Bears Preparing For 'Dangerous Man' Aaron Rodgers
By Chris Emma--
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) -- How would Bears linebacker Pernell McPhee describe Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers?
"Hall of Fame," McPhee simply said.
Needless to say, the Bears have plenty of respect for their Week 1 opponent, the Packers, and a quarterback that has haunted Chicago many times before.
Green Bay is 12-2 in games Rodgers has played in full against Chicago, which hasn't beaten a Rodgers-led team since a 20-17 win in 2010. The Bears last topped the Packers in 2013 in a game in which Rodgers was hurt in the first series.
How do the Bears go about slowing down that quick release of Rodgers?
"Can you break his arm or something?" Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio jokingly asked.
Fangio is 4-0 against Rodgers, with those wins coming in San Francisco. Beating Rodgers with this Bears defense is another challenge, especially considering Chicago allowed 38 and 55 points, respectively, to the Packers last season.
In Rodgers, the Packers have the NFL's consensus best quarterback, a man who makes the entire offense better.
"If you let that guy get into a rhythm, he's a dangerous man," Bears linebacker Jared Allen said.
One of the low moments of Chicago's 2014 season came in its 55-14 loss in Green Bay. The defense was picked apart by Rodgers, part of a trend that would eventually lead to the dismissal of Marc Trestman and his coaching staff.
Now, the Bears' defense features the new 3-4 look that Fangio brought in, plus some new personnel. It's a different look from the 2014 Bears team that gave up 93 points to the Packers, but it's also not the 49ers group that gave Rodgers fits.
"We got to figure out a way to do it with the group that we have here," Fangio said.
Week 1 of the regular season brings the Bears' new-look defense perhaps its biggest challenge, but it's one to embrace.
"It's always fun to compete against the best," Allen said. "That's the bottom line. I consider him one of the best. It's one of those game you have to bring your hard hat, your lunch pail and go to work."
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
