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 make a trend, but the defensive linemen did not exactly take up residence in the Rams’ backfield in the Bears’ 13-10 overtime victory.
Perhaps more was hoped for, considering the Rams were without arguably the NFL’s best tackle combination–Orlando Pace, in his annual holdout, and Kyle Turley, who is injured.
Grant Williams and Scott Tecero opened at tackle, and they held their own against Bears defensive ends Alex Brown and Michael Haynes.
The Bears’ only sack when things mattered came from Hunter Hillenmeyer, replacing injured middle linebacker Brian Urlacher.
Brown drew one penalty, an offside on the Rams’ first play from scrimmage.
Rookies Tommie Harris and Tank 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 offside 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.
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.
Coach Lovie Smith needs more out of his front four. “Everything we do defensively is based on getting four-man pressure,” Smith said before the game. “If that doesn’t work, then we’re not happy. We have to get more pressure from the line for our defense to be successful.”
On offense: The Bears learned a lot about their offensive line. 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 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 line starter Thursday night who is assured of being in the opening-day lineup was center Olin Kreutz, who quickly gave way to Michael Keathley.
Although there’s still a month before the regular-season opener, the Bears really have only a couple of weeks before time runs short on settling on an offensive line combination. For most teams, the third exhibition game is the real final tuneup, as regulars aren’t asked to do much in the final exhibition.
Bad timing department: Trying to show they deserve to start, young offensive tackles Qasim Mitchell and Edwards were called for false starts on 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 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. “It’s a long season, so I’ll have plenty of time to play.”
Best performance by a replacement for a Pro Bowl middle linebacker: With Urlacher recovering from a pulled hamstring, 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 Rams tackle Tyoka Jackson.
Good finish: Quinn lobbed a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gabe Reid with 10 minutes 36 seconds 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.
Strangest run by a quarterback: Chris Chandler, the Rams’ 38-year-old backup, ran around right end for 3 yards and a first down on 4th-and-1 from the Bears’ 43, giving up before his former teammates could hit him. Alas, it didn’t matter. An illegal-shift penalty wiped out the first down.
Best performance by a rookie running back: Steven Jackson, the Rams’ first-round pick, got extensive work, as the Rams gave Marshall Faulk the night off.
Best combined effort by former Chicagoans: Chandler tossed a 13-yard TD pass to Oswego native Joey Goodspeed, who played at Notre Dame.
