The Chicago Bears regrouped Wednesday at Halas Corridor from their Week 2 loss to the Inexperienced Bay Packers and started making ready for Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Houston Texans.
Together with quarterback Justin Fields’ feedback about jump-starting the offense and a social media controversy, listed below are 4 issues we realized from Bears coach Matt Eberflus and his gamers.
1. Lucas Patrick practiced with out the solid he wore within the first two video games.
As he continued his restoration from surgical procedure on his proper hand, Patrick — whom the Bears signed within the offseason to be their middle — wore a membership on his hand in Weeks 1 and a couple of that prevented him from snapping.
So the Bears began Sam Mustipher at middle and put Patrick in a proper guard rotation with Teven Jenkins. However Patrick was noticed with out the solid through the portion of follow open to the media, and he snapped a few occasions.
If Patrick can snap the ball constantly, it raises the query of how the Bears will deal with these two positions. Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy have averted forecasting the offensive line starters the final two weeks, so that may not be revealed till Sunday.
Eberflus mentioned he thought Patrick and Jenkins every had a “stable efficiency” in opposition to the Packers.
“I’m going to have to speak to (offensive line coach Chris Morgan) about that,” Eberflus mentioned Monday when requested about proper guard. “I do know each of them rotated in there. I noticed Lucas play effectively at occasions and I noticed Teven play effectively.
“However we’ll see the place it's when it comes to the middle place, the place (Patrick) is at dealing with the ball. So it's going to make clear itself extra Wednesday and Thursday.”
2. Linebacker Roquan Smith sat out follow with a hip harm.
Smith performed each defensive snap Sunday and tied linebacker Nicholas Morrow for the group lead with 11 tackles, however he didn’t have every other game-changing stats. Eberflus categorized the efficiency as “stable.”
Even when Smith wasn’t at his greatest, his standing this week will likely be huge because the Bears attempt to get well from permitting the Packers 414 yards of offense.
Eberflus mentioned Monday of the place Smith wants to enhance: “We’re working with these linebackers proper now, working downhill and taking part in on the opposite facet of the road of scrimmage. And that’s actually twofold — that’s for each the linebackers. As a result of what that does, it helps our protection align, take off the double groups. We have now to do a greater job with that.”
Broad receiver Velus Jones Jr., who missed the primary two video games with a hamstring harm, was in uniform stretching with the group through the interval open to the media, however the Bears listed him as not practising.
Tight finish Ryan Griffin (Achilles) and security Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) additionally sat out.
3. As former Bears coach Lovie Smith returns to city because the Texans coach, he has the respect of Eberflus.
Eberflus and Smith share an acquaintance in Rod Marinelli, who labored beneath Smith in Chicago and mentored Eberflus with the Dallas Cowboys. Smith and Eberflus share some defensive ideas, and the present Bears coach appreciates how Smith’s models function.
In Smith’s 9 years in Chicago, the Bears have been 81-63 and 3-3 within the playoffs.
“I've appreciation for what he has achieved for the sport of soccer,” Eberflus mentioned. “He’s had his models taking part in the appropriate manner, has revered the sport that manner. And the accomplishments he’s had — he’s been a head coach for a very long time and he’s been regular that manner and actually good.
“I simply respect that from him and how much man he's, too, simply from listening to from Coach Rod and everyone else, Coach (Tony) Dungy.”
In Smith’s first season as head coach in Houston after one 12 months as defensive coordinator, the Texans rank close to the underside of the league in run and move protection however are tied for eighth in third-down protection (33.3%) and tied for fourth within the crimson zone (28.6%).
“Their protection and our protection form of come from the identical household department. Quite a lot of the identical stuff,” Fields mentioned. “They play laborious. I don’t assume they've one (of) what everyone would name a star participant on that group. However I’ll give them credit score, they play laborious, they play quick, they play just like us. So it’s going to be a tough combat all day.”
4. Bears defenders labored on tackling in particular person intervals as they attempt to get well from a poor efficiency.
Security Eddie Jackson, who would be the Bears’ honorary captain this week, mentioned they spent just a few further minutes throughout the person interval going over tackling fundamentals after missed tackles contributed to a number of the Packers’ greatest performs.
“That’s the place it begins,” Jackson mentioned. “We have been giving up rather a lot off missed tackles. We cease the run, include the run first after which we management the move, the sport will look totally different. So we simply have to emphasise that and fundamentals.”
Jackson mentioned the temper among the many Bears has picked up after a tricky Monday going over Packers sport movie.
“A soccer group typically, you don’t need to linger on a loss too lengthy, although it’s a tricky one, particularly in opposition to Inexperienced Bay,” Jackson mentioned. “However you’ve simply received to maneuver on. We’ll see (these) guys down the highway once more.
“We all know what we have to right. Quite a lot of that stuff we did was self-inflicted, so we simply be taught from that. It began with the basics right now.”
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