Holmes: What To Watch For - Panthers At Bears
It's only Week 4, but don't get it twisted, this is a big game for the Bears. You don't want to have a three-game losing streak and you don't want to lose an NFC game at home.
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It's only Week 4, but don't get it twisted, this is a big game for the Bears. You don't want to have a three-game losing streak and you don't want to lose an NFC game at home.
Cutler said Wednesday that he was committed to the way offensive coordinator Mike Martz plans to run the Bears' offense.
Go ahead and blame the defense if you must for coming out flat and unprepared, blame the offense if you'd like for being perpetually inept. I'll blame the general manager.
The last two games have been interesting and have led to some interesting questions from you. Let's open up the mailbag and see what we can figure out.
It's supposed to be easier than this. During the truncated preseason, the Bears kept talking about how being in the second year of the Mike Martz system would bear fruit.
After Lovie Smith and Mike Martz said all week that the Bears would be more balanced against the Packers, Cutler threw the ball 37 times and running back Matt Forte had just nine carries.
The reasons for the Bears' inefficiencies are many, and shared. But, really. Somebody get open.
Through two games, Jay Cutler has been sacked 11 times. Beyond getting sacked, Cutler's been touched up quite a bit.
First it was the defending NFC South Champion Atlanta Falcons, then the 2009 Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints on the road, now they welcome to Soldier Field the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.
The Chicago Bears' offense needs to regain its balance, for Jay Cutler's sake if nothing else.
After a 30-13 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints, the Bears now sit at 1-1 before the Week 3 showdown at Soldier Field with Green Bay.
I'm very excited about some of the matchups in this game. Not just on the field, but the intellectual battle between Mike Martz and Gregg Williams. This is a big game for the Saints. They'd hate to go 0-2 in a very competitive NFC South.
The Island of Cautious Pessimism is a comfortable place to be. You've been here before, too, at one time or another. I've seen you. I remember faces of like-minded Bears fans who wait with me for the inevitable.
Offensive football can feel like it's so complicated. Especially when you're dealing with the intricacies of Mike Martz's offense, but it really comes down to one thing: can you protect your quarterback?
Laurence Holmes takes your Bears questions every week in his mailbag.
Dane Sanzenbacher wanted to be a Bear even before the NFL Draft. After setting a number of records -- including career receiving yards (2,808) and career receptions (151) -- Sanzenbacher was labeled as one of those "fringe" guys before April's draft.
During practices, you can see Mike Martz stalking the practice field making sure that offensive players are in the right spot on time.
It's probably a good thing that the biggest story in training camp right now is the backup quarterback.
Fans that showed up to Olivet Nazarene University Tuesday night could not have been impressed with the Bears offense.
When it comes to protecting Jay Cutler, the focus centers on the offensive line, but the line and protection of Cutler extends out to the edge.
Well, one preseason game is in the books and there is a lot to talk about. Let's get straight to your questions:
Greg Olsen trade rumors started the moment Mike Martz was hired as offensive coordinator after the 2009 season and they never really went away until the tight end was finally traded to Carolina last month.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said Thursday that the team's offense last year was so poor that he doesn't know how they won games, and the offense absolutely must carry its weight this year.
What the Bears appear to be thinking is this: our problems last year were only a matter of personnel, and we have better parts in better places. We can run this system the way it was meant to run, last year's struggles be damned.
The mailbag heats up this week as the Bears get ready for their first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills Saturday.
