Inside the Bears

Some observations from last Sunday's 19-16 Bears victory over the Vikings:

• Thomas Jones' vision has not been as good as it was last year. Against the Vikings, he seemed to either miss holes or go the wrong way on a few runs. Part of this could be due to Jones missing most of training camp with a pulled hamstring and not being able to get into a rhythm with his offensive line. It also is partially due to the offensive line not exploding off the line and not creating a lot of holes. Last season, Jones ran for 1,335 yards despite constantly running into 8 and 9-man fronts designed to stuff the run and make rookie QB Kyle Orton beat the defense. This season, opposing teams are still stacking the box, but not as often because of the emergence of Rex Grossman. Jones should have more success than he's been having. The running game has been a problem since the preseason, and it must be fixed soon. More often than not, if Grossman has to throw the ball 40+ times (as he did against the Vikings), the Bears will lose.
• Rex Grossman had to deal with consistent adversity for the first time against Minnesota, facing constant blitzes and deafening crowd noise. He didn't always make the right decision, but he came up big when the team needed him most. Most Bears QBs would've collapsed after throwing such a critical interception and having it returned for a TD, but Grossman has shown an ability to put those mistakes out of his mind and respond well on the next drive. Let's look at his interceptions this year. After throwing a terrible 1st quarter interception into double coverage in the end zone against the Packers, he led the Bears to a field goal on their next drive. After throwing a bad 3rd quarter pick against the Lions that was returned for a TD (the TD was nullified by penalty), Grossman led the team down the field and threw a TD pass to TE John Gilmore. After throwing a 2nd quarter pick against the Vikings, he led the team into field goal range before the team ran out of time. And after throwing the horrible 4th quarter interception that was returned for a TD by Antoine Winfield, Grossman led the team to a field goal on their next possession and eventually threw the game-winning TD pass to Rashied Davis.
• Through 3 games, we have seen that Grossman will occasionally make the "what are you thinking?" throw. This is something that Bears fans will simply have to live with. This is a higher-risk, higher-reward offense now, and the good far outweighs the bad here. I'd much rather have a consistent vertical passing game with a few occasional mistakes instead of a conservative, mistake-free game plan like that of last year. It's about going for above-average (Grossman) instead of settling for average (Brian Griese), as long as it doesn't hurt the team.
• WR Bernard Berrian had his first big drop of the season against Minnesota, but his emergence has been as big a factor as any in the Bears' passing game this season. Berrian has always been known as a speed-burner but desperately wants to get rid of the "soft" label that he's had in his first two seasons. Some scouts have said in the past that Berrian was brittle and afraid to go over the middle to make the tough catch, but he has managed to stay healthy after some minor training camp injuries and he made a very tough catch over the middle against the Lions. If he can continue to be a deep threat and make the big catch to move the chains, it would take some pressure (and defensive coverage) off Muhsin Muhammad.
• I'll be the first to admit that I was not a believer in TE Desmond Clark going into this season, but he has been very impressive so far. The Bears haven't consistently thrown to their TEs in years (maybe decades), and Clark had some problems with drops in his Bears career, so there wasn't much of a reason to think he would break out this season. However, offensive coordinator Ron Turner has placed a new emphasis on getting the TE involved in the offense, and Clark lost some weight in the offseason to increase his quickness. As a result, Clark has been a very viable threat this season, both short and downfield. He sprained his foot in the Minnesota game and is listed as questionable for the big Sunday night showdown against the defending NFC champion Seahawks. If he can't play, John Gilmore would start in his place. Gilmore is considered to be a better blocker than receiver, and Clark is definitely quicker, so there would be a notable dropoff if Gilmore started.
• It was a little odd to see Cedric Benson not get a single carry against the Vikings, but I guess the team didn't want an inexperienced player in the lineup in such a hostile environment as the Metrodome. They may have been concerned about his ability to pick up blitzes (even though he worked on that in the offseason) because it's hard to hear the protection schemes on the line in such a noisy stadium. I wouldn't have minded seeing him get a series to try to give the running game a spark. He should see some time against Seattle.
• The shoddy tackling needs to stop, and fast. It was a problem during the preseason (Chris Harris being one of the culprits), and it reared its ugly head again against Minnesota, particularly on the run where Mewelde Moore picked up a critical late first down. I know that this defense is based on running to the ball and creating turnovers, but remember to actually tackle the ballcarrier too, guys.
• It was a risky move by coach Lovie Smith to put rookie Danieal Manning into the starting lineup at free safety before the game. At the same time, Minnesota's offense has only one explosive WR (Troy Williamson), so it might not have been a bad move, and the experience should help Manning in the long run. Manning brings the speed and range that Chris Harris doesn't have, and Harris was starting to get caught out of position in coverage too much for the team's liking.
• Defensive tackle Tommie Harris is some kind of player, wow. His amazing quickness enabled him to force the Chester Taylor fumble that Adewale Ogunleye recovered, leading to Grossman's game-winning TD pass.
• Speaking of that TD pass, the play was designed very well, and Rashied Davis ran just about a perfect route. Muhsin Muhammad ran a shorter route to the outside designed to draw the defensive coverage to him, and Davis faked a corner route and went to the post, completely turning around the cornerback that was covering him. Great execution.

Bears-Vikings Preview

Despite the fact that the Bears have been dominant in wins over the Packers and Lions, many people in the national media still don't give the team much respect. The lack of respect for what the Bears have done is pretty amusing. It's true that they have played two teams that aren't very good, but you can only play whoever is on the schedule. They've done what they were supposed to do. Most people thought the season opener in Green Bay would be tough. The Bears wound up shutting out their hated rival, 26-0. Then the "experts" said that the game against the Lions would be tough because of how the Lions' defense harrassed Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck in a 9-6 Seahawks victory. Detroit WR Roy Williams even guaranteed a victory. He was still defiant after a 34-7 whooping at the hands of the Bears. Bears QB Rex Grossman threw four TD passes and wasn't sacked in the game. Not even once. So much for that Detroit defense.

It seems as though most of the "experts" are still picking the Vikings to beat the Bears today. They laud the Vikings for playing solid defense and having a QB (Brad Johnson) who doesn't turn the ball over. Sounds eerily similar to last year's Bears team, doesn't it? The one that lost to Carolina in the playoffs. ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth has picked against the Bears in every game, including today's. It is true that the Vikings do a variety of things pretty well, and they do have a pretty dominant left side of the offensive line with left tackle Bryant McKinnie and left guard Steve Hutchinson. However, the Bears are simply better on defense, better on special teams, and just as good (if not better) on offense, thanks to the emergence of Grossman. If the Bears don't commit multiple turnovers, they should win this game. The big key is going to be stopping Vikings RB Chester Taylor from running the ball over that dominant left side of the line. Running the ball, playing solid defense, and having a QB who doesn't turn the ball over can only get you so far, just look at last year's Bears. Last week, Chicago exposed a Detroit defense that wasn't as good as it looked against Seattle. Today, I think the Bears expose a Vikings team that is pretty good at everything, but not great at anything.

Welcome!

I'd like to welcome everyone to Chicago SportsZone, a place where I will post my thoughts on the Chicago sports scene as well as national sports stories. See local and national sports through the eyes of a lifelong Chicagoan and aspiring sportswriter. A particular emphasis will be placed on the Chicago Bears and the NFL, as I will provide game previews, Bears/NFL thoughts, etc. I will also cover college sports, especially college football and basketball. We'll get things rolling with a quick preview of this afternoon's big Bears-Vikings matchup.