Waddle: Last week’s beating isn’t  end of world

**dabears54** · 10-09-2010, 04:45 AM

Waddle: Last week’s beating isn’t  end of world

Take a deep breath, step away from the edge, and try to separate your passion from your common sense. You had to know that this team had a stink bomb in it.
Let’s reassess: The Bears’ Week 1 win against the Detroit Lions was anything but convincing. Thanks to an insanely illogical rule, the Bears got off to a 1-0 start.
The win in Dallas was solid, but the schedule-makers did our Bears a favor, as the Cowboys they faced in Week 2 will be an aberration a month from now.
The Monday night victory against Green Bay came thanks to an undisciplined group of Packers who broke the rules 18 times. Don’t get me wrong, 3-0 was great, but the signs were there.

I’m not suggesting I expected a 10-sack disaster, but the offensive line has been an issue since last season.

Jay Cutler is a big-time talent, but he’s never handled pressure well. As creative as offensive coordinator Mike Martz is, the ineptitude up front is a challenge.
There was bound to be bumps along the way. I’m not going to lie, that 17-3 loss to the Giants last week was a disaster. But if you have reasonable expectations, you’ll be able to get over the mauling in the Meadowlands and still have hope.
From the start, I said this was a 10-6 team that probably was not ready for the postseason. I stand by that prediction.

So now what? As a fan, I suggest you enjoy the 3-1 start, secure your seat belt, and get ready for a season of breathtaking highs and discouraging lows. We’ve had a glimpse of both in the past month.

For the coaches, here’s some unsolicited advice: Start running the football unless you want to see your quarterback standing in street clothes battling the effects of multiple concussions.

It might not work. Well, behind this offensive line, I doubt it will work, but it’s the best way to keep Cutler safe when the floodgates open again. And they will open again.
Running the ball might not be Martz’s first choice, it might not make his top-10, but he has committed to the run in the past. Ask Marshall Faulk, or Frank Gore. Martz certainly is smart enough to know that running play-action is an exercise in futility if nobody believes you’re willing to run the ball in the first place.
On the bright side, Devin Hester has again instilled fear in opposing punters, and the defense looks as if it is a top-10 unit again.

Although Cutler won’t play Sunday, it’s not the end of the world because ultimately, his long-term health is what’s most important.

With Todd Collins under center, the game plan is simple: Run the ball, protect the ball, and rely on your defense.

The Bears need a game manager who won’t get them beat, and a veteran like Collins is a safe choice. Caleb Hanie has more mobility and more potential, but his inexperience is a liability.

If this Bears team was 1-3 or 0-4, then I would say go with the kid. But the Bears are 3-1 and lead the NFC North.

Bottom line, the game in Charlotte, N.C., is more about these Bears and less about the 0-4 Panthers.

The Bears need to make a statement that resonates inside their locker room. They have to quickly erase any doubt that might have set in after being beaten in the Meadowlands. I’m not nearly as nervous as most of you.

Waddle’s pick: Bears 23, Panthers 13.

**dabears54** · 10-09-2010, 04:51 AM

5 Things To Watch For: Bears-Panthers

5 THINGS TO WATCH

Pass protection
Obviously the most pressing concern on offense headed into Sunday's contest, Chicago's pass protection: A.) Needs to show significant improvement after last week's disaster against the Giants, and B.) Can't afford to allow another quarterback injury. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the interior and right sides of the line appear to be the most vulnerable to protection issues. Those areas allowed 12 of the club's 18 sacks, and of those 18 sacks, just two have come when opponents rushed five or more defenders. That means center Olin Kreutz, right tackle Kevin Shaffer, and guards Roberto Garza and Lance Louis (if he plays) need to be on top of their games.

Run defense
The Giants gashed the Bears last week with cut-back runs, which will likely remain a concern for the Bears small, but athletic defensive front. The club faces a pair of Carolina running backs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart who excel at cut-back running. The duo became the first set of teammates in NFL history last season to each finish with more than 1,110 yards. One of the most important aspects of neutralizing cut-back runs is sure tackling from backside defenders, especially the linebackers.

"Part of the problem with the cut-backs from last week is we didn't make tackles," linebacker Lance Briggs said. "We had [Giants running back] Ahmad Bradshaw tackled in the backfield a couple times and didn't finish. We let him out of our grasp. Those tackles for losses turned into positive yards. The opportunities we have now, this week, we just have to finish the plays. That changes their total yardage from 200 or whatever they had to less than 100 yards."

Pressure on Clausen
Since becoming the starter, Carolina rookie Jimmy Clausen has improved in each of the last two weeks, posting a 90.6 passer rating in last week's loss to the New Orleans Saints, after playing a role in three turnovers during his debut in a 20-7 loss to Cincinnati. For Clausen, communication, clock management and blitz recognition still remain issues as Carolina looks to speed the rookie's maturation. The Bears can disrupt all that by hitting the quarterback -- sack or not -- early and often.

Chicago, which hasn't lost to a rookie quarterback since 2008, enters the contest with just four sacks on the season. Carolina will deploy multiple blockers to neutralize Julius Peppers. The remaining front-four defenders need to win the resulting one-on-one matchups, which are likely the reason the club brought in veteran defensive end Charles Grant, who should see plenty of snaps in his first game as a Bear.

Run offense
Chicago continues to await its first 100-yard performance from a running back this season. Matt Forte hasn't rushed for 100 yards or more since Jan. 3, last season's finale against the Lions. Forte and Chester Taylor's most productive day on the ground so far this season has been a combined 79-yard effort against the Cowboys.
Again, the middle and right side of the club's struggling offensive line come into play here. The Bears average 5.6 yards per carry on runs to the left side and 3.1 on attempts up the middle and to the right.

Until the Bears kick start the ground game, opponents won't respect play action, and remain in attack mode on passing downs, which puts the quarterbacks at peril. For the most part, Chicago's offense has been one dimensional through the first four games, and that needs to change if the club expects to find any sustained level of success.

Peppers' homecoming
Julius Peppers tried to downplay his return to North Carolina, the state in which he grew up, played high school football and spent the first eight years of his career. Then the defensive end gave it some thought.

It's just another game," he said, initially. "Before the game, leading up to it, those emotions, you have to keep them in check. But once the game starts, you have to play. All the other stuff doesn't really matter once the ball is snapped. Before the game, I'm not going to sit here and say I won't have a lot of thoughts and emotions going through, because that's the reality of it."

Peppers' experience having gone head to head with Carolina's offensive line at practice for eight years prior to joining the Bears should help in this game. Peppers lined up opposite Carolina left tackle Jordan Gross for seven years at practice. Gross said he's never been more familiar with an opponent as Peppers. The defensive end could probably say the same thing about his counterpart.

Peppers will spend time attacking from both the left and right sides.

"It doesn't matter what you know beforehand and vice versa. You've still got to beat those guys. It doesn't matter if I know how they set," Peppers said. "Also, things could change. They could do something totally different. I've got a couple moves I've developed since I've been here that they haven't seen or they have seen on tape [but] haven't practiced against. I don't think that's going to make much difference -- the familiarity between me and those guys -- I just think it's whoever plays best."

**grabowski85** · 10-09-2010, 06:26 AM

Waddle's a punk...not sure he's pick us to win in any of the first 4 games!!

**dabears54** · 10-09-2010, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by grabowski85

Waddle's a punk...not sure he's pick us to win in any of the first 4 games!!

LOL yeah tommy was pretty negative all offseason, but always room for him back on the bandwagon : )

**BlackDiamond** · 10-10-2010, 01:24 AM

Dude made a living going over the middle, getting his ass kicked week in, week out. And he just kept getting up.

Waddle may not have picked us to win any of the first four games, but he's no punk.

**grabowski85** · 10-10-2010, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by BlackDiamond

Dude made a living going over the middle, getting his ass kicked week in, week out. And he just kept getting up.

Waddle may not have picked us to win any of the first four games, but he's no punk.

Your opinion I guess. Fact is he caught only 9 touchdowns in 6 years with the Bears. When he went to the NFL Network in 2007 he seemed to have fallen off the Bear bandwagon is all.

**motownbear** · 10-10-2010, 09:26 AM

i tell you what if this is what it takes to get the idiot gm to finally upgrade the oline I will take it. Better then the oline having two phantom games at the end of the season that only fools our gm into not doing a damn thing to help the oline