Time to get in gear
Defense doing its part, but offense must start shouldering the load
The Bears’ defense, which was rebuilt during the offseason, has taken steps toward respectability, but at some point, the offense is going to have to get healthy and get with it.
With quarterback Jay Cutler, receiver Alshon Jeffery, running back Matt Forte and four starters on the offensive line returning, the Bears’ offense was expected to carry more than its share of the load while the defense underwent a total reconstruction under coordinator Vic Fangio.
It slowly is becoming the other way around. The defense, going through a simultaneous teardown and rebuild, has taken the first steps toward respectability after a near-total meltdown in 2014. Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee looks like a developing playmaker who could make those around him better. Lineman Jarvis Jenkins, who had two sacks in 42 games with the Redskins, has three sacks in four games under Fangio. Tracy Porter replaced injured cornerback Alan Ball and looked like a playmaker, shadowing Raiders rookie Amari Cooper. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman had his best game so far, Fangio said.
(Maybe that’s just what it looks like when you play the Raiders, a middle-of-the-pack offensive team. But the Bears have many more Raiders-type offenses left on their schedule than Packers- or Cardinals-type offenses. In fact, of the Bears’ remaining 12 opponents, only the Packers are among the top 10 in scoring after four weeks, and 10 of the 12 are 21st or lower.)
It remains to be seen just how high the ceiling is for a defense still in the midst of an arduous transition. At some point, though, the offense is going to have to get healthy and get with it. No starting offensive lineman was in his current position in training camp. Jeffery has played one game. Receiver Eddie Royal is questionable for Sunday. Cutler still is recovering from a hamstring injury.
Injuries have been a particular problem for a team committed to running the ball. The Bears have had 27 or more carries in each of their first four games. They exceeded that number only three times under Marc Trestman last season.
‘‘I really want to run the ball well,’’ guard Matt Slauson said. ‘‘It’s hard when you’ve got new guys in there because a new tackle has to get used to how I play. Me and Bush [left tackle Jermon Bushrod, out with a concussion] have worked together so long, Bush knows how I’m going to block a guy on a backside scoop block on a zone. So he fits in perfectly.
‘‘In pass protection, it is a little easier because everybody knows how to set back and pass-block. As long as everybody communicates, everything’s good.
‘‘But the running game is when it gets a little bit rough. So there is frustration there because we want to run the ball well as an offensive line. We owe it to Matt [Forte] to get him loose because he is such a horse. But it’ll come.’’
This is where coordinator Adam Gase’s run-first approach is an advantage over Trestman’s dependence on Cutler and the passing game. If the Bears can find a way to run the ball now, they’ll have a solid foundation to build on as they get healthier.
‘‘Injuries are common in the NFL,’’ Forte said. ‘‘If you’re a really good team, you’re able to overcome that. And as you get guys back, you get better and better.’’