Game 2 - BEARS @ Green Bay Packers - 7:20 PM Thurs

[UMFan83]

The "Bears got better when Freeney got hurt" theory is really getting around...

 

http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2012/9/11/3315818/packers-vs-bears-key-matchup-no-1-nick-perry-vs-gabe-carimi#storyjump

 

 

It probably should. That line was brutal early and really benefited from him leaving.

 

Yeah, when I saw the original post I was going to respond with something similar. Being as objective as possible, the game definitely seemed to turn once he was off the field.

 

Or the oline just started poorly. How many plays was Freeny in for? 6? That's a small sample size to make a connection to the oline improving because Freeny was out.

[erik316wttn]

My prediction for the game:

 

Packers get 103240129348102 penalty yards. Bears win on a last second field goal and eke out a gift victory. Packers then clinch NFC Championship in Chicago and win Super Bowl again.

[cubbyvirus00]

My prediction for the game:

 

Packers get 103240129348102 penalty yards. Bears win on a last second field goal and eke out a gift victory. Packers then clinch NFC Championship in Chicago and win Super Bowl again.

 

 

63-14 Bears. Rodgers gets sacked and has to leave the game early. Greg Jennings rides the bench.

[scarey]

My prediction for the game:

 

Packers get 103240129348102 penalty yards. Bears win on a last second field goal and eke out a gift victory. Packers then clinch NFC Championship in Chicago and win Super Bowl again.

 

Of course it would be a gift victory. Don't you know, any time a team beats the Packers it's because the Packers beat themselves. There's no other explanation.

[XZero771679666304]

My prediction for the game:

 

Packers get 103240129348102 penalty yards. Bears win on a last second field goal and eke out a gift victory. Packers then clinch NFC Championship in Chicago and win Super Bowl again.

 

Of course it would be a gift victory. Don't you know, any time a team beats the Packers it's because the Packers beat themselves. There's no other explanation.

 

It's not as if that team has any holes. They plan on sporting an historically bad pass defense and scrap the running game to test themselves for their inevitable super bowl run. That is unless they feel charitable enough to let another team win. You know, to keep the illusion of competitive balance up.

[Banedon]

The "Bears got better when Freeney got hurt" theory is really getting around...

 

http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2012/9/11/3315818/packers-vs-bears-key-matchup-no-1-nick-perry-vs-gabe-carimi#storyjump

 

 

It probably should. That line was brutal early and really benefited from him leaving.

 

Yeah, when I saw the original post I was going to respond with something similar. Being as objective as possible, the game definitely seemed to turn once he was off the field.

 

Or the oline just started poorly. How many plays was Freeny in for? 6? That's a small sample size to make a connection to the oline improving because Freeny was out.

 

Exactly. I mean, I get the observation, but I think it's being vastly overstated.

[Banedon]

Haha...Aaron Rodgers:

 

“That being said, there were just some bizarre calls on both sides. Anybody who watches the TV copy, I mean I saw it from the sidelines, but we scored a touchdown on a legit block in the back. I don’t know what happened on that. It has to hopefully get better.”

[jersey cubs fan]

The "Bears got better when Freeney got hurt" theory is really getting around...

 

http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2012/9/11/3315818/packers-vs-bears-key-matchup-no-1-nick-perry-vs-gabe-carimi#storyjump

 

 

It probably should. That line was brutal early and really benefited from him leaving.

 

Yeah, when I saw the original post I was going to respond with something similar. Being as objective as possible, the game definitely seemed to turn once he was off the field.

 

Or the oline just started poorly. How many plays was Freeny in for? 6? That's a small sample size to make a connection to the oline improving because Freeny was out.

 

Sample size has absolutely nothing to do with it. The Bears offensive line is atrocious. We knows this. When the only real threat from that game left it made their jobs a hell of a lot easier.

[Banedon]

Sample size has absolutely nothing to do with it. The Bears offensive line is atrocious. We knows this. When the only real threat from that game left it made their jobs a hell of a lot easier.

 

Mathis is a pretty good threat, but obviously with Freeney out, he's easier to defend.

 

The Packers really only have Matthews as a pass rush threat, so yay.

[Guest]

 

Sample size has absolutely nothing to do with it. The Bears offensive line is atrocious. We knows this. When the only real threat from that game left it made their jobs a hell of a lot easier.

 

Absolutely nothing, eh?

 

So they would've gotten the pressure they got in the first 5-6 plays on every snap of the game?

Edited September 12, 2012 by David

[tfarks]

The OL will surely go back to being terrible. And it's a shame because it was really fun seeing Jay get enough time to throw a deep ball in a nice cushioned pocket.

 

Mathis is a big threat in the pass rush, with Freeney or not. Hughes is a waste however. In the 3-4 or any system. Guy can only perform in preseason and will likely be cut at the end of the year.

[Guest]

While on the subject of sample size, once Martz was reined in after the Detroit game last year and the Bears went on that run, Cutler was sacked only 5 times in 5 games.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

Sample size has absolutely nothing to do with it. The Bears offensive line is atrocious. We knows this. When the only real threat from that game left it made their jobs a hell of a lot easier.

 

Absolutely nothing, eh?

 

So they would've gotten the pressure they got in the first 5-6 plays on every snap of the game?

 

Yes, absolutely nothing. Nobody is extrapolating the ratio of pressure/snap over 6 snaps and then stating that is exactly how it would have played out over 60 snaps. Sample size has nothing to do with it.

 

The Bears offensive line is crap. They started out playing like crap. The other teams best pass rushing threat left the game, and the line somewhat settled down.

 

Oh, but you're craaaaaaaazzzzzaaaaaay if you claim the Bears got better when he left.

[KingCubsFan]

 

Sample size has absolutely nothing to do with it. The Bears offensive line is atrocious. We knows this. When the only real threat from that game left it made their jobs a hell of a lot easier.

 

Absolutely nothing, eh?

 

So they would've gotten the pressure they got in the first 5-6 plays on every snap of the game?

Not every snap but a lot of snaps. The Bears' line has been horrible for years. It's not the 5-6 plays before Freeney went out that leads people to believe the line is bad, it's the years of ineptitude and lack of talent before those 5-6 plays. Until they can prove themselves over the course of several weeks and a variety of opponents, there's no reason to think they're anything more than bad.

[Guest]

While on the subject of sample size, once Martz was reined in after the Detroit game last year and the Bears went on that run, Cutler was sacked only 5 times in 5 games.

 

Further, those 5 games included Minnesota (some guy with 22 sacks last year), the Lions, the Eagles, and the Chargers.

[Banedon]

Oh, but you're craaaaaaaazzzzzaaaaaay if you claim the Bears got better when he left.

 

Clearly the Bears got better when he left. That's not even a question. The question is why. You have your belief. And I don't think anyone would say it's not at least a part of it. Other factors are that the running game got going, and Cutler hit some passes. Also without 7 step drops, the O-line isn't being asked to do the same things they were last year.

[jersey cubs fan]

Oh, but you're craaaaaaaazzzzzaaaaaay if you claim the Bears got better when he left.

 

Clearly the Bears got better when he left. That's not even a question. The question is why. You have your belief. And I don't think anyone would say it's not at least a part of it. Other factors are that the running game got going, and Cutler hit some passes. Also without 7 step drops, the O-line isn't being asked to do the same things they were last year.

 

Okay, but how did the running game get going? And how did Cutler start hitting some passes. The lack of 7-step drops explains absolutely nothing about what happened in that game.

 

Why are people upset at the suggestion that the Bears benefited from the other team losing a defensive end?

[jersey cubs fan]

 

Sample size has absolutely nothing to do with it. The Bears offensive line is atrocious. We knows this. When the only real threat from that game left it made their jobs a hell of a lot easier.

 

Absolutely nothing, eh?

 

So they would've gotten the pressure they got in the first 5-6 plays on every snap of the game?

Not every snap but a lot of snaps. The Bears' line has been horrible for years. It's not the 5-6 plays before Freeney went out that leads people to believe the line is bad, it's the years of ineptitude and lack of talent before those 5-6 plays. Until they can prove themselves over the course of several weeks and a variety of opponents, there's no reason to think they're anything more than bad.

 

Correctumundo

[Banedon]

Oh, but you're craaaaaaaazzzzzaaaaaay if you claim the Bears got better when he left.

 

Clearly the Bears got better when he left. That's not even a question. The question is why. You have your belief. And I don't think anyone would say it's not at least a part of it. Other factors are that the running game got going, and Cutler hit some passes. Also without 7 step drops, the O-line isn't being asked to do the same things they were last year.

 

Okay, but how did the running game get going? And how did Cutler start hitting some passes. The lack of 7-step drops explains absolutely nothing about what happened in that game.

 

Why are people upset at the suggestion that the Bears benefited from the other team losing a defensive end?

 

Nobody's denying that the Bears benefited. I think everyone would agree that's the case. I just think many of us don't think that's the entire story. That the O-line was able to settle down to some extent and start playing pretty decently.

[Banedon]

Until they can prove themselves over the course of several weeks and a variety of opponents, there's no reason to think they're anything more than bad.

 

5 sacks in the last 5 games that Cutler played last year.

[UMFan83]

Oh, but you're craaaaaaaazzzzzaaaaaay if you claim the Bears got better when he left.

 

Clearly the Bears got better when he left. That's not even a question. The question is why. You have your belief. And I don't think anyone would say it's not at least a part of it. Other factors are that the running game got going, and Cutler hit some passes. Also without 7 step drops, the O-line isn't being asked to do the same things they were last year.

 

Okay, but how did the running game get going? And how did Cutler start hitting some passes. The lack of 7-step drops explains absolutely nothing about what happened in that game.

 

Why are people upset at the suggestion that the Bears benefited from the other team losing a defensive end?

 

Nobody's denying that the Bears benefited. I think everyone would agree that's the case. I just think many of us don't think that's the entire story. That the O-line was able to settle down to some extent and start playing pretty decently.

 

This

[Soul]

Oh, but you're craaaaaaaazzzzzaaaaaay if you claim the Bears got better when he left.

 

Clearly the Bears got better when he left. That's not even a question. The question is why. You have your belief. And I don't think anyone would say it's not at least a part of it. Other factors are that the running game got going, and Cutler hit some passes. Also without 7 step drops, the O-line isn't being asked to do the same things they were last year.

 

Okay, but how did the running game get going? And how did Cutler start hitting some passes. The lack of 7-step drops explains absolutely nothing about what happened in that game.

 

Why are people upset at the suggestion that the Bears benefited from the other team losing a defensive end?

 

Nobody's denying that the Bears benefited. I think everyone would agree that's the case. I just think many of us don't think that's the entire story. That the O-line was able to settle down to some extent and start playing pretty decently.

 

This

 

That's fine. Your original response read more like a denial that Freeney's exit had any effect, to me.

[KingCubsFan]

Until they can prove themselves over the course of several weeks and a variety of opponents, there's no reason to think they're anything more than bad.

 

5 sacks in the last 5 games that Cutler played last year.

How many pressures? How many times did Cutler throw it away? How many times was he on the run? Just looking at the stats, Cutler's completion percentages were terrible in those games outside of Minnesota. Saying Cutler was only sacked 5 times doesn't mean the line played well. Cutler is one of the most athletic and mobile QB's in the league. After that montrosity that was the Monday Night game against Detroit, I doubt they suddenly became good. Having to waste an extra blocker on Jared Allen every play because Webb can't do his job doesn't mean the line is good. There's a lot more that goes into good line play than just avoiding sacks.

[Banedon]

Until they can prove themselves over the course of several weeks and a variety of opponents, there's no reason to think they're anything more than bad.

 

5 sacks in the last 5 games that Cutler played last year.

How many pressures? How many times did Cutler throw it away? How many times was he on the run? Just looking at the stats, Cutler's completion percentages were terrible in those games outside of Minnesota. Saying Cutler was only sacked 5 times doesn't mean the line played well. Cutler is one of the most athletic and mobile QB's in the league. After that montrosity that was the Monday Night game against Detroit, I doubt they suddenly became good. Having to waste an extra blocker on Jared Allen every play because Webb can't do his job doesn't mean the line is good. There's a lot more that goes into good line play than just avoiding sacks.

 

It's tough to judge though too because Cutler didn't have the WR's. Was his completion percentage bad because he's throwing to bad WR's? Because Roy Williams is dropping passes at the numbers?

 

After that Detroit game is when they took Martz aside and said "Get your head of your ass and protect Cutler." I really think with the right scheme this group can be adequate. They'll never be great, but with the other weapons we have, I think they can get by.

 

Most teams in the league probably waste an extra blocker on Jared Allen.

[KingCubsFan]

Until they can prove themselves over the course of several weeks and a variety of opponents, there's no reason to think they're anything more than bad.

 

5 sacks in the last 5 games that Cutler played last year.

How many pressures? How many times did Cutler throw it away? How many times was he on the run? Just looking at the stats, Cutler's completion percentages were terrible in those games outside of Minnesota. Saying Cutler was only sacked 5 times doesn't mean the line played well. Cutler is one of the most athletic and mobile QB's in the league. After that montrosity that was the Monday Night game against Detroit, I doubt they suddenly became good. Having to waste an extra blocker on Jared Allen every play because Webb can't do his job doesn't mean the line is good. There's a lot more that goes into good line play than just avoiding sacks.

 

It's tough to judge though too because Cutler didn't have the WR's. Was his completion percentage bad because he's throwing to bad WR's? Because Roy Williams is dropping passes at the numbers?

 

After that Detroit game is when they took Martz aside and said "Get your head of your ass and protect Cutler." I really think with the right scheme this group can be adequate. They'll never be great, but with the other weapons we have, I think they can get by.

 

Most teams in the league probably waste an extra blocker on Jared Allen.

All good points. And I agree that, with the right system, they may be adequate in a lot of games. But I think at this point it's a stretch to say they're anything more than that right now.