt) off on the left side and was actually better.” Forte was a major disappointment last year when he got out of shape in the offseason and then sustained a hamstring injury that never healed. But he’s playing even better now than in his rookie season in ‘08, when he rushed for 1,238 yards and caught 63 passes. Chester Taylor, the former Vikings third-down back, also is a complete player, and both backs are good at making dump-off passes an extension of the run game. “When those routes are going down the field, all of a sudden (Cutler) is throwing the ball to Forte in the flat or throwing a screen, and the next thing you know it’s a 15-, 16-yard gain,” a scout said.
Running defense: At least through two weeks, the Bears look more like the defense that was one of the league’s best in the middle 2000s, as opposed to last year, when Chicago finished No. 17 in yards allowed and tied for No. 21 in points allowed. Last week, Dallas halfbacks Marion Barber and Felix Jones combined for only 38 yards rushing on 18 carries. The biggest reason the run defense is better is the return of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, who is playing at a high level after he missed basically all of last season because of a broken wrist sustained in the opener. Urlacher and Lance Briggs are two of the best linebackers in the league. “Where (Briggs) has been real effective is blitzing, not so much pressure on the quarterback but run blitzing,” one scout said. “Against the Lions he had a tackle for a loss on a run blitz, same against the Cowboys.” Defensive tackle Tommie Harris is active though at age 27 and with a history of knee problems he’s no longer the playmaker he was early in his career.
♦ Passing defense: The Bears paid a fortune ($42 million guaranteed on a six-year contract) in free agency for Julius Peppers, and he’s been the same player he was in Carolina. When he gets after it, he can be a dominating pass rusher, though he tends to take plays off also. He knocked Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford out of the opener with a hard sack, and had a hit on Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo last week. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli usually lines up Peppers on the weak side, opposite the tight end. He’s a player offenses have to account for, so even when he’s not getting sacks he’s helping teammates. Mark Anderson, who had 12 sacks as a rookie in 2006 but only 9 ½ in the three seasons thereafter, plays opposite Peppers and is a smaller end (6-4, 225). “That front seven is pretty darn good,” a scout said. “They’re not a big group, but they’re active. They gave the Cowboys a lot of problems.” The Bears still play the Tampa Cover 2 defense, though like most teams in that scheme they mix in plenty of one-deep safety looks on early downs. Their secondary is the weak link in the defense. Safety Daniel Manning probably is their best defensive back. Cornerback Charles Tillman specializes in stripping the ball from receivers after the catch, and nickel back D.J. Moore, a second-year pro, had two interceptions against the Cowboys.
♦ Special teams: Robbie Gould is one of the best kickers in the NFL – he’s made 86.2 percent of his field goals in four-plus NFL seasons and is 4-for-4 this year. Brad Maynard, 36 and a 10-year pro, is an excellent placement punter with a career gross average of 42.0 yards and net of 36.6 yards. Hester still returns punts, but he hasn’t been nearly as dangerous since becoming a starting receiver in 2008. After taking back seven punts for touchdowns in 2006 and ’07 combined, he has none since and is averaging 2.0 yards on six returns this season.
I'm going with Packers 17 Bears 13
Chicago Bears' Jay Cutler picks up game to complement stout defense
By Pete Dougherty • [email protected] • September 21, 2010
Following is a scouting report on the Chicago Bears based on interviews with several NFL scouts who have seen them play live or on videotape this season:
Additional information
(Links will open in a new window)
♦ This week's featured player photo gallery: Donald Driver.
♦ Sign up for Green Bay Packers text alerts.
♦ Passing offense: New offensive coordinator Mike Martz is the toast of Chicago after the Bears improved to 2-0 with a 27-20 win at Dallas last week. It’s early, but Martz seems to be meshing well with Jay Cutler, who played like a franchise quarterback against the Cowboys and after two games has the NFL’s top passer rating (121.2 points). After throwing an NFL-high 26 interceptions last season, Cutler has taken much better care of the ball so far this year (five touchdown passes, one interception), which was Martz’s mission No. 1. “It seems like a pretty good fit because Cutler likes to throw the football,” one scout said. “The Cowboys were banking on that if you pressure him like the Lions did (in the opener) he’s going to throw it to you. The Cowboys put pressure on him and he didn’t make any mistakes.” The Bears don’t have marquee playmakers, but they have the speed at receiver that Martz covets for his downfield routes and a complete halfback in Matt Forte. Forte has a team-high 12 catches, including an 89-yard touchdown on a screen against Detroit in the opener. Johnny Knox (seven catches, 19.7-yard average) and Devin Hester (five catches, 18.8-yard average) are deep threats. Earl Bennett, a possession receiver who played with Cutler in college at Vanderbilt, was the No. 3 receiver against Dallas, ahead of Devin Aromashodu. “Those guys have speed,” a scout said. “The Cowboys made them look much better than they are, but those guys made plays down the field. And you have to deal with the runner, you have to deal with Matt Forte coming out of the backfield catching balls, catching screens.”
♦ Running offense: The Bears are average at best on the offensive line, though they made a key move last week when left tackle Chris Williams, their best lineman, went down because of a hamstring injury in the first quarter. They replaced him with Kevin Shaffer, but Shaffer played right tackle and Frank Omiyale moved from right tackle to the left side. The line held up surprisingly well. “Omiyale was terrible against the Lions (in the opener),” another scout said. “I thought he was their worst player (in the opener), but he battled his (butt) off on the left side and was actually better.” Forte was a major disappointment last year when he got out of shape in the offseason and then sustained a hamstring injury that never healed. But he’s playing even better now than in his rookie season in ‘08, when he rushed for 1,238 yards and caught 63 passes. Chester Taylor, the former Vikings third-down back, also is a complete player, and both backs are good at making dump-off passes an extension of the run game. “When those routes are going down the field, all of a sudden (Cutler) is throwing the ball to Forte in the flat or throwing a screen, and the next thing you know it’s a 15-, 16-yard gain,” a scout said.
Running defense: At least through two weeks, the Bears look more like the defense that was one of the league’s best in the middle 2000s, as opposed to last year, when Chicago finished No. 17 in yards allowed and tied for No. 21 in points allowed. Last week, Dallas halfbacks Marion Barber and Felix Jones combined for only 38 yards rushing on 18 carries. The biggest reason the run defense is better is the return of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, who is playing at a high level after he missed basically all of last season because of a broken wrist sustained in the opener. Urlacher and Lance Briggs are two of the best linebackers in the league. “Where (Briggs) has been real effective is blitzing, not so much pressure on the quarterback but run blitzing,” one scout said. “Against the Lions he had a tackle for a loss on a run blitz, same against the Cowboys.” Defensive tackle Tommie Harris is active though at age 27 and with a history of knee problems he’s no longer the playmaker he was early in his career.
♦ Passing defense: The Bears paid a fortune ($42 million guaranteed on a six-year contract) in free agency for Julius Peppers, and he’s been the same player he was in Carolina. When he gets after it, he can be a dominating pass rusher, though he tends to take plays off also. He knocked Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford out of the opener with a hard sack, and had a hit on Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo last week. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli usually lines up Peppers on the weak side, opposite the tight end. He’s a player offenses have to account for, so even when he’s not getting sacks he’s helping teammates. Mark Anderson, who had 12 sacks as a rookie in 2006 but only 9 ½ in the three seasons thereafter, plays opposite Peppers and is a smaller end (6-4, 225). “That front seven is pretty darn good,” a scout said. “They’re not a big group, but they’re active. They gave the Cowboys a lot of problems.” The Bears still play the Tampa Cover 2 defense, though like most teams in that scheme they mix in plenty of one-deep safety looks on early downs. Their secondary is the weak link in the defense. Safety Daniel Manning probably is their best defensive back. Cornerback Charles Tillman specializes in stripping the ball from receivers after the catch, and nickel back D.J. Moore, a second-year pro, had two interceptions against the Cowboys.
♦ Special teams: Robbie Gould is one of the best kickers in the NFL – he’s made 86.2 percent of his field goals in four-plus NFL seasons and is 4-for-4 this year. Brad Maynard, 36 and a 10-year pro, is an excellent placement punter with a career gross average of 42.0 yards and net of 36.6 yards. Hester still returns punts, but he hasn’t been nearly as dangerous since becoming a starting receiver in 2008. After taking back seven punts for touchdowns in 2006 and ’07 combined, he has none since and is averaging 2.0 yards on six returns this season.
