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It's time to step up
Bewildered offense knows it can't keep retreating like this
September 17, 2007
BY MIKE MULLIGAN mmulligan@suntimes.com
The Bears took a ''victory knee'' Sunday after the 20-10 home-opening victory over Kansas City at Soldier Field, and veteran guard Ruben Brown addressed his offensive teammates.
He told them to look around --that everybody there was going to be there all season and no cavalry was on the way. ''So let's work on it,'' Brown said.
No doubt there is plenty of work to be done. Piles of it. Mountains.
''Definitely, we're not happy,'' Bears center Olin Kreutz said. ''We can't keep going like this.''
What the offense has been doing is turning the ball over. The Bears have seven turnovers in two games, including three against the Chiefs to keep them in the game. Wide receiver Bernard Berrian lost a fumble on the second offensive play and quarterback Rex Grossman threw two interceptions in the second half. He somehow overthrew Garrett Wolfe on a screen pass -- who wouldn't? --and then blundered on a ball to Rashied Davis that Donnie Edwards returned 18 yards to the Bears' 25.
It could have been a turning point if Danieal Manning hadn't intercepted a pass in the end zone three plays later as the defense turned up the pressure down the stretch to preserve the victory.
It raises an obvious question: Can the Bears really win games on defense and special teams this year just as they did last year? Not if they continue to turn the ball over. Fact is, their schedule is tougher and it's front-loaded so they're facing better teams early.
The blessing is that the Bears are in the NFC, the NFL's weaker conference. Being the best team in the NFC is like being the smartest mental midget. Or is it tallest?
With New Orleans, Seattle and Carolina losing on Sunday, the unbeaten in the NFC include Dallas, San Francisco and division opponents Green Bay and Detroit. The Washington Commanders have a chance to join the club if they can beat Philadelphia tonight.
Green Bay is probably a better team than expected. The Packers look legitimate thanks to a solid defense and ageless quarterback Brett Favre. But the class of the NFC this young season is Dallas, which comes to Soldier Field for a Sunday night showdown.
No slow 'Pokes
The Cowboys have started the way the Bears did last season, with a surprising burst on offense. They've scored 82 points in two games, getting 45 against the New York Giants in the season opener and 37 in a 17-point win at Miami on Sunday. The Dolphins beat the Bears 31-13 at Soldier Field last season, handing them their first loss.
Good as the defense has played, how many points will the Bears need to score to beat Dallas?
''We normally as an offense set a goal to score 21 or 24 points, something like that,'' wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad said. ''And we didn't do that today. We had a lot of turnovers and miscues and sacks and all kinds of little things that each person probably played a role in. We do go into games saying we want to score a certain number of points and our defense has to stop guys. We have to keep chasing those goals.''
Offensive coordinator Ron Turner had a different take when asked how many points his offense tries to score per game.
''One more than them,'' he said. ''The thing I am looking at more than saying we have to score this number of points is that we have to play with better efficiency and take care of the football better. We have to find our rhythm, find our consistency and if we do that, then the points will come.
''We can't keep turning the ball over and do some of the things we're doing offensively and win games. Our defense is playing great football, but we have to help them.''
It starts with the quarterback. Grossman played well in the first half and looked comfortable, but his mechanics deteriorated. He was throwing off his back foot again. The pressure seemed to be getting to him, which only encourages every team to pressure him.
On the run
The running game was dramatically improved from Week 1 with Cedric Benson getting 101 yards on 24 carries with a long of 13. It was a solid if not exactly inspired performance. But you still worry about Benson fumbling. He lost one that didn't count because it was caused by the ground, but he doesn't look overly protective of the football when he's making cuts.
There was little to like about the offense. The formations are bland, the play-calling irksome and this team apparently has no answer for the blitz.
Maybe the biggest problem is that expectations were set high and the Bears haven't delivered on that promise. There's been more talk of improvement than actual improvement. They'd better getting working on it.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mulligan/560735,CST-SPT-mully17.article
Bewildered offense knows it can't keep retreating like this
September 17, 2007
BY MIKE MULLIGAN mmulligan@suntimes.com
The Bears took a ''victory knee'' Sunday after the 20-10 home-opening victory over Kansas City at Soldier Field, and veteran guard Ruben Brown addressed his offensive teammates.
He told them to look around --that everybody there was going to be there all season and no cavalry was on the way. ''So let's work on it,'' Brown said.
No doubt there is plenty of work to be done. Piles of it. Mountains.
''Definitely, we're not happy,'' Bears center Olin Kreutz said. ''We can't keep going like this.''
What the offense has been doing is turning the ball over. The Bears have seven turnovers in two games, including three against the Chiefs to keep them in the game. Wide receiver Bernard Berrian lost a fumble on the second offensive play and quarterback Rex Grossman threw two interceptions in the second half. He somehow overthrew Garrett Wolfe on a screen pass -- who wouldn't? --and then blundered on a ball to Rashied Davis that Donnie Edwards returned 18 yards to the Bears' 25.
It could have been a turning point if Danieal Manning hadn't intercepted a pass in the end zone three plays later as the defense turned up the pressure down the stretch to preserve the victory.
It raises an obvious question: Can the Bears really win games on defense and special teams this year just as they did last year? Not if they continue to turn the ball over. Fact is, their schedule is tougher and it's front-loaded so they're facing better teams early.
The blessing is that the Bears are in the NFC, the NFL's weaker conference. Being the best team in the NFC is like being the smartest mental midget. Or is it tallest?
With New Orleans, Seattle and Carolina losing on Sunday, the unbeaten in the NFC include Dallas, San Francisco and division opponents Green Bay and Detroit. The Washington Commanders have a chance to join the club if they can beat Philadelphia tonight.
Green Bay is probably a better team than expected. The Packers look legitimate thanks to a solid defense and ageless quarterback Brett Favre. But the class of the NFC this young season is Dallas, which comes to Soldier Field for a Sunday night showdown.
No slow 'Pokes
The Cowboys have started the way the Bears did last season, with a surprising burst on offense. They've scored 82 points in two games, getting 45 against the New York Giants in the season opener and 37 in a 17-point win at Miami on Sunday. The Dolphins beat the Bears 31-13 at Soldier Field last season, handing them their first loss.
Good as the defense has played, how many points will the Bears need to score to beat Dallas?
''We normally as an offense set a goal to score 21 or 24 points, something like that,'' wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad said. ''And we didn't do that today. We had a lot of turnovers and miscues and sacks and all kinds of little things that each person probably played a role in. We do go into games saying we want to score a certain number of points and our defense has to stop guys. We have to keep chasing those goals.''
Offensive coordinator Ron Turner had a different take when asked how many points his offense tries to score per game.
''One more than them,'' he said. ''The thing I am looking at more than saying we have to score this number of points is that we have to play with better efficiency and take care of the football better. We have to find our rhythm, find our consistency and if we do that, then the points will come.
''We can't keep turning the ball over and do some of the things we're doing offensively and win games. Our defense is playing great football, but we have to help them.''
It starts with the quarterback. Grossman played well in the first half and looked comfortable, but his mechanics deteriorated. He was throwing off his back foot again. The pressure seemed to be getting to him, which only encourages every team to pressure him.
On the run
The running game was dramatically improved from Week 1 with Cedric Benson getting 101 yards on 24 carries with a long of 13. It was a solid if not exactly inspired performance. But you still worry about Benson fumbling. He lost one that didn't count because it was caused by the ground, but he doesn't look overly protective of the football when he's making cuts.
There was little to like about the offense. The formations are bland, the play-calling irksome and this team apparently has no answer for the blitz.
Maybe the biggest problem is that expectations were set high and the Bears haven't delivered on that promise. There's been more talk of improvement than actual improvement. They'd better getting working on it.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mulligan/560735,CST-SPT-mully17.article
