To be sure, the focus on ESPN after the game was on the Cowboy's "self destruction," but that's to be expected from a network that values ratings above all else. In reality, however, it was the ferocious play of the Bears defense that suffocated Tony Romo into making bad decisions all game long.
Melton has been a force |
When the Bears can create this pass rush merely from their front four, it allows the talents of the Bears superior linebacking corps to do what they do best. Brian Urlacher, even limited by his knee issues, can still take care of the middle of the field, whether it be dropping back into covereage or slipping through blocks in run coverage. And it gives Lance Briggs opportunities at the WILL to slip blockers (who are already recovering from great penetration by the front four) and either disrupt passing lanes or chase to the other sideline and make the tackle. The front four has created so much pressure that plays like this past monday, where Melton got inside to pressure Romo and forced the interception that Briggs was able to return for a touchdown, are becoming more common place as this defense finds its stride.
If I had to describe this Bears defense, I would use words like tough, physical, intense, ball-hawking, and ferocious. But more than anything else, I would use the word opportunistic. It's common knowledge that this team takes any opportunity they can find to create turnovers and try to make things happen off of them. In a way, it's almost a second form of offense. You saw it again when Charles Tillman jumped a Romo throw and returned that for another 6, and you see it every play where Tillman makes the tackle but tries to punch the ball out in the middle of the tackle each time. I had a discussion with a friend of mine during the game and we simply couldn't believe how underrated he's been his entire career. Tillman was only selected to his first Pro Bowl last year. Yet, he has 29 forced fumbles as a CORNERBACK in his career, and has played consistently well against top receivers for most of his career. He was in Dez Bryant's face the entire game, frustrating the kid into drops and poor decisions the whole time.
Tillman has been underrated his entire career |
And then there's the offense. For the first game nearly all season, the offense appeared to be firing on all cylinders. I'd like to first address the Cutler pouting issue before moving on to real, substantive issues. The whole issue with his anger towards Tice getting the plays relayed to Cutler on the field is important. Cutler should be upset that it takes so long to get the plays to Cutler, because it affords Jay that much less time to check the play at the line of scrimmage. Now, while I don't approve of Jay acting like a child by waiting for Tice to sit down before standing back up and walking away, wouldn't anyone be upset coming off the field to that? Jay is trying to get some momentum going for his team, and it doesn't help if the coaches on the sideline are lollygagging on getting the plays called. For once, and I'm admittedly not a Cutler apologist, I'm on Jay's side here. Here, he finally shows that he can be a leader, and even though he acted a little immature about it on the sidelines, his point is valid. Get the play called quicker so we can get our offense moving in the right direction with some sense of momentum and fluidity. It's important, get it done.
As for the play on the field, it's hard not to admire what the Bears did. The offensive line played excellent, which is probably a combination of better playcalling to accentuate the strengths of the line while at the same time adjustments being made in practice to protect J'Marcus Webb agaisnt DeMarcus Ware on the outside. The Bears ran a lot of quick plays more reminiscent of a West Coast Offense to try and ease the pass rush, and eventually, it forced the Cowboys to sit back and give Cutler more time to throw. The first of these was the Devin Hester touchdown, where Hester torched rookie Morris Claiborne on a double move for a beautiful touchdown:
The result was a series of huge completions from Cutler to Brandon Marshall. I particularly enjoyed Cutler's adjustments at the line on the last touchdown to Marshall, where it appeared that Cutler recognized the blitz coming from the left and motioned Marshall across. From there, the chemistry between Cutler and Marshall is such that Marshall knew to run his route and stick into open field, waiting for the ball. Beautifully executed.
I hope that this is a corollary to the same Bears team we saw last year that started to click after similar wins against similarly good opponents. The Cowboys are no slouch, and I personally think that if the offense did not self-destruct against Green Bay, the Bears would be 4-0 right now and receiving much more publicity.
The sky is the limit with this team. They head to Jacksonville this weekend, so let's see if they can continue their great play against one of the worst teams in the league. They should; they have a playoff-caliber defense and their offense is finally starting to find its stride with all the new moving parts. If Matt Forte is healthy, Cutler stays calm, and Mike Tice keeps calling good games to compensate for the weaknesses on the offensive line, who's to say that this Bears team couldn't go far? Every other team in the NFC North, and the NFC for that reason (well, maybe besides San Francisco) have weaknesses. The Bears, if they're coming together as I think they are, should be able to get through this season and be contending for a division title the entire way.
It's going to take determination, luck, health, improvement, and consistency, but that applies across the board to each NFL team and the Bears are led in general by a strong group of leaders that can ensure this happens on this team. For once, we have a Bears team that has improved nearly all of its weaknesses. The pass rush is now an elite unit. The secondary has been a revelation. With the playcalling and adjustments on the line, who knows, maybe that can become a passable unit as well. All we know is that if the Bears come out this weekend and play great against a very bad Jacksonville team, they head into the bye week as one of the NFC's Super Bowl favorites. Time to make it happen, boys.
I hope that this is a corollary to the same Bears team we saw last year that started to click after similar wins against similarly good opponents. The Cowboys are no slouch, and I personally think that if the offense did not self-destruct against Green Bay, the Bears would be 4-0 right now and receiving much more publicity.
The sky is the limit with this team. They head to Jacksonville this weekend, so let's see if they can continue their great play against one of the worst teams in the league. They should; they have a playoff-caliber defense and their offense is finally starting to find its stride with all the new moving parts. If Matt Forte is healthy, Cutler stays calm, and Mike Tice keeps calling good games to compensate for the weaknesses on the offensive line, who's to say that this Bears team couldn't go far? Every other team in the NFC North, and the NFC for that reason (well, maybe besides San Francisco) have weaknesses. The Bears, if they're coming together as I think they are, should be able to get through this season and be contending for a division title the entire way.
It's going to take determination, luck, health, improvement, and consistency, but that applies across the board to each NFL team and the Bears are led in general by a strong group of leaders that can ensure this happens on this team. For once, we have a Bears team that has improved nearly all of its weaknesses. The pass rush is now an elite unit. The secondary has been a revelation. With the playcalling and adjustments on the line, who knows, maybe that can become a passable unit as well. All we know is that if the Bears come out this weekend and play great against a very bad Jacksonville team, they head into the bye week as one of the NFC's Super Bowl favorites. Time to make it happen, boys.
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