Bears Latest to Fall to Superior Titans

After the first offensive and defensive possessions for the Bears on Sunday, fans naturally felt more relaxed at the prospect of facing the undefeated Tennessee Titans. The Bears forced a three-and-out on the Titans’ opening drive, then took the ball and went 75 yards to the end zone, taking the early 7-0 lead. It’s just too bad they had to play the rest of the game.  

Following the opening drive, Rex Grossman forced a ball towards Marty Booker that was tipped in the air and picked off by Chris Hope of the Titans. That halted any momentum from the first score, and the offense failed to put up points until late in the fourth quarter. Their next nine possessions ended in eight punts and a blocked field goal and totaled 94 yards. It was a pathetically anemic performance by the offense. The Bears only converted 3 of 14 on third down, thanks in large part to Grossman’s inaccuracy. Rex was either late on his throws or too widely misplaced them for his receivers to make a play on the ball. While he avoided his trademark turnovers, Grossman is still responsible for most of the offensive woes. If there never was any evidence of the difference before, there is now: had Kyle Orton been playing, the Bears win that game. The running game was decent if nothing else, but I have yet to see Kevin Jones or Garrett Wolfe spell Matt Forte for any significant stretch of time. That’s inexcusable to me, as tailback combinations are the key to longevity and consistency of a successful running game. 

As inept as the offense was, the much-maligned (and rightly so) defense continued its inability to protect against the mid to deep range throws, even in obvious passing situations. Chicago had obviously decided to make Kerry Collins beat them, as was the correct strategy to utilize. They crowded the Tennessee line of scrimmage all afternoon, holding the vaunted Titan running game to only 20 yards. Bear defenders were in the backfield making plays for most of the day on first and second downs, often setting up third and long. That’s how defense is supposed to be played in the NFL. You hold the offense to little or no gain on first and second, backing them up if you can, which forces them to pass on third down. Now that you know they’re going to pass, you can sit back and protect the first down marker and beyond in order to get your defense off the field. This only works if you can stop the pass that you KNOW for a FACT is coming. Lovie Smith’s defense has been unable to defend the pass all season and the trend continued on Sunday, as they allowed Titans QB Kerry Collins to surpass 200 yards for the first time this season. In 2008, the Bears have featured a defensive look they call the “mug.” It basically entails eight to nine defenders crowding the ling of scrimmage, and some mix of backing off or blitzing after the play has commenced. Lovie Smith had this defense called frequently on third down and long, which puts the linebackers in a difficult position to get back and cover the mid-field routes. When the offense needs to pass, you should call a defense geared to stop the pass. It’s not rocket science. 

I won’t place the blame for this loss on any one coach or any particular unit. I will instead blame EVERYONE. Grossman may not have been awful, but he sure can’t be described as having played well. Lovie Smith is too stubborn to be an NFL head coach. He refuses to cut the umbilical cord to his precious “Tampa Two” defensive scheme, which has consistently given up leads late in games and allowed whatever journeyman quarterback they’re facing to be Tom Brady for a week. Brian Griese, Dan Orlovsky, Matt Ryan, and Gus Frerotte have all thrown for 300+ yards on the Bears’ over-hyped defense. Every Bear defender is just as accountable as well, ranging from an overpaid defensive line that never even sniffs the opposing QB, and a secondary that isn’t aware of receivers find the soft spots in their schemes, zone coverage or not. This unit has vastly underperformed this season, being outshined by an offense that isn’t making a quarter of the defense’s inflated salary. It may be a top five defense against the run, but it doesn’t matter if they’re giving up 300 yards through the air. Teams will win any way they can, and the Packers won’t waste any time spreading the Bears with five wide receivers in their match-up on Sunday. 

In spite of their embarrassing play, the Bears still have the NFC North lead. They are tied with Minnesota at 5-4, but hold the tie-breaker with a better division record and a head-to-head win. This was a game that the Bears weren’t expected to win and could afford to lose. Now, with two of their next three games coming against the Packers and the Vikings, they must rebound and take hold of the division reigns, or they may not see first place for the rest of the year.