Q&A with Matt Bowen
Former NFL safety believes Marshall will have Bears' opponents wary
By Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune reporter
7:03 p.m. CDT, July 16, 2012
Bears players will report to training camp on July 24, so at the halfway point of our preview and positional breakdowns, we take time out for 10 questions with Matt Bowen on his expectations for camp and the coming season.
Expectations have been high every July for the Bears since Super Bowl XLI, and especially so this year with most placing great faith in Brandon Marshall to change the complexion of the offense. Can one guy do that?
One player at the wide receiver position can impact defensive game plans. But the way I view it, if you want to be optimistic, it's about Brandon Marshall, it's about Alshon Jeffery, it's about the new quarterbacks coach (Jeremy Bates), it's about Mike Tice all working together. Yeah, there is a reason to get excited. When you have a No. 1 wide receiver that is feared around the league by opposing secondaries, that is going to affect the way they prepare and the way they play on Sundays.
How much will Marshall's presence impact Devin Hester and Earl Bennett, or should we expect them to play at the same level?
I think there will be opportunities for them to make more plays. If defenses start rolling coverage toward Marshall and they are playing that No. 1 (cornerback) on Marshall and on third down they scheme to take Marshall out of the game plan, there are going to be openings for Hester and Bennett to make plays. Are they going to make more plays? I don't know yet. But when you do have a No. 1 guy like that, those guys that run underneath routes and combination routes with Brandon are going to have to win in crucial down-and-distance situations.
Jay Cutler has a successful track record with Marshall, but can you see quarterbacks get too dialed in one target? As a defensive back, can that give you an edge?
A quarterback can get too dialed in. But with Brandon, Jay has trust in him. He can put the ball — even with the cornerback defending Brandon — right there and he knows he can make a play for him even though he's covered. You've got to know that as a defensive back. You'll be in the defensive meeting room and the coach will say, 'Hey, even if you've got great coverage, he might throw it there on you.' You've got to be prepared for that because Cutler has that relationship with Marshall.
Are you surprised the club has left the left tackle spot up to a battle between J'Marcus Webb and Chris Williams, and do you fear the line could be the undoing of the team?
This has to be the biggest question mark. I know the defense is getting older, but it can still make plays and get off the field. Offensively, they have the quarterback, they have the running back, they have the wide receivers. The key will be the offensive line. That left tackle position? You're not going to find any of those guys on the street. Teams don't let go of those guys. We saw they went with defense in the draft when they could have gone with a guy like Riley Reiff from Iowa that they could try at left tackle. What they are telling you is they are confident enough one of those guys can win the left tackle job and hold it down for the entire season.
Cutler isn't a young gun anymore but we've seen plenty of quarterbacks improve with age. How does his game need to evolve?
He has to be a little more patient with the ball. Jay has a little Brett Favre in him at times where he takes risks from time to time. And so every once in a while you turn the ball over or you put your offense in an adverse situation. Sometimes you have to take what is there.
Julius Peppers was pretty much a one-man pass rushing threat last season, with Henry Melton flashing from time to time. Will the defense be in a bind if first-round pick Shea McClellin isn't an impact performer?
I think so. In order to beat Aaron Rodgers, if you want to play Cover-2 you've got to be able to have four guys that can rush and you have to have two guys that can bring pressure off the edge. Peppers is an elite pass rusher, but it's going to take McClellin to be a factor to really help this defense. Eight to 10 sacks for him is what they need. He has to be a factor. If you can only get pressure from one side, they're going to put the tight end over there and they're going to chip on Peppers, and I don't care how well the secondary is playing, if Rodgers has time, he'll beat you. It's about a rush opposite Peppers.
Tim Jennings was benched for one week late last season and then was paid like the club expects him to start again opposite Charles Tillman. How do you evaluate the cornerbacks with Kelvin Hayden now in the mix?
I like Kelvin Hayden because he is a guy who is going to push Jennings. Tillman is still holding his own in man-to-man but he's not a lockdown guy. But with Jennings and Hayden, they'll be able to push each other because they'll look over their shoulder a little bit and say, 'I have to bring it every day in practice or I know this guy behind me might jump ahead of me on the depth chart.' I like Jennings. He is a physical football player. He tackles, he takes good angles, he competes. But every player on the roster needs to be pushed, so I like the idea of bringing in another corner. Hayden might not beat him out, but he'll push him to be a better player.
The safety carousel continued to spin last season and then the team selected Brandon Hardin in the third round, giving the Bears two former college cornerbacks potentially in Hardin and Chris Conte. Major Wright is in the mix. How do you handicap this spot?
I think you have to expect bigger things out of Chris Conte this year. He's got nine starts under his belt, but he needs to improve his tackling and he needs to take better angles. But he does have great feet at safety and that's what you need in today's game. Your free safety has to be able to play like that third corner at times. I'm excited to see him play. With Wright, it's not a question of ability it's if he can play. Wright has the natural ability to play strong safety or free safety in Lovie Smith's defense. He has to trust his eyes and trust what he sees and he needs to take better angles and understand route concepts. Hardin has size and speed and that's what Lovie loves. Is there a difference between playing corner in the Pac-12 and playing safety in the NFL? Yeah, there is a big difference. There are a lot of talented receivers. Maybe they throw him into the fire at some point, that might be the best way to see if he can play, and see if he can handle it.
Brian Urlacher is 34 and coming off a Pro Bowl season which ended prematurely in the final game with a knee sprain. He's entering the final season of his contract. How is he still moving in the middle of the defense and what kind of long-range plans could a team make with him?
Brian Urlacher can still run, he can still tackle and he can still play the Cover-2. But you still have to start developing someone behind him because he can't play forever. As far as a long-term deal? You have to wait until late in the season to see how healthy he is, see how he is moving.
The Packers are coming off a 15-win regular season and the Lions won 10 games and on paper they've upgraded a powerful offense. How do you see the NFC North playing out?
I still think Green Bay is on top of the division. Even with their struggles on defense they have added enough young talent that they are the team to beat in the North. That offense is as good, if not better, than the Rams offense on the team I played on in St. Louis with Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az Hakim, it had all of the weapons you would ever want. I think the No. 2 team in the NFC North is going to get 10 wins, maybe 11. If you're looking at that second team in the NFC North, you've got the Bears and the Lions, and we'll see how they play it out.
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