Bears Defense Aims for More 'Chuck Bucks' Than Last Game

Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano gives out "Chuck Bucks" to his players as rewards each game for jobs well done, fake $100 currency with his photo on it.

Pagano's Chuck Buck stash didn't dwindle much after the Bears' last game, and that's an effort still eating away at the Bears defense.

"That loss we had to Oakland was not us," safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix said Thursday at Halas Hall. "We've had a chip on our shoulder this entire bye week just thinking about it."

After a few weeks to stew on their 24-21 loss to the Oakland Raiders, the Bears defense is aching to get on a field and make a statement even without injured Pro Bowl defensive end Akiem Hicks. They could use some more Chuck Bucks.

"We're getting back to Bears defense as we know it, and continuing to build something special," defensive end Nick Williams said.

It's not likely to mean anything to the New Orleans Saints, but the Bears had their pride wounded when the Raiders stuffed the ball down their throats in the last game, and also because they went 97 yards in the fourth quarter for the winning points.

"It's a wakeup call," Pagano said. "It doesn't matter where you play, when you play, those kinds of things. It's the National Football League. Our guys prepare. They prepared for that. They didn't, I didn't, I wasn't any good. We didn't play well. We didn't execute. They were better than us. We've got another chance, thank God."

The Bears dropped down to fifth in run defense and sixth in total defense after being humbled by Oakland and running back Josh Jacobs.

"We don't panic around here," safety Eddie Jackson said. "We know it's early in the season. We know what type of team we have. And, like I said, right now the way that the team has responded this week so far it's been a great response.

"I feel like coaches, players, everyone is happy with where we are right now through the week and we've just got to continue to build off that."

The defense won't have to face injured Drew Brees and what is reportedly a high ankle sprain could keep running back Alvin Kamara from contributing for the Saints.

Still, the Bears expect to see more teams try to imitate the approach Oakland took against them and try to bully them in the run game.

"I would expect, if I was an opponent, I'm looking at it," Pagano said. "We all watch tape. It's a copycat league. So if I see some things that have hurt somebody else. Hey, let's put this in. Let's try this and see if they got it fixed."

What needs to be fixed is pretty basic to how the Bears defend the run.

"They outplayed us, and we got away from all the things that we did in the weeks prior as far as playing great fundamentals, great technique, setting the edge, not getting cut on the backside, tackling, all those things," Pagano said. "All the things are a hallmark of a great defense, we just didn't do."

Part of the Raiders' approach to backside blocking was controversial cut blocks or even illegal chop blocks. There's nothing preventing future opponents from using the same tactics, except possibly NFL officials. But they seem too focused on calling hands to the face these days.

"I think everybody understands and knows what the rules are," Pagano said. "It's not our job to, you know, talk about those things. Our job is to play great technique and do the things necessary to make sure that doesn't happen. That's somebody else's job to handle that?"

Asked if he submitted some clips of the illegal blocks to the league for scrutiny, Pagano said, "You’d have to ask the head coach about that."

Beyond stopping the run, there have been some other disturbing defensive trends or absences.

One is outside linebacker Leonard Floyd not getting a sack since the opener.

"So, he's still impacting the game," Pagano said. "It's just like you said, the sacks or whatever, those haven't been there of late. He's great. He plays extremely hard. He does his job every single down. That'll (sacks) come. So he's not going to press."

Pagano said the same thing about interceptions, particularly by Jackson. The Bears have only four interceptions and Jackson has none after making six last year. But Pagano had been the one to warn Jackson quarterbacks wouldn't throw his way now.

"A lot of it has to with, I know coach (Sean) Payton is telling that quarterback, 'Find 39 and please don’t throw it anywhere near him,' " Pagano said. "And so a lot that is a byproduct of that. So it'll come. It's just like when started out. We weren't getting any and then all of sudden we were starting to get a bunch of takeaways and things like that.

"I don't think you can press. I don't think you get outside the framework or the structure of the defense."

If they stick to the script, even without Hicks, Pagano thinks he can be handing out those fake $100 bills next week again. It's a common thing  for defensive coordinators to do something like this and Pagano's play money at least is less controversial than when former Bears defensive coordinator used to give players bullets for big plays.

"Yeah, don't try and cash the Chuck Bucks – you're not getting anything for them," Pagano said.

They're not worth as much as the last Bears defensive effort.

Twitter@BearsOnMaven