Interesting take on the game from a Bears fan.

**Guru** · 09-14-2007, 03:52 PM

No link. Found it on another message board.

Chiefs vs. Bears

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Why To Watch
Even in Week 2 this is a must-win game for both teams. Kansas City offensive coordinator Mike Solari must find a way to improve his anemic passing attack and figure out how to protect QB Damon Huard against the Bears zone-blitz pressure schemes. Look for Solari to spread the field by using shifts and motions to create more running space between the tackles for RB Larry Johnson. However, the Chiefs' shaky offensive line could be in for another long day against a very good Bears front seven.

Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner has to find better balance on offense to take pressure off QB Rex Grossman. Kansas City has to take away the run, force Chicago to become one-dimensional on offense and get pressure on Grossman.

When the Chiefs have the ball
Rushing: The biggest task for the Kansas City offense this week will be to improve the rhythm and timing in the running game against a Bears defense that will load up the box with multiple defenders. This is not a good matchup for the Chiefs, though. Even with the loss of NT Dusty Dvoracek the Bears are very deep and talented along the defensive line. Tackle Tommie Harris. Harris is an explosive playmaker who can be very disruptive attacking upfield gaps, and the key for the Chiefs will be to control the interior and stop that penetration. Look for Solari to incorporate a lot of shifts and motion to try and out-flank the Bears' multiple fronts.

The Chiefs love to run their off-tackle power plays by pulling the backside guard to kick out the defensive end and create a lane for Johnson. The key will be C Casey Wiegmann's ability to down-block on Harris and not allow penetration into the backfield. Look for Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich to incorporate more multiple eight-man fronts in the Bears Cover 2 schemes by moving SS Adam Archuleta up near the box on heavy run-down tendencies.

Passing: If the Chiefs establish a running game early they will take pressure off Huard and open up their play-action attack. Huard is an experienced player with a great understanding of the Kansas City system but he lacks the arm strength to attack the deep vertical seams in the passing game. And on top of that, go-to WR Eddie Kennison pulled his hamstring last week and is out for this game. He will be replaced by rookie Dwayne Bowe. Look for the Chiefs to continue to use their spread-multiple packages with a lot of shifts and motions to create mismatches for TE Tony Gonzalez. The Chiefs use a lot of three-by-one formations that allow Huard to quickly find mismatches against the Bears sub-defensive packages with his pre-snap reads.

The Bears are extremely talented on the back end with three solid corners in their sub packages, which allows them a lot of flexibility in their coverage designs. Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher and Ricky Manning Jr. are very good players who do a good job of matching up on the outside in the Bears' sub-defensive packages. Look for Babich to rely on a four-man rush to create pressure while mixing in single-zone fires and overload blitzes to attack the right side of the offensive line. The Bears will also play a lot of combination zones in the secondary, bracketing Gonzalez on heavy-pass down tendencies.

When the Bears have the ball
Rushing: The Bears will rely on the combination of running backs Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson against a Chiefs run defense that allowed over 100 yards last week. Benson was tentative last week when running between the tackles and needs to do a better job this week with his run after contact on the second level and out in space. The Bears have an experienced offensive line led by C Olin Kreutz, who makes the interior of the line better with his stamina and physical toughness. The Bears need to create more space between the tackles against the Chiefs undersized defensive line, especially out on the edges of the defense.

The key will be the push in the middle by Kreutz and OGs Ruben Brown and Roberto Garza as they try to seal off the fast and aggressive Kansas City linebackers led by Donnie Edwards and Derrick Johnson. Edwards needs to be protected in the box but is still a highly-productive player, while Johnson is a tremendous athlete with outstanding closing speed. Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham will use a lot of movement within his front four to attack gaps and try to disrupt the Bears blocking patterns, which will allow his linebackers to play fast when attacking gaps downhill gaps. The Chiefs can ill-afford to lose their one-on-one battles in the interior of their run defense, though, as their linebackers need to be free to run to the ball.

Passing: It remains to be seen whether Grossman can develop more consistency in Ron Turner's offensive system. Grossman was not impressive last week against a very good Chargers defense and continues to struggle with his mechanics when being pressured in the pocket. The Bears must get their running game going in order to set up the play-action attack and take pressure off Grossman. They have a solid supporting cast of playmakers at wide receiver positions with Muhsin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian, Devin Hester and Mark Bradley. Berrian is a durable player with explosive speed and playmaking skills who the Chiefs will have to focus on.

Cunningham prefers an aggressive defensive scheme that places a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks while playing single-safety coverages on the backend. However, since the hiring of head coach Herman Edwards the Chiefs have relied on more of a conservative approach. With that said, look for Cunningham to load up the box on early downs to try to force the Bears into becoming a one-dimensional team through the air. The Chiefs have two very experienced corners in Ty Law and Patrick Surtain, which helps Cunningham keep the secondary balanced on the backend with their two-safety looks. However, Surtain injured his shoulder last week and could be a game-time decision this week. If he can't go the Chiefs might alter their plan with more zone-fires and less all-out pressure schemes.

Special Teams

The Bears have the advantage in the kicking game. The Chiefs will have a new kicker this week in Dave Rayner, having released rookie Justin Medlock. Punter Dustin Colquitt continues to be one of the most consistent punters in the NFL but he and the coverage unit will have their work cut out for them containing Hester. The Bears have the best return game in the NFL under special teams' coordinator Dave Toub and do a great job with their coverage units.

Hester has excellent vision, explosive play speed and great change-of-direction skills and is a threat to take it the distance any time he touches the ball. And if this game comes down to a field goal, the Bears have a huge advantage with PK Robbie Gould.

Take 2: Chiefs vs. Bears

By Scouts Inc

Insider

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Earlier this week, our scouts filed their advance scouting report on this week's matchup between the Chiefs and Bears. Now they're back with a second look.

Matchup to watch

Kansas City RB Larry Johnson vs. Chicago MLB Brian Urlacher
If the Chiefs are going to win this game, Johnson must have a big day against a great Bears defense. Johnson is a versatile player that has outstanding playmaking skills in both the run and passing game. He is the focal piece of this offense and the reason Kansas City relies on the power-running game. He has a great combination of size, strength and speed with the power to run inside and the speed to get outside. Plus, he is a physical runner that is hard to bring down in open space with home run ability anytime he touches the ball.

Urlacher is an every-down player that never comes off the field in the Bears' Cover-2 schemes. He has a rare combination of size, functional play strength and speed. He is a smart, instinctive player that makes a lot of plays all over the field due to his ability to avoid blockers in the box and move through trash. Look for the Bears to play him close to the line of scrimmage based on his alignment versus the Chiefs' standard personnel groupings. This will allow him to be even more active against Johnson and the Chiefs' power rushing attack.

Can the Chiefs run the ball against a very good Bears defense?
The Chiefs must find a way to establish the running game early to take pressure off QB Damon Huard. Chiefs offensive coordinator Mike Solari will continue to rely on the Chiefs' power-rushing attack with a combination of Larry Johnson and change-of-pace back Michael Bennett to set up their play-action attack. Johnson, who missed almost all of training camp due to a contract holdout, is a remarkable blend of speed and power as a runner. Look for Solari to incorporate a lot of shift and motions out of the Chiefs 21 (2 RB, 1 TE) and 12 (1 RB, 2 TE) personnel groupings, while trying to attack the edges of the Bears' defense with their Power "O" off-tackle plays.

OC Casey Wiegmann, along with OG's Brian Waters and John Welbourn must do a good job in the interior of the offensive line of cutting off upfield-penetration by DT Tommie Harris. Harris usually aligns on the outside of the guard as a three-technique and is very disruptive attacking upfield gaps. Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich will load up the box with his multiple eight-man fronts on heavy run-down tendencies to try and force the Chiefs to be a one-dimensional team through the air.

**Guru** · 09-14-2007, 03:53 PM

Here is the rest of it.

Can QB Rex Grossman play with more consistency this week?
Grossman is either really good or really bad. With that being said, for the Bears to make a strong run at the end of the season, Grossman will need to play with a lot more consistency this year, starting this week against the Chiefs. Look for offensive coordinator Ron Turner to rely on RB Cedric Benson early in the game to set up the three-and five-step passing attack. This will help Grossman get into rhythm, while trying to attack vertically downfield to WR Bernard Berrian.

The Bears must improve their timing and rhythm in the passing game against a secondary that could be without starting RC Patrick Surtain. Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham will load up the box to restrict the running space of Benson on heavy run-down tendencies, while being physical on the outside with his corners to disrupt the timing and rhythm of the Bears' passing attack. Cunningham's game plan will be to shut down the run and force Grossman to attack him through the air. The Bears must do a better job this week of protecting Grossman with their offensive line in critical third-and-long situations.

The loss of pass rusher Jared Allen (suspension) has hindered the Chiefs ability to create consistent pressure with their four-man rush. So, look for Cunningham to dial up some zone fires and overload-blitz schemes that force Grossman's mechanics to break down, resulting in game-changing turnovers.

Can Huard avoid making mistakes in the passing game?
Defensively, the Bears' mindset is to set up the game for their offense by creating game-changing turnovers. Huard is an experienced player that fills the role as the short-term starter. He has a very good understanding of the Chiefs' system, but lacks the arm strength to attack all three levels in the passing game. However, he does have good accuracy when throwing in rhythm in the short and intermediate areas.

Huard's go-to WR Eddie Kennsion injured his hamstring last week and will be replaced by rookie first-round pick Dwayne Bowe. Bowe is a big-play receiver that must do a good job this week of getting separation off the line of scrimmage against the Bears' physical Cover-2 corners. TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Samie Parker must also find a way to make plays in the passing game in order to extend drives and score points.

Look for Babich to bracket Gonzalez with both a corner and safety in sub-defensive situations to restrict his involvement in the passing game on Sunday. The Bears have three outstanding corners in their sub-defensive packages with Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher and Ricky Manning Jr that will be causing problems for the Chiefs passing game. On top of that, Kansas City 's shaky offensive line must be able to hold up, out on the edges versus the Chicago 's four-man rush led by RDE Mark Anderson.

The Bears clearly have the Scouts Inc. Advantage heading into this ball game. The key for the Bears' defense will be it's ability to stop Johnson. The Chiefs don't have a lot of playmakers out on the perimeter other than Gonzalez, so Huard has very limited options in the passing game.

However, the key to this game will be how Grossman handles the Chiefs' zone pressures. That being said, we still look for the Bears to dominate this game defensively at home on Sunday.

**Guru** · 09-14-2007, 03:54 PM

No, there is not a Cliff Notes version. Deal with it.

**sling58** · 09-15-2007, 07:40 AM

That's a good breakdown. I sure hope we can establish some kind of running attack against their front 7. I want to see LJ and Urlacher collide a few times.

**rbedgood** · 09-15-2007, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by sling58

That's a good breakdown. I sure hope we can establish some kind of running attack against their front 7. I want to see LJ flatten Urlacher a few times.

FYP!!!

**Sick Dog** · 09-15-2007, 08:15 PM

We could really use Jarred Allen for this game and of course last week. I think once the Chiefs get him back they will really look good on "D"!:director:

**sling58** · 09-17-2007, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by Sick Dog

We could really use Jarred Allen for this game and of course last week. I think once the Chiefs get him back they will really look good on "D"!:director:

Next week at Arrowhead!