Thread: BEARS/GIANTS Game review and Grades..

mark potash

Quarterback: C-

Jay Cutler (right) had no chance. He was sacked nine times in the first half, fumbling three times. He was 8-for-11 for 42 yards. Todd Collins was no better in relief.

Running backs: C
Matt Forte and Chester Taylor never had a chance, either. Taylor had runs of 7 and 11 yards, but they weren't worth much in the final 1:32 of the first half.

Receivers: C
Devin Hester was open on a deep route early, but the ball was underthrown. The Bears' longest pass play through three quarters was nine yards.

Offensive line: F
From one end to the other, the line did the impossible -- much, much worse than it ever has. And the breakdowns in protection led to Cutler's injury.

Defensive line: B
Julius Peppers helped keep the Bears close with a sack of Eli Manning, which forced a fumble, and with a key pass breakup. Israel Idonije also had a sack.

Linebackers: B
Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher (fumble recovery) helped keep the Bears close, but they missed opportunities for interceptions on deflected passes.

Defensive backs: B+
Zack Bowman and Chris Harris came up with key fumble recoveries that kept the Bears in striking distance in the second half.

Special teams: C
In a game in which special teams were needed, Devin Hester returned a punt 36 yards to the Bears' 46, but a penalty took it back to the 5. Brad Maynard's punting was bad.

Coaching: F
Bears not only looked unprepared for the Giants' pass rush, but Mike Martz didn't have the answer this time. Lack of a quality backup QB is on Jerry Angelo.

Quarterly report: Bears at Giants

Jay Cutler, Bears QB: Tough sledding under siege, but he had two throws he'd like back -- underthrowing Devin Hester on a deep ball and misfiring to Greg Olsen, with Terrell Thomas intercepting.

KEY STAT 1Q

12 of 15: In a down-and-distance disaster, the Bears had 10 yards or longer to go for a first down on 12 of 15 plays from scrimmage in the first quarter.

DID YOU NOTICE?
LT Frank Omiyale had a false start on the first play from scrimmage in the quarter and again on the last play of the quarter.

KEY PLAYER 2Q
Osi Umenyiora, Giants DE: Led an embarrassing domination of the Bears' offensive line with two of the Giants' seven sacks in the quarter, beating Greg Olsen and Omiyale.

KEY STAT 2Q
3-0: Somehow the Bears trail just 3-0 at halftime despite allowing nine sacks, fumbling three times and being 0-for-7 on third downs.

DID YOU NOTICE?
Cutler, a team player, threw the ball away as he ran out of bounds, saving his offensive line the ignominy of yet another sack.

KEY PLAYER 3Q
Eli Manning, Giants QB: He was not much better than Cutler despite better protection. But he was 4-for-4 for 65 yards on the Giants' touchdown drive that all but put this one away.

KEY STAT 3Q
28: Todd Collins replaced Cutler (concussion), and the results were predictable -- the Bears gained 28 yards on 10 plays in the quarter.

DID YOU NOTICE?
Ahmad Bradshaw escaped a Brian Urlacher tackle at the New York 5-yard line to help the Giants get a key first down on their 70-yard touchdown drive.

KEY PLAYER 4Q
Todd Collins, Bears QB: After one interception was nullifed by a roughing-the-passer penalty, Collins -- admittedly in a tough spot -- was intercepted by Deon Grant three plays later at the Giants' 8 in a 10-0 game.

KEY STAT 4Q
2: After a forced fumble and recovery by Zack Bowman gave the Bears possession at their 1, the offense gained two yards and punted.

DID YOU NOTICE?
Justin Tuck's sack of Caleb Hanie in the fourth quarter was the only sack the Bears allowed in the second half.

Quarter-by-quarter analysis: Bears vs. Giants



By ERIC OLSON – eolson@nwherald.com

First quarter – Giants 3, Bears 0

Key play: Bears wide receiver Devin Hester beat New York Giants cornerback Corey Webster on a third-down play with 8:47 left, but quarterback Jay Cutler underthrew the pass, and what could have been a touchdown was broken up.

Key drive: The Giants got on the board first, with an 11-play, 76-yard drive that stalled at the Bears’ 4-yard line, leading to a Lawrence Tynes 22-yard field goal with 3:30 remaining.

Key stat: The Giants had two sacks in the first quarter, keeping the Bears’ offense from establishing any rhythm early.

Analysis: The Bears’ offense didn’t pick up a first down in the quarter, and the pressure applied by the Giants’ defensive line led the Bears to bench offensive linemen Roberto Garza and Kevin Shaffer at one point. The Bears’ defense did a decent job of keeping New York out of the end zone, though, and a missed field goal by the Giants kept it at 3-0.

Second quarter – Giants 3, Bears 0

Key play: The Giants started their second drive of the quarter in Bears’ territory, but on their second play, Bears defensive end Julius Peppers got to Giants quarterback Eli Manning and forced a fumble that linebacker Brian Urlacher recovered, ending the threat with five minutes remaining.

Key drive: There wasn’t one. The Bears’ offense was derailed by repeated sacks of Cutler, while New York, despite starting two drives in Bears’ territory, made its own mistakes and didn’t pick up a first down.

Key stat: Two first-quarter sacks became nine by halftime, tying a Bears record for a game and an NFL record for sacks in a half. Many of them could be attributed to Cutler holding the football far too long.
Analysis: The Giants’ defensive line, playing without leading pass-rusher Mathias Kiwanuka, racked up nine sacks of Cutler. The feat overshadowed the solid performance of the Bears’ defense, which sacked Manning once, forced a turnover and held the Giants to a field goal, keeping the Bears in the game.

Third quarter – Giants 10, Bears 0

Key play: With the Bears facing third-and-1 near midfield, running back Matt Forte was stuffed on an off-tackle run, forcing another Bears punt.

Key drive: After the Bears did nothing with the ball starting near midfield, the Giants mounted an eight-play, 90-yard drive that ended with Ahmad Bradshaw’s 3-yard touchdown run to make it 10-0 New York with 2:48 left in the quarter.

Key stat: The Giants’ offense had six first downs in the third quarter, while the Bears had one – on the final play of the quarter.

Analysis: With Cutler sidelined because of a concussion, backup Todd Collins took over, and the Bears’ offense continued to go nowhere. Meanwhile, the Giants stopped tripping over themselves long enough to score a touchdown, making the outlook bleak for the Bears.

Fourth quarter – Giants 17, Bears 3
Key play: Manning connected with wide receiver Hakeem Nicks on a 30-yard pass with 4:38 remaining, giving the Giants the ball on the 2-yard line and setting up their second touchdown on the next play.
Key drive: The Bears took over on their 1-yard line after cornerback Zackary Bowman forced a fumble to keep the team in the game, but they couldn’t move the ball at all and punted to the Giants, who scored their final touchdown with the short field.
Key stat: The Giants finished with 10 sacks, the most the Bears have allowed in a game.
Analysis: Once the Giants stopped sacking the quarterback constantly, this became a rather boring game. Neither team was particularly sharp, but the Bears had little chance without Cutler on the field. The Bears’ defense played a good game against a mistake-prone Giants offense, but the effort went for naught as the team’s record fell to 3-1.

Offense (all stages) F

Defense..... B

5 things we learned: Bears-Giants

. The offensive line will be an issue all year:Give the line credit for making adjustments against Green Bay and Dallas, but absolutely nothing worked in New York. Nothing. But we all knew this was going to be a problem spot for the Bears. Outside of Olin Kreutz, there isn't a superstar-caliber player in the bunch. Roberto Garza and Kevin Shaffer are proud veterans, but neither is a Pro Bowl-type performer. Frank Omiyale has limited experience, Lance Louis (left with a knee injury) and J'Marcus Webb are seventh-round picks, and Edwin Williams was just elevated from the practice squad. Without question, Kreutz and offensive line coach Mike Tice provide excellent leadership, but in the end you need talent to win in the NFL. The young players certainly could pan out, it just might not happen quickly enough.

2. Kreutz only talks to the media when it matters: The NFL needs more guys like Kreutz, a veteran who always steps up the plate in the Bears' darkest hours. "We just have to [expletive] block people, period," Kreutz said in the postgame locker room. "That's what we have to do. This is nothing on Martz's play-calling. No, we know what system we are in. It's buck up or get out, period." Amen. Although the coordinator and quarterback need to shoulder some of the blame for the disastrous results Sunday night, even if Kreutz refuses to say so publicly.

3. The run game is turning into a concern: It's easy to write off a subpar run game when the team is winning. But it's impossible when you lose, especially after the offensive line/tight ends were humiliated in their attempts to protect a trio of Bears quarterbacks. There are going to be times in the year when the Bears need to pick up yards on the ground, and Sunday night was one of those times. It didn't happen. Matt Forte only averaged 2.2 yards per carry on 12 attempts, while once again, this line proved incapable of converting in short-yardage situations. This has been a problem for years. When is it going to be fixed?

4. The defense needs help: If you follow Bears football, you've seen this story before. A great defensive effort is wasted because the offense can't stay on the field. The defense was the only reason the Bears were even in this game in the second half, but the unit eventually wore down and allowed New York to score a late touchdown, courtesy of great field position. Obviously, the Giants' combination of Ahmad Bradshaw (129 yards, 1 TD) and Brandon Jacobs (62 yards, 1 TD) had a big night on the ground, but the Bears forced three turnovers and held Eli Manning below 200 yards passing. This one is not on the defense. Not by a long shot.

5. The Bears next stretch is critical: Believe it or not, the Bears are still in really good shape at 3-1, because this entire conference is mediocre. Look at the teams the Bears have faced up to this point: Detroit, Dallas, Green Bay and New York -- none of them look very good. That's why it's so crucial the Bears bounce back from this loss. The next four games present the Bears with road matchups versus Carolina and Buffalo, and home dates against Seattle and Washington. Those teams are a combined 4-12. If the Bears, in a worst case scenario, can split the next four games, they would enter that November Minnesota home contest at 5-3. In this conference, any team at 5-3 would be sitting pretty.

Offensive line receives worst grade possible

Monday, Oct. 4, 2010
12:22 AM

By John Mullin
CSNChicago.com

Hard to find too many compliments to hand out in a 17-3 loss.

QUARTERBACK F

His protection was virtually non-existent but Jay Cutler clearly had no sense of what was swirling around him, holding the ball too often when the rush was coming. Todd Collins was thrown into the fire and completed 4-of-11 passes before he was knocked out of the game. Caleb Hanie completed 3-of-4 and took the record-setting 10th sack.

RUNNING BACK C-

Matt Forte and Chester Taylor netted 59 yards on 16 carries (3.7 avg.) in a game where their lack of involvement was puzzling at times. Forte caught two passes but the backs were never a factor.

RECEIVERS D-

TE Greg Olsen caught a team-high five passes and Earl Bennett added four but the problems in protection made it impossible to establish anything with any of the receivers. TE Brandon Manumaleuna was beaten to the inside by DE Osi Umenyiora for a sack and by DE Justin Tuck for a second sack in the first half.

OFFENSIVE LINE F-

Jay Cutler was sacked nine times in the first half and the offense failed to establish anything up front against a suspect Giants front without its leading pass rusher. NY sacked Cutler on each of the first two series as Roberto Garza and Olin Kreutz did not stop Chris Canty up the middle. Frank Omiyale was beaten by Osi Umenyiora for two sacks and two forced fumbles in the first half.

DEFENSIVE LINE B-

The front stood up reasonably well throughout but eventually had its breakdowns late. Julius Peppers sacked Eli Manning in the second quarter, forcing a fumble. Israel Idonije had a first-half sack of Manning. Peppers added a pass deflection and tackle for loss plus two QB hits.

LINEBACKERS C

Brian Urlacher recovered a fumble following the Peppers sack. Pisa Tinoisamoa had six solo tackles to help contain the New York run game and Lance Briggs had three solos.

SECONDARY C+

Tackling by DBs was poor in the first quarter, by Danieal Manning and Charles Tillman to allow runs for first downs. Zackary Bowman was beaten on a deep throw to set up a TD as he and Tim Jennings alternated at one corner spot. Chris Harris recovered a fumble and added six tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS D

Robbie Gould converted from 40 yards for the Bears’ only points as the Bears got virtually nothing in the return game. Devin Hester averaged three yards on two punt returns and Danieal Manning was held to a 17-yard average on three kickoff returns.

COACHING D

If Mike Martz deserves kudos for adjusting at Dallas, he has to explain the seemingly slow-developing plays against a frothing NY pass rush and failing to use the run game and more throws to backs to blunt the rush. The defense was effective for most of the game. Special teams delivered little against a supposed weakness of the Giants’.

Originally Posted by dabears54

Offensive line receives worst grade possible

Monday, Oct. 4, 2010
12:22 AM

By John Mullin
CSNChicago.com

Hard to find too many compliments to hand out in a 17-3 loss.

QUARTERBACK F

His protection was virtually non-existent but Jay Cutler clearly had no sense of what was swirling around him, holding the ball too often when the rush was coming. Todd Collins was thrown into the fire and completed 4-of-11 passes before he was knocked out of the game. Caleb Hanie completed 3-of-4 and took the record-setting 10th sack.

RUNNING BACK C-

Matt Forte and Chester Taylor netted 59 yards on 16 carries (3.7 avg.) in a game where their lack of involvement was puzzling at times. Forte caught two passes but the backs were never a factor.

RECEIVERS D-

TE Greg Olsen caught a team-high five passes and Earl Bennett added four but the problems in protection made it impossible to establish anything with any of the receivers. TE Brandon Manumaleuna was beaten to the inside by DE Osi Umenyiora for a sack and by DE Justin Tuck for a second sack in the first half.

OFFENSIVE LINE F-

Jay Cutler was sacked nine times in the first half and the offense failed to establish anything up front against a suspect Giants front without its leading pass rusher. NY sacked Cutler on each of the first two series as Roberto Garza and Olin Kreutz did not stop Chris Canty up the middle. Frank Omiyale was beaten by Osi Umenyiora for two sacks and two forced fumbles in the first half.

DEFENSIVE LINE B-

The front stood up reasonably well throughout but eventually had its breakdowns late. Julius Peppers sacked Eli Manning in the second quarter, forcing a fumble. Israel Idonije had a first-half sack of Manning. Peppers added a pass deflection and tackle for loss plus two QB hits.

LINEBACKERS C

Brian Urlacher recovered a fumble following the Peppers sack. Pisa Tinoisamoa had six solo tackles to help contain the New York run game and Lance Briggs had three solos.

SECONDARY C+

Tackling by DBs was poor in the first quarter, by Danieal Manning and Charles Tillman to allow runs for first downs. Zackary Bowman was beaten on a deep throw to set up a TD as he and Tim Jennings alternated at one corner spot. Chris Harris recovered a fumble and added six tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS D

Robbie Gould converted from 40 yards for the Bears’ only points as the Bears got virtually nothing in the return game. Devin Hester averaged three yards on two punt returns and Danieal Manning was held to a 17-yard average on three kickoff returns.

COACHING D

If Mike Martz deserves kudos for adjusting at Dallas, he has to explain the seemingly slow-developing plays against a frothing NY pass rush and failing to use the run game and more throws to backs to blunt the rush. The defense was effective for most of the game. Special teams delivered little against a supposed weakness of the Giants’.

Rb's C-? They missed blocks that helped get our qb's killed....D is being generous.

WR's D? TE's; you mentioned Manu's lack of blocking but don't mention Olsens; see Forte for getting the qb killed. Ya he had a lot of nice catches...lets go ahead and admit he's not a TE but a ginormous WR, and in that aspect he lacks as a wr also. Where were are #1 and #2 wr's to help out our embattled qb to help him out?

Offensive Line F- is being generous, O Coaches F.

All apsects of D, B.

Olsen and Forte should both be inactive for their piss poor play tonight.

think Manu's missing blocks mentioned because he's here strictly to be another olineman and blocker.. that he wiffed twice not a good sign for him- i've been dissappointed in his play so far this year, maybe he's not recovered frm his leg injury, but he has not impressed at all so far.

Olsen had a good receeiving game last night a pitiful blocking game- but that's not why he's in there