Bears not looking past Panthers. They play us tough.

We need to take care of business on Sunday. The offense needs to get untracked too. And what's happened to Hester? He's been a non-factor, and a disappointment.

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LINK to the article

Bears not looking past Panthers, Smith


AKE FOREST -- Sometimes a head coach of a 5-1 team has to invent ways to keep his team focused for a contest against a 1-5 squad. But Lovie Smith just needs to point to last year’s game against theCarolina Panthers to keep his players interested.

The Bears beat the Panthers 34-29 and the game was every bit as close as that score would indicate.

“Carolina, last year, gave us all we wanted,” Smith said on Wednesday. “Was a tough game. In fact they onside kicked at the end of the game so it tells you what type of football game it was. Our defense had been playing good football throughout the year, Carolina put over 500 yards on us last year. So it’s a big test.”

They put up 543 total yards to be exact, 409 came thanks to quarterback Cam Newton. He rushed for 35 yards and two scores while throwing for 374 yards.

“He’s fast, he’s big, he has a strong arm, he’s mobile in the pocket,” Smith said. “He can make all of the throws.”

But that was last year. This season hasn’t been the same for the athletic Newton. His passer rating is 79.3, 23rd in the league, but still slightly ahead of Jay Cutler (78.3).

Steve Smith is another weapon who had a good game against the Bears last year. In fact, Smith has always played well against Chicago. In a 2006 historic playoff game for the receiver he had a 218-yard effort, while last season he totaled 181 receiving yards.

“He loves a challenge,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said. “He loves playing against the best. Right now the Bears most certainly are one of the best. I think just because of his competitive nature, to him there are certain teams he loves to challenge. This is one of them because this Bears team is one of the better defenses in the league. (To him) there's something about going against the best.”

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Another guy who needs to step it up is Carimi. This season, he's the one allowing Cutler to get hammered.

Smith has historically been a Bear killer. Not sure he can do it against this defense though. Newton may not have as much time to get him the ball. I agree with not taking them lightly though. All the same, I expect to win this game.

I doubt they'll get over 500 yards this year, not the way this defense plays.
Cam Newton you go run, I'm sure Shea will enjoy hunting you down like a goat on his farm..
Smith? I've heard that Peanut is going to shadow you, so you might aswell give up.

I believe that Smith will find himself stranded on "Peanut Island" and our "D" line will eat Cam alive with Shea chasing him down on multiple occasions or turning him back into Peppers or Melton.
:18_1_205:

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Originally Posted by ZifanQ

I doubt they'll get over 500 yards this year, not the way this defense plays.
Cam Newton you go run, I'm sure Shea will enjoy hunting you down like a goat on his farm..
Smith? I've heard that Peanut is going to shadow you, so you might aswell give up.

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Best post of the morning. I love that "hunting Cam like a goat."

Classic post Z. Love it.

http://www.thisistheplace.org/images...itage-park.jpg


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...PJlJUfU1SZoe4w


http://thedeafsage.files.wordpress.c...super-fans.jpg

DeAngelo WIlliams & Jonathan Stewart despite their age ... are not who they used to be.

Thats why Mike Tolbert was brought in from San Diego ... him you better watch out for inside the twenty.

If we stop them ... that leaves CAM & Steve Smith ... and boy does PEANUT want Steve Smith.

Paybacks are a bitch.

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Originally Posted by bearsinhouston

Smith has historically been a Bear killer. Not sure he can do it against this defense though. Newton may not have as much time to get him the ball. I agree with not taking them lightly though. All the same, I expect to win this game.

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This is one of those games where we need to make a change in the coverage responsibilities. As great as Tillman plays against the bigger guys like Megatron the smaller guys like Smith give him fits. Like a smaller fighter jet against a bigger one they can turn faster and then he loses them. They can shake and bake better too and that get's them loose more often.

So what do you do? This game we put Jennings on him. Jennings has the speed, quickness and leaping ability to play with Smith whereas Peanut doesn't. He's burned him big time nearly every time we've played him dating all the way back to that 2005 playoff game where he beat us almost singlehandedly. I'm gonna be really disappointed if Lovie and Marinelli can't see this and make the change. This week it's Tim Jennings turn to take his shot at being a shut down corner.

McClellin could be a real ace in the hole this game too. Keep him free of blockers, move him around some and let him spy Newton and keep him pinned where the others can get to him. They lost Kalil at OC and that should help Melton and Paea inside and I'm sure Pep knows how to attack Jordan Gross. He played with him long enough and Gross hasn't been 100% healthy either as I recall.

Newton is in a funk and throwing guys under the bus so get in his head early like we did with Stafford. Frustrate him anyway we can and get them struggling to move the ball. I'd play them somewhat like we did the Lions and keep Smith and Olsen from hurting us. Force them to play too may offensive snaps and we'll get turnovers just like we did with Detroit.

We've always been able to run the ball on these guys so for God's sake I hope Tice puts away about half his passing plays and lets Forte and Bush lead a ball control game early and keep finding ways to sustain drives. Keep the ball away from them, stop the big plays again, and this time score some TDs instead of always having to settle for FGs.

One FG block and a FG instead of a TD from 1st and goal from the 4 yard line cost us 7 points against the Lions and without Peanuts heroics and a timely fumble could have cost us a game we should have won easily from the way the defense dominated. Detroit should never have even been in that game at the end. We should have been up by at least two scores.

We need to start closing teams out much earlier in the game and not put as much pressure on the defense to hold them off. That's working now but barely and later in the season it may not work at all.

Smith can and willl beat us if left alone. He's done it every time. The way to beat him is through Newton and now we have the tools to do that. Smith can't catch it if it's not going to him. Between that and Jennings covering him, I think we can take him out of the game. We have to. He has almost single-handidly beat us before.

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Originally Posted by soulman

This is one of those games where we need to make a change in the coverage responsibilities. As great as Tillman plays against the bigger guys like Megatron the smaller guys like Smith give him fits. Like a smaller fighter jet against a bigger one they can turn faster and then he loses them. They can shake and bake better too and that get's them loose more often.

So what do you do? This game we put Jennings on him. Jennings has the speed, quickness and leaping ability to play with Smith whereas Peanut doesn't. He's burned him big time nearly every time we've played him dating all the way back to that 2005 playoff game where he beat us almost singlehandedly. I'm gonna be really disappointed if Lovie and Marinelli can't see this and make the change. This week it's Tim Jennings turn to take his shot at being a shut down corner.

McClellin could be a real ace in the hole this game too. Keep him free of blockers, move him around some and let him spy Newton and keep him pinned where the others can get to him. They lost Kalil at OC and that should help Melton and Paea inside and I'm sure Pep knows how to attack Jordan Gross. He played with him long enough and Gross hasn't been 100% healthy either as I recall.

Newton is in a funk and throwing guys under the bus so get in his head early like we did with Stafford. Frustrate him anyway we can and get them struggling to move the ball. I'd play them somewhat like we did the Lions and keep Smith and Olsen from hurting us. Force them to play too may offensive snaps and we'll get turnovers just like we did with Detroit.

We've always been able to run the ball on these guys so for God's sake I hope Tice puts away about half his passing plays and lets Forte and Bush lead a ball control game early and keep finding ways to sustain drives. Keep the ball away from them, stop the big plays again, and this time score some TDs instead of always having to settle for FGs.

One FG block and a FG instead of a TD from 1st and goal from the 4 yard line cost us 7 points against the Lions and without Peanuts heroics and a timely fumble could have cost us a game we should have won easily from the way the defense dominated. Detroit should never have even been in that game at the end. We should have been up by at least two scores.

We need to start closing teams out much earlier in the game and not put as much pressure on the defense to hold them off. That's working now but barely and later in the season it may not work at all.

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