By Jim Coffman
We’re all taking deep breaths now and repeating our mantra: “Exhibition games don’t mean anything. Exhibition games don’t mean anything.”
Okay, they mean that Devin Hester will continue to make us doubt that he is close to capable of No. 1 receiver-dom and make us wish he might, I don’t know, return a kick or two during the pre-season, considering we can still remember that he was the best returner in NFL history but a brief little season ago.
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But otherwise . . . “. . . don’t mean anything . . . don’t mean anything . . .”
Learn it, love it, live it.
Well, maybe they mean a little. That pass that Cutler threw to a tightly covered Bennett (Earl that is) on third-and-long deep in his own territory after two lame Matt Forte runs against a stacked (against the run) Giant defense, the pass that kicked off the Bears’ first scoring drive and energized everything, the one that young Jay C. threw into a window that measured approximately two feet by one foot . . . that was pretty good.
And, of course, the second pass from Cutler to Bennett, the one where Cutler rolled out to his right and Bennett was again seemingly blanketed, except that Cutler threw it a few feet off the ground, Bennett slid and held on as the ball hit him right between the numbers.
Then there was yet another third-and-long pass that Cutler threw to Bennett, the one where Bennett was covered by multiple Giant defensive backs, except the one back wasn’t terribly confident that his mates had Bennett under control and therefore obviously interfered with him to get the final long, impressive scoring drive started.
In the end, the folks who have been fired up about Jay Cutler since the second it was rumored he might be available in a trade and who then just about lost their minds when Jerry Angelo pulled off the trade of the century to get him, had the chance to revel just a bit on Saturday evening.
The guy is a great, great quarterback and he is a Bear forever (they aren’t going to screw up his next contract, I promise). That fact still boggles everything.
Oh, and the defense played well too. Alex Brown’s two-way abilities (against the run and the pass) at defensive end have always been underrated, and he provided a glimpse of his capabilities with the swat (of the ball) that turned into the sack that ended a promising Giant drive.
Fellow lineman Israel Idonije, with his glorious athleticism and the coaching of all-time defensive line impresario Rod Marinelli, is going to have a huge year (he will make more big plays than Tommie Harris – write it down).
A little further back, Kevin Payne closed on the ball impressively from the free safety spot to knock away a dangerous early Eli Manning pass to end the first Giant foray into Bear territory.
If Payne can play that spot, Danieal Manning can focus on the nickel and kickoff returns. And if Al Afalava can move up and man the strong safety position the way he has so far this pre-season and Corey Graham can continue to impress at corner (the man can cover and he can blitz), the Bears might really have something (and something young) in the defensive backfield.
And . . . and . . . the exhibition season means nothing . . . nothing . . . but maybe a few things.
A few more notes:
* Erik Kramer wasn’t as good on the TV analysis as he was in the first week but he was still solid, especially when he was talking, briefly, about his reservations regarding Mr. Cutler. He spoke of how the reigning Pro Bowler was “in love with his own arm” and how that would cause him to make some ill-advised throws. Kramer’s right but we’ll take those throws, which will continue to diminish over time (remember, he’s only 25), along with the other, slightly more positive attributes like arm strength, accuracy, smarts, and maneuverability.
* Kramer and play-by-play man Sam Rosen irritated early in the second half when they focused way too much on defensive end Mark Anderson. Sure he made a nice play to grab a sack, but when he rushed untouched toward Giant back-up David Carr on the next play, he was just doing exactly what the Giants wanted him to as Carr then completed a pass over him to start a wide receiver screen. That play was notable for back-up corner Trumaine McBride destroying a block attempt and then making a textbook tackle for no gain.
* The Bears have the best tight ends in the league. Did you see that catch Kellen Davis hauled in an instant before he absorbed a huge hit to gain, what, 25 yards? Davis would be one of the top two tight ends on at least half the teams in the NFL, but with the Bears he is scrambling to hang onto the third TE spot.
* The Bears will lead the league in syllables this year, especially if the other Devin (Aromashodu), makes a few more catches (and therefore makes the team) like the laid-out, all-they way down to the goal-line grab that set up the Bears’ second touchdown. They will do so even if he doesn’t secure a spot because Pisa Tinoisamoa (Rosen was all over those two names by the way – very impressive) will be the starting weak-side (the one who avoids the tight end when the offense runs a standard set) linebacker. While Brian Urlacher was in danger of permanently embarrassing himself with his meager attempts at tackles on a couple early Brandon Jacobs runs, Pisa (I hope you don’t mind my informality but once is enough with that last name) put on a tackling clinic.
* I’ve seen a couple interviews so far this pre-season in which Urlacher tries to blame his failure to make big plays last season (and in the last several seasons except for the last four games or so of the 2007 campaign) on the fact that he was too busy minding his gap (all the linemen and linebackers have to do that first and foremost in Lovie’s basic scheme). It would be good if Mr. Urlacher would focus a little less on convincing Sports Illustrated’s Dan Patrick and his ilk that he isn’t wildly overrated and a little more on getting ready for the nitty-gritty of the coming season.
* The Bears have absolutely nothing left to prove in the next two weeks. This weekend’s Denver drama is to be survived – it does not matter if Cutler plays better than Kyle Orton in a meaningless exhibition . . . it does not matter . . . That’s followed by the last exhibition game, which never means anything and then, let the real games begin.
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Jim Coffman rounds up the sports weekend in this space every Monday. He welcomes your comments.
Posted on August 24, 2009