The Bears are doing an excellent job of pointing out the pointless nature of preseason games. The point is, it`s too early to point fingers. No sense showing any third-down plays until they count. And why waste scoreboard electricity?
While the Packers are averaging 24 points a game, the Vikings 18 1/2 and the Lions and Buccaneers 18, the Bears are taking a more ecologically sound approach to the preseason, averaging only 7 1/2 points, thus saving valuable energy.
Only the Colts, averaging five points a game, and the Patriots, averaging 6 1/2, have been more frugal than the Bears.
Meanwhile, teams in the NFC West are going wild. The Falcons are averaging 37 points, the Saints 24 1/2, the 49ers 23.
The Bears prefer to start slowly and build momentum: six points the first week, seven the next, 10 the third. No telling what might happen the next two weeks.
The Buffalo Bills are refusing to exhibit their no-huddle offense during the exhibition season. The Bears are taking secrecy a step further, showing only their no-offense huddle.
What is always so difficult about preseasons is figuring out what is intentional and what isn`t.
”I`m a little concerned, not panicked, but we have to start scoring points,” offensive coordinator Greg Landry said.
September is early enough to start scoring, but the Bears might be a little more comfortable if their wide receivers would start catching as many balls as their defensive backs.
After finishing 28th in the league in passing last season, the Bears don`t exactly have a whole bunch of happy memories to sustain them throughout these summer practices. While other teams can afford to keep their offenses in mothballs until needed, the Bears reach back and discover their security blanket full of holes.
This is an offense that needs work, not rest. Yet when training camp began, six offensive starters, including placekicker Kevin Butler, were absent because they didn`t have contracts. They came from every position-quarterback, running back, line, wide receiver, tight end.
Quarterback Jim Harbaugh missed seven practices and a scrimmage. Tackle Keith Van Horne and fullback Brad Muster missed 14 practices, a scrimmage and one game. Butler missed 23 practices, a scrimmage and two games. Wide receiver Ron Morris and tight end James Thornton missed 29 practices, a scrimmage and three games.
As a result, the Bears have yet to field their entire first offensive team in a single full practice, let alone a game.
”That`s affected us a little bit, but you can`t put that as an excuse. We have players who are just not playing well now,” Landry said.
Morris and Thornton signed in time for a short practice Saturday. There have been 30 practices since camp opened, so the Bears are scoring less than a point a practice. This is not an offense that can plug in its parts at whim and operate at will. Muster and Neal Anderson are its only obvious stars. When those two finished 1-2 in receiving last year, you saw what happened: The Bears finished last in passing.
Against the Cardinals, there appeared to be less confusion and disorganization on the sideline than there was last week against the 49ers, when the Bears acted like they were in foreign territory. Otherwise, there are few signs of improvement.
The tipoff is third down. Zero for 12 was the Bears` record in third-down efficiency against the Cardinals, who ranked 26th in the league last season in third-down defense.
The Bears were 5 for 17 on third downs against the Dolphins and 4 for 12 against the 49ers. Their three-game total is 9 for 41, just 22 percent. That`s bad.
Last year, the Bears converted 36.7 percent of their third-down plays. That ranked 25th in the league. The Colts were the worst at 30.3.
Of the 12 playoff teams, the Bears were the worst in third-down offense. The statistic doesn`t mean everything because the Giants were next to last at 38.8, and they won it all.
In comparison to other playoff teams, the Bears lagged behind the Oilers
(52.2), 49ers (48.5), Raiders (47.8), Redskins (46.6), Bills (44.1), Dolphins (42.7), Eagles (41.3), Chiefs (41), Bengals (40.3) and Saints (40.2). To play three preseason games and be sitting at 22 percent is disappointing if not discouraging.
”I don`t think we made progress at all. I think we took a step back,”
Landry said.
The Bears aren`t alone in their frustration. The Colts are 0-2, have scored only one touchdown and have connected on only 32 percent of their third-down attempts. They had quarterback Jeff George, running back Eric Dickerson and everybody else signed, happy and in camp before their first game. They aren`t panicked, either, although coach Ron Meyer says: ”We need to lower the blade. We`re going for the grass and not cutting it.”
None of this matters now, of course. It might not matter Sept. 1, either, especially if Mark Carrier can make sure he runs those interceptions back for touchdowns against the Vikings.
