Last night was the first opportunity I have had to take a look at the new look Bears and the Mike Martz offensive scheme. I was actually very excited to see it (prior to the game) because as long as I have been a Bears fan they have had a conservative offensive coordinator. Mike Martz doesn't believe in a conservative approach when it comes to offensive football. While I think that his system would eventually be good with the Bears' personnel if given time, that is something they don't have. If the coaching staff wants to remain in Chicago for longer than this season, they need to win and make the playoffs this season. With that being said, the game last night against the Cardinals was horribly disappointing.
The most obvious concern for most Bears fans is the offensive line. From what I saw, not one of them (including Olin Kreutz, who has been a mainstay on the O-line) can pass block. Chris Williams seems to be getting worse with more reps, which doesn't make sense. Lance Louis looks ok, especially when run blocking, but he has trouble with pass blocking as well. Frank Omiyale has been a disgusting mistake since they signed him before last season. He can't run block or pass block. Please, just give his job to Beekman or Metcalf. Give one of those guys a shot at it, because there is no way they can be worse than Omiyale. This is a unit that gave up 5 sacks to the Raiders, and last night 4 sacks to the Cardinals. That totals 9 is just over a normal game's worth of minutes. If the Bears are going to win at all this season, they have to protect the quarterback. 9 sacks in the last two games is absolutely brutal.
Then there is Jay Cutler. He has all of the physical tools, and all accounts are that he is a pretty smart guy. Then you watch him play, and he looks like a more cocky Rex Grossman. The opening drive interception was a killer. They had converted two third-downs, Hester and Aromashodu each made good catches on well thrown balls, and then Cutler throws a pick. The worst part was I think the receiver was open if he made the right throw. Knox had a step on Rodgers-Cromartie, and if Cutler throws a front shoulder lob, Knox makes the catch and turns up field for a big gain, possibly even touchdown. Instead, Cutler threw a bullet pass that Knox had to stop his route for, and Cromartie jumped it for the pick. The offense seemed to move the ball fine, and then would stall. A blocked field goal and a missed field goal didn't help. Six points isn't exactly great production, but some points are better than no points.
There were a few bright spots on offense that I could see. Johnny Knox continues to become a very good NFL receiver. He made 3 or 4 catches last night, most of them in traffic. Chester Taylor had a couple of long runs, and both he and Matt Forte looked very good in the screen game. I was impressed by how well the O-line moved downfield on a few of the screen passes the Bears ran. If yesterday's game is any indication as to how they are going to use Greg Olsen, they might want to think about trading him for something they could use, say a decent cornerback, or perhaps a fifth wideout.
One thing that I had a problem with was the play calling by Mike Martz, especially early in the game. The Bears had two drives that looked pretty good early in the game. The first ended with the Cutler interception (the play calling on that drive was alright, but the execution was poor). The next long drive started from the Bears twelve. They made several nice plays, and converted on a couple of tough third-downs, eventually moving the ball to around the Cardinals' 25 yard-line. On a first down play, just when the Bears were seeming to find a good rhythm, Martz called a reverse. The Cardinals sniffed in out, and the Bears were thrown for a 8 yard loss. Cutler had completed 4 out of 5 throws on the drive, and was starting to look good, and Martz interrupts that rhythm with a reverse? Inside the Cardinals' 30? Not a good play call. Later in the same drive, after the Bears had overcome that negative play to achieve a first down in the red-zone, Martz called for the Wildcat Formation, and Hester fumbled the snap. The drive stalled, and eventually the Bears had their field goal attempt blocked. The regular offensive formations and play calls were working. I understand that it is just the preseason, and it seems like a good time to try out some different play calls. But when you have something going, and have a chance for your team to gain the momentum in the game, you can't start experimenting with trick plays and weird formations. I hope Martz will realize that when the regular season starts.
The defense performed alright, at least in my opinion. The linebacking corps is depleted already (Urlacher won't play until the season opener with a calf injury, Briggs hurt his ankle, so he'll be out until week 1, and Nick Roach is out with a knee injury). I thought the replacements (Hillenmeyer, Tinoisamoa, and Brian Iwuh) played alright in their absence. The D-line should be alot better than the last 2 years. Peppers looked like he wasn't really playing all out. He still was able to generate some pressure, although he had no sacks, and even with the pressure, the Cardinals' QBs still made plays. The real problem for me is the secondary. The Cardinals made play after play, especially on third and long, and that was without Larry Fitzgerald in the game. Charles Tillman is not the cover man he once was, and Zack Bowman should not be starting. The safeties have been a problem too, but if the corners don't cover better than they did last night on third down, it will be a long season for the Bears defense.
Overall, a very disappointing effort last night. The Bears have alot of work to do before the season gets under way. I am still excited, and still feel like the Bears could be good if they put everything together. The problem is that I don't know if they can.
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