Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Seven-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Brian Urlacher has played on several elite defenses during his illustrious career with the Chicago Bears.
That isn’t shaping up to be the case in 2011.
“We’re playing like [expletive], that’s what’s going on,” Urlacher said following the Bears’ 24-13 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Monday night. “We’re not playing good. We’re not disciplined. We’re not into our gaps. We’re not physical. I don’t know how many yards that kid had. He probably didn’t even have 10 carries.”
The “kid” Urlacher referenced is Detroit running back Jahvid Best, who torched the defense for 163 yards on 12 attempts. Best provided what proved to be the turning point of the game in the third quarter when he ran virtually untouched for an 88-yard touchdown. To make matters worse, the Bears also surrendered yet another long pass play, this time to Calvin Johnson for a 73-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
The Johnson touchdown was symbolic of everything that plagues the Bears defense. First, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had all day to throw because the pass rush was non-existent, and second, Johnson ran right past the two deep safeties (Chris Harris and Brandon Meriweather), a problematic position for the Bears the entire year.
Detroit had nearly 400 yards of total offense despite only having the ball for 20:57.
“Last year we were 4-3 going into our bye week, that’s still possible,” Urlacher said. “We got two games left [Minnesota and Tampa]. We win those, we’re 4-3 going into the bye week. But we’re not going to win any games if we don’t play any better.
“Defensively, we stink. We stop the run, [then] we can’t stop the pass. We stop the pass, [then] we can’t stop the run. We’re just all over the place.”
WRITTEN BY Jeff Dickerson covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000 & FULL STORY HERE
