The Bears' blockers are who we thought they were

The Bears' blockers are who we thought they were


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The Giants sacked Jay Cutler nine times, forced him to fumble three times, intercepted him once and gave him a concussion.

He’s not dead yet, but give his blockers time.

How pathetic was the Bears’ blocking? The Giants were missing their leading sacker, and they still slaughtered Cutler, ending his night after 30 minutes because of a concussion.

What kind of joke was the Bears’ blocking? A guy with a bad knee had three of the sacks in just 22 minutes. Everybody gets healthy against the Bears’ line, huh?

Those nine sacks in the first half tied the Bears’ record for a game. The Bears’ blockers got whipped, beaten, pantsed, exposed and ruined. Probably treated for windburn, too. Now we know why Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell snubbed the Bears for an interview: He didn’t want to coach a good Bears defense, he wanted to coach against a disastrous Bears offensive line.

Look, if super-sized Brandon Shamumaleuna can’t block, what’s he good for? Frank Omiyale, same question. Heck, all of them, same question.

To think, the Bears’ utter and embarrassing inability to block came when the defense was nails. Four times the Giants had the ball in Bears’ territory in the first half, but the defense allowed only a field goal. Still, never did a 3-0 deficit look so lopsided.

And when the Giants roared 90 yards in eight plays to make it 10-0 in the third quarter, the Bears’ inept blockers had claimed its drained defense as another victim.

The Giants’ assault required the type of changes in game plan and line personnel the Bears showed in Dallas. Running plays, shorter patterns, different blockers. But all the blockers were in there –- and out of there -- so it was on Mike Martz to tear up half the playbook. Bears’ dink-and-dunk was better than New York’s search-and-destroy.

The Bears did try some things. Screens to slow the Giants’ aggressiveness. Running the ball to buy time on passing plays. Max-protection. Yeah, they tried, and they failed like few Bears offenses ever. Jeez, you’d think Jonathan Quinn was running things.

And how angry did you get when you heard Bears coach Lovie Smith say after the game that the Bears are 3-1 in the first quarter of this season? The Bears were 3-1 last season and missed the playoffs for the third straight year.

Oh, and I don’t want to forget to blame Jerry Angelo for part of this, too. He didn’t suit up, he didn’t walk the sidelines, but he also didn’t make the offensive line better. Or even decent. The line was the biggest question coming into this season. Now it might be the greatest culprit in ending it.

Don’t kid yourself, this a devastating loss because it was so winnable and so costly The defense gave the Bears a chance. The Giants’ special teams tried to give the Bears the game. But the offensive line and tight ends killed all hope. They killed Cutler, killed the defense, probably killed NBC’s ratings, and maybe killed the season.

I mean, if the Bears treat Cutler’s concussion as diligently as they treated Hunter Hillenmeyer’s by putting him on injured reserve for the season, then forget it. Without Cutler, it’s wait till next year. Todd Collins? Jeez, the guy couldn’t even finish the game, and when he was in there, he didn’t look rusty as much as he looked retired.

And you, everybody who dismissed the Bears’ limp running game in the glow of one of the worst-looking 3-0 records in a while, now what?

This Bears offensive crud is going to the playoffs?

Smith denied the Bears were making players more accountable this season. Really? Then who benched Desmond Clark one game after he dropped a TD pass?

First play -- no, before the first play, Omiyale commited a false start. Hey, at least he didn’t allow a sack.

Bears third-and-10 at their own 49 in the first quarter, and Cutler underthrew an open Devin Hester down the sideline. What looked like a touchdown in a scoreless game instead became a punt. And then Cutler’s brain got turned into oatmeal.

Giants first-and-10 at their own 30, and Israel Idonije sacked Eli Manning. Hey, look! A sack!

Julius Peppers forced Manning into a fumble that Brian Urlacher recovered with five minutes to go in the first half. First play, Cutler was sacked again, natch.

Corey Graham is making a bid for Pro Bowl special teamer.

Hester retuned a punt 35 yards to the Bears’ 45 in the last two minutes of the first half, but the Bears were flagged for holding. 'Course.

But wait. There’s more. After losing 40 yards because of the penalty, the Bears had to burn a timeout with 1:41 to go. Four games, and they haven’t learned how to line up?

The Bears didn’t reach New York territory until more than five minutes had elapsed in the second half, and on the next play, third-and-1, Matt Forte was thrown for a loss. Maybe he thought it was fourth-and-goal.

Zack Bowman, benched a week earlier, ripped the ball out of Ahmad Bradshaw’s arms at the Bears’ 10 and fell on it at the 1 with seven minutes to go. The difference between 17-3 and 10-10? Ha! Forte got nothing, Collins had a pass slapped down, and Forte got one yard. The Bears didn’t even want to try. Heck, they couldn’t, not with a creaky quarterback and a non-existent running game. Then, two plays after a bad Brad Maynard punt, the Giants indeed made it 17-3 with 4:31 to go. Drive home safely, folks.

JUST A BUNCH OF SAD SACKS

That's exactly what Bears look like while being dominated by Giants

sean jensen

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Bears' defensive players embraced the circumstances Sunday night against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium.
They were engaged in a slugfest in which the offenses were secondary to the defenses that dictated play.

So despite losing starting quarterback Jay Cutler to a concussion and twice facing the Giants' offense on their own side of the field after a turnover, the Bears' defense reveled in trailing just 3-0 at halftime and believed their resourcefulness once again would pay dividends.

''It was a dogfight, and usually we end up on the other side of the coin,'' Bears defensive end Israel Idonije said. ''But we shot ourselves in the foot.''
Added defensive end Julius Peppers: ''Give the Giants credit -- they whipped us tonight.''

The Bears (3-1) dropped into a tie with the Green Bay Packers atop the NFC North after a humbling 17-3 loss to the Giants.

But for a second consecutive week, the Bears' offense placed the defense in one precarious situation after another.

The defense responded last Monday night, keying a 20-17 victory over the Packers at Soldier Field with a late fumble recovery that set up the winning field goal.
But the defense couldn't bail out the offense Sunday night.

After a solid first half, the Bears gave up 272 net yards in the second, including 142 on the ground. The league's top-rated run defense -- a unit that had given up 119 rushing yards on 56 carries in three games -- gave up 129 rushing yards to Ahmad Bradshaw and another 62 yards to bruising back Brandon Jacobs.

The bulk of the damage on the ground (92 yards) came in the fourth quarter, which would suggest that the Bears built-for-speed defense tired.

They refused to make excuses for their effort.

''Being worn down is not really an excuse for defensive play,'' linebacker Lance Briggs said. ''We deserve to be ripped, just like our offense. We practice and we prepare for games like this, where we're going to be on the field a lot. So there's really no excuse there.''

Idonije said the expectation is that no matter how many snaps -- ''even if it's 200,'' he said -- the Bears should be consistent and make routine tackles, a point safety Chris Harris confirmed.

''We weren't as good a tackling team as we've been, and that kind of hurt us in the fourth quarter,'' Harris said. ''[Bradshaw] didn't do anything special. We beat ourselves by missing tackles and not doing what we're supposed to do.''

Yet the offense certainly didn't help the defense. Even when they handed the offense the ball around midfield, Cutler and Co. couldn't get anything going.

Peppers had a sack and a strip of Giants quarterback Eli Manning around midfield, and Brian Urlacher recovered the ball. The Bears' offensive response was predictable: sack, short pass and incomplete pass on third-and-18.

''Not being able to handle the pressure offensively,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said -- ''that's the story.''

Cutler was sacked an NFL-record nine times in the first half, not returning for the second half with a concussion, and third-stringer Caleb Hanie was taken down once in the fourth quarter. All told, the 10 sacks allowed were a team record for the Bears.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, after backup quarterback Todd Collins was intercepted, the Bears' defense responded by forcing a Jacobs fumble and recovering the ball at the Giants' 29.

But in three plays, the Bears moved just seven yards and settled for a 40-yard field goal.

Manning was hardly at his best, completing just 18 of 30 passes for 195 yards with two lost fumbles, but Bradshaw and Jacobs kept pounding the ball.

''You have to take your hat off to those guys for sticking with it,'' Idonije said.
The Carolina Panthers play a similar brand of football, relying on running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. With their passing offense in a funk -- including the high-ankle sprain suffered by Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith -- the Panthers likely will count on Williams and Stewart to pace them against the Bears.
While winless, the Panthers nearly upset the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints before squandering a late scoring chance and losing 16-14.

''Sometimes a loss like this is something you need so you can put things back in perspective,'' Idonije said.

''We're a good team. Let's focus and get back on track next week.''

One word....

Pathetic.

Quote:

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After a solid first half, the Bears gave up 272 net yards in the second, including 142 on the ground. The league's top-rated run defense -- a unit that had given up 119 rushing yards on 56 carries in three games -- gave up 129 rushing yards to Ahmad Bradshaw and another 62 yards to bruising back Brandon Jacobs.

The bulk of the damage on the ground (92 yards) came in the fourth quarter, which would suggest that the Bears built-for-speed defense tired.

They refused to make excuses for their effort.

''Being worn down is not really an excuse for defensive play,'' linebacker Lance Briggs said. ''We deserve to be ripped, just like our offense. We practice and we prepare for games like this, where we're going to be on the field a lot. So there's really no excuse there.''

Idonije said the expectation is that no matter how many snaps -- ''even if it's 200,'' he said -- the Bears should be consistent and make routine tackles, a point safety Chris Harris confirmed.

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Think the "D' being way too hard on themselves- sucsk we gave up the rushing yards in the 4th to lose the top rated rush "D" ranking, but when you spend the whole game out there- something is going to give, all the 3 and out's finally got to them. don't blame them for that-if we had any O-line play, and some drives, doubt they tire at end, its good teammates to take the blame, but not reality

agreed DB, the D was not the issue last night.
O 0-13 3rd down's, 10 sacks, couple int's.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dabears54

JUST A BUNCH OF SAD SACKS

That's exactly what Bears look like while being dominated by Giants

sean jensen

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Bears' defensive players embraced the circumstances Sunday night against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium.
They were engaged in a slugfest in which the offenses were secondary to the defenses that dictated play.

So despite losing starting quarterback Jay Cutler to a concussion and twice facing the Giants' offense on their own side of the field after a turnover, the Bears' defense reveled in trailing just 3-0 at halftime and believed their resourcefulness once again would pay dividends.

''It was a dogfight, and usually we end up on the other side of the coin,'' Bears defensive end Israel Idonije said. ''But we shot ourselves in the foot.''
Added defensive end Julius Peppers: ''Give the Giants credit -- they whipped us tonight.''

The Bears (3-1) dropped into a tie with the Green Bay Packers atop the NFC North after a humbling 17-3 loss to the Giants.

But for a second consecutive week, the Bears' offense placed the defense in one precarious situation after another.

The defense responded last Monday night, keying a 20-17 victory over the Packers at Soldier Field with a late fumble recovery that set up the winning field goal.
But the defense couldn't bail out the offense Sunday night.

After a solid first half, the Bears gave up 272 net yards in the second, including 142 on the ground. The league's top-rated run defense -- a unit that had given up 119 rushing yards on 56 carries in three games -- gave up 129 rushing yards to Ahmad Bradshaw and another 62 yards to bruising back Brandon Jacobs.

The bulk of the damage on the ground (92 yards) came in the fourth quarter, which would suggest that the Bears built-for-speed defense tired.

They refused to make excuses for their effort.

''Being worn down is not really an excuse for defensive play,'' linebacker Lance Briggs said. ''We deserve to be ripped, just like our offense. We practice and we prepare for games like this, where we're going to be on the field a lot. So there's really no excuse there.''

Idonije said the expectation is that no matter how many snaps -- ''even if it's 200,'' he said -- the Bears should be consistent and make routine tackles, a point safety Chris Harris confirmed.

''We weren't as good a tackling team as we've been, and that kind of hurt us in the fourth quarter,'' Harris said. ''[Bradshaw] didn't do anything special. We beat ourselves by missing tackles and not doing what we're supposed to do.''

Yet the offense certainly didn't help the defense. Even when they handed the offense the ball around midfield, Cutler and Co. couldn't get anything going.

Peppers had a sack and a strip of Giants quarterback Eli Manning around midfield, and Brian Urlacher recovered the ball. The Bears' offensive response was predictable: sack, short pass and incomplete pass on third-and-18.

''Not being able to handle the pressure offensively,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said -- ''that's the story.''

Cutler was sacked an NFL-record nine times in the first half, not returning for the second half with a concussion, and third-stringer Caleb Hanie was taken down once in the fourth quarter. All told, the 10 sacks allowed were a team record for the Bears.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, after backup quarterback Todd Collins was intercepted, the Bears' defense responded by forcing a Jacobs fumble and recovering the ball at the Giants' 29.

But in three plays, the Bears moved just seven yards and settled for a 40-yard field goal.

Manning was hardly at his best, completing just 18 of 30 passes for 195 yards with two lost fumbles, but Bradshaw and Jacobs kept pounding the ball.

''You have to take your hat off to those guys for sticking with it,'' Idonije said.
The Carolina Panthers play a similar brand of football, relying on running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. With their passing offense in a funk -- including the high-ankle sprain suffered by Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith -- the Panthers likely will count on Williams and Stewart to pace them against the Bears.
While winless, the Panthers nearly upset the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints before squandering a late scoring chance and losing 16-14.

''Sometimes a loss like this is something you need so you can put things back in perspective,'' Idonije said.

''We're a good team. Let's focus and get back on track next week.''

---

dabears54, I consider myself a "realist" and didn't expect the Bears to go 16-0, but they embarrassed themselves on a national TV stage. I really thought that this was the game the Bears needed to begin getting some respect. Instead look for the media (and many in the fanbase) to continue to doubt them.

And who can blame them? I told you before the season I had to see results on the field before I would believe. I also said one of my three concerns was the o-line. Our o-line is below average with Williams and Louis playing, now we have those guys injured. Johnny Unitas couldn't have played well behind this o-line. Cutler never had a chance.

I'm glad the Bears do not play any more games this year on Sunday night. We were 0-3 last year and now lost another one. I can't remember the last Sunday night game we won.

With the way the o-line played last night I'm not as confident in winning the next three games as I was.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GeorgiaJeff

dabears54, I consider myself a "realist" and didn't expect the Bears to go 16-0, but they embarrassed themselves on a national TV stage. I really thought that this was the game the Bears needed to begin getting some respect. Instead look for the media (and many in the fan base) to continue to doubt them.

And who can blame them? I told you before the season I had to see results on the field before I would believe. I also said one of my three concerns was the o-line. Our o-line is below average with Williams and Louis playing, now we have those guys injured. Johnny Unitas couldn't have played well behind this o-line. Cutler never had a chance.

I'm glad the Bears do not play any more games this year on Sunday night. We were 0-3 last year and now lost another one. I can't remember the last Sunday night game we won.

With the way the o-line played last night I'm not as confident in winning the next three games as I was.

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Yep expect the doubter's out in full throttle again now. Can't defend the Line last night, they blew chunks. the "D" is still playing at a Playoff level is the 'silver lining", but until the "O" line fixed or at least playing 'average"

BTW we won opening night 2008 on sunday night over colts...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GeorgiaJeff

dabears54, I consider myself a "realist" and didn't expect the Bears to go 16-0, but they embarrassed themselves on a national TV stage. I really thought that this was the game the Bears needed to begin getting some respect. Instead look for the media (and many in the fan base) to continue to doubt them.

And who can blame them? I told you before the season I had to see results on the field before I would believe. I also said one of my three concerns was the o-line. Our o-line is below average with Williams and Louis playing, now we have those guys injured. Johnny Unitas couldn't have played well behind this o-line. Cutler never had a chance.

I'm glad the Bears do not play any more games this year on Sunday night. We were 0-3 last year and now lost another one. I can't remember the last Sunday night game we won.

With the way the o-line played last night I'm not as confident in winning the next three games as I was.

---

Well said. My thoughts exactly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dabears54

Yep expect the doubter's out in full throttle again now. Can't defend the Line last night, they blew chunks. the "D" is still playing at a Playoff level is the 'silver lining", but until the "O" line fixed or at least playing 'average"

BTW we won opening night 2008 on sunday night over colts...

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Can't wait to see how they would fix the line problem.

Sign four or five Sumo wrestlers. They know how to move people back.