By Jim Coffman
Alex Brown slipped around a blocker and arrived at the ball carrier with no time to spare. Something had to be done or the guy was going into the end zone for the touchdown that would have given the Eagles the lead with less than four minutes left. And that something was . . . a good old-fashioned headlock. Brown grabbed hold of Correll Buckhalter’s noggin and he didn’t let go until the Eagle running back headed down toward the ground about a foot short of the goal line (we knew it was about a foot because Subway commercials had repeatedly reminded us exactly how far that is oh about a dozen times during the previous few hours). It wasn’t exactly a textbook tackle but it did the job.
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It is hard to imagine a bigger early season win. With a loss, the Bears would have fallen to a lowly 1-3 with all three losses suffered against conference foes. By snatching away a pulse-pounding victory, the Monsters actually moved into a tie for the top spot in the NFC North with the suddenly reeling Packers (quarterback Aaron Rodgers may have separated his shoulder in Green Bay’s loss to Tampa Bay – the Packers have only rookies as back-ups).
To the highlights . . .
* Creative blitzes involving several different defensive backs during the first defensive series? The no-huddle offense right from the start? What in tarnation was going on during the first five minutes? The Bears knocked the Eagles back on their heels with some wonderfully aggressive play-calling early and the visiting defense didn’t recover until halftime.
* The first few passes to Devin Hester didn’t gain a whole bunch of yards. He just didn’t make the catch on the deep crossing route that could have been a touchdown, and that negative eight-yard punt return was just brutal. But the Bears’ efforts to get the Ridiculous One the ball.paid off on their third touchdown. Hester was nice and warmed up at that point and Kyle Orton threw his best pass of the season. It appeared high-priced free agent Asante Samuel was in perfect, man-to-man position as Orton let the ball go. But he arced it high and down the sideline and Hester found that extra gear as he slipped right around Samuel. Then he sealed him off, hauled in the ball and tight-roped the sideline well enough to leave no doubt he’d made the catch.
* Speaking of perfect body position, how about old pro Marty Booker on that second touchdown? Once he established himself on the inside, not in a million years was the Philly defensive back going to slip through and make a play on the ball. In fact, the guy was blocked off so completely, you could hardly even tell who he was. Greg Olsen’s technique wasn’t nearly as good on the first touchdown. It seemed like he was more interested in starting to celebrate than in getting the one additional foot or knee down in the end zone that would have made it a no-doubt completion.
* The Bears’ primary home field advantage had to do with the field. On numerous occasions, including DeSean Jackson’s fumble on an attempted punt return, opposing receivers slipped on Soldier Field’s notorious turf. Bears receivers did a much better job of keeping their feet.
* There was a beautiful paucity of flags in the second half. Football is so much better without too many penalties mucking things up. Of course, the Bears’ benefited from one huge call in particular earlier in the game – that illegal formation flag on the Eagles that offset Charles Tillman’s second incredibly ill-advised personal foul in as many weeks. Tillman took a terrible angle on an attempted punt block, diving right into Philly punter Sav Roccha’s knee (had he done so a split-second later, when Rocca’s toe would have been back planted on the ground, it almost certainly would have been a serious injury).
* Right guard Roberto Garza seems to be out in front of all of the Bears’ best runs (of course there was only one truly memorable rush on Sunday). On the critical third down conversion right after the Bears’ epic goal line stand, center Olin Kreutz was able to turn his man for the beginnings of a hole but it was Garza who blasted his man well back behind the line of scrimmage.
* On defense, stout tackle Marcus Harrison is definitely the Bears’ rookie of the year so far. How long until we see a starting lineup of him and playmaker Israel Idonije in the middle of the line? And safety Kevin Payne had two of the team’s five biggest plays of the night on that side of the ball, slipping into the backfield to make a tackle for a loss on third down right before Philly kicker David Akers missed his 50-yard attempt and then the interception and return to the 10 that set up . . . well, it set up Kyle Orton’s ill-advised throw into the middle that was easily intercepted right back.
* I had mostly praise for John Madden and Al Michaels after they did the Bears’ season-opener against the Colts, but they weren’t as sharp on Sunday. Madden can be so incredibly inane, going on and on with observations that are nothing less than obvious to average fans. Michaels provided some memorable bits of play-by-play, going on about Kevin Jones’ “rolling, spinning, diving first down” in the first half (OK, so there were two memorable runs in the game).
* Reality check: the Eagles were without their best player, running back Brian Westbrook. Westbrook’s ability to make big plays out of seemingly innocuous handoffs and passes is a game-changer and he was sorely missed. The Bears were missing defensive tackle Tommie Harris but Harris hasn’t been the havoc-wreaker his team needs in the season’s first few weeks (the Trib’s David Haugh wrote about his seemingly almost broken-down body a few weeks ago and the story has proven prescient). This will be the last time this season the Bears commit so many turnovers and still manage to win.
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Jim Coffman brings you the city’s best weekend sports roundup every Monday. It’s always a pleasure, isn’t it? You can write to him personally! Please include a real name if you would like your comments to be considered for publication.
Posted on September 29, 2008