At 6 feet 4 inches, Bears wide receiver Justin Gage isn’t hard to find. But somehow the Bears’ tallest receiver had disappeared from the offense the last few weeks. Before Sunday’s 28-3 victory over Arizona, Gage’s last reception had come Nov. 9 against Detroit.
Four catches for 100 yards against the Cardinals might mean the Bears’ coaching staff will come up with more ways to involve Gage in the coming, crucial weeks. Not that Gage is complaining.
“I sure hope so, but that’s something the coaches will have to decide,” said Gage, the first Bears receiver to hit the 100-yard mark this season. “Coach [John] Shoop did a great job calling plays and taking advantage of what they gave us.”
It gave the Bears their biggest deep threat since the last time they made such an effort to involve Gage about a month ago in back-to-back home games against Detroit and San Diego.
Situation 1
Second-and-1 from the Bears’ 41 on the opening series.
Play: The Bears showed rare daring early in their passing game by throwing deep, but they did so in favorable field position. Gage turned an underthrown pass by Kordell Stewart into a 57-yard completion, outjumping 5-10 cornerback David Barrett and holding on after the ball had been deflected into the air. The Bears scored their first first-quarter touchdown of the season on the next play. “[Stewart] threw a great ball and gave me the opportunity to go for it,” said Gage, who already has learned NFL rookie etiquette that says every deep catch is “a great ball,” no matter how well the ball is thrown.
Reading on Gage: Dez White probably wouldn’t have made that catch. The Bears took advantage of a size mismatch with Gage and Barrett and gave one of the offense’s biggest playmakers a chance to make a play.
Situation 2
Second-and-1 from the Bears’ 27 with 57 seconds left in the first half.
Play: Coming out of a timeout, Stewart found Gage on a quick out pattern and delivered a strike for a 15-yard gain. Showing good awareness of the game situation, Gage got out of bounds rather than gamble for a chance at a few extra yards that would have eaten up the clock. The whole play lasted five seconds.
Reading on Gage: For a guy who hasn’t been involved much in recent weeks and working with Stewart for the first time, Gage looked seasoned running timing routes. More important, he knew that the clock was the bigger enemy than the Cardinals with less than a minute to play in the half.
Situation 3
Second-and-10 from the Cardinals’ 48 three plays later with 28 seconds left.
Play: Gage ran a deep curl and saved Stewart by going low for a 15-yard completion. The gain put the Bears in field-goal range at the 33.
Reading on Gage: He caught the ball a couple of inches off the ground and in his hands, an art not every NFL receiver has mastered. Bears coaches have worked hard on improving Gage’s hands this season, and small signs like that catch imply big progress.
Situation 4
Second-and-10 from the Cardinals’ 33, two plays later, with 14 seconds left.
Play: Stewart found Gage again for an apparent 33-yard TD catch that was waved off by an offensive pass-interference penalty. With the pass in the air, Gage created separation with Cardinals defensive back Emmanuel McDaniel by extending his arm and gently pushing off.
Reading on Gage: Gage reacted the way any receiver would by trying to aggressively go after the ball while subtly pushing off the defensive backs. Coach Dick Jauron saw it unfold from the sideline. “As soon as the flag was thrown, I thought that could easily be on us,” Jauron said. “I thought the defender had a hold early, and it might have gone that way. I saw [Gage’s] arm extend, and when that happens. … They’re long arms and not hard to see.”
Earlier this season, one Bears defensive back compared pushing off by receivers to traveling in the NBA: It’s only called when it’s in the open and obvious. Gage’s shove of McDaniel was in the open and obvious, and it looked like the right call despite Gage’s protests.
“I didn’t push off,” he said.
He did, but many more games like Sunday and Gage may get the benefit of the doubt on similarly close calls.
Situation 5
Third-and-14 from the Cardinals’ 37 with 8 minutes 25 seconds left in the third quarter.
Play: Gage came down in a vulnerable spot with a nicely placed pass from Stewart and delivered more punishment to Cardinals safety Dexter Jackson than he took. Jackson came out of the collision with injuries to his ribs and scapula that forced him to leave the game, and Gage came down with a 13-yard reception.
Reading on Gage: Two things stood out about Gage on this catch–his concentration and his physical presence that makes him a bigger threat. It was Gage’s last catch of the game. Now the Bears have to make sure it’s not another two games before his next one.
