Joe Soriano
O.J. Lewis2011 Breakdown: NFC Divisional Seahawks and Bears
January 11th 2011 15:48
The Seahawks upset the Saints. I'm going to tell you this right off the bat. The Bears are a more complete team than the Saints, they won't have a lapse on defense, and they won't be upset. They are a well-rested team that doesn't have recent injuries at crucial positions.
Seattle's offensive line is unacceptable coming into this game. Lining up with their guys against Israel Idonije and Julius Peppers is a recipe for disaster. They will both relentlessly push away weak tackles. Lance Briggs should have a field day with the Hawks. They won't be able to block for Marshawn Lynch, and Briggs really feeds off of teams that can't block for their running back. Briggs isn't as good as Terrell Suggs, but his level of play for the Bears is something like that.
The Hawks won't have the luxury of the 12th man in Soldier Field. They also won't have John Carlson matched up with Roman Harper. He'll have to earn his keep against Brian Urlacher. Even though Urlacher isn't what he used to be, he's still a better player than Carlson. Charles Tillman is back on track, and Kelly Jennings is a solid corner. Ben Obomanu and Mike Williams will threaten the corners, but there won't be any big plays at all. I expect this to be a shutdown game for the Bears. Chris Harris is a stalwart in the back and is the main reason for the emergence of the Bears' secondary. He is one of the best leaders in the NFL, and people need to start realizing that.
Danieal Manning is a good coverage force in the back. As you can see, the Hawks will struggle to put up 10 points on the board. The Seahawks will have to worry about more than just a passing game. Matt Forte is a solid running back that can catch as good as anybody in the backfield. It's pretty much the requirement of a Mike Martz offense.
Brandon Mebane should have a tough time against the glue of the O-Line; Olin Kreutz. Their blocking stinks, but it's a step above where they were last year with their new chemistry. That doesn't mean that Chris Clemons won't have some big pressure. Raheem Brock will also force some signature Jay Cutler mistakes. What Cutler needs to do is find Chester Taylor and Matt Forte on safety valve plays.
The Bears need to utilize split back formations and 2RB/3WR shotgun formations as well. That's their best bet against two defensive ends on massive hot streaks. The Bears play a bomb it kind of offense that should be effective on the Seahawks if they establish the run. I am confident they will because Martz plays a more fiery variation of the vertical offense. However, a solid running game is a mainstay of any good vertical offense.
The Seahawks are playing against a good defense this time around. This will be a gritty football game, that's how both teams like to play it, but the Bears are a better team than the Saints. Gimme da Bears.
Prediction: 13 Bears 6 Seahawks MVP: Julius Peppers
Seattle's offensive line is unacceptable coming into this game. Lining up with their guys against Israel Idonije and Julius Peppers is a recipe for disaster. They will both relentlessly push away weak tackles. Lance Briggs should have a field day with the Hawks. They won't be able to block for Marshawn Lynch, and Briggs really feeds off of teams that can't block for their running back. Briggs isn't as good as Terrell Suggs, but his level of play for the Bears is something like that.
The Hawks won't have the luxury of the 12th man in Soldier Field. They also won't have John Carlson matched up with Roman Harper. He'll have to earn his keep against Brian Urlacher. Even though Urlacher isn't what he used to be, he's still a better player than Carlson. Charles Tillman is back on track, and Kelly Jennings is a solid corner. Ben Obomanu and Mike Williams will threaten the corners, but there won't be any big plays at all. I expect this to be a shutdown game for the Bears. Chris Harris is a stalwart in the back and is the main reason for the emergence of the Bears' secondary. He is one of the best leaders in the NFL, and people need to start realizing that.
Danieal Manning is a good coverage force in the back. As you can see, the Hawks will struggle to put up 10 points on the board. The Seahawks will have to worry about more than just a passing game. Matt Forte is a solid running back that can catch as good as anybody in the backfield. It's pretty much the requirement of a Mike Martz offense.
Brandon Mebane should have a tough time against the glue of the O-Line; Olin Kreutz. Their blocking stinks, but it's a step above where they were last year with their new chemistry. That doesn't mean that Chris Clemons won't have some big pressure. Raheem Brock will also force some signature Jay Cutler mistakes. What Cutler needs to do is find Chester Taylor and Matt Forte on safety valve plays.
The Bears need to utilize split back formations and 2RB/3WR shotgun formations as well. That's their best bet against two defensive ends on massive hot streaks. The Bears play a bomb it kind of offense that should be effective on the Seahawks if they establish the run. I am confident they will because Martz plays a more fiery variation of the vertical offense. However, a solid running game is a mainstay of any good vertical offense.
The Seahawks are playing against a good defense this time around. This will be a gritty football game, that's how both teams like to play it, but the Bears are a better team than the Saints. Gimme da Bears.
Prediction: 13 Bears 6 Seahawks MVP: Julius Peppers
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