SEATTLE--I have to hot foot it out of Qwest Field pretty soon here to catch the red eye home, but wanted to put together some quick reactions to the Bears' 25-19 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
1. The most impressive element of the victory, greater than even the effort by Jay Cutler down the stretch, was the ability of the Bears to weather the storm. They fell behind 13-0 and had an interception in the red zone by Cutler and a missed 53-yard field goal by Robbie Gould. They also had an 11-yard punt by Brad Maynard that set the Seahawks up with prime field position. Through it all, they hung in there. Yes, Seattle was missing nine projected starters because of injuries, but it's a difficult place to play and this is the kind of game that would have doomed the Bears for sure last season.
2. Matt Forte wasn't much more productive than he has been as a runner--66 yards on 21 carries--but he caught six passes out of the backfield for 40 yards to give him more than 100 yards of offense. Once again, the running game was good enough to provide balance and the Seahawks sure loaded up vs. the run by routinely walking safety Deon Grant down into the box. The thing that was surprising was the third-and-one handoff to Garrett Wolfe early in the fourth quarter after Wolfe had run the ball twice. He was stuffed for a one-yard loss. Asking Wolfe to run up the middle is not playing to his strengths.
3. Johnny Knox continues to look better on kickoff returns, and early in the game that was the Bears' best play. He didn't hesitate running Olindo Mare's kicks out from eight yards deep in the end zone, and gained 53 yards on the first return of the game. Sometimes he tries to make a few too many moves. If he can reduce some of the shake and shimmy and do more one-cut-and-go, he'll probably break one at some point. The blocking has been solid.
4. Cutler did a nice job spreading the ball around, and you'll say that any time a quarterback throws touchdown passes to three different receivers. He really locked in on Brandon Marshall at times in Denver, and he's been getting everyone involved. Earl Bennett made a couple nice plays and should not be overlooked as it was Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Greg Olsen who made the scores.
SEATTLE--The Bears' top draft pick Jarron Gilbert will be active for his first NFL game today.
Gilbert, a third-round pick from San Jose State, takes the place of defensive tackle Matt Toeaina on the 45-man roster for the game against the Seahawks. The Bears might have turned to him because he can help in the rotation at defensive end. Alex Brown will start, but he has a sprained left ankle and will not be 100 percent. Gilbert was drafted as a tackle, but has been worked at left end in practice for about a month now.
Here are the Bears' inactives: wide receivers Juaquin Iglesias and Devin Aromashodu, cornerbacks DeAngelo Smith and D.J. Moore, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, guard Lance Louis, defensive tackle Matt Toeaina and tight end Desmond Clark.
SEATTLE--Five random thoughts on the game this afternoon:
1. The Seahawks will be wearing neon green jerseys for the first time. It's called rave green, and if the pictures do it justice, it will be unsightly. The Bears' alternate orange jerseys, which they will break out this season Nov. 1 at Soldier Field against Cleveland, don't look much better. These Seahawks jerseys are downright hideous. It's too bad because a lot of the alternate jerseys are great, especially the AFL tributes being worn this season. The Patriots looked sharp in their season opener vs. Buffalo, and the silver numbers on the white Oakland throwback uniforms were also cool. That's my fashion police warning for the day.
2. Great point by Michael Lombardi at the National Football Post this morning. What were the Seahawks thinking when they passed on USC quarterback Mark Sanchez with the fourth pick in the draft? Sure, it's real easy to have 20-20 vision on a draft in late September, but Matt Hasselbeck suffered from a back injury much of last season. Seneca Wallace isn't the future for the Seahawks, although he's not bad for a No. 2 option. The Seahawks had better hope linebacker Aaron Curry is very good.
3. You can't go anywhere, even on the streets of Seattle, without getting questions about Matt Forte and the Bears' running game. I'm not expecting Forte to have 207 yards like Frank Gore did last week vs. Seattle in San Francisco, but the Bears should be OK. Remember, Jay Cutler is the quarterback now. That little saying Lovie Smith likes to use that the Bears "get off the bus running," I don't think that is the case any longer. Cutler developing some chemistry with the untested wide receivers that he's unfamiliar with is far more important in the big picture of the 2009 season than grinding out the ball in these early weeks. Besides, 30 carries last Sunday vs. Pittsburgh might have netted 90 yards. The Steelers have a remarkable run of being a terrific run defense. It was smarter to attack with the pass.
With the help of some modern medicine, tight end Desmond Clark is hopeful he can be on the field a week from Sunday when the Bears host the Detroit Lions.
Clark suited up today and was limited in participation in practice less than two weeks after he suffered a cracked rib in his back when he was hit hard by Green Bay safety Aaron Rouse, now an ex-Packer who is with the New York Giants. Clark knew when he suited up Friday that there was no chance of him playing Sunday. He is listed on the injury report as doubtful.
"That's the goal, to play against the Lions,'' he said. ``The doctors didn't tell me I would definitely play next week. I was trying to get that out of them. I'll take a shot. I've taken plenty of shots over the years. I'm quite sure I am going to take a few more, and I might take a few more to the back. I'll be ready though.
It looks more and more like Seneca Wallace will be the starting quarterback Sunday for the Seattle Seahawks.
Matt Hasselbeck was held out of practice Friday for the third consecutive day with a fractured rib, and the team has listed him as doubtful. Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who has a pulled hamstring, is also doubtful after missing practice for the third consecutive day. Those will be major losses for Seattle, although one source who played under Seattle coach Jim Mora when he was in Atlanta said he is aggressive when it comes to waiting until game time to see a player can play through an injury.
Still, it's a long season and the Seahawks need to make the smart play with Hasselbeck in Week 3. Wallace provides a little more mobility for the Seattle offense, but the Bears have generally played well vs. athletic quarterbacks.
Here is the official report:
Bears
OUT
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (right knee)--DNP, DNP, DNP
DOUBTFUL
TE Dez Clark (rib)--DNP, DNP, LIM
QUESTIONABLE
DE Alex Brown (left ankle)--DNP, DNP, LIM
PROBABLE
DT Tommie Harris (left knee)--LIM, FULL, FULL
DL Israel Idonije (knee)--LIM, LIM, FULL
LG Frank Omiyale (ankle)--LIM, FULL, FULL
Seattle
OUT
LB LeRoy Hill (groin)--OUT
RG Sean Locklear (ankle)--OUT
CB Josh Wilson (ankle)--OUT
DT Brandon Mebane (calf)--DNP, DNP, FULL
CB Ken Lucas (groin)--LIM, LIM, FULL
LT Walter Jones (knee)--FULL, FULL, FULL
PROBABLE
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (back)--DNP, FULL, FULL
WR Deion Branch (hamstring)--FULL, FULL, FULL
CB Travis FIsher (hamstring)--FULL, FULL, FULL
C Chris Spencer (quad)--FULL, FULL, FULL
Defensive end Mark Anderson said Friday afternoon he had still not opened the letter from the NFL offices informing him he had been fined for his shove of Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller after a play last Sunday.
He'll find out soon enough when he sees the deduction in his paycheck. The NFL revealed that Anderson has been fined $5,000. He said he plans to appeal. That might be a difficult appeal. It's clear as day what happened in television replays.
Defensive end Alex Brown returned to the practice field this morning and will be listed as questionable on the injury report with a sprained left ankle that was heavily taped.
He is expected to start at Seattle.
"I'll be fine Sunday,'' Brown said. "I'll go out and do my best. We'll see what happens. Hopefully, we can all play together and equates to a win.''
Tight end Desmond Clark, who suffered a fractured rib in the season opener at Green Bay, also made it back to practice for the first time. He will be doubtful on the injury report and is not expected to play. However, it is a positive sign that will be be available next week vs. Detroit or after the bye that follows.
Strong-side linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa remains sidelined with a sprained right knee.
I examined the playing time for defensive tackle Tommie Harris in a story in today's edition.
The Bears have been careful using him in 2009, going all the way back to minicamp in March when Harris was given the last day of the three-day session off. It hasn't impacted his time on the field when it counts, though. Harris is actually playing more (or a greater percentage of the time) through two games than he did in 2008.
2009 1st two games--80 of 113 snaps, 70.8 percent
2008 1st two games--82 of 121 snaps, 67.8 percent
Thus far, it has worked out just like coach Lovie Smith said he was planning in the rotation. The Bears want to ensure that Harris is fresh for important situations--passing downs and crunch time in the second half. On Sunday vs. Pittsburgh, 27 of Harris' 44 snaps came in the second half.
"You start from there and you work from there,'' Smith said of the numbers so far. "All of our defensive linemen that we dress, we feel comfortable playing them. Situations will warrant maybe Tommie playing a little bit more. You kind of see how the game goes but we don't want him to play 100 percent of the time like we don't want any of our defensive linemen to play 100 percent of the time if we can get away from it.
"We haven't played the type of defense we want to play. Tommie is a part of that. We haven't gotten enough takeaways. Our third downs were too high last week. There are some things we have to correct but they are working hard. There is no reason not to believe we will improve and Tommie will lead the way.''
Playing time with Harris has always been worth noting. For starters, he's at the signature position in the Tampa Two scheme, but Smith has always preached the use of a healthy and well-oiled rotation. Second, Harris' contract has clauses in it that are tied directly to playing time. Harris was on the field for only 56.08 percent of the time last season (623 of 1,111 snaps). That was tops among the tackles on the roster, but the figure was reduced because he missed one game with an injury and was suspended for a second game. A rough estimate is Harris would have been on the field for 64 percent of the snaps last if you project him over 16 games, so it's easy to see he's being used a little more than that right now.
Alex Brown does not have to practice this week to play on Sunday in what would be his 114th consecutive game for the Bears.
Coach Lovie Smith said after practice today, which Brown sat out, that he is a veteran who could suit up despite taking the week off to heal a sprained left ankle.
"I'm optimistic that he will play,'' Smith said. "I look at the history a little bit of our players and what's happened with them, no doubt Alex Brown is a tough guy. You see it in his play every time and he's getting better, he was able to do a little bit more today, talking about on the side, and he's optimistic so we'll go from there.
"I think all players need to practice, but that's not to say, if Alex is ready to go Sunday, even if he hasn't practiced this week, we'll probably let him go."
The Seahawks have not released their injury report yet. We'll add the Bears information below and update Seattle when it comes across. Check back soon.
Bears
DE Alex Brown (left ankle)--DNP, DNP
TE Dez Clark (rib)--DNP, DNP
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (right knee)--DNP, DNP
DT Tommie Harris (left knee)--LIM, FULL
DL Israel Idonije (knee)--LIM, LIM
LG Frank Omiyale (ankle)--LIM, FULL
Seattle
LB LeRoy Hill (groin)--OUT
RG Sean Locklear (ankle)--OUT
CB Josh Wilson (ankle)--OUT
RB Justin Griffith (knee)--DNP, DNP
QB Matt Hasselbeck (rib)--DNP, DNP
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (back)--DNP
DT Brandon Mebane (calf)--DNP, LIM
LB Lofa Tatupu (hamstring)--DNP, DNP
CB Ken Lucas (groin)--LIM, LIM
WR Deion Branch (hamstring)--FULL, FULL
CB Travis FIsher (hamstring)--FULL, FULL
LT Walter Jones (knee)--FULL, FULL
C Chris Spencer (quad)--FULL, FULL
Alex Brown is not dressed out to practice this afternoon as the Bears just got going on the fields behind Halas Hall.
Just because he has missed a second straight day with his sprained left ankle does not mean there isn't a good chance he will play Sunday at Seattle. Coach Lovie Smith prefers that his players be on the field, but he will go all the way to game time to make decisions with veterans. The Bears are thin at the position because they have only Mark Anderson behind Brown and Adewale Ogunleye. Israel Idonije can play end, but he is battling a knee issue and has been used more inside. Rookie third-round pick Jarron Gilbert has gotten some work at left end, and could be an option. The Bears also might consider promoting Ervin Baldwin or Joe Clermond from the practice squad.
However, unless something has changed significantly in the last 24 hours, the hope remains that Brown will be available. He has played in 113 consecutive games, the longest streak on the team.
Greg Olsen called the hits he received from Pittsburgh safety Tyrone Carter on Sunday clean.
The NFL found differently on one of them.
Carter has been fined $5,000, according to Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, for a shot that broke up a long pass from Jay Cutler along the sideline. There was no penalty on the play, and Olsen was slow to get up, explaining he was winded by the hit.
"Unreal," Carter told Brown. "I watched the play over and over and I hit him in the shoulder. The NFL sees something different."
Carter was filling in for injured strong safety Troy Polamalu and actually injured his left thigh on the play.
Olsen said afterward that there was nothing objectionable about the play.
"My head was fine,'' Olsen said. "It was a great hit, he made a great play.
The sudden emergence of rookie Johnny Knox through the first two games has raised an interesting question about a wide receiver that had a breakthrough during training camp and preseason--Devin Aromashodu.
Wide receivers coach Darryl Drake jokingly referred to Aromashodu as Wally Pipp and Knox as Lou Gehrig, a funny analogy but one that doesn't fit. Aromashodu can't be Pipp because he hasn't been out on the field with the Bears in the regular season yet. It's impossible to lose a gig he never had. But on the fields of training camp and in preseason, he quickly emerged as one of Jay Cutler's preferred targets. At 6-2, 201 pounds, he has good size, and the relationship was evident at the very beginning of camp. It was cemented in preseason when Cutler actively worked to feed him the ball.
But a slight quad pull sidelined Aromashodu for the season opener at Green Bay, creating an opening on the game day roster for Knox, who otherwise appeared destined to be inactive. He took the opportunity, and a few passes from Cutler, and ran with them. The Bears have only dressed four receivers for the first two games--starters Devin Hester and Earl Bennett--Knox, and Rashied Davis. It's going to be hard to justify bumping up another wide receiver when you consider special teams needs. Davis is a four-phase contributor on special teams, and that matters. He forced the game-ending fumble against Pittsburgh on the kickoff coverage unit. It's clear Cutler wants to see Aromashodu at some point, but the wideout will likely have to prove useful for special teams coordinator Dave Toub. Fourth and fifth wideouts have to be major special teams players.
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