Week Two: What We Learned About the Chicago Bears
Published by Christopher Murphy on September 23, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
No more phone calls about bringing back Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman, or some mystical beast named Kex Ortman this week from Bears fans. Jay is our quarterback.
The Bears pulled off a nice win against the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday in comeback fashion.
The Bears were trailing 14-7 with under six and a half minutes to play, but Cutler showed why he is a franchise quarterback, manufacturing the game-tying drive by hooking up with Johnny Knox for a seven-yard touchdown and setting up Robbie Gould with his eighth game-winning field goal of his career.
Knox and Kellen Davis, who stepped in nicely for the injured Desmond Clark, both scored their first career NFL touchdowns in the game.
Forte and the O-Line Are Struggling
The offensive line is still not getting the job done. Matt Forte is too talented of a back to be getting 29 yards on 13 carries. He has nowhere to run in the middle because Frank Omiyale is awful.
The pass blocking was pretty good, seeing as Cutler did not get sacked in the first half, though he was rushed a lot more in the second half. You’d like to see him get more time in the pocket. The difference this week, however, was that his receivers somewhat helped him out.
Forte needs to get going—if not for the Bears, for the sanity of many fantasy football teams.
Cutler Is Creating Weapons
Cutler is showing how talented of a quarterback he is by finding different people on every play. Devin Hester and Earl Bennett were nowhere to be found in Week Two; in Bennett’s defense he has been nowhere to be found in Year One and Two, so far. Both receivers amassed 53 yards combined on six catches.
Cutler, however, made weapons out of Kellen Davis and Johnny Knox with a hint of Greg Olsen. Think about it: the Bears had no running game, and their No. 1 and No. 2 receivers were nowhere to be found. How did they win? Good quarterbacks create weapons.
Jay is our quarterback.
And I have to say, Ron Turner called a pretty good game, even though Bears fans didn’t appreciate a draw play on 3rd-and-12.
The Defense Was Great
I’m sure there were many people rolling their eyes saying “here we go” after the Steelers’ 91-yard touchdown drive to start the game, in which Ben Roethlisberger picked them apart. However, the Bears made adjustments with an assortment of blitz and stunts, with one hurry of Roethlisberger leading to the Charles Tillman interception.
Aside from a drive with a terrible Rashard Mendenhall play that started from his backside and an unnecessary roughness penalty from Mark Anderson, the Tyrus Thomas of the Chicago Bears, the defense didn’t yield a thing after the first drive, due partially to Steeler’s kicker Jeff Reed forgetting that the ball is supposed to go between the field goal posts.
Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach replaced the injured Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tinoisamoa at middle and strongside linebacker. Cornerback Zackary Bowman and free safety Danieal Manning returned to the spots they held before missing the first three preseason games with hamstring injuries.
Four new starters on defense and they didn’t miss a beat.
It is funny how you don’t notice Nathan Vasher when he isn’t on the field. That is partially because you do not see bombs for touchdowns.
Alex Brown had a great game with two sacks, and even Tommie Harris looked decent.
A few irritating mistakes and mistackles on the defensive side, but that is part of the game and, other than that, the defense looked really good. They just need to stay healthy.
Olsen Brushed Himself Off
After a very disappointing first game and a half, Steelers safety Tyrone Carter woke Greg Olsen up with a huge hit in the second quarter. Olsen met Carter again on the game-tying drive, but this time held on to the ball for a 29-yard gain.
It was promising to see Olsen get up after a big hit and come back. Olsen caught three passes for 41 yards in the game. Although you’d like to see a little more production from him, it’s definitely a start.
Is Johnny Knox the Real Deal?
I’m not sure if I can buy into Johnny Knox quite yet, but it is impossible to deny the adjustments he made from Week One to Week Two. He looked like a completely different receiver.
A prime example was seen in his seven-yard touchdown catch in which he stepped in front of the defender and took the hit in the back on the slant instead of breaking off the route.
With his speed, it would be nice to see him and Hester causing havoc. I don’t want to jump on the Knox train quite yet, however.
Does Anyone Ever Think Robbie Gould is Going to Miss?
I have nothing to add to this section because I really am wondering if anyone ever thinks he’s going to miss at any point in a game. That thought never crosses my mind while watching a Bears game.
News and Notes
Although Alex Brown was helped off the field in Sunday’s game, he should be good to go against the Seahawks, according to coach Lovie Smith.
Josh Beekman will appear at the Midtown Athletic Club in Palatine Tuesday for its annual “Brunch with a Bear.” Someone please report how many animals he eats, then ask him to sign a big contract with the Bears, so they’ll play him over Omiyale.
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