WCG Match-Up Post:Grades and Reviews for Week 4
by Dominique Blanton on Oct 5, 2010 8:14 PM CDT
in Game Recap
Email
Print
What can you say about the performance of the Bears offensive line last Saturday? It had to be one of the worst performances I have ever seen from an offensive line. It also was one of the worst beatings I have seen a quarterback take in quite a long time. Almost reminded me of the old film I saw of the Bears vs. Raiders in '84 where quarterbacks were taking some of the most vicious hits I have ever seen.
Watching that game, I wasn't as mad at the offensive line as I was to the sole guy who has put this line together in Jerry Angelo (More on Angelo's incompetence to building O-line in this link). When your line consists of one 1st round pick, a cast off from Atlanta's practice squad, 7th round Tight End converted over to Right Guard, and a back-up Tackle from Carolina, you are pretty much asking to fail.
It's never good to see your QB take such a beating to where he gets a concussion, but maybe this will finally slap some sense into Jerry Angelo. You can't continue to neglect maybe the 2nd most important position in football, and expect success. At some point you have to start using high draft picks on offensive lineman, and not wait all the way into the 7th round to select one. Time to start putting that same premium you have on defensive lineman onto offensive lineman.
Fans can stop throwing bouquets towards Omiyale's way now. I haven't seen a comparably bad offensive lineman since Qusim Mitchell. Osi was a shadow of his former self before that Sunday night game, leave it to Frankie O to resurrect his career and most likely send him to the pro bowl at the end of the year. This offense needs Williams back to get some adequate play at that left tackle position because OMG is not the answer.
Garza looks just about done out there, Chris Canty is a pretty good DT, but I didn't expect Garza to get overwhelmed out there. Garza was routinely getting overpowered out there and at one point was subbed out for Edwin Williams. Tice is in a tough spot because he has no one behind Garza that can play adequately at the LG spot.
I don't believe Kreutz is all done like Garza for the fact that if he had better guards beside him he could still be a pretty good Center. It was comical to see Cofield swim through both him and Louis like a curvy road.
Through four games I have come to the conclusion that Louis is a bad pass blocker and is not a very good fit for this scheme. He has gotten badly outplayed each week, half-ass blocking and letting his guy just go pass him to get to the QB. Makes you wonder if he is way over his head, as in maybe RG is not the best position for him.
For all the fans that were up in arms about Frank Omiyale starting at RT over Kevin Shaffer, well it was on full display why he's not a good fit to play in this scheme. The guy lacks the lateral quickness to keep speed rushers at bay, and that's what you need to out your RT because of the 7 step drops. Shaffer was getting abused over and over again by Justin Tuck, and even when he had help from the TE, he and the TE were getting manhandled. Shaffer has had a solid career, but just like Garza he is a back-up lineman at this point in his career and both those guys proved that last Saturday.
Matt Forte and Chester Taylor: Grade D-
Forte and Taylor were overall bad at pass protection. They weren't as bad as the offensive line, but that's not saying a lot. I feel the D- I'm giving them is a generous grade considering I wanted to give everyone across the board a F. Since you are really asking a lot for 210+ pound RB to take on 260 to 280 pound DE's I will lay off them a bit.
Brandon Manumaleuna and Greg Olsen: Grade F
I like the new Lovie were he is holding players accountable, and he might want to use that for Brandon Manumaluna. I found it quite funny that they made Clark inactive when he is a world of a better blocker than Bran-Man and Olsen. I could actually understand Olsen being active because he's the better receiver of the 3, but Clark should be the starting H-Back from here on out. Olsen also had a very bad game in pass protection, as his whiff block on Osi that allowed him to demolish Cutler might have been the hit that gave Cutler the concussion. Olsen called the team pass protection "Inept", and I feel that's the best word to describe the performance this past Sunday night.
41 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Bears Raiders - 84
I was at that game. It was the one I think where the Bears won by pure awesome-ness on D, where they knocked out the Raiders QB so Ray Guy the punter had to come in and play. And I think Jimmy Mac also got nailed out of the game with a lacerated kidney.
Off-topic, I know, but I do remember the viciousness of the Bears D, even in 84. So punishing.
I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something. - Dick Butkus
Yeah it was quite a vicious game, if you there was one game that define that 85 defense it was that one.
by Dominique Blanton on Oct 5, 2010 8:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Actually the Mike Vick hit in the Eagles game reminded me of the McMahon hit
Two Raiders hit him almost simultaniously and lazerated his Kidney, the Bears won but we lost McMahon for a bit. Another interesting note from that game, we sacked the Raider QB’s 9 times in that game. When is the last time you heard of 9 sacks in a game…..oh wait, nevermind………..
White Sox fans need not apply.
by Bears-Cubs Bulls on Oct 6, 2010 1:25 AM CDT up reply actions
Worst game ive witnessed. Offensively, that is. Giants D was damn good.
Chicago Jazz > Three Am-Egos
by chicago030 on Oct 5, 2010 8:27 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
you speak the truth Niquebears
i didn’t see any bright spots out there as far as the O line and pass protection went.
it was embarrassing to watch and same thing to remember.
it occurred to me that with the Bears chucking Anderson and acquiring Grant the Bears might be thinking that there is no fixing the O line problems this year and figured it was easier to shore up the defense. yeah a crazy thought, i agree.
"I am a sinner who does not expect forgiveness. But I am not a government official." - Francis Wolcott
Yeah there really no good offensive lineman on the scrap heap, so they have to wait for next
year. The Bears will need to use before Free Agency and the draft to do a complete overhaul of this line (it’s in dire need of it).
There is one guy in OG Chester Pitts that could probably help though.
by Dominique Blanton on Oct 5, 2010 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions
i heard a little about Pitts
"I am a sinner who does not expect forgiveness. But I am not a government official." - Francis Wolcott
I respectfully disagree with some of your grades
Omiyale gave up one sack and that was when Cutler held the ball for 2 months and got sacked. Manu who was brought in to block, was in my opinion the worst offensive lineman (he’s not a really a TE) we had. He was useless, bring back Clark who can at least run routes.
The 9 sacks may seem horribly bad but they can improve and I think they can bounce back against Carolina. They only gave up 1 sack in the second half (adjustments?). I understand that the Offense sucked anyway and we ran a lot to prevent sacks, but I still have hope for improvement.
there is always hope
"I am a sinner who does not expect forgiveness. But I am not a government official." - Francis Wolcott
Cutler was to blame for some of those sacks, but I honestly believe he was concussed way
before that Aaron Ross sack. There were reports from Haugh and Morrisey that Cutler was walking to the wrong sideline after that Osi hit. I honestly believe that he was playing that whole 2nd quarter concussed. Omiyale gave up one sack, but he was routinely letting Osi blow past him.
Manu was terrible and I also blame part of his struggles on Martz and Tice for putting him one on one against DE’s. He like Shaffer doesn’t have the lateral quickness and pure strength to take on DE’s one on one.
by Dominique Blanton on Oct 5, 2010 8:45 PM CDT up reply actions
fault
I broke it down 70 line/ 30 Cutler, I think the 30 yard routes the WRs were running didn’t help either.
In an Ideal world, I would have all ten fingers on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
having a freakin running game woujld help a hell of a lot too
…but our run blocking sucks almost as much as our pass blocking
"I am a sinner who does not expect forgiveness. But I am not a government official." - Francis Wolcott
Me and Jay Cutler agree ...... the pass blocking is worse .
" Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth. " ~
Mike Tyson
by MidWayMonster54 on Oct 5, 2010 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions
5 out of 5 neurotrama specialists agree.
"You teach me baseball and I'll teach you relativity...No, we must not. You will learn about relativity faster than I learn baseball." - Albert Einstein
by Shawn Domagal-Goldman on Oct 5, 2010 10:01 PM CDT up reply actions
YES!
is that on martz, or on the WRs? aren’t they supposed to modify their routes all the time based on situations, anyway? i mean, they never seemed to come back and run short routes. so not only did cutler have no time, he had WRs who just weren’t open because they were still in the middle of their routes.
by guy incognito on Oct 5, 2010 10:30 PM CDT up reply actions
In the game thread I posed this same question about wide outs breaking off routes
and coming back to the QB, another commentor posted that Martz doesnt like hot routes and improv like that, he actively coaches wideouts to complete the pre called route, makes sense why no one was open early when the play called for an 25-30 yard route and a second in Cutler was on his back or running for his life. Also Ron Turner called tons of bubble screens and quick hitters but we all pilloried him for having wideouts running 3 yard routes on 3rd and 8. Guess you cant have it both ways.
White Sox fans need not apply.
by Bears-Cubs Bulls on Oct 6, 2010 1:35 AM CDT up reply actions
That pics is everywhere,,papers, blogs ect. I am getting freaking tired of looking at it but it sums up the game so well it is almost a must…lol
In an Ideal world, I would have all ten fingers on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
Add some more tears
and its about how I felt.
Some ugly ugly football that night. I like defensive football, but that was just ugly.
Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it. -George Halas
problems
Kellen Davis has been a pretty decent blocker so far this season, albeit in limited time.
I think these grades are mostly too harsh. It’s worth saying three things:
1) Aside from the ridiculous Cofield sack, the biggest problems in protection came from the tight ends, Shaffer and Cutler himself. Manumaleuna especially has not looked like an NFL-caliber player in any game this season, and he was brutal last night. Replace him with a decent blocking TE and we might not be having this conversation today – he was more responsible than any other player for what happened Sunday night.
2) Also, along these lines, I watched and analyzed every play from the first half, and I don’t see any evidence that Cutler was concussed before the end of the half. He took the one big shot from Umenyiora, but it wasn’t to the head, and I didn’t see any head trauma for him before that final sack. It appears to me that he was just bad.
3) We have no running game because Forte sucks. It’s really time we faced this truth. He’s a pretty good as a receiver out of the backfield, but he has no acceleration, little ability to change direction, he can’t stay on his feet when someone goes for his legs, and he doesn’t have the strength to break even weak arm tackles above the waist. That’s not the Forte I remember from the first half of 2008, but that’s what he’s been through 4 games so far this year.
Now, with both of those things said, I’m not going to say that our line is good, because they’re really not. Cutler’s fate this year is to dodge pressure and take some tough hits, and there’s no way around that. And as unimpressive as Forte is, there’s no RB in the league who’s going to put up Pro Bowl numbers running behind this line. But Cutler had chances to get rid of the ball on several of those sacks. And Forte has consistently made the least of his blocking all year.
I’m just saying that there’s a lot of blame to go around, and I think the line is currently getting more than their fair share for what happened Sunday night. They were probably the best unit on the offense Sunday night. I guess if I were to grade the offense by unit, the grades would look like this:
Offensive line: D+
Tight ends: F
Running backs: D
Wide receivers: Incomplete (tough to know what was going on downfield, but it probably wasn’t good)
Quarterbacks: F
Forte needs a strong line to make push
Lots of tail backs need a strong line and yes he is no AP or Chris Johnson. I just think Martz cant call a run to save his life, or so it would seem. I remember the good old days when Walter would be 5 yards downfield with 2 pulling guards a yard in front of him plowing the road so to speak. Walter always would have gotten the first down.
But back to Forte, he has some assets, we just have to utilize them right, he isnt a brusing 3rd and 1, 3rd and 2 kind of runner and never will be. You know we used to have a full back to do that stuff, seems like the league collectively eliminated the fullback for no good reason.
White Sox fans need not apply.
by Bears-Cubs Bulls on Oct 6, 2010 1:46 AM CDT up reply actions
Ridiculous grades.
The O-line gets a passing grade, Brian? Cutler was hit 17 times including the nine sacks. What exactly constitutes a fail in your book? Yet the QBs get a fail. Cutler was obviously concussed after Osi hit him helmet to helmet after Olsen’s embarrassing attempt at a block. He was on the ground for 18 seconds and then attempted to walk over to the Giant’s sideline. He was clearly confused from thereon (a full quarter), the clock in his head didn’t work and he couldn’t see Earl Bennett running right across the field waving his arms wide open, no one in his zip code. he should have been pulled after the third sack, instead he quite possibly received a second concussion on the last sack when his head was slammed to the ground. But that’s his fault, right?
Again
that Osi hit on Cutler was not helmet-to-helmet. It just wasn’t. Part of Osi’s facemask may have grazed the back of Cutler’s head but the brunt of the impact was to his back.
I think it’s unlikely that Cutler was concussed on that play. I may be wrong, of course, but I think a lot of fans are looking for an excuse.
it's not necessary for the main force of impact to be directly on the head
…to get a concussion. the contrecoup, the brain banging against one side of the skull then the other, as a result of the body crashed into by a 300 lb lineman, is all that is needed. this is why it is so hard to tell when the concussion occurred.
"I am a sinner who does not expect forgiveness. But I am not a government official." - Francis Wolcott
Chris Johnson
Cant run behind this line. AP would get 3 yards a carry with this line. How the hell did the QB do worse than the O-line?
(Sing song)...Everybody Hates Rondo...
Cutler
Concussed or no, I don’t see how anyone can think that Cutler was anything but horrid. It’s impossible to know what the WRs were doing by looking at the TV broadcast, but Cutler had time to throw the ball away on several of those sacks. And whether he’s getting pasted or no, the three fumbles are inexcusable. The less said about the INT, the better.
reviewed every play in the first half
So basicly your saying the O-line held their blocks long enough for Jay to make some plays, he just played poorly and he mostly has himself to blame for the beating he took. I wonder did you figure out exactly how much time he did have and how that compared to the Dallas and Green Bay games? Did you notice how many Giants were rushing the passer? How about the Giants coverage are you saying we had a lot of guys open but Jay decided to hold the ball rather than throw it to them? Are you saying he should have thrown the ball into coverage with the hope Hester, Knox etc would make a play? I think your wrong, with 5,6 and sometimes 7 guys to block they should have been able to keep 4 NY linemem off Jay. Epic fail for the OL.
by 62bearsthe best on Oct 6, 2010 9:51 AM CDT up reply actions
Epic fail
I can only repeat that a lot of the protection issues came from breakdowns at the TE position, with Manumaleuna especially being terrible (as he has been all season). The big hit by Osi that everyone remembers came on an Olsen whiff.
Like I said, the Cofield sack was ridiculous. And Garza gave one up that was equally bad. But Shaffer settled down after a poor start, and Omiyale and Kreutz were hardly disastrous. It was not a good game for the OL – hence the D+, which is not a good grade – but I don’t think it was any worse than they’ve played in any other game this year.
The O-line let the QB
Get hit 17 times in the 1st half. Not the entire game THE FIRST HALF.
(Sing song)...Everybody Hates Rondo...
Me and you must be watching an entirely different game, because I saw the OL routinely let
the Giants DL blow right past them. The Osi hit actually was helmet to helmet and it was reported that teammates had tell Cutler he was walking to the wrong sideline after that hit. I don’t think my grades are too harsh but rather right on point. It was one of the worst performance I have ever seen from an offensive lineman group.
by Dominique Blanton on Oct 6, 2010 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree with all of your grades except for Chester's.
The linemen failed to a man. All giving up sacks. Ditto the Tight Ends. Taylor was not entirely a failure between the tackles, but given that our run blocking is worse than our pass blocking, there’s nothing a back can do.
Your reference to Angelo is spot on. His consistent failure to draft talent, in particular on the O-line has been plaguing us since his arrival. He is not an intelligent man by all accounts. Clearly not from his drafting record. And how does he respond to the blocking debacle we witnessed on Sunday ? Cuts and signs a defensive end …..
This had to be the easiest game to grade.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
I remain a pessimistically hopeful Bears fan.
i agree w/ most of the grades...
basically the whole O-line did horrible…some a little less horrible than others, but the TE’s blocking by far was the worst of the night. We all know Olsen isnt the greatest blocker, so why make him block as much as he “tried” to do?? Manu is “suppose” to be the blocking TE and he blows…so this is what im preaching:
Dez Clark needs to be put in the lineup for Manu’s spot. He’s the best all-around TE the Bears have and he’s going to waste on the bench. Hell, bring in Davis for blocking situations if need be…Manu sucks! i cant say it enough…Manu sucks! /rage off
I would give the entire O-line and tight ends an F
But I think the most surprising thing to me was the fact that Martz didn’t seem to make any in-game adjustments – like he seemed to do so brilliantly against Dallas. Cutler was still holding the ball and taking too long in the pocket. I don’t know if it was the lack of adjustments/play-calling or Cutler’s inability to get rid of the ball quickly that seemed to make the situation get even further out of hand.
From the Top Down - FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
I say no bright spots anywhere in that performance.
Lovie – Protect your players, hold your OC accountable – FAIL
Martz – Adjust – Protect your Franchise QB – FAIL
OL – (Pick a Player) Frikken block someone, anyone – FAIL
TE/RB – Chip, Pick up a blitz – Protect – FAIL
QB – (Pick any 1 of 3) Get rid of the ball – FAIL
The only thing that can be taken away from the Horror that was Sunday night is some recognition of the shortcomings of both the players and schemes. With just a smidge of insight, the coaching staff can make some kind of adjustmnets to ensure this NEVER happens again.
Oh the HORROR – make it stop, make it stop!!! (Bears OC Mike Martz during Sunday’s first half)
If you don't ask, you don't get. So get on with it already.
by Suffering from Chicago Sports on Oct 6, 2010 10:57 AM CDT reply actions
I just noticed
I never ever seen Cutler that gun shy before. Something was wrong during the beating he was taking durin the 1st quarter. He was hit in Dallas and that helmet to helmet hit in GB. Those hits added up til that game.
(Sing song)...Everybody Hates Rondo...
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Community Guidelines
Related FanPosts on Windy City Gridiron
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Chad Ochocinco gets robbed, mourns loss of Starbucks gold card
- Robert Griffin III will be first NFL player with Roman numerals on his jersey
- Alex Smith joins the burgeoning ‘stats are for losers’ movement
- Roger Goodell wants Wi-Fi in every stadium
- Plaxico Burress wants to workout for the Dolphins; Dolphins don’t want Plaxico Burress
