After an off-season that saw a great many changes in the coaching staff, front office staff and gameday roster, the Chicago Bears are halfway through a do-or-die season. Eight games into the 2010 NFL campaign, Lovie Smith's Bears are 5-3, a mark that has surely pleasantly surprised some while infuriating others. Are they as good as their record indicates? Have they been the benefactors of a weak early schedule? I'll dive into these topics and more in my mid-season grades for the Monsters of the Midway.
Grade time!
There's just not enough positives to take away from these first eight games. I was tempted to just give them an incomplete, but for a team with Mike Martz as offensive coordinator, the production simply hasn't been good enough. While Jay has limited his turnovers compared to last season, he still gave a mind-numbingly careless performance in the Washington game, where one less interception to DeAngelo Hall likely meant a win. As I maintain however, the blame for the offensive struggles cannot be laid at Jay's feet. Mike Martz should shoulder a good deal of the blame with his stubborn play-calling that got Jay knocked out of the Giants debacle and sacked far too often. We thought he could make quick adjustments after seeing the changes made in the Dallas game, but that faith quickly wore down to frustration.
The running game comes and goes (mostly goes) despite two running backs that can be on the field every down. When Martz gives up on the running game or completely avoids it, that's when Cutler gets assaulted. The tight ends, which were supposedly a strength of this team headed into the season have underperformed thanks to Martz's inability to involve them in the offense. Greg Olsen had been forgotten for a three game stretch in which he only caught three passes, a result of Martz's inept play-calling. Brandon Manumaleuna, brought in as a blocking tight end, can't block. So that was a good use of money. Desmond Clark, perhaps the best all-around tight end can't even make it onto the gameday roster apparently, having been inactive a bulk of the season. On the outsides, the wide receivers have been relatively productive when Jay has had time to get them the ball, which hasn't been often. Johnny Knox is clearly a deep threat, but still has his miscues on routes. Devin Hester has shown great improvement as a receiver in limited action, but his special teams contributions are hands-down the best part of his season.
More than any other aspect of the offense, the line must be at the forefront of any conversation regarding this unit's struggles. The constant shifting and replacing of personnel, whether because of injuries or poor play, has halted any consistency they should have built up by now. Chris Williams needs to be at left tackle, but for some reason got put back in at left guard because Frank Omiyale hasn't been completely awful. Roberto Garza's back at right guard, his normal position, but for how long? If Mike Tice can settle on one combination for the rest of the year, perhaps the Bears can get some consistency out of an offense that hasn't showed it from week to week.
Offense: D
Suffering in the past few seasons due to injuries and poor production, the Bears defense has returned to form this season, ranking fourth in the league in points allowed (16.6) and giving up about 309 total yards a game. There are multiple reasons for this improvement, but none are bigger than Julius Peppers. The sackful of money Jerry Angelo dropped in the defensive end's lap during free agency has paid off, giving the Bears a difference maker on the defensive line. Now he hasn't gotten as many sacks as I would like to see (only two), but it should be noted that he forced a fumble on both sacks. His attitude and work ethic have spread throughout the team, upping the ante for his colleagues. Israel Idonije has seen the most benefit from Peppers' presence, notching five sacks form the opposite end position. Unfortunately, Tommie Harris hasn't stepped up as we all hoped he would, falling flat on his face more often than he gets pressure up the middle.
The return of Brian Urlacher to the middle linebacker spot has been a lift as well, giving Lovie Smith's defense its quarterback back. His calls have helped get his teammates in the best position possible, hiding some of their deficiencies. Lance Briggs has been his normal self and Pisa Tinoisamoa has excelled at the strong side slot, giving fans a glimpse of what could have been last year if he and Urlacher hadn't gone down with injuries. In the secondary, things haven't been as smooth. Major Wright has barely been on the field after injuring his hand early on, leaving Danieal Manning and Chris Harris as the starters at safety. To his credit, Manning has not been out of position often, but he's not the long-term answer. Expect to see Wright get worked in more as the season progresses. Harris on the other hand, has had his problems defending the pass as well as the run. Missed tackles have been abundant for a player that was supposed to help stuff the run. Zack Bowman has been in and out of the starting corner spot for various reasons, whether it be injury or poor play. Tim Jennings has stepped in and played well for the most part in his stead, snagging turnovers at key points in a few different outings. Charles Tillman has been beaten on several occasions, but in a defense without a true number one corner, he hasn't been abused by any means.
Defense: B+
Any time we get a Devin Hester touchdown, I get all excited. Since we've seen two already this season, I can almost ignore the other special teams miscues, minor as they are. Robbie Gould has more touchbacks on kick-offs than we're used to seeing from him, but he's also missed a few more field goals than is typical. Brad Maynard has punted well enough to keep the Bears ahead in the field position battle. But Hester's return to his glory days earns this unit a high mark.
Special Teams: A-
Do I really have to tell you how bad the coaching has been for Chicago this season? The offensive side of the ball has been inept at best with it's handling of the "sack situation." Martz at times has refused to run the ball despite Cutler eating turf on every play while Mike Tice apparently can't get this group of linemen to pick up the most basic of assignments. Lovie has had more than his fair share of issues as well. From skipping out on possible game-changing field goals to not calling challenges on the right plays to his awkward benching of numerous players to not reigning in Martz sooner, Smith takes the lion's share of the blame for this season.
Coaching: D
Overall Mid-season Grade: C
Yep, they're middle of the road. I can never tell what offense will show up from game to game or if the defense can make enough plays to get the win. This 5-3 is one of the weakest 5-3's I've ever seen, which doesn't give me hope for the final eight games of the 2010 season, which is one of the roughest back-end schedules I've ever seen. Bear down?
Keywords: Chicago Bears, Jay Cutler, Joe Anello, Lovie Smith, Mike Martz, Mike Tice, NFL
