Bears Notes: 'There Was Confusion All Night,' Jennings Says
By Dan Durkin-
GREEN BAY, Wis. (CBS) -- From missed checks to busted coverages, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Co. once again had their way with the Bears defense in a 55-14 win Sunday night at Lambeau Field. With the season series over, some staggering numbers surfaced through the two games.
In total, the Packers' first team offense scored on 12 of their first 14 drives -- with 11 going for touchdowns -- and weren't forced to punt for six full quarters. Rodgers completed 72 percent of his passes and threw 10 touchdowns while posting a 148.5 passer rating. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson piled up 16 receptions for 260 yards and four touchdowns, and sidekick Randall Cobb had 11 receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite having an extra week to prepare for the game, Bears cornerback Tim Jennings spoke of the defense not being on the same page throughout the game.
"There was confusion all night," Jennings said. "We blew some coverages on the back end, starting with myself. There were some miscommunications on the back end. At the end of the day, we need to execute the game plan."
One of the blown coverages led to Nelson's 73-yard touchdown reception. Clearly, there was a missed check in the secondary, as safety Brock Vereen dropped as if he was in a two-deep shell, yet he was the only deep safety, leaving one deep-half of the field completely uncovered.
Good players but not a good team
On paper, the Bears don't resemble a 3-6 team, but as Phil Emery is wont to say, they're a 3-6 football team. Which in turn, also makes Emery a 3-6 general manager.
There's talent on the roster, but it's yet to culminate in any phase for a consistent period of time. Save for the Falcons game, the Bears have yet to put together four full quarters of football.
"We have good players," defensive end Jared Allen said. "We obviously aren't a good team. When you get a beatdown like this, you can't say much else. We have talent, we just need to find a way to win games."
Given the talent on the roster, signs point back to coaching, or a lack thereof.
Packers save their best for the Bears
Bears coach Marc Trestman is fond of telling the media about the excellent practices the team has during the week, yet the games tell a very different story.
On the other hand, when your team goes out and puts 55 points on the scoreboard, similar words carry more clout. Packers coach Mike McCarthy was convinced Sunday night was the best his team has performed all season.
"It was clearly our best football that we played this year," McCarthy said. "I really liked the way the whole week went from start to finish. I thought the way the team came back off the bye, they were ready to go. You could see it Monday in our work and our week of preparation."
The Packers play host to the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday and are now 6-3 on the season, 4-0 at home and 3-1 in the division.
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.
