We're not the Giants

[Dice34]

Defense back intact as bye week cures all ills

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - It took Brian Urlacher just four words to summarize why he thinks the Bears will fare better against Carolina's running game than the Panthers' previous opponent.
"We're not the Giants," said the NFL's defensive player of the year.

Urlacher wasn't putting down the NFC East champs. He was simply pointing out that the New York defense the Panthers gashed for 223 yards rushing in last Sunday's 23-0 playoff rout was missing starting linebackers Antonio Pierce, Carlos Emmons and Chase Blackburn due to injuries.

The Bears, on the other hand, are healthy and happy as they prepare to host Carolina in an NFC Divisional Playoff game Sunday. In fact, not a single defensive player missed practice or was listed on the injury report Wednesday, a development that pleased Lovie Smith

Safety Mike Brown (calf), linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer (thumb) and defensive tackle Ian Scott (hamstring) all missed games with injuries over the final month of the season, while defensive end Adewale Ogunleye and cornerback Charles Tillman were among those held out of the meaningless finale in Minnesota for precautionary reasons.

All are expected to start Sunday against the Panthers.

"It's been great because we won some games while I was out, but it's a lot more fun to play football than it is to watch," said Hillenmeyer, who missed the final three weeks of the season. "I think if you asked any of us who have been out, we're probably a little more anxious than anyone else to get out there because it's been so long since we've (played)."

Hillenmeyer is not expected to wear a cast on his thumb Sunday against the Panthers.

"I'll have something on it," he said, "but it won't be anything that's significant enough to impede my movement or that I couldn't catch a ball or use my hands to tackle."
Hillenmeyer rejoins a group of linebackers that must be considered the best trio in the NFL given the fact that both Urlacher and Lance Briggs were named All-Pro.

"We like our linebacking crew and we will need it playing against a team that runs the football the way (the Panthers) do," Smith said.

As you'd expect, the bye week the Bears earned by finishing with the second best record in the NFC provided a major boost both mentally and physically.

"The bye week helps with everything," Smith said. "When you're going into a game like this you want to have your best group having a chance to play and that's what we'll have."

The only three Bears listed on the injury report did not practice Wednesday. Right guard Terrence Metcalf (knee) is doubtful, while fullback Bryan Johnson (foot) and guard Lennie Friedman (knee) are questionable.

 

[gjn23]

said this in another post...

for everyone sucking carolina's cock because of last weeks offenseive performance.....watch a tape of the game....the giants were playing two hand touch, no hitting, no intensity, a completely pathetic performance that the panthers wont see from the bears defense.

 

[Dice34]

Defensive ends aiming for repeat performance

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - After combining for five sacks in a 13-3 win over Carolina Nov. 20, Bears defensive ends Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye are brimming with confidence as they prepare for Sunday's divisional playoff game against the Panthers at Soldier Field.
The defensive line registered all eight Chicago sacks of Jake Delhomme in the first meeting between the clubs, the most sacks by the Bears since they had eight in a 1991 win in Tampa.

"They do what they do," Brown said. "They want to run the ball and (utilize) play-action to set up the pass, so you've got to take one of them away from them. We're going to try to take the run away from them and make Jake throw it.

"As a d-line we've got to get after him and make him uncomfortable back there. If we can at least live up to what we did last game, we should be in pretty good shape."

Given the Bears' success in the first contest, Brown anticipates that the Panthers will employ different blocking schemes on Sunday.

"I don't expect them to do the same things because of what happened last game," he said. "They'll have a different approach I guess. Other than that, it's the same players, so they've got to find a way to block our front four and we've got to find a way to get there regardless of how they block it."

The Panthers (12-5) advanced to face the Bears (11-5) with a resounding 23-0 road victory over the New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs last Sunday, rushing for 223 yards and possessing the ball for a whopping 42:45.

"They're running the same offense," said Ogunleye, who matched a career high with three sacks in the Nov. 20 game against Carolina. "The only thing that's different is they've got some confidence in their running game and that's one thing I knew they were lacking.
"They did a good job against the Giants, but I think if we can stop the run and make them a one-dimensional team in trying to go to Steve Smith, that's going to be our game plan."

Smith, an All-Pro receiver who led the NFL with 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 TDs in 2005, caught 14 passes for 169 yards against the Bears. But he did not get in the end zone as the Panthers were held to their lowest point total since a 41-0 loss to Atlanta on Nov. 24, 2002.

When a reporter began a question to Ogunleye by saying, "You can't expect the same Carolina team ...," the Bears defensive end responded: "Why not? I'm not going to give too much credit to people. That's (the media's) job. For us, we've got to have the same confidence we had when we played them (the first time).

"They had all the hype coming into the game, and we felt they didn't deserve it. And I think again they're getting a lot more hype than they should. We're just going to continue to play as hard as we can. I'm not downplaying the Carolina Panthers, but I'm 'up-playing' us."

While Ogunleye and Brown wanted to prove that they deserved at least as much recognition as Carolina counterparts Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker were receiving prior to the first game, the Bears defensive ends insist that they have other motives this time around.

"I'm just trying to make it to the Super Bowl," Ogunleye said. "Hopefully we can end their season and we can continue to move on. That would be the biggest reward for this team."

"We just want to play the following week," Brown said. "They've got very good d-ends. Rucker and Peppers are very good; they're at the top of the league.

"We're not going to cut ourselves short either. We believe we have two very good defensive ends too. But we've got to go out and play and hopefully we can make more of an impact during the game than they can."