Durkin: Impressions From Bears-Seahawks
By Dan Durkin--
(CBS) Faithful Seahawks fans who fill CenturyLink Field are known as the "12th man," as the deafening noise they generate is equivalent to having an extra player on the field.
Given the performance from Chicago quarterback Jimmy Clausen, Seattle had a two-man advantage against the Bears offense in their 26-0 shutout win.
There's no way to or need to sugarcoat Clausen's performance, which was utterly inept.
Undoubtedly, the NFL is starved for quarterbacking talent. Each week, you don't have to search hard to find sub-par play at the position. But the effort Clausen put forth in Seattle should relegate him to emergency situations in Chicago and every other market for that matter.
Clausen's numbers from the Seattle game are stunningly bad. The Bears had more punts (10) than first downs (seven). Eight drives went for 14 yards or fewer. The Bears made it to midfield twice and ran only two offensive plays in Seahawks' territory.
It's not as if Clausen's struggles are limited to just the Seattle game and their dominant defense.
Since taking over for incumbent Jay Cutler in the second quarter of Week 2, Clausen has led 19 drives, none of which have finished in the end zone. The Bears have an equal number of punts and first downs (14), 10 three-and-outs, have gone for 24 or fewer yards on 15 of the 19 drives and are averaging a mere 3.48 yards per play. On third down, Clausen has kept the Bears' offense on the field three times in 22 attempts.
Make it stop, John Fox.
If Cutler is unable to go this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, there is no reason why David Fales shouldn't be under center the first time the Bears offense gets the ball. There is nothing left to be learned from Clausen, he is what he is – fortunate to play a position that the demand severely outweighs the supply.
What's unfortunate about Clausen's bungling performance is that a solid offensive game plan and excellent defensive effort was wasted on the road against one of the league's premier teams.
Knowing the Seahawks were going to crowd the box with eight- and nine-man fronts, Adam Gase ran plays from heavy (three tight end) personnel sets to create extra gaps on the line of scrimmage. Early on, the Bears had success with that scheme.
They were able to reach and close off the end men on the line of scrimmage and beat the Seahawks to the perimeter. This forced Seattle's secondary to play in run support, which isn't their strength. In total, Matt Forte had 64 yards at halftime.
Despite not being able to stretch the Seahawks out vertically with their passing game, the Bears ball-possession offense and defense played to a 6-0 score at halftime. Even though they were trailing, given the circumstances, it was a successful first half for the Bears.
In the second half, the Bears inability to move the ball through the air was their ultimate undoing.
Clausen put no fear into the Seahawks, who turned up the heat with stunts and second-level pressure packages. The Bears offensive line struggled to protect, enduring both physical and mental breakdowns and their undermanned receiving corps couldn't win individual matchups.
There's no reason to believe the offense will be significantly better with Fales under center, but it's hard to fathom that it could be worse.
Everything about this Bears' season is future-facing, so the personnel department and coaching staff must know if Fales should be part of the quarterback competition in 2016 and beyond.
Defensively, the Bears put forth an inspired effort and it all started up front. Free agents Jarvis Jenkins and Pernell McPhee were active, relentless and bullied a shaky Seahawks offensive line.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson is one of the league's more mobile quarterbacks. He was consistently moved off his launch point by the Bears' defensive line who punctured the pocket inside and bent the edge from the outside.
McPhee has strung together two successful games and is looking like exactly what the team envisioned they were getting when they targeted him as a day one free agent. He's a threat to win with speed on the outside and he's strong enough to win on interior rushes. His versatility allows defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to deploy him from a variety of alignments and techniques to create pre-snap confusion with the opponent's protection scheme.
Jenkins played with heavy hands and quick feet on some impressive interior power rushes. He was also stout at the point of attack in the run game.
This game was one to grow on for the Bears' defensive front. They won the battle in the trenches and were able to re-set the line of scrimmage against Seattle.
For the second-straight week, the Bears special teams gave up a kickoff return touchdown.
Last week against Arizona, they gave one up to start the game and quickly suck the life out of the home crowd.
This week, they breathed life into an uncharacteristically subdued Seattle home crowd, by letting Tyler Lockett scamper 105 yards to start the second half. The Bears haven't been disciplined in their lanes, but Robbie Gould's low hangtime kicks have been a problem. It may be time to consider using punter Pat O'Donnell on kickoffs. He handled those duties in college, so he has experience with that leg swing.
Playing three NFC playoff teams to start the season serves as a measuring stick of how many years the Bears are away from competing. As has been the story all year, they simply don't have the requisite talent. Getting Cutler, Alshon Jeffery and possibly Kevin White back this season will help, but this season is playing out as anticipated, year one of a lengthy rebuild.
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.
