Bears @ Raiders Wk 12

nobodyinparticular · 11-25-2011, 02:56 AM

Hey guys, just popping over with a few questions and to say good luck in the game this Sunday. I have been very impressed with Matt Forte this year. I do have a few questions leading up to the matchup this weekend.

1) How is the secondary for Chicago? We all know about the LB corps led by Urlacher and Briggs, but how have Tillman & Co. been doing this year? Is is effective to attack the outside on Chicago?

2) What do you make of the defense in general? I see the Bears are #10 in the NFL in rushing yards per game and #30 in the NFL in passing yards per game. I also notice this front 4 isn't really coming up with many sacks with just 18 sacks on the year. Can the Raiders have success up the middle with the running game or plan on calling plenty of 5 and 7 step drops?

3) What do you expect out of Caleb Hanie? As a guy with only 14 regular season passing attempts, is this a guy who can manage the offense and limit mistakes? Or is he a guy who will have trouble with an active Raider front and hold on to the ball too long or throw picks?

4) How effective will Matt Forte be if he faces an 8-man front all day? With the backup QB in and a very productive running back, I would expect Hue and Bresnahan to bring Tyvon Branch into the box a lot on Sunday. Can he still be successful with so many men pulled up or can he be bottled up?

SFbear · 11-25-2011, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nobodyinparticular

Hey guys, just popping over with a few questions and to say good luck in the game this Sunday. I have been very impressed with Matt Forte this year. I do have a few questions leading up to the matchup this weekend.

1) How is the secondary for Chicago? We all know about the LB corps led by Urlacher and Briggs, but how have Tillman & Co. been doing this year? Is is effective to attack the outside on Chicago?

2) What do you make of the defense in general? I see the Bears are #10 in the NFL in rushing yards per game and #30 in the NFL in passing yards per game. I also notice this front 4 isn't really coming up with many sacks with just 18 sacks on the year. Can the Raiders have success up the middle with the running game or plan on calling plenty of 5 and 7 step drops?

3) What do you expect out of Caleb Hanie? As a guy with only 14 regular season passing attempts, is this a guy who can manage the offense and limit mistakes? Or is he a guy who will have trouble with an active Raider front and hold on to the ball too long or throw picks?

4) How effective will Matt Forte be if he faces an 8-man front all day? With the backup QB in and a very productive running back, I would expect Hue and Bresnahan to bring Tyvon Branch into the box a lot on Sunday. Can he still be successful with so many men pulled up or can he be bottled up?

1. We've been playing more man coverage the last couple games with mixed results. Tillman was having a Pro Bowl year until getting schooled by Vincent Jackson last game. Our nickelback DJ Moore will be out but Corey Graham filled in nicely last week. All our CBs are strong in run support (especially Tim Jennings) and are adept at forcing fumbles on undisciplined ball carriers (especially Tillman). Our safeties are young, fast, and mistake prone. Also TEs have been killing us this year.

2. For whatever reason Carson Palmer has killed us the last couple times we've played him so I'm a little worried. Might just be bad timing since we only play him every couple years.

DLine had a disappointing game against Chargers makeshift line. They've been hot and cold. Definitely weaker against the run than in previous years and sometimes the pass rush doesn't show up. Red zone D I think is the bottom of league which is uncharacteristic . Despite all that they're still a play making defense that consistently makes game changing turnovers.

3. Honestly I have no idea what to expect out of Hanie.

4. Forte has been strongest off tackle and in the screen game. Our down field blocking has been excellent and he's been deadly in the open field. Forte's been quiet last two games but I expect a strong game this week as long as Hanie doesn't completely implode. Cutler's arm was definitely keeping defenses honest but Forte has been making something out of nothing all year even when the passing game was trying to find its rhythm.

I picked the Raiders to win but turnovers and special teams could put Bears in the win column.

nobodyinparticular · 11-25-2011, 02:35 PM

Thanks for the response. I think much of the game will come down to turnovers as you said. If Hanie struggles with decision-making then the Raiders have to be favored. If he works well as a manager tomorrow, the Bears have a great shot--especially if the Raiders turn it over a couple times.

nobodyinparticular · 11-25-2011, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SFbear

1. We've been playing more man coverage the last couple games with mixed results. Tillman was having a Pro Bowl year until getting schooled by Vincent Jackson last game. Our nickelback DJ Moore will be out but Corey Graham filled in nicely last week. All our CBs are strong in run support (especially Tim Jennings) and are adept at forcing fumbles on undisciplined ball carriers (especially Tillman). Our safeties are young, fast, and mistake prone. Also TEs have been killing us this year.

2. For whatever reason Carson Palmer has killed us the last couple times we've played him so I'm a little worried. Might just be bad timing since we only play him every couple years.

DLine had a disappointing game against Chargers makeshift line. They've been hot and cold. Definitely weaker against the run than in previous years and sometimes the pass rush doesn't show up. Red zone D I think is the bottom of league which is uncharacteristic . Despite all that they're still a play making defense that consistently makes game changing turnovers.

3. Honestly I have no idea what to expect out of Hanie.

4. Forte has been strongest off tackle and in the screen game. Our down field blocking has been excellent and he's been deadly in the open field. Forte's been quiet last two games but I expect a strong game this week as long as Hanie doesn't completely implode. Cutler's arm was definitely keeping defenses honest but Forte has been making something out of nothing all year even when the passing game was trying to find its rhythm.

I picked the Raiders to win but turnovers and special teams could put Bears in the win column.

One more question. If you could put your finger on it: what is the one thing that has made your run D 10th in the league and what is one thing that had made your pass D 30th in the league?

nobodyinparticular · 11-25-2011, 08:13 PM

Just an update on the injury report for the Sunday game. This game may be decided by the health of the two teams rather than the ability of the two teams.

MidwayMonster31 · 11-26-2011, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nobodyinparticular

One more question. If you could put your finger on it: what is the one thing that has made your run D 10th in the league and what is one thing that had made your pass D 30th in the league?

For the run D, it's about good closing speed. For the pass D, I'm pretty sure that 30th means 30th in yards allowed. I think the problem was that we did get burned for a lot for big plays early in the season. Now that there are young safeties, they are playing a little more conservative with those safeties. If the front four can't do their jobs, then Palmer will have a field day. That was the biggest problem last week against the Chargers. With the Bears defensive scheme the way it is, passing yards has always been an issue since the underneath stuff is usually open.