Bears make statement, loud and clear
Bears coach Lovie Smith waves after his team's win over the Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune / September 19, 2010)
David Haugh
ARLINGTON, Texas When Greg Olsen left the huddle late in the first quarter of the Bears' 27-20 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday, the tight end had no clue he was about to change the tone of a game.
Let alone a football city.
Dare anybody suggest the season?
It was first down at the Dallas 39, three plays after Dez Bryant's 62-yard punt return for a touchdown made the Bears' challenge seem even bigger than the giant video scoreboard hanging inside Cowboys Stadium.
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Olsen noticed both linebackers showing blitz at the line of scrimmage and prepared to adjust his drag route. On the snap, not a soul touched Olsen. By his third step, he instinctively expected a quick throw from quarterback Jay Cutler.
Not long after Olsen looked back for the ball, the Bears began a comeback that turned heads all around the league.
"I obviously didn't expect to be that open," said Olsen, who outran safety Alan Ball on the decisive touchdown catch. "That settled us down. After that play, we could say we're good, we weathered their storm early and the excitement of an opening home game."
Talk about a sight adjustment.
Don't look now, but the Bears are 2-0 and a Monday night victory over the Packers from being the surprise team of the NFC. Since 1978, 65 percent of teams that started 2-0 made the playoffs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Who in Chicago ever thought they'd start wondering what the odds were for 3-0 teams?
"We were reeling a bit early, and it just takes one play," Cutler said. "That was the one."
They say everything is bigger down here, and based on what the Bears did after that Olsen touchdown, the trick for Lovie Smith will be not to let his team exaggerate the importance of one win.
Admittedly it sure looked impressive enough to be construed as more. For the Bears, it felt like a victory over the doubt and cynicism that were among their toughest early opponents.
No word yet on what time crow is being served Monday to guests arriving at Halas Hall.
"There's been a group trying to tell us what type of team we are," Smith said. "We've been saying exactly what type we are, and that's a good football team. But you have to get wins to validate that. This win will make us a little closer to people believing in us."
Winning so convincingly on the road resembled Bears victories at Indianapolis in 2008 and Seattle in 2009, and neither of those led to anything but frustration. Sunday's win suggested the Bears are better than many critics present company included thought. But it's premature to know how much better.
Most significantly, it confirmed what Jerry Angelo has been saying all along about the additions of offensive coordinator Mike Martz and line coach Mike Tice as the team's biggest offseason additions.
Sure, the Bears beat the Cowboys because they had the best player on the field in Cutler, who was 21 of 29 for 277 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. But Cutler played like the franchise quarterback he is because of the way Martz adjusted his game plan and Tice switched his personnel.
To compensate for the Cowboys' early all-out attacking defense, Martz interspersed passes with quick releases and assigned extra blockers on plays with deeper routes. He mixed in just enough screens and new formations Earl Bennett in the backfield? to keep the Cowboys guessing. For the second week in a row, Martz took advantage of a Matt Forte mismatch that resulted in a touchdown pass.
Not to be outdone, after starter Chris Williams left with a hamstring injury, Tice pulled off the rare in-game position switch by flipping Frank Omiyale to left tackle and Kevin Shaffer to right after one series the other way around. Whether it was scheme or skill, the line protected Cutler better in the final three quarters than it had since training camp started.
When Plan C works, that's coaching.
General manager Jerry Angelo called this a "statement game" on WBBM-AM 780 before kickoff. If so, this is what the Bears ultimately said: We're right. You're wrong. Deal with it.
The Bears also did what good teams do in overcoming injuries to two of their most highly regarded young players, Williams and rookie safety Major Wright. The way free safety Chris Harris hit playing full-time, Wright might want to heal quickly.
It's hard to measure on the stat sheet, but the Bears' swarming defense contributed to Tony Romo throwing behind his receivers as much as Romo's erratic arm. More vindication came for Smith when his pet project at nickel back, D.J. Moore, intercepted two passes and was involved in a Roy Williams fumble.
But given the chance to say I-told-you-so about Moore or anything else after beating the team he grew up cheering in Big Sandy, Texas, Smith wisely passed. He owns a calendar.
"Whenever you come back home, you want to do well in front of a lot of people who care about you," Smith said.
Something tells me a lot more people care about the Bears now.