It has come to this: The Chicago Bears want to be the New Orleans Saints. ”The Saints are doing everything we used to do,” said Bears coach Mike Ditka.
The Saints have won only one more game than the Bears have, and that was the replacement game against the Bears. If Sunday`s games and the Jan. 3 NFC wild-card game follow form, the Saints will have to come to Chicago for the Jan. 9 or 10 playoff game.
But the Saints are a far more solid team than the Bears are at the moment. Ditka was talking about style more than results.
Statistics can lie, but they also can be useful mirrors when properly viewed.
Jim Dooley`s office is in the basement of Halas Hall in Lake Forest, where he serves the Bears as director of ”research and quality control.”
Dooley used to sit in the head coach`s office, where Ditka now deals with the personalities and injuries and idiosyncrasies of his athletes.
Dooley needs to deal only with statistics. He makes them come alive with such enthusiasm that Ditka had him address the players this week to explain to them why they are losing.
”Every week, I try to give Mike a little something he can use as a theme,” Dooley said.
Last week, Dooley reminded players what got them to Super Bowl XX. It was defensive takeaways, he said.
”You can forget about all the other statistics when you get down to this one.”
The Bears are 27th in the league in turnover ratio; the Saints are first. The Bears are 27th in the league in takeaways alone; the Saints are first.
Dooley said the failure of the defense to create interceptions and fumbles is far worse than the failure of the offense to avoid them. The Bears have recovered only 6 fumbles and intercepted only 10 passes in their 11 union games.
Dooley said takeaway leaders always are among the playoff teams. The Bears are ”the oddball team” this year, winning games mainly on big plays by superior athletes.
Dooley said when a defense takes away the ball, it results in points 48 percent of the time.
”I told them if they get five turnovers a game, they will go to the Super Bowl, no question,” Dooley said. ”In fact, if they get four turnovers, they should win their games. Because I know the character of this team, I believe if they get three turnovers, they will not only go through Los Angeles and through San Francisco, but they will get to the Super Bowl.”
Dooley cited remarkable proof:
”In the last three years, whenever the Bears` defense got three turnovers or more, we`ve never lost a game.”
Ditka made nine lineup changes for this week-six on defense.
”We need gang-tackling, swarming on the runner and interceptions,”
Dooley said. ”I told them, `You have to put fun back into your life and excitement back into the defense.`
”I told them, `Every time you get a turnover this week, hold it up and point to it and let every player on the sideline see it and know that`s what got you to the Super Bowl.` ”
Dooley cited two other statistics: running and field position. Both are related to takeaways.
”It`s almost an indestructible thing when you can lead in run offense and lead in takeaways,” Dooley said. ”Which comes first? They sort of come together. If you`re not getting takeaways and you`re going the longest distance to score, then common sense says you`re not able to run as much.”
More passing means more sacks and more chances for interceptions.
In their last two games, the Bears had the ball 28 times. Not once did they start a series in enemy territory. Exactly half the time, they started at least 80 yards away from the goal.
There is a new popular field-position statistic that ranks the distance teams must travel to score. The Bears are 13th; the Saints are third. Seattle is first and the 49ers are second-the two teams that beat the Bears in the last two weeks.
The return of all-time leading interceptor and tackler Gary Fencik at safety and the return of Dan Hampton to the middle of the defensive line are moves designed to get turnovers.
”We want to see if we can get a couple of picks (interceptions) and put pressure on the quarterback and get back to playing our Bear football,”
Ditka said. ”We need to create three turnovers a game.”
According to Dooley`s statistics, it is a sure formula for success.
Football is the ultimate team game. Ditka is fond of reminding players and fans that the Bears are not an offense, a defense and special teams; they are one team.
But there is a time and place for every cliche in football. When playoffs loom, the one that comes to mind first is: ”You win with defense.” Dooley is more specific: ”Defensive turnovers.”
