Chicago Bears a Mystery

Two very familiar foes will line up across from one another this coming Sunday in Chicago when the Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears. One team is the model of consistency and a popular pick to play in Super Bowl 50. The other team lightly regarded and picked to finish last in the NFC North.

Two very familiar foes will line up across from one another this coming Sunday in Chicago when the Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears. 

One team is the model of consistency.  A perennial winner. Stable leadership from the President on down. A known entity.  A popular pick to play in Super Bowl 50.

The other team an exact opposite.  Chaotic.  With a new General Manager and Head Coach - replacing the last duo who were ousted after only two years on the job, the Bears are in full rebuild mode.  There are new players, a new offensive philoshopy, a new 3-4 defense to learn, and the hope of a new mind-set that will bring back winning ways.  They are also lightly regarded and picked to finish last in the NFC North.

Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy is fond of saying that it is important to find out about your football team – “if you are who you think you are”.  But to do so you need to play the game and go from there.

The Chicago Bears led by new leadership in Head Coach John Fox and General Manager Ryan Pace would do well to follow Coach McCarthy’s lead in asking that same question of their 2015 Chicago Bears.  For the Chicago Bears question marks dominate the landscape including who they really are.

Case in point, the offense.

The Bears will be rolling out a new offensive system orchestrated by offensive coordinator Adam Gase with a patchwork receiving corps and very possibly a newly re-vamped offensive line.  It is never a good thing to be playing musical chairs with your starting five just days before the opening game of the season against a formidable foe.  Yet that is what is happening.

The defense is no more settled.  Gone are the Urlacher’s, Briggs’, and Tillman’s of past Bears successes.  ‘In’ is an entirely new 3-4 defense with the likes of starters Alan Ball, Adrian Amos, Ego Ferguson, and Christian Jones.  Not exactly a murderers-row.

Let’s not forget that Aaron Rodgers has had his way with the Bears where he is 12-3 life-time including 5-2 on the road in Chicago.

You will forgive Mike McCarthy if these new-look Chicago Bears don’t exactly strike fear in his heart.  But it also brings about a dilemma.  What and whom do you prepare for?

Good question.

With so many concerns centered with the receiving corps and a wildly unpredictable quarterback, the one certainty is that the Bears offense will again rely heavily on star running back Matt Forte.  Forte has had his moments against the Packers.  Last year in Chicago, a game the Packers dominated and won convincingly 38-17, Forte managed 122 rushing yards in 23 attempts for a 5.3 yards-per-carry average.  In addition the ever-reliable Forte added 49 pass-receiving yards on just five catches.  Given the troubles that inside linebacker Sam Barrington had covering backs vs. the Eagles in pre-season game three, there is cause for concern if you are a Packers fan. 

New Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio has had his share of success as of late against the Packers when he commanded the San Francisco 49’ers defense.  But these Bears don’t have nearly the talent that Fangio had in San Francisco.  The best guess is that Fangio will try early to stop the Packers Eddie Lacy with a stout defensive front line averaging 6’ 3” and 312 lbs., blitz judiciously and hope that smothering Aaron Rodgers & Company receiving corps with numbers will slow the Packers down.  I don’t think it will work.  In fact, I think Dom Capers disciple Fangio is going to be in for a long day.

You can bet that the Bears brain-trust has heard Bears fans loud and clear - they are sick and tired of losing to the Packers.  You can also wager that Fox will use every trick in the book to upset the Packers (favored by 6 points) and start the new-look Bears season off with a bang.

Although Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy has the upper hand in almost every aspect of the game, he is none the less wary of what may lie ahead. 

"I think these are the most difficult games to win early in the season because of the unknowns," said McCarthy recently. "The average is what, 30 percent un-scouted looks that occur in the opening game? Those are the things that we’re focusing on, the challenges that are in front of us with Chicago, playing down there."

Yet with more skilled players, a stable system, battle-tested veterans and the reigning NFL MVP to lead the charge, you have to like the Packers’ chances of overcoming the uncertainty and earning a victory this Sunday.

As for the Bears we will see if the mystery is any more unraveled by Sunday evening.

 

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Comments (10)

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croatpackfan's picture

September 11, 2015 at 09:12 am

Good article Jeff. Looks like everything is on Packers side... And it will be if Packers do not underestimate Bears and play seriously and with full concentration... In this game, only Packers can beat Packers. And I hope that will not be the case and Packers will win comfortably...

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Dan Stodola's picture

September 11, 2015 at 09:58 am

Packers don't underestimate the division rivals of the NFCN.

McCarthy took over in '06 IIRC. Since that time the Packers record vs Chi, Det and Minn is exemplary.

By my count 40-13-1, which includes 0-2-1 in the games Rodgers missed in '13.

All that said, I wouldn't worry too much about the Packers beating themselves against the lowly bares.

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Allan Murphy's picture

September 11, 2015 at 10:33 am

Enough talk play the game and then we talk .

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porupack's picture

September 11, 2015 at 12:01 pm

I would guess John Fox scripts a steady dose of run and short outlet pass, then if they move the chains will try testing deep. Would be great if DC has the lbackers ready for the RB check down pass, and deny Forte those easy yards at least. Then Cutler without dump-off outlet starts to panic and has to try to find deeper receivers....and that is when things would unravel for that young bears offense.

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EddieLee's picture

September 11, 2015 at 04:14 pm

Football isn't rocket science. The packer defense will see some un-scouted looks but it won't be anything they haven't see before. Especially Dom Capers. They will adjust and figure it out. Scheme is not going to win this game for the Bears. The question is can this Bear's offense in game one of a new system with a riddled WR group and a patch work offensive line execute well enough to consistently sustain long drives against this Packer defense. I doubt it.

On defense this Bear team has marginal players all over the roster and will be playing basic coverage considering this is game one in a 3-4 for most of the roster. Their two starting middle linebackers are terrible and new to the position. They would be back-ups on any other 3-4 team. Their secondary is going to struggle. They have Fuller as CB1 and he was terribly inconsistent last year and per reports is struggling this summer. If he doesn't figure it out this Bear defense is absolutely screwed. Their CB-2 is the aging vet Allen Ball who they desperately signed from Jacksonville. He was a second tier FA signing. He just doesn't run well anymore. Their nickel-CB is going to be McManis. He hasn't played anything but special teams in 5 years. Rolle is a 32 year old safety coming over from the Giants. He is smart but hasn't looked great this summer per Silverstein. The other safety, Amos, is a 5th round draft pick rookie getting the starting nod because the guy they had penciled in is on IR. I can't imagine a Rodgers lead offense not throwing all over this group.

Freaky bad luck turnovers, special teams disasters, and injury. That is what may cost the Packers this game. It won't be scheme or unknown looks or talent.

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Archie's picture

September 11, 2015 at 03:42 pm

Fuller is the best DB on the field Sunday for either team. Trust me on that.

Pack should beat Bears. If they don't, another giant egg laid by MM. A loss to the Bears would be a killer for the Pack and this regime. It shouldn't happen. If it does, MM needs to go. His great W/L record is all about AROD. W/o AROD, MM would have been fired long ago, along with TT. Can't see GB losing w/o losing the TO battle and I can't see them doing that.

GB: 20 CHI: 10

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hobbes's picture

September 11, 2015 at 06:24 pm

Hell, even with Peyton Manning, John Fox got canned.

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aftab123's picture

June 23, 2020 at 07:31 am

Guys, lets just thank McCarthy for tanking this season to get a higher draft pick, we should chip in to buy a fruit basket to send him away after this season. You have much more chances to involve in different types of the problem so you must need to take https://modafinil.org/buy-modafinil-australia/ for the betterment of your mind and body fitness

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jamest121's picture

September 02, 2020 at 12:00 am

Thank you for bringing McCarthy this season. Let see how they take the advantages of his talent and make the most use of it. We hope this association will continue for long.
Improve your sleep cycle and stay active.

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