The mark of a truly good analyst is the ability to go beyond the obvious. Tell the listener something he doesn’t know.
Few do it better than Tom Thayer. I think I know the game after following football for 40 years. Yet at least four or five times, maybe more, during a Bears game on WBBM-AM 780, Thayer will make an observation that makes me feel like I’m still in Football 101.
Sure enough, when asked about the keys to the Bears-Seattle game Sunday, the first words out of Thayer’s mouth weren’t “Rex Grossman.”
“The offensive tackles need to play well,” Thayer said.
With Rex-mania at full tilt, Thayer probably is the only person in the country to signal out tackles John Tait and Fred Miller. Few Bears fans probably could pick them out of a lineup.
Being a one-time Bears guard, Thayer obviously has a bent for the offensive line. But his analysis goes much deeper.
“The offensive tackles are going to be a big part of this,” Thayer said. “Seattle has the third lightest defensive front seven in the league. When you look at the success of the running game, if you can continuously pound those guys with the big bodies, it’ll take its toll late in the second quarter and into the second half. That’s when the runs will develop into bigger, more time-consuming plays.”
Jeff Joniak isn’t surprised with Thayer’s perspective. He also knows there’s a good chance Thayer will be right.
“He doesn’t just say the Bears need to run the ball,” said Joniak, WBBM’s play-by-play voice.
“He will say they need to rush for 89 yards. He always will come up with a specific figure. I wonder how he does that. But darn if he isn’t right most of the time.”
You don’t get these insights by just showing up Sunday. Thayer spends the bulk of his week breaking down film as if he still were playing.
“I look at it if I was an offensive lineman watching the tape to evaluate my performance,” Thayer said. “As an offensive lineman, you never only watch the play once. I watch it at least five times, and it’s probably two or three times per guy. So you’re watching the same play 10 or 15 times. You watch to see what everybody does well or not so well.”
After watching the film, here are few more nuggets from Thayer:
On Grossman: “If the Bears come out of the locker room thinking Rex has to be their best player, that’s not the right approach. They don’t have to move the ball with their passing game. They need to look the offense in the eyes and say, `We need to run the ball. We need to keep (Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck) off the field.'”
On the key to defense: “The league doesn’t have respect for the Bears’ defense because they haven’t won a playoff game convincingly. (Cornerback) Charles Tillman will be the most magnified player on defense. He hasn’t played in a couple of weeks, and it’s almost impossible to simulate game action and emotion on the practice field. He’s going to have to prove he’s healthy. Early on, he will be the focal point.”
And finally, when asked about the importance of the Bears setting the tempo early, Thayer came up with one more “I-didn’t-think-of-that.”
“[With the noon start], Seattle’s body clock is going to be at 10 a.m. for the kickoff. That means they’ll be getting [the equivalent] of a 4-4:30 a.m. wake-up call.
“The Bears need to jump on these guys early, before they wake up. Hit them hard before they hit the snooze button.”
Coming to Chicago
Remarkably, Fox’s top announcing team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will be making its first visit to Soldier Field this year. That normally doesn’t happen to a 13-3 team.
The Bears’ home schedule was so bad, however, Fox never got a game it could highlight in the doubleheader slot. As a result, Buck and Aikman worked only the Bears’ games at the Jets and Patriots.
“I’m looking forward to coming,” Aikman said. “Chicago probably is my favorite city in the country.”
Not here
Even though Buck will be on the call Sunday, Chicago will be spared the invasion of the “Fox NFL Sunday” crew. The pregame show will originate out of Los Angeles.
But if the Bears win Sunday, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson will be parked outside Soldier Field for the NFC championship game.
Bears coverage
Sunday’s pregame shows will focus on–what else–Grossman. Pam Oliver will have a report on the struggling quarterback on “Fox NFL Sunday.” ESPN’s “NFL Countdown” dispatched George Smith to examine him.
As for the postgame, Comcast SportsNet will have an extended “Bears Postgame Live.” The show could go as long as two hours.
On the pre-pregame front, Corey McPherrin will host “Charge for the Championship” at 10 p.m. Friday on Ch. 32. Naturally, Grossman will be a guest.
CSN also will have a review of the Bears season and preview of the game at 10:30 p.m. Friday.
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esherman@tribune.com
