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Charles Tillman

Chicago Bears Week 4 Preview

by Chris Kazmierczak September 27, 2014

Tyle_r – Flicker

If the Chicago Bears only won 2-games in a season then one would expect heads to roll at Halas Hall and the fans to lose their minds. Unless, of course those 2-wins were against the Green Bay Packers. It’s a rivalry that goes back to the origins of the NFL and its 189th chapter kicks off at Soldier Field this Sunday. But one of the oldest and greatest rivalries in all of professional sports doesn’t need any hype from me. Let’s get on with it. Here’s what to look for:
The Youth Movement: The Bears youth movement started when Charles Tillman was lost for the season in the comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers. Rookie Kyle Fuller entered the game and took 2 away from Colin Kaepernick. Last week, Fuller was joined by Defensive Linemen and fellow draftees Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson, as well as second year linebacker Jon Bostic, to make life hell for the New York Jets. Then, in that very game, another wave of injuries at Safety had 4th-round-pick Brock Vereen and free agent rookie Ahmad Dixon finishing the game. These young players have worked well with veterans like Lance Briggs, Jared Allen, and Tim Jennings in creating take away opportunities and standing firm when it matters. This group will still be playing without Jeremiah Ratliff, Shea McClellin, Sherrick McManis, for sure and Jared Allen will be a game time decision after dealing with illness all week. If Allen is out, then expect a lot of work for current team sack leader Willie Young, as well as Lamarr Houston, Trevor Scott, and possibly a look at David Bass or Cornelius Washington. Regardless, the defense will have to stand firm and apply pressure in this one. Aaron Rodgers is one of the most accurate passers in the NFL who can extend plays under pressure, and the Packers have an embarrassment of riches at Running Back, making this the Bears’ toughest challenge to date.
Balance to the Force: The Chicago offense should be amazing when its members are all healthy and together. Unfortunately, we have yet to see that for more than a quarter or so. The Bears will be again playing without starting Center Roberto Garza and Left Guard Matt Slauson who are recovering from the high ankle sprains they suffered in the season opening debacle against the Buffalo Bills. In addition, Brandon Marshall will be a game time decision due to an ankle injury suffered during the same game. Marshall played on it against the 49ers and came back after he tweaked it against the Jets so there is no reason to assume he won’t play. Jay Cutler‘s favorite target was slower and less explosive after the re-injury but, as we saw against the 49ers, even with a busted wheel Brandon Marshall is still dangerous. Even if he can’t play well, Marshall still provides a credible threat and draws attention from Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett.

What the Bears need more than almost anything else in this one is to get Matt Forte going again. Forte had a monster game, statistically, in the opener rushing for over 80-yards and catching over 80 more. However, for a guy who has quietly been one of the league’s best backs for the past few years, he’s been pretty silent since that early performance. Green Bay’s run defense is pretty weak and it presents a perfect opportunity to jumpstart the stalled run game. If the Bears can get some semblance of balance to their offense it will keep the Packer’s pass rush from pinning their ears back and blitzing the bejesus out of Cutler like the Jets did on Monday Night. With the likes of Clay Matthews and former Bear Julius Peppers leading that rush, it is probably best to keep the Packers defense guessing as much as possible, and that’s very difficult if the Bears essentially abandon the run as they have in the previous 2 games.
All Together Now: Chicago will have to face a tough challenge on both sides of the ball in this one. The Bears will have to really challenge the run, get to the passer and get after takeaways on defense to stop the likes of Rodgers. He is one of the best at his job, doesn’t rattle easy, and can bring his team from out of nowhere to beat you. If they can put the brakes on Green Bay’s offense then the Bears will need to provide a balanced attack that keeps the pressure off of Cutler. That would give them the edge against, arguably their toughest division opponent and give them a share of the NFC North lead. Can the Bears continue their success, or will this be Green Bay’s turnaround? We won’t know until Sunday but, when it’s all over, I’ll be right back here to go over it.

Chris Kazmierczak is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on twitter or Facebook.

September 27, 2014 0 comment

Chicago Bears NFC North NFL

Chicago Bears: Week 3 Wrap-Up

by Chris Kazmierczak September 23, 2014

written by Chris Kazmierczak

Tony – Flickr

The Chicago Bears have done it again. Last night Chicago went on the road to face the New York Jets and took home a second consecutive road victory. The Bears capitalized on New York’s mistakes to take an early lead and despite a rash of injuries, held on to secure the win, with the Jest driving in the final minutes. It wasn’t perfect and wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. Here is the good and bad we saw last night.
Respect the D: It’s early but the Bears look to have a respectable defense again. The unit was hit hard by injuries leading in to and during the game but picked up right where they left off last week. On the second play of the game, Ryan Mundy set the tone when he picked off a Geno Smith pass and ran it back for six and an early lead the Bears would not relinquish. Kyle Fuller made his first start in place of Charles Tillman and looked a lot like “Peanut” while he did it. Fuller showed why he is a rising star by being around the ball all night finishing with 7-tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and a crucial interception in the end zone. This performance was aided by excellent line play across the board. Lamarr Houston, Jared Allen, and Willie Young, who got yet another sack this week, got to Smith early and often drawing attention away from Stephen Paea, who recorded his first sack this year, and the 2 rookies inside: Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson. The young duo, working to replace Jeremiah Ratliff, was impressive in their first extensive showing. By games end, Sutton had 3 solo stops and Ferguson had 2-tackles and a sack. Also in relief was Jon Bostic who filled in at Outside Linebacker, after Shea McClellin broke his hand during practice. The second-year-pro didn’t have a flawless game by any means, as he was caught out of position more than once. However, Bostic showed great mobility and alertness by deflecting 2-passes and leading the team with 13-tackles. Despite these standout performances and overall strong play the Jets still racked up 300-yards passing with another 114 on the ground. However, the Bears’ defense resilient, forcing them to settle for 4 field goals and only 1-touchdown as they went 1 for 6 in the red zone. Yards do not win games but points do, and the defense excelled in their role there by hanging tough when it mattered most, including a 4th and goal in the closing minutes.

Gritty O: The Bears’ offense wasn’t bad, but they weren’t great either. The running game stumbled in its second week without Matt Slauson or Roberto Garza and Matt Forte only gained 33-yards on 13-carries against the merciless front-7 of the Jets. The passing attack had a little more success but was not without problems of its own. Brandon Marshall tweaked his previously injured ankle and, though he returned in the second half, was obviously handicapped in his speed and maneuverability for the duration. While Marshall struggled with a single catch for only 6-yards, Alshon Jeffery flourished by making 8 grabs for 105-yards and 2-carries for 13. Martellus Bennett took advantage of Jeffery’s success, and the extra attention it gave him, to make 5-catches for 54-yards and 2 touchdowns. If the Bears won it also means Jay Cutler did well overall, especially considering he was sacked 3-times and had numerous passes tipped or disrupted by a hit. Rex Ryan threw every blitz he could probably conceive of, yet Cutler stayed composed, tough, and elusive. The Quarterback shook off hits, escaped sack attempts, and made good decisions with the football. He had accuracy problems and lost a fumble on one sack that should have gone for six the wrong way but overall a mature and gritty performance by the QB as well as the rest of the unit.

Special Forces: The specialty units have ranged from bad to terrible before this game but the group was somewhere between average and good in this one. Some new faces and a shuffling of duties led the unit to have its best game of 2014. Rookie Ahmad Dixon, aided by Senorise Perry, recovered a muffed punt early on and then proceeded to throttle the Jets’ returner immediately after he caught the next punt. Another rookie, Rashad Ross took over the kickoff return duties, previously held by Perry. Ross only averaged 21-yards per return but he showed his speed, vision, and quickness on each one and had a very promising debut overall. Finally, although no punts were blocked in this one, a few were too close for comfort. The group still has work to do but continuing this improvement is nothing but good news for the entire team.

The Bears played tough against a tough opponent for a hard fought victory. The bad part about a hard fought game like this is that neither team leaves unscathed. Aside from Marshall, the Bears had their fair share of injuries on Monday which may come back to haunt them. The Chicago Safety position was decimated as Mundy, Chris Conte, and Danny McCray all finished the game on the sideline leaving only 4th round pick Brock Vereen and Dixon to finish out the 4th quarter. The Chicago trainers will be working overtime in this short week but, if any of these require more than a few days, the Bears may have to go looking to the rookies because these kids can play. We’ll find out if this youth movement continues on Sunday when the Bears take on their arch rival the Green Bay Packers and renew the NFL’s oldest rivalry.

Chris Kazmierczak is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on twitter or Facebook.

September 23, 2014 0 comment

Chicago Bears NFC North NFL

Chicago Bears: Week 2 Wrap-Up

by Chris Kazmierczak September 15, 2014

written by Chris Kazmierczak

Tillman Jeffrey Beall-Flickr

After a disastrous Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Chicago Bears seem to have found themselves again. Last night’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers was not only much needed but full of excitement and reasons for optimism by both fans and the team alike. However, as impressive as it was, the game wasn’t without its problems either. So, without further delay, here’s what we saw:

Monsters Rising: Last night saw the Chicago defense make a giant step forward from Week 1. In their first game, they were crushed for almost 200-yards on the ground but last night they held Frank Gore to a mere 63-yards. Colin Kaepernick still grabbed another 66 on the ground but one step at a time here. The team struggled with the pass rush in the first game as well and that has changed too. Jared Allen, who was almost invisible in the first game, had off 3 solo tackles in addition to causing a big fumble. Willie Young continued his success grabbing 4 solo tackles and sacking the elusive Kaepernick twice, treating us to his fishing sack dance which may be the greatest celebration in the NFL. The linebackers stepped their game up as well, with Shea McClellin making major strides in his read option recognition as well as getting a sack for himself and Lance Briggs looking resurgent with 6 solo stops. All this improvement up front made life a little easier for a secondary that was hung out to dry against the Bills. Chris Conte came out of nowhere for his second interception in as many weeks, Charles Tillman had a pick that was later ruled a trap upon review, and 1st round draft pick Kyle Fuller made a huge splash taking 2 more from Kaepernick. The defense looked more like the Monster’s of the Midway we haven’t seen since Lovie Smith left and Brian Urlacher retired, which is a refreshing change for sure.

Return of Good Jay: Turnovers are something Jay Cutler knows about all too well. Bad Jay showed up against Buffalo throwing 2-interceptions which accounted for 10 of the Bills points in that game. However, the Good Jay was back against San Francisco. He played smartly and aggressively, completing 23 of 34 for 176-yards, 4-touchdowns, and zero-interceptions. While he played intelligently the entire game, though much of his success came after he took a nasty hit to the sternum with the crown of 49ers’ lineman Quinton Dial‘s helmet. Down 17 to nothing at the time, it was a defining victory for Jay Cutler, but he didn’t do it alone. Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery played injured and both looked a step or 2 slower on their routes struggling to draw focus away from healthy weapons Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett. However, on a late second quarter drive that resulted in the Bears first points of the game Marshall showed us why, even when injured, he’s still one of the best in the business by making a one-handed grab in the end zone for what has to be an early contender for catch of the year. Jeffery still managed 3 catches for 47-yards but it became obvious that he was having difficulty competing with the corners who could sit on him more often than not. During the second half, the coaches and players made a simple but brilliant adjustment. Instead of trying to hit the receivers in stride as usual, Marshall and Jeffery began using double moves, body position, and stops in their routes to out maneuver the Defensive backs. It seems like an obvious change but it shows an adaptability that really wasn’t present the week prior. Marshall finished with 2 more touchdowns and 48-yards but Forte and Bennett were not as lucky. Forte was constantly keyed on, only gaining 27 total yards and Bennett didn’t fare much better with 37-yards but did manage to grab a touchdown. Regardless, it was the improvement by Cutler that made it possible, and a come from behind victory against a quality team like San Francisco is one of the best of his career.

Far From Perfect: The game was not without blemishes. Personnel decisions have left the Bears without a fullback as they released Tony Fiametta whose presence could have made life a little easier for Forte last night. The Bears also cut Kelvin Hayden, for the second time this year, leaving only 4 Cornerbacks available. With Tillman being lost for the season, and possibly for good, following an injury to the same triceps that ended his 2013 campaign it leaves only Sherrick McManis, Tim Jennings and Fuller. With the NFL as pass happy as it is today more defensive backs is probably better and Chicago is going to have to make some smart decisions here. The other glaring issue is the once strong special teams unit which looked terrible and showed how badly it missed the veteran role players it lost this off season. The group was penalized on the opening kick return and buried the injury riddled offense deep in their own territory. After 3 plays that went nowhere the punt unit allowed a block that set up an easy opening score for 49ers. Senorise Perry hasn’t done much in the returner role either as the rookie is having trouble fielding kicks at times and not getting much support from the rest of the unit. All not only hurts the good field position that made the Chicago offense so dangerous in 2013 but could be a handicap if it doesn’t improve quickly. Chicago has until Monday to rest up and fix things before they face the New York Jets, who took the Green Bay Packers to the limit on Sunday.

Chris Kazmierczak is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on twitter or Facebook.

September 15, 2014 0 comment