Bears coach Dave Wannstedt wound up leaving his starters in Saturday night’s exhibition game against the New Orleans Saints until nearly five minutes into the fourth quarter.
The plan, Wannstedt had said before the game, was to see how they would respond to halftime adjustments, and he intended to keep the first string in the game until some point in the third quarter. But as the game progressed into a hideously inefficient, sloppy effort by the Bears, it’s possible he was simply waiting for some sign of life.
A 5-yard third-down pass from Erik Kramer to rookie Bobby Engram at 10:42 of the fourth would have to do. But it was far from enough as the Bears (1-2 in the exhibition season) fell to the Saints 31-21.
Adding injury to the Bears’ insult was Todd Perry’s bruised right shoulder and Chris Zorich’s sprained knee, both occurring in the first quarter and keeping both out for the rest of the night.
The first half was saved from complete disaster only by an eight-play, 69-yard touchdown drive that included two fumbles and symbolized the sloppiness of the Bears’ first unit.
For the second week in a row, the Bears were bogged down by penalties, this time seven for 54 yards in the first half alone.
Offensively, they registered just one first down in the first quarter, rushed for just 10 yards and trailed in possession time, 4:12 to 10:48 for the Saints (2-2). The Bears gained 155 yards in total offense in the first half.
The Saints, eager to forget a 42-6 loss to Kansas City last week, scored on three of five possessions in the first half while racking up 194 yards in total offense as Jim Everett completed 10 of 14 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Everett and reserve tight end Hendrick Lusk managed to make the entire Bears secondary look bad on a 72-yard pass play that included a missed ankle tackle by Mark Carrier at the Bears’ 35, and ended up at the 3-yard line. Two plays later, halfback Mario Bates plunged over from the 1.
Following a line drive punt by Todd Sauerbrun, another long pass play burned the Bears on the Saints’ next possession, this time a 42-yarder from Everett to wide receiver Michael Haynes, who squeezed inside rookie right corner Walt Harris and plucked the ball through the outstretched arms of left corner Donnell Woolford.
Woolford, who said a sore knee contributed to two Miami touchdown passes last week, helped set up another Saints score on their next possession with a 16-yard interference penalty that gave New Orleans the ball on the Bears’ 2. Everett rolled right and hit tight end Kirk Botkin two plays later to push the Saints’ lead to 21-0 following the PAT.
The Bears managed to put together their longest drive of the half–albeit one laden with Bears penalties–on the ensuing possession, but it ended abruptly with a Kramer pass deflected by middle linebacker Winfred Tubbs and intercepted by strong safety Anthony Newman, who returned the ball 12 yards to the New Orleans 25-yard line.
Even the Bears’ lone scoring drive on their final possession of the half–eight plays that went 69 yards–was hardly a forceful march downfield but another of fits and starts, sacks, fumbles, and incomplete passes. Only a 21-yard pass play to Curtis Conway followed by a pass interference penalty on the Saints finally got the Bears on the board on a 1-yard sweep by Kramer.
Kramer finished the half 7 of 15 for 90 yards and an interception. He finished the night 12 of 23 for 125 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
