Bears Blitz

Published by Bear Heiser on September 17, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears scored an incredible comeback victory Sunday night over the San Francisco 49ers, but it didn’t come without a cost.

Now sitting on a 1-1 record, the Bears have a few holes on defense that need to be filled.

Losing starting cornerback Charles Tillman for the season to a triceps injury is just plain brutal, especially since he missed 14 games last season with the same injury. It’s not only bad because the Bears now have to find a replacement; it’s bad because Tillman arguably is the greatest cornerback in Chicago Bears history. Who knows if he’ll be back with the Bears next season.

Tillman isn’t the only defensive starter who was lost Sunday. Free safety Chris Conte left with a shoulder injury; one that head coach Marc Trestman is calling “day to day.” The coach went on to say that he’s “hopeful” Conte’s injury isn’t serious, per the Chicago Sun Times.

So who goes where in this game of musical chairs?

We already know that rookie Kyle Fuller will move into Tillman’s full-time role of right cornerback, in both the base package and nickel sub-package. Will he move full time to the right side, instead of playing the right side in the base package and the slot corner in nickel?

That question hasn’t yet been answered publicly by general manager Phil Emery.

Before Tillman was lost, the Bears’ nickel package used Tim Jennings in the slot, flanked by Tillman and Fuller.

By my count, after re-watching each game, the Bears used a nickel formation on 59 of 121 plays in Weeks 1 and 2, roughly 49 percent of the time.

As a refresher: A base package consists of four defensive linemen, three linebackers, two cornerbacks and two safeties; and a nickel package consists of four linemen, two linebackers, three cornerbacks and two safeties.

When Tillman went out, the Bears used Jennings and Fuller with rookie safety Brock Vereen as the slot corner. Vereen got the call because corner and special teamer Sherrick McManis left with a quad injury.

McManis is a decent option at this stage, but he’s the team’s best player on special teams. More importantly, he’s injured and the severity of his injury won’t be known until injury reports are released Thursday.

But just because it might be the best option doesn’t mean that it’s a likely option.

Vereen ended up playing 18 snaps as the nickel corner against San Francisco, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription needed). He didn’t look bad, either, flashing speed into the backfield on a blitz of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He ended up missing the tackle, but he sure looked fast.

Fuller said Tuesday of Vereen’s performance:

He stepped up big, just as far as not really haven’t gotten reps. Probably the last time he played nickel was in college. Even if he had to come in at corner, he’s had that experience. So that just shows what type of player he is. I had confidence in him no matter whether we were scrambling or not, he’d be able to come in there and get it done. He did a great job in there.

Another option is Isaiah Frey, who the Bears signed Tuesday off the practice squad. Jennings could stay on the left side and Frey could play the nickel corner.

Frey was the Bears’ sixth-round pick in 2012. He primarily played on special teams until being forced into action last season after the injury bug hit. He played in 515 of the 1,058 total defensive plays (49 percent) as the primary nickel corner, according to PFF, making 47 tackles, two pass breakups with zero turnovers forced.

PFF rated Frey as the 83rd best corner of 110 on the list of those who played at least 25 percent of the snaps. While that’s hardly anything to write home about, Frey was dealing with a nagging hand injury for most of the season.

The only question now is whether or not the Bears would have the confidence to play a guy who they released during one of the last rounds of cuts before the season started.

The last option would be to re-sign Kelvin Hayden, who was cut Saturday to make space on the roster due to the uncertainty surrounding the injuries to receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.

Hayden missed the entire 2013 season after tearing his hamstring in training camp. He did, however, play 472 snaps while starting in all 16 games in 2012, recording 37 tackles with one interception.

While Hayden is the veteran of the group and has the most experience in this type of system, you have to wonder what his legs are like at this stage post-hamstring tear. There’s also the fact that Hayden has been cut twice by the Bears since the end of August.

Those are the likeliest options for the Bears. One off the wall solution could be seven-time All-Pro corner Champ Bailey, who was cut by the New Orleans Saints just before the season began. But if the Saints don’t want him, maybe that’s a sign that the Bears shouldn’t, either.

That only leaves the possible hole at safety, where Conte’s status also won’t be known until Thursday’s injury report.

Danny McCray filled in for Conte on Sunday night, playing 46 snaps in relief. He made one tackle during his time on the field and, at best, was serviceable.

McCray came over this offseason from the Cowboys, where he started 10 games in 2012 and appeared in 62 total over his four-year stint in Dallas.

Vereen is another option, but the Bears more than likely will roll with experience over talent.

However this shakes out, the Bears’ defense likely will need an adjustment period. McManis, Vereen, Frey and Hayden smell a lot like desperation. And there’s no guarantee that Fuller will be able to continue the production he put up in San Francisco.

As far as the nickel corner goes, it might just have to be a rotation of guys who fill the void. There’s no concrete solution staring any one of us in the face.

At least now this Bears defense has some confidence under its belt after beating the 49ers. It was a much-needed win, maybe even despite the costly injuries. Teams that go down 0-2 generally have a tough time getting back up.

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