Scouts Inc. on the Bears, Packers

[Carolina_Packer]

Dallas plays Carolina this week, which they will most likely win - who the heck is starting at QB for the Panthers anyway?

Matt Moore http://www.nfl.com/players/mattmoore...e?id=MOO551757

The fans love him after beating the Seahawks. Heck, that probably saved John Fox's job. If he could rope the boys, I'd be a Matt Moore fan too. Carolina fans are just happy to get anything resembling production out of the QB spot this year.

[packers11]

Hey, I watched them live two nights ago. Just kick it straight out of bounds. They get the ball on the 40 and never get more than 15 yards in any given drive.

Minnesota did one of the best jobs of coffin corner punting I have seen in a long time. Lot of team try to avoid kicking to Hester and wind up giving up huge amounts of yardage by kicking short.

Did we watch the same game??? The punter got yelled at by Childress for kicking into right down the middle to Hester twice...

[gbgary]

I say screw it and kick to Hester. Not doing so last game consistently lost us field position and ultimately lost us the game.

that didn't have anything to do with the loss. it was lost at halftime when mm took the ball out of brett's hands (for the urlacher int) and left it to the nonexistent running game. 3-and-outs were the result with an exhausted defense. not until it was too late did he relent.

[Badgerinmaine]

Well, I did miss some of the first half...

[CaliforniaCheez]

Re: Scouts Inc. on the Bears, Packers

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/scout...meId=271223003

Why To Watch
While the Packers have been revitalized by their amazing veteran signal caller, the 2006 NFC champions have been eliminated in Week 15. With the Cowboys stumbling a week ago, the Packers are breathing down their neck to position themselves for the No. 1 playoff spot. Green Bay made it interesting in last week's contest versus the Rams and will look for a better overall effort vs. a struggling Bears club. Throw out the records in this NFC North divisional matchup because there is no love loss between these two clubs.

When the Packers have the ball
Rushing: Green Bay's ground assault has improved tremendously in the second half of the season with the emergence of a virtual unknown running back in Ryan Grant. Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin and head coach Mike McCarthy have found a player that hits the hole with good vision and power to move the pile. Grant is at his best between the tackles because he doesn't have great speed or burst to turn the corner, but has enough athleticism to make effective inline cuts.

This year's version of the Bears' defense has been exploited for 124.1 yards per game on the ground. Defensive coordinator Bob Babich employs a base 4-3 scheme with a mixture of interior stunts and zone-run blitzes to stymie the opponent's running game. The Packers need to continue to develop their ground attack because they will likely have to control the clock with the run in inclement weather in the postseason. However, it's unlikely that Babich will be able to put eight in the box because Green Bay spreads a defense out most of the contest to give Grant natural creases to run through. The Bears did defend the run better versus the Vikings until the second half. As banged up as the Chicago defense is, it has been tough for it to play stout against a solid ground assault.

Passing: Green Bay's air attack is one of the most explosive in the league averaging 286.4 yards per contest. Future Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre is having one of his best seasons ever and is being more judicious with the way he distributes the ball. Favre has a solid group of perimeter targets in second-year player Greg Jennings, nine-year veteran Donald Driver and rookie James Jones. All three players have good speed to stretch deep zones and the quickness to be excellent intermediate route runners. Not to mention, tight end Donald Lee, who is having his best season of his career. Plus, Favre does a nice job of dumping the ball off to Grant and RB Vernand Morency on option and screen patterns.

Chicago's defense has been somewhat-suspect stopping the pass with an inconsistent pass rush and a banged up secondary. Babich will likely try and get Favre out of his comfort zone with a variety of pressure packages. The Packers' offensive line has protected Favre well in 2007, considering how often he puts the ball in the air. Head coach Mike McCarthy uses lots of three-step drops mixed in with play-action and deep-pocket passes to attack all levels of the field. This appears to be a huge mismatch in favor of the Packers, but the weather may be a factor in how well Favre can execute this impressive passing game.

When the Bears have the ball
Rushing: Chicago's ground attack has struggled most of the season averaging a league-low 78.4 yards per game and 3.1 yards per attempt. The Bears are short-handed in the backfield with featured back Cedric Benson out for the season and relying on six-year veteran Adrian Peterson and third-down rookie back Garrett Wolfe to carry the load. The loss of RB Thomas Jones in the off season and a banged up offensive line has been a huge set back for offensive coordinator Ron Turner in 2007. With the weather being tough in the windy city during this time of the year and third year starter Kyle Orton getting his first playing time since 2005, Turner will likely try and establish a power running game to control the tempo of the contest.

Green Bay defensive coordinator Bob Sanders employs a base 4-3 defense that likes to pressure perimeter targets with tight coverage and drop safeties down in the box versus the running game. Sanders uses a variety of zone-run blitzes and interior stunts to defend the run. The Packers are solid derailing an opponent's ground assault yielding 105 yards per contest. However, Green Bay did allow 173 yards in Week 15 against the Rams, so the Packers will look to get back on track versus the Bears' unimpressive rushing attack.

Passing: Chicago's passing game has been very inconsistent most of the 2007 season and the Bears have their third signal caller at the helm in Week 16. Orton is getting a shot after sitting for the good part of two seasons. He marked up a 10-5 record as a rookie when pressed into action due to injury, but didn't perform well and the team's success was mostly due to a solid ground attack and outstanding defense. He is a physically-gifted quarterback with the arm strength to make all the throws. This decision to give Orton a shot late in the season is two-fold. The Bears need to find out what they have in their fourth-round pick that has had some success and to see if he may have some trade value if they decide to go in another direction.

However, Orton has some decent perimeter receivers to stretch the field with in WRs Bernard Berrian and Devin Hester along with a solid possession-target in 12-year veteran Muhsin Muhammad. Orton will also have a pair of formidable tight ends to deliver the ball to in nine-year veteran Desmond Clark and rookie Greg Olsen. Both players have the speed and athleticism to stretch the seam and put pressure on the Packers' two deep safeties.

Look for Sanders to pressure Orton on long-yardage conversions with a mixture of zone and man blitzes. Orton flashed effectiveness in Week 15 versus the Vikings, but ultimately made too many poor throws in the loss.

Special Teams

The Packers special teams have been solid most of the season led by a rookie place kicker Mason Crosby. He has a strong leg and hits 86 percent of his attempts. Punter Jon Ryan also has good leg strength, but is inconsistent at pinning opponent's inside the 20-yard line. Charles Woodson is sure-handed returning punts, but doesn't change field position. However, Tramon Williams and Koren Robinson have been solid returning kickoffs with the vision and instincts to hit a crease.

The Bears' special teams is the most effective unit of the club. Veteran punter Brad Maynard may be the weak link with his average leg strength and somewhat-inconsistent hang time. Place kicker Robbie Gould is very solid hitting 84 percent of his attempts. The most dangerous player in the league returning both kicks and punts is the explosive Hester. It's unlikely that the Packers will kick to him because he gives the Bears their best opportunity to win the contest.

Isn't this copyrighted material that gets warnings sent to this site??

Be careful.

[]{ilr]3]

We got nothing to loose, Da BEARS will play like there is no tomarrow !

You are correct. There is no tomarrow for the bears. Nor for the rest of the english speaking world.

LOL

[gbgary]

{ilr]3]

We got nothing to loose, Da BEARS will play like there is no tomarrow !

You are correct. There is no tomarrow for the bears. Nor for the rest of the english speaking world.

LOL

[K-town]

Scouts Inc Take Two

Take 2: Packers vs. Bears
By Scouts Inc

Friday, December 21, 2007
Earlier this week, our scouts filed their advance scouting report on this week's matchup between the Packers and Bears. Now they're back with a second look.

Matchup to watch
Bay WR Donald Driver vs. Chicago CB Charles Tillman
Driver is having one of his best seasons of his nine year career and was recently selected to the Pro Bowl. He is the leading target for this explosive Packers offense and has Favre's complete trust. Driver has lost a step, but makes up for it with great instincts and toughness as a route runner. Tillman will likely be matched up on Driver and they have similar physical attributes. Both have deceptive strength and are extremely competitive with the ball in the air. This should be a great battle.


Can the Bears generate enough offense to upset the Packers?
The Chicago Bears have been stumbling down the stretch, losing three close games in the fourth quarter. The Bears defense has been playing better, including creating four turnovers and slowing down the Vikings' top-rated rushing attack in Week 15, but needs some help from its offense. If Chicago can dial up a similar defensive effort and find a way to get offensive playmakers like Bernard Berrian and Devin Hester more involved, it may have a chance to upset its archrival. It's likely that offensive coordinator Ron Turner will try and establish a ground game early in the contest and RB Adrian Peterson is a solid, hard-nosed runner that can move the chains with a great effort by the offensive line. If Kyle Orton can build on some of his flashes of effectiveness from Week 15, the Bears have enough weapons to make some plays down the field.


Can the Packers establish an effective ground attack to win a game without relying solely on their air attack?
The Green Bay offense has been one of the most explosive in the NFL, but the question is this a balanced offense? As we have seen with the Patriots, weather changes how an offense will approach a contest and the Packers will face the same issue. RB Ryan Grant has been a pleasant surprise, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and provided some balance for the offense. The Packers offensive line is good, but Chicago fared well against Minnesota's line (which is more physical than Green Bay's line) in Week 15, and the Bears could have an advantage here. Much-maligned Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich can get some satisfaction out of what has been a marginal season by putting a game plan together to derail the Green Bay offense. Look for Brett Favre and head coach Mike McCarthy to continue to toss the ball around, but it will be tough in the Windy City and the Packers may have to finally pound the ball most of a contest to find a victory.


Can the Bears protect their inexperienced QB?
Chicago has allowed 41 sacks and it appears that Orton, making his first start of the season, held on to the ball for an extra second while scanning the field in Week 15.The Bears' veteran offensive tackles -- John Tait and Fred Miller -- are big, but banged up and have been inconsistent against some of the better pass rushers. Green Bay has one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the league in Aaron Kampman (12 sacks) and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (9.5 sacks). Gbaja-Biamila is inserted most often in pass rush situations and has excellent quickness and speed. Kampman is one of the most relentless pass rushers in the league over the past few seasons and brings a variety of moves and counters. Green Bay defensive coordinator Bob Sanders will likely bring pressure on Orton from different areas of the defense, which will put Kampman and Gbaja-Biamilia one-on-one with Miller and Tait. This matchup between great speed, quickness and pass rush packages may be too much for the Bears offensive tackles to handle.


Scouts' Edge

The Scouts Inc. Position Advantage
QB RB WR OL DL LB DB ST Coach



Both clubs know each other well and while records don't necessarily matter in rivalry games like this, Chicago team is clearly outmatched this year. Favre is on fire and the offense has been clicking on all cylinders. Chicago's defense had been inconsistent before playing well against Minnesota Sunday. Green Bay clearly has a big advantage offensively, but Bears head coach Lovie Smith still has his club competing with a sense of pride. If the weather is poor, it could be a close contest well into the fourth quarter. But if it's not too windy and there are favorable conditions for the passing game, the Packers will win going away. The Packers have too much firepower for the Bears to contend with and the Packers will keep the pressure on Dallas in the race for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with an impressive road victory.




Prediction: Packers 23, Bears 14

Dang - forgot the link again. Here it is:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/features/take2?gameId=271223003

[FritzDontBlitz]

He is a physically-gifted quarterback with the arm strength to make all the throws. This decision to give Orton a shot late in the season is two-fold. The Bears need to find out what they have in their fourth-round pick that has had some success and to see if he may have some trade value if they decide to go in another direction.

I cannot believe the guy who wrote this has even seen Orton play for the Bears. Orton throws more bounce passes than Bob Cousy in his prime.