Reader Q&A: Dan Pompei's Bears mailbag


Dan, did the defense just get old before our eyes? Maybe the Atlanta game was the exception to the rule. Atlanta honestly looks pretty bad so far The D-line isn't getting pressure, Lance Briggs is making too many mistakes for a guy looking for more loot, and the secondary (besides a couple of odd strips by Peanut Tillman and picks by D.J. Moore) looks atrocious. The Smith "D" is predicated on so many things to go right, and it appears almost nothing is going right. In years past, we could get away with a few mistakes. But now, we are paying dearly for those. Brian Urlacher has played great as always. However, even he is making errors trying to compensate for greater errors by his teammates. Other than him, everyone (including Julius Peppers) isn't looking up to par. Andrew Rackauskas, Torrance, Calif.

I don't think the defense got old before our eyes. I think what we've seen is the combination of a number of factors. Some of the key players you nfl jerseys from china mentioned have not performed well in some games. The pass rush has been very inconsistent, and without a consistent pass rush, it's likely a lot of players aren't going to look very good in this scheme. Safety play hasn't covered up many mistakes, which it is supposed to. It's looking more and more like the Bears miss Danieal Manning. And the Bears have played some of the NFL's best and most difficult-to-defend offenses.

Too often I hear the Bears' opponents say that the Bears' defense is not designed to trick anyone. Everyone knows the scheme and what the defense is going to do. Based on what other successful defenses do (Packers, Steelers, Ravens and Jets, for instance), and our recent poor defensive outings, do you think the Bears need to make nhl jerseys cheap more adjustments to their defense and get out of the Cover-2 scheme? Shouldn't we be trying to trick the offense? And wouldn't that be accomplished by using some of these unusual defensive formations and blitz packages that other teams seem to do? Sharma, Clearwater, Fla.

There are different ways to skin the cat. Teams have had success with the way the Packers do it, and teams have had success with the way the Bears do it. mlb jerseys cheap You can still win with the defense the Bears run. The Bears scheme isn't the problem -- executing it is. Players have to be more disciplined within the defense or it has no chance. Of course, discipline is necessary in any scheme.

What happened to Henry Melton? I haven't seen anything from him since week one. How did DT go from the deepest position on the team to a glaring weakness so fast? Eric, North Bend, Wash.

Melton has performed inconsistently. At times, he has been a very effective pass rusher. He played very well against the Falcons, and pretty well against the Packers. Against the Saints and Lions, he wasn't a factor. The Bears put a lot of trust in him, and he's going to have to play a lot better than he did Monday if the defense is going to be any good. Even though the Bears have a number of decent tackles, Melton is really the only interior pass rusher the team has.


I've seen the games and I'm not blind to the Bears' problems, but isn't it a little early to give up on the season, as many fans have, or to call for trading Jay Cutler for draft picks, as at least one of your colleagues has? According to ESPN's power rankings, the Bears have lost to three of the league's four best teams, two of them on the road, discount jerseysand none have been blowouts (the New Orleans game got away late). If these three games were spread throughout the schedule, rather than front-loaded, losing them wouldn't be that big of a deal. While winning the division is very unlikely, they're one game out of the last wild-card spot, and the schedule is about to get easier, at least on paper. So, is there any reason to hope, or should I just watch the baseball playoffs Sunday night? Mark Early, Arlington, Va.

I think the Bears probably are on the verge of getting better. All of your points are good ones, Mark. The only problem is there might not be enough opportunities for them to get to where they want to go. They have lost games to many of the teams they figure to be competing against for a playoff spot. That means they'll likely lose some tiebreakers. It also means they are not one of the best teams in the NFC. They thought they were.


Since Frank Omiyale was benched in the second half in the Panthers game for poor play, why was he given the starting ROT spot against the Lions? Why didn't he get pulled earlier in the game? Who in the coaching staff actually thinks he is a starter? Lovie Smith? Mike Tice? Mike Martz? Jack Piazza, Wheaton

Omiyale started at right tackle in Detroit because the coaching staff believed it did not have a better option. I don't think anyone on the staff thinks of Omiyale as a starter. They think of him as a backup. But the person they think of as a starter, Gabe Carimi, is injured. The coaches could have started Lance Louis at tackle, but they were most concerned about the matchup between Ndamukong Suh and the right guard. Chris Spencer couldn't go because of a broken hand. So coaches came to the conclusion that Louis at guard and Omiyale at tackle was a less unappealing option than Edwin Williams at guard and Louis at tackle.

At what point do you figure that one or two cheap nfl jerseys good plays per game by Kellen Davis do not outweigh all of his penalties and missed blocks? Should the Bears have kept Desmond Clark instead? Paul Ryske

Davis is a young, developing player who is not consistent. He does have a lot of potential, however. If the Bears want to discover all he can be, they are going to have to live through some mistakes. Right now, it's safe to say the Bears have not been as productive at the tight end position as they were a year ago, when the tight ends were Greg Olsen, Brandon Manulaleuna, Davis and Clark.

I would appreciate reading your evaluation of the overall abilities of Matt Forte and Adrian Peterson. Specifically, how does Matt rate, comparatively, to AD, in blocking, receiving, open-field moves and speed and inside running and breaking tackles. One area he seems to have really improved upon is his breakaway speed and ability to not get caught from behind. Tim Flynn, Denver

Forte is a more well-rounded player. He is probably better in pass protection. He definitely is better as a receiver, both as a route runner and catcher. They both can juke defenders in the open field, but Peterson is more capable of running over a defender. Peterson runs harder and he is a more explosive runner. He has more suddenness to him and he's stronger. He is the better runner between the tackles.

Before this season there was an NFL analyst who argued there really wasn't much of a difference between Matt Forte and Adrian Peterson. Although I wasn't too convinced before the season began, Matt's brilliant play so far is gradually making me a believer. If you consider that Forte is a clearly superior receiver and also a better blocker than Peterson, and that their rushing yards and average are not too dissimilar, the argument sounds pretty logical to me. Who would you take right now? Hugh Dottley, Hammond, IN

I would take Peterson. I think every general manager in the NFL would, too.

Maybe it's just the old-fashioned, smash-mouth football fan in me, but I really believe that if teams brought back the fullback it would be the next offensive trend in football. When I was a kid growing up in the 70s there were lots of good fullbacks and remember when Roland Harper came just a few dozen yards away from joining Walter Payton as a 1,000 yard rusher from the same backfield in the same year. Do you ever envision this happening again? Or am I just an old-fashioned wishful thinker watching a pass happy league? Neil, Brownsburg, Ind.

I think you are living in the past, Neil. I don't see a return of the fullback. The NFL is all about passing and scoring points. The fullback is a dying breed because teams want to put as many fast, explosive players on the field as possible. Offensive coordinators would rather use a wide receiver, or a pass catching tight end, than a fullback.

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