sago1
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Good article about the quality of the defenses Romo has faced in his short career.
Bears do have the best defense he's seen and it could pose problems for him if he has trouble moving out of a collapsing pocket, trying to pick up first down yardage on his own, defense reacts more quickly to wide open WR, etc. Hopefully all those things will be discussed/pointed out by Garrett to Romo during their long film studies.
Garrett will again also have to stress ball security (fumbles/INTs) and to make smart plays not reckless). Obviously Garrett will have to come up with a good game plan (if one available) which takes advantage of our strengths, limits the Bear's strengths/effectiveness and attacks/creates Bears' defensive weaknesses.
We've also got to cut down on those dumb offensive penalties (false starts, holding in unnecessary situation, etc.) & play smart.
Romo about to face his stiffest test of year
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September 22, 2007
In Tony Romo's first 13 NFL starts, he has faced one top-10 defense. His 14th Sunday at Soldier Field will come against the Bears' fifth-ranked unit.
Romo will encounter the quickest, meanest group of men who ever have chased him around a professional football field. Romo's college degree might be from Eastern Illinois University, but he could get an NFL education in crisis management from the Bears defense.
Nothing against Romo, the hottest Cowboy since Tim McGraw, but his rapid inclusion in conversations about the league's quarterbacking elite ignores the shoddy defensive teams that have helped Romo's blue star rise.
He has started against 13 defenses whose average rank is No. 22. Six of those defenses were ranked 25th or lower.
Numbers often lie, and Romo indeed possesses the moxie, mobility and accuracy that makes it easy to understand why Cowboys owner Jerry Jones eventually will keep Texas' most eligible bachelor one of its richest.
Romo grew up in Wisconsin idolizing Brett Favre, and early on as an NFL starter he has emulated the Green Bay legend with impressive improvisational skills. As Charles Tillman said of Romo, "He definitely can sling it in the hole."
But can he slay a giant as fierce as the Bears' defense?
Tackle Tommie Harris, coming off a two-sack game, looks as dominant as ever thanks in large part to the Cowboys' team physician, Daniel Cooper, who performed Harris' hamstring surgery. Linebacker Lance Briggs has started off this season playing like the $20 million player he wants to be next winter. So far, wide receivers have needed GPS to find a clear path in the Bears secondary. And Brian Urlacher has performed like, well, Brian Urlacher.
Pro Bowl or no Pro Bowl, until Romo stars against a defense ranked in the top half of the league—11 of 13 opponents haven't been—a big question will remain. It's no more unfair than raising doubts about Rex Grossman last season because his oft-referenced seven games above a 100 passer rating came against defenses with an average rank of 22.
Those doubts about Grossman so far in 2007 have proved to be legitimate and appropriate. So is caution when it comes to comparing Romo to a modern-day Roger Staubach before he has overcome a defense as aggressive and sound as that of the Bears.
Defensive coordinator Bob Babich's impact has been more obvious than expected in the first two games as the Bears have blitzed more with linebackers and safeties. That approach made sense given the Chargers and Chiefs similarly had All-Pro running backs that posed the biggest threats and wide receivers known only to fantasy-football geeks.
"[Babich] frees us up [and] gives us a chance to rush more because we're not playing as much Cover-2," said Urlacher, who has benefited from the change by getting his first sack in two years. "We stacked the box and tried to stop the run and make the quarterback beat us."
Stopping the Cowboys' underrated rushing tandem of Julius Jones and Marion Barber remains the Bears' first priority. Slowing down Terrell Owens by having Tillman shadow him all over the field could work the way the strategy did the last time a big, physical wide receiver threatened to take over a game at Soldier Field.
That was during the NFC championship game when Tillman, except for one slip on wet turf, removed Marques Colston from the equation by locking in on the rookie wherever he went. Tillman never has guarded Owens, but his success against rangy receivers such as Colston and Randy Moss, among others, has earned him a reputation as a guy who can neutralize bigger, physical receivers like Owens.
"If you want to say so, I guess, but I think I match up OK against big receivers and small receivers," said Tillman, paid well to do so.
How will Romo react if Owens can't get open? Or—a better question—how will Owens react if Romo cannot find him because of pressure in the pocket unlike any he has experienced?
One school of thought among Bears players wonders if the talent around Romo has inflated the perception he has All-Pro ability.
That was the implication from Bears defensive end Alex Brown when he refused to agree that Romo was a "superstar" quarterback. It also came through in the assessment of defensive captain Adewale Ogunleye.
"He is a good quarterback, he does things well, but he has some weapons that make him look really, really good with T.O. and those running backs and the tight end (Jason Witten)," Ogunleye said. "He has some weapons with him that make him look really good."
To make Romo look bad, the Bears have to get to him early. The only bad tendency obvious from a statistical analysis of Romo's brief NFL career might be that six of his 13 interceptions last year came before his 10th passing attempt, according to Stats, Inc. The Bears can't let a guy who relies so heavily on confidence to build any, especially on the road.
If Romo leaves the pocket to make a play, the Bears have to show him that the only lanes to close quickly in Chicago aren't just on the Dan Ryan.
"We have 11 guys on defense who can pretty much run with anyone in this league, I think, especially a quarterback," Urlacher said. "We have a lot of guys who are pretty athletic, take good angles and get to the football. We swarm."
The Bears have shown their defense is good enough to win games even if they get a shaky performance out of their quarterback.
The Cowboys cannot say the same thing yet. That represents the Bears' best chance to win a game in September they would regret losing come January.
Bears do have the best defense he's seen and it could pose problems for him if he has trouble moving out of a collapsing pocket, trying to pick up first down yardage on his own, defense reacts more quickly to wide open WR, etc. Hopefully all those things will be discussed/pointed out by Garrett to Romo during their long film studies.
Garrett will again also have to stress ball security (fumbles/INTs) and to make smart plays not reckless). Obviously Garrett will have to come up with a good game plan (if one available) which takes advantage of our strengths, limits the Bear's strengths/effectiveness and attacks/creates Bears' defensive weaknesses.
We've also got to cut down on those dumb offensive penalties (false starts, holding in unnecessary situation, etc.) & play smart.
Romo about to face his stiffest test of year
[SIZE=+1]Bears' defense likely the best he has seen[/SIZE]
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September 22, 2007
In Tony Romo's first 13 NFL starts, he has faced one top-10 defense. His 14th Sunday at Soldier Field will come against the Bears' fifth-ranked unit.
Romo will encounter the quickest, meanest group of men who ever have chased him around a professional football field. Romo's college degree might be from Eastern Illinois University, but he could get an NFL education in crisis management from the Bears defense.
Nothing against Romo, the hottest Cowboy since Tim McGraw, but his rapid inclusion in conversations about the league's quarterbacking elite ignores the shoddy defensive teams that have helped Romo's blue star rise.
He has started against 13 defenses whose average rank is No. 22. Six of those defenses were ranked 25th or lower.
Numbers often lie, and Romo indeed possesses the moxie, mobility and accuracy that makes it easy to understand why Cowboys owner Jerry Jones eventually will keep Texas' most eligible bachelor one of its richest.
Romo grew up in Wisconsin idolizing Brett Favre, and early on as an NFL starter he has emulated the Green Bay legend with impressive improvisational skills. As Charles Tillman said of Romo, "He definitely can sling it in the hole."
But can he slay a giant as fierce as the Bears' defense?
Tackle Tommie Harris, coming off a two-sack game, looks as dominant as ever thanks in large part to the Cowboys' team physician, Daniel Cooper, who performed Harris' hamstring surgery. Linebacker Lance Briggs has started off this season playing like the $20 million player he wants to be next winter. So far, wide receivers have needed GPS to find a clear path in the Bears secondary. And Brian Urlacher has performed like, well, Brian Urlacher.
Pro Bowl or no Pro Bowl, until Romo stars against a defense ranked in the top half of the league—11 of 13 opponents haven't been—a big question will remain. It's no more unfair than raising doubts about Rex Grossman last season because his oft-referenced seven games above a 100 passer rating came against defenses with an average rank of 22.
Those doubts about Grossman so far in 2007 have proved to be legitimate and appropriate. So is caution when it comes to comparing Romo to a modern-day Roger Staubach before he has overcome a defense as aggressive and sound as that of the Bears.
Defensive coordinator Bob Babich's impact has been more obvious than expected in the first two games as the Bears have blitzed more with linebackers and safeties. That approach made sense given the Chargers and Chiefs similarly had All-Pro running backs that posed the biggest threats and wide receivers known only to fantasy-football geeks.
"[Babich] frees us up [and] gives us a chance to rush more because we're not playing as much Cover-2," said Urlacher, who has benefited from the change by getting his first sack in two years. "We stacked the box and tried to stop the run and make the quarterback beat us."
Stopping the Cowboys' underrated rushing tandem of Julius Jones and Marion Barber remains the Bears' first priority. Slowing down Terrell Owens by having Tillman shadow him all over the field could work the way the strategy did the last time a big, physical wide receiver threatened to take over a game at Soldier Field.
That was during the NFC championship game when Tillman, except for one slip on wet turf, removed Marques Colston from the equation by locking in on the rookie wherever he went. Tillman never has guarded Owens, but his success against rangy receivers such as Colston and Randy Moss, among others, has earned him a reputation as a guy who can neutralize bigger, physical receivers like Owens.
"If you want to say so, I guess, but I think I match up OK against big receivers and small receivers," said Tillman, paid well to do so.
How will Romo react if Owens can't get open? Or—a better question—how will Owens react if Romo cannot find him because of pressure in the pocket unlike any he has experienced?
One school of thought among Bears players wonders if the talent around Romo has inflated the perception he has All-Pro ability.
That was the implication from Bears defensive end Alex Brown when he refused to agree that Romo was a "superstar" quarterback. It also came through in the assessment of defensive captain Adewale Ogunleye.
"He is a good quarterback, he does things well, but he has some weapons that make him look really, really good with T.O. and those running backs and the tight end (Jason Witten)," Ogunleye said. "He has some weapons with him that make him look really good."
To make Romo look bad, the Bears have to get to him early. The only bad tendency obvious from a statistical analysis of Romo's brief NFL career might be that six of his 13 interceptions last year came before his 10th passing attempt, according to Stats, Inc. The Bears can't let a guy who relies so heavily on confidence to build any, especially on the road.
If Romo leaves the pocket to make a play, the Bears have to show him that the only lanes to close quickly in Chicago aren't just on the Dan Ryan.
"We have 11 guys on defense who can pretty much run with anyone in this league, I think, especially a quarterback," Urlacher said. "We have a lot of guys who are pretty athletic, take good angles and get to the football. We swarm."
The Bears have shown their defense is good enough to win games even if they get a shaky performance out of their quarterback.
The Cowboys cannot say the same thing yet. That represents the Bears' best chance to win a game in September they would regret losing come January.
