Joniak's Journal: Jonathan Anderson Grateful For Promotion From Practice Squad
By Jeff Joniak--
(CBS) The Bears are are 2-4 and coming off their by week as the take on the Minnesota Vikings at noon on Sunday at Soldier Field. Here are my thoughts heading into the game.
First impression
When a good football player is beaten out for a starting job, no matter when or where it happens, it's a humbling experience. It happened to Bears rookie linebacker Jonathan Anderson at TCU entering his senior season. Paul Dawson earned the starting job, and Cincinnati drafted him in the third round.
Anderson went undrafted and was signed by the Bears.
"At the end of the day, I just got beat out," Anderson said. "I feel like it humbled me in a way and made me want to work even harder. It's not about where you start. It's always about how you finish, and hopefully I finish well and be the best I can be."
The Corpus Christi, Texas native was a redshirt freshman safety at TCU when he blew up in a game against BYU, recording 17 tackles and sealing the win with a late interception. Before his junior season, he moved to linebacker. He's the lightest linebacker on the Bears' roster, at 231 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame, which helps him move 40 yards in 4.57 seconds at the scouting combine timed.
Anderson made three plays his first 41 NFL snaps in Detroit: an interception, what should have been an interception on Golden Tate's touchdown and a sack of Matthew Stafford that was taken away by a defensive penalty.
Anderson's consistent practice play led to his promotion from the practice squad before the Lions game in Week 6. His approach to his work is a big reason why.
"I treat it like game day every day," Anderson said. "I go hard every day."
Anderson also had 19 special team snaps in Detroit as well. He's a player to watch in the Bears' nickel defense.
Second thought
Picking up defensive lineman Ziggy Hood was a good move for the Bears. He played in 96 consecutive games in his first six seasons, five with Pittsburgh and one in Jacksonville. Hired in free agency by the Jaguars in 2014, Hood never made it to the 2015 season after tearing his planter fascia at the end of training camp and was waived injured.
Hood started two seasons in Pittsburgh, and much like Bears linebacker Pernell McPhee during his time in Baltimore, he was a rotational and situational player for the most part in the Steelers' 3-4. Jacksonville uses a 4-3 scheme, which is what Hood played at Missouri. Now he's back in a 3-4 with a franchise he has a lot of respect for.
Hood's father is his mentor and someone he's close to, and his father pulled out a Gale Sayers jersey from his closet when Hood agreed to sign with the Bears. You can hear more from Evander "Ziggy" Hood in the second hour of WBBM Radio's "Countdown to Kickoff" on Sunday from Soldier Field.
Third degree
Jay Cutler is fifth in the NFL on third-down passing with a 114.0 quarterback rating, three touchdowns and one interception. His 529 passing yards in such situations ranks sixth among quarterbacks.
"That was the biggest positive I saw that compared to what he's done in the past, I think was pretty good," Bears coach John Fox said about Cutler's first five games this season.
When you consider that Cutler has only had Alshon Jeffrey for two games, a less-than-100 percent Eddie Royal and in essence an entirely new offensive line, it has been "pretty impressive," according to Fox.
In order to be successful on third down against the Vikings this Sunday, the Bears offense must stay on schedule. As soon as it becomes second- or third-and-long, Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer will dial up the blitz, and the pressure could come from just about anywhere on the defense.
On third downs in 2014, Cutler owned an 84.4 quarterback rating, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions while being sacked 12 times. In 2010, when the Bears advanced to the NFC title game, Cutler's third-down numbers were down to a 75.1 quarterback rating with just six touchdowns, six interceptions and an NFL-worst 26 sacks.
Fourth-and-short
With defenses stacking the line of scrimmage to stop Adrian Peterson, the Vikings have had some difficulty moving the ball on first down. Minnesota has an NFL-worst 18 negative runs on first down and 33 runs gaining zero to two yards. That combined total is 20 more than the league average.
In addition, the Vikings are last in the NFL on passing for four or more yards on first down, with just 28 completions, far below the league average of 50 and a country mile from the league's top team in this category: San Diego, with 81. It does allow for defensive coordinators to dial some second-and-long pressure on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who has been sacked 12 times on first and second down combined.
Jeff Joniak is the play-by-play announcer for the Bears broadcasts on WBBM Newsradio 780. Follow him on Twitter @JeffJoniak.
