To nobody’s surprise, the Bears think too much has been made of the way they impersonated a 4-12 football team Saturday night in Seattle.
They think the football masses in Chicago largely have overreacted to the underwhelming performance of their offense in particular.
So prove it, starting Thursday night at Soldier Field against the San Francisco 49ers. Give the national TV audience reason to think there will be reason to return in October for something other than a game at the Cell or Wrigley Field.
Teams consider the first half of the third exhibition game the truest measure of progress in the preseason, so this represents an ideal opportunity for the Bears to put up so we’ll all shut up.
Will somebody on offense besides Caleb Hanie do something worth bringing up on the drive home after the game? Skeptics just want to see something, anything to believe in, and time’s running out.
As they say in journalism classes, don’t tell me, show me. Show me wide holes for Matt Forte, a secure pocket for Kyle Orton, accurate throws and easy catches. Show me sure tackles, tight coverage and upfield pressure.
Show me a sense of urgency, a football team that has more people talking about it winning the division than losing trust among the fan base.
Show me something, anything Thursday night that helps the Bears start to restore some of the faith lost in the franchise over the past year.
Sure, it impressed season ticket-holders and the rest of the league when the Bears committed $186.9 million worth of contracts in the off-season to keep 10 players considered to be the core of the team. But any good vibes or momentum built up by those signings seemed to die shortly after Devin Hester ended his two-day holdout.
That was about the same time rookie left tackle Chris Williams walked off the practice field with a mysterious back injury that, until further notice, put him on a long list of general manager Jerry Angelo’s first-round draft-pick disappointments.
That was about the same time it became apparent Mark Bradley, the player coach Lovie Smith designated the Bears’ No. 1 wide receiver the day they let Bernard Berrian go, might struggle to make the roster.
That was about the same time it started to look like the so-called quarterback competition between Orton and Rex Grossman was being tilted to favor the bearded one, who might be a better fit for a team that will struggle protecting the passer.
That was just before the Bears insisted they would be a better offensive line if they kept John Tait at right tackle, where he had moved to make way for Williams, instead of the left side where he played capably the last three seasons.
The point is, when the Bears talk, their fans no longer listen. Win and the ears will perk up again.
But a 7-9 season in 2007, a year when a return to the Super Bowl was considered a lock, badly damaged credibility. Now many tune Smith out like an anthropology professor lecturing his 8 a.m. class.
Nothing would help the Bears prove the reaction to their Seattle game was indeed excessive more than the offense scoring 17 points in the first half against San Francisco. Heck, excitement-starved PSL holders would settle for 10 points or even a sustained-touchdown drive that the No. 1 offense has yet to muster.
The defense has been fine but will have to be elite for the Bears to have any chance of contending in the NFC North. That’s not fair or ideal but simply the burden of working for an organization with a long-time aversion to lighting up scoreboards. The group accepts that and, short of injury, nothing that happens against the 49ers will affect the confidence level Bears fans should have in the defense.
But this season is all about the “O” — and not just Orton.
The Packers’ offense gained 46 yards in the first half against the same San Francisco defense the Bears will see. That’s not a challenge as much as it is an opportunity.
Yes, it’s only an exhibition game that supposedly means nothing but how long can a team use that excuse to rationalize its lack of development offensively?
The Bears should treat the first quarter like the calendar says September, not August. Run, run, run the football. Then run some more. Build some confidence in Forte as well as rebuild some respect for the offensive line.
Call short, quick play-action passes that play to Orton’s strengths. If a pass requires more than a three-step drop, call for maximum pass protection to help tackles Tait and John St. Clair more than they were helped in Seattle. If that was an aberration, prove it.
Get Kevin Jones involved and some carries behind the No. 1 offensive line. If healthy, Jones can help a struggling line by making people miss or punishing defenders in his way.
Establish Brandon Lloyd as the top option and allow the rapport with Orton evident in last Saturday’s two-minute drill to continue. Tell Hester to run like Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt and have Orton throw it as far as he can, just to give defensive coordinators insomnia.
Give us something, anything to believe in because right now, fair or not, believing in the Bears requires a blind leap of faith.
Look out below.
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dhaugh@tribune.com
