Football, anyone?
Saturday, December 11, 2010
While it’s certainly cause for celebration when Ebenezer Henry drops $302 million on the Red Sox instead of purchasing new tube socks for his Liverpool soccer club, we’re still only halfway through December, which means we’re in the midst of gut-check time in the NFL.
This is when contenders begin to separate themselves from the pretenders, and while you could argue the Patriots have already done that with Monday’s 45-3 whoopin’ over the New York Jets, there’s still plenty of time for them to screw this up if they’re not careful.
A win Sunday in Chicago would wrap up a playoff berth for New England for the second year in a row and the eighth time in 11 years under Bill Belichick, but the Bears are no pushover, even if they appear to be a softer than their 9-3 record indicates.
Nothing the Bears have done this year jumps out at you statistically. They’re in first place despite only scoring 54 more points than they’ve allowed, which is currently the third worst point differential among division leaders (the NFL’s constant quest for parity has left us with two division leaders who are somehow still in first place despite allowing more points than they’ve scored – and one of them has a .500 record).
As has been the case every year in which the Bears are playoff bound – a trend that dates as far back as the late-‘70s – Chicago is sitting atop the NFC North thanks to its defense, which is ranked third in the league in fewest yards and points per game allowed. In each of the Bears’ last 12 playoff appearances, which tragically covers a 31-year stretch, they’ve finished no lower than ninth in the NFL in total points allowed. In other words, when they win, they win with defense.
Other teams are known historically for their offensive prowess, such as the San Diego Chargers. Since their inception in 1960 (back when they were still the Los Angeles Chargers), they’ve finished among the Top 10 in the league in scoring 27 times in 50 years, which, in a nutshell, means they’ve been pretty damn good at reaching the end zone for more than half their history whether they’ve had Don “Air” Coryell at the helm or Sid Gillman – considered by many to be the innovator of downfield passing.
Unlike San Diego, which hasn’t been around quite as long, the Bears’ stature as the NFL’s granddaddy of dominant defense dates all the way back to their humble beginnings as the Decatur Staleys in 1920. Counting Top 10 finishes over the first 50 years of their existence is somewhat misleading since there were no more than 16 teams in the NFL until the merger in 1970, yet it’s still worth noting the Bears ranked among the Top 10 defensively 40 times in 42 seasons under legendary head coach George Halas, which includes three separate stints from 1920 to 1967.
Old-school football fans, such as Bill Belichick, immediately think of Halas when they think of the Bears. Today’s fans – myself included – think of Jim McMahon’s headband, “Refrigerator” Perry and the Super Bowl shuffle from 1985, a year in which Chicago set the NFL record by allowing only 198 points.
Again, it all comes back to defense with the Bears, and this year is no different. The last three seasons were somewhat uncharacteristic of what we’ve come to expect from Chicago defensively. Under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Bob Babich, the Bears sank as low as 21st in points allowed during a treacherous, three-year stretch, prompting head coach Lovie Smith to put Babich back at his old post as linebackers coach and hire former Lions coach Rod Marinelli as his new defensive coordinator.
With Marinelli on board, the Bears cleaned house, releasing has-beens such as Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown and Nathan Vasher and acquiring defensive end Julius Peppers – one of the players heavily sought after by Belichick toward the end of Peppers’ career in Carolina. The 6-foot-7 end has made a tremendous impact in Chicago; through 12 games, he’s already got 12 sacks, which puts him on pace to break his single-season career high of 14 ½. He’s also forced five fumbles with one interception.
The problem with the Bears is they’re offensively challenged – and that’s putting it mildly. Thinking they were getting a steal, they traded quarterback Kyle Orton to Denver in exchange for Jay Cutler after Cutler and former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels realized they could no longer co-exist. The truth is Cutler has been erratic at best. With little to no pass protection last year, he got sacked 35 times while throwing 27 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. This year has been more of the same; Cutler has been dropped 45 times in only 12 games and has 17 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Add that to the fact Chicago is also near the bottom of the league in rushing yards per game and it’s no surprise the Bears are ranked 21st in scoring and just 29th out of 32 teams in total yards.
The idea that they can snap out of it against New England’s enigmatic secondary is farfetched when you consider the Patriots are now tied for second in the league with 18 interceptions and have thrived off forcing turnovers despite allowing significant chunks of yardage.
And despite all this the talk around the town this week has been quiet, as if the Jets have suddenly given up following Monday’s horrific loss. All it takes is a clunker on the road Sunday in Chicago – which isn’t as farfetched considering the Patriots are still only 6-8 away from home since 2009 – and a victory by the Jets at home against the mediocre Dolphins to put these two division rivals back in a tie for first place. And since the season series is even at a game apiece, the next tie-breaker in determining who wins the division is each team’s record against AFC East rivals. Under the aforementioned scenario, the Jets would be 4-1 within the division while the Patriots would be 3-1. Once you get past that tiebreaker, it gets real messy, and the last thing the Patriots want is to fall from No. 1 in the conference to fifth – and lose out on home-field advantage in the playoffs – by virtue of a tiebreaker, which is why Sunday’s game is as important as the last one.
You wouldn’t know it’s still football season by the way the Red Sox have dominated the headlines this week. The Patriots won’t lose their focus, and neither should we. The real party begins Sunday at 4.
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