from chicagosports.com
November 25, 2005, 11:24 AM CST
This one's an interesting matchup of two teams that have played well defensively and run and protect ball well offensively.
The game likely will impact the NFC playoffs seedings because both teams lead their divisions by a slim margins. Neither can afford a letdown.
The Bears' defense is among the league leaders in every major category and has the playmakers to turn around a game on a single play. Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher leads a unit that has not allowed a touchdown the past eight quarters and had eight sacks last week, all by linemen. On offense, the Bears live by the running game. Running back Thomas Jones is the workhorse, and rookie quarterback Kyle Orton has managed the conservative offense well by not making game-changing mistakes.
The Bucs have exceptional speed on defense and also are among the NFL's elite in most categories. Outside linebacker Derrick Brooks is the leader, bringing playmaking ability and experience to the team's latest turnaround. On offense, experience is lacking at key positions. Quarterback Chris Simms is learning under fire but has improved with each start. Rookie running back Carnell Williams was impressive early in the season but has been banged up. He appeared more comfortable running in last week's win over Atlanta. Veteran wide receiver Joey Galloway allows the Bucs to spread the field, creating space for coach Jon Gruden's ball-control passing game.
Let's take a look at this match up on both sides of the ball.
BEARS OFFENSE VS. BUCCANEERS DEFENSE
The Bears upgraded their offense with skilled players but have yet to develop consistent chemistry in pass protection. Offensive linemen must give Orton time read the Bucs' coverage and throw. Left tackle John Tait is the key because he will be assigned to contain elite pass rusher Simeon Rice.
The obvious strength of the offense is its running game--ranked fifth in the NFL. Chicago needs Jones to attack a somewhat vulnerable mid-section of the defense and use his cutback ability once past the line to find open running lanes. Adrian Peterson shows flashes of talent in relief, and fullback Bryan Johnson is tough in short-yardage situations
Orton has surprised many with his play thus far, but he is playing against one of the premier defenses in the NFL. He has had moments of brilliance, but he is a rookie and will make mistakes. The Bucs will blitz often to free up Rice on the backside, forcing Orton to throw before he can accurately read the coverage.
Tampa Bay is going to want to tee off on the Bears' line, knowing that Chicago has little or no passing game. This is going to put tremendous pressure on Orton to minimize mistakes.
He needs the offensive tackles to give him time in the pocket and keep Rice under control while he looks for favorite wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad.
The Bears' bread and butter has been their rushing attack. Jones has the ability to run with power and has breakaway speed, and Johnson shows a strong power game. When needed, Peterson is capable of getting valuable yards inside while subbing for Jones.
The Bucs are going to counter by blitzing from all over the field. With Rice playing with reckless abandon in recent weeks, the Bucs will use interior stunts, freeing up tackle Anthony McFarland in the middle and allowing for corner blitzes from Ronde Barber. How well the Bears handle this pressure and how well Orton makes his reads will dictate how well they move the ball.
If the offensive line has a good day, Orton will have time to throw to a game-breaker in Muhammad. While Muhammad does not have blazing speed, he runs excellent routes, can find the seams in a zone, and has great concentration in traffic. His pass receiving threat forces the Bucs into covering him wherever he lines up.
The Bears' attempt to slow the Bucs' defensive push begins with center Olin Kreutz, who makes all of the line calls. His ability to make the correct call determines just how well Jones, Johnson or Peterson will be able to pound at the line of scrimmage. Because McFarland gets such a good initial jump at the snap and uses his hands well, Kreutz must take advantage of the Bears' zone blocking scheme with help from the guards to keep him away from the running back or quarterback.
Simply put, if Kreutz cannot win this battle, the Bears will not run effectively.
BEARS DEFENSE VS BUCCANEERS OFFENSE
The jury is out on Simms' ability to perform under pressure and this will be key this week because the Bears' front four has been outstanding.
The read on Simms had been that he was good on short to intermediate passing routes, but he might lack the arm strength to go vertical. Instead his chemistry with Galloway has been outstanding, but he has been inconsistent with the short passing game, often throwing the ball into the ground. How well he overcomes this flaw will help dictate the flow of the game.
Simms must incorporate the short passing game to complement the running game if the Bucs are to control the ball, the clock and win the time-of-possession battle.
By utilizing the running backs down field as well as receivers Galloway, Ike Hilliard, Edell Shepherd and Michael Clayton, Simms has an arsenal of receivers who will run the short routes in traffic that are a big part of Tampa Bay's offense.
The Bears will rely on their linebackers to drop into their passing lanes and disrupt the flow of the receivers while getting pressure on Simms.
As the Bucs continue to stress their short game and are successful with their dink-and-dunk attack, the Bears eventually are going to bring strong safety Mike Brown closer to the line and blitz with Urlacher, putting pressure on the offensive line and Simms. In doing so, the Bears will be forced into single coverage on Galloway, giving the Bucs a decisive advantage because of Galloway's speed downfield. Without consistent safety help he's certain to burn cornerbacks at least once.
Points will be hard to come by in this game and despite Tampa's struggles recently running the ball, Chicago is sure to receive a heavy dose of Williams, Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott attacking the heart of the defense and looking to wear down the fast but undersized front seven. Nose tackle Ian Scott will lead the charge to clog the middle and force Simms to win the game with his arm.
The Bucs' offensive line must play above its abilities in order to have success moving the ball. Tackle Kenyatta Walker, especially, must be able to avoid mental lapses and handle Adewale Ogunleye while protecting Simms' backside.
Ogunleye is the type of pass rusher that gives Walker fits. With great acceleration off the snap and a club move to power past Walker, once in the open field, Ogunleye explodes into the backfield and causes havoc.
Walker also is quick off the snap, but he has trouble maintaining blocks. The Bucs must use a tight end to help block Ogunleye, who has problems negating double teams. Walker must not make mental mistakes because Ogunleye will look to set him up, get him out of position and beat him with inside moves.
Another marquee matchup is Urlacher going up against Alstott. Urlacher is explosive and aggressive, and he will have many opportunities in short-yardage situations to run head-on with Alstott, who will power into the line and use his superior leg drive to pick up yardage after contact. Urlacher will use his athleticism and solid tackling skills to get lower pad level on contact and stand Alstott up.
Chris Landry is a veteran NFL scout, having served with the Cleveland Browns, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and formerly ran the Indianapolis Scouting Combine. He now runs his own Scouting Consulting business where he scouts NFL and College personnel for NFL teams and help Universities and NFL teams in their Coaching evaluations and Searches. He can be heard nationally on FOX Sports Radio as their college football and NFL analyst.
Copyright ? 2005, ChicagoSports.com
November 25, 2005, 11:24 AM CST
This one's an interesting matchup of two teams that have played well defensively and run and protect ball well offensively.
The game likely will impact the NFC playoffs seedings because both teams lead their divisions by a slim margins. Neither can afford a letdown.
The Bears' defense is among the league leaders in every major category and has the playmakers to turn around a game on a single play. Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher leads a unit that has not allowed a touchdown the past eight quarters and had eight sacks last week, all by linemen. On offense, the Bears live by the running game. Running back Thomas Jones is the workhorse, and rookie quarterback Kyle Orton has managed the conservative offense well by not making game-changing mistakes.
The Bucs have exceptional speed on defense and also are among the NFL's elite in most categories. Outside linebacker Derrick Brooks is the leader, bringing playmaking ability and experience to the team's latest turnaround. On offense, experience is lacking at key positions. Quarterback Chris Simms is learning under fire but has improved with each start. Rookie running back Carnell Williams was impressive early in the season but has been banged up. He appeared more comfortable running in last week's win over Atlanta. Veteran wide receiver Joey Galloway allows the Bucs to spread the field, creating space for coach Jon Gruden's ball-control passing game.
Let's take a look at this match up on both sides of the ball.
BEARS OFFENSE VS. BUCCANEERS DEFENSE
The Bears upgraded their offense with skilled players but have yet to develop consistent chemistry in pass protection. Offensive linemen must give Orton time read the Bucs' coverage and throw. Left tackle John Tait is the key because he will be assigned to contain elite pass rusher Simeon Rice.
The obvious strength of the offense is its running game--ranked fifth in the NFL. Chicago needs Jones to attack a somewhat vulnerable mid-section of the defense and use his cutback ability once past the line to find open running lanes. Adrian Peterson shows flashes of talent in relief, and fullback Bryan Johnson is tough in short-yardage situations
Orton has surprised many with his play thus far, but he is playing against one of the premier defenses in the NFL. He has had moments of brilliance, but he is a rookie and will make mistakes. The Bucs will blitz often to free up Rice on the backside, forcing Orton to throw before he can accurately read the coverage.
Tampa Bay is going to want to tee off on the Bears' line, knowing that Chicago has little or no passing game. This is going to put tremendous pressure on Orton to minimize mistakes.
He needs the offensive tackles to give him time in the pocket and keep Rice under control while he looks for favorite wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad.
The Bears' bread and butter has been their rushing attack. Jones has the ability to run with power and has breakaway speed, and Johnson shows a strong power game. When needed, Peterson is capable of getting valuable yards inside while subbing for Jones.
The Bucs are going to counter by blitzing from all over the field. With Rice playing with reckless abandon in recent weeks, the Bucs will use interior stunts, freeing up tackle Anthony McFarland in the middle and allowing for corner blitzes from Ronde Barber. How well the Bears handle this pressure and how well Orton makes his reads will dictate how well they move the ball.
If the offensive line has a good day, Orton will have time to throw to a game-breaker in Muhammad. While Muhammad does not have blazing speed, he runs excellent routes, can find the seams in a zone, and has great concentration in traffic. His pass receiving threat forces the Bucs into covering him wherever he lines up.
The Bears' attempt to slow the Bucs' defensive push begins with center Olin Kreutz, who makes all of the line calls. His ability to make the correct call determines just how well Jones, Johnson or Peterson will be able to pound at the line of scrimmage. Because McFarland gets such a good initial jump at the snap and uses his hands well, Kreutz must take advantage of the Bears' zone blocking scheme with help from the guards to keep him away from the running back or quarterback.
Simply put, if Kreutz cannot win this battle, the Bears will not run effectively.
BEARS DEFENSE VS BUCCANEERS OFFENSE
The jury is out on Simms' ability to perform under pressure and this will be key this week because the Bears' front four has been outstanding.
The read on Simms had been that he was good on short to intermediate passing routes, but he might lack the arm strength to go vertical. Instead his chemistry with Galloway has been outstanding, but he has been inconsistent with the short passing game, often throwing the ball into the ground. How well he overcomes this flaw will help dictate the flow of the game.
Simms must incorporate the short passing game to complement the running game if the Bucs are to control the ball, the clock and win the time-of-possession battle.
By utilizing the running backs down field as well as receivers Galloway, Ike Hilliard, Edell Shepherd and Michael Clayton, Simms has an arsenal of receivers who will run the short routes in traffic that are a big part of Tampa Bay's offense.
The Bears will rely on their linebackers to drop into their passing lanes and disrupt the flow of the receivers while getting pressure on Simms.
As the Bucs continue to stress their short game and are successful with their dink-and-dunk attack, the Bears eventually are going to bring strong safety Mike Brown closer to the line and blitz with Urlacher, putting pressure on the offensive line and Simms. In doing so, the Bears will be forced into single coverage on Galloway, giving the Bucs a decisive advantage because of Galloway's speed downfield. Without consistent safety help he's certain to burn cornerbacks at least once.
Points will be hard to come by in this game and despite Tampa's struggles recently running the ball, Chicago is sure to receive a heavy dose of Williams, Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott attacking the heart of the defense and looking to wear down the fast but undersized front seven. Nose tackle Ian Scott will lead the charge to clog the middle and force Simms to win the game with his arm.
The Bucs' offensive line must play above its abilities in order to have success moving the ball. Tackle Kenyatta Walker, especially, must be able to avoid mental lapses and handle Adewale Ogunleye while protecting Simms' backside.
Ogunleye is the type of pass rusher that gives Walker fits. With great acceleration off the snap and a club move to power past Walker, once in the open field, Ogunleye explodes into the backfield and causes havoc.
Walker also is quick off the snap, but he has trouble maintaining blocks. The Bucs must use a tight end to help block Ogunleye, who has problems negating double teams. Walker must not make mental mistakes because Ogunleye will look to set him up, get him out of position and beat him with inside moves.
Another marquee matchup is Urlacher going up against Alstott. Urlacher is explosive and aggressive, and he will have many opportunities in short-yardage situations to run head-on with Alstott, who will power into the line and use his superior leg drive to pick up yardage after contact. Urlacher will use his athleticism and solid tackling skills to get lower pad level on contact and stand Alstott up.
Chris Landry is a veteran NFL scout, having served with the Cleveland Browns, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and formerly ran the Indianapolis Scouting Combine. He now runs his own Scouting Consulting business where he scouts NFL and College personnel for NFL teams and help Universities and NFL teams in their Coaching evaluations and Searches. He can be heard nationally on FOX Sports Radio as their college football and NFL analyst.
Copyright ? 2005, ChicagoSports.com
