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The Three and Out Bears....................
Bears’ offense punting ball after 3 plays 41 percent of time
BY SEAN JENSEN sjensen@suntimes.com September 28, 2011 10:18PM
Updated: September 29, 2011 2:18AM
In the season opener against a credible Atlanta Falcons defense, the Bears’ offense showed it might be ready to take a much-needed step in its second season under coordinator Mike Martz.
Hope carried over to New Orleans, where the offense put together an impressive 11-play, 87-yard drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Dane Sanzenbacher. But since that first-quarter drive, the offense has been a colossal mess plagued by penalties, missed blocks, dropped passes, errant throws and curious play calls. The statistics reinforce the collective failure: 23rd in total yards per game, 31st in rushing yards, 30th in sacks per pass play and 29th in third-down conversions.
But the most damning of all is that the offense leads the league with 16 three-and-outs, according to STATS. With 39 offensive series, the Bears have punted the ball after three plays 41 percent of the time.
“To me, three-and-outs are the worst thing in football next to turnovers,” Martz said Wednesday. “That’s the worst thing. I hate three-and-outs with a passion. “That’s something, in the past, we’ve been pretty good at.”
Taking its toll Martz, though, must be referring to his history beyond last season.
The Bears had 56 three-and-outs in 2010, although the percentage (28.3) was dramatically lower.
Martz noted that not being more productive on first down is one of the keys. To his point, in the third quarter Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, the Bears’ three three-and-out drives started with these plays: a sack, a two-yard loss on a run by Matt Forte and an incomplete pass.
Quarterback Jay Cutler said the offense needs more “manageable” third downs. Against an aggressive Packers defense, the Bears faced third-and-10-or-more on seven of 12 attempts, including a third-and-33. They converted 3 of 12.
“We’ve got to convert on third down. That ties into the rest of that stuff,” Cutler said. “Those third-and-longs, at the end of the day, we’re not going to be able to convert a high rate of those.”
After missing the game against the Saints, receiver Roy Williams returned against the Packers. But with so many three-and-outs, Williams focused on staying fresh — something he struggled to do on the field.
“For me, I have to stay warm,” Williams said. “I can’t just sit on the sideline.”
So Williams jumped up and down, stretched and hopped on a stationary bike to keep himself loose.
Meanwhile, the offensive linemen were often studying pictures of the previous series and reviewing corrections with line coach Mike Tice.
But against the Packers, the offensive players simply spent too much time on the sideline. Only seven minutes and 23 seconds elapsed in the team’s five three-and-outs against the Packers, which, in turn, forced the defense to spend more time defending one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players, quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
All told, the Packers possessed the ball 37 minutes, 29 seconds. Not ideal for a Bears defense that features five starters in their 30s. “Of course, we would like the time of possession to be more than it has been, but we can’t control that,” Bears cornerback Tim Jennings said. “When our number is called, we have to go on the field and execute, force a three-and-out and give the offense another opportunity.”
Something must give The Packers game, however, wasn’t an exception. The Bears had six three-and-outs against the Saints, who controlled the ball for 36 minutes in a 30-13 victory.
“It’s very frustrating,” Williams said. “It gives your defense no time to rest on the sideline.”
Added offensive tackle Frank Omiyale, “We got to help them.” The Bears are 29th in time of possession (26:32), ahead of only two winless teams (the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts) and another with one victory (the Seattle Seahawks).
Last season, the Bears were an anomaly. Of the five teams with the most three-and-outs, the Bears were the only one with a winning record. And the average number of victories for the 10 teams that had the most three-and-outs was six.
“It’s obviously an issue, but it’s not just [three-and-outs],” tight end Kellen Davis said. ‘‘It’s something we don’t want to have happen. But it comes down to execution, just like everything else.”
Last edited by soulman; 09-29-2011 at 06:58 PM.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. 
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Well there you have it sportsfans. Your Chicago Bears offense. 23rd in total yards per game, 31st in rushing yards, 30th in sacks per pass play, and 29th in 3rd down conversions. We're 3 and out on 41% of our posessions. We can't run, we can't protect our QB, and we can't sustain drives how's that for a team with dreams of improving on last years record and going to the Super Bowl.
I loved Martz's comment about hating 3 and outs so much I just had to highlight it. Geez Mike for something you hate so much your offense is pretty good at it. In fact they're playing at an all-pro level as far as that goes. The only thing that looked good when the offense was on the field was the turf. It looks like the Bears may have finally solved their problem with that but than again your guys didn't exactly wear it out did they?
Two games in a row you throw the ball 40 times a game and we lose the TOP battle by about 15 minutes per game. That giving the other team one whole quarter more to score on us than we get to score on them. Is it any wonder why we lost?
How in the hell they can keep this idiot around is beyond me.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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But things are gonna get better because everyone is saying all the right things :
" We've got to play better "
" We have to help our D and give them some rest"
" I hate three and outs "
" It's just one thing here and there "
" We're getting close to executing better"
We've heard this before. It started a looong time ago.
It's a broken record.
Prepare to hear more of it.
What should you call any : Fumble , Hold , Interception , Three and out , or Sack ?
A " F.H.I.T.S " ? or a J'Marcus ?
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no things will get better b/c the schedule gets softer after the lions. we'll all get a false sence of security as we near or go slightly over .500. and the staff might luck into another playoff run and all the "real fans" will complain about the "haters" and point to another playoff birth that we have no faith in this team. They might even have a point; but it will not be another deep run; and the staff will be spared yet again w/out a critical look at their lack of team building/development.
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High Fives / Like - 2 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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In all fairness, didn't we just play 3 teams whose total wins last year was 34? Including one division champ, and one super bowl champ? Granted, I'm disappointed with the offensive playing so far, but don't forget that we're down 2 starting offensive linemen, and believe it or not, backups simply aren't as good as starters. With that said, if the injury bug can be avoided during the easier part of the schedule, the team may be able to gel (remember how we didn't have an offseason, and how many teams are suffering for it? Look no further than the Chiefs for a dropoff that is highly unexpected) and even the Packers defense hasn't been playing to its standards either. Let's just wait and see folks. If the season goes any further south, I'm all in favor of pulling the plug on Martz' playcalling at the least, but we haven't even played the Panthers yet.
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High Fives / Like - 1 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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Originally Posted by
Henry Burris 
In all fairness, didn't we just play 3 teams whose total wins last year was 34? Including one division champ, and one super bowl champ?
Thats the problem....it SHOULD be the other way around, as in OTHER teams being scared of facing US because we went 11-5 and were division champs who made it to the NFCC. It SHOULD be "dang, we have to face the Bears this week...AT SOLDIER FIELD!! This is gonna be tough!!" But alas, its the opposite, we are more scared of our opponents then they are of us.
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High Fives / Like - 3 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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I see what you're saying, but ANY team going through that gauntlet would be good to come out 2-1, amazing 3-0, and unfortunate at 1-2, and if those were the 3 hardest games (which it likely is for us), could still bounce back from 0-3. If the Panthers game is any closer than what it was last year, we're really in trouble. I still think we can beat the lions, to be quite honest. We just need to heal up, balance out and play more conservatively on offense.
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Originally Posted by
Henry Burris I see what you're saying, but ANY team going through that gauntlet would be good to come out 2-1, amazing 3-0, and unfortunate at 1-2, and if those were the 3 hardest games (which it likely is for us), could still bounce back from 0-3. If the Panthers game is any closer than what it was last year, we're really in trouble. I still think we can beat the lions, to be quite honest. We just need to heal up, balance out and play more conservatively on offense.
true...and actually i was going to hold off on the chicken little threads and say that the Bears would have a chance to redeem themselves when they face the Packers again at Lambeau, but alas...that game isnt until Christmas, and by then, Packers may not have much to play for. Still, would be pretty sweet to beat the defending SB champs, on their home field. On Christmas.
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I agree somewhat with what you are saying. Things can improve, especially looking at who we have upcoming. Getting Harris back and keeping him healthy will go a long way in keeping our defense reeeeaaally good, which can keep us in games, and even win a couple. With Steltz back there, not so much. Same with Carimi, our only really decent offensive lineman (my opinion). The line got better as the season went on last year, and perhaps by the end of this season they can be respectable, prolly not good, but maybe good enough. By the time we play GreenGay again, things will be different, maybe better, maybe worse. Time will tell. The Bears should demolish Carolina on Sunday, there is nothing that will convince me otherwise. We lose/play crappy against Carolina, then there is not much hope left.
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Originally Posted by
Henry Burris In all fairness, didn't we just play 3 teams whose total wins last year was 34? Including one division champ, and one super bowl champ? Granted, I'm disappointed with the offensive playing so far, but don't forget that we're down 2 starting offensive linemen, and believe it or not, backups simply aren't as good as starters. With that said, if the injury bug can be avoided during the easier part of the schedule, the team may be able to gel (remember how we didn't have an offseason, and how many teams are suffering for it? Look no further than the Chiefs for a dropoff that is highly unexpected) and even the Packers defense hasn't been playing to its standards either. Let's just wait and see folks. If the season goes any further south, I'm all in favor of pulling the plug on Martz' playcalling at the least, but we haven't even played the Panthers yet.
Originally Posted by
Jimmors Thats the problem....it SHOULD be the other way around, as in OTHER teams being scared of facing US because we went 11-5 and were division champs who made it to the NFCC. It SHOULD be "dang, we have to face the Bears this week...AT SOLDIER FIELD!! This is gonna be tough!!" But alas, its the opposite, we are more scared of our opponents then they are of us.
Well said Jimmors. Those are the teams we have to beat if we expect to improve upon last years finish. If, and that's a big if, we turn things around the Falcons, Saints, and Packers are all teams with playoff potential so we'll need to face them again. Losing two of these three games and allowing ourselves to be dominated in TOP isn't gonna get that job done.
We needed to come through this 3 game stretch with at least two wins and we didn't. Henry you want to give them an out because of who we played but what's the excuse gonna be if we lose to the Lions in Detroit or even worse to the Panthers this weekend. As it stands we have an offense that doesn't work and it appears that it can't work the way it's designed to without significant changes in personnel. It's too late for that now so the only choice is for Martz to adapt to what he has. Have we seen him do that yet?
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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