The Inside Scoop: 15 Minutes With Chicago Bears Beat Writer Sean Jensen

Sean,

Can you please try to explain to me, in your opinion why the Bears defense(who had contained the Lions for the vast majority of the game) let the Lions move up the field with such ease in the last drive of the game that led to the infamous catch/no-catch play.

We saw Jay and the receivers not always on the same page during the preseason and once again in game 1 vs. Detroit. As someone who saw the offense all through training camp, just how prevalent were the miscommunications? Can it get fixed right away, or will it take half the season?

Sean,

If you were the HC, would you have gone for it on the 4th and 1 on the goal line if you knew kicking the FG would give you the lead late in the 4th quarter?

Hi Sean,

If my memory serves, it seems like the Bears have gone into a Prevent Defense towards the end of most games that were close or where they were leading and most of the time the opposing offense then drove easily down the field. The latest example was this past Sunday when the Lions, whose offense had been completely contained throughout the game, drove down the field with ease and almost scored a touchdown (thankfully for us, it was taken away). Why does Lovie Smith stick with a defensive package that is so evidently flawed and easily abused?

Lovie & Martz made the TEs a point of emphasis during training camp, especially the first day, in response to all the blather about Martz never utilizing the TE. But when push came to shove, in the heat of a real game, the TE (and only Greg Olsen) was targeted just 6 out of 35 times (17%). Do you think this % will stay about the same, drop to Martz’s historical number of just 10% (link here), or increase to what the Bears typically target their TE’s of 24-29% (link here)?

why Marinelli and/or Smith decided to go cover-3 instead of doubling Megatron on that controversial play? I find it rather arrogant and disturbing to think they have that much “faith” in Bowman to cover him one on one.

How effective was Donovan McNabb against the Cowboys 3-4 and what should we expect from Cutler and the Bears offense going into Sunday’s contest?

DeMarcus Ware vs. Chris Williams? (Should we expect more help for Williams on Sunday)

Bears WRs vs Cowboy Secondary? (More bump and run on receivers)

Bears DL vs Cowboys OL? ( Will Colombo’s return stabilize that Cowboys offense)

Could one assume that this was a move by management to send a message to the players going into the 2011 labor agreements?

I hear the talk about Romo like everyone else, but in my opinion the way you beat Dallas is by stopping the running game.

The Cowboys have three backs in Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. How do you think the Bears front 7 compare to the Cowboys style of run and personnel?

Give us some insight as to Marinelli’s, Tice’s, and Martz’s personalities when on the practice field. Are they intense, laid back, loud, funny… what are they like?

He is constantly getting scrutinized for being moody and grouchy, but is there any merit to that? How does he interact with his teammates on a day to day basis?

(BTW- Great article in today’s Sun-Times!)

The Bears inability to have a high-rate of success on short yardage situations has reared it’s ugly head in another season. Do you think it’s a product of the type of running backs the Bears have on roster, the playcalling, or the offensive line? What might be a solution to this long-running problem?

Quick question….

How awesome do you think Ditka is? I already know the answer but I’d like your take on it.

Also in the chance the Bears go into big D and steal one on the road, how do you feel that would change the way the league looks at the Bears and how the Cowboys could be seen as imploding?

Have you heard anything about this? If so, what might/would the trade consist of?

I didn’t find what he said as offensive, but yet he issued an apology.

To solve this issue of female reporters in the locker room, why don’t they just mandate that players have to meet with the press in a designated press room for “X” amount of minutes after they finish dressing? Or would you be missing a bit of candor oft-cuff responses from players if you reporters were to wait for the players to finish dressing?

is that the Packers and Vikings are the teams in the NFC North to beat.

With Ryan Grant out, and a shift for Green Bay to likely be more one-dimensional (let’s face it, Jackson is better catching out of the backfield than taking handoffs) the Packers should be able to be gameplanned against the pass. I mean, they were already pass-happy.

Additionally, there’s what could be an entirely possible Minny loss this weekend (I foresee Brown and Williams tiring the front seven a bit, allowing Henne and Marshall to make some connections down field against the patchwork secondary the Vikings are currently, apparently, content with.)

With these factors, do you see a chance the Bears can make a solid run early to establish their own niche in what was, during the offseason, a division they weren’t supposed to have a chance of contending in?

Do you see his preseason and week 1 struggles continuing, or do you see improvement and better play in his future? Its hard for me to believe he will continue to play this poorly after what we saw out of him towards the end of last year, especially with him being young still and having room to develop and a solid coach in Tice.

Thanks, and keep up the good work!

how do you and other press guys rate the back-ups on the o-line. if (lets hope it doesnt happen ) there was an injury who would and could step up and would they make a difference

Can you please explain why Major Wright was on the field on the final drive and not The Hitman?
Are my eyes fooling me?

Oh and can you also explain to me why we were running single high safety in a spot where the lions almost HAD to go deep

Thanks bunches

Do you believe Tommie Harris has even the slightest chance of regaining his former dominance?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that a compromise reached Thursday would allow San Diego Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson to be traded and play in his new team’s fifth game. If the Minnesota Vikings follow up on their reported interest, that means Jackson’s first game could be Oct. 17 against the Dallas Cowboys.

If this does happen, does it fix the passing woes of the Minnesota Vikings? ANd does it vault the Vikings back to the top of the NFC North?

Was the three phases of the team’s performance enough to convince you that this team can compete in the NFC North and as a playoff contender in 2010?

For the season and the Dallas game.

I have to ask this.

Do you expect the Bears to sign any veteran o-linemen to shore up the pass protection?

Guys, I’m proud of you (us). Mr Jensen will be delighted at the intelligence on display here, compared to the standard of comments he gets at the Sun-Times site.

and once it’s up, we’ll link back to it. His Friday Q/A sessions apparently draw a ton of traffic, so we’ll get more insights tomorrow.

Also, Sean will be joining us here at WCG next Thursday as well.

Thanks a bunch!