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Lovie: Game plan was 'good enough to win'

The Chicago Bears averaged a season-best 6.4 yards per rush in Sunday's loss to the Oakland Raiders, yet they had just 27 rushing attempts, and only 22 of them were planned runs, since quarterback Caleb Hanie scrambled five times for 50 yards.

During their five-game win streak, which ended Sunday, the Bears averaged 32.4 running plays per game. So why didn't they run more often against the Raiders, who entered the game ranked No. 31 in average gain allowed per run, especially since Hanie was making his first NFL start and wound up throwing 3 interceptions?

Coach Lovie Smith was asked Monday afternoon if more running plays should have been called.

“No,” he said. “I think our game plan was good enough to win the football game. I think if we eliminated a couple of turnovers ... We all know that swing there at the end of the half. If you take that away, it's a different ballgame. If we don't give up the long screen pass and it's a different ballgame. I liked our game plan. We just didn't make enough plays this game.”

The swing at the end of the half that Smith alluded to was, indeed, a killer.

Trailing 9-7, the Bears had reached the Raiders' seven-yard line after Johnny Knox's 56-yard kickoff return gave them great field position. Hanie rolled right and threw a pass back to his left intended for Kellen Davis. But Raiders linebacker Kamerion Wimbley made an excellent play to pick off the pass, and only the hustle of offensive tackle Lance Louis prevented a touchdown on the return.

Still, the Raiders got a field goal and a 12-7 halftime lead.

Critics questioned the wisdom of the throw that Hanie was asked to make, but Smith defended the play.

“We were trying to win the game,” the Bears coach said in his postgame press conference. “Every time a play doesn't work you can say that. It happens like that sometimes, (and you) need to be able to rally from it.”

The Bears never did, failing to get any closer than 5 points in the second half. And Smith didn't change his mind about the play on Monday.

“It didn't work, so of course you're going to get criticized when something doesn't work,” Smith said. “But next time it will. First time it didn't; next time maybe it will.”

As well as Hanie did running the ball — it was the most rushing yards by a Bears quarterback since 2003 — Smith isn't anxious to see Hanie imitate Denver quarterback Tim Tebow, who ran the ball 22 times (for 67 yards) in Sunday's victory over the Chargers.

He won't, however, discourage Hanie from using one of his more valuable skills.

“I don't think you can ask anything more than that,” Smith said of Hanie's contribution to the ground attack. “There are opportunities sometimes, especially with some coverages that teams play to lock down receivers; there's normally an opening. Quarterback is normally not accounted for in most defenses so, if you have a guy that's mobile enough to do that, we will occasionally take advantage of it.”

The Bears also appear inclined to get backup running back Marion Barber more involved in light of his Sunday performance (team-best 63 yards on 10 carries), his most productive game as a Bear.

“He's a weapon we need to use,” Smith said. “We brought him here to fill that type of role for us, and it did seem like he was feeling it (Sunday). He was productive.”

Matt Forte got just 12 carries against the Raiders, his lightest workload in two months, but he picked up 59 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Bears get back to running more frequently with Forte, Barber and maybe even Hanie against the Chiefs Sunday at Soldier Field. Through 12 weeks, coach Todd Haley's team was ranked 27th in rushing yards allowed.

Ÿ Follow Bob's Bears reports via Twitter @BobLeGere and check out our Bear Essentials blog at dailyherald.com.

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