Bears Blitz

Published by Christopher Murphy on September 28, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

No logical football fan could have guessed we’d be sitting here at the end of Week 3 and have the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Chicago Bears as the NFL‘s only undefeated teams.

But that is why we play the games.

Even as it looked as though the Green Bay Packers were going to emerge victorious in the team’s Monday Night Football matchup against the Bears, one could not help but notice the Bears looked extremely well against a team that seemed destined for the Super Bowl.

And then the Bears did something that contenders do; they won the game 20-17 after trailing 10-0 and 17-14.

The Bears did receive some help from the Packers in the form of a team-record 18 penalties, costing the Packers 152 yards and what would have been key turnovers, but it’s hard to find a controversial call.

You can’t blame a team for capitalizing on another team shooting themselves in the foot.

Jay is Our Quarterback…Sweet Jesus, Why Would You Throw That?

I’m going to sound like a stereotypical football announcer. No, I won’t call Cutler a “football player” because then I’d sound like a stereotypical idiotic football announcer. See Jon Gruden for who in the NFL is or is not a football player.

Cutler is tough.

He took a beating, getting sacked three times in the first 21 plays, which seemed to leave him discombobulated and destined for a four-interception, happy feet game.

It would seem Cutler was going to buckle, especially when he overthrew Greg Olson and was intercepted in the end zone by Derrick Martin from the Green Bay 26, costing the Bears at least three points.

But instead he buckled down, never getting sacked again, going 16-for-27 with 221 yards and a touchdown and picking up 37 yards on three carries. After the three-sack barrage in the first 21 offensive plays, Cutler would not be sacked again.

Now, he did receive some help.

A throw destined to be intercepted by Charles Woodson was dropped, an interception by Nick Barnett on the final drive was nullified by a roughing the passer penalty and another interception by Nick Collins on the final drive on an underthrown ball was nullified by a pass interference penalty.

If Cutler is hit a few inches lower, there is no roughing the passer penalty. If Burnett doesn’t hammer Earl Bennett that underthrown ball by Cutler is easily intercepted. It arguably would have been intercepted without the pass interference.

Cutler was a few inches away from a four-interception game, however, his bullet touchdown passes were also by inches, so you get what you paid for with Cutler and he’s worth every penny.

Watching Cutler versus Aaron Rodgers is going to be pretty entertaining.

 

Offensive Line Wasn’t Awful

It’s only because it can’t get much worse.

It looked shaky in the beginning of the game, allowing three sacks in the first 21 plays, but the Packers would not get another sack for the rest of the game, but that was basically thanks to Cutler wanting to live longer.

There is no such thing as run blocking for the Bears, as the team rushed for 40 yards on 15 carries outside of Cutler who was getting “run for your life” yards.

Still, to hold the Packers in somewhat check was impressive. The offensive line certainly looked better without Chris Williams at left tackle and Frank Omiyale moving to left tackle along with Kevin Schaffer at right tackle.

Twenty-three penalties were called on the day and the offensive line had just two holding calls and no false starts.

Run, Forrest, Run

The NFL’s version of Forrest Gump seemed to go back in time to 2006, as Devin Hester had two impressive punt returns where he actually ran straight. 

Hester first took a line-drive kick 28 yards to the Green Bay 44 where a diving tackle by punter Tim Masthay saved a touchdown. It set up the offense’s lone touchdown.

With “Soulja Boy” playing, Hester brought back another return for a score, scampering 62-yards and using a 2006 cut on a dime in the front end of the return to do so. It was Hester’s first special teams return for a touchdown since the 2007 season finale.

Hester finished with three punt returns for 93 yards.

Run, G-reg, Run

Greg Olsen had an impressive game at tight end for the Bears, hauling in five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.

What was even more impressive was the fact, Olsen recovered after he fumbled a ball, which went out of bounds, on his first catch. Olsen is not only trying to prove he is not fumble-prone, but also a tight end can be relevant in the Mike Martz system.

Olsen had a diving nine-yard touchdown catch on 3rd-and-6 to make it 10-7 before the half. On the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, Olsen had a leaping 21-yard catch for a first down, after a holding penalty, at the Green Bay 35.

Defense Bending But Not Breaking

So many underneath passes.

You have to hand it to the Bears’ defense; they don’t give up huge plays, but they certainly give up a lot of medium-sized plays, which can’t be good for stamina.

Packers had the ball in the second half for 19 minutes and 48 seconds, but the Bears somehow only allowed seven points.

The other mark of the Bears defense is turnovers. Yes, consistently giving up 10-yard pass after 10-yard pass is deflating for a defense, but if you take the ball away, don’t give up the big play and don’t allow any running game, you should be fine.

That is exactly what the Bears defense has done this season.

Rodgers threw all over the Bears, going 34-for-45 for 316 yards and a touchdown. Packers don’t have much of a run game without Ryan Grant and the Bears made sure of that, allowing just 43 yards on 13 carries by Packer running backs.

Bears also came away with the big turnover, as Brian Urlacher stripped receiver James Jones after a 12-yard reception with the score tied at 17-17 and just over two minutes left to play. Tim Jennings recovered the football as it died and simply refused to go out of bounds at the Packers 46 with 2:18 left to play, setting up the Bears winning field goal. 

The Bears defensive line is a problem. Outside of Julius Peppers, who creates offensive penalties, blocks field goals and is simply a man amongst boys, the Bears defensive line is not getting to the quarterback. Yes, the pressure was there last night, but you can’t let a guy like Rodgers scramble. He will find someone.

Mark Anderson overruns everyone, while Israel Idonije and Anthony Adams simply don’t move. It can stop the run, thanks in large part to Urlacher and Lance Briggs, but it allows the quarterback to throw, seen in the zero sacks on Rodgers and the one interception, which was on a bomb right before half.

Considering the Bears give up the medium-sized plays, allowing a quarterback to set and throw means your defense will be on the field far too long.

Devin Aromashodu, We Hardly Knew Thee. Tommie Harris, We Knew Plenty of Thee

What won’t be tolerated in the Mike Martz system is drop passes and the refusal to go over the middle.

After being targeted a team-high 10 times in Week 1, Devin Aromashodu had no catches and was in for one play in Week 2 and was inactive in Week 3. 

Apparently the Bears coaching staff did not appreciate Aromashodu’s hesitancy to go over the middle and his three dropped passed in week one. 

Aromashodu seems to have a big fan in Jay Cutler, but not in Mike Martz.

On the other side, we have from 2005, 2006, and 2007 Pro Bowl to the bench as Tommie Harris was inactive although healthy due to his performance. Harris has one tackle and a fumble recovery on the season.

Whether the benching will wake up either player is yet to be seen.

Small Tid Bits

Long-snapper Patrick Mannelly set a Bears record, playing in his 192nd game, passing defensive tackle Steve McMichael. Walter Payton is now third with 190 games.

Julius Peppers blocked his 10th kick of his career on a Mason Crosby 37-yard attempt, putting him second in the NFL behind Shaun Rogers, who has 16 since that became a stat in 1992.

Johnny Knox has set career-highs in receiving yards in back-to-back weeks. After hauling in four catches for 86 yards against Dallas, Knox brought in four catches for 94 yards against the Packers.

It’s getting more and more difficult to count the Bears out after impressive come from behind wins against Super Bowl hopefuls Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers.

The Lions game required a lot of luck, the Cowboys game was thought to be a win against a deflated team, but it’s hard to negative-coat this win against the Packers.

Sure, the Packers had a lot of penalties, but so did the Bears in Week 1. Penalties happen to undisciplined teams, not against lucky teams.

Either way you look at it, 3-0 equals undefeated.

Writer’s Note: Those Bears throwback jerseys were phenomenal.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com