 | Preseason Game 4: 38-23 Loss to the Patriots at NE2003-08-29
The Bears set out to establish their running game and succeeded in that. They lost the game 38-23, but showed promise with their first offensive unit on the ground.
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks:
Kordell Stewart (3-4-26 TD) didn`t have many throwing attempts but did a good job when he threw the ball. He threw a nice lob to Booker for a touchdown in the endzone. Chris Chandler (0-1-0) didn`t get many chances to throw, either. His only attempt was on a hot read on 3rd down that the receiver didn`t recognize. Rex Grossman (8-15-73 TD) played the majority of the game, and overall played well. He held the ball a bit long on a few plays, leading to sacks. His decision to slide feet first was late, leading to a penalty, but also a hard shot to his left shoulder. He threw well on the run to Lyman, and the pump fake and then deep throw over the middle to Merritt was excellent. Cory Sauter got in late and looked very shaky. His passes were very inaccurate, and he was nearly intercepted on several occasions. GRADE: B
Running Backs:
Anthony Thomas (7-37) had his best game of the preseason. On a 1-yard run he made a defender miss to avoid a big loss. On another run he stepped out of a leg tackle, and did well in pass protection. His feet were much better. Adrian Peterson (6-26) got to rotate with Thomas each series. He made a good cut for a 17-yard gain. His pass blocking looked good as well. Rabih Abdullah (10-44) continued to look very strong running the ball and making good cuts off his blocks. However, he put the ball on the ground in short yardage, and the fumble was scooped up for a 90-yard touchdown. This was a huge turnaround in the game. It was his second fumble of the preseason. Stanley Pritchett made a few good lead blocks. Daimon Shelton was not a factor. Jason McKie saw some action at fullback and made a few good blocks on the edge on pitches. It was very encouraging to see Thomas and Peterson have a strong first half. GRADE: B
Receivers:
Marty Booker hauled in a short touchdown pass on a lob into the right corner of the end zone. He was well covered and fought hard for the ball and to keep his feet inbounds. This made up for his not chipping a blitzer who got in for a sack. David Terrell made an excellent grab running across the field for 18 yards. Unfortunately, he missed a signal from Chandler in a crucial 3rd down play for a hot read, costing the Bears a possession. Ahmad Merritt dropped a short pass, but then recovered to get open for a 22-yard touchdown from Grossman. Bobby Wade dropped a short pass. He then made a grab in the waning moments of the game and with no time outs remaining made no effort to get out of bounds. Elijah Thurmon (2/18) made a couple of good grabs late in the game. Justin Gage was not a factor, although he appeared to mistime his jump on a deep ball where he was well covered. Desmond Clark looked solid for the short time he played. Dustin Lyman (4/42) was a favorite target of Rex Grossman, and made some big catches in traffic and held on through some big hits. He showed great determination in reaching a first down with several defenders draped over him. Bryan Fletcher dropped the one pass thrown his way. John Gilmore played a lot in the second half, but didn`t make many plays that stood out. GRADE: C
Offensive Line:
The Bear line opened some decent holes from the running backs, and overall the protection was good. Rex Tucker left early with a sprained ankle that is not believed to be very serious. Olin Kreutz and Kordell Stewart had a fumbled exchange in a short yardage situation. Chris Villarrial was solid as usual. Tackles Mike Gandy and Aaron Gibson held up well. The backups didn`t do badly, and Steve Edwards shined with a pretty good game at left tackle after the starters left. Grezskowiak allowed a sack from the right side as did Bernard Robertson at center. The Bears set out to run the ball, and looked good doing it, even though the Patriots probably knew it was coming at them. GRADE: B-
DEFENSE
Defensive Line:
The defensive line did not play well from any aspect. Alex Brown had a tackle for a loss early and Phillip Daniels deflected a pass in a key situation. Alfonso Boone got absolutely no push on an early touchdown pass over the middle, where the pressure forced Brady up in the pocket. If Boone got anything there, the play might have turned out differently. He was no factor. Bryan Robinson was not a factor. Unfortunately, the backups didn`t offer much, either. Joe Tafoya had some pressure. Michael Haynes (6 tackles, PD, FF) deflected a pass and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. He was fairly active on the run, but was up and down. Tron LaFavor and Ian Scott flashed in spots, but overall were not factors, and in a large way didn`t prevent the run. They did combine for a sack, and the flash they showed was actually more than they had shown through the preseason. Setzer saw a lot of action but was not a factor. GRADE: D
Linebackers:
Mike Caldwell (10 tackles, PD, FR) was a bright light in a murky swamp of slime and muck. Caldwell was all over the field. He appeared to have a sack late in the first half, although the ruling on the field could not be challenged since it was during the final two minutes. He provided good pressure on the blitz, supported the run well, and on one play separated an intended receiver from the ball with a bone-crunching hit. Starters Urlacher and Holdman played sparingly and were not factors. Bryan Knight saw extended action, and did have a pressure and a few tackles, although overall was not particularly impressive. Lance Briggs was not impressive either. He appeared to have a clear shot on a 4th and 3 run but came up empty. Bobbie Howard played quite a bit in the middle, and had a hard time sorting through the trash. It`s going to be a tough decision for the coaches on the roster and depth chart. Although he started as a long shot to make the roster, it would not be too surprising to see Caldwell taking the strongside linebacker spot-even though he`s supposedly third on the depth chart at the moment. GRADE: C-
Secondary:
R.W. McQuarters had a better game, showing tight coverage despite getting called for a very questionable interference penalty. Charles Tillman started at the other corner, and wasn`t tested much, which is probably a good sign. He came close to an interception on an errant deep pass. Mike Brown and Mike Green were not factors early. Cameron Worrell continues to do things to make the team, despite his status as an undrafted rookie. He made an excellent tackle for loss on a draw at the end of the half, and then recovered the ball Michael Haynes stripped and returned it for a touchdown. He was throwing his body all over the place, and making good plays. Bobby Gray (8 tackles) let a tackle slip through his grasp early and then forced a fumble on the last play of the half. He left the game for a short while with cramps, and Green had to reenter the game for him. Todd McMillon made a great break on the ball to deflect a pass at the end of the half. Roosevelt Williams (5 tackles, FF) had a weaker game this time around. He had tight coverage early, but struggled to get good position on several of Rohan Davey`s middle range passes. Overall, the Bear defense again struggled with slant routes and passes over the middle. GRADE: C
Article by: Michael Nudo
BearsTalk.com
Article archive |
| |
|
