| Kyle Trompeter. 13th September, 2005 - 2:14 pm
 Fans of the Beloved Chicago Bears were thinking their team would be flying back into O’Hare Airport with a win, and could you blame them?
For the first time in recent memory, there is hope beaming out of Halas Hall. However, after a successful preseason on offense that looked like the Bears had Sid Luckman under center with Gale Sayers and Walter Payton split in the backfield, the Bears reverted back to their scoring methods from the previous season.
What method is that? Well, it doesn’t have a name, but I can tell you that the method has a few kinks in it to say the least.
A mere touchdown is all the Bears could muster during a 9-7 loss in the season opener Sunday vs. the Washington Redskins. Asking the two teams on the field to score in this game would be like asking the media to let go of the Terrell Owens-Donovan McNabb feud.
Not gonna happen!
That’s not to say the Bears only positives came on the defensive side of the ball, but the ‘O’ didn’t exactly do too much to make their case for the game ball.
On the bright side, rookie QB Kyle Orton looked poised for his first start in the NFL. Truth be told, when Orton received protection, he stood in the pocket and delivered the ball on target like he’s been in the league for years.
There were only a handful of mistakes made by Orton, who threw one interception and had a lost fumble. But it was the sense of calmness that Orton displayed in third down situations as he converted several third and longs that should make Bears fans smile at least just a little bit.
Good performances by WR Muhsin Muhammad and TE Desmond Clark eased some of the pressure off of Orton. Muhammad showed to be just as advertised coming over from Carolina and Clark did something that not many Bears tight ends have been able to do the past few years – catch passes.
Also the pass blocking was actually pretty decent today. Last season, the Bears surrendered sacks like they were handing out free samples of cocktail wieners at a grocery store. The special teams played well, and the receivers actually got open today.
What a concept! You can just hear former offensive coordinator Terry Shea now, “Hmmm, receivers getting open? I don’t know…sounds a little bit risky.”
Nonetheless, when you lose a game, the bad usually outweighs the good. The offensive line committed three straight false starts in a stretch during the fourth quarter that pretty much signaled the end of the Bears comeback attempt. The O-line really showed like they were still in preseason form by lacking focus in the waning moments of the game.
Orton wasn’t helped out by RB Thomas Jones, who ran poorly in this one. Granted, the O-line didn’t provide much relief, Jones failed to burst through the few holes there were and left Orton out to dry with numerous third and long situation.
Lastly, after a first quarter and a half where the defense pressured the quarterback very well, they sort of backed off and contained more in the second half rather than play aggressive. The D-line didn’t get any pressure up front and the one of the only times the ‘D’ got to the quarterback was on a weak side blitz from LB Lance Briggs where he knocked Redskins’ QB Patrick Ramsey out of the game.
Don’t expect too much to change in the next few weeks from this Bears team. They played pretty well considering the Redskins have one of the better defenses in the NFC, and the key will be the Bears just cutting down on penalties and executing better.
As far as personnel on the field, expect Cedric Benson to see more time. He touched the ball only a few times today, and if the Bears continue to struggle running with Jones, Benson will have to prove to Chicago fans why he was the fourth pick in the draft. |
