Thayer: Bears Must 'Play A Perfect Game' To Beat Packers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With the Bears in rebuilding mode and the Packers among the Super Bowl favorites again this year, Chicago can't afford to make mistakes in the season opener at Soldier Field if it hopes to beat its arch-rivals.
"You have to play a perfect game," Bears radio analyst Tom Thayer told WBBM Newsradio's Josh Liss on Friday. "One thing about Green Bay being within their system for quite a few years, you can't count on them making a lot of mental mistakes, or a lot of fundamental errors. So here it is about the Bears playing a perfect football game, and it's not out of the realm of possibility, because it's a lot of aspects of the Bears defense that Green Bay will not be familiar with."
One thing to watch on Sunday at Soldier Field will be the play of rookie nose tackle Eddie Goldman, who will be getting the start while veteran nose tackle Jeremiah Ratliff serves a three-game suspension. Thayer said he thinks Goldman has the skills to be an impact player but added the rookie will need to avoid being fooled by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' use of the hard count to draw the defense offsides.
"His challenge is just going to be discipline on the line of scrimmage. Don't listen to Aaron Rodgers' cadence. Move when the ball moves," Thayer said.
Thayer said he thinks Goldman is up to the challenge and said he compares favorably to William "Refrigerator" Perry, who played a pivotal role for the 1985 Bears in his rookie season. The two might play different styles and on different defenses, but Thayer said one of the best aspect's of Perry's game was his anticipation of the snap count, and he believes Goldman is "extremely disciplined" as well.
"So, I know he's a rookie, I know he's a young guy, but he's big, and he's strong, and he's powerful. If he plays well, he can compete as well as anybody," Thayer said.
The Bears host the Packers at noon Sunday. As always, you can hear the game on WBBM Newsradio 780 AM, with pregame starting at 9 a.m.