Bears Blitz

Published by Gene Chamberlain on October 25, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

CINCINNATI—Apparently Tommie Harris was doing a lot more than everyone thought.

The Bears played without their once dominant, now perpetually convalescing defensive tackle, and made him look good by producing their worst defensive effort since Lovie Smith became coach in a 45-10 loss Sunday to the Cincinnati Bengals.

This was ugly. It wasn’t Patriots–Titans ugly, but it was ugly none-the-less.

“Early on it was just for some reason one of those games where we started slow,” said defensive end Adewale Ogunleye.

Starting slow has been a problem all year for the defense. Staying slow became the problem Sunday.

The Bengals rolled to 448 yards.

“It was a total breakdown by us. But you move on,” coach Lovie Smith said. “Experience teaches you a lot. I have been through this situation before. We lost 45-0 and came back and played for the championship that year.”

That was when he coached with Tampa Bay. This Bears’ defense is neither Tampa Bay’s of 1999 nor the Bears’ defense that went to Super Bowl XLI. It’s not even the defense that started out this year.

The Bengals exposed a Bears’ defense that has been on shaky grounds all year long, or at least since linebacker Brian Urlacher went to the sidelines at halftime of the first game.

When Carson Palmer threw a three-yard, play-action touchdown pass to tight end J.P. Foschi for a 21-0 Cincinnati lead, it marked the third straight time the Bears’ defense had allowed a touchdown on a Bengals’ drive inside the red zone. This has become a real trend.

It was also the eighth touchdown they allowed in nine opposing red zone possessions, and it was quickly followed by another one; nine-for-10 in the red zone for touchdowns.

“We weren’t ready to go,” Smith said.

The Bears wouldn’t admit to being taken by surprise by a Cincinnati unbalanced offensive line that used an extra tackle at the start, or by the use of the inverted wishbone on running plays with two fullbacks ahead of Cedric Benson. They played smash-mouth football.

“Not at all. They did what they normally do running-game wise,” Smith said. “It was the same plays they’d been running.”

The results, though, were better than what the Bengals had been churning out against other defenses. For Benson to get a career high of 189 yards on 37 carries against his old team made for a perfect revenge scenario.

“My hat’s off to Cedric,” Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said. “I’m sure he’s feeling great right now, to have a game like that against guys who supposedly discarded you.

“But that’s the life of the NFL. I don’t think anybody on our side has been in that situation. I wish him the best. I hope he has a good year, is healthy. But we didn’t play well. We didn’t make tackles. We didn’t get lined up right. If he’s not getting hit until he’s 10 yards downfield, that’s bad defense.”

Ten yards? Try 15. It didn’t matter that it was Cedric Benson doing it. It could have been Robbie Benson back there carrying the ball. The holes were that big.

At least the Bears defense did find a way to silence motormouth Chad Ochocinco, who had 10 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns—they let him run wherever he wanted and catch whatever he wanted. He was too out of breath to run at the mouth, or even come up with a creative touchdown dance.

“There was no blabber going or anything like that,” cornerback Charles Tillman said. “He was in his game. I was in my game.”

Ochocinco was a little bit more into his game on this day, and so were all the Bengals.

So we are left to ponder whether this was the exception to the rule, or the rule of the future.

While it may have been sarcasm to say the Bears showed today that Tommie Harris had been doing more than anyone thought, it’s dead serious to suggest that this team has hit a point where missing players has dragged down the level of play.

When you’re without the face of the team, Urlacher, for the rest of the year, and also strong side starter Pisa Tinoisamoa, it’s difficult to overcome. The Bears had been doing it.

But Harris is still the anchor of the defensive line even when he isn’t performing up to the level he had in 2005-06. He takes up double teams and helps cave in run blocking schemes before they start to a far greater extent than anyone on the roster.

Even with Harris out of the game due to nagging knee pain, the Bears didn’t have rookie Jarron Gilbert, or Matt Toeaina active for this game. They’ve only been active once each, which shows what coaches think of them.

Israel Idonije is too light to play the under tackle and Marcus Harrison too inexperienced. Without Tommie Harris and the others, this defense is in trouble.

“Obviously people will say that this week,” Hillenmeyer said. “We’ve played without Brian all year. Pisa has played less than half of a total football game. “So to blame it on the fact that we’ve been missing guys is letting ourselves off the hook.”

After Sunday’s performance, no one wants to let the defense off the hook. They’ll be on it until they get themselves off of it. And without unless they get Harris back, it might be a long time.

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