Bears: Williams, Wright out Monday

[IE]

CSNChicago.com

Left tackle Chris Williams and safety Major Wright will miss Monday night?s game, coach Lovie Smith confirmed Saturday.

Both suffered hamstring injuries in the first quarter of the victory at Dallas and neither practiced at all this week.

The Bears? offensive line will start the way it finished at Dallas, with Frank Omiyale at left tackle and Kevin Shaffer at right. Omiyale was a three-year starter at left tackle while at Tennessee Tech and Shaffer, who started the final five games last season at right tackle, started 31 games at right tackle in 2008-2009 for the Cleveland Browns.

Williams missed the first seven games of 2008 with a back injury and could not dislodge starters John St. Clair and John Tait during the season. Wright did not miss a game in three seasons at Florida but now has missed time with three different injuries since Aug. 1: groin strain, fractured finger, hamstring.




3-4 problems looming?

The Bears have had difficulties dealing with 3-4 defenses on more than a few occasions. The bad news is that more teams, like Green Bay beginning last year under coordinator Dom Capers, are playing it.

The good news is: More teams are playing it.

The reality is that there are only so many good football players to go around. So do the math: Theoretically, if the number of 3-4 teams increases from 10 to 20, for example, the number of linebackers needed for those teams jumps from 30 to 40 vs. those 10 teams staying with 4-3 defenses.

That means NFL talent scouts are tasked with finding 33 percent more quality linebackers. That is far from automatic, particularly because 3-4 linebackers often are hybrid end/linebacker types.

"Now, with so many people running it, it'll go opposite, where it'll water down the talent,? said center Olin Kreutz. ?When there were only one or two teams running it, they would get all the 3-4 guys, the real hybrid linebackers and D-ends. Now every team wants those guys, so Cleveland drafts for that, San Diego drafts for that, Denver, Green Bay.

?You see a lot of those hybrid guys going high, in the first round, where before those guys might even be fourth-, fifth-round guys because nobody was playing that system."

 

[IE]

Bears can contain Packers with zone blitz


Disciplined zone blitz will make it difficult for Rodgers to make necessary reads


The zone blitz (or fire zone) is a key component of Lovie Smith's defense. Show coverage (Cover-2) in the pre-snap alignment and then blitz with zone principles ? send five, drop six into coverage. One of Smith's core blitz schemes is the "Smash" out of an under front. Send the Sam (strong) and Mike (middle) linebackers to the closed side (tight end's side) and play a three-under, three-deep coverage in the backend.

Against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, the Bears can generate pressure and drop players directly into throwing lanes. Below, the Bears are in their base 4-3 under front against the Packer's "Middle Read" route scheme out of their base Pro personnel.

The blitz

Unlike a man-to-man pressure scheme (six- to seven-man pressure), the Smash blitz only rushes five. It can be blocked if the offensive line slides their protection to the Mike and the Sam on the blitz stunt. While you expect the ball to come out quickly, the coverage is designed to protect against an explosive play.

Seam-Flat defenders

This is the key to the blitz. The open (weak) side defensive end, Julius Peppers, and the strong safety, Danieal Manning, are responsible for Y and the first player out of the backfield to their respective sides. In a zone blitz, defenders play like they would in a match-up zone, passing off receivers. Both Seam-Flat players will carry any vertical by No. 2 to the middle hook dropper (Will linebacker) and then react if the ball is thrown to the flat. Think of it as a two-to-one read for defenders. Versus the Packers' "Middle Read," Manning would carry the tight end to the W ( Lance Briggs), and then react to the fullback releasing to the flat.

The cornerbacks

Both cornerbacks in this scheme will read the release of No. 1 (X and Z) and play any vertical route that goes past 10 yards with outside leverage using the free safety as their inside help. If the No.1 receiver takes an underneath release at the line of scrimmage, the corners will pass of the route and look inside for a vertical threat.

Hot reads

Every offense has hot reads built into their audible system. If Rodgers does anticipate pressure, he can check at the line of scrimmage to a 3-step slant. This is where the defense can make a play. With both Peppers and Manning moving at the snap, the throwing lanes to the 3-step route schemes are cut off. The quarterback likely has not accounted for the defensive end in the coverage scheme.

How do you beat this defense?

Every defensive scheme is vulnerable to certain routes. Versus the Smash blitz, it is the "OVS" (outside vertical stretch). The Z runs a clear out 9 (or fade) route with the Y on a 7 (or flag) route and the fullback releasing to the flat. With the strong safety passing the 7 off to the Will and reacting to the fullback in the flat, the linebacker is now playing the Y with inside leverage against an outside breaking route ? with no safety help. A good throw and it's time to move the chains.