McClure: Tim Jennings benched in favor of Zack Bowman

One thing Lovie Smith has proven during his tenure in Chicago is his propensity to pull the trigger when a player is not meeting expectations. Sure, there have been times when his decisions were questionable, but he has shown year after year that he isn't afraid to sit a starter, or deactivate them if needed.

The Tribune's Vaughn McClure first reported that there will be yet another change in the Bears secondary this week, with CB Tim Jennings being replaced in the starting lineup by Zack Bowman.

We could delve into a bit of analysis on the reasoning, but this may actually be yet another instance of the Bears defensive backs being exposed in coverage due to a lack of pass rush up front. I've said it a hundred times before, and will say it again: Our defensive backs are supposed to be physical and keep everything in front of them, and wait back for opportunities to create turnovers due to the front four getting to the QB before routes can develop.

If the DL creates pressure, then our DBs have the chance to come up with a turnover. In the meantime, when the pass rush isn't there, they are expected to play hard, tackle hard, and not give up the big play.

Unfortunately, the Bears have had dry spells from their front-4 throughout this season (and over the past 3-4 seasons), and our DBs just don't have enough talent to hang with average or better WRs.

So, Tim Jennings, we bid you adieu, if only for now. You played hard, and made some things happen, but your lack of coverage skills was exposed... And now we get to see Zack Bowman come in and play hard. Something tells me that the Jennings-Bowman swap won't be that big of a deal. After all, our DBs are who we think they are.