Dolphins will provide test for Bears' run defense
The Bears' No. 2 run defense will be tested Thursday night by Miami Dolphins running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, who both have trampled them in the past.
In the Bears' 2006 Super Bowl season they opened with 7 straight wins before the Dolphins came to Soldier Field and shocked them 31-13, forcing 6 turnovers and getting 157 rushing yards from Brown on 29 carries.
“Yeah, they pounded us last time,” linebacker Brian Urlacher said. “They beat us pretty good. We haven't had a good history with them.”
Four years earlier the Dolphins trounced the Bears 27-9 on Monday night in South Florida and Williams rolled for 216 yards on 31 carries, including touchdowns of 63 and 15 yards.
In three career games vs. the Bears, Williams has rushed for 428 yards on 82 carries for a 5.2-yard average and 3 touchdowns.
Brown and Williams have been even more dangerous operating out of the Dolphins' Wildcat formation, with Brown taking a direct snap from center.
Since the formation was unveiled early in the 2008 season, Brown has run 118 times for 640 yards, a 5.4-yard average and 7 touchdowns. He also has completed 3 of 8 passes for 41 yards and 2 more touchdowns.
“The Dolphins can pose some problems for you with their Wildcat formation and running the football,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “It's always tough when you go down there. We're expecting another physical football game.”
But the novelty of the Wildcat seems to be wearing off. On 16 runs this season, Brown has just 36 yards for a 2.3-yard average and no touchdowns.
The effectiveness of the gimmick has diminished each season.
In '08, 85 run plays from Wildcat generated 516 yards for a 6.1-yard average and 6 touchdowns. The next season, 84 runs produced 439 yards, a 5.2-yard average and 7 scores. On 25 Wildcat runs this season the Dolphins have just 79 yards, a 3.2-yard average and no touchdowns.
Teams have figured out how to better defend the trick play, but the Dolphins might be inclined to serve the Bears a bigger dose with third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen forced into service.
If that's the case, the Bears are ready.
“The key to stopping them is tackling the guy with the football,” Urlacher said, not entirely in jest. “Figure out where he's going and go get it. The thing about it is, if you read your keys, they'll take you to the football in our defense.
“A lot of people see the Wildcat and they freeze; we don't, we get downhill. If we do that we'll be OK. They do a lot of different formations from the Wildcat, motioning, and they'll put three or four running backs in there, so it's just reading our keys. We have a key on every play.”
Brown also is capable of throwing the ball, but that aspect of the formation also seems to have outlived its usefulness.
In the first year of its use, the Dolphins scored 2 touchdowns on just 4 passes from the Wildcat formation, and last year they scored once on 7 passes. Both pass attempts this year have been incomplete.
“I hope he throws it,” Urlacher said. “We'll let the DBs worry about that; we'll worry about him running the ball and all that stuff.
“If he's throwing to the quarterback, we'll probably be in good shape. I know he's thrown some touchdowns, but our guys read their keys pretty good back there.”
ŸFollow Bob LeGere's Bears reports via Twitter@BobLeGere. Check out his blog, Bear Essentials, at DailyHerald.com.