Even in the exhibition season, in the games within the game that produce such scenarios as Pro Bowlers going against fourth-string rookies, certain unavoidable truths become apparent.
Even as the scoreboard shows a three-point margin with less than four minutes remaining and the Bears offense has just produced touchdowns on consecutive possessions, those truths are indisputable. And Friday night at Soldier Field, the truth was this:
There is a reason why the Tennessee Titans were in the Super Bowl last year and the Bears were not. There is a reason why the Titans are still considered among the league favorites and the Bears are quite obviously still some distance away.
It began with the Titans’ 309 yards of total offense in the first half to 136 by the Bears, and ended with a 34-28 Tennessee victory not in any way indicative of a night that left Bears coach Dick Jauron puzzled and more than a little disappointed.
“I really don’t have my finger on the problem,” said Jauron, who concluded his second straight 2-2 preseason. “There were so many big plays [by Tennessee]. Whoever hit that fan running across the field (a flattening blow by an unidentified bystander in the closing seconds), we may have been able to use him in the first half.”
Concerns about the Bears defense were far from allayed in the first quarter as last year’s Super Bowl runners-up racked up 149 yards of total yardage to 48 for the Bears.
Steve McNair was 7 of 8 for 112 yards, at one point completing 13 straight passes into the second quarter in leading the Titans to scores on their first three possessions and a 41-yard missed field goal try by Al Del Greco on their fourth.
McNair, like Cincinnati’s Akili Smith last week, had more than ample time to operate, considering every option but where to eat after the game and finding consistently wide-open receivers, mostly in the middle of the coverage. He left in the third quarter having completed 17 of 23 passes for 267 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Defensive coordinator Greg Blache said the Bears’ inconsistency leaves him with just enough hope for the regular season, which begins a week from Sunday at Minnesota.
“We might play like world champions next week,” Blache said. “Week to week, snap to snap, we’re Jekyll and Hyde. I never know what I’m going to get from this group.”
Five Titan receivers caught passes in the first quarter alone with Pro Bowler Eddie George filling in the gaps from there with 12 first-half carries for 42 yards and a 1-yard TD plunge to increase Tennessee’s lead to 14-0. McNair’s 1-yard run had made it 7-0.
With the Titans holding an advantage in time of possession of 10:22-4:38, Cade McNown and the Bears offense got only 10 plays off with McNown completing 6 of 13 passes for 52 yards.
“When that happens, you have to make the most of your opportunities and we’re capable of doing more than we did,” said offensive coordinator Gary Crowton.
Among McNown’s better moments: escaping the grasp of a charging Jevon Kearse to get off a play-action pass and 11-yard completion to Macey Brooks, and an 18-yard third-down romp. The forgettable: a sack for an 8-yard loss on third-and-9 from the Titans’ 35-yard-line and a pass deep in Titans territory just out of the grasp of Brooks.
Curtis Enis had only two carries for 18 yards while James Allen had six for 14 yards.
With the final roster cutdown day looming Sunday, punter Brent Bartholomew, who seemed to secure a job with the release this week of Aron Langley, may have opened the door to more waiver hunting by Bears management. His 31-yard punt early in the third quarter yielded a 29-yard return to the Bears’ 20 and eventual 6-yard McNair touchdown pass.
Dependable Bears veterans continued to make an impression. Glyn Milburn’s 54-yard kickoff return set up Paul Edinger’s 45-yard field goal early in the second quarter, while Bobby Engram’s catch and impressive run for 30 yards from Jim Miller in the second quarter set up Jaret Holmes’ 36-yard field goal. Safety Tony Parrish, demoted to second string this week, accepted a gift from McNair at the Bears’ goal line near the end of the first half for an interception.
The Titans kept their first string in an inordinately long period of time for an exhibition game, well into the third quarter, and the mismatch became that much more glaring as they scored on their first two possessions of the third to build a 31-6 lead.
“They weren’t in the Super Bowl for no reason,” said Jauron. “They have depth, they have talent, they have experience.”
And the Bears have one week left to get ready for a regular season that has them facing four division opponents in the first five games.
“The thing about the preseason is that it’s over,” said Jauron. “We just correct everything we need to correct and move on. We’ve got to have great confidence that we can win because if we don’t, then we don’t have any chance.”
