If you read the first comment on my profile, you'll notice that I got on the air on the local sports radio station this week. Lawrence Holmes is one of my favorite personalities on WSCR 670 AM. He is always prepared and doesn't open his mouth unless he's done his homework. I took a half-day off work Tuesday for personal reasons (that's for another blog) and heard Holmes filling in for the normal guy. It was 12:00 noon. I thought I'd be able to get in, so I called.
I got through and they put me in the queue. The subject was this: Do you have faith in Lovie Smith that he will be able to fix the Bears' problems on defense.
I said yes. The problem as I see it is that the Bears defense came into the season as one of the highest rated defenses in the league. They knew how good they were, and half expected to show up and just scare the opposing offenses off the field. (Even though at first they put forth some really good efforts on the field.) But the injuries started piling up. Despite missing half the starting lineup, the defense continued to operate under the assumption that the were the vaunted Bears defense from 2006. And that's the trap my beloved Bears stepped into.
The fact is, they are NOT the same defense right now. Alex Brown made the comment of the year after the Vikings game. He said the defense just isn't very good right now. He's right. Now they have to accept that fact. From what I've seen and heard this week, it sounds like the team has accepted reality, forgotten about 2006, and come to the realization that they are a pedestrian defense at best. The next step is for every player and coach involved with the defense to start thinking, "what can *I* do to make this squad a championship-caliber defense?"
Will Lovie Smith make the right moves to improve his team? Yes, I think so. I think he needs to bench Adam Archuleta and let Brandon McGowan play strong safety. I think he needs to leave Daniel Manning at free safety. Let Truman McBride take his lumps at corner until Nate Vasher returns.
I think he'll make those moves. He's not stupid. He's seen Archuleta's miscues and Manning's struggles at CB. He knows the season is officially on the line now. Having said that, Lovie can't get on the field and make tackles for his defense. He'll make the right moves, his players have to do the rest.
One more thing, can we please stop talking about Bob Babich? His unit has been decimated by injuries. Ron Rivera wouldn't be able to do any better with this mess than Babich. How quickly we forget that Rivera is the guy who stubbornly insisted on single coverage on Steve Smith in the playoffs... And three months later was quoted as saying "I still don't know what we could have done differently."
Anne V
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Comments (16) Add A Comment
Good post.
There are some changes needed for the Bears as a team, but that defense has to get it together first.
Mac is the Demon of…
Fort Hood, TX
Total Comments (9404)
Well said, Pete. Overconfidence is what allowed them to underestimate AD last week. And if they listen to Brown, it won't happen again.
Dan TM is Stupendous…
Evanston , IL
Total Comments (2071)
Over-confidence is okay when you're good at what you do, but when you're not... That's why self-evaluation is a must in every aspect of life, not just football.
Whoops!
Just fell off my soapbox... ;)
Sneaky Pete
Rochelle, IL
Total Comments (1056)
Been trying to figure out something..., why is it that it seems like every other year, the Bears jump from the gate and have a terrific season? Don't get me wrong, I like Da Bears but, it's weird..., they win ten one year, then drop to four or five, then back to ten? But you're right..., Lovie will pull this together and that defense will come around. I think #54 will see to that!
Kev316
Peterborough, ON
Total Comments (659)
Pete, tell me if I'm crazy or not: Wouldn't you like to see teams stick athletic linebackers on recievers and have them use that allocated 5-yard contact zone to knock them on their butt on every play? I mean, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction force. This is my suggestion for a counter attack. The state of league today is one that is completely dominated by amazing offenses; it doesn't matter how great your defense is, it's not going to win the championship anymore.
As a Bears fan, and as a defense-minded football purest, it drives me crazy watching the Colts and Pats win games with untouchable offenses and good enough defenses. All these spread offenses and no-huddle schemes avoid the element of straight-up masculinity that game was predicated on. Bring back the D.
Deep South Sider
Atl, GA
Total Comments (1069)
But you have to ask yourself Deep South Sider, what would you rather watch, a game that ends with the score 9-3, like most Raven's games or a game that is like 38-27. I would rather watch the high scoring one.
Harry Callahan
Total Comments (10043)
Yeah, that doesn't seem like a bad idea, DSS, but the league would just pass another set of rules to ban it. Smash mouth football doesn't seem to exist any more. Yes, I agree, bring back the D!
Do you remember when the Pats won their FIRST Superbowl against the Rams? I think that's exactly what they did. The bigger guys roughed up the WRs every time they crossed the middle of the field. If I'm not mistaken, the NFL passed the 5-yard no contact rule after that Superbowl, partially due to complaints from the Rams.
They've been creating new rules for over a decade now to help the offenses and create scoring. Because everyone likes to see high scoring games, right? Well *I* don't! To counter the new rules benefitting the offense, defenses have become MUCH more complicated. And this has made it darn near impossible to play QB because defenses are so hard to read. Which is why so many QBs look so awful this year.
(There's a good article in this month's S.I. about that.)
See what happens when you mess with a good thing?
Sneaky Pete
Rochelle, IL
Total Comments (1056)
No way, Harry. IMHO, at least.
I would rather watch a game that ended 14-10. You hang on every possession, every yard, every completion, every sack, etc.
Sneaky Pete
Rochelle, IL
Total Comments (1056)
Great post Pete, I agree a great defensive battle is better to watch. Its unfortunate that Lovie didnt get your message because for some god awful reason Archuleta will be your starting safety this sunday. Gentleman, may be a good week to start Philly WR's on your fanasty league.
Z_Aug:Bow to your…
Somewhere, IL
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I guess Archuleta did well enough for the Bears to win, so...
Apparently there's a reason Lovie is the head coach and I'm just a bitter Bears blogger!
;)
Sneaky Pete
Rochelle, IL
Total Comments (1056)
Great blog as always!
Gibby McCaleb
Los Angeles , CA
Total Comments (56)
Did you at least give me a shoutout while you were on air?
PackBrew42 is…
Miller Brewery, WI
Total Comments (4060)
Gibby: Thanks for reading! :)
PackBrew: No, sorry. I was going to, but I was cut off before I could give any "shout outs..." ;)
Sneaky Pete
Rochelle, IL
Total Comments (1056)
I agree..I also think they've had nothing but pressure on them for the past few years, to make up for the offense. i know those guys thrive on being under the gun and really showing people that defense wins games, but after a while even a brick wall like the Bears d is gonna get some cracks..and as you said the injuries are really limiting what they can do....
ZaZ
Total Comments (276)
Zaz: Hopefully, the offense has improved enough under Griese that it can hold the defense up for a while so it can **** wounds. Thanks for reading! :)
Sneaky Pete
Rochelle, IL
Total Comments (1056)
WHAT?!?!? I can't say "l-i-c-k their?" Fie on you, fannation censors! What happened to free speech? :(
Sneaky Pete
Rochelle, IL
Total Comments (1056)
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