Good Football Drama Continues for the Bears

The curious, da'Coach 

Rick Telander throws in a few choice bits in his Sunday Stew:  Mike Tice gets a yay for the neigh.  I say, If you're fundamentally a good coach, you'll do well wherever you may coach.

Are you a good coach?

• Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron, questions answered.  
• Papa Bear, question answered long-ago.  
• Mike Ditka, a curious case.

Mike Dikta, circa 1986

Iron Mike is the winningest coach in the post-Papa Bear era, but his one-and-done Super Bowl was a major disappointment.  His Bears of the late 1980s were poised to nab two or three more Vince Lombardi trophies... (sigh)  Then, he tanked as head coach for the Saints.  Still, Iron Mike has done well as a straight-shooting analyst and a commercial staple.

• Mike Tice, no comment.

Not quite West Coast

Adam Jahns reports Bears’ defense believes Marc Trestman’s new-look offense stands up.

‘‘I feel like we’ve kind of been West Coast before, but they’re very West Coast now,’’ [safety Chris] Conte said. ‘‘They’re spreading the ball out. The wide receivers are going to be heavy in the offense, and we’ve got some good tight ends that help open up the passing game, too. I think there’s going to be a lot of passing out of our offense. Jay Cutler is doing a great job.’’

What I want to know, Is it the Air Coryell West Coast offense or the Bill Walsh West Coast offense?  Oh, never mind.  It's the Marc Trestman Midwest Plains offense.

Matt Forte, in the spotlight

I say, Any successful passing game is complemented by a successful running game.  Sure, the focus has been on the QB, the wideouts, and the tight end.  But Matt Forte and his running mates in the depth chart are the pivotal figures in the Midwest Plains offense.

As the world turns

Good football drama coming out of the preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers, as evidenced in Mark Potash's post-game focus on Jon Bostic pushing D.J. Williams for starting MLB spot.

While [rookie middle linebacker] Bostic probably made his share of mistakes, he also made the kind of big play that automatically earns you a better look. Bostic ­intercepted a Cam Newton pass in the first quarter and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown.

Jon Bostic, great hands, great attitude

The injured DJ Williams is slated to follow in the footsteps of the long-time Bear-in-the-middle Brian Urlacher.  But in his place, Bostic quickly made the 2013 Bears defensive debut look like the beastly 2012 Bears defense, that is, with a Pick 6 in the first quarter!

With Williams still week-to-week, Bostic took the first step toward challenging for the starting job. At this stage, it’s possible he could win it by the first game of the regular season. 

‘‘I’m not even looking at that,’’ Bostic said. ‘‘I’ve got to get a lot better before I can even think about being the starter and running out with some of these guys that have done all these great things around here. I’ve got a lot of stuff to learn.’’ 

Bostic is aware of his opportunity. But he doesn’t want to get carried away. Williams still is the Bears’ starting middle linebacker. 

‘‘I’m trying to take it day-by-day,’’ Bostic said. ‘‘Look at the film and just try to improve on the mistakes and get ready for practice on Sunday.’’ 

But should Williams be nervous? 

‘‘No, D.J.’s a vet,’’ [linebacker James] Anderson said. ‘‘They go out and put stuff on film, and the coaches make decisions. That’s the nature of the business.’’

I say, Bostic has a mature attitude for a rookie, which will always hold him in good stead in a veteran milieu that demands he earns his stripes.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD