The Chicago Bears Coaching Staff Living in Neverland
So, while I am happy to have a distraction from the Cubs dreadful summer and the White Sox oh so painfully losing control of the AL Central to the second-half king Minnesota Twins, I am not excited to here the overarching strategy coming out of the Chicago Bears camp.
Perhaps the scariest plan is to try and construct a Mike Martz offense. We moved Chris Williams over to left tackle, which is a drastic improvement over Orlando Pace, but the team still has a pair of lumbering guards. I neither foresee Jay Cutler having the time to wait and throw those slow-developing routes nor Matt Forte able to find a hole to run through.
The Bears also lack the personnel to catch any of these throws consistently. Johnny Knox and Devin Aaromashodu might be promising pieces for the future, but in the present they are far from ideal. This means Earl “Plodding Possession Receiver” Bennett and overmatched Devin Hester are likely to see a great deal of time on the field dropping passes and falling a yard short on third and long. The best starting receiver appears to be tight end Greg Olsen, but tight ends often find themselves in the midst of a reception in a Martz offense, so yeah, that’s great news.
The second scariest rumor I am hearing is the plan, apparently approved by Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli, to remain true to the classic Cover-2 and use just a four-man rush to pressure quarterbacks. The optimistic version of this strategy goes like this: Sack master Julius Peppers will force a double team on the right side of the line, allowing left defensive end Tommy Harris to find a gap and flatten quarterbacks or force poor throws.
The cynical version is as such: Peppers pulls his Houdini act ala 2004, letting the opposing quarterback camp out in the pocket and notice the Bears free safety is looking at daisies.
I expect this to be Lovie Smith’s last season as head coach (and Jerry Angelo’s last as general manager). Though, I am looking forward to welcoming Bill Cowher as the 2011 Chicago Bears head coach. Of course, despite my bitching moaning, I will be in search of Chicago Bears tickets because I am a Bears’ football addict.
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Comment from Brian
Time August 13, 2010 at 8:46 am
Ok, the Tommy Harris position thing was an honest typing mistake. I know he plays DT, in fact he plays DT on the right side. If you want to play that game, you are a f*cking moron because you mention Devin Hester as a size machine. Well here’s the story, in the 21st century being 5′11 and 190 pounds is not considered very big. Oh, you might want to take a look at tight ends and their production in a Mike Martz system before you start talking about Olsen being a touchdown machine.
Now if you actually want to provoke some kind of thought you could mention that Martz recently stated he has never had a tight end as athletic as Olsen, so his previous numbers with tight ends could be a product of the personnel situation and not his strategy. Did you say that? No.
I still contend the offensive line is going to need the tight end to stick around and help. I am not convinced Robert Garza or Frank Omiyale is quick enough to stop those fast, low center of gravity DTs, DE taking to the inside, or blitzing interior linebackers. I think Chris Williams is an upgrade at LT, but he is hardly a pro bowl candidate. Then there is the gaping talent void at RT to consider. How is this line good again, just because Olin Kreutz is awesome? C’mon man live in the now.
I also worry the classic Cover 2 has become the norm and is no longer the thrill it was in the beginning of the century (not to mention I still have yet to see if Urlacher has gotten his quickness back).
I will be more than excited if Knox and Aaromashodu can be as good during the entire season as they were at times last season. I do like the linebackers, especially if Roach and Briggs are starting on the outside. But then I look at the roster again and I still have to question the revolving door at free safety. Maybe the staff just needs to let Daniel Manning play there for a consistent five or six games without fear of being benched.
Do I want to be wrong? Of course, but I think I have to enter the season with a healthy dose of skepticism in a year Lovie Smith has to reach the playoffs just to save his job. He and the Bears got to this position for a reason, let’s not forget this.
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Comment from Franklin
Time August 12, 2010 at 11:19 pm
You are an idiot. Knox will lead the team in yards and catches. Olsen and Devin will be touchdown machines using their size with Knox keeping up. The only weak spot on the line is the RT and I foresee that problem being solved by benching Frank.
The 7 step drop actually helps the run game because the DEs tend to rush deeper leaving big holes, so I do see the YPC increasing a lot this year.
Tommy is not a DE, he is a DT. Mark Anderson is the opposite DE and he is ok at rushing, he just sucks at defending the run game as he isn’t heavy enough or strong enough.
So yes, your observations/predictions match your URL.