Without Brown, Bears’ defense has struggled

By Paul Eide  |   Tuesday, November 28, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Chicago Bears
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!

For the majority of the last five games, the loss of Pro Bowl safety Mike Brown has almost been an afterthought for the Chicago Bears. But after giving up a season-worst 354 yards to the Patriots, the first time in '06 that the Bears have surrendered over 300 yards in a game, the team's lack of depth in the secondary was front and center.

It started early in the first quarter when Brown's replacement, Todd Johnson, limped off the field with an ankle injury, later proven to be nothing worse than a sprain, and was lost for the game. With Johnson out and nickel back Ricky Manning serving a league-imposed one-game suspension, the only person healthy enough to play safety was second-year man Chris Harris, and a once-precarious situation had now progressed to an exploitable weakness.

The Bears were forced to leave linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer on the field in passing situations, when in the past they would've seamlessly switched to the nickel, causing the defense to surrender a season-high 269 passing yards.

"The big thing is because of being down on the nickel, being down safeties, not having (Manning) available, it was a situation where we had to match up, and that was probably the best matchup," defensive coordinator Ron Rivera said.

"Because the one thing you don't want to do is put a corner on a tight end, and then the tight end motions back into the backfield, so now the corner's got to be in part of the run fits. Corners don't do those things, so we were in a tough situation there."

Predictably the Bears haven't been as stout without Brown, but the statistical difference is surprising. Since his absence, the defense is giving up 40-plus more yards a game (243 vs. 285), is allowing nearly twice as many rushing yards (66 vs. 126) and has given up more points (9.8 vs. 15.6). The one category where the Bears have actually improved is creating turnovers, forcing 2.8 with Brown in the lineup and 3.4 without him.

The team's 3-2 record over the last five games can also be attributed to the strength of opponents over that period, compared to the record of the teams Chicago played with Brown on the field.

In the last five games, opponents have accumulated a .545 winning percentage, compared to .371 in the first six. The Bears have played a tougher schedule with Brown out of the lineup, but are in for a break. The remaining five games are all against opponents with sub-.500 records, perfect timing for center Olin Kreutz and the rest of the team.

"Our goal is to win the NFC North, win the NFC and get to the playoffs," Kreutz said. "How many teams in the league could come on this three-game road trip and win two and then give New England a game at home? That's not an easy schedule. We're never really out of this thanks to our defense."

Green Bay's loss at Seattle Monday night means the Bears can clinch the NFC North Sunday with a win over the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.

Gunslinging Grossman shooting blanks

Rex Grossman's post-game comments following the 17-13 loss to the Patriots neatly eschewed the real problem at hand: His performance.

"They were a great defense, but we ran the ball and we moved the ball pretty well on them the whole game," Grossman said. "We just didn't finish our drives or take care of the football. That's a bad combination."

It's also a "bad combination" when terrible passes are thrown into tight spaces where multiple defenders have congregated. Apparently, Grossman doesn't see this is an issue because he has continued to do it. In fact, he has turned the ball over at least four times in three of the previous six games.

After throwing 10 touchdowns in the first five games, he has only thrown eight touchdowns in the last six, turning the ball over an amazing 15 times.

When Grossman's been on in '06, he's been mentioned as a possible MVP candidate. But when the former first-round pick has been off, he's been Ryan Leaf-like.

The good news is that it was the Bears' first road loss in six games this year; they also still lead the NFC by two games. But with just over a month left in the season, will the real Rex Grossman please stand up? The Bears need an answer come the beginning of January.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report