Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
I was glad to see receiver N'Keal Harry return to practice. For those of us who have not watched him closely, what will he bring to the Bears offense?
Evan B.
Portage, Indiana
In N'Keal Harry, who returned to practice this week for the first time since injuring his ankle the first week of August, the Bears are getting a big-bodied receiver who possesses a large catching radius like a tight end. Once Harry returns to game action—the Bears have three weeks to activate him—the 6-4, 225-pounder no doubt will give the offense a boost on third down and in the red zone.
The Bears defense repeatedly got beat on play-action bootlegs by the Giants quarterback in last Sunday's loss. What went wrong and what needs to be corrected?
Philip R.
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
Listening to defensive coordinator Alan Williams discuss the coaching points concerning the bootleg runs by Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, it sounds like Bears defenders need to play with better eye discipline and focus on doing their own jobs without worrying about trying to cover for teammates. Here's what Williams said: "Eye discipline, not wanting to do too much, not peeking and saying, 'hey, I'm going to tackle this run here.' Trusting that, 'hey, the ball went in this gap, that my teammate, that's his play, he'll make that.' We would say taking care of your gap to the football, making sure your house, your front door, that I'm taking care of my front door, and then, 'hey, I'll go help my neighbor when I know no one is coming through my door.' Those are all things that we're working on."
When Matt Eberflus was the defensive coordinator in Indianapolis, how did he fare against the Vikings?
Ronald K.
Peoria, Illinois
In Bears coach Matt Eberflus' only game against the Vikings when he was Colts defensive coordinator, Indianapolis held quarterback Kirk Cousins to a 15.9 passer rating that remains his lowest in a game in his 10-year NFL career. Cousins completed just 11 of 26 passes for 113 yards and three interceptions in a 28-11 loss to the Colts Sept. 20, 2020 in Indianapolis. Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams was the Colts' defensive backs coach at the time. Said Williams: "It was coverage and rush, rush and coverage that game. The guys were in the right place. They were where they're supposed to be. We hit [Cousins], we hit him often, we put him down on the ground. I don't know any quarterbacks that like to be hit. So when you hit them, sometimes they'll do some things out of character. He got rid of the ball way before he needed to, wanted to, and guys were in the right spot to catch the ball. We dropped a few that ballgame and we caught a few. Coach 'Flus' would always say that turning the football over will turn a C+ grade into an A. That's what we did that ballgame. We hit him, we turned it over and we stopped the run."