Thread: Friday Bears/Vikes news

Tice soft pedals his return home

By Mark Potash mpotash@suntimes.com .hideTime { display:none; }Dec 17, 2010 02:32AM


Bears offensive line coach Mike Tice is eager to return home to Minneapolis for the game Monday night against the Vikings. | Jonathan Daniel~Getty Images



Some Bears players don’t care where they’ll play the Vikings on Monday night. But Mike Tice does.
Minneapolis is still home.
Tice, the Bears’ offensive line coach who played for the Vikings and was their head coach from 2002 to ’05, is looking forward to returning to Minneapolis, where the Bears are expected to play the Vikings at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium.
‘‘Of course it means a lot to me,’’ Tice said. ‘‘I’ve got a lot of dear friends there that are still Vikings fans, still Mike Tice fans and still dear, dear friends.’’
But anybody who knows Tice knows there’s more to it than that. Tice was fired as the Vikings’ head coach after the 2005 season. And when the Bears played the Vikings at Soldier Field on Nov. 14, he let his offensive linemen know that this wasn’t just another game to him.
The Bears responded with their best offensive game since the season opener — 360 total yards, including 130 rushing in a 27-13 victory.
‘‘We knew how much it meant to him,’’ center Olin Kreutz said after that game. ‘‘We definitely wanted to go out there and perform for him.’’
A lot of people think Tice just loves to stick it to the Vikings.
‘‘That’s not true,’’ he said. ‘‘I played for the Vikings. I was rooting for the Vikings last week and was pissed that they lost to the Giants.’’
So no hard feelings?
‘‘No,’’ he said. ‘‘I had hard feelings early on because of the way [his firing] was handled. But I have no hard feelings.’’
This time, Tice is downplaying the retribution angle. There will be no big speech for the offensive line this week.
‘‘They knew that game meant a lot to me and took it upon themselves to give me — give us as a football team — every last thing they have,’’ Tice said. ‘‘[But] I don’t think at this stage of the season when we have so much at stake, anybody standing up there giving a pep talk is going to make a difference.’’
On the contrary, Tice doesn’t want to overdo it.
‘‘I’m going home,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m having dinner with my daughter and some friends — and trying not to get caught up in the moment personally. I told my guys today, ‘I don’t want to be a distraction’ to them. That wouldn’t be fair. They’ve worked too hard. We’ve come too far.’’
Just how far the Bears’ offensive line has come this season is a matter of debate. According to the New York Life Protection Index, the Bears’ line ranked 32nd in the NFL. The Bears’ running game is better than it was earlier in the season. But there seems to be a lot of room for improvement.
And Tice agrees.
Tice believes in his guys. He thinks they’re better than people think. But he’s not coaching with blinders on.
Tice said the offensive line ‘‘made strides’’ on Sunday, even though it didn’t look like it in the 36-7 loss to the Patriots.
‘‘I know. And that’s exactly what we said in the staff meeting,’’ Tice said. ‘‘I said, ‘You know coach, I hate to say this, but the guys played pretty good.’ When you get your ass kicked like that, you usually make an assumption that the entire team played bad.
‘‘But we’ve continued to get better at something each week, and that’s all I’ve asked the guys to do. We’re close in some areas to being pretty good. We have some areas we need a lot of work and some areas where we’re solid.’’
The best thing you can say for the Bears’ offensive line right now is they have the continuity they were lacking earlier in the season. Left tackle Frank Omiyale, left guard Chris Williams, center Olin Kreutz, right guard Roberto Garza and rookie right tackle J’Marcus Webb have started the last six games. That’s something to build on. And Tice isn’t selling them as anything more than what they are — a group that still needs to get better each week ‘‘and then we’ll see . . . if we’re going to be good enough to help us win,’’ Tice said.
Asked if he was happy with the line relative to where it started, Tice was pretty realistic.
‘‘I’m happy with the way they’re working,’’ Tice said. ‘‘I’m happy with the lack of mental errors. I get frustrated sometimes with the amount of plays that were close to succeeding. And being one block away. We’ve just got to continue to get better.
‘‘But still, if we continue to work, how much football do we have left, a month? Five weeks? Six weeks? Who knows? Because this is anybody’s season as you well know. Especially in the conference we’re in, the NFC.
‘‘Obviously, New England is one of the special teams in the league. We’ve just got to get better to be one of the better teams in our conference.’’

Bears’ good fortune could continue with QB Webb

By Sean Jensen and Mark Potash sjensen@suntimes.com mpotash@suntimes.com .hideTime { display:none; }Dec 17, 2010 02:33AM





From Shaun Hill to Jimmy Clausen to Tyler Thigpen to Drew Stanton, the Bears have had the good fortune of facing inexperienced quarterbacks all season.
Joe Webb could be next.
Webb, a rookie from Alabama-Birmingham, is expected to start for the Vikings on Monday. Like the Patriots’ Tom Brady, Webb was the 199th player taken in the draft. That’s about all he has in common with the great Brady right now.
But you never know.
‘‘I can’t sit here and talk about the rookie — what’s his name, Webb? — because I don’t know the type of player he is,’’ Bears cornerback Charles Tillman said. ‘‘He could get in there and flourish and dominate the whole game. I think as a rookie you like the challenge. If he likes to compete, I’m sure he’s licking his chops.’’
Webb played in place of injured starter Tarvaris Jackson against the Giants last week and was 2-for-5 for eight yards and had a 16-yard scramble. The run alone is enough to get the Bears’ attention.
Jackson was put on injured reserve Thursday, and veteran Patrick Ramsey was added to the roster. Brett Favre’s streak of consecutive starts was snapped Monday at 297 games.
‘‘I don’t think it really matters the experience level, whether it’s Brett or Patrick or Webb,’’ Tillman said. ‘‘Whoever lines up, that’s who we want. We don’t really worry about it. It’s not our problem. That’s Minnesota’s problem.’’
Playing for pride
The Vikings have been mathematically eliminated from the postseason, meaning they won’t win the NFC North for a third consecutive season. But they have another goal in mind: 8-8.
“You don’t want to be the team that allows a team to win something,” Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said. “We’re out here to spoil everybody’s parade, and I think it’s important for us to strive to get to 8-8.
“You have to find something positive in this mess and strive for it. One big thing is, we got the Chicago Bears, a division rival coming in, not necessarily our home field but our home state.”
Allen said he’s glad he didn’t put money on his team at the start of the season, after they reached the NFC Championship game last season.
Injury update
Tillman didn’t practice Thursday because of a foot injury, and linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa and running back Chester Taylor were limited.
For the Vikings, Favre, guard Steve Hutchinson, running back Adrian Peterson and safeties Jamarca Sanford and Tyrell Johnson didn’t practice. Ray Edwards was limited.

Tinoisamoa appears ready to go

Out 2 weeks, Bears strong-side linebacker is back at practice

Carolina's Dante Rosario is upended by Pisa Tinoisamoa in the second half. (Mike McCarn, Associated Press / October 10, 2010)

• ct-spt-1217-bits-bears-chicago--20101216
  

While one Bears' defensive starter returned to the practice field Thursday, another sat on the sideline as a spectator.

Pisa Tinoisamoa, just less than two weeks removed from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, participated in individual drills without a brace as the team practiced indoors. The starting strong-side linebacker missed the last two games.

"It felt good,'' Tinoisamoa said.

While Tinoisamoa was limited, cornerback Charles Tillman did not practice with a foot injury. Tillman apparently was banged up in last Sunday's loss to the Patriots. He joked about being placed on injured reserve, but Tillman seemed to be fine.



"We don't think it's too serious,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said of Tillman's injury. "Hopefully, we will get him on the field tomorrow.''

Running back Chester Taylor, who experienced swelling in his left knee last week, was limited.

It will be interesting to see how the Bears proceed with all three players considering the concerns about the playing surface at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium.

Happy homecoming: Monday night should be rather interesting for Bears offensive line coach Mike Tice.

"Yeah, it's my first time going back to Minneapolis,'' said Tice, formerly the Vikings' head coach. "Should be fun.''

Tice, who also played tight end for the Vikings, was their coach from late 2001 until he was fired after the Vikings (9-7) defeated the Bears 34-10 to end the '05 season.

He spent 14 seasons with the Vikings as a player and coach. His coaching record was 33-34.

Extra points: At practice for the Vikings, quarterback Brett Favre (shoulder, chest, ankle), running back Adrian Peterson (ankle/knee), guard Steve Hutchinson (thumb), safety Tyrell Johnson (knee) and safety Jamarca Sanford ( concussion) were all held out while defensive end Ray Edwards (ankle) was limited. … Vikings defensive end Jared Allen on any concussion concerns playing outdoors at frigid TCF Bank Stadium: "I'm just a dumb lineman. I just show up and hit my head every day anyway.'' … Rush kicker Chris Gould, brother of Bears kicker Robbie Gould, had a tryout with the Redskins.

Good to hear that Pisa is back! Thanks for posting these, JDizzle.

Week 14 rookie report card, part 2
Grading more performances of 2010 draft picks from this past week. Greg Gabriel
Because of the heavy snowstorm in Minneapolis last weekend and the roof deflating at the Metrodome, the Giants picked up extra frequent flyer miles traveling from New Jersey to Kansas City to Detroit in order to play their game with the Vikings. Because of all the travel problems no one would have faulted the Giants if they were flat, but they came out strong and won easily 21-3. The Giants defense, led by defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, has gotten better every week and is one of the best pass rushing defenses in the league. Fewell did an outstanding job as interim coach in Buffalo last year and has to be a strong candidate for any head coaching jobs that open this year.

There were four rookies who got significant playing time in this game and we will look at all of them.
Jason Pierre-Paul
ICONJason Pierre-Paul played both DE and DT against the Vikings.
Since midseason, Pierre-Paul has gotten more and more playing time. In the last few games he was playing mostly at defensive end in passing situations. In this game he played both defensive end and defensive tackle. Pierre-Paul, with his speed, athleticism and long arms, is a natural pass rusher. He has great snap reaction and initial quickness. He can get tall at times, but when he stays low he shows great natural leverage to get by blockers. While he didn’t have any sacks in this game, he did put consistent pressure on the quarterback from both the inside and outside. He plays hard on every play and is an excellent pursuit player with speed. He is strong and powerful and improves every game. Give this player a strong offseason in the weight room and the sky is the limit as to how good he can be. He earns a solid B+ in this game.
Chris DeGeare
Because of an injury to Steve Hutchinson, DeGeare had to start at left guard for the Vikings. He was the Vikings 5th round draft choice out of Wake Forest. DeGeare played tackle his senior year at Wake, but at 6-3, 330 pounds is more suited to play guard. He has good athleticism and very good natural strength and power.
Most of the game he played well. As a run blocker he gets off the ball quickly and shows some explosion on contact. He runs his feet well and with his natural power he showed the ability to get some movement. He did a good job getting out to linebackers and on the few plays that he pulled he showed that he could adjust on the move to hit a moving target. His problems came in pass protection. He held his own in one on one situations showing a good punch and better than average mirror skills. He has the flexibility to bend his knees and anchor and does a good job keeping his hands inside. When the Giants stunted he struggled. Twice he was late picking up twist stunts and gave up sacks both times. The second time he lost his balance and was just not quick enough to recover and get in position to make a block.
Overall, DeGeare has talent and will get better with experience. He is a top character guy and has the physical traits to be a good player. The bottom line, though, is an offensive lineman has to protect the quarterback and his lapses in pass protection caused two sacks. Because of this he earns a C+. But in saying that, I like his upside and feel he will be a winning player for the Vikings in the future.
Toby Gerhart
ICONToby Gerhart was the Vikings second-round pick in 2010.
Gerhart was the Viking 2nd round pick. He had a great season at Stanford in 2009 and I thought that he was an excellent selection for the Vikings. In the two games preceding the Giants game he had 34 carries for 130 yards. The Vikings struggled running the ball Monday against the Giants and Gerhart only had 3 carries for 11 yards and 1 catch for 1 yard. Gerhart has excellent size and good speed and quickness. He gets to the hole quickly and runs with very good lean. He has good balance to go along with excellent power and is consistently able to get yards after contact. Rookie running backs can sometimes struggle with blocking but Gerhart is better than average. With so few touches it’s tough to give a grade for this game, but when he was in he performed. He earns a B.
Joe Webb
Webb was a multi-purpose quarterback at Alabama-Birmingham in college. He is a remarkable athlete with great size and speed. The Vikings drafted him to be a receiver but when he threw the ball well in rookie camp they decided to let him play his college position. This was supposed to be a learning year for Webb at the quarterback position but because of his rare athletic ability they were hoping to have some packages where he could be used as a receiver or “wildcat” quarterback. With Brett Favre unable to play and Tarvaris Jackson getting banged up, Webb had to play some quarterback in this game. He did not play enough to fairly grade but I will say that his athleticism stood out. He has very quick feet and excellent speed. He threw only 5 passes completing 2 for 8 yards. He showed a very strong arm and gets the ball out of his hand quickly. Because of his inexperience he seems to lock in on his primary and that can cause problems. He has excellent run skills and showed those skills with a 16-yard run.
Overall, he is a long way away from being ready to play quarterback in the NFL but he has talent. He gets an incomplete grade for this game but if he has to play a lot against the Bears this week we will report on it next week.

Originally Posted by jnastorer

Man, this guy shure has his panties in a wad about the field the game will be played on. What a wuss.

I love how angry he is at Lovie being calm and saying there is not much point in worrying about it. It is like he expects Lovie to rant and rave about how unfair this is. What a tool.

I can't help but agree with Telander (and Brady) about the Bears need to practice outside, and use frozen balls prior to this game. It's foolish to do otherwise.

We can only hope the Vikings are practicing inside under pristine conditions too.

It's all about preparation going into each game. If they aren't doing what needs to be done, then they have already failed. Practicing with frozen footballs will help everyone on the offense, hell even the defense too.