So here we are
by JoCro on Apr 27, 2010 5:22 PM CDT
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PrintOver the last two months, the biggest question on the minds of most Bears fans has been in the defensive backfield. At the start of free agency, many were rabid for a top-end starter such as OJ Atogwe or Antrell Rolle. As it was, our starters were Danieal Manning and Craig Steltz, per one ESPN analyst. With a series of moves, we now have a revamped defensive backfield, boasting not only depth, but a hint of talent as well.
SS
Craig Steltz
I like that combination. Harris is a solid starter, a leader on the defense, and should be great in the clubhouse. I'm just as happy to have him back as I was sad to see him go, and he should give us good to great production, especially with some help from the D-Line. Afalava impressed me greatly last season, showing big upside and playing at an above average level on a defense filled with holes. Payne should be a solid backup, and Steltz, well, Craig Steltz is Craig Steltz.
FS
Danieal Manning
Josh Bullocks
We never got Atogwe. Or Rolle. We didn't move up in the draft and grab a Nate Allen. And no, we did not get Kam Chancellor. What we did get was the perfect selection for the 75th pick: Major Wright. Wright is a skilled safety prospect with good man to man and zone skills. His not-so Major weakness, playing the run, should be covered up by a stronger D-Line and a healthy LB core. Hopefully. Manning is a very athletic safety who should serve as a good despite tackling issues. However, he may quickly be displaced by the undrafted Quentin Scott, who flew under the radar despite good size (6'4) and better speed (4.4 40). There isn't much tape, but reports indicate that he is good in coverage, good at tackling, and a downright vicious hitter. Bullocks, is just about the FS equivalent of Steltz. Depth.
So, with major upgrades at our weakest position, added depth, and Chris F'in Harris, our pass defense should actually be decent, especially with Peanut and Bowman holding it down at corner. If Manning sticks around, I see him possibly being completely displaced by Scott, who may even give Wright competition for the starting job. Everything else is stable for at least this season, barring injuries. But what do you think, Windy City? I for one am excited about this defense, we're talented, we have depth, upside, and veteran leadership. Assuming we stay healthy, I see this defense being a major asset next season.
This FanPost was written by a Windy City Gridiron member, and does not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of its staff or community.
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D-line = the weak link
We’ve got a solid group of LBs, made decent upgrades in the secondary, and added the pass-rushing DE that we so desperately needed.
We appear to have improved at all 3 levels of the D.
The D-line will be the weakest link. Other than Peppers, we really don’t have any good D-linemen (despite the plethora of draft picks used). T. Harris sucks these days, and Anderson is not a legit DE. Izzy and Adams are solid role players. I’d love to see Marcus Harrison live-up to his potential this year.
In any case, we should be significantly better on D this year.
I agree
just looking at 06—that line was what made things happen across the board. Anderson, a healthy/motivated Harris, Ogunleye put on a great rush, allowing the secondary to create turnovers. And Harris, Tank, and the underrated Ian Scott kept blockers off Urlacher and let him penetrate to stop the run game. I’d love it if Harrison or Adams stepped up in the NT, but I’m afraid we may lack the run-stopper in the middle of the line that could make us a top-5 D.
by PrincetonCubs on Apr 27, 2010 8:13 PM CDT up reply actions
I should add
Peppers is a tremendous upgrade, obviously. But he can’t do it all.
by PrincetonCubs on Apr 27, 2010 8:13 PM CDT up reply actions
A d-line with Peppers and Harris?
If that’s the weak link… I’ll take it.
I like what McShay/Kiper (whoever) said about Wootton being a great alternative opposite Peppers to help keep Mark Anderson fresh. Wootton, who won’t be an exceptional pass rusher, plays in run situations and Anderson comes in passing downs. If he can be anything like he could be, I’d like to think the d-line will seriously turn some heads. With that being said, I will miss Alex Brown though… Then hopefully Idonije, Adams, Harrison, and/or Gilbert will step up to take the roll in that 2nd DT spot.
Why is everyone down on Wootton as a pash rusher?
10 sacks as a junior, 4 sacks in his last 5 games as a Senior (finally starting to feel healthy after the knee?) True he isn’t the speed rusher like a Dwight Freeney, but he’s a high motor get after it type of player
"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." ~ Dick Butkus
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Apr 28, 2010 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm fine with Wooten
now that the pick is made and he’s on our team. My only problem was that we had bigger needs elsewhere. Although I did understand this selection more that others, with him ranking as the best player available at that pick. All that said, I think he can be very successful.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Apr 28, 2010 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions
It all hinges on THarris
if he can get back close to what he was a few years ago, the DL will good, and the defense in general will be much much better
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Apr 28, 2010 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm hoping
That the LB health will make up for the D-Line weakness. That and I don’t think our Line actually got worse since last season, just that the strength changed from the run to the pass. With guys like Harris and, hopefully, Scott, in there, teams should have a difficult time running it anywhere but right up the middle.
As Tommie Harris fades...
so will the defense. As he does, those of us who want to see more of Gilbert will get our chance. Adams and Harrison are solid back-ups, but neither the 3-tech or NT corps impresses me. I worry that teams will run on the Bears roughshod! This will counteract Peppers and Urlacher and the impact they can have. Fix either the NT or 3-tech. or the defense will be run over and constantly adjusting to injury replacements!
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO FIRE LOVIE!
Usually agree with ya,
but this time I just can’t. Our defense is going to dominate again…we have way too much speed at linebacker and our defensive backfield is shored up. I think we have the number one defense in the league next season. Our line will be a whole lot better than you think imho.
Walter Payton lives on!!!
by monsterman34 on Apr 27, 2010 7:04 PM CDT up reply actions
how does 2006 not equal elite?
Chuck Norris once met Dick Butkus and had a very odd feeling come over him. Chuck later realized it was fear
by BearNecessities on Apr 27, 2010 6:37 PM CDT reply actions
85> 06> elite
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. " – Herm Albright
by Ditkavsworld on Apr 28, 2010 8:59 AM CDT up reply actions
Many people might not know this, but
the ’86 defense was statistically better then in ’85.
by GriggsBriggs on Apr 28, 2010 10:42 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes
But the 85 defense scarred the crap out of teams…
"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." ~ Dick Butkus
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Apr 28, 2010 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions
That may be true but the 85 team led in the one stat that mattered.
Superbowls.
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. " – Herm Albright
by Ditkavsworld on Apr 28, 2010 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yet the 500 lb Gorilla in the room
Is we have no DC. We all saw how well Lovie did last year. Blitzing and the “oh hum we were not prepared”. And forgive me if I do not think Marinelli is going to be creating any revolutionary schemes
by TheMan1 on Apr 27, 2010 7:23 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
But yes I am happy we have improved the safety positions
And here is to hoping all those heavy hitters bring the fear back into opposing WRs
by TheMan1 on Apr 27, 2010 7:32 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
With some quality safeties
The holes that are created from running the cover 2, for quarterbacks to throw it in just got significantly smaller considering wide recievers are going to be “hearing footsteps” a lot more than in years passed with this defense.
You're being very Un-Dude right now.
by IslandBoodler87 on Apr 28, 2010 8:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Defense will be better, but....
really compared to last year it won’t take much to be better. With that said I think the potential to be great is on the up side.
Im as down on the D-line as some people are..
People Bash Tommie Harris but in 07 he had 8 sacks and 5 in 08 last year was injury filled and he still played in 15 games….Maybe im waay out of line for not expecting a player who’s playing injured to get 15 sacks at the DT position. Even healthy DT’s routinely get double digit sack totals and 100 tackles.I mean Darnell Dockett had 51 tackles and 7 sacks as the “best” dl…..Wait ! no im wrong again, Damn! He’s healthy and let’s see how he performs this year coming into camp 100% and then have the cut Tommie Harris parade past Halas Hall if he doesnt perform….Why wouldn’t he have a great year with a DE Like Peppers and a Much Improved Secondary behind him?…Aaaah Pessimism rules!
The Lakers are reminding me of the "Tin Man"...
Harris...
has gone from elite to serviceable. The problem is that his position is paramount to the success of the defense. Yes, Peppers has instantly improved the pass rush, if just by reputation alone. I just don’t know if the run defense can hold up if Harris isn’t creating havoc in the backfield. Just sitting in his gap is not enough to make this defense much better than a catch and release program. If the o-line is not improved and the offense struggles to score, then opposing teams will just run at Tommie and avoid Peppers altogether. It’s what most teams that beat up on the Bears did last season, see the Bengals game in particular.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO FIRE LOVIE!
I would say that has alot to with the play of the Linebackers also
Middle Linebacker especially. Regardless of how well other players did filling in for Urlacher the Drop off from him to the backup is without a doubt enormous. If teams hit and chip Harris the Middle Backer cleans that up…Like i said i would rather wait and see how a healthy Harris plays this year before i bash him for not producing while playing the majority of last year injured…If he plays and sucks this year i will join in on the cut Harris bandwagon because there will be no excuse for it.
You can tell the true greatness of a team by how they respond to adversity........
I for one have a funny feeling
that Harris is going to have a bounce back year. What we need is production out of Marcus Harrison, Adams, and Gilbert to contribute in a meaningful way.
" We get off the bus running! What do you mean we are a passing team? you don't agree with how I do things? You're fired!"
- Lovie Smith-
I hope you are right...
and I do see the lack of talent across the DTs being partly to blame. Tank was kinda a stupid kid, but he wasn’t bad enough to cut because of his play. That, as much as Harris’ knee injury, hampered Harris’ effectiveness. Again, Harris has to be elite for the defense to roll.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO FIRE LOVIE!
Tank really was a big key...
he may not have been ideal for a lot of systems, but he was ideal for ours. He took a lot of pressure off of Harris, and was a good to great run defender. Would have liked to see the Bears reacquire him as well as Chris Harris, but it wasn’t to be…..
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.
by Timothy Hockemeyer on Apr 27, 2010 8:56 PM CDT up reply actions
2005 was the defense of the decade
Is what i want
I want that nasty defense that knocked you out and took the ball.
The team that said yeah we can only score 13 pts but it doesnt matter because youll only score 10
That 2005 defense was awesome
yeah i agree
our 06 defense was better than 06. they were just plain scary
Chuck Norris once met Dick Butkus and had a very odd feeling come over him. Chuck later realized it was fear
by BearNecessities on Apr 28, 2010 4:36 AM CDT up reply actions
05...post fail
Chuck Norris once met Dick Butkus and had a very odd feeling come over him. Chuck later realized it was fear
by BearNecessities on Apr 28, 2010 4:36 AM CDT up reply actions
So are you saying that the '05 D was.....
better than the ’06 or that the ’06 D was better than the ’05? Confusing….
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.
by Timothy Hockemeyer on Apr 28, 2010 8:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Nevermind.......missed the "I agree" part, somehow........ (puts on dunce cap and sits in corner).......
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.
by Timothy Hockemeyer on Apr 28, 2010 8:17 AM CDT up reply actions
The season/year overlap
usually screws with most people.
You're being very Un-Dude right now.
by IslandBoodler87 on Apr 28, 2010 8:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Kyle Orton at QB 2005 defense
was better
Chuck Norris once met Dick Butkus and had a very odd feeling come over him. Chuck later realized it was fear
by BearNecessities on Apr 28, 2010 10:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, I figured out what you meant, hence the dunce cap........lol
And I agree completely.
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.
by Timothy Hockemeyer on Apr 28, 2010 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions
I'd say good-bye
to Steltz and Bullocks.
Keep everyone else, unless you can get some trade value out of D. Manning.
The one problem we didn't address so far
is our corner situation. Does anyone have confidence that either Tillman or Bowman, let alone both of them, can stay healthy for a season? It would be nice if it happened, but it’s certainly not the side I’d place my bet on.
"The time has come to get deeply into Football. It is the only thing we have left that ain't fixed." - HST
Bowman is probably hitting his stride, but because of two shot knees, I doubt his logevity at the position. Tillman is on the decline, but should have a couple seasons starting left in the tank, and then a rotational guy afterwards.
But is something we need to address next year.
Chuck Norris once met Dick Butkus and had a very odd feeling come over him. Chuck later realized it was fear
by BearNecessities on Apr 29, 2010 5:18 AM CDT up reply actions
I hope you're right.
I’ve been a Tillman defender for quite awhile, but he hasn’t left me feeling overly warm and fuzzy after the last couple seasons. Bowman I’m just not sure about either way. I wouldn’t be surprised if he became a solid, dependable starter, but I also wouldn’t be shocked if he never pans out.
"The time has come to get deeply into Football. It is the only thing we have left that ain't fixed." - HST
Tillman gives up big plays
1st in the league for giving up 20+ yard plays/touchdowns on his coverages for 2008 (its from football outsiders, don’t yet have last seasons numbers). Feels like he’s always going for the strip and thus doesn’t wrap guys up.
by Sound_Automatic on May 2, 2010 6:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Just gets flat out burned at times as well.
"The time has come to get deeply into Football. It is the only thing we have left that ain't fixed." - HST
I like Graham
And with a little luck, between Moore, Jennings, D. Manning, the other Moore and Turienne we’ll have a respectable 4th on the depth chart. That’s my Chicago Hope anyway.
Let's hope
your Chicago Hope doesn’t end up in the ER.
ba-dum-chh!
"The time has come to get deeply into Football. It is the only thing we have left that ain't fixed." - HST
CBs will be okay if there is a pass rush this season
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Apr 29, 2010 3:41 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm counting on it.
Without a strong, consistent rush, we will be in serious trouble. The only team in our division that didn’t strongly improve over the offseason (assuming their draft picks pan out) is Minnesota, but I wouldn’t say they declined either. There’s gonna be a hell of a lot of offense in the NFC North this year, and I have a feeling Detroit could start making some noise this season. I wouldn’t say they’re playoff bound, but they could end up smacking some teams that aren’t ready for them. Not that our Bears ever go into games looking unprepared.
"The time has come to get deeply into Football. It is the only thing we have left that ain't fixed." - HST
yes
"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." ~ Dick Butkus
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on May 3, 2010 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Safety-valve
Afalava impressed me greatly last season, showing big upside and playing at an above average level on a defense filled with holes.
Not sure what you were watching, but he was a disappointment in the regular season after having a promising training camp. He was rated as a below-average safety by PFF.
His not-so Major weakness, playing the run
From what I’ve read his weakeness is back-peddling in his stance- the all famous “stiff hips” debate. Also, it was written that he’s a big hitter and willing to come up in run-support. I must have missed this part somewhere.
Besides that, I like your overview!
''I'm really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I'm a prime rib and baked potato guy.'' - Sweet Lou
Luckily his back-peddling can be coached
Being a big hitter and willing to come up and level a running back coming through the hole cannot be IMO.
Chevelle and Three Days Grace??? Fuc*ing AWESOME!!!
Exactly
This might be the reason why he turns out to be a better pro than Burnett.
''I'm really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I'm a prime rib and baked potato guy.'' - Sweet Lou
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