Bears Analysis; Team Is In The Market For CB's

Bears analysis: In the market for cornerbacks

http://www.chicagotribune.com/hive/i...email_icon.png
http://www.chicagotribune.com/hive/i...print_icon.png
Comments
23

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/...0-15202327.jpg Charles Tillman intercepts a pass intended for the Vikings' Toby Gerhart before running it back for a touchdown. (Chris Sweda / Tribune Photo)

By Brad Biggs, Tribune reporter 6:43 a.m. CST, January 16, 2012

6th in a 10-part series

Charles Tillman could not say his ninth NFL season was his best and it very well might not be. After a while, they're hard to sort through when you've been a consistent performer.

But the veteran cornerback was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time following a year in which he was steady throughout and did a solid job vs. Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson in the second meeting of the season at Soldier Field.

Tillman isn't the best man cover cornerback in the NFL. But he's a physical performer who has been an ideal fit for the Cover-2 scheme ever since Lovie Smith arrived. Tillman finished third on the team in tackles with a career-high 113, and was second in solo tackles with 83, trailing leader Lance Briggs by only three. It was only the third time Tillman has topped 100 tackles.

Across from Tillman, Tim Jennings put together a solid first half of the season and then his play slipped in the final month-plus, leading to a benching in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers when veteran Zack Bowman -- and the scheme of playing outside leverage -- was exposed badly. Jennings got his job back the following week and the starter opposite Tillman is a key decision for this offseason.

D.J. Moore, who stepped nicely into the nickel role in 2010, didn't build off of his first year of success. Moore was hampered by a sprained ankle that forced him to miss three games. Moore led the defense with four interceptions and tied for second with eight pass breakups but the team rotated him a little bit with Corey Graham down the stretch after Graham was successful replacing Moore while he was injured.

Roll call: Charles Tillman (signed through 2013), Tim Jennings (unrestricted free agent), Zack Bowman (unrestricted free agent), Corey Graham (unrestricted free agent), D.J. Moore (signed through 2012),

2011 review: The Bears finished 28th in the NFL in passing yards allowed at 254.1 yards per game but that is not indicative of how the team played. Could the pass defense improve? Sure. But consider the defense ranked 8th in the NFL in opponent's passer rating at 79.3. That shows that opponents didn't remain committed to the run and chose to throw the ball.

The Bears tied for sixth in the NFL with 20 interceptions, probably not the number Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli are happy with, but a solid showing. Certainly there were more plays to make and that was one of the knocks on Jennings, who dropped numerous interception opportunities.

It wasn't a perfect season for Tillman, though. Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson gave him problems during a Nov. 20 meeting at Soldier Field, putting up 165 yards and one touchdown on seven receptions. The cornerbacks also struggled against Carolina's Steve Smith – you've seen this happen previously -- as he had 181 yards on eight catches in an Oct. 2 game at Soldier Field.

There wasn't much change. Tillman started 16 games for the second straight season – the only two times it has happened in his career. Jennings has started 28 of the last 32 games.

Free agency/draft priority: Teams that use the Cover-2 as their base defense typically don't allocate a lot of their resources to the position. They look for physical players who are good tacklers. The Bears gave Tillman a nice contract in 2007 and paid former Pro Bowl performer Nathan Vasher. While the franchise has used eight draft picks on cornerbacks since Lovie Smith arrived in 2004, the highest was Devin Hester in 2006 and he remained at the position for a matter of months. Otherwise, there have been two fourth-rounders, three fifth-rounders and two seventh-rounders. Part of that is because Tillman has been a consistent performer and the team has used free agency to bolster the position with additions like Jennings and former nickel back Ricky Manning Jr. At this point, the position becomes a higher priority than usual. Jennings, Bowman and Graham are all entering free agency and Moore is headed into the final year of his contract. If Graham comes back, it will probably be as primarily a special teams performer because he seems to have been somewhat pigeonholed. In an ideal world, the Bears would add a young player who is ready to challenge for playing time and a veteran and create some depth. It looked like cornerback would be a need last season and it was passed over in the draft. The tough thing is, if you don't select one by the end of the second round, it becomes harder to get someone who can help.

Looking ahead: Tillman turns 31 next month and he's got a lot of football behind him with 130 regular-season games. He'll be in the mix in 2012 but the rest of the position is up for grabs. Moore lacks the speed to turn-and-run needed to play on the outside. There would also be concerns about him holding up in the running game out there, although he does a nice job for a nickel back. So, the team needs to add at least two cornerbacks to the mix and probably three. If they can upgrade over what Jennings has given them the last two seasons, that would be a plus, especially when they run into the Green Bay Packers twice next season.

Bottom line: The Bears will be in the market for cornerbacks in free agency and then the draft. Keep an eye on some bigger prospects that tackle well when it comes to the draft. It might be a good idea to take one in the first three rounds -- and the team has an extra third-round selection from the Greg Olsen trade.

Tuesday: Tight ends.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

As the article points out 3 CB's become unrestricted free agents this year so keeping at least one if not two should be a priority. To me Bowman is the guy we should wave goodbye to. He has the size Lovie likes but he's far more of a man on man cover corner than a zone type CB. His tackling is also suspect.

Conversely the guy they should do all they can to keep is Corey Graham. Not only has he proven himself to be one of the best ST gunners in the NFL but you couldn't have asked for a better performance when he subbed for DJ Moore for three games and came away with three picks. If they can't find a place for him at CB I would think he'd make a great prospect at SS. He's a smarter and more instinctive player than Major Wright as well as a better tackler. Graham is a guy the Bears should not let get away. He's been a late round steal for the team.

If I were the Bears I'd do my best to keep Jennings if the cost wasn't astronomical. He had a bad game or two, so did Tillman, but for the most part he played good football. He needs to get better at picks and he he stays around I'd have him spend some serious time catching passes in the off-season. Still, he plays his man pretty well and for his size he's a fierce tackler.

No doubt we need a CB in FA if we lose one or two of the current guys and we'd probably be well advised to draft one as well. I'd but this need pretty high and if there isn't a LT or DE they like at #19 but a CB like Dre Kirkpatrick is I would snap him up before I'd take a guy like Michael Floyd. I don't think you could find a better choice for the Bears CB needs than Kirkpatrick. He has the size, ability to cover in a zone and tackling ability plus he plays LCB which is most likely what we'll be looking for if Jennings leaves.

One good thing regarding this need is that this draft class is fairly deep in CB's so there should be good players with starting potential in the second round and maybe even early in the third. Conversely the Safety prospects aren't strong at all after you get past Barron. Maybe that's the reason we picked up Conte last year.

As much as i hate to admit it...the winds are a changing. Again. Under Tony Dungy, the Cover-2 was all the rage since Tampa had a DOMINANT defense that won a SB with it. Lately, it has been the 3-4 Defense that was the fad since the perennial AFC champs the Steelers and Pats employed it to great success.

Now however...its seems that offense is the soup du jour, which means SOMEONE is gonna have to come up with a defensive scheme that can counter these high flying, TE-receiving, pass happy offenses. As much as i love Peanut, i think larger CBs that are able to cover both WRs and large TEs will become necessary for a proper defense. I hope he retires a Bear, but it doesnt hurt to get him some help and plan for the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmors

As much as i hate to admit it...the winds are a changing. Again. Under Tony Dungy, the Cover-2 was all the rage since Tampa had a DOMINANT defense that won a SB with it. Lately, it has been the 3-4 Defense that was the fad since the perennial AFC champs the Steelers and Pats employed it to great success.

Now however...its seems that offense is the soup du jour, which means SOMEONE is gonna have to come up with a defensive scheme that can counter these high flying, TE-receiving, pass happy offenses. As much as i love Peanut, i think larger CBs that are able to cover both WRs and large TEs will become necessary for a proper defense. I hope he retires a Bear, but it doesnt hurt to get him some help and plan for the future.

I agree, the winds of change are quickly turning into a gale. Even in Lovies vaunted cover two the CB's need to get up on the line and play a more physical game with these WR. The Giants were in the faces of the Packer receivers messing up their concentration and their timing all game long. As long as Peanut can play as physical as he does and still have the speed to turn and run with these guys he's OK but once he loses a step he's done at CB. Maybe he can move into the nickel like Woodson and stick for a while longer but he won't be able to match up outside.

That's why I like Kirkpatrick. He's similar in size to Peanut (little taller) he's physical, he tackles well, the scouting report on him feels he's a natural for a zone defense and he's just a junior so he's young with some upside but he looks ready to play now. He was a tackling machine in the BCSC game against LSU. Couldn't tell much about his coverage because LSU never threw but he made a couple of stops for loss that were beautiful tackles.

He may be gone long before we pick since he's rated the #2 CB in the draft but if he did fall that far it would be hard to ignore him.

Unless we target someone of significance, just get someone that can actually play across from Peanut (like Vasher did for a year or two), and just work on the pass rush and safety work. That's what needs immediate attention...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henry Burris

Unless we target someone of significance, just get someone that can actually play across from Peanut (like Vasher did for a year or two), and just work on the pass rush and safety work. That's what needs immediate attention...

Overall the Safeties in this years draft aren't very impressive so that help is either gonna have to come from Conte and Wright improving, re-signing Graham and trying him out at Safety, or with a vet in FA. I don't think the draft will help us much Henry.

But, there are some pass rushers who should still be on the board when we pick. Besides Cliff Avril I don't know who else may become an UFA this year but I'm betting the Lions won't let Avril escape it they can help it and certainly not to us. Given the cost difference between a first round DE and signing a guy like Avril I'm sure they'll go the route of the draft and hope that Wootton stays healthy and steps up next year. Chauncey Davis didn't look to bad but he's not much of a pass rusher unless Marinelli can work some magic on him.

In my book WR, DE, and CB are the biggest needs we have right now. I'm hoping we can solve that WR issue in FA and be able to take either a DE or a CB, whoever is higher on their board, with that first round pick then draft another WR in the second or early in the third. That position has some pretty good depth in this years draft.