Joniak's Journal: Bears Defense Proving To Be Stout
By Jeff Joniak--
(CBS) The Bears (2-3) are on the road to face the Lions (0-5) on Sunday at noon. Here are my thoughts leading up to the game.
First impression
In the last two weeks, the Bears have new starters dotting the defense. Sam Acho replaced the traded Jared Allen at outside linebacker. Jeremiah Ratliff returned from injury and suspension to start at defensive end. Tracy Porter moved in at cornerback. Rookie Harold Jones-Quartey made his first start in Kansas City at safety.
There will likely be another new starter at inside linebacker this week at Detroit, with the possible absence of Shea McClellin, who suffered a knee injury in Kansas City. Despite the changes, the Bears are ranked fourth in defensive yardage allowed and and third against the pass. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and his staff are just getting started.
Second thought
Bears coaches had no concerns about starting rookie center Hroniss Grasu in Kansas City, and he delivered an impressive debut against arguably one of the top five defensive fronts in the NFL. Nothing's ever perfect for an offensive lineman, and it never will be, as Grasu allowed a sack-strip fumble of Jay Cutler.
However, Grasu's technique and fundamentals led to a lot of plus grades in his tape review. One noticeable quality is his hand use. His non-snapping left hand quickly makes first contact in the chest of the defensive tackle with jarring power that immediately puts Grasu in a winning position. He repeatedly steered defensive linemen away from Cutler and Matt Forte and flashed excellent quickness on pulls.
The best news is Grasu will get better from here.
Third degree
With nine sacks in the last three games, Chicago's pass rush is starting to rev up. They are one of 14 teams in single digits still. Denver leads the league with 22 sacks, and Green Bay owns 20. Miami has only one.
Defensive line coach Jay Rodgers joined the Bears Coaches Show on WBBM on Monday night, and he emphasized the importance and the difficulty of just getting one.
"To get any sack in the NFL is big," Rodgers said. "It's hard. There are so many good quarterbacks out there that get the ball off so fast, and then in this day and age there are so many athletic quarterbacks that when you do get a chance to make it, I mean, you've got to make it. We've missed some sacks this year."
The Bears have three sacks on first down, three on second down and three on third down. Three sacks have come on blitzes. Pernell McPhee and Jarvis Jenkins each have three sacks.
The Jenkins production hasn't gone unnoticed.
"Now you are seeing the production from him that a lot of people didn't see a year ago, Rodgers said. "I mean, the guy's absolutely been working his butt off in the weight room, on the field. I think there is more in him than what he's shown so far."
Jenkins is comfortable with how he's being used by defensive coaches, and he loves playing for Fangio.
McPhee's tied for second in the NFL in combined quarterback knockdowns and hurries with 17.5. Detroit's Ziggy Ansah shares the NFL lead with five sacks and owns 10 combined knockdowns and hurries.
Fourth-and-short
Detroit may be winless, but it's a team with talent on both sides of the ball. Hitting the Lions in the mouth early and getting on top of them immediately would be nice. The Lions are completely out of whack offensively, turning it over 15 times, and last in rushing with 49 yards per game.
Jeff Joniak is the play-by-play announcer for the Bears broadcasts on WBBM Newsradio 780. Follow him on Twitter @JeffJoniak.