By JERRY RILES
Three turnovers, nine penalties, and a loss once again to the hosting Atlanta Falcons down in the Georgia Dome was not what Lovie Smith and his Chicago Bears were looking for, but it’s what they got.
The Bears beat themselves 21-14 falling to the Falcons for the second straight year. Last year it was a Matt Ryan deep pass coupled with a Jason Elam game winning field goal.
On Sunday night, it was a combination of coaching, poor execution and just bad judgment.
Running back Matt Forte fumbled the ball twice inside the red zone with the Bears knocking on the door.
That should not have happened. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner should have called a Jay Cutler dive at the one for the touchdown instead of handing to Forte. The running game wasn’t clicking based on the play selection.
Did the Bears drop this contest because of the lack of creative play calling by Turner? Did Lovie and his coaching staff fumble the ball in game planning? Was it Cutler trying to do too much, or was the offensive line just bad?
Smith admitted during the post game comments that the blame for the lost starts with him. He’s absolutely right. It starts with the top man. The coaching staff should’ve been prepared. Turner wasn’t.
Cutler was indeed too cocky. When you try to thread the needle between three defenders down the middle of the field to get the ball to the tight-end, that’s simply being too cocky. Play smart. I’m not against taking chances, but do it intelligently.
The play of the offensive line was not up to standard as well. Future Hall Of Famer Orlando Pace was called for a false start on fourth and one during the Bears last drive.
Defensively, rookie middle linebacker Nick Roach, filling in for the injured Brian Urlacher and Hunter Hillenmeyer, got brunt several times simply because he has very limited experience.
Defensive coordinator Smith and sideline guy Urlacher should’ve assisted the Northwestern grad in recognizing some of the Falcons lineups and formations.
They didn’t and Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzales hooked up for a 10 yard touchdown strike in the back of the end zone.
Now the Bears are tied for second in the NFC North with rival Green Bay. Both at 3-2 with Minnesota leading the division with a 6-0 slate.
Next up, former teammate Cedric Benson and the Cincinnati Bengals in Ohio. Benson will be ready. He had a disappointing game against the Texans rushing for 44 yards on 16 carries. Let the games begin.
It’s time to regroup fellas.
