Emma's Preview: Bears-Saints
By Chris Emma-
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) -- Amid a whirlwind week of tearful apologies and anonymous sources -- plus one not-so-anonymous source -- the Bears (5-8) attempted to game plan for the New Orleans Saints (5-8) ahead of Monday night's game at Soldier Field.
For Bears linebacker Shea McClellin, that means focusing in on how to slow down the Saints' tremendous tight end, Jimmy Graham.
"You've got to go in there with the same mindset as any week," McClellin said. "You're not going to put some guy on a pedestal, you're just going out and playing football."
But Graham does indeed stand on a pedestal, ranking as one of the top tight ends in all of football. He's 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds with a vertical that makes him seemingly impossible to defend.
Simply put, most opposing defenses don't have a matchup of size and athleticism to contain Graham. It's led to 50 career touchdowns in 75 games, including nine this season.
"You've seen it all," Bears coach Marc Trestman said. "He's an elite player in our league. He's got tremendous size and speed and catch radius. He's a tremendous player."
However, Graham has struggled the past two games. In Week 13, he had zero catches against the Pittsburgh Steelers. One week later, against Carolina, he had just three catches for 25 yards, along with three drops.
Entering Monday's matchup in Chicago, Graham must be drooling. He's set to face a Bears defense that has allowed 11 touchdowns to tight ends this season. What a chance to rebound. Chicago knows it's in for a challenge.
"He's a big, explosive tight end who can create mismatches with linebackers and safeties and play out wide," Bears defensive end Jared Allen said. "He's a big body guy, he just makes plays."
For the Bears, it will likely be McClellin keeping a watchful eye on Graham, because he can't be allowed to walk alone. Chicago similarly put McClellin in a matchup with the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski, who posted nine catches and three touchdowns, one in which he badly beat the converted defensive end for a jump ball.
Graham is even larger than Gronkowski, so McClellin knows he's in for a tough task in meeting the top target of Drew Brees.
"He's a tough matchup for anyone, definitely," he said.
Conversations at Halas Hall this week have been saturated with drama. There was an offensive coordinator giving a tearful apology to his unit and a staff of coaches under even greater fire. Keeping focus surely was a daunting task.
When the Bears take to Soldier Field on Monday, they must be prepared to slow down the Saints and their terrific tight end.
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
