Cubs News: Washington: "We compete regardless of the circumstances" |
CHICAGO—It is not often that a defense changes as drastically as the Bears' from last season to this season without many personnel changes. Chicago kept most of its defensive starters from last season, as well as numerous defensive coaches.
While the Bears had one of the best rushing defenses last season, they are now one of the worst. That does not bode well for their matchup this Sunday against the Detroit Lions (Noon / FOX), as Detroit has one of the best rushing offenses in the league. However, they will be down one of their top backs in David Montgomery. “They’re very good running the football, very good on first and second down and their rushing attack really keys the entire offense. It allows the quarterback to set up play-action. They do an excellent job with that,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “So, it’s going to be critical for us. We did not defend the run extremely well the first time we played them on Thanksgiving. We have to flip that around and in favor of our defense. We have to make sure that we can control the amount of plays that we play and the amount of possessions that our offense is able to gain.” Last week against the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago allowed Aaron Jones to rush for 86 yards and a touchdown, which is not ideal if you want to win a football game. However, the bigger problem was penalties. The Bears had nine penalties for 93 yards. Those penalties also came at the most inopportune times, which was particularly frustrating for Washington. “Everything that we do is measured in terms of the ultimate result and that’s having an opportunity to win. Additionally, I thought the response to some of the situations we were put in was really, really good. I thought we affected the quarterback. 13 points at halftime. It was a spirited performance. The guys competed. They were physical. We didn’t allow any explosive plays in the first half. We kind of kept their receivers, the two explosive receivers, in check. However, (21) points were related to penalties,” Washington said. “So, there were some really good things in the game. Obviously, Tyrique Stevenson intercepting the football in red zone on fourth and three aided by the rush, some really good things in the game. We got to find a way to win.” The Stevenson interception is a little controversial. There is no question he caught the ball, but there is a question of whether he should have caught it. Catching that interception on fourth down cost the Bears seven yards of field position. However, Washington agreed with Stevenson’s decision to make the play as he said he liked “exactly what (Stevenson) did in that situation.” Chicago has been officially eliminated from the playoffs, which is no surprise given they only have four wins with three games left. Given the Bears’ poor performances the past few weeks, there are thoughts they may not be competing like they were earlier in the season. However, Washington disagrees with that assessment. “We compete regardless of the circumstances and we’re going to compete and do everything we can to do the things that are required and the things that (define) who we are as men on every single snap,” Washington said.
