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Bear necessities Chicago faces crucial decision at quarterback
Updated: Monday August 06, 2001 9:16 PM
It's no secret that head coach Dick Jauron and his staff are on the hot seat and that last year's first-round pick, quarterback Cade McNown, looks more like a project than the cornerstone for the future. But all is not lost for the once mighty "Monsters of the Midway." Many of the assistant coaches have been hoping for a real commitment to the running game, something that just wasn't there in the past two years. In talking with two of the assistant coaches and a few players after the Bengals game, I can assure you the Bears will use the running game more extensively this season and as one Bear coach said "we have to stick with running the ball when we have a few plays that gain nothing and I believe we will." In the past, one negative play and it was pass-happy time for the Bears. Play selection on series starts is always a good place to look to see if the actions back up the words. Against the Bengals, the Bears ran the ball on the first four series starts gaining an average of 4.0 yards per play and setting up second-and -6 and a much better situation than an incomplete pass did in the past. If offensive coordinator John Shoop can stick with this kind of thinking, journeyman quarterback Shane Matthews has a chance to be good enough to run the offense. Matthews, not McNown, is clearly the coaches' choice to run the offense because they believe they can win the most games and possibly save their jobs with Matthews.
Personnel issues like this are classic conflicts between the front office and the coaching staff. The personnel people think long-range and always factor in the player's salary -- that could lead general manager Jerry Angelo and his new administrators to want to see more of McNown. Coaches must always think short-term and get as many wins as they can now -- that logic results in support for Matthews. The long-range planners probably don't believe Matthews can ever get them to the Super Bowl and therein lies the problem. With the running game now the focal point of the offense, the addition of Skip Hicks in free agency and the drafting of Anthony Thomas from Michigan in the second round were two wise selections. Add these two to last year's rushing leader, James Allen who had 1,120 yards, and there is enough talent to not turn back from their run philosophy if injuries become a factor. Speaking of injuries, the most talented wide receiver on the team is Marcus Robinson, and he won't be ready for weeks at best. In the meantime, a very average set of wide receivers will fill in until Robinson is back to health. Marty Booker, Bobby Engram, and Dez White combined for 73 receptions, 686 yards and three touchdowns last season. This group averaged under 10 yards a catch due mostly to a lack of speed, all the more reason to run the ball. Former personnel director Mark Hatley told me the morning of the draft he was taking David Terrell in the first round because there weren't enough weapons on the field to evaluate McNown. McNown may not get the shot to be evaluated, but "not enough weapons" surely was the right evaluation of this group. Maybe the most important reason to stick with the ground attack is that the defense is not bad and the more conservative the offense the more the clock moves, the less turnovers there are and field position becomes the order of the day. Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher is a big time player and will remind Bear fans of the second coming of Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary, only Urlacher is faster and more athletic. Newly acquired nose tackle Ted Washington has a striking resemblance to William "The Refrigerator" Perry and if he can stay healthy not too many teams will run the ball against this unit. When opponents decide to go to the air, two issues have to be addressed: the pass rush and the coverage. Urlacher led the team in sacks last year with a modest eight. This year the team needs Bryan Robinson and Phillip Daniels to produce more than the 10.5 sacks they collected last season. What the club hopes for is that these two can eventually move inside to the tackle spots on dime defense and speedy outside rushers like fourth-round pick Karon Riley can enter the game. From what I observed, this piece to the Bears' puzzle is not ready to go and may take well into September before great pass pressure is available to defensive coordinator Greg Blanche. As for the coverage people, Chicago looks like it has a number of decent corners who seem more comfortable in zone coverage than man packages. Thomas Smith and Walt Harris won't get them killed but they probably won't close down the top receivers in their division like Randy Moss, Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter. Smith and Harris will need help and I really like their safeties, Mike Brown and Tony Parrish. Both are young, like to hit and have enough range to make them a legitimate pair in the secondary. Finally, 30-year-old return man Glyn Milburn is still a difference-maker, and with the offense Jauron wants to run, an extra first down from a punt or kick return will be critical to their success. But where the Bears may fall down is when they have to come from behind late in games. Like many of the teams in this league battling to get over the 8-8 mark, I don't think Chicago has enough weapons and a dynamic enough quarterback to get there. Come the first of the year, Angelo will have some hard decisions to make. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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