Changes in Chicago? update

Check out Jeff Dickerson's blog for news that supports some of my predictions I made in my last post about tweaks in the roster for this week's matchup against the Browns.

• It seems promising that Josh Beekman will replace Frank Omiyale at left guard; he is getting practice reps with the first team offense.
• Nathan Vasher will continue to see more playing time as a safety.
• Hunter Hillenmeyer will take over at MLB, while Nick Roach will slide over to strong side linebacker.
• Adrian Peterson is healthy enough to practice and his return could help boost the running game, as well as special teams.

Changes in Chicago?

A loss like the Bears suffered in week 7 is the kind that can cause a shake-up in an organization, but don't hold your breath for major coaching changes. I agree with David Haugh's assessment of the coaching situation; Lovie Smith has earned himself some wiggle room with division titles a Superbowl appearance and his exceptional record. I would guess that if the Bears consider their recent antics, Lovie could be in trouble. Due to Smith's contract situation, it makes a lot of financial sense to keep him. Unless this team completely falls apart Smith will be back in 2010; even then, McCaskey may keep him around.

So, while this kind of embarrassment is probably not enough to get Lovie fired, it is certainly enough to worry him. Smith needs to shake things up this week because it already needed to be done, and to send his team a message. Here are a few areas where changes may be on the horizon.

Cincinnati throttled the Bears

Chad Ochocinco had 10 receptions against the Bears in week 7

45 to 10. This score tells the whole story of this game. The Bears were dismantled, humiliated. This is the worst football I've seen come out of Chicago in years.

Bears must correct sloppy play in Cincinnati

The Bears have shown us that they are not an elite unit, but with a solid matchup in Cincinnati, they can prove that they are still contenders. If Chicago plans on being a playoff team this is the type of game they simply must start winning; otherwise they are well on their way to another middling season.

Turnovers Killed Bears

The Bears lost to Atlanta. The Falcons didn't outplay Chicago, they just let the Bears give them the game. Red zone turnovers are the worst mistake a team can make in a game; when you give it away in the red zone, you are robbing yourself of points. It's easy to blame Ron Turner for offensive woes most of the time, "He calls bad plays that don't put the players in a position to succeed." For the record, I am not a strong supporter of Turner. But it simply isn't fair to use him as a scapegoat this time, he called plays that had the offense moving very well. The team played well, the game plan was good. That is why Chicago out-gained Atlanta by 120 yards.

Cutler's Contract Extended

Jay Cutler agreed to a two year contract extension, yesterday. Here are a few links on the story:
Official Bears Website
Kevin Seifert
Jeff Dickerson

As Seifert and Dickerson point out, the timing of the move likely was influenced by finances and the uncertainties involving the collective bargaining agreement. This move obviously means that the Bears are having no second thoughts about Cutler, and that both sides were willing to be flexible and getting a deal done. I don't consider myself an idealist, but I have to at least consider that Cutler made this deal so easy, in part, because he has always been a Bears fan. Just a thought for the optimists out there.

Bears trade for Gaines Adams

The Bears traded a 2010 second round pick for Tampa Bay defensive end, Gaines Adams. Here are some links on the story:

Brad Biggs
Jeff Dickerson

I don't feel qualified to comment to much on this story, so I will just give my quick two cents.

It looks like Angelo is being proactive at the DE position, which is a good idea considering Ogunleye and Anderson are both in the final year of their contracts.

I am worried about the lack of top draft picks. This will make two straight years without a first or second round pick; teams need to be able to build through the draft. On the other hand, untested top round picks are riskier than signing players who have seen NFL action. They are also aren't cheap. I feel that it is acceptable to trade away draft picks for YOUNG, quality players. Cutler and Adams fit that description.

One quick note, Adams sacked Matt Ryan twice in week 2 last season. Not sure he will even play Sunday.

Defense may struggle in Atlanta

As Kevin Seifert points out in his blog, the Atlanta Falcons will provide a formidable test for the defense. Atlanta put on quite a show last week, in their 45-10 victory against San Francisco. With Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and Michael Turner, this offense has more dimensions that the Twilight Zone.  If you focus on containing White and Michael Jenkins, Gonzalez is likely to dominate the middle of the field; if you use bracket coverage on the tight end, White will abuse one on one coverage. If the defense tries to shut down the passing game with nickel coverage, Turner will do some damage. The Bears may be forced to pick their poison.

Bye Week Assessment: Disappointments

What has disappointed you the most?

Though the Bears have won their last three games, they have been far from flawless.

Bye Week Assessment: Highlights

Which has been the most surprising?

After four weeks there have been quite a few pleasant surprises that helped the Bears win three straight when many thought they would be hard pressed to enter the bye week at 2-2.

During the offseason, many within the Bears organization claimed to have complete confidence in this receiving corp. I assumed their claims were just to boost the confidence of the inexperienced group of pass-catchers, but it appears I was mistaken. Earl Bennet leads the team with 15 catches for 200 yards. The stats of Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are almost exactly the same. Knox has 14 for 190 yards and 2 TDs; Hester has 14 for 189 yards and 2 TDs. I think it's safe to say they have exceeded the expectations of most. After the Green Bay debacle, the receivers have really impressed me.

Learn to cover Calvin

As I watched the Bears defense get torn apart during the first half of their victory over the Lions, I was surprised at how often Zack Bowman was 'covering' Calvin Johnson. I had no idea why Lovie wasn't blanketing Johnson with Charles Tillman plus help. If you read my last post, you could tell I assumed it was a given that the defensive game plan would be to shut down what is obviously the Lions most dangerous weapon. Given the Bears strong run defense and weakness in coverage, it just seemed obvious. Yet, there I was, watching Johnson torch our defense to the tune of 119 yards in the first half.

May the best team lose.

A win to tonight is a win for the Bears, but who are the Bears pulling for in tonight's NFC North showdown on Monday Night Football? There are two (ignoring the chance of a tie) possible results of tonight's game between Green Bay and Minnesota. Either the Vikings can win and put the Chicago in second place in the division, or the Packers can upset Minnesota and force a three way tie for 1st place in the division. Green Bay would technically be in first place due to their division record (2-0), followed by the Bears (1-1), with the Vikings in 3rd (0-1).

Week 4 Preview

Cincinnati at Cleveland

Cleveland's D-line has actually looked decent at times this season. Derrick Anderson will be looking to spark this team and regain the 2007 magic. Unfortunately the upstart Bengals will outmatch the Browns in every phase of this game with Palmer back and Benson running well.

My pick: Cincinnati Bengals

Seattle at Indianapolis

Not only is Indy the better team, but the Seahawks are still beat up and on the road. Last week Seattle stayed in the game by bottling up the run and jumping to an early lead, I don't see that happening this week. Manning should be able to tear this defense up and the defense should be able to get pressure against a struggling line even if Freeney doesn't play.

My pick: Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants at Kansas City

Not much to write about this game. New york is thinking Superbowl while the Chiefs are thinking 1st round pick. By the way, the KC could be without its only offensive weapon for the second week.

My pick: New York Giants

Baltimore at New England

A Little Perspective

I have been noticing an interesting (though unsurprising) phenomena among NFL fans and experts. We tend to forget things...quickly. Many people aren't giving the Bears much credit for their road victory over the Seahawks. Forget that Quest Field widely considered to be one of the most difficult places to play with the vaunted '12th man'. What irks me is that everyone has already forgotten the Seahawks pre-2008. Last year was the first losing season in Seattle since 2002. It was a down year after winning the NFC West four years in a row. The 2008 season was the exception in Seattle.

It is a fair point that many of Seattle's best player were injured when they encountered the Bears, but their replacements proved to be more than capable. In place of Pro Bowl linebacker, Lofa Tatupu, David Hawthorne was impressive, to say the least. Hawthorne registered SIXTEEN tackles and an interception. If you watched the game, you know that Hawthorne's play was just as impressive as the box score suggests. Seneca Wallace is one of the better backup QBs in the league and he played well. Wallace brings a different dynamic than Matt Hasselbeck, the Pro Bowler he replaced. There were definitely a handful of passes where Hasselbeck's arm would have made a difference in the game, but the Bears would have registered in the neighborhood of 5-6 sacks against the veteran. While a healthy Matt Hasselbeck is obviously the better option, does anyone think he would have made this play? (starting at 2:40)

Moving on to next week, and our 'easy' matchup against the Lions. Yes, Detroit had a 19 game losing streak. Yes, their defense has looked awful. But they are still a division rival who has given us trouble in the past. It really wasn't that long ago that the Bears were swept by Detroit in 2007; even last year Chicago barely eked out a comeback victory. It is obviously a very different Detroit squad this year, with new scheme, personnel, and coaches. The biggest change to come to Detroit this season is that they have won a game. This is not a gimme game, this is a rivalry against a team that is only one game back in the division race. It's possible that after this week there will be a three way tie for second place in the division. Don't overlook Detroit.