Chicago Bears Sackwatch 2011; Week 10 vs. Detroit Lions

by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Nov 17, 2011 11:00 AM CST in Xs and Os

Does Chris Williams get partial credit for this sack?

What a difference a few weeks makes. The first time out against the Lions, in a hostile and very LOUD dome, Mike Martz lost his damn mind and put his offense in terrible situation after terrible situation with his play calls and scheme. This time out, against a very good Lions pass rush, he was much smarter and the Bears rolled to a big win. The vitriol was flowing after the week 5 Lions match-up, and looking back on it that loss had as much, if not more, to do with the idiotic play calling than it did with the Lions being a better team. The Lions are good, the Bears are just a notch better.

As bad as that week 5 game was, the Lions only got 3 sacks that night. Jay Cutler was running for his life on 99.9% of his dropbacks, and thankfully that seemed to be the tipping point for the Martzfense. After that game he wised up. This time out against the vaunted Lion pass rush, Jay was dropped twice and he didn't face nearly the same kind of pressure as the last time. Martz called a total of 25 pass plays, the two sacks, 4 scrambles, and Cutler was 9 of 19 for 123 yards. On to the Sackwatch!

Sack 22 - 2nd Quarter 7:44 - Lawrence Jackson
It was a 2nd and 8 from their own 25 yard line when Jackson dropped Cutler for the 2nd time this season. It was a counter play action to Matt Forte to the right side. The Bears motioned tight end Matt Spaeth left to right and he settled in next to TE Kellen Davis, and they even pulled Chris Williams to the right to sell the run. It was a well designed play. The Lions rushed only the front 4 and the Bears released 3 receivers into the play, both wide outs that were lined up to the left and Davis. Davis was open after dragging across the formation, but Cutler held onto the ball a tick to long and he ran into Williams. Williams saw some pressure off the edge and the angle he took to cut the Lion DE off led him into Cutler. He may have gotten too much depth on the pull in the first place, but his concern was helping Spaeth. Jackson was rushing against J'Marcus Webb, but I really wouldn't call this sack his responsibility. Had Cutler not bumped into Williams I think he would have been able to hit Davis for a 1st down as the two Bears receivers cleared out the entire right side and there would have been plenty of running room for him.

Sack 23 - 2nd Quarter :27 - Cliff Avril
The Bears just took their 3rd time out of the half and had a 1st down on the Lions 22 yard line. If you remember, this play was the incomplete pass that was reviewed into a fumble. Avril gets credit for the sack as it was his swat that caused the bobbled ball that Cutler tried to throw. The Bears were in a shotgun and Avril came right around Lance Louis. This was an instance where if the Bears would have chipped Avril it would have allowed Louis a better angle for staying with his block. Avril was out in the Wide 9 and he just ran to the spot where he thought Cutler would be. Louis really didn't have a chance.

This sack put the Bears in a hole and they had to settle for a FG attempt. But alas... the wind didn't die down for Robbie Gould and he missed it...

Last year the Bears gave up two sacks to Jarred Allen of the Vikings in week 10 and even with the 2 allowed against the Lions, they are still well under last seasons pace.

Sackwatch after 9 games
2010 - 34
2011 - 23

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Comments

Neither sack were at the true fault of the O-line

Cutler held the ball too long on the 1st sack, and well as you described Lance Louis didn’t have much of a chance when Avril lined up at the Wide 9. Just too much distance to cover for an O-lineman to get into an effective angle for his pass pro.

Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Nov 17, 2011 11:07 AM CST reply actions

i argee

jay cutler sometimes do hold the ball for too long before throwing the ball.

by Tudy on Nov 17, 2011 11:25 AM CST up reply actions

To be fair to Jay

It’s not like Iron Hands runs clean routes. We simply don’t have a Hines Ward, Roddy White, or Larry Fitzgerald who runs great routes and catchs anything thrown at them.

If we did, then I think we would see Jay get the ball out faster. Even a Jason Witten would be welcome as his security blanket. That being said, if Earl keeps developing at a steady pace, then we MIGHT have a possession receiver worth the name.

Cacti are prickly.

by crackedcactus on Nov 17, 2011 1:08 PM CST up reply actions

I'd say the 2nd sack is still on Louis

True, Martz should know better than to not give edge help against the wide-9, but sometimes you need your lineman to make a difficult block one-on-one and Lance couldn’t cut it. He had a decent game otherwise.

The first sack was just bad luck.

by NorthSideBearsFan on Nov 17, 2011 11:29 AM CST up reply actions

It was his fault.

He could have taken a bigger angle, but the problem comes when the DE fakes out then dips inside. That’s why a chip is the best way to go.

When Mike Ditka calculates pi it's decimal representation ends.

by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Nov 17, 2011 11:30 AM CST up reply actions

If we had a more athletic lineman, then Avril would have been able to be handled one on one

an athletic lineman could on the inside move simply push him into the turf. Considering we have Peppers and Id, we have the perfect practice partners for tackles to practice against.

I know our line is doing MUCH MUCH better, but our collective group ISN’T that skilled to be able to take on one on one situations. We need more Carimi’s to be honest.

Cacti are prickly.

by crackedcactus on Nov 17, 2011 1:02 PM CST up reply actions

Lance Louis was actually considered one of the Bears' more athletic lineman

being a former tight end and all. Avril’s a tough match-up for anyone; Louis just got beat.

by NorthSideBearsFan on Nov 17, 2011 2:34 PM CST up reply actions

And considering Lance Louis only got beat once

I’d say he did a pretty good job at RT

Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Nov 17, 2011 4:51 PM CST up reply actions

Yah. Avril is good; solid performance by Louis

Lance Louis ran 4.72 40 at the combine. That pretty unusual for a 300 pounder! Always wondered why he wasn’t given a shot as the prototypical Martz tight end. Easy to imagine him filling that role better than Manu. And watching him demolish linebackers would be funny.

by Sound_Automatic on Nov 17, 2011 5:29 PM CST up reply actions

Where's Dane at??

Dane tried making this point over at PoD before the game. He caught a lot of crap for saying it, and i went over there and tried to defend him. The lions fans really weren’t going to accept the fact that the Bears are a better team.

The Lions are good, the Bears are just a notch better.

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool

by suckmyditka on Nov 17, 2011 11:24 AM CST reply actions

I love that line.

I’ve used it in a few of my posts after he caught hell for it.

When Mike Ditka calculates pi it's decimal representation ends.

by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Nov 17, 2011 11:29 AM CST up reply actions

PoD seems to be just like the team: one or two individuals you might like but the rest are immature sore losers.

When I assume, I'm not "making an ass out of u and me"... I'm actually putting u between me and an ass.

by Spongie on Nov 17, 2011 12:03 PM CST up reply actions

Better then the Eagles blog last week though.

Besides some trolling Giants fans, the Eagles fans were in a straight out cat fight amongst themselves over whose to blame for this season.

Cacti are prickly.

by crackedcactus on Nov 17, 2011 1:04 PM CST up reply actions

They deserve it

I think they’re the most cantankerous bunch of netizens on sbnation.

by Sound_Automatic on Nov 17, 2011 5:31 PM CST up reply actions

Who'd have thought after 9 games that there would be 11 less sacks this year?

Not I.

by oripunk3485 on Nov 17, 2011 12:59 PM CST reply actions

change we can believe in!

by Sound_Automatic on Nov 17, 2011 8:04 PM CST up reply actions

Aaron Rodgers has also been sacked 23 times

And his entire line is going to the pro-bowl (according to fan voting).

The Packers have faced three defenses in the top 10 for sacks (#3 Minnesota twice, and #9 Denver).

The Bears have faced four defenses in the top 10 for sacks (#6 Detroit twice, #3 Minnesota, and #6 Philadelphia).

(The Bears are tied with San Diego at #23 with 18 sacks.)

They (Cutler and Rodgers) have similar number of attempts (283 and 295, respectively). Even including the bad first batch of games, the Bears line is having an as good or better season than the Packers line.

by BusterK on Nov 17, 2011 1:04 PM CST reply actions

Just off the "eyeball" test, the Packers line looks better

Very often, Rodgers will have time to sit in the pocket and go through his entire progression. Cutler’s been avoiding sacks by running for his life, especially early on in the season. As well as the line’s been playing lately, Cutler’s succeeded despite the line; Rodgers has succeed (mostly) because of it.

Now, I do agree that sending the entire GB offensive line to the Pro Bowl is ridiculous.

by NorthSideBearsFan on Nov 17, 2011 2:39 PM CST up reply actions

One thing to keep in mind though is that Rodgers has a quick-fire release and he does scramble a lot so much like Cutler he's best on the move than when he has to stay in the pocket.

When he stays in the pocket he gets sacked more often but that’s based off of my own “eyeball” test. I may be wrong or seeing something that isn’t there but Rodgers is extremely dangerous when he moves around in the pocket, giving his receivers time to get open, which they usually do.

by frenchbears113 on Nov 17, 2011 3:06 PM CST up reply actions

Another thing to consider

He has five guys blocking for him, not seven, and a much higher number of pass attempts. So I would say that performance, even with the same number of sacks, represents a substantially better line.

by Sound_Automatic on Nov 17, 2011 5:34 PM CST up reply actions

Much higher pass attempts?

Rodgers has 295 attempts, Cutler has 283. That’s less than 1.5 pass attempts per game difference.

So if the line is better, but Rodgers is still getting sacked a lot, shouldn’t they be keeping more guys blocking? Is Martz doing more to protect Jay Cutler than Mike McCarthy is to protect Aaron Rodgers?

by BusterK on Nov 17, 2011 7:37 PM CST up reply actions

Fair nuff (and wow on the scoring efficiency on that number of throws)

I meant to say they have made the choice to give as many options as possible per snap for Rodgers to throw to and accept the sacks as they come. Lord knows if we kept just 5 guys back Jay would be dead already. Wasn’t Kurt Warner the most-sacked QB running Martzfence during greatest show on turf? Sacks are important, but if your QB can hold up and allow longer routes to develop its not all horrible. I guess I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt when a team is putting up once-in-a-generation offensive numbers that their calculated risks are working out.

by Sound_Automatic on Nov 17, 2011 7:50 PM CST up reply actions

They both have too many sacks

Rodgers is arguably the more athletic of the two, he has his superfast release, he has better receivers, he has been working in the same offensive system his entire career, and he receives the shotgun snap with his right-foot back.

Cutler is merely human, but he has Forte.

With all of the advantages (with the exception of Forte) in Rodgers’ favor, why is he taking just as many sacks as Cutler? Is Cutler’s offensive coordinator doing a better job of protecting him? Is Cutler more familiar with his offense? Is Rodgers taking sacks because he doesn’t want to throw incompletions which would lower his quarterback rating? Is his line just as bad, or is Rodgers being a dummy and holding onto the ball too long?

by BusterK on Nov 17, 2011 3:47 PM CST up reply actions

Hmmmm

by mick11 on Nov 17, 2011 7:09 PM CST up reply actions

tebow?

by Sound_Automatic on Nov 17, 2011 7:52 PM CST up reply actions

Correction:

Tebowing*

Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Nov 17, 2011 8:36 PM CST up reply actions

No, that there is thinking, the opposite of Tebowing

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I on the other hand am a fully rounded human being with a degree from the University of Life, a diploma from the School of Hard Knocks, and three gold stars from the Kindergarten of Getting the Shit Kicked out of Me.

by SaintCee on Nov 17, 2011 11:15 PM CST up reply actions