here's hoping fix is in :: chicago sun-times :: mike mulligan
here's hoping fix is in :: chicago sun-times :: mike mulligan
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here's hoping fix is in
team had slew of problems to address during bye week, but did it do enough?
november 7, 2007
by mike mulligan staff reporter
the bears return to the practice field in earnest today and begin preparing for the oakland raiders and the second half of the season, presumably with some answers to their baffling demise. that's what the bye week is about, after all. it's not merely an opportunity for rest and relaxation, but it's also a chance to find some solutions.
to paraphrase coach lovie smith, the bar has been set in the first half of the season, and it's low enough that a flea could clear it with a standing jump. now comes a run of eight more games for the 3-5 bears. forget about the playoffs; that's fool's chatter at this point. how about some explanation of what went wrong or a clue about how it can be fixed?
» click to enlarge image
bears' quarterbacks rex grossman, brian griese (14) and kyle orton. (tom cruze/sun-times file)
related stories
• huge drop-off
• inside the bears: updates from our blog
will the bears make any personnel changes? will they alter their tactics and tweak their schemes? what must they achieve in the second half of the season? what should they be looking for in terms of cleaning up this mess?
there are some interesting rumors circulating around the team, the most curious of which is a belief in quarterback rex grossman's camp that he might return to the starting lineup in the near future. it's not as farfetched as it sounds, even if the thinking is flawed. brian griese had a four-interception game against the detroit lions, and he'll lose his job if he follows with a similar performance against the raiders. no way around it.
but wouldn't it make a lot more sense to go with kyle orton if griese is pulled? what can grossman do if given another chance? remember, he's at the end of his contract, and the bears already have made an evaluation by benching him. what if he comes in and wins a few games in the weakest part of the schedule? what does that tell you? does he deserve a new deal based on strong performances against bad teams?
schedule eases up
it's never easy to win in the nfl, but the bears' second-half schedule is considerably easier than the first half. the bears were projected to have the easiest schedule in the nfl, but the improvement of the lions and green bay packers changed that evaluation. as it turns out, they played only two teams with losing records -- the minnesota vikings and philadelphia eagles -- in the first half. in their final eight games, they play only three teams -- the packers, new york giants and washington redskins -- with winning records.
does the standard change depending on the opponent? it had better. the raiders rank 30th in the nfl in run defense. they are allowing opponents a whopping 152.5 yards per game, including a league-worst 5.1 yards per carry.
cedric benson enters the game 28th in the league in rushing yards with 466 despite being tied for 11th in carries with 149. his 3.1-yard average is the lowest in the league among the top 30 rushers.
the question isn't whether benson should have a good game against the raiders; the question is what the bears should do if he doesn't. surely, he will have to be benched in favor of adrian peterson unless he produces a big-time performance.
general manager jerry angelo attempted to spread the blame for the bears' problems in the running game last week when he said, ''cedric [benson] is performing to the best of his abilities.''
benson's best hasn't been good enough, but angelo insisted, ''i would hate to think you're going to single out one person and say, 'well, this is the reason why they can't run the ball.' it's a team game.''
status quo doesn't cut it
that's a damning concept because it implies the real problem with the running game is the lack of holes. the only problem with that theory is that peterson's career statistics have held up nicely behind the same offensive line. peterson is averaging 4.5 yards per carry on 28 attempts after coming into the season with a 4.7-yard average on 133 attempts.
of course, he has gotten some yards late in halves against prevent defenses, but he always has gotten yards that way. if the problem in the running game isn't benson and is the offensive line, then bench one of the linemen. find the weakest link and improve it. do something. if there is a problem, don't hesitate to make a move.
if the bears do nothing else during the last eight games, they need to devote the rest of the season to finding out which players deserve to be in the mix for 2008. maintaining the status quo doesn't get that done.
the bears were woefully lacking on both sides of the ball in the first half. the defense that fueled their super bowl run and finished atop the nfc last season now ranks 27th. the offense is a hair better at 26th.
special teams has been the only area of impact, and opponents have responded by kicking away from devin hester and making the bears beat them in different ways.
much of the focus has been on the offense, but the defense doesn't get a pass, either. if the season slips much further away, it's imperative the bears have an answer about every guy on their team. no one should feel safe.
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