Bernstein: Bears' Improvement Is Becoming Evident
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) Rebuilding is rarely sexy, more often the result of accumulated small improvements than obvious quantum leaps.
Better game-planning, more productive practices and end-of-roster upgrades usually carry on without fanfare as the on-field product is subject to the usual vicissitudes of the NFL, evincing fits and starts and performances open to interpretation. Outcomes can be beside the point, with final scores not necessarily indicative of whether good things are happening in the larger picture.
The Bears' 37-13 win against the Rams on Sunday might just have been one of those moments to remember, however, a day to note as a marking point for Chicago's new regime being on the right track.
A 24-point victory on the road against a top-five NFL defense loaded with playmakers and a runner few have stopped while coming off a short week of practice following a red-eye flight home from the West Coast is something to take note of. John Fox's team was missing the injured Pernell McPhee, Matt Forte and Eddie Royal, and Alshon Jeffery was limited by a strained groin. None of that kept the Bears from overwhelming a team favored to beat them by as many as eight points.
It's a thing.
After getting steamrolled on the opening drive, the Bears hit back immediately with an 87-yard score on a short pass to tight end Zach Miller, who flashed the speed he showed teams at his 2009 pro day, when he ran the 40 in 4.53. It was a stunning turn of events, one that appeared to salvage the Bears' competitiveness enough to allow the defense to stiffen, eventually strangling Todd Gurley and the unfortunate Nick Foles.
Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase continued to burnish his resume for his inevitable head coaching opportunity, using early calls and formations to read tendencies against an aggressive front and opportunistic corners, then remaining patient with his plan pursuant to score and situation despite a makeshift line. Gase made Miller a real part of the strategy, while helping Jeremy Langford make a name for himself with 182 total yards and two scores in proving to be the better rookie running back for the day.
Jay Cutler is now all but taken for granted, and he played with nearly perfect efficiency – a career-best 151 passer rating that included completing 19 of 24 passes and three touchdowns. It was the first time ever that the Bears had two passing scores of more than 80 yards, and both were the product of the kind of relentless, responsible downfield blocking that indicates a team is caring and working hard.
On the other side, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's 3-4 scheme held Gurley to 45 yards on 12 carries while exposing Foles as uncomfortable and inaccurate, resulting in a mere 53 passer rating and just 17 completions in 36 attempts. Edge rushes forced three holding calls on tackle Greg Robinson alone, while linebacker Shea McClellin looked newly instinctive to make tackles near the line of scrimmage that included a forced fumble that he recovered himself. Defensive backs Tracy Porter, Kyle Fuller, Adrian Amos and Bryce Callahan all played with both quickness and technique, timing plays on the ball.
Even Robbie Gould bounced back from three straight misses in the last two weeks, making all three of his field-goal attempts.
Fox is doing something right. Some of his behaviors remain maddening – his press conferences are already at the point of being self-lampooning, and his paranoid desire to keep injury information from the public can reach its own comical levels – but he has coached his team into something better.
A year ago, the Week 10 saw Chicago trail Green Bay, 42-0, at half, eventually losing 55-14 after the bye week was expected to give them time to rebound from a 51-23 loss at New England.
This roster isn't remarkably different from that one, especially considering that the Bears' biggest offseason free-agent signings on both offense and defense didn't even make the trip Sunday.
Consider that for a moment, and then realize how much it has mattered that professional coaches are now in place.
Sometimes it's just that obvious, and there's plenty of reason to be happy about it.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
