Dave Wannstedt breaks down Bears’ win over Raiders in Week 4 | Mully & Haugh

Dave Wannstedt breaks down Bears’ win over Raiders in Week 4 | Mully & Haugh

All right, let’s talk Bears. Dave, I want to get to a couple things. We all We want to get your insight and impressions of Sunday. How big of a win was that considering how it happened despite the opponent and with the buy? It was a big win. Yes, a big win for all the reasons above. And um you know, they they did obviously and and Ben was great. I mean, I I heard his you know, his press conference was good. He was excited with the win, but you could tell deep down that he wasn’t happy with some things. And uh and I think that’s a good thing. You know, this football team is still growing. It’s still learning. And and like you said, hey, you know, you call plays, you dial some plays up. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Um you know, the thing that carried us though truly that game with those turnovers early, you know, you would have we we could have knocked them out of the ballpark early. you know, I mean, 17 to nothing or 21 nothing if you want to get real good. So, that did concern me. But I’ll tell you, our third Don defense, you know, showed up. I mean, the Raiders were like 25% in third down. They were 0 for one in fourth down. That probably was the best thing that we did on defense. Uh we we didn’t give up the big big play except that one run we did. Uh but but we played third and fourth down on defense and uh got the ball back to our offense. And then on the other side of the coin, even though our run game, you know, some of these things we all know, we don’t have to go through it. It wasn’t up to par, our third down conversions were really good. So we did convert 40ome plus percentage of third downs, which is excellent. And um so we were able to keep the football and we were able to drives. I mean, think about that last drive, guys. 11 plays. It’s real hard in the NFL to run to have an 11play drive and and score a touchdown. It truly is with some without something real bad happening to you. So, when they needed it, uh the team showed up and uh executed and we got the win. Dave, I was thinking about you at one point in that game because they were having so much success running the football. The Bears just could not stop the run. Period. End of story. And at one point, they got to a third down and they threw a pass, which they didn’t convert. And I thought, you know, don’t get bored. Why are you Why have you stopped running the ball? If you have that kind of success, yeah, why in the name of God, would you ever change? Would you ever try anything? It doesn’t matter what your game plan says or how you how you mapped it out back when you were putting a game plan together. Look how well how well that’s working. Just keep running the guy. I I don’t think they thought that they would run. Coming into that game, he was right. He was averaging three yards a carry. I know he was not running the football very well. Their offensive line was really struggling and uh so I don’t think they anticipated running it. Now, you know, when you watch our our defense, uh, Ben, that was the first time that I really we got a full dose of what Dennis Allen would like to do with the exception that he’d like to pressure a little bit more. But the guys at the line of scrimmage, you know, majority of the time there were five, six, seven guys at the line. I mean, the first pressure we had, Brisker was lined up on the outside on the line of scrimmage and on the snap, the you know, the end went outside and he looped all the way under side, you know, so those type of things. That’s the only time they got to the quarterback. Yeah. And then then they came back and lined him up in the same place twice when they got the two interceptions and they dropped him to the curl and they went to like a two deep and that’s when our safety uh buyer was a he showed that was an inverted two deep though. They they made it look like the safety was going to be the half field guy and then he was the robber on that play. That’s they did it twice and he had the same route combination and the same read both of those picks. Exactly. Exactly. and and it was a 3×1 a like a we would call it a triangle coverage where the nickel guy became the deep half guy and on the that’s a lot to ask that’s a difficult coverage to call it is it is and then you drop your middle safety I I saw it like initially I went up to the line I said single high and then like you say David he dropped down in the hole was a robber good scheme to take away a play that obviously that they liked good scheme that they must have detected on tape that was all tape study that that both those same play and the field goal block was taped. Oh my with the twitch. Yeah, with that twitch. I mean that was coach study. So there was a lot of good things. There were a lot of good things. Dave, I as a defensive guy though, how do you balance four takeaways second week in a row, so you’re getting the ball and making things happen. But you’re last in the league in run defense. How so? How do you feel? You know what’s going to happen this week? What? Next week you’re going to see Brisker in the, you know, he in the box. Down in the box. That’s what he wants. He’s going to come down in the box. I’m not saying blitz down in the box, but he’s going to end up being uh they miss Grady Jared, too, though. TJ Edwards, safety linebacker. But Edward, but guys, I have a tough Yeah, Edward is their is their best linebacker in my opinion because boy, I I mean, you know, we saw a lot from the linebacker from Tummaine Edmonds the week before. He had a terrible game. He was behind he wrong angles, bad bad instincts, and it just did not get anywhere near the ball carrier. No, no, it it uh Edwards will really help them that way. But, you know, their defensive lineman, it’s a little bit of a mystery because, you know, between Billings and I mean, those guys are big, strong guys and they’re playing hard. It’s uh Billings moved the pile on two, third and short, fourth and short, he’s pushing it back and then they run all over the Yeah, it’s hard to figure. It is. It’s hard to figure. And and uh couple times we got reached fundamentals. I mean, we just got to keep working on the fundamentals with these young guys up front and uh and the linebackers. I think bringing TJ Edwards back, you know, because he is a tackling machine. Obviously, he leads them in tackles every year. He’ll he’ll definitely help. But Brisker in the box will be their answer. You watch this segment with Dave Wanstead is sponsored by Chicago Roofing Contractors.org providing all-weather protection for your business. Dave, I always think of you when I watch Caleb Williams and the progress he’s making that is most obvious and that is the clutch response. Fourth quarter pass rating at 96. The guy who now has three comeback victories in his short career, 21 starts. You always said it when Justin Fields was here. Who do you trust to bring you back 10 in the fourth quarter if you have to do that? Caleb Williams, regardless of what he maybe regressed, as Ben Johnson said yesterday, the entire offense did. Yeah. How good do you feel about the steps he’s taking as a clutch quarterback? Well, I a lot I mean, I feel good. Very good. And you know why? Because he doesn’t throw interceptions. You know, I mean, you know, a lot of these quarterbacks can move the ball down the field 60 yards and then they end up throwing interception. He he’s very he’s been very good at protecting the ball. And he was the same way at USC. I think he only threw 10 interceptions his whole career in college. So, I mean, he uh he’s very good at protecting the ball. You might get a little frustrated that he moves out of the pocket a little bit too quick, but he has a knack for uh he got a great feel for moving and seeing the field and finding receivers. He’s got an arm strength to make the throw and he does not throw interceptions. So, um that’s he does that extremely well for a young quarterback and and he’s proven that uh hey, if if if the Bears are down by a touchdown, we’re not out of this game. He can bring us back. Dave, there was a a moment in that game at halftime when uh the coach comes back on the field and the sideline reporter, in this case it was a DD Kinka Walla who was interviewing um uh Ben Johnson and he kind of I mean he was you could tell he was jacked up after halftime and he he he didn’t even let her get the question out. He started talking and then she asked him an awkward question and he stared her down a little. It was just a bad moment that he addressed yesterday as a bad moment and said he’ll get better at it. That’s got to be a difficult thing as a head coach. You’re you’re there and you’re you’re trying to get through and make your adjustments and then you’re coming out and now you got to do an interview. You’ve been through that. Yeah. Is is there ever any awkward moments for you doing? Absolutely. And all Ben was thinking about is we had the ball three times inside the 24 yd line and we got six points and threw an intercept. I mean, you know, so they had two yards rushing. Yeah. So, I mean, he he was thinking of those things and yes, his response I got it that the stared down a little bit and the answer was might have been short. I didn’t think the question was very good either. I’m going be very honest with you. And to answer your question, u yeah, I remember walking off I think it was my first year at West Virginia. We were getting our doors blown off and the reporter says, “Coach, what do you got to tell your team? What do you got to do at halftime?” And I looked at him or her, I can’t even remember. And I said, “What do we got to do at halftime? We got to run faster.” That’s all I know. You know, what do you want me to say? These guys are faster than we are. Did you ever And that was the truth. And then four years later, we ran faster and beat him. Yeah. Did you ever have a moment where you snapped at a reporter like that? where you were maybe said something that later you’d regret. Boy, um I I don’t remember anything where I like snapped. I mean, you know, that that situation came because it was halfway comical to me, you know. What do you think about them the league mandating these kinds of interactions between reporter and coach? There’s a lot more of that stuff now than there was back in the day that you have to do as a coach. And um but some guys really like Kevin Okano sounds like somebody you want him to keep talking. He’s the guy. He’s very pleasant in those situations that we’ve seen for the most part. Some guys are just like, “Get out of my way. I have a game to coach.” I think it’s got to be very hard to keep your composure because of the nature of the game and the ups and downs and the frustration that and it was a tough a tough question, you know? I mean, what are you going to ask him? She we had her on and she said she regretted the game. It wasn’t a question as much as a statement, which is why I think he responded the way that he did. Yeah. Yes. Exactly. I I I agree. I I think on both sides there and and Ben said the right things and she did too. So, it’s it’s not as big a deal as what maybe some of the people were making. You know, I’d say I’d say move on and uh get what get you know the by-week though. The best thing out of this thing, yeah, a little bit of rest. coaches will be able to really dissect and I know we only get an extra day or two of practice and in this modern era, but uh they’ll be able to really focus in on uh something specific. They’ll look at the selfcott and they’ll say these are the two areas we got to work at and yeah well you personel I don’t know what you can do with personnel. I mean you can talk about talk about the running game all you want with swift you know I’ve quibble with you Dave slight quibble. David wants to make trades. Yeah, you want Okay, you want you dealer Dave wants I don’t know. I mean, I I think they really struggled. I know he’s Max Crosby, but it exposed a problem with the Bears offensive tackles, which have not yet really been consistent. You got two rookies playing the second half and Braxton Jones benched, Darnell Wright hurt. That’s a position that they’re really uncertain. He was over the center when he batted down one of those passes, the one he intercepted. I I think it exposed a lot of problems on their line. And I wonder about the right guard. I wonder about the center. I mean, I’m just saying there’s nobody there covering themselves in glory and and you know, what do you do? I I don’t You’re right. You can’t reddraft the team or We’re going to score points, guys. You know, yes. Do we need to get better? I I agree. running the ball. But as long as Ben continues handing the ball off, the way we’re going to score points, just close your eyes and think of Detroit. Playaction pass off of the run. Yeah. Playaction pass off of the run. We haven’t seen that very much yet, guys. We haven’t seen those receivers catch it in stride very often and just run. You know what I mean? Uh so that’s coming. That will eventually come. Those explosives The only way we’re going to get those big plays is if we keep hammering that football and make the teams commit to stopping the run and then you’re going to get the big pass plays. I mean, if you not going to get it just coming in and and dropping back and throwing it. What do you think of the fake stumble bum? Oh, you know, I I I would agree with Ben. You know, I mean, might have been forcing that stuff a little bit too much. you know, the fake help the fake flea flicker. That actually was a that I mean, it wasn’t Yeah, it didn’t work, but that was an interesting play. I mean, you could have got 10 yards on that. Yeah, I I that was I like the play. Yeah, the play was cool. I like it both. But, you know, you know, right after last week, stumble. Yeah, you might have been a little bit too much there. You know, retire that play now. Yeah. I mean, we’ve seen it. But you guess what? Washington will be working on them both. Oh, yeah. That’s see that’s the that’s the beauty of it is that they’ll be spending time. You show enough of that nonsense and then they got to they have to deal with it and they’re only on the field and they’re not going to add plays, you know? I mean, players aren’t going to let you add 10 plays to practice. I can tell you that from a coach standpoint. You got your 20 plays. So, if if the We’re out of time, Dave. We got to let you go. But I’m just wondering back in the day you could run like a training camp practice during the by-week. You can’t do that now, obviously. So what do you do? You just work on self scouting and the coaches meet and you Absolutely. You come out and and I think you pick two or three phases, you you know that you want to really focus in on and say, “Hey, let’s get an extra period in the red zone or let’s get an extra period with, you know, whatever it is, third down runs or pass and you you focus in and you you pick up a few extra reps here. That’s that’s for the most part.” and come back and you’ll get it where you get an extra day too is they’ll be back in there next Monday I assume and they’ll be right on Washington you know so that you’ll pick up an extra good day there healthy good mindset coming off a win getting ready to go get a win on Monday Monday night football and everybody wants to play in Monday night football great stuff Dave thanks Dave All right guys enjoy the Cubs that is coach One step that

On the Mully & Haugh Show, Score football analyst Dave Wannstedt shared his takeaways from the Bears’ 25-24 win against the Raiders in Week 4. Chicago improved to 2-2 with the victory.

#chicagobears #bears #nfl #football #calebwilliams #benjohnson

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