Fixing the Bears requires a few things, in my opinion.
1. Get rid of Ron Turner (maybe Lovie too)?
-Can someone explain to me why the organization hired back this guy after firing him once? His offense has an idiotic look to it. I get so sick of watching middle draws on 3rd and 10. I think Lovie has one year to prove he can win. Getting rid of Turner makes Smith looks EXPONENTIALLY better.
2. Make the move to a 3-4 defense
- This Tampa 2 will never go as long as Lovie Smith is in town. But let's be real. You have to have 4 guys attacking the offensive line and creating their OWN pressure. In losing Ogunleye (more than likely) to FA this coming off-season, we will be left with Alex Brown and Tommie Harris as our "reliable" defensive linemen. Adams, Anderson, and Harrison showed flashes late in the year. But was that because the pressure was off them to win? Let's look at our defensive personnel.
Tommie Harris is a prototypical 3-4 defensive end. Think about Haloti Ngata. Quick and powerful. Really good at taking up the B gaps in the offensive line, and requiring a guard and tackle to pick him up.
Adams or Harrison now slide in as a nose tackle. This is different from a defensive tackle in a 3-4. Their goal is to attack the center on EVERY snap. These guys need to be big, heavy boys. Speed isn't a huge requirement.
Alex Brown becomes your DT/E. I know he is a little thin to be playing inside, BUT, This guy plays a different gap every down, based on the distance. They essentially try to create blitzing lanes for the linebackers and DBs. He will get a lot of cheap sacks playing this position.
Urlacher becomes MUCH better in a 3-4. Let's face it. He's gotten slower, and he doesn't hit as well as his younger years. In a 3-4, there are 2 ILBs. Urlacher will be responsible for coverage, and half as much field in run support.
Briggs becomes an ILB as well. Though, his job will be essentially the same as the sam backer in the 4-3 defense. He will do MOST of the run support, which is his specialty.
Now, you have 2 outside linebackers. In the 3-4 system, they have 2 jobs. Pass rushing and dropping into hook zones. This is where Gaines Adams/Mark Anderson benefit. He is a pass rusher. He hates playing run. They don't have great block shedding....but they don't have to have to. They take outside blitz lanes and flush the QB up into the DL + one other blitzer coming from their angles. One of the two OLBs always rushes. The opposite drops into a zone about 5 yards deep, covering the middle or flats.
This system leads way into LESS pressure on coverage, which was our severe weakness. We are allowed to blitz more, which makes our DBs have to cover for less time (less time to pass = less time to get burnt by a route). We can even utilize Corey Graham as a nickel rusher (assuming Vasher is cut). Bowman and Tillman are big physical corners who give up the sidelines, and refuse the slant route in the 3-4 system.
Safeties jobs are to hit. Look at Reed (who covers better than any safety ever, coincidentally)....he and Polamalu are two of the hardest hitting safeties in the league, and they play in the 3-4 system. Adrian Wilson (ARIZONA) is also in a 3-4 defense. Strong safeties blitz a lot too, which allows you to send less linebackers.
The thing about the 3-4 defensive scheme is that you NEVER know where the blitz comes from. It's so exotic. Occasionally, a right outside linebacker comes off one edge, SS comes off the other. Both DEs drop (Harris and Brown) into coverage 5 yards off the LOS, and you send a MLB on a delayed blitz. This gets great pressure in the NFL, because it's a tough play to pick up. Let's count. You send. 4 guys (OLB, SS, DT, MLB delayed blitz). That's 7 guys in coverage. And that's just one play. The next, you may send both OLBs and have 5 rushers. The next, you drop 7 in coverage and blitz the 3 linemen plus one random backer.
If you can mix up your blitz scheme it's an easier game defensive. It takes away a lot of the opposing team's offense when they have to adjust their blocking scheme on the fly.
3. Get a FA WR.
-With no picks until the 3rd round this year, we have to do work in the free agent market. There are a few big names out there. We could get a Marshall (he's done in Denver) or Vincent Jackson, and call our offseason a success (considering there isn't much to look forward to)
When Lovie goes, my scenario number 2 kicks in if they get a Bill Cowher. More of the same D if it's Shanahan. Let's be real though...Lovie's going nowhere until after next season.
1. Get rid of Ron Turner (maybe Lovie too)?
-Can someone explain to me why the organization hired back this guy after firing him once? His offense has an idiotic look to it. I get so sick of watching middle draws on 3rd and 10. I think Lovie has one year to prove he can win. Getting rid of Turner makes Smith looks EXPONENTIALLY better.
2. Make the move to a 3-4 defense
- This Tampa 2 will never go as long as Lovie Smith is in town. But let's be real. You have to have 4 guys attacking the offensive line and creating their OWN pressure. In losing Ogunleye (more than likely) to FA this coming off-season, we will be left with Alex Brown and Tommie Harris as our "reliable" defensive linemen. Adams, Anderson, and Harrison showed flashes late in the year. But was that because the pressure was off them to win? Let's look at our defensive personnel.
Tommie Harris is a prototypical 3-4 defensive end. Think about Haloti Ngata. Quick and powerful. Really good at taking up the B gaps in the offensive line, and requiring a guard and tackle to pick him up.
Adams or Harrison now slide in as a nose tackle. This is different from a defensive tackle in a 3-4. Their goal is to attack the center on EVERY snap. These guys need to be big, heavy boys. Speed isn't a huge requirement.
Alex Brown becomes your DT/E. I know he is a little thin to be playing inside, BUT, This guy plays a different gap every down, based on the distance. They essentially try to create blitzing lanes for the linebackers and DBs. He will get a lot of cheap sacks playing this position.
Urlacher becomes MUCH better in a 3-4. Let's face it. He's gotten slower, and he doesn't hit as well as his younger years. In a 3-4, there are 2 ILBs. Urlacher will be responsible for coverage, and half as much field in run support.
Briggs becomes an ILB as well. Though, his job will be essentially the same as the sam backer in the 4-3 defense. He will do MOST of the run support, which is his specialty.
Now, you have 2 outside linebackers. In the 3-4 system, they have 2 jobs. Pass rushing and dropping into hook zones. This is where Gaines Adams/Mark Anderson benefit. He is a pass rusher. He hates playing run. They don't have great block shedding....but they don't have to have to. They take outside blitz lanes and flush the QB up into the DL + one other blitzer coming from their angles. One of the two OLBs always rushes. The opposite drops into a zone about 5 yards deep, covering the middle or flats.
This system leads way into LESS pressure on coverage, which was our severe weakness. We are allowed to blitz more, which makes our DBs have to cover for less time (less time to pass = less time to get burnt by a route). We can even utilize Corey Graham as a nickel rusher (assuming Vasher is cut). Bowman and Tillman are big physical corners who give up the sidelines, and refuse the slant route in the 3-4 system.
Safeties jobs are to hit. Look at Reed (who covers better than any safety ever, coincidentally)....he and Polamalu are two of the hardest hitting safeties in the league, and they play in the 3-4 system. Adrian Wilson (ARIZONA) is also in a 3-4 defense. Strong safeties blitz a lot too, which allows you to send less linebackers.
The thing about the 3-4 defensive scheme is that you NEVER know where the blitz comes from. It's so exotic. Occasionally, a right outside linebacker comes off one edge, SS comes off the other. Both DEs drop (Harris and Brown) into coverage 5 yards off the LOS, and you send a MLB on a delayed blitz. This gets great pressure in the NFL, because it's a tough play to pick up. Let's count. You send. 4 guys (OLB, SS, DT, MLB delayed blitz). That's 7 guys in coverage. And that's just one play. The next, you may send both OLBs and have 5 rushers. The next, you drop 7 in coverage and blitz the 3 linemen plus one random backer.
If you can mix up your blitz scheme it's an easier game defensive. It takes away a lot of the opposing team's offense when they have to adjust their blocking scheme on the fly.
3. Get a FA WR.
-With no picks until the 3rd round this year, we have to do work in the free agent market. There are a few big names out there. We could get a Marshall (he's done in Denver) or Vincent Jackson, and call our offseason a success (considering there isn't much to look forward to)
When Lovie goes, my scenario number 2 kicks in if they get a Bill Cowher. More of the same D if it's Shanahan. Let's be real though...Lovie's going nowhere until after next season.
