I don’t think the 2010 Bears offense ever really assimilated or bought into the “Greatest Show on Bad Turf” that OC Mike Martz desired to create last season (despite an overall 11-5 record)… Martz wanted badly to install a vertical passing game, but ended up settling for a scaled-back West Coast offense, mostly due to a decimated offensive line that allowed 56 sacks, and a lingering team question about their quarterback’s leadership ability in pressure situations.
Martz has something to prove this coming Monday night at the Linc…
Mike Martz wants to prove he has an offense now that can beat a team like the Eagles physically at the point of attack…He’s overhauled his offensive line to design for that purpose.
There are a lot of other variables we’ll look at in Martz’ new scheme, but the main focus is Martz’ now relying more on power blocking and power running than on deception, gimmicks and movement technique.
For those (including me) who haven’t kept up with da Bears since the playoffs last year, here’s a quick overview from Maggie Hendricks who writes for “Grizzly Detail.com” at NBC Chicago:
Jay Cutler: The QB has had an up-and-down year, with outstanding games against Atlanta, Minnesota and Detroit, but poor games against Tampa Bay and Green Bay. His QB rating of 84.0 puts him right in the middle of NFL QBs. But his growth as a leader of the team is apparent, and he’s building a connection with his receivers.
Lovie Smith: At 4-3, the Bears are in the middle of the pack in almost every NFL category. They’re about as mediocre as it gets. Smith has continued his path of sometimes great, sometimes awful coaching.
Mike Martz: His playcalling has been suspect, and his relationship with his players has been strained. The Bears offense is completely dependent on one player. In both yards and points, the offense is ranked in the middle of the league. For a “genius,” that’s not good enough.
Brian Urlacher: As the season began, the entire defense had a hard time clicking, and it’s hard to not pin that on Urlacher, who has been the head of the Bears D for a decade. They have steadily improved, that’s Urlacher’s fault, too. When he plays well, the Bears defense plays well. Rock on, Brian.
Chris Harris: He started the season as the Bears starting safety. Now? He’s playing for Detroit. We’ll miss you, buddy.
Roy Williams: He has not become the No. 1 receiver that the Bears were hoping for, but he has shown a better connection with Jay Cutler in recent games. It took him seven games to get a touchdown, and he’s still hasn’t proved that he’s any better than Johnny Knox.
Jerry Angelo: Draft picks Stephen Paea and Chris Conte have shown early success, but his free agent signings haven’t made a positive impact. Marion Barber has been a good back-up to Matt Forte, but Williams hasn’t been a huge addition and Brandon Merriweather has been a disaster. He also failed to sign Matt Forte to the long-term contract that he deserves. If we were to give Angelo a letter grade, it would be, “UGH.”
Johnny Knox: After losing his starting job to Williams during training camp, Knox impressed the staff with his determination to win the job back. Unfortunately, he didn’t impress anyone once the season started. Knox was owned by the Packers and Saints secondary, and hasn’t been a huge target since those games. He has just 19 catches for 348 yards, meaning he’ll have to create some miracles to get near last season’s totals of 51 catches for 960 yards.
Julius Peppers: He isn’t racking up the sacks this season like he did last year, and a knee injury has taken a bit of pep out of his step. But the Bears play better when he’s on the field, and he showed against Minnesota that he can get a sack with a simple push…
Thanks, Maggie… and we’ll add some more thoughts on Mike Martz and what the Bears will be bringing against the Eagles next Monday night… First, a short break…
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OK, we’re back… a few notebook observations on what the Chicago Bears are all about this season:
Matt Forte— his explosiveness in this offense makes him a big-play back in the Marshall Faulk mold, as both a rusher and a pass receiver…He has been used best on the outside or in isolation situations. However, Forte is a bit slow in picking holes when running inside… this is a chance for the Eagles DL to tighten up and make some big stops, especially if the Bears go to Forte as their inside short-yardage answer…
Devin Hester— Attempts to make Hester a #1 WR have failed…and the Bears fallback has been to emphasize multiple wideouts. That falls right into the current strategy of the Eagles to apply press coverage to the wide receivers… Outside of Roy Williams or Johnny Knox (occasionally), there is no wide receiver on the Bears offense that could be described as a dependable 3rd-down threat…
On Defense— The Eagles know what they’re going to get— a Cover 2… they might disguise it, but the Bears are sticking with it… The Bears’ coverage guys are using their outside shoulder leverage to funnel receivers into the middle where there’s help. The Eagles know this, and it’s a great chance to hurt the Bears early with some pre-scripted plays that tend to go deep to the outside…
Account for Peppers— Under DC Rod Marinelli, the Bears may cling to their Cover 2 scheme, but they have been showing a few new wrinkles…They are blitzing more effectively than ever, but they credit most of their success on defense to DE Julius Peppers’ pass rush. And even when Peppers does not get to his QB target, he makes it possible for his counterparts on the other side to get it done.
Linebackers— Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher have shown no signs of slowing down. The Bears rely heavily upon their nickel defense, with Urlacher and Briggs playing the only LB spots.
There’s so much more to consider… we’ve only touched the surface… but for the sake of mid-week pacing in the race to Monday Night Football, we’ll stop here on a Wondering Wednesday… and we’ll digest the game-plan thoughts of the Bored for this crucial upcoming game…
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