Thursday, September 25, 2008

Da Bears - Going into week 4 vs McNabb and his Eagles

DA BEARS - Going into Week 4
Quarterback - Kyle Orton
One thing everyone in Chicago can agrees on is, Mr. Orton needs to be introduced to the 21st century quickly. Here's to hoping that his wifey gets on that task and prompts him to remove that hideous growth of a neck bread he has developed, or as a certain friend of mine put it so eloquently, Mutant Neck Hair. Aside from his style, his football play is anything close to Grossman-esque - from all vantage points.
Lets look at his upsides. - He exudes a confidence that is welcomed by his team and the fans. He has smarts to not lock down on a receiver, and waits for the open man. He possess an intellect of the game to find that hole in which he can squeeze into for a run. Above all, he has the courage of a running back, and the stupidity of a young child as he darts for that first down, sacrificing himself as fresh meat for a hungry pack of defensive sharks. What qb do you know of that drops his shoulder and challenges the defense to tackle him? With that said, someone teach this fool to slide! Lol. However, with all these intangible qualities, he lacks the tangibles.
He lacks accuracy in his passes. He has had Marty Booker open a few times, in which he should have connected with him for a touchdown, to only fail. Brandon Lloyd has made Orton look like a stud, as he has twisted more than a Russian gymnast in order to make the catch on an under thrown ball. There have been times, when the receiver has had to slow down on his route in order to catch a slow, under thrown ball,, only to be pummeled by the opposing defense, where, if the ball had been thrown correctly, accurately, and with speed, the receiver would be off and running. Likewise, there have been other times when Orton has just grossly (no pun intended) overthrown his receivers. Regardless, inaccuracy is a plague that Orton must overcome.
Additionally, his inaccuracy may be, in part, caused by his noodle arm. Yes, he is weak. He cannot zip a pass like a Brett Favre bullet. His passes, even the short ones, are wobbly, and lack the tight spirals shown by both Grossman and Hanie. Most long balls are lofted so high in the air, that the defense has time to adjust as the receiver slows down for the catch. It is no wonder that Orton maintains a Level 1 passing game. One thing i cannot figure out is, for two years this kid was on the bench and has had more time than anyone else to work out and strengthen that arm. it is still weak as it was in 2005. The inability to stretch a defense will surely draw the demise of the offense; drawing the defense closer to the line of scrimmage which will in effect slow shut down the run. With that, lets go into the Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff -
We have two great running backs in Matt Forte and Kevin Jones. Matt Forte has earned a fan in me, as well as the rest of Chicago, but with that said, we should also see more of Kevin Jones. When healthy, Jones has proven to be a strong and effective runner, gashing defenses. No one knows this better than the Chicago Defense. This is not to take away from Forte's starting job, which he as earned, but to give Forte a rest, while throwing the opposing defense for a loop with Jones' running style. If Jones get at least 15 carries a game, i believe our running game would be strong. Its a 1--2 punch, that the bears exploited well with Thomas Jones - Cedric Benson in 2006. Additionally, the coaches need to utilize their speed in the receiving core, if at the minimum to trick defenses into stretching out, so that the running game can develop, from which, Play Action can be utilized efficiently. They should line up Olsen, Hester, Lloyd, and Booker/Forte at the wideout positions - yup 4 wideouts. Try the long ball. Target for Hester/Lloyd, pass to the slower Booker (he is not slow, but slower than the rest, maybe, arguable). Or, put Jones and Forte in the backfield. Two Speedy backs in lieu of the traditional speed and brunt set up than before. Its a scheme not utilized by the Bears, where they can fake a run to Jones, as Forte provides a quick block, and then catches. Or, Fake a run to Jones, and hand off to Forte, or vice versa. Just a few suggestions. The play calling by Ron Turner is predictable and uninspired. He was the man who single handedly set back Illini Football 10 years; thus, fired for a reason.
Bob Babich needs to be shown the door in my opinion. He cannot effectively call defensive plays that can last 60 minutes. The linebackers stack the box too often, and Hunter Hillenmeyer has been exposed against pass coverage.

The Defense -
The safety positions are performing well with Kevin Payne and Mike Brown. However, Nathan Vasher is uncharacteristically slow this year. He has been beat on the straight line run, and has fallen for wideout jukes too often; he has been exposed. Could it be due to the lack of tackling and conditioning in the preseason and practice? The bears seemed awfully worn out when Greiese ran the two minute drill on them. Pro Bowlers not performing at their expected levels: a considerable amount of blame falls on the shoulders of the coaching staff;
Lovie Smith, Ron Turner, Bob Babich. - All Fail in my book.
So far, i like the play of Tillman and M. Brown. Granted, Tillman is a lightweight, and we've seen him this year struggle on getting a bigger guy down. But, he has his wideouts wrapped up and stopped in their tracks until a LB or Safety can come help him knock the player down. He has a knack for the ball, punching, swatting, and catching it, to allow the Chicago offense to come on to the field. Urlacher and Briggs are ferocious on their ends, but really, they do need to step up the leadership roles that they have earned. They need to step up their play. Simple as that.
This defense prides itself on being able to flip the switch when it matters, but it appears, that switch has been misplaced. They once claimed the title MONSTERS OF THE MIDWAY. only thing that changed was the coaching staff. - Rivera out, inexperienced Babich in.

It appears that the cons outweight the pros. However, given the talent on either side of the ball (Forte, Jones, Hester on offense and everyone on Defense) things need to change for Chicago Bears to be successful, and it can start with the exit of Bob Babich and Ron Turner.

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