Bears must stay in front of explosive Bush
Bears offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Aaron Kromer coached Lions running back Reggie Bush for three years with the Saints, and he knows how dangerous he can be.
“Being around Reggie on a day-to-day basis allows you to know his explosion and how, when he hits a hole, he can hit it in a hurry,” Kromer said. “So you need to stay in front of Reggie and not allow him that crease to get started. Once he gets started he's extremely fast.”
Bush missed last week with a knee injury but is expected to play today as the Bears (3-0) take on Detroit (2-1). Bush is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry on 30 attempts with a long gain of only 12 yards, but he's picked up 145 yards on 7 receptions, an average of 20.7 yards per catch.
“He knows how to make defenders miss,” Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said. “He's a tough guy to bring down. You need to be aware of him and know where he is on the field. He can create mismatches if you split him out and put him against some linebackers. “
Some linebackers?
“Some, yeah,” Briggs said. “Because there are others that are good at locking down running backs.”
Friendly foe:
Defensive end Israel Idonije spent nine years with the Bears, but he'll be the enemy this afternoon as a member of the Lions.
“I miss ‘Izzy,'” Bears 11-year veteran linebacker Lance Briggs said. “We all do. We miss him not only as a teammate, but as a friend. He was here almost as long as me and ‘Peanut (Charles Tillman).' Obviously we've created a great bond.”
But then Briggs took a shot at his former teammate.
“I used to think he looked pretty bad in (No.) 71, but now he looks really bad in (No.) 77.”
Idonije's snaps were limited in the first two games, and he has just 3 tackles, but with the season-ending injury to former starter Jason Jones last week, he should see more playing time.
“I hope he plays well,” Briggs said. “But not well enough to beat us.”
By the numbers:
In 10 games against the Lions, defensive end Julius Peppers has 11 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. ... Cornerback Charles Tillman has 5 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles in 17 games against the Lions. ... Jay Cutler has orchestrated 19 game-wining drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. Six of those drives ended with a field goal and in the other 13 a Cutler TD pass accounted for the winning points. Twelve of those winning drives, and 9 of the TD passes, came as a member of the Bears. ... The Bears lead the NFL with 11 takeaways — 6 fumble recoveries and 5 interceptions. ... Since the start of last season, the Bears have returned 10 interceptions for touchdowns, twice as many as any other team. ... Major Wright's 3 interception returns for touchdowns since 2010 are the most by a safety.