Joniak's Journal: Bears Look To Keep Positive Attitude Amid Tough Times
By Jeff Joniak–
(CBS) The Bears (1-6) host the Vikings (5-1) on Monday night at Soldier Field. Here are my observations leading into the game.
First impression
It's cliche yet reality for defensive backs to have short memories. The Bears hope all of them do after what Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers did to them in the second half a week ago Thursday. The secondary was flat out wiped out in playing so many snaps. Safety Adrian Amos is taking it a step further, suggesting the Bears are deleting the memory of all seven of their games and thinking fresh for the Vikings.
"It's almost like you are not allowed to feel 1-6," Amos said. "It's urgent to get better every game and every day because we know a lot of plays we left on the field in a lot of games that we feel like we should have got. Everything's got to be thrown out. We have to play each and every game like an elimination."
Second thought
The Bears locker room is still a bustling, vibrant place despite their poor record. I think it's due to the younger roster. They're learning how to play and how to win, and there are emotional and vocal veterans who loudly emphasize a positive approach.
"A lot of us are getting to know each other better," Amos said. "Our relationships in the locker room are building. There are not to many conflicts between players. We are getting back healthy, and there are a lot of things to look forward to, but we have got to execute. We don't feel like we are undermanned, we just feel like we have to put it all together."
Third degree
Bears guards Kyle Long and Josh Sitton remain on the injury report, leaving their availability in doubt, so it's possible Ted Larsen and newcomer Eric Kush could be the next men up. Kush is an interesting prospect. A well-spoken University of California product, Kush is a brawler on the field and a battler off the field in terms of working on his craft and trying to get better. He was a low draft pick of the Chiefs and nearly quit the sport in college because he got married and had a kid.
His wife made sure Kush kept his dream alive.
"If I would have pulled that plug, I would probably be chopping down trees or doing some kind of heavy labor," Kush said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my wife."
I will have more with Kush in Monday night's WBBM Bears Radio pregame show in the audio version of Joniak's Journal in the second hour of the program.
Fourth-and-short
Numbers can be numbing in the NFL. They hardly make any sense. Minnesota leads the league in takeaways with 16 yet has scored only 33 points off those huge plays. The turnovers still matter of course, because the opposing offense loses snaps and momentum.
With a quarterback playing only six games in a new scheme and without Adrian Peterson, the Vikings offense isn't running at top speed yet. The Bears have scored 27 points off their nine takeaways, so they have cashed in better than the Vikings, who have the lowest points-per-takeaway mark in the NFL.
Jeff Joniak is the play-by-play announcer for the Bears broadcasts on WBBM Newsradio 780 & 105.9 FM. Follow him on Twitter @JeffJoniak.
