Inside the locker room Thursday at Halas Hall, defensive tackle Matt Toeaina took a few minutes during his first full day as a Bear to introduce himself to new teammates.
Fellow defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy, practically a veteran in comparison having arrived two days before Toeaina, nodded as he walked by.
Across the room, old pro Babatunde Oshinowo was busy helping a TV reporter pronounce his first name so it would sound right on the evening news.
That’s 1,061 pounds of new blood the Bears imported onto their active roster this week because of losses on the defensive line that further depleted the NFL’s 25th-ranked run defense.
It’s a heavy burden figuring out how to stop Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson, one that could weigh on the Bears’ minds for a good chunk of the next decade.
To prepare themselves for that long-term reality, the Bears might consider responding over time the way they started this week until they fix what’s broken about the Cover-2 run defense.
Call it the Bears’ Peterson Principle: Elevate as many healthy linemen as it takes until the defense is no longer incompetent stopping the run.
Peterson’s emergence in Minnesota this season threatens to change the emphasis for the Bears defense and others in the NFC North as much as any newcomer to the division since Barry Sanders. In the near NFL future teams will conclude stopping the Vikings means stopping Peterson, who threatens to make Minnesota legitimate playoff contenders for a while.
Peterson looks too good to be considered a fad, returned too quickly from a sprained knee to be considered injury-prone and possesses too much maturity to think he will squander his potential.
So in addition to auditioning defensive tackles to see if they’re good enough to rest Tommie Harris for the final two games or let Darwin Walker go in the off-season, the Bears might have to shift their thinking early in the draft.
A presumed strength suddenly looks like a soft spot in a much harder division to win.
Sure, the Bears need to draft an offensive lineman, a running back and will consider a quarterback. But they have selected only one defensive tackle, Dusty Dvoracek, in the last three years, and Harris’ iffy health makes the position a priority next April.
Who?
There’s plenty of time to speculate about that question. Here are some others with more clear-cut answers.
Do you think the Bears are considering trading one of the defensive ends? There’ll be a logjam next year when Dan Bazuin comes back with Israel Idonije, Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson. Could they get a good guard or tackle or a good safety?
Maybe, but none of the guys you mentioned — Ogunleye, Brown or Anderson — should be traded. Idonije is too valuable on special teams too. Bazuin is unproven and a risk, so it would be unwise to overreact based on his potential. Put Brown back in the starting lineup and use Anderson in spot duty again in ’08. Ogunleye is having a Pro Bowl-caliber year even if he might not make it because of how many other ends are enjoying fine seasons too.
Devin Hester has proved to be most dangerous in the open field with some blockers, so why not use him in two-back sets where Ron Turner can call screen passes and outside runs to Hester?
In the first half against the Redskins, one of the potential roadblocks to such an innovative idea arose. Hester had trouble getting lined up and running the right route as a wide receiver so expanding his duties to include running back, where pass protection rules are strict, might be asking too much. Athletically, it makes sense. But the move would force Hester to learn another part of the offense he already has struggled to learn.
I know you think the Bears probably won’t bring back Mike Brown next season. But seeing as how the team lacks even one quality safety, shouldn’t they at least consider trying to sign him cheaply and hope to pick up another safety in the draft or in free agency?
If the Bears restructure Brown’s deal to pay him the veteran’s minimum with incentives, it might be worth inviting him to camp to see how long he can stay healthy. Safety has become a position of desperation for the Bears. But his scheduled salary of $2.44 million seems too high for a player whose health they can’t count on. That also makes putting Brown any higher than No. 2 on a depth chart an invitation for disappointment.
Do you believe the hit on Rex Grossman was unacceptably egregious? In my opinion, it was 100 percent intentional. It was below his knees. If that hit had occurred on Brett Favre, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, the guy would have been flagged, ejected, fined and then suspended!
In going for Grossman’s left knee, Cornelius Griffin should have been penalized 15 yards under a rule change adopted in 2006 that prohibits pass rushers from being allowed to “forcibly hit a quarterback below the knees.” The proposal, which passed 25-7 that year, was made after quarterbacks Carson Palmer, Brian Griese and Ben Roethlisberger sustained knee injuries after getting tackled low. A suspension sounds too harsh, especially because Terrence Metcalf blocked Griffin in that direction, but a penalty flag should have been thrown.
Why don’t the Bears try moving their coordinators out of the cozy boxes upstairs and onto the field? Maybe they could get a better feel for the flow of the game. God knows Turner’s play-calling needs something, and Lovie Smith looks like a statue out there!
Well, that’s an interesting idea because most Bears fans are in favor of any move that would get Turner further away from the action instead of closer — anywhere outside the stadium would suit most of Turner’s critics. The cozy boxes, as you call them, do serve a purpose and provide a vantage point coaches can’t get from the sideline view. Defensive coordinator Bob Babich moved upstairs he said to improve his view but — he didn’t acknowledge this — also because his emotions often got the best of him on the sidelines. That rah-rah stuff might work well in college, but calling NFL defenses requires measured thought more than unbridled passion, so the best place to think is in the coaching booth.
The Bears say nobody’s told them yet, but are the they really out of the playoffs?
Well, at least according to the sports statistics Web site www.sportsclubstats.com, losing to the Redskins reduced the Bears’ chances for a wild-card spot from 3.2 percent to 0.92836 percent. So, yeah, they’re really out of it unless you’re paid to think or say otherwise.
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dhaugh@tribune.com
