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Witless protection
Blocking scheme must improve before fans blitz QB with criticism
David Haugh David Haugh On the Bears
September 18, 2007
Tuesday's two-minute drill ...
If Bears fans must follow their instincts, go ahead and rip Rex Grossman for his role in the offense scoring only one touchdown in the first eight quarters. Suggest Brian Griese take a few snaps in practice this week to nudge Grossman back on track the way splitting reps before the Rams game did last season. Start guessing when Grossman will be replaced, which is fast becoming Chicago's favorite parlor game.
But understand that until the Bears learn to handle the blitz, it won't matter who plays quarterback.
Unless the Bears figure it out starting Sunday against a 3-4 Cowboys defense that could be harder to read than a doctor's signature, they risk having to rethink their goals this season. Consider that falling to Dallas at home in September could cause the Bears to lose home-field advantage to the Cowboys in January.
Grossman hasn't played well yet, but blitz pressure has contributed to his early inconsistency. The Bears' giving up six sacks in two games tells only part of the story. The majority of pass rushers who have rushed Grossman's throws haven't beaten their men as much as they have been unaccounted for in the Bears' pass-protection plan. Maybe it's time for a new plan.
That shouldn't happen with a veteran offensive line. Part of the responsibility also falls to Grossman for not identifying the uncovered pass rusher and adjusting. Was that the topic of the spirited conversation between Grossman and center Olin Kreutz on their way off the field Sunday after a failed third-down conversion attempt?
Still another possibility is Cedric Benson's inability to pick up stray blitzers as well as Thomas Jones did.
Offensive coordinator Ron Turner shot down the idea that defenses have zeroed in on the Bears' right side and called it a coincidence that the heaviest pressure has come from the rush lane outside of tackle Fred Miller's outside shoulder. Teams used to attack Grossman up the middle. Now it's from every direction, but especially the right side.
Turner can help. The barrage of blitzes essentially has forced Grossman into being a game manager instead of a gamebreaker. Only in glimpses has he looked comfortable. Teams such as the Chiefs have taken away the deep ball with Cover-2, but the Bears need to threaten more downfield to loosen things up if Grossman is ever going to be Grossman this year.
That tweak would allow Grossman to play more according to his strengths. Because if poor pass protection forces the passing game to evolve into an array of slants, swing passes and check-downs, then it suits Griese more than it does Grossman.
Getting tight end Greg Olsen back will help. So would re- introducing Mark Bradley into the mix—remember him? Give Grossman a chance to use his full complement of offensive weapons before reacting too rashly. But first the offensive line, or the offensive scheme, or Grossman himself, has to make the proper adjustments to give the quarterback time.
Because it's high time the Bears fix this problem. ...
Speaking of Olsen, the tight end expressed hope again Monday that his NFL debut would come "as early as Sunday." But if his sprained left knee keeps Olsen on the sidelines another week, it will disappoint the rookie but hardly devastate him.
Since Olsen watched his mother, Susan, cope with breast cancer six years ago when he was a high school senior in New Jersey, football's occasional valleys haven't seemed quite as deep.
"No doubt it helps me put things in perspective," Olsen said. "My career is my No. 1 focus, but I'm from a real strong family and going through something like that makes you stop and be thankful for all the things I have. Just having to sit and watch right now is tough, but there are a lot worse things that can happen [than a knee injury]."
Susan Olsen will join her son at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the John Hancock Center to launch the "Are You Man Enough?" campaign that invites men from Chicago to wear pink to support the fight against breast cancer.
"When you're in a position to help people, as we are as professional athletes, you should do it," Olsen said. ...
In two games, Muhsin Muhammad only has one more catch (two) than backup offensive tackle John St. Clair. But Muhammad has contributed in other ways, such as the lights-out block on Chiefs corner Patrick Surtain that added at least another 10 yards to Bernard Berrian's 21-yard reception. Muhammad kidded Surtain, whom he respects, after the game that he was just "giving him some love."
"As receivers, we don't often get a chance to deliver the blow, [so] you relish those opportunities," he said. ...
If the Bears have any other bright ideas about using St. Clair in short-yardage situations, they should know he rushed 15 times for 77 yards as a high school senior at William Fleming High School in Roanoke, Va. St. Clair was better known for the pass-catching ability he showed against the Chiefs. "He can catch the ball like crazy," his prep coach was quoted as saying about St. Clair in a 1994 Roanoke Times feature story. ...
Blasphemous as it sounds, the Bears won't miss Mike Brown at all if Danieal Manning stays as active as he did in his first game replacing Brown at free safety. His fourth-quarter interception kept the game from getting more interesting.
A year more experienced, Manning explained that he showed up in run support more quickly because it was easier reading his keys, and improved confidence helped him reduce his cushion on receivers that was too deep his rookie year. "I can get a better jump on the ball because I'm just more comfortable," Manning said. ...
He will be wearing opposition colors Sunday night, but many people in the Bears organization will be happy for right tackle Marc Colombo when he makes his 20th straight start for the Cowboys. Colombo, Jerry Angelo's first draft choice in 2002, never justified the pick in Chicago because of a series of knee injuries. So far this season Colombo has handled the Giants' Michael Strahan and the Dolphins' Matt Roth without giving up a sack. It's a good challenge for left ends Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown, who should be familiar with Colombo because he was a member of the same Bears draft class. ...
Memo to Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who complained in an HBO interview that black quarterbacks receive more criticism than their white counterparts: You really should spend more time in your hometown of Chicago, where Grossman and Lovie Smith might be able to offer some evidence to debunk that theory.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...augh,1,5909967.column?coll=cs-bears-headlines
Blocking scheme must improve before fans blitz QB with criticism
David Haugh David Haugh On the Bears
September 18, 2007
Tuesday's two-minute drill ...
If Bears fans must follow their instincts, go ahead and rip Rex Grossman for his role in the offense scoring only one touchdown in the first eight quarters. Suggest Brian Griese take a few snaps in practice this week to nudge Grossman back on track the way splitting reps before the Rams game did last season. Start guessing when Grossman will be replaced, which is fast becoming Chicago's favorite parlor game.
But understand that until the Bears learn to handle the blitz, it won't matter who plays quarterback.
Unless the Bears figure it out starting Sunday against a 3-4 Cowboys defense that could be harder to read than a doctor's signature, they risk having to rethink their goals this season. Consider that falling to Dallas at home in September could cause the Bears to lose home-field advantage to the Cowboys in January.
Grossman hasn't played well yet, but blitz pressure has contributed to his early inconsistency. The Bears' giving up six sacks in two games tells only part of the story. The majority of pass rushers who have rushed Grossman's throws haven't beaten their men as much as they have been unaccounted for in the Bears' pass-protection plan. Maybe it's time for a new plan.
That shouldn't happen with a veteran offensive line. Part of the responsibility also falls to Grossman for not identifying the uncovered pass rusher and adjusting. Was that the topic of the spirited conversation between Grossman and center Olin Kreutz on their way off the field Sunday after a failed third-down conversion attempt?
Still another possibility is Cedric Benson's inability to pick up stray blitzers as well as Thomas Jones did.
Offensive coordinator Ron Turner shot down the idea that defenses have zeroed in on the Bears' right side and called it a coincidence that the heaviest pressure has come from the rush lane outside of tackle Fred Miller's outside shoulder. Teams used to attack Grossman up the middle. Now it's from every direction, but especially the right side.
Turner can help. The barrage of blitzes essentially has forced Grossman into being a game manager instead of a gamebreaker. Only in glimpses has he looked comfortable. Teams such as the Chiefs have taken away the deep ball with Cover-2, but the Bears need to threaten more downfield to loosen things up if Grossman is ever going to be Grossman this year.
That tweak would allow Grossman to play more according to his strengths. Because if poor pass protection forces the passing game to evolve into an array of slants, swing passes and check-downs, then it suits Griese more than it does Grossman.
Getting tight end Greg Olsen back will help. So would re- introducing Mark Bradley into the mix—remember him? Give Grossman a chance to use his full complement of offensive weapons before reacting too rashly. But first the offensive line, or the offensive scheme, or Grossman himself, has to make the proper adjustments to give the quarterback time.
Because it's high time the Bears fix this problem. ...
Speaking of Olsen, the tight end expressed hope again Monday that his NFL debut would come "as early as Sunday." But if his sprained left knee keeps Olsen on the sidelines another week, it will disappoint the rookie but hardly devastate him.
Since Olsen watched his mother, Susan, cope with breast cancer six years ago when he was a high school senior in New Jersey, football's occasional valleys haven't seemed quite as deep.
"No doubt it helps me put things in perspective," Olsen said. "My career is my No. 1 focus, but I'm from a real strong family and going through something like that makes you stop and be thankful for all the things I have. Just having to sit and watch right now is tough, but there are a lot worse things that can happen [than a knee injury]."
Susan Olsen will join her son at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the John Hancock Center to launch the "Are You Man Enough?" campaign that invites men from Chicago to wear pink to support the fight against breast cancer.
"When you're in a position to help people, as we are as professional athletes, you should do it," Olsen said. ...
In two games, Muhsin Muhammad only has one more catch (two) than backup offensive tackle John St. Clair. But Muhammad has contributed in other ways, such as the lights-out block on Chiefs corner Patrick Surtain that added at least another 10 yards to Bernard Berrian's 21-yard reception. Muhammad kidded Surtain, whom he respects, after the game that he was just "giving him some love."
"As receivers, we don't often get a chance to deliver the blow, [so] you relish those opportunities," he said. ...
If the Bears have any other bright ideas about using St. Clair in short-yardage situations, they should know he rushed 15 times for 77 yards as a high school senior at William Fleming High School in Roanoke, Va. St. Clair was better known for the pass-catching ability he showed against the Chiefs. "He can catch the ball like crazy," his prep coach was quoted as saying about St. Clair in a 1994 Roanoke Times feature story. ...
Blasphemous as it sounds, the Bears won't miss Mike Brown at all if Danieal Manning stays as active as he did in his first game replacing Brown at free safety. His fourth-quarter interception kept the game from getting more interesting.
A year more experienced, Manning explained that he showed up in run support more quickly because it was easier reading his keys, and improved confidence helped him reduce his cushion on receivers that was too deep his rookie year. "I can get a better jump on the ball because I'm just more comfortable," Manning said. ...
He will be wearing opposition colors Sunday night, but many people in the Bears organization will be happy for right tackle Marc Colombo when he makes his 20th straight start for the Cowboys. Colombo, Jerry Angelo's first draft choice in 2002, never justified the pick in Chicago because of a series of knee injuries. So far this season Colombo has handled the Giants' Michael Strahan and the Dolphins' Matt Roth without giving up a sack. It's a good challenge for left ends Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown, who should be familiar with Colombo because he was a member of the same Bears draft class. ...
Memo to Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who complained in an HBO interview that black quarterbacks receive more criticism than their white counterparts: You really should spend more time in your hometown of Chicago, where Grossman and Lovie Smith might be able to offer some evidence to debunk that theory.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...augh,1,5909967.column?coll=cs-bears-headlines