Bear Digest

Pinpointing Bears defensive failure and how they can repair it

Analysis: The Bears defense has a system conversion issue and how fast they adapt to the scheme Dennis Allen intended can determine when they're competitive.
Gene Chamberlain|
Amon-Ra St. Brown beats Bears slot cornerback Nick McCloud for a TD Sunday in a 52-21 Lions win.
Amon-Ra St. Brown beats Bears slot cornerback Nick McCloud for a TD Sunday in a 52-21 Lions win. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

One hidden or secondary fear confronting the Bears heading into the season had to be their ability to adjust to a new defensive scheme.

It didn't rate as high as all the change coach Ben Johnson was bringing along to the offense but it was there nonetheless.

In fact, it was assumed by many that the new, aggressive approach with blitzing and man-to-man coverage could only help.

Players repeatedly trumpeted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's approach, which was viewed as 180 degrees opposite of the coverage used under Matt Eberflus, who they face this week as Dallas defensive coordinator.

"You saw it in the preseason," saftey Kevin Byard said. "One game, he called double-safety blitzes like six times in one game, and they all worked. He's not going to be scared to go get after somebody."

And now, 79 points in two games later, everyone wonders what happened to Dennis Allen, super genius.

Nothing happened.

There is an adjustment going on and some of it is because they're using zone-based personnel in a man-based coverage scheme. Part of the reason for pass coverage failures is lack of pass rush pressure to help out the secondary. Even that part of it is an adjustment.

Adjusting for scheme

When Allen took over the Saints defense, his first full season was a disaster. They allowed the most points in the league. Then they had the right personnel in place and it worked.

As GM Ryan Poles explained in the offseason, they have a different  technique for defensive linemen. Instead of getting into gaps immediately, they are now driving back blockers and then looking to get off the block and into a gap. There is a split second on the rush when they decide the run isn't coming and then to get into a gap to attack the QB.

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett sees simply improving the amount of time it takes to get to the rush point as a way they can begin to pressure better.

"I think converting to the pass quicker on the play-action passes," Jarrett said. "You watched a lot of deep development routes (against Detroit), run action to pass late. We were, as a group, a little sticky on blocks and just sitting back a little too long before we convert it (to go after the QB) and maybe should take a couple shots a little earlier to try to get through the gap so we can get to the quarterback."

Attack faster

Garrett thinks the linemen need to do their own version of a blitz and get right into the gap on occasion to change it up and confuse blockers.

"And as far as third-down rushes,  there was some–I had a couple hits in the game, but I mean, it was a little too late to where they threw it up and then they made some good catches," Jarrett said. "There were definitely some opportunities. I think in this game the biggest thing was our conversion from playing a run to pass. They did a good job scheming that up and we’ve just got to be better at that for sure.”

It's risky changing up because it can open up longer run plays.

"I know how technique is being taught right now, and I've got a lot  of faith in our coaching staff too," Ben Johnson said.

Better pass defense starts up front with the rush and the Bears had no pressure on Jared Goff after the first few series. So it's not surprising the coverage was lacking.

It seems to go beyond all of this, though. It's as much a head/heart game as it is physical.

There is a need to handle momentum changes better in games. In the opener,  the Bears defense was in complete control and then in the fourth quarter a change by Minnesota to more power running with a bigger back altered the game's flow. No one adjusted. Then the Vikings were able to use play-action passing, took momentum and the Bears never countered as they surrendered 21 fourth-quarter points in a loss.

On Sunday, the long one-handed pass catch and officials' mistake stopping the clock to allow one more Lions play for a TD turned a one-score game into a two-score game.

The collapse continued into the second half.

“It was really just one of those plays that turned in their favor," Jarrett said. "Throw the ball up for a prayer, the guy catches it one handed, gets the knee down and was able to stop the clock when we thought the half was over. It was just the way the ball turned–it's the NFL man."

Defense reeling

An established and confident defense merely regains the momentum. They had instances earlier in the game when this did happen.

A failed fourth-down gamble on the quarterback sneak at the Bears' own 37 resulted in no points when the defense held its ground to force a failed Lions 55-yard field goal try. The Bears lost the ball on a fumble in the early second quarter in Lions territory but handled that situation by forcing a punt.

"They finished, they had the explosive plays, and we have to play complementary football at the end of the day," Johnson said. "If one unit isn't playing as well as we'd like, we need both offense and special teams to come through and balance this one out, and we simply didn't stop the bleeding in really any phase and play complementary football.”

The complementary football comment was a familiar one whenever things went bad under Matt Nagy and Matt Eberflus.

Athough it's a convenient excuse, there is truth to it. Ultimately, the Bears defense needs to make plays when necessary, and now it's going to get tougher with opponents seeing their failures in two games and also the loss of Jaylon Johnson.

Winning right now might mean doing it the way Dallas did on Sunday, by simply outscoring an opponent.

In the meantime, it could take the Bears into Year 2 before they have the  personnel who properly fit the defensive scheme Allen uses. This happened with the Saints when Allen was coordinator.

It's something the Bears should have thought more about when they were drafting a tight end No. 10 overall, a wide receiver with their second pick and an offensive tackle with their third pick.

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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.