Post by Guvmintcheeze on Oct 10, 2014 15:18:56 GMT
Bears vs. Falcons preview
October, 10, 2014
By Vaughn McClure and Michael C. Wright | ESPN.com
The Atlanta Falcons have been the NFL's Jekyll & Hyde team with a 2-0 record at home and an 0-3 mark on the road. They return home to the Georgia Dome to face a 2-3 Chicago Bears team with a quarterback, Jay Cutler, who carries the same characteristics.
The battle of the receiver tandems -- Julio Jones-Roddy White of Atlanta and Brandon Marshall-Alshon Jeffery of Chicago -- could make this a fun one to watch. And it could be a shootout, considering the Falcons have averaged 46.5 points in those two home wins, but really don't have the defense to stop anyone, while the Bears scored 28 and 27 points in their two wins.
ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure and ESPN Bears reporter Michael C. Wright break down the matchup:
McClure: I know Jay Cutler has the ability to sling the football, but I also know he likes to take a lot of chances. Is he still being plagued by poor decision-making, or is he being pressured into some interceptions?
Wright: I'd say his decision-making is better than it has been in the past, believe it or not, and he's handling pressure better, too, despite the Carolina Panthers dropping him last week for four sacks. Cutler threw two interceptions in that game. Both were the result of bad throws as opposed to poor decisions. You don't see Cutler forcing the ball into double and triple coverage near as much as we used to back when you were covering this team.
The problem I'm noticing with this offense is it struggles to put together a counterpunch to handle opponents' in-game adjustments. The past two weeks the Bears have been outscored by a combined 34-3 in the second half. In those outings, they rolled up 538 yards and 38 points in the first two quarters. But in the third and fourth quarters, the Bears scored just three points and generated 305 yards, while committing five turnovers and converting three of 10 third downs.
My guess is you are going to see teams, perhaps even the Falcons, force Cutler to slowly matriculate the ball down the field as opposed to hitting big-chunk plays on the outside to Jeffery and Marshall, because that exposes the quarterback to potential mistakes. Cutler even said after the loss at Carolina that this team needs to find better ways to gain big chunks of yardage after opponents make in-game adjustments. What he should have said is that he needs to do a better job of being patient and simply taking what the defense gives him. Against Carolina, Cutler averaged 10.1 yards per attempt on throws within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage in the first half. They averaged just 4.8 yards per attempt on those throws in the second half, which is still good enough to keep the sticks moving.
From what I've seen so far from the Falcons, their pass rush probably won't give Cutler much trouble anyway. Can you pinpoint why Atlanta has had so much difficulty pressuring quarterbacks, and will the Falcons be able to get to Cutler with the front four, or will they have to manufacture pressure via the blitz?
McClure: Indeed the Falcons have trouble generating pressure, with just four sacks through the first five games. They thought outside linebacker Jonathan Massaquoi would take a significant step as a pass-rusher this season, but that hasn't come to fruition. Designated pass-rusher Osi Umenyiora got his first sack last week, but at age 32, Umenyiora's best days are behind him.
Rather than invest in a pass-rusher, the Falcons spent $25 million guaranteed on defensive tackles Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai with hopes of stuffing the run and creating third-and-long situations to dial up various pressures. Well, stopping the run continues to be an issue; Atlanta is 28th in the NFL, allowing 147.6 rushing yards per game. So, yes, blitzing might be the Falcons' only hope of getting after Cutler. But that might not even work, because the Falcons simply don't have the playmakers on defense to properly execute defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's pressure packages.
We all know the big storyline is Devin Hester facing his old team. How do you expect the Bears to defend Hester? And do you think special-teams coach Joe DeCamillis will even dare to give Hester a chance to return a punt or kick?
Wright: The No. 1 problem for DeCamillis' special-teams units is they simply have no talent. Or at least the collection of players they have is as green as the FieldTurf in the Georgia Dome. Just last week at Carolina, the punt coverage unit gave up a Philly Brown touchdown on a freak play that involved a player, Teddy Williams, who had joined the Bears less than a week prior to that game.
So this team is in trouble if it kicks the ball to Hester. You and I both know how motivated Hester will be to show the Bears they made a mistake in not bringing him back. Luckily for the Bears, this week's game is indoors, which will enable Chicago to kick directionally without the weather being a factor. On punts, I'd expect the Bears to try to pin Hester up against the sideline, and on kickoffs, Robbie Gould will try to boot it out of the end zone.
I don't think a lot of people realize all that was involved with Hester's departure from Chicago; how he didn't want to play offense because he couldn't get on the same page with Cutler, the perception he was unable to digest the offense, how he considered retiring after Lovie Smith's departure, etc. You covered Hester here in Chicago and now in Atlanta. How different is he now, how much do you think a change of scenery helped him and what are your expectations for him in this matchup against his former team?
The Falcons' record when Matt Ryan throws three or more touchdown passes.
McClure: Hester thrives on being happy. He wasn't happy in Chicago, as you mentioned, so he was just going through the motions near the end. He told me before the 2013 season that he was looking for a fresh start. Now, he's rejuvenated playing with a quarterback, Matt Ryan, who believes in him and for an offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter, who wants to keep him involved on offense.
Hester's speed and elusive ability are still as good as they were when I was covering him in Chicago. His route-running has been precise. And you don't see him drop many balls, if any at all. Playing alongside Jones and White means Hester doesn't have an immense amount of pressure to make plays. Koetter has used Hester on quick screens and even a reverse, allowing him to get in space and make people miss. Although Hester is dealing with a hamstring injury now and was previously nursing a sore ankle, I don't anticipate anything holding him back, especially as hyped up as he will be for this game.
The Falcons have made unheralded running backs Matt Asiata, Jerick McKinnon and Andre Williams look like All-Pro players. Now they will face an elite back. Will Matt Forte take advantage of the situation? It sounds like there were some early concerns about the offensive line and run-blocking.
Wright: There were some concerns, but I think they have worked out the kinks. Because of injuries to starting center Roberto Garza and left guard Matt Slauson, it took a little time for the offensive line to work out the precise timing needed to consistently run the ball effectively. The replacements -- Brian de la Puente at center and Michael Ola at guard -- adjusted, and Garza and Slauson are back healthy. So the Bears should be able to take advantage against a Falcons defense allowing 4.4 yards per attempt. That is good news for Cutler, because Chicago should be able to establish the run and work play-action off that. The Bears are 17-4 over Forte's career when he reaches 100-plus yards rushing.
The Falcons are hoping to have guard Justin Blalock (back) and receiver Harry Douglas (foot) for this game. If available, how much of an impact would they have?
McClure: There is no doubt the Falcons would benefit from the return of Blalock, who returned to practice Wednesday. In last Sunday's loss to the Giants, Blalock's replacement, promoted practice-squad player Harland Gunn, gave up the biggest sack of the game on a crucial fourth-and-1 play.
Ryan told me earlier in the season that Douglas is key to Atlanta being multidimensional on offense, even with Jones, White and Hester already out there. The Falcons had great success in the season opener, when having four capable wide receivers on the field created mismatches for the New Orleans defense. Koetter would certainly like for Douglas to be back in action.
October, 10, 2014
By Vaughn McClure and Michael C. Wright | ESPN.com
The Atlanta Falcons have been the NFL's Jekyll & Hyde team with a 2-0 record at home and an 0-3 mark on the road. They return home to the Georgia Dome to face a 2-3 Chicago Bears team with a quarterback, Jay Cutler, who carries the same characteristics.
The battle of the receiver tandems -- Julio Jones-Roddy White of Atlanta and Brandon Marshall-Alshon Jeffery of Chicago -- could make this a fun one to watch. And it could be a shootout, considering the Falcons have averaged 46.5 points in those two home wins, but really don't have the defense to stop anyone, while the Bears scored 28 and 27 points in their two wins.
ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure and ESPN Bears reporter Michael C. Wright break down the matchup:
McClure: I know Jay Cutler has the ability to sling the football, but I also know he likes to take a lot of chances. Is he still being plagued by poor decision-making, or is he being pressured into some interceptions?
Wright: I'd say his decision-making is better than it has been in the past, believe it or not, and he's handling pressure better, too, despite the Carolina Panthers dropping him last week for four sacks. Cutler threw two interceptions in that game. Both were the result of bad throws as opposed to poor decisions. You don't see Cutler forcing the ball into double and triple coverage near as much as we used to back when you were covering this team.
The problem I'm noticing with this offense is it struggles to put together a counterpunch to handle opponents' in-game adjustments. The past two weeks the Bears have been outscored by a combined 34-3 in the second half. In those outings, they rolled up 538 yards and 38 points in the first two quarters. But in the third and fourth quarters, the Bears scored just three points and generated 305 yards, while committing five turnovers and converting three of 10 third downs.
My guess is you are going to see teams, perhaps even the Falcons, force Cutler to slowly matriculate the ball down the field as opposed to hitting big-chunk plays on the outside to Jeffery and Marshall, because that exposes the quarterback to potential mistakes. Cutler even said after the loss at Carolina that this team needs to find better ways to gain big chunks of yardage after opponents make in-game adjustments. What he should have said is that he needs to do a better job of being patient and simply taking what the defense gives him. Against Carolina, Cutler averaged 10.1 yards per attempt on throws within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage in the first half. They averaged just 4.8 yards per attempt on those throws in the second half, which is still good enough to keep the sticks moving.
From what I've seen so far from the Falcons, their pass rush probably won't give Cutler much trouble anyway. Can you pinpoint why Atlanta has had so much difficulty pressuring quarterbacks, and will the Falcons be able to get to Cutler with the front four, or will they have to manufacture pressure via the blitz?
McClure: Indeed the Falcons have trouble generating pressure, with just four sacks through the first five games. They thought outside linebacker Jonathan Massaquoi would take a significant step as a pass-rusher this season, but that hasn't come to fruition. Designated pass-rusher Osi Umenyiora got his first sack last week, but at age 32, Umenyiora's best days are behind him.
Rather than invest in a pass-rusher, the Falcons spent $25 million guaranteed on defensive tackles Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai with hopes of stuffing the run and creating third-and-long situations to dial up various pressures. Well, stopping the run continues to be an issue; Atlanta is 28th in the NFL, allowing 147.6 rushing yards per game. So, yes, blitzing might be the Falcons' only hope of getting after Cutler. But that might not even work, because the Falcons simply don't have the playmakers on defense to properly execute defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's pressure packages.
We all know the big storyline is Devin Hester facing his old team. How do you expect the Bears to defend Hester? And do you think special-teams coach Joe DeCamillis will even dare to give Hester a chance to return a punt or kick?
Wright: The No. 1 problem for DeCamillis' special-teams units is they simply have no talent. Or at least the collection of players they have is as green as the FieldTurf in the Georgia Dome. Just last week at Carolina, the punt coverage unit gave up a Philly Brown touchdown on a freak play that involved a player, Teddy Williams, who had joined the Bears less than a week prior to that game.
So this team is in trouble if it kicks the ball to Hester. You and I both know how motivated Hester will be to show the Bears they made a mistake in not bringing him back. Luckily for the Bears, this week's game is indoors, which will enable Chicago to kick directionally without the weather being a factor. On punts, I'd expect the Bears to try to pin Hester up against the sideline, and on kickoffs, Robbie Gould will try to boot it out of the end zone.
I don't think a lot of people realize all that was involved with Hester's departure from Chicago; how he didn't want to play offense because he couldn't get on the same page with Cutler, the perception he was unable to digest the offense, how he considered retiring after Lovie Smith's departure, etc. You covered Hester here in Chicago and now in Atlanta. How different is he now, how much do you think a change of scenery helped him and what are your expectations for him in this matchup against his former team?
The Falcons' record when Matt Ryan throws three or more touchdown passes.
McClure: Hester thrives on being happy. He wasn't happy in Chicago, as you mentioned, so he was just going through the motions near the end. He told me before the 2013 season that he was looking for a fresh start. Now, he's rejuvenated playing with a quarterback, Matt Ryan, who believes in him and for an offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter, who wants to keep him involved on offense.
Hester's speed and elusive ability are still as good as they were when I was covering him in Chicago. His route-running has been precise. And you don't see him drop many balls, if any at all. Playing alongside Jones and White means Hester doesn't have an immense amount of pressure to make plays. Koetter has used Hester on quick screens and even a reverse, allowing him to get in space and make people miss. Although Hester is dealing with a hamstring injury now and was previously nursing a sore ankle, I don't anticipate anything holding him back, especially as hyped up as he will be for this game.
The Falcons have made unheralded running backs Matt Asiata, Jerick McKinnon and Andre Williams look like All-Pro players. Now they will face an elite back. Will Matt Forte take advantage of the situation? It sounds like there were some early concerns about the offensive line and run-blocking.
Wright: There were some concerns, but I think they have worked out the kinks. Because of injuries to starting center Roberto Garza and left guard Matt Slauson, it took a little time for the offensive line to work out the precise timing needed to consistently run the ball effectively. The replacements -- Brian de la Puente at center and Michael Ola at guard -- adjusted, and Garza and Slauson are back healthy. So the Bears should be able to take advantage against a Falcons defense allowing 4.4 yards per attempt. That is good news for Cutler, because Chicago should be able to establish the run and work play-action off that. The Bears are 17-4 over Forte's career when he reaches 100-plus yards rushing.
The Falcons are hoping to have guard Justin Blalock (back) and receiver Harry Douglas (foot) for this game. If available, how much of an impact would they have?
McClure: There is no doubt the Falcons would benefit from the return of Blalock, who returned to practice Wednesday. In last Sunday's loss to the Giants, Blalock's replacement, promoted practice-squad player Harland Gunn, gave up the biggest sack of the game on a crucial fourth-and-1 play.
Ryan told me earlier in the season that Douglas is key to Atlanta being multidimensional on offense, even with Jones, White and Hester already out there. The Falcons had great success in the season opener, when having four capable wide receivers on the field created mismatches for the New Orleans defense. Koetter would certainly like for Douglas to be back in action.