Bears’ fans are livid today. How the heck do you drop a game to the Falcons in the last 11 seconds? Listening to fan reactions all day long on the radio, people point directly at the defense and special teams. The glue that made this team respectable last year, the leaders of the 05 Super Bowl run has fallen asleep on the job against 3 NFC South opponents this year. The Bears’ defense has given up game winning performances to Jake Delhomme, Brian Griese and Matt Ryan. While the Panthers, Bucs and Falcons have been impressive in some wins, none of them seem to be NFC Super Bowl contenders. Until they play the Bears, and the defense gives up late, heroic drives that are suitable for NFL films. Well, it’s not just the defense and special teams making these highlight reels, I say it starts at the top.
Yesterday, Kyle Orton brought his team 77 yards down the field with 2:43 on the game clock. Bears’ fans rejoiced when the touchdown was upheld. The Bears had a lead and the Falcons had a huge mountain to climb with nothing left on the clock. Instead, a squib kick set up Atlanta on the 44 yard line. Chicago fans shook their head and said, “What?! Why? Big stop defense.”
Lovie’s justification for setting up the short field was that his boys, “were tired.†For a special teams squad on their last appearance of the game it’s ridiculous that Lovie wouldn’t tell them to run after the ball 20 yards farther down the field. They are paid to get tired, Lovie. You’re not their mom. You’re a football coach and you’re paid to make decisions that win games, not set up your opponent’s rookie QB with a flair for the dramatic to be on Sportscenter as the winner. Kick the ball out of the end zone, make the trek for a field goal be at least 50 yards.
Instead, Ryan found Michael Jenkins on one well placed ball 26 yards down the field. Jason Elam, a long ball kicker had no problem finding the middle of the uprights from 48 yards out. Bears lose 22-20, and the Falcons celebrations lead highlight reels all over sports nation. Since the end of gametime Bears’ fans have been screaming explatives about how Jenkins slipped under coverage, how Ryan brought his team back to field goal range with one ball, where the pass rush disappeared to and why Lovie told Robbie Gould to squib kick.
The tough part is that they have been shaking their head this way before. After the late losses to Panthers and Bucs, the Bears’ nation tried to stay positive, and see the silver lining in their two losses, saying things like, “Well, Orton managed a good game.†“The defense made some plays†“Matt Forte is impressive.†Most of all, “We have been in these games, we’ll get the win next time.â€
Really, the silver lining doesn’t matter at this point. The NFL is a results league, wins are what matter, not “staying in the gameâ€. So, where do you start the finger pointing? Well in breaking down the Falcons game you have to look at the defense first, Orton managed the game and put the points up to win. So, the defense takes big blame today, again. I heard a stat today that said Ryan went 9 for 16 on 3rd down. 6 of those conversions were at 9 plus yard situations. Where is the secondary on that? Better yet, where is the pass rush? Ryan is not Vick, he is a pocket passer, and a rookie. A veteran Bears defense that shut down Donovan McNabb and Payton Manning should make mince meat of Ryan. Especially for the money that the Bears have locked up in players like Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris, you expect results when those checks go out. Why the letdowns, then? Why the groaning fans? Why the dashed hopes and dreams? Because this problem is bigger than simply giving up a few plays and its now visible, at least in my eyes.
It seems to me that there is nothing at stake here for the defense, there is no edge, there is no fire. They have their contracts, they have their faces all over CTA buses and they have a decent reputation. There are personal fouls, big letdowns, and big performances by opposing QBs but no disciplined consistency for a defense that Madden put on his horse trailer last Sunday. The offense is the squad with passion, with something to prove, and they are keeping this team in games. Unfortunately, the rest of the team won’t back them up every week and to me it’s more than just Tillman, Urlacher and Harris.
Even though the defense fell asleep on the job, I say that it starts with your coach. While Lovie knows the game, sets up a team well and has lead his team to an NFC championship. His energy rivals that of a librarian, a demure librarian at that. The fire starts with the leadership, and Lovie does not inspire the type of fire that the leader of smashmouth, run-up-the-gut, defense-wins-championships, ode-to-Butkis, Chicago Bears football team deserves. I’m not saying he needs to headbutt someone, but clearly the message of “don’t let this happen again” was not communicated strongly enough before the defense took the field in the final Atlanta drive.
A good football locker room culture of accountability, consistency and pride starts with your coaching staff. Frankly, Lovie does not seem to have that fire. Lovie is a calm guy, that came from the University of Dungy, that seems to work, too. Until this year, when mental and emotional letdowns acoount for all your losses.
Yes, he will honestly admit a letdown but who is he holding over the fire? Whose name is he saying when he talks about veterans who can’t get off blocks? Whose head turns down when he tells everyone who got beat by Michael Jenkins? Clearly, the defense was not feeling the heat of locker room conversation that followed Carolina and Tampa Bay, and if they were, the results of Sunday don’t represent that.
Lovie, what I’m saying is I think you’re soft. You are an emotional and mental leader, not simply a robot that makes play calls. Yes, the players are accountable for these letdowns but I want to know what you are going to do about it. How do you make sure your team stops these letdowns? Get your team up for every game and maybe people won’t have to say, “But look at the upside…â€
