Chicago Bears: Lose Home Opener to Tampa Bay

by Sean Kane

Well, it was interesting to watch two almost identical teams face off in Soldier Field today at 12 pm Central Time. Both the Bucs and the Bears sit at 1-1. Both the Bucs and the Bears have showed some potential but nothing stunning. Both the Bears and the Bucs will be lucky to make the playoffs this year. Both the Bucs and Bears are teams with tough defenses that are required to play well in order to win. Both the Bucs and Bears have the same man under center, more or less.

Brian Griese and Kyle Orton are basically the same guy: Big Ten QBs that because of being inconsistently not bad at managing games are still in position to start games. Having worked together last year in the Chicago, it’s clear that Griese rubbed off on Orton letting him know that with one decently managed drive, you can hold a job in Chicago. Then, even when they’re done with you, you can get picked up by somebody else whose front office isn’t trying to make constructive moves under center.

With those two taking snaps, we knew it wasn’t really going to be a battle like Philly/Dallas, not an offensive clinic or highlight reel. It was going to be a gritty battle won in the box. One where you could fall asleep for twenty minutes and you would probably miss three consecutive punts (I only know that because I did that.)

Both teams’ defense had to manage the game. Keep their offense in striking distance and try to create turnovers by getting pressure on very shaky quarterbacks. The Bears knew they could get to Griese because he got to us when he was a Bear. Monte Kiffin’s defenses have always relied on a pass rush.

Both defenses did their job. Unfortunately, both defenses did it in such a way that they kept their weak offenses in the game. The Bucs defense grabbed two turnovers and turned one into 7 points. The Bears grabbed 3 interceptions from Brian Griese and turned the offense turned those into 11 points. Neither team was down by more than one score at any time, during the game.

Both teams, by the end of regulation had just over 330 yards of offense, and defenses who had both gotten takeaways early in the game but had given up major scoring drives late in the second half.

For Bears fans they couldn’t have asked for anything more. Consider the highlights:

1.Matt Forte had 89 yards on the ground 66 through the air and a touchdown. It’s official after three great weeks against solid defensive opponents: He’s the Bears’ best offensive threat.

2. Kyle Orton has a new best friend. The fourth year receiver out of Illinois, Brandon Lloyd stepped up and caught 6 balls for 124 yards and a touchdown in the 4^th. He made Orton look good, making huge adjustments to balls that were under-thrown but catchable. What’s more? He was matched up in coverage against pro-bowler Ronde Barber, who might be a little old, but is no slouch. Now we know, at least there’s somebody prepared to catch balls in Soldier Field.

3. Kyle Orton managed the game. When he had time in the pocket, he connected – 22/34 for 268, 2 TDs and 2 picks. The Gaines Adams interception came when he tried to ditch the ball to Desmond Clark on a screen. Poor decision making, on his heels, looking at a tough Tampa pass rush caused that one. Both TDs came in the second half, when they needed them. Kyle, I’ll refrain from saying, “Good game” yet, but I will give you a silent, double tap on the shoulder.

4. They are pulling their weight on defense. The Bears’ secondary ripped Griese up for three picks and grabbed a fumble in the first quarter. They shut down the ground game, leaving fantasy owners of Warrick Dunn and Earnest Graham in tears.

The only time they looked soft was down the stretch, when the Bucs ran the no huddle and slowed down the pass rush by keeping wind out of their lungs. Yeah, Griese got the majority of his 400 yards then but he did it on 67 attempts total, with the help of overtime minutes. They didn’t make huge stops late in the game but set their team up for success early and often. That’s their job.

So, how do the Bears let this one slip away from them? Really, it boils down to two huge plays. The first was a missed Robbie Gould field goal. It wasn’t a particularly windy day in the Windy City, but Robbie Gould managed to botch a 49 yarder in the 4^th quarter. That three point cushion would have kept the Bears out of overtime but the clearly overpaid Gould has a penchant for making Bears’ fans groan, again. (The Jersey Shore kicker has never made a field goal over 49 yards. You fucking kiddin’ me, bro?)

Then, came the second key play. After the Bucs went 3 and out on their own ten, Charles Tillman got called for unnecessary roughness, which wasn’t that rough but definitely unnecessary. He threw himself at a pile, where some dirty play was going on between linemen. Tillman got called for being the most visible and last man in. He wasn’t the only one but he got caught. We can gripe and groan all we want, pointing at Jeremy Trueblood (the primary Buccaneer in the mix) for being equally to blame but Tillman has to know that tossing a shoulder onto a pile, away from the ball, after a whistle, is a bonehead move. He does know, too. That key penalty brought the Bucs to the 25 and a fresh set of downs, with a little space they moved into place for a Matt Bryant field goal 8 plays later.

The Bears got the game they needed from the majority of the roster, just like last week but still couldn’t get the job done against their former QB and a pretty mediocre Tampa Bay team. The Bears continue showing Chicago fans what we want to see, but, then, go and rip the rug right out from under us and let teams get the better of us. The Bears need to find a way to step up and finish games, fast.

Tags: brandon lloyd, brian griese, Chicago Bears, kyle orton, matt forte, NFL, tampa bay buccaneers

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