Thread: Cover 2 killer Smith awaits Bears again

Steve Smith is a great WR, I will grant him that anyday. I do however have an issue with the man responsible for delivering the ball to him.
** Last year in that game, Cam Newton was 27/46, for 374 yards. 1 TD, 1 INT. 0 Sacks.
** Runs were split between 1)Williams 10/82, 2) Stewart 8/52, 3) Newton 8/35.
** Receiving: 1)Smith 8/181/0 TD, 2) Olsen 5/50/1 TD, 3) FOUR other receivers totaling 14/143 yds/0 TD.
** CAR dominated TOP, 33:29 - 26:31.
** Cutler was an awful 9/17/102 with 0 TD & 1 INT.
** Forte DID have a great game though, 25/205yds/1 TD.

I'm looking at this game from last year & taking it with a grain of salt. It seemed like every team playing CAR was giving up MAJOR stats & big plays, but somehow when the clock struck zero the Panthers were always behind. We won that game with 2 rushing TDs, 1 INT returned for a TD, 1 Punt Return for TD, & 2 Fgs.

I said I have an issue with the man delivering the ball for CAR. It seems that Newton's magical year in 2011 is all but forgotten, somehow someway he has glorified the term "Sophomore Slump" not only for his mediocre play on the field but his attitude & demeanor in post game presser's. What exactly is my issue? IT'S IN HIS HEAD. When I raced Motocross, my coach would often remind me that the mental aspect is what determines who wins & who loses. At this level, everyone is physically fit & body in peak performance condition, everyone has a very high level of skill & talent, everyone has the best gear/equipment the world can offer, everyone plays in the same conditions on the same dirt...the only real difference is between the ears. When you become accustomed to success, failure is a frightening beast. Newton has never lost in his life, as Deion Sanders said on NFL Network that this is the first time Cam can't be the ultimate hero & win with his ability alone, this is the first time in his life people are questioning him & his ability, & this is the first time in his life he's continued to lose. He's never been here before & doesn't know how to handle it well or get out. This is when his COACHES & the people close to him in his life need to support him. He can't do this alone, he needs good people around him to guide him. Only then can he begin to rebuild his confidence & pull himself out from this hole. Hell, it could only take 1 game to remind him of who he is. I fear as a Bear fan this could come against us. I fear our team won't take them as serious as they should & prepare properly. We just saw the Bears play a mummified Detroit team who can't get out of their own way & stop shooting themselves in the foot, yet they were 1 possession away from winning that game. It might take one of those "shocking & surprising" losses to light a spark in the Bears Offense & ST. The defense definitely knows how to stay self motivated (Please hope to God I didn't just Jinx them).

The best way to keep Cam in his "lull" is to limit his time with the ball. That goes for Steve Smith as well...limit the damage by limiting his time with the ball. Let our defense do what they do...pressure Cam into making bad decisions, & put Peanut/Jennings on Smith with Conte/Wright covering over the top with an eye always on Smith. Run the ball on Offense with Forte & Bush as MUCH as possible!!! Cutler's bruised Ribs are NOT healed and mark my words they WILL negatively affect his ability to throw the ball accurately & with velocity. I personally have bruised my ribs 3 times in my life, 2 from MX & 1 from Football. I remember getting the hiccups during one of those times just a day after bruising & I prayed for sweet death. It took 2-3 weeks before I fully recovered each time. Yes, I was able to race/play a week after, but I was in serious pain & it greatly affected my breathing, my core body strength, & made every little bump feel 10x worse. THAT has a negative Mental effect as well, making you play more conservative & gingerly. The best thing Cutler can do if possible is flood his system with Morphine from the first snap to the last play of the game. He's going to hurt real bad again though Monday.

Trust me...I'll be doing as much as I can Sunday (superstition wise) to help this team win. I've already got my Peppers Throwback jersey, 2011 Draft Hat, Orange wristbands, Coors Light, & all the undies/pants/undershirt/socks I've worn the last 4 weeks...& I am not joking. We can talk stats, X's & O's all day...but it all comes down to appeasing the "Football Gods".

Well the safety over the top seemed to shut down da tron seems like either peanut or tim along with the relentless pass rush should could minimize smith //he is having a bad year so far so keep it that way

Originally Posted by Dagan81

I would assume that since Steve Smith is only like 5'9" tall, he is probably faster than Megatron. In that case, I think Tim Jennings would be better suited to guard him.

Are you willing to substitute skill for speed? Jennings is 5ft 8 tall, Tillman is 6ft 2...would you prefer a taller CB to play over the WR with less speed OR a smaller CB with more speed?
In my opinion, as our system utilizes Cover 2 quite often, I'd personally prefer Tillman with the bigger size/slower speed knowing that I have help over top by the safety. If this was a Man Coverage situation or a single high safety (Cover 1) situation, then I'd be more inclined to agree with you having Jennings, a quicker smaller CB, covering Smith.

P.S. You're correct, Steve Smith is 5'9, 185. I'm a paraplegic & I"m bigger than him lol.

If our DEFENSE plants CAM ... Steve Smith is a non-issue.

So is Greg Olsen. That leave Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert @ RB.

Where do you see this heading ?