Deposit the win and hope it pays dividends.
Posted by Jeff Joniak in Jeff Joniak on Monday, November 2, 2009 | 4 responses
In the NFL, that is the only way to save. Money time is November and December. It always has been. With 5 November games, including the next four against potential NFC playoff teams, the Bears season is about to be determined.
After eight weeks of the 2009 season, the Bears are in a trailing position at 4-3 in the NFC North. Arizona was 4-3 last season, and found a way to the Super Bowl.
The Cardinals return to the town where they were hatched in 1920 Sunday at Soldier Field. Like the Bears, they are 4-3, but that leads the NFC West. The Bears are tied with the Packers trailing 7-and-1 Minnesota.
Monday, reporters asked head coach Lovie Smith if they still can catch the Vikings in the division race.
“I feel like we’re still in good position,” said Smith. “We’re doing the things we need to do. We’re taking care of business at home. We have a lot of division games coming up later on. But right now, the best thing we can do to put ourselves in position to contend the with the defending champions in our division-the Vikings-is to too win the games that we need to right now…Arizona coming up.”
To beat the good teams on the schedule, the Bears have to improve in several key areas.
First, the Bears need to fix their red-zone offense.
In seven trips inside the twenty against the Browns, the Bears cashed in only twice for touchdowns. That is 29% efficiency and against good teams that number will get you beat.
For the season, the Bears have scored 12 touchdowns in 27 red zone trips. That is 44% touchdown efficiency and it simply is not good enough.
“Of course we’ve tried to do some things differently,” Smith said. “When things don’t work you try to do some different things. It’s a process…I’m pleased with us continuing to get down in the red zone…it’ll come as long as we maintain what we’re doing and just continue to get the ball down there.”
The Bears are seventh in the NFL after eight weeks in red zone drives (27), but tied for 25th in touchdown efficiency (44%). In comparison, Arizona is fifth in the NFL in touchdown efficiency (65.2%), with 15 touchdowns on 23 red zone drives.
Injury News
Reserve safety and core special teams player Craig Steltz suffered a bicep contusion and did not finish Sunday’s game. Everybody else managed to avoid anything significant in terms of injuries. Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin aggravated a right ankle injury on his team record setting 537th career reception against Carolina. It sounds like Boldin will be a game-time decision against the Bears. The Cardinals could play Early Doucet in Bodlin’s absence.
Previewing Arizona
Alex Brown made money at the expense of Kurt Warner in week nine of 2004 on November 7. In New York, Warner quarterbacked the Giants and was sacked four times by Brown in a Bears win. A few days later, Brown received a contract extension.
“We have our work cut out for us as a defensive line to get to the quarterback and not let him sit back there and throw the ball deep to (Larry) Fitzgerald. I don’t want to take anything away from Peanut(Tillman) or (Nathan) Vasher or any defensive back in the league, but I think it’s a mismatch with Fitzgerald one-on-one with anybody.”
Fitzgerald is a three-time Pro Bowler who set the NFL on fire in last year’s playoffs emerging as arguably the most dangerous playmaker in the NFL.
However, Fitzgerald’s yards-per-catch average has dropped from 14.9 last season to 10.8. His longest catch this season is 27 yards on 47 receptions for 509 yards. Fitzgerald also has five touchdowns.
Like father like son
Buffalo rookie safety Jairus Byrd tied a 49-year old NFL record intercepting two passes for the third straight game against Houston’s Matt Schaub. The Oregon product now has seven picks in eight games.
Byrd is the son of assistant Bears secondary coach Gil Byrd who intercepted 42 passes in a stellar career with the San Diego Chargers. In addition, Jairus was the 42nd pick of the 2009 draft by the Bills.
The rookie record for interceptions is 14 by Dick “Night Train” Lane in 1952 playing for the Los Angeles Rams.
Byrd left Sunday’s game with a groin injury. The Bills are on their bye this week.
4 Responses to “Deposit the win and hope it pays dividends.”
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Jeff:
I am not one who quickly calls for heads to roll. However, as a Bear fan for over 50 years (I can remember seeing Coach Halas) it is time for Lovie Smith to resign.
The primary point I have: his interviews with you after two of the worst defeats in Bear history. No emotion. Nada. ” I hope this doesn’t happen again.” “I did not prepare the team.” “We are not sure what happened.” Etc.
These are statments of a looser.
We need a coach (and a coaching staff) that wants to WIN.
Just reading the fan commentary on the Tribune today, suggests my comments are mild and tame, but 100% in line with all others.
Is it talent or coaching or both?
If it is talent, then management failed.
If it is coaching, etc.
I know you need to be professional with these folks on the radio.
But, please don’t be a home town patsy.
THANKS.
Bear Fan in Minnesota
Bud Vesta
Was it just last year I mailed this letter? And nothings changed.
Dear Mr. Smith and Mr. Angelo,
I no longer trust you. You’re lucky to be 9-7. You lost to teams the lowly Raiders beat. You lost to a first time NFL play caller. Mediocrity thy name is Bears. Cup cakes. You’re a sub .500 team that got lucky. You are the Nuisance of the Midway, Chipmunks not monsters. You came from ahead to lose late in a row of games and 6 on the season. You are not close. You gave up the same big plays on the same mistakes 3 years in a row. That is not being even close to being close. You are not just a couple puzzle pieces away, a few tweaks. You are a genius at fielding cupcakes. You can’t fix what you can’t see as broken. So you are NOT a defense expert. You lost more games than 3 rookie coaches. Your staff, scheme, philosophy and players need an overhaul of skill and competence. You need to change or go to Texas and coach high school how to lose. We have too many draft busts, too many failures of top picks in rounds 1-3. Too many health issue head-case issue undersized reaches in your picks, too many projects and risks. The Bears don’t develop players, they have talent on arrival or they die, Bears players get worse but they never get better than the day they arrive. You have the wrong players for the scheme and/or the wrong scheme for the cupcakes you dress. A top salary D should not be near the bottom of the NFL. Bad decision-making. Bottom half of the league on O. Bad decision-making. The team that just whipped your ass just fired its DC and two other assistants. What have you done with your poor staff? Your faulty assumptions about the team will make us 5-11 next year because you’re delusional. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insanity. Change or repeat the doom.
Journeymen QBs and rookies are in the playoffs. So it’s not because of Orton we’re not in the playoffs again. He didn’t give up a season high 455 (4 times on the season) to a 50-50 team like Houston. That was the defense you “rewarded” with big bucks to reward your own., your own cup cakes. You chose not to tag an impact WR because of the great ones we have. We have too big a fall off after the number one RB. Our D scheme is too susceptible to injuries. Our WRs can’t get open, off a jam, or catch a ball without leading in drops. Ron Turner has no imagination and no firepower. You need tow RBs. You rewarded a D-line that cant rush my grandmother and that gets pushed back, down and sideways. That is not being close. Our OFF and our DEF don’t scare any coordinator in the NFL. We have no impact players at the skill positions that keep other coaches up at night. Players and you Mr. Lovie are not earning your new contracts. Mr. Angelo you asked for ultimate roster power. Don’t keep up the bad work. Mr. Smith your team is soft from off-season and training camp on. They lack heart and brains, proper attitude and killer instinct. Your team is physically and mentally limited. Your team is not ready to play 4 quarters in every game. All that’s bad coaching cupcake. Why is Mike Brown a better coach than our coaches? Why is Alex Brown more honest about the team than the GM or Head Coach? Why would Marinelli add new ideas when you are all from the same school of thought and the same football tree and he made Detroit worse? Hire Savage and Pioli to help find talent.
Build the line on both sides of the ball, it all starts up front and everyone else will look better. Miami and Falcons did it, Giants and Pats have done it. Better personnel decisions on players and coaching staff and talent evaluators. FIX what went wrong in the Carolina, Bucs, Falcons, Green Bay, and Houston games or it will all be repeated next season. PASS RUSH. Get a shutdown corner. SAFTIES. Our LBs are OLD. Wale is OLD. Our center is Old. Your total sacks are less than other teams best single player DESPITE blitzing more than ever. That is an INDITMENT of a defensive coach. The O needs multiple quick-strike big play explosive options. You will get Forte (great pick) killed next year without help. PLAY MAKERS IMPACT PLAYERS.
Roster spots must be earned through play not draft pick or salary hit, the same for starters.
Gentlemen, if I were an NFL expert I’d have your job. But if you are not either, you shouldn’t have yours. I am not an NFL genius, but unlike you, I can see what is in front of me on the team and in the NFL. I can be honest about the team I have loved for near 50 years. If I am wrong I’ll be the first to admit it. You should, too.
Lovie and Angelo and their people must go. Time to BOYCOTT DA Girls. I wont buy so much as a Bears key-chain until that happens.
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