Joniak's Journal: Pernell McPhee Emerges As A Leader For Bears
By Jeff Joniak--
(CBS) The Bears (1-3) are on the road to face the Chiefs (1-3) on Sunday at noon. Here are my thoughts entering the contest.
First impression
One month into his new job as a first-time starter in the NFL, linebacker Pernell McPhee is helping change the culture inside the Bears' locker room. Groomed for this role after four years of watching, listening and learning from a bunch of alpha males in Baltimore, McPhee knows what leadership looks like and sounds like. McPhee gets it.
He's holding players accountable on and off the field, and his messages are direct and powerful. His play the last two weeks backs up his messages and is making it easier to follow his lead.
Second thought
Perhaps we take it for granted how clutch Bears kicker Robbie Gould really is with the game on the line -- in particular, how clutch he is at Soldier Field, given the unpredictable lakefront conditions and cross winds.
Gould's 54-yarder against the Raiders on Sunday was as big as his game-winner with two seconds left. Gould has bankrolled 12 game winners. Of those, 10 have come at home, and nine were aimed at the south end zone uprights.
Typically ,the wind is at his at his back at that end of the stadium, and the right-to-left breeze is naturally more comfortable for a right-footed kicker. His misses with the game on the line are rare.
In 2006 at home against Tampa Bay, he missed a game-winner, only to come back to boot one in overtime for the win. In 2009 against Minnesota, he missed one, but a Bernard Berrian touchdown catch won it in overtime. The only other missed game-winner for Gould came at the old Metrodome two years ago on what turned out to be a controversial decision to kick to begin with in a loss to the Vikings. It's hard to believe, but Gould has already matched his total 2014 output with nine field goals in one month.
He really is good as Gould.
Third degree
Who starts at center for Chicago in Kansas City will create one of the week's story lines at Halas Hall. Now that Matt Slauson has played there and the Bears won, my instinct would be to start him. He knows the offense cold and has veteran instincts and the size to get nasty in there.
However, that's not to say rookie Hroniss Grasu can't adapt quickly and successfully. There are questions about Grasu's size and strength from some observers, but he's listed at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds. That's a position of technique and leverage. He would be giving up nearly 50 pounds to Chiefs two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Dontari Poe, a refrigerator inside who's coming off July back surgery.
Grasu started 52 games at Oregon and handled big nose tackles at the point of attack, acquitting himself well. Grasu has the functional strength to take on the challenges of a quality Kansas City front. Where Grasu is at in terms of knowing the intricacies of the offense like Slauson is something we don't know just yet.
Fourth-and-short
Quarterback Jay Cutler prefers an up-tempo attack, so the quick or no-huddle approach installed by offensive coordinator Adam Gase gets the play in quickly and gets Cutler to the line of scrimmage with time to make adjustments and create mismatches. Cutler likes the rhythm of that tempo.
In four possessions in two-minute situations, Cutler has directed three scoring drives, for a league-best 13 points, including one touchdown pass. Kansas City's Alex Smith has been at the controls for eight such drives and has produced no points.
Jeff Joniak is the play-by-play announcer for the Bears broadcasts on WBBM Newsradio 780. Follow him on Twitter @JeffJoniak.