[CBFF] ESPNi: Take 2 Bears versus Fins (Scouts Inc.)

[Victor Waldron]

Miami's offensive line has struggled all season, forcing line coach
Hudson Houck to shuffle his lineup in the hopes of improving
performance and creating better chemistry. He better hope the players
jelled during the bye week, as Miami is facing an extremely talented
and very deep defensive line.

The athletic Bears' defensive front will cause problems both inside
and on the edges. Tommie Harris has such quickness and is playing with
great leverage. He does a tremendous job utilizing his hands to defeat
his opponents, penetrating and disrupting offenses. Harris will, at
times, face brand new Miami starter guard Joe Berger.

Chicago is so fast off the edge, with such talented depth at defensive
end, that rookie back up Mark Anderson leads the team with 7.5 sacks
as a situational player. Being able to play so many quality players
without a drop off in performance keeps the Bears' defensive front
fresh and playing dominant football.

• Facing this Chicago defense, look for Joey Harrington to make quick
throws, utilizing a three-step game to get the ball to his receivers,
as well as TE Randy McMichael. Miami must also establish the running
game, pounding big Ronnie Brown.

Calling running plays, especially early, will give the revamped
offensive line a chance to come off the ball. Showing a commitment to
the run will also give Harrington an opportunity to get down the field
with play action passes. Harrington has a tendency to lock in on his
receivers, and the ball hawking Bears will bait him into interception
opportunities.

Harrington must spread the ball around, utilizing Chris Chambers by
getting the ball to him quickly, letting him run after the catch.
Chambers can also use his speed to double move Chicago defenders
biting up on the short game, getting behind the Bears secondary for
downfield shots.

• The Chicago Bears lead the NFL in defensive takeaways with 22 in
seven games, as well as the turnover ratio with plus 11 tied. Remember
that six of Chicago's 11 offensive turnovers came during Rex
Grossman's meltdown against Arizona, giving the Bears only one
turnover per game the rest of the season.

Lovie Smith teaches aggressive, attacking the football, working to
strip the ball which is evident by the 14 forced fumbles in seven
games. After forcing the fumble, this unit becomes offensive always
looking to scoop and score with the football. Expect Chicago to
continue this approach against a Miami team that has been generous
giving up the football.

The Dolphins' offense has only averaged 14.6 points per game ranking
29th in the NFL. Going up against the stingiest defense in the league,
with Chicago allowing less than 10 points per contest. With these
mismatches, it is crucial that Miami protects the football and
minimizes mistakes.

• Miami defensive end Jason Taylor has been outstanding, bringing
tremendous pressure from the backside with seven sacks and four forced
fumbles. Taylor is a disruptive force who also impacts the run game
with his penetration. Facing Taylor will be big John Tait.

Look for Chicago to line up the tight end on the left side to slow
down Taylor, as well as having the backs give chip help to the veteran
Tait on their way out into their routes. Miami will look to pressure
Grossman with a variety of different looks and pressure packages to
keep him from getting into any sort of rhythm in the pass game.

The Dolphins will take a page from the Arizona Cardinals game plan
that forced Grossman into six turnovers and many poor decisions.
Chicago doesn't want to get into a steady dose of drop back passes
against the speed of Miami's pass rush.

• If Grossman gets into a groove, this offense can be tremendously
explosive. Should the fourth-ranked Miami Dolphins pass defense cause
Grossman any problems early in the game, the Bears' coaching staff
must get back to calling the run, taking the pressure off of the
quarterback.

Running the ball against the Dolphins is no easy task with Keith
Traylor in the middle often demanding double teams, allowing middle
linebacker Zach Thomas the opportunity to free flow to the football,
where this Miami tackling machine is at his best.

Special Teams
The special teams edge also goes to Chicago, as the Bears return game
has been outstanding. Miami's coverage units must be disciplined, as
punt return man Devin Hester is a threat from anywhere on the field,
possessing the vision, elusiveness and speed to take any kick the
distance. He has already returned two touchdowns, including the game
winner versus Arizona. Rookie Rashied Davis continues to impress,
being steady as well as possessing explosive potential on every touch
of the ball.

If this game comes down to a field goal battle, once again it favors
the Bears. Due to Miami's ineffective offense, Olindo Mare has been
asked to attempt five field goals over 50 yards, hitting only one. He
is 10 for 12, while Chicago kicker Robbie Gould remains perfect on the
season.

The Bears' punt coverage has been strong, netting 40.1 yards on Brad
Maynard's 46.6 yard average. Miami's Wes Welker has big play ability
with his hard charging return style on both punt and kick returns.

Matchups
• Chicago OT John Tait vs. Miami DE Jason Taylor
• Miami OT Damion McIntosh vs. Chicago DEs Alex Brown and Mark Anderson
• Chicago RB Thomas Jones vs. Miami MLB Zach Thomas
• Miami TE Randy McMichael vs. Chicago SLB Hunter Hillenmeyer
• Chicago TE Desmond Clark vs. Miami OLBs Donnie Spragen and Channing Crowder

Scouts' Edge
Miami is a talented team that continues to struggle, and has not yet
created an offensive identity. That is not the way Nick Saban wants to
go into Soldier Field, facing a Bears' defensive unit that the league
in takeaways and has the personnel to take over a game.

The Dolphins' defense is very good, but finds itself on the field all
too often after three and outs ,as well as defending a short field
after offensive miscues, including 10 interceptions. This Bears'
defense has set up the Chicago offense by creating turnovers as well
as turning offensive scoring on defense. Miami's defense will keep
this game respectable, but the excellent play of the Bears will keep
the Dolphins searching for their identity. Chicago will stay
undefeated.

Prediction: Bears 24, Dolphins 9