Bears defense has been better, but takeaways are missing

The Bears' defense has been good, but it can get a lot better, starting today at Seattle's Qwest Field.

The Seahawks scored just 10 points last week in a 13-point loss on the road to the 49ers. But they hung 28 on the Rams in the season opener at home.

With head coach Lovie Smith calling the defensive plays, the Bears are No. 5 in total yards and tied for No. 10 in points allowed, the two most important defensive categories. They're No. 8 in sack percentage and passing yards allowed, two areas in which they were horrible last season, ranking 29th and 30th, respectively.

"We've done a lot of positive things," linebacker Lance Briggs said. "But we've got things that we can correct. Lovie showed us some of the numbers that we're (at) right now. Total defense, we're right around five or so. But there are a lot of areas that we need to improve on."

One area is particularly galling to Smith: the Bears are just 22nd in interception percentage. They have just 1 pick and 1 fumble recovery, and only seven NFL teams have less than 2 takeaways this season. Factored against Jay Cutler's 4 interceptions, that leaves the Bears with a turnover differential of minus-2, tied for 24th in the league.

"I'm not pleased with the takeaways, there's no way around that," Smith said. "We have to take the ball away more, but I like the way the guys have played. We feel OK about where we are. There are some things we have to correct, but I like some of the things we're doing. The energy of toughening up when we had to and not giving up any fourth-quarter points, and only giving up 14 points to the Steelers was big."

But getting 2 takeaways was even bigger, especially after coming up empty against the Packers in the opener. The Bears had 32 takeaways last year, second only to the Colts' 34, and their plus-5 turnover differential was tied for No. 8.

Since Smith became the Bears' head coach in 2004, they have forced 172 turnovers, more than any team in the NFL, and they're the only team in the league with at least 30 takeaways in each of the past four seasons.

It hasn't happened by accident. There's an art to it, and the master is cornerback Charles Tillman. He forced 4 fumbles last season, while the remainder of the team had 4 combined.

"It's just see ball and get (the) ball," said Tillman, who has the Bears' only interception this season. "Hand-eye coordination, an awareness of where the ball is and how the ball carrier is carrying the ball."

The Bears have 6 sacks this season, and according to Briggs, that provides an ideal opportunity to take the ball away.

"A lot of quarterbacks aren't thinking about protecting the ball when they're trying to complete it to one of their receivers," Briggs said. "Instead of just having a sack, we have (to get) a sack/caused fumble."

But that might be difficult considering Seahawks quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace have only been sacked once this season. And Wallace, who is much more mobile, is expected to start in place of Hasselbeck, who has a fractured rib.