Andy, did you hear about this one?
Even for a veteran quarterback, the Rams defense poses a challenge for Dalton
A lot has changed since the Bears last played a game that counted.
Since that 21-9 playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints in January, the Bears signed quarterback Andy Dalton and drafted quarterback Justin Fields. Sean Desai replaced ChuckPaganoasdefensivecoordinator.AndNFLteamsthatshutoutfans from their stadiums in 2020 because ofCOVID-19welcomedbackcrowds.
Now as the Bears take on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, we’re about to find out what those changes mean for the 2021 season.
Even for an 11th-year veteran such as Dalton, the first test for the Bears offense is a tough one.
In 2020, the Rams defense led the NFL with fewest yards allowed per game (281.9) and fewest points allowed per game (18.5).
Former Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley became the Los Angeles Chargers coach, but new coordinator Raheem Morris takes over a unit that still is led by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.
Donald is coming off his third
Player in the spotlight:
NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award with 13 ½ sacks and 28 quarterback hits. And he leads a group that totaled 53 sacks for 350 yards lost in 2020.
“It starts with the front being able to get pressure, and when you go back to our game last year Donald wasn’t the only one,” Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. “There were multiple guys in the front who were able to have pressure on us. So when you start with the front putting pressure on the quarterback, it allows the defense, the coverage to play a certain way because usually the ball is coming out fairly quickly against them, so that kind of works hand in hand.”
That means Dalton will have his hands full as he plays with his full stable of offensive weapons for the first time. But Lazor touted Dalton’s poise in pressure situations, something that comes from his 142 career starts.
“Pressure comes from all different angles — from playing the game to the way a game is going to all that stuff,” Dalton said. “You still have to be even-keeled through the whole thing. I feel like I learned that as a young player. I wouldn’t necessarily say just in the NFL but it’s what I pride myself on is always being steady and a guy who’s unwavering in everything.
“Then when you’re talking football specifically, it’s understanding when you can get the ball out of your hands and when you can hold on to it a little bit longer and understanding protections and all the different stuff that goes into it.”
Can Sean Desai’s defense slow down the new Sean McVayMatthew Stafford combo? This Bears defense has a lot of unknowns playing under Desai’s leadership for the first time, with a young cornerbacks corps and a group of pass rushers that is looking for more than it produced in 2020.
Now the Bears are going up against a Rams offense looking to reignite under Stafford, for whom the Lions traded in the offseason after his eighth 4,000-plus yard season in 12 years in Detroit.
Desai, who said the move pairs one of the top quarterbacks in the league with one of the top offensive minds, spent time with his defense studying film of both Stafford and the Rams.
“(Stafford) is a dynamic player who can change the game at a moment’s notice, and he plays well under pressure and he plays well in primetime games,” Desai said. “So you’ve got great arm strength and great ability to see the field and manipulate coverages. … That stuff ’s not going to change because that’s who he is.”
After the Bears signed former first-round pick Breshad Perriman this week, wide receivers coach Mike Furrey said he could field a pretty good 400-meter relay team with the
Keep an eye on ...:
new talent in his room this season.
Newcomers Marquise Goodwin, Damiere Byrd and Perriman all ran under 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash as they prepared for their NFL careers, and second-year receiver Darnell Mooney clocked 4.38 seconds in the 40 at the 2020 NFL combine. (Top Bears receiver Allen Robinson could serve as the relay team’s coach, Furrey said.)
Having this much speed is new under Nagy, and how the Bears utilize it will be of interest. With Perriman joining the Bears late, his role might be limited at first, but Goodwin and Byrd have been training with the Bears for months and are ready to show what they can do. It’s an interesting dynamic with the newcomers, who have all bounced among several teams in recent years and have plenty to prove. Meanwhile, Mooney is motivated to buildon a strong rookie season.
Furrey said the key to getting the most out of the speedy receivers is to “let them play.”
“Let them feel comfortable and let them play as fast as they possibly can,” Furrey said. “When they start thinking too much, where to line up, all those kind of things, it slows you down, it slows everybody down and if you slow that trait down now you’ve just got an average guy out there that can run. So it’s just putting them in situations where they feel free, and they feel comfortable and let them go play.”