Thread: Film breakdown-Packers' blitz adds to Cutler'

Biggs: 10 Bears thoughts looking ahead to playoffs

One of the early complaints about New Meadowlands Stadium -- at least for the Giants and Jets, who call it home -- was that it doesn't hold crowd noise the same way the old Giants Stadium did.

The Bears loosely backed that up with their explanation for the struggles of the offensive line Sunday at Lambeau Field. They said the crowd noise was such that it made it difficult for them to communicate. Not being able to sort out the Packers' fronts at the line of scrimmage led to six sacks of Jay Cutler in an uninspiring performance moving toward the playoffs.

Now, that doesn't exactly help explain the 10 sacks the Bears took in their loss to the Giants in October in New Meadowlands Stadium, but one of the central themes was how the raucous Packers crowd will help the Bears moving forward.
"The only time we will face crowd noise is if we go to Atlanta (for the NFC Championship Game)," center Olin Kreutz said. "We needed a game like this on the offensive line. We're looking to learn from it.

"There is a concern that we lost and there is concern that we gave up six sacks, but we'll treat it like all the other losses, we'll learn from it. We haven't been in this kind of situation, this kind of atmosphere as a line where they pretty much take your communication away with the crowd noise. That's something we had to learn and we did and we hopefully will. The next time we face something like that is in Atlanta.

"Communication is the center's job, so that is my job to learn how to communicate to guys. But everybody understands things differently, so I wouldn't know how they understand me talking to them until we're in this situation."

Look at the schedule, especially during the second half of the season, and Kreutz has a point. A usually loud game at the Metrodome was replaced by a trip to TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota. Bears fans flocked to Ford Field in Detroit for the Dec. 5 game there. The same thing happened at Miami in November. And it was practically a home crowd for the Bears when they played the Bills at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

"We can't say that we've been in a lot of hostile environments where the crowd was into the game like they were yesterday," coach Lovie Smith said Monday. "That's more of what I'm talking about. That's just how the schedule kind of worked out a little bit this year. But again that environment yesterday definitely got into that."

The Packers blitz from a lot of angles in their 3-4 defense and from that respect, it's a lot like what they could see from the Saints if fifth-seeded New Orleans wins Saturday at Seattle and the Packers upset the third-seeded Philadephia Eagles on Sunday. In that scenario, the Saints would come to Soldier Field. The Bears beat them in the NFC title game in 2006, but they're different on defense with coordinator Gregg Williams now, and he brings pressure from all angles.

"We didn't play as well as we could have but it's going to be a learning experience for us," right guard Roberto Garza said. "We'll learn from the film and go forward. We obviously didn't do a good job protecting the quarterback. But they didn't do anything we can't block. We'll get some work in this week and go from there."

Here are nine more thoughts looking back at the Packers and ahead to the postseason:

2. Don't minimize the idea that communication was a real issue for the offensive line. It played a role in some other key moments in the game. Confusion reigned when a timeout was called from the sideline just before the ball was snapped on third-and-15 from the Bears' 40-yard line in the third quarter. Quarterback Jay Cutler dumped the ball off to running back Chester Taylor and he scampered for 16 yards to the Packers' 39, just enough to move the chains. Or so he thought. After the play, the official from the Bears' sideline announced that a timeout had been called.

"I came back to the huddle and they said it was a timeout," Taylor said. "That was a big part of the game right there. That was a big momentum shift."

Instead of being on the edge of field-goal range for Robbie Gould with the game tied 3-3, the Bears tried third-and-15 all over again and Cutler was sacked for an 11-yard loss by Erik Walden, a third-year linebacker who had a monster game with 11 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and two quarterback pressures. The Bears were forced to punt and the Packers took the lead on the ensuing drive.

So, I asked Taylor what happened, to the best of his knowledge.

"I don't know who called the timeout," he said. "You don't know who called it?"

I told him I didn't.

"Who called it, G?" Taylor said, turning to Garrett Wolfe in the locker next to him.

"I don't have the slightest idea," Wolfe said.

"Nobody knows yet?" Taylor said. "I don't know who called it. I did my job. What was it, third-and-15? That was big. I think that was the changing point in the game right there. We had opportunities. We didn't capitalize."

The mystery was ended when Smith revealed in his news conference that he had called the timeout.

"We weren't in the right formation for the play. That's what happened," Smith said.

Was Smith taking the fall for someone else who called the timeout? We'll never know. The point is the Bears had poor communication at times and that's what led to Cutler yelling at Taylor after they had to burn another timeout earlier in the game.

"I didn't hear him in the huddle," Taylor said. "It was kind of loud. I just asked him (what the play was). I believe that's what happened."

With any luck, the Bears will not have to deal with similar crowd noise again this season.

3. It sure looked like the run/pass ratio spun out of control in the loss, but that's not how Smith saw it. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz called 47 pass plays and 18 runs in a game that was close throughout.

"When you say skewed, we had a lot of passes at the end of the game," Smith said. "I think at the half we were in a pretty good ratio as we were going through in the game. Both offenses passed the ball a little bit more than they probably wanted to at the time yesterday, but that's how it goes."

Sure, the Bears were forced to pass on the final drive that began with 4:49 remaining. There were 15 plays on the drive and if you remove them from the count, there were 34 pass plays called and 16 runs, still the kind of ratio that got Martz and the offense in trouble in September and October. During the third quarter, with the Bears leading and then tied, Martz called nine consecutive pass plays.

Was Martz trying to hide something for the playoffs? That doesn't mesh with the explanations given that the Bears played to win the game Sunday. They didn't use the formula they had been winning with and if they get out of whack in the playoffs, this has proved to be a recipe for disaster.

4. So where is the offense after the lackluster effort vs. the Packers? One game should not send a group into a funk. The offense had been clicking in recent weeks and the feeling was Cutler was getting into a groove. It's about hot quarterback play in the playoffs, and he's going to need to be on his game, not throwing easy picks like the one he tossed to Packers safety Charlie Peprah in the end zone, the kind of Cutler play you grew too accustomed to last season.

"We're not happy with the offensive performance, we made a lot of mistakes, communication, sacks, turnovers, missed blocks, drops -- mine was crucial at that point in the game," tight end Greg Olsen said. "We have to do a better job making those plays, we've made them all year. For whatever reason, today we didn't. You have to give them credit, that was a good defense we played, but we shouldn't just score three points. When our defense holds that kind of team to 10 points, we're doing them a disservice by not doing a better job, so this one falls on us.

"I'm not happy with how we played offensively but we feel good about having a bye and having a chance to get ready, get rested, fix some things and play better that first game in two weeks.

"We were trying, we were competing, we played hard, just think we made too many mistakes when you play that good of a defense. They'll expose you a little bit if you don't play sound and that's pretty much what it came down to."

5. When Olsen talks about the Bears being exposed offensively, there were two areas that stuck out. The offensive line was obvious, and that group has talked about how it will use the loss as a learning tool. What also has to be concerning is how the Packers bottled up the wide receivers.

Yes, the Bears were playing without Earl Bennett, who has become almost a starter. He sat out with a tweaked ankle that has been a lingering issue, but the expectation is he will be fine for the playoffs. Without Bennett, this group was throttled. Johnny Knox needed 40 yards to achieve his goal of 1,000 for the season and he didn't catch a pass. He was targeted eight times and was shut out. Devin Hester was limited to one catch for 16 yards. Rashied Davis did the bulk of the damage with seven receptions for 63 yards, operating mostly in the slot.

The fear moving forward has to be that a talented secondary can throw a net over these receivers and really limit Cutler's options. The Packers have mugged the Bears' receivers in Lambeau Field before and Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams are a talented duo. Darryl Drake's position group must improve.

6. Cutler explained that one reason the passing game struggled was because the Bears had not changed their hot reads from the first meeting with the Packers in September. They used the same adjustments as they did for that game, and the Packers were on to them this time.

"They kept us out of sync," Cutler said. "We didn't change a lot from last game to this game and I think they did a really good job of taking away some of our hots, keeping us off balance with some of the hots. They were delaying some of their blitzes and bringing those guys. I think there was a stretch where (Charles) Woodson came about every snap toward the end of the game."

That makes sense because the Bears could meet the Packers in the NFC Championship Game, and Martz could make adjustments for a third meeting in preparation to keep the Packers and their defensive coordinator Dom Capers off balance.

7. Television cameras caught usually mild-mannered defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli teeing up defensive end Israel Idonije on the sideline during the game. It was a remarkable sight because you don't usually see Marinelli in that light. That's not a suggestion he's not intense as a coach -- quite the opposite. When he runs defensive line drills, there's a reason they call it 30 minutes of hell. But he's not often caught chewing on a player like that.

"He's a passionate guy," Idonije said. "I am just trying to make plays out there. I see it all the time. He was just saying, 'You've got to make plays. You've got to get him down.' He's intense.

"We got after them. We've just got to make more plays. At the end of the day, their defense outplayed ours. But we'll be ready. We have two weeks to fine tune it and from here on it's do or die."

8. So who do the Bears want to face? Veteran safety Chris Harris, who spent the last three seasons in the NC South with the Carolina Panthers, called the Saints the most dangerous team in the NFC last week in a visit on the "Mully and Hanley Show" on WSCR-AM (670).

"Playing against them in the division the last three seasons, I got to see first-hand what kind of team they have," Harris said. "They're definitely an explosive team. They can definitely get points and a lot of them."

But if the Bears have a preference, they're not sharing it this week.

"We don't really care," Harris continued. "All we do is worry about us. Get back out there look at the tape, make some adjustments and get ready to play whoever it is steps into Soldier Field. We're a very confident bunch, not cocky but confident, and we feel we can play with anyone in the league."

Said Idonije: "Whoever. Come down to Chicago. Let's go."

9. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub professed his confidence in 36-year-old punter Brad Maynard last week. Maynard will be a free agent after the season, and he had another solid game against the Packers, hitting some strong punts in difficult conditions. Wind chill at kickoff was 5 degrees as winds were 14 mph. Maynard works well with the Bears' special teams unit and that needs to be considered moving forward. Some teams roll through punters on almost an annual basis. Steady veterans are difficult to find.

10. Can't end this without mentioning the 33-yard reception by Greg Jennings in the third quarter that set up the Packers' field goal and the 46-yard reception he made in the fourth quarter. Both plays went to the Bears' one-yard line, meaning they easily could have been touchdowns. On the first play, strong safety Danieal Manning took a bad pursuit angle. On the second play, Manning drove on an inside dig route by Donald Driver and that left a window for Aaron Rodgers' pass. They're the kind of plays that can just deflate a defense, and you have to be concerned about the secondary's ability to prevent the big play in the postseason.

10 a. Some have called the Packers one of the most dangerous teams entering the playoffs now. I'm not sure I buy that. Yes, they can be outstanding offensively if Rodgers is on his game, which he wasn't Sunday, but the utter lack of a running game sticks out.

10 b. Former Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera has been mentioned as an early candidate to replace John Fox in Carolina. One league insider said it was the preference of owner Jerry Richardson and general manager Marty Hurney to hire a coach with a defensive background.

10 c. Don't be surprised if Bears special teams assistant Chris Tabor becomes a special teams coordinator elsewhere in 2011. He's a good coach who should be going places.

10 d. Smith said he expects all of the players injured Sunday -- safeties Chris Harris (shoulder) and Major Wright (lower leg) and linebacker Nick Roach (shoulder) -- to be OK.

10

"I came back to the huddle and they said it was a timeout," Taylor said. "That was a big part of the game right there. That was a big momentum shift."

What momentum? It was the third play of the drive and you had 3rd and 15. The only thing that changed momentum in the second half was a red zone INT after Tillman set them up on the 15.

The most frequent blitzers were inside linebacker A.J. Hawk with 15 blitzes and cornerback Charles Woodson with 14. Outside linebackers Clay Matthews and Erik Walden each rushed 11 times on blitzes.

Again, do think Martz saving stuff- and the 70/30 part of that- when kept seeing woodson/walden blitzing and Cutler STILL doing 5-7 step drops.. didn't think wanted to adjust. In the Dallas and jets game when that would happen cutler went to quick 3 step drops and either quick screens to forte where woodson should have been.. or theydid hot reads to olsen/bennett .. neither happened sunday

Originally Posted by BearStuff

Gotta disagree. The film from the Jests and Cowgirls already exists. No one is fooled by him not calling similar plays into thinking that it can't be done when there are already multiple instances of using 3 step drops. In fact, we used it ONCE during the game Sunday, and very effectively I might add.

Martz wasn't saving anything, IMO. He (and perhaps Tice) just wasn't adjusting, or was being outcoached by Capers if he was adjusting.

Cutler didn't help him, by playing panicked most of the game. Hard to blame Cutler fully though, when he was getting killed regularly. Second worst game of the year by the line, behind the Giants game, so I give them a grade of 4. Cutler gets a 3 from me.

Also, on Martz, why abandon the run when it was working so effectively. And why not use play action when we were running? Just stupid, IMO.

Fortunately, the game didn't effect the playoffs.....other than letting perhaps the most dangerous team in the NFC into the playoffs, while injuring Roach and Wright.

Agree about the runs as said, but will say glad forte only had 15 runs.. save him for the playoff's, and IMO if it had been a Playoff game forte is running the ball and we aren't passing, and he ends with 25+ carries.

And think again while have used the quick 3 step before, teams do focus more on the last game than week 2 for maybe while know it may be used, not using it sunday might keep it less on the forefront, guess we find out on the 16th.

And on 1/2 those sacks, i'd give the blame not to cutler or the oline but the WR's not coming back and just allowing themselves to be mugged. Line gave him time, cutler looked and no one open and then sacked..befoer couldn't throw away

It gives [Martz] a great advantage,” ex-Rams receiver and current NFL Network analyst Torry Holt said. “Now he can evaluate all three teams and break them down into detail and he’ll know exactly where that particular team is weak, he’ll know exactly how they’re going to attack and who they are going to attack them with.”

He takes those things very personally,” said Holt, who starred in Martz’s system in St. Louis. “When his quarterback gets attacked, he feels like that’s an area he’s not teaching well and he takes that very, very personally. That’s how it was with us. Teams tried to get to us with pressure — and once the coach and the quarterback figured out exactly what they were doing and how they were getting there, they could put everybody in the right position to make the throws we needed to make.”

“Anytime we can give a guy like Mike Martz an extra week, it’s going to benefit us,” Cutler said. “Even though we don’t know who we’re playing against exactly, we can get a feel for a couple teams — and Mike is going to take a look at us and self-scout us and see what we’ve done good and bad.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/footb...s-exactly.html

Originally Posted by dabears54

Again, do think Martz saving stuff- and the 70/30 part of that- when kept seeing woodson/walden blitzing and Cutler STILL doing 5-7 step drops.. didn't think wanted to adjust. In the Dallas and jets game when that would happen cutler went to quick 3 step drops and either quick screens to forte where woodson should have been.. or theydid hot reads to olsen/bennett .. neither happened sunday

I agree with the saving stuff theory but if that is the case they were being pretty wreckless keeping the starters in to run vanilla stuff

I'm disappointed the offense couldn't do anything to win this game, but Forte pounded them all day and probably would have had alot more carries if it was a playoff game. Win the NFC, winning fixes everything ..... then everyone will forget about losing games like this to the redskins, seahawks, and packers. Just win baby. :)