The unveiling of the Bears’ new and improved pass rush Thursday night yielded this conclusion: it is indeed new and it still needs improving.
Less than two quarters of an opening exhibition game do not a trend make, but Bears’ regular defensive linemen did not exactly take up residence in the Rams’ backfield.
Young linemen scrambling for roster spots, like Israel Idonije and Alain Kashama, however helped put the Bears in position to win 13-10. And the top two draft choices, Tommie Harris and Terry “Tank” Johnson, made plays.
Idonije, a native of Manitoba who finished last season on the practice squad, led the Bears with two sacks. “I could have made more plays,” he said.
Perhaps more was hoped for from the regulars, considering the Rams were without arguably the NFL’s best tackle combination–Orlando Pace (annual holdout) and Kyle Turley (injured).
Grant Williams and Scott Tecero opened at tackle, and held their own against the Bears’ defensive ends, Alex Brown and Michael Haynes.
“I came close to a couple, but I have to finish it off,” said Brown, who was offside on the Rams’ first play from scrimmage. “The guys who played later in the game did a great job of finishing.”
Harris and Johnson entered the game in the second quarter, and Harris showed some good quickness off the ball and a sense of aggressiveness–he almost lined up offsides a couple of times but was not penalized.
Harris occasionally found himself fighting off double teams. His effort was rewarded in the third quarter, when he knocked down a Jeff Smoker pass.
“I told you I’d be around the ball and I was,” Harris said. “It was pretty much what I expected since we’d scrimmaged them already.”
Johnson showed good reaction early in the second half, chasing down Rams rookie Steven Jackson to hold him to a 2-yard gain on a screen pass.
“They got about 40 yards against us on a screen pass in the scrimmage last week, and I remembered that,” Johnson said. “It was exciting being out there before the game, but when I got in, it was just like college football, except you’re in the league.”
Bears coach Lovie Smith still needs more out of his front four, although he deferred judgment.
“I think they did some good things,” he said. “Our pass rush was a lot better than it’s been. We weren’t satisfied what we did against the Rams pass rush-wise in the scrimmage, but we’ll watch the tape and go from there.”
Offensively speaking: The Bears learned a lot about their offensive line against the Rams–they learned some people competing for starting jobs haven’t exactly won them. Starters John Tait and Rex Tucker rested injuries, so nobody expected the Bears to dominate a veteran St. Louis defensive line. But several players fighting for playing time had a rough go of it against the Rams regulars.
Veteran guard Mike Gandy had three holding calls in the first three quarters. Steve Edwards, starting at right tackle, where Tait is likely to wind up, had two false starts.
Terrence Metcalf, getting a shot at right guard, didn’t draw that kind of attention, but left the game in the second quarter with a sprained ankle.
The only offensive lineman who started Thursday night who is assured of being in the opening day lineup was Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz, who quickly gave way to Michael Keathley.
Although there’s still a month before the regular-season opener, the Bears have only a couple of weeks before time runs short on settling on an offensive line. For most teams, the third exhibition game is the real final tune-up, as regulars aren’t asked to do much in the final exhibition game.
Bad timing department: Trying to show they deserve to start, young offensive tackles Steve Edwards and Qasim Mitchell were called for false starts within two plays in the first drive.
Worse timing department: Gandy’s first holding call wiped out Rex Grossman’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Johnson in the first quarter.
Best example of toughness (even though the play didn’t count): Johnson, who ran over cornerback Kevin Garrett to get into the end zone.
Newsworthy: Paul Edinger, who had only one touchback last season, boomed his first kickoff to the Rams’ 1-yard line.
Best start by a free agent running back: The Bears’ Thomas Jones had 53 yards on seven carries, all on the Bears’ first possession. He was given the rest of the night off.
“When you’re out here and into the game you want to play as much as you can, but I’m excited about the opportunity that I had and I just tried to make the best of it,” said Jones, who had a 26-yard run in the drive that led to a field goal.
Best performance by a replacement for a Pro Bowl middle linebacker: With Brian Urlacher recovering from a pulled hamstring, Hunter Hillenmeyer sacked Marc Bulger to force the Rams to settle for a field goal in their first drive.
Tough start: On his first play as a Bear, quarterback Jonathan Quinn was sacked for a 5-yard loss by tackle Tyoka Jackson.
Good finish: Quinn lobbed a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Gabe Reid with 10:36 to play, pulling the Bears into a 10-10 tie on Quinn’s last play of the night. Rookie Craig Krenzel took over on the next possession.
