Smith says Bears ‘need more production’ from Melton
Defensive tackle Henry Melton burst on the scene with a pair of sacks in the season-opening victory over the Falcons, but he’s had just 1 sack and only 4 tackles since then.
“I’m just trying to find some consistency,” Melton said. “I try to do something every week. I want to be a playmaker. But I feel like I’m always one step away from making a big play. It’s really just going back to work and trying to get some more explosion and get that extra edge during the week.”
The Bears’ 2009 fourth-round draft choice, Melton slapped on 20 or so pounds in the off-season, bulking up to 295 pounds so he could become a full-time 3-technique tackle after alternating between end and tackle last season. It looked like a great plan after the first game.
Melton isn’t the only defensive player with room for improvement, but coaches have noted his fall-off from the season opener.
“I mentioned that to Henry today,” coach Lovie Smith said. “He hasn’t showed up as much. Whether teams have adjusted to him or whatever, we need to get more production from him because he’s capable of it.
“Sometimes you have this break and get recharged a little bit; we need Henry to come back the way he started the season off. In order for us to do things this next part of our season, our defensive line has to really take off. Henry’s a big part of that.”
Weathering the storm:
The Bears survived Eagles QB Michael Vick last season, winning 31-26, even though Vick threw for 333 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception while completing 29 of 44 passes.
“It’s real difficult for us as a secondary because he creates a lot of time for the guys to get open,” cornerback Tim Jennings said. “But we believe in our pass rush, and our pass rush is going to get to him and make it easy for us in the back seven. So we’ve just got to stay in cover and believe in our pass rush that they’re going to get him down.”
The Bears are only 27th in sack percentage, but they got to Vick four times last season, with the sacks coming from four different defensive linemen.
The real McCoy:
Eagles running back LeSean McCoy has outrushed even Bears MVP candidate Matt Forte this season. McCoy’s 754 yards are second in the NFL to Adrian Peterson’s 798. Forte is sixth with 672.
“It’s a great scheme for what he does, being a cutback runner and a slash runner and just how he can stretch the field,” Bears nose tackle Anthony Adams said of McCoy. “He’s been doing a great job. I think he’s one of the keys as to why they’re having success.”
McCoy got just 10 carries vs. the Bears last season because the Eagles were chasing a double-digit deficit for much of the game, but he still managed 53 yards.
The Bears’ defense is 12th in rushing yards allowed but 29th in average gain per run allowed, which isn’t a good sign, considering McCoy is averaging 5.6 yards per carry, more than anyone in the league with 60 or more carries.
The winner is:
Devin Hester was named NFC special teams player of the month for October.
He had 8 punt returns for 130 yards (16.3-yard average), including a 69-yard touchdown, and 9 kickoff returns for 278 yards (30.9-yard average) with a 98-yard TD. His three player-of-the-month awards, including December 2006 and September ’07, are the most in franchise history.
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