Looking for some pressure
As the Bears' defense found out last week, there isn't much consolation in winning the battle on the ground but losing the war.
So while one and all agree that containing Minnesota running back Adrian "All Day" Peterson is Job One, it isn't enough. Vikings quarterback Gus Frerotte cannot be given the same opportunities that Atlanta Falcons rookie Matt Ryan took advantage of last week.
The Bears' pass rush has to make Frerotte feel the heat.
Ryan was not sacked once last week, and three weeks earlier Tampa Bay's Brian Griese was unsacked despite throwing 67 passes. That failure to disturb the quarterback contributed greatly to a Bears loss.
"You have to be able to get pressure, no matter what," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "Whether it's four, five, six guys (rushing), you can't let the quarterback just stand back there."
Especially today the Bears cannot afford to put more stress on a secondary that resembles a M.A.S.H. unit. Nickel back Danieal Manning is out with a hamstring injury and three of the top four cornerbacks are injured, didn't practice much and are questionable, at best, for today's game. Charles Tillman (shoulder), Nate Vasher (wrist) and Trumaine McBride (shoulder) all hope to play, but none will be 100 percent.
Tillman was unable to finish last week's game after injuring his left shoulder, and he came into that game with a sore right shoulder, but he sounds like he wants to play.
"If it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger, right?" Tillman said. "If you go out there and act like it's really not hurting, everything is 100 percent and you're not hurt, you'll be all right. The mind can control it all."
Smith said Tillman will do everything he can to be on the field because he's tough, even by football standards.
"I don't know if every football player's tough, but Charles Tillman definitely is," Smith said. "If it's a matter of pain, he'll be out there."
The pass rush was supposed to be a strength of this year's defense, but the Bears are an embarrassing 27th in the league in sack percentage. Whether it's walking wounded in the secondary or inexperienced backups Marcus Hamilton and rookie Zackary Bowman, they need the pass rush to hurry and harass Frerotte.
"I'm surprised whenever we don't sack the quarterback," Smith said. "Everything starts off with being able to get pressure with our front four. But if we're not getting a lot of sacks, to me, you should at least see interceptions on the other end, (because the) quarterback's getting rid of the ball quickly, which should allow us an opportunity to get some picks. If (neither) of those happen, it's not a good day for us."
Frerotte's favorite target is former Bears receiver Bernard Berrian, whose 19.8-yard average per catch is third in the NFL among players with 15 or more catches. The more time Frerotte gets, the better chance he has of connecting with Berrian from long range.
"They're going to throw it deep, and they're going to have five-, seven-step drops," said defensive end Alex Brown, who leads the Bears with 3 sacks. "As a defensive line, it's our job to get to the quarterback and at least get him off rhythm, get a little pressure on him, and hopefully we can get some sacks."
If not, it probably won't matter if the Bears succeed in containing the running game.
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