Thread: What we learned Minny/Chicago

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bear...-39-vikings-10

Rapid Reaction: Bears 39, Vikings 10

October, 16, 2011 Oct 16
10:29
PM CT


By Michael C. Wright


CHICAGO -- Quarterback Jay Cutler campaigned earlier in the week for plays featuring quicker releases to alleviate the beating he’d been taking.

Granted that request, the quarterback unleashed a beatdown of his own Sunday night in throwing for two touchdowns and finishing with a passer rating of 115.9 in a 39-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.

By implementing shorter drops with quicker throws, offensive coordinator Mike Martz might have found a way to relieve some of the pressure on the club’s beleaguered offensive line, which actually pieced together one of its best showings of the season.

The Bears took the field with their fifth combination of starters along the offensive line, this week using Lance Louis at right tackle and Chris Spencer -- playing with a broken hand -- at right guard. The unit allowed only one sack. Surprisingly, the offensive line has given up only one sack in two of the past three games.

With the latest tweaks on offense, perhaps the Bears are onto something they can use in the coming games.

Let’s take a closer look at what transpired in this shellacking:

What it means: The Bears learned that flexibility -- especially on offense -- might be the best way to protect Cutler in the long run. More importantly, the club evened its record to 3-3 and gained a game on the Detroit Lions -- 25-19 losers to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday -- in the NFC North standings.

Obviously, Chicago still has quite a bit of catching up to do to get back into the division race. But the team needed some momentum headed into next week’s outing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the Bears can come out victorious against the Bucs, they’ll be sitting at 4-3 headed into the bye.

Curious inactivity: Benched during the week of preparation for Sunday’s game, Bears veteran Chris Harris also mysteriously found himself on the club’s list of inactives.

Prior to the team’s official announcement of the move, Harris used Twitter to send out a couple of seemingly cryptic messages.

“The majority of the time adversity paves the way 4 success.”

Harris later tweeted: “How big/diff ur situation appears 2 b is a matter of perception. Most difficulties we face r pretty insignificant in the big scheme of things.”

The club made the decision to move Harris and two-time Pro Bowler Brandon Meriweather out of the starting lineup earlier in the week in favor of rookie Chris Conte and second-year man Major Wright. In the final year of his contract, Harris doesn’t believe he’s a part of the club’s future plans. With the team’s latest move, it appears Harris might be correct.

Rookie showings: Conte made his first career start Sunday, and rookie defensive tackle Stephen Paea finally made his NFL debut.

Starting at free safety in place of Meriweather, who was benched earlier in the week, Conte played a relatively mistake-free game, contributing five tackles through the first three quarters. A healthy scratch through the first five games, Paea was activated against the Vikings because of a sprained knee to veteran Matt Toeaina.

Paea posted two tackles in limited action, including a sack of Donovan McNabb in the first quarter for a safety.

Sack parade: After notching just one sack in the first half, Chicago utilized the trio of Julius Peppers, Israel Idonije, and Amobi Okoye for four sacks of McNabb in the third quarter alone.

Hobbled by a sprained left knee, Peppers sacked McNabb twice and Idonije and Okoye chipped in sacks, too.

Record-setting Hester: Devin Hester extended his return touchdowns record to 16 with a 98-yard TD return on a third-quarter kickoff return.

Hester appeared close to breaking for another score the next time he touched the ball, but was run out of bounds at the Minnesota 38 after a 27-yard return. Hester gained 134 yards on returns.

What’s next: The Bears travel to London to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium. The club desperately hopes to move to 4-3 going into the bye because tough matchups are on the horizon. After the week off, the Bears face the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, followed by the Lions and San Diego Chargers.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/bears/center

Rush Offense


As usual, Matt Forte delivered in carrying the load (87 yards). Perhaps it's time to pay him? Forte averaged 6.2 yards per carry in the first half, which allowed the Bears to build a sizeable lead, while Marion Barber did his job in short-yardage situations. Chicago's success on the ground kept the Vikings on their heels, opening up options in the passing game.



Pass Offense


Rock-solid protection and tweaks to the playbook to help Jay Cutler get rid of the ball quickly played a vital role in Chicago marching to a 26-3 lead. Kudos to line coach Mike Tice who made shrewd personnel decisions in shuffling the protection. Coordinator Mike Martz also deserves credit for displaying flexibility with his system. The line gave up a sack that resulted in a fumble, which led to a Peterson TD. Because of that, the grade drops one letter.



Rush Defense


Despite playing with a hobbled Julius Peppers and without DT Matt Toeaina, the Bears stonewalled Minnesota's dynamic rushing attack led by Peterson. The Vikings averaged just 1.8 yards per carry in the first half as they fell behind 26-3. Peterson finished with just 39 yards. By taking away the run, the Bears made the Vikings one dimensional, therefore predictable. That allowed the club to experience success in defending the pass.



Pass Defense


Vikings QB Donovan McNabb completed nearly 80 percent of his passes early in the game. But the Bears didn't allow Minnesota to gain large chunks of yardage, and it's widely known that forcing short completions is one of the fundamental tenets of Lovie Smith's Tampa-2 scheme. There were concerns initially about inexperienced players at safety, but the Bears gave the youngsters plenty of help with a fairly active pass rush that kept McNabb on the move.



Special Teams


Devin Hester busted a 98-yard kickoff return TD in the third quarter for his 16th return TD (including punts), and nearly scored again the next time he touched the ball on a punt return. Kicker Robbie Gould blasted a 51-yarder in the second quarter (three FGs on the day). The Bears kick coverage unit allowed the Vikings to start just one possession outside the 20 in the first half. Adam Podlesh pinned the Vikings inside the 20 on two of his three punts.



Coaching


Preventing a team from repeating mistakes is a hallmark of solid coaching. The Bears fixed problems along the offensive line with personnel moves and changes to the playbook, which allowed QB Jay Cutler to get rid of the ball quicker. Cutler called the improvements a collective effort among several coaches. Despite playing a pair of inexperienced safeties, the defense shored up its deficiencies in stopping the run and held its own against the pass.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nf...meId=311016003
Devin Hester's 2 TDs spark Bears as Vikes bench Donovan McNabb in blowout

CHICAGO -- Between the long touchdown catch and an even bigger kickoff return, this was shaping up as a special night for Devin Hester. Then, a chest injury cast a big cloud over it. Hester set the tone with a 48-yard touchdown catch and scored on a career-best 98-yard kickoff return before leaving with a chest injury, and the Chicago Bears routed the Minnesota Vikings 39-10 on Sunday night. More From ESPN.com


Looking for more information on this game? Check out our blogs for Rapid Reaction. • ESPNChicago.com


Jay Cutler threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Julius Peppers had two sacks, and the Bears (3-3) held Vikings star Adrian Peterson to 39 yards rushing. But Hester's injury dampened the mood on a night when they got a much-needed win. Coach Lovie Smith didn't think the injuries to Hester and tight end Kellen Davis (elbow) were serious, but he's made similar statements in the past about players who wound up missing big chunks of time. Hester did not make himself available for comment. His 48-yard TD pass from Cutler on Chicago's first possession got the Bears started quickly as they grabbed a 26-3 halftime lead. Hester's kickoff return early in the third quarter erased any chance the Vikings (1-5) had at a comeback. "You feel you're getting ready to come back, and that kickoff return really changed the momentum," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. It's no secret that teams are inviting danger by kicking to Hester, and Minnesota paid a big price right after Peterson scored on a 4-yard run. Hester took the kickoff, turned to his right and was touched maybe once on the way to the end zone, making it 33-10. It was his first kickoff return for a touchdown since Nov. 25, 2007, against Denver. "The shocking part to us is that people still kick to him because he is such a threat," Cutler said. Or, as Smith put it: "We're all kind of witnessing history every time he touches it." Top Fantasy Performers

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Hester set a record with his 11th punt return for a touchdown against Carolina on Oct. 2, but the good feelings gave way to concern when the announcement came early in the fourth quarter that he was finished for the game. Along with the big return, Hester had five catches for 91 yards. Cutler, meanwhile, had all the time he needed and -- for one game, anyway -- avoided a big beating. Never mind that league sacks leader Jared Allen was lining up for the Vikings, the Bears' maligned blockers held their ground. That allowed Cutler to complete 21 of 31 passes while being sacked just once. The defense did its job, too. A surprise starter sitting out practice this week with a sprained left knee, Peppers got his two sacks and the Bears made things miserable in general for the Vikings. Donovan McNabb threw for 177 yards and completed 19 of 24 passes before being lifted for Christian Ponder, but it was a brutal night for Peterson aside from that scoring run. He simply couldn't get anything against a defense that had been giving up plays at an alarming rate, but the Bears can breathe a little easier after dropping three of four. They still trail unbeaten Green Bay by three games and Detroit by two with losses to both teams, but they have to feel a little better about themselves as they get ready to play Tampa Bay in London next week. They looked particularly good in the early going, piling on 151 yards to the Vikings' 43 while building a 16-3 lead in the first quarter. Hester's TD catch over the middle on Chicago's first possession set the tone, and the Bears simply piled on from there. Two plays after Adam Podlesh pinned the Vikings on their 5 with a punt, rookie Stephen Paea broke through the line for his first sack and the Bears' first safety since Danieal Manning got one on Aaron Rodgers at Green Bay in September 2009. Chicago immediately drove 56 yards with Marion Barber running it in from the 3 to make it 16-0 with 3:39 left in the opening quarter. For the record, he didn't attempt a flip after a failed attempt against Carolina two weeks earlier when he landed on his face. Then again, there were no missteps by the Bears early on. A defense that came in ranked 29th overall and 28th against the run was all over the Vikings. The offensive line was doing its job, too. And the Bears were playing like a team that wasn't ready to fall into a last-place tie with Minnesota. Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

Cutler looked great tonight, he looked comfortable, and relaxed in what he was going to do. It's like they simplified everything from how the calls come in to what the routes were and how the protections were to happen. You didn't see a lot of passes sail, which means he had pretty good fundamentals w/his passes.

Ya I'm as done w/Melton as I was done w/Manderson....seen the 1 good game thing before, unlike some I didn't buy into 100%. Like seeing Paea though, and I hope he shows more of this type of game. It seemed to help the rest of the line to. Keep in mind though, the real consistant pressure came when the C went out. First half, outside the safety, there was not a lot going on. They rained down pain once the C went down though.

Originally Posted by Blue Horse-shoe

The Bears are the best 3-3 team in the league and the Vikes are a solid 1-5 team .

Let's start that " we're gonna make the wild card !" chant going right now ..... .

Blue, no one is acting like we are world beaters; but you act like the Minny D is the reason for that record. That D is one of the best in the league. Our O looked competent against that D, we only gave up 1 sack against them. There are reasons to be satisfied w/this game. Much like pre season, it's not that we won, it's how we played in that win. The game plan was different and better, and it obviously worked against one of the better pass rushing D's in the game.

There O is nothing to be scared about, they are wholey one deminsional; but that one deminsion is the best in the league. We shut down AP; we prevented him from getting anything that would change the game.

Hell my first sentance of this thread is all about how bad Minny is.