Matt Forte and Bears so far

**puppychili** · 09-22-2010, 01:28 AM

I think that Mike Martz is turning him into Marshall Faulk 2.0 which is awesome. I think he has a lot of the same talents that Faulk had but time will tell if he can truly be as good.

I'm pumped about the Bears start but cautious too. They still have a lot to prove even if they beat Green Bay and I'm not gonna be a homer and deny that they aren't a screwy play away from being 1-1 right now. I am seeing improvement though from game to game which tells me that they'll be a better team than most people expected.

**iwatt** · 09-22-2010, 09:59 AM

His YAC are making Cutler look real good. We should stick to short drops until the OL has time to solidify.

**Polishguy00** · 09-22-2010, 11:41 AM

I think solidify is too strong of an expectation for the Bears O-Line, I would take mushy like an overly ripe apple at this point. The overall point is agreed to. I like Forte out of the backfield and I like the quick throws. Now when we face a team that can rush and run press coverage well like the Pack this week, it will be interesting if we can manage the offense against that.

**bluestree** · 09-22-2010, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by Polishguy00

I think solidify is too strong of an expectation for the Bears O-Line, I would take mushy like an overly ripe apple at this point. The overall point is agreed to. I like Forte out of the backfield and I like the quick throws. Now when we face a team that can rush and run press coverage well like the Pack this week, it will be interesting if we can manage the offense against that.

Agree. Cutler and the Bears have made the big play. If that is denied, they need to show they can move the chains to score.

**GBPKS** · 09-22-2010, 03:26 PM

I watched the Bears/Cowboys Short Cut last night and was very impressed by the adjustments the Bears made after the first couple of drives when it looked like Cutler might get killed.

They do a nice job combining long routes for Hester and Knox (and even Olsen) with the short stuff to Forte, who is explosive enough to take a dumpoff pass all the way to the house.

**FLPackerFan** · 09-22-2010, 03:55 PM

The Bears did look good against the Cowboys. However I am not sold on Mike Martz. His play calling when he plays real good defenses is suspect and he has made poor choices. he also goes away from the run. I think the Cowboys are a poorly coached team with a lot of issues. Jason Garrett is so overrated. With the talent they have they should have balance. They put it in Romos hands and sooner or later he will turn it over. Martz is very much like that also and now he has Cutler. Don't by into it too much, the Bears still have some serious offensive line issues.

**iwatt** · 09-22-2010, 04:33 PM

We have no run to get away from. The only running back who could do it all by himself was Barry Sanders. I've watched the apack lately, and Woodson has looked slow. A lot of holding from him against quick WRs.

Jermichael Findley is a beast, so Ill be looking forward to how wr covet him.

**BearThruThickNThin** · 09-24-2010, 04:59 PM

Offensively, it has been tough for the Bears to run it, but they have done just enough in the first two games for play-action to work. It appears that Martz plans to use dump-offs in partial replacement of the running game, which makes sense as the line is mediocre at best in getting push and is better in space. It was curious that Dallas backed off the receivers so much while still blitzing. The Packers won't make that mistake, so I agree with the previous poster: the Bears will have to prove they can move the ball methodically down the field. The Packers will likely focus on disguising their looks pre-snap; the Cowboys did a poor job of this, almost like they didn't respect Cutler enough to bother. The Bears will try to make the Packers go 4 deep at corner by sending out 3 WRs and Olsen; there should be plays available if pass protection can hold up, or if Cutler buys time. The Bears will have to be much better on third down than they were on Sunday to compete.

Defensively, the Bears have been excellent against the run the first two weeks. The defensive line has been active enough to allow Urlacher and Briggs to wreak havoc at or behind the line of scrimmage. The question is whether the Packers will even try to run it seriously. The Bears secondary gives up yards by the chunk and relies on forcing turnovers. The pass rush outside of Peppers has not delivered as yet. In particular, Tommie Harris and the tackles need to get push up the middle. Otherwise, Rodgers, like Romo last week, will simply step up and away from Peppers. The Packers should try a screen or two to slow down Peppers.

Should be a great game. The Bears will need to win or tie the turnover battle, or get a big special teams play or two, to win it.

**bluestree** · 09-25-2010, 02:48 PM

The weakness in the Packers defense is in the deep middle behind the linebackers, and that's a good matchup situation for the Bears with their speed at receiver. Pass rush is the key for the Packers. And yes, turnovers and special teams, absolutely will be critical for both teams. Take care of the ball and cover kicks, or lose.