Bear Digest

Why Bears should expect trickery and dog droppings against the Lions

Anything goes in normal situations against Dan Campbell's team, and this could be the case Sunday at Soldier Field on fourth downs or even at halftime.
Gene Chamberlain|
Former Lions safety C.J. Moore runs a fake punt against the Vikings.
Former Lions safety C.J. Moore runs a fake punt against the Vikings. | Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Chicago Bears

It promises to be a wild Sunday at Soldier Field, and that's not entirely because of the dachshund match-race tournament they'll hold at halftime.

The game itself should be an even greater spectacle than when eight wiener dogs are pitted against each other in a halftime elimination tournament to win prizes for "good, better and best"—third, second and first place. Apparently the Bears aren't done with the wiener's circle just yet.

During the game itself, a Lions team with nothing to lose faces Ben Johnson's anything-goes team. Players and fans need to have their heads on a swivel.

Detroit can normally be counted on to gamble, so with nothing left to play for except a 2-0 season’s advantage over their old offensive coordinator, coach Dan Campbell's team could have a long list of trick plays to throw at Johnson and the Bears.

Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower anticipates trickery but would from the Lions, anyway.

Detroit special teams coordinator Dave Fipp dialed up a fake punt from his own territory in November against the Eagles. It got stuffed, but imagine what the Lions could have in store for the Bears when they truly do have nothing to lose.

“You’re always thinking about fakes, especially with that group," Hightower said. "That group has done a number of fakes. They've done five in the last two years, 15 over the last four or five years. Fifteen-plus. They did one this year versus Philly. We're always alert, antenna's up for that. I think with this group, in general, they have a fake history.

"It doesn't matter if it's Week 2 or the last week of the season, we're always going to be conscious of that when you're playing Detroit."

Asked when he might run a much-awaited fake of his own, Hightower played it coy.

“Let's just say this, it can happen at any time," he said. "We're more for it than not.”

They did it last year in a season's finale, one day before most of the coaching staff got fired. They beat Green Bay and Hightower had them use the old Johnny Knox/Devin Hester switcheroo fake punt return. Josh Blackwell took it to the house when everyone thought DJ Moore was fielding the punt.

The Bears do have more to play for than Detroit, with the NFC's second seed at stake. They could also clinch if the Eagles lose to Washington. In that case, maybe they'll think twice about any trickery of their own.

Either way, the Lions can be expected to do more than just run trick plays in punt situations.

There really are no consequences for them beyond losing one on the road to the Bears, and their reward can be a winning season and bragging rights in the season series.

So, the Bears need to be on the lookout for fake punts, kicks, and trick plays of all sorts—not to mention where they're stepping on the field after halftime.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.