Two Bears Scare Me

As a Colts fan, there are exactly two members of the Chicago Bears that scare me in a matchup with the Colts. IMO, the Colts’ ability to stop these two players will be key in winning the game.

  • Devin Hester - makes Dante Hall look like James Mungro when it comes to returning kicks on special teams. During the playoffs the Colts’ special teams coverage has been… ummm… scary to say the least. They just about gave the AFC Champsionship game back to the Patriots when they allowed the 80 yard return by Hobbs just after tying the game. The Colts are going to have to man up on those coverage teams and keep Hester in check. The last thing they want is some quick return for a TD early in the game.
    hester.jpg
    Devin Hester may just cost you your job, Russ Purnell (courtesy CBS5.com)
  • Bernard Berrian. The one common thread among the three teams the Colts have defeated in the playoffs is that they haven’t had a speedy, burner-type receiver to stretch the field and make the Colts pay for bringing Bob Sanders up in the box against the run. Berrian can do that. Harper (if he plays), Jackson and David are going to be facing a lot of one-on-one coverage against receivers that are better than what they’ve faced in the playoffs so far. It’s either that or drop Sanders back in coverage and let the Bears running game get going.
  • berrian.jpg
    Marlin Jackson meet Bernard Berian. Berdnard Berian, meet Marlin Jackson. You’re going to be really good friends on Sunday. (courtesy fannation.com)

I’m not going to make any predictions (yet) but those are the two keys for the Bears as I see them. If the Colts can keep them both in check, the game should end in a Colts victory. If not… well… it may be a long day.

01
Mike
January 31st, 2007 10:49 pm

You’ve written an article about how only two members of the Chicago Bears scare you as a Colts fan, and neither of them are Lance Briggs or Brian Urlacher.

This leads me to believe that you, sir, are drunk.

While a concern for Devin Hester is certainly valid, and I think that he may be the number one concern for Tony Dungy’s squad on Sunday, I have my doubts that they’re staying up late wondering how to stop Bernard Berrian, after their defense has figured out how to handle the pass-catchers of Green, McNair and Brady.

All-Pro linebackers who can fly are always a bigger concern than a team’s third-best receiving threat. Always.

02
January 31st, 2007 11:05 pm

Sorry, but I disagree. As I said, the pass-catchers of green, McNair and Brady didn’t have the speed that Berian does to punish the Colts for bringing Sanders up to stop the run. The Colts “figured them out” because they just weren’t very good.

As for the Chicago Linebackers, well, I seem to remember some realllllly good Ravens linebackers that didn’t prevent their team from losing. I have more faith that the Colts offense will be able to react to and adjust to a good defense than I do our defense and special teams. That is what leads me to the conclusion.

Sorry, but Chicago’s defense just doesn’t scare me that much. With the injuries they’ve had, they aren’t the scary force they once were. Now if Mike Brown were playing I might be more worried about the Chicago D. As it is, sorry. I think the Colts O can do enough to pick them apart with dump passes to receivers and TEs and the occasional long pass to Wayne or Harrison when the Bears line up in man on the corners.

03
Mike
February 1st, 2007 7:46 am

The Colts have been playing a base Cover-3 defense this postseason, which means even on “run” downs with Sanders in the box, there are still two defensive backs deep in the formation. The Bears can play-action all day, and if Sanders bites and everyone else keeps their assignments, there still aren’t going to be any one-on-one deep matchups for Berrian. He’s a threat, but the Colts play a disciplined-enough game that he’s not going to be a major threat.

I think you’re right about the Colts offense in terms of distributing the ball. However, the difference in team speed between the Bears and the Ravens (the second-best defense the Colts are facing this postseason) is positively glaring. At LB, the Ravens have Adalius Thomas (who’s a stud, but a little green), Bart Scott (who’s a top 10 linebacker), and Ray Lewis (who’s still pretty good but living on his rep). Two of the Bears’ top three LBs are top-five leaguewide. The Bears defense is giving up a lot more in terms of yards since Tommie Harris went down, but they’re no less effective thanks to the havoc that Briggs, Urlacher, and even Hunter Hillenmeyer create.
I’m not saying that the Colts won’t move the football, but the Bears LBs create turnovers by forcing fumbles, hurrying quarterbacks into bad passes and simply being more athletic than the men they cover. If you’re not concerned about them, you have a very, very bad game plan.

04
February 1st, 2007 9:22 am

Oh never said I’m not concerned, they just don’t scare me as much in terms of matchups and vs. Colts weaknesses as the other two. Just my opinion, I could be (and probably am, knowing me) dead wrong.

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