Emma: After Poor Performance, Plenty Of 'Teaching Tape' For Bears
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Here's the good news coming out of Thursday night for the Bears: They remain 0-0 after an ugly 22-0 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos in their preseason opener.
It was a debacle, but it was just an exhibition and offered plenty of self-evaluation for the Bears with Week 1 exactly a month away.
"We need to get better," Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said, offering an understatement.
Added running back Jacquizz Rodgers: "This is great film to learn from."
Veterans inside the Bears locker room can approach a disappointing performance with proper perspective. Coach John Fox surely did the same after the Bears got beat in every phase Thursday.
Remember that it's Aug. 11, not Sept. 11 in Houston to open the regular season. Fox and his young team can learn a lot from this game.
Teams don't game plan for the preseason opener. It came just two weeks to the date of the Bears' first practice in Bourbonnais, and a large roster is still working through the basics, like every other team in the league.
Breakdowns for the Bears -- and there were many -- will stand out in the film room. Coaches call this "teaching tape," and Fox can't wait to get his hands on it.
"It's pretty basic (without a game plan), but there's definitely some room for improvement," Fox said. "It will be a good learning process when they go in and look at the tape."
The Bears deferred to the Broncos to open the game Thursday and got them into third-and-long three times on the opening drive. Each time, Mark Sanchez came through, hitting tight end Virgil Green on a couple conversions over the middle, then later connecting with Pro Bowl receiver Demaryius Thomas on a 33-yard touchdown strike that left Bryce Callahan in the dust.
Looking to establish their revamped defense back home in Chicago, the Bears couldn't get off the field. That set the tone for an ugly game.
Chicago's offense finished with just 130 yards of offense while registering more punts (nine) than first downs (eight). Cutler and the first-team offense failed to muster up much, with the offensive line struggling against some surprise Broncos blitzes, a rarity in the preseason. The second- and third-string offenses weren't any better.
It worth noting too that stars of the Denver defense like Von Miller, Demarcus Ware, Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib didn't even take the field, and Peyton Manning retired this offseason. Still, the Broncos looked like champions in comparison to the Bears.
"I know what our guys are capable of," said Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan, a member of the Broncos' championship team last season.
Added Bears receiver Kevin White: "It's preseason. We got a lot to learn. I think everyone's up for it."
There were plenty of lessons to learn. Callahan got burned by Thomas on the first series because he thought there was a safety over the top in man coverage. He rebounded on the following defensive drive by deflecting a Sanchez pass to the hands of linebacker Jerrell Freeman for an interception.
Rookie DeAndre Houston-Carson got beat on punt protection, allowing one of Pat O'Donnell's nine boots to be blocked into the end zone and recovered for a Denver touchdown.
Bears third-string quarterback David Fales had a rough moment of his own, scrambling beyond the goal line and getting sacked for a safety.
The positives for the Bears in this defeat will come when young players learn from the mistakes, which they hope will be soon. That film session Saturday in Lake Forest will be ugly and embarrassing for each individual as they encounter criticism and constructive lessons.
Results don't matter when it comes to the preseason. What counts is the aftermath.
"I don't think you want to hit the panic button," Cutler said. "It's the first preseason game. There's a lot for us to get better."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.
