Saints can’t Bear Chicago’s run game

By Craig DeVrieze | Monday, January 22, 2007

CHICAGO — They call it “42 Mike,” and it is a simple draw play that worked pretty as a picture for the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

It was the running play Thomas Jones and the Chicago Bears exclusively rode to the end zone for the game-clinching touchdown in a 39-14 NFC Championship Game win over the New Orleans Saints.

Interestingly, it also set up a drive on which quarterback Rex Grossman completed four straight passes for 78 yards, running play-action off that same look.

“It ended up being a good play,” Jones said after running for 123 yards and two touchdowns on only 19 carries. “Coach (Ron) Turner kind of felt like we had a good chemistry going, and he kept calling the same play.”

Turner, the Bears offensive coordinator, said the Bears have had “42 Mike” in the playbook much of the year, but didn’t run it with much success before Sunday.

“We saw on film that it had a good chance to be a good play and obviously it was a play the (Saints) weren’t prepared much for,” he said.

With the Bears looking to build on three Robbie Gould field goals late in the second quarter, they ran Jones and ran Jones and ran Jones up the gut.

Seven straight times, he carried, once for a gain of 33 yards and, finally, for a 2-yard touchdown and a 16-0 Bears lead with 1:56 to go until halftime.

“Our line did a great job of giving me a couple of different creases to run through,” Jones said. “That drive I guess it was one of those things where we had the momentum.”

The Bears surrendered the momentum by allowing the Saints’ hurry-up offense to pass its way to a touchdown before halftime, and then they found themselves nursing a slim 16-14 lead when the visitors scored on an 88-yard Drew Brees-to-Reggie Bush strike early in the third.

They led 18-14 when Grossman and his offense started at their own 15 with 1:47 to play in the third. The quarterback had completed only five of 20 throws to that point, but connected on four straight on the drive, thanks to “42 Mike.”

“We’ve done play-action off that a lot this year, but not the running play.” Turner said. “To have some success running (helped) the pass.”

The Bears had plenty of success running the ball in a game where the Saints backfield tandem of Bush and Deuce McCallister was predicted to be more of a factor.

It wasn’t. Cedric Benson backed Jones with 60 yards and a touchdown as the Bears rolled up 196 rushing yards to the Saints’ 56.

Turner said the Bears dual tandem is a weapon that is becoming more and more of a team.

“They’re both great competitors (and) both want the ball,” he said. “But they are also professionals and they want to win. I think they trust we’re going to use their skills and there is a role for both of them.”

Both were ready Sunday.

So was “42 Mike.”

“We felt like we could come in and run the football,” Jones said. “The offensive line has done a great job and coach did a great job of calling some of those same calls consistently. He called a great game.”

Craig DeVrieze can be contacted at (563) 333-2610 or cdevrieze@qctimes.com

Bears season recapSept. 10 at Green Bay W, 26-0

 

Sept. 17 Detroit W, 34-7

Sept. 24 at Minnesota W, 19-16

Oct. 1 Seattle W, 37-6

Oct. 8  Buffalo  W, 40-7

Oct. 16 at Arizona W, 24-23

Oct. 29 San Francisco W, 41-10

Nov. 5  Miami L, 31-13

Nov. 12 at N.Y. Giants  W, 38-20

Nov. 19 at N.Y. Jets  W, 10-0

Nov. 26 at New Eng.  L, 17-13

Dec. 3 Minnesota  W, 23-13

Dec. 11 at St. Louis  W, 42-27

Dec. 17 Tampa Bay  W, 34-31(OT)

Dec. 24 at Detroit  W, 26-21

Dec. 31 Green Bay L, 26-7

Jan. 14 Seattle  W, 27-24(OT)

Jan. 21 New Orleans W, 39-14

Feb. 4 Super Bowl XLI,  Miami, Fla. 

New Orleans 0 7 7 0 — 14

Chicago 3 13 2 21 — 39

First quarter

Chicago - Robbie Gould 19 field goal. Drive - 35 yards, 11 plays, 3:44; two first downs, both rush; 1-3 third-down conversions; 1-1 fourths. Time remaining -- :41. Key play - Chris Harris' strip of New Orleans receiver Marques Colston was recovered by Nathan Vasher and returned 14 yards to start the drive. Score - Bears, 3-0.

Second quarter

Chicago - Gould 43 field goal. Drive - 5 yards, 4 plays, 1:53; 0-1 thirds. Time remaining - 13:40. Key play - Adrian Peterson forced a Reggie Bush fumble on the kickoff. Bush appeared to have been down by contact but the call on the field was upheld. Score - Bears, 6-0.

Chicago - Gould 24 field goal. Drive - 43 yards, 8 plays, 3:25; 2 firsts, 1 rush, 1 pass; 0-1 thirds. Time remaining - 8:52. Key play - Rex Grossman hit Des Clark for 30 yards on second-and-10 at midfield. Score - Bears, 9-0.

Chicago - Thomas Jones 2 run (Gould kick). Drive - 69 yards, 8 plays, 3:55; 4 firsts, all rush; 1-1 thirds. Time remaining - 1:56. Key play - Jones carried on all eight plays in the drive, including one run for 33 yards. Score - Bears, 16-0.

New Orleans - Colston 13 pass from Drew Brees (John Carney kick). Drive - 73 yards, 8 plays, 1:10; 4 firsts, all pass; 2-2 thirds. Time remaining -- :46. Key play - Brees hit Colston for 29 yards on the first play of the drive to get the Bears back-pedaling. Score - Bears, 16-7.

Third quarter

New Orleans - Reggie Bush 88 pass from Brees (Carney kick). Drive - 93 yards, 2 plays, :53; 1 first, passing. Time remaining - 12:20. Key play - Chris Harris got caught in a pick play and Bush got behind him and was off to the races, covering the final 60 yards on foot with a nifty juke of Charles Tillman. Score - Bears, 16-14.

Chicago - Safety, intentional grounding from the end zone on Brees. Time remaining - 5:27. Key play - Brad Maynard's 51-yard coffin corner punt pinned the Saints at their own 5. Score - Bears, 18-14.

Fourth quarter

Chicago - Bernard Berrian 33 pass from Rex Grossman (Gould kick). Drive - 85 yards, 4 plays, 1:24; three firsts, all pass. Time remaining - 14:23. Key plays - Grossman was 5 for 20 before completing three straight passes on the drive for gains of 20, 20 and the 33-yard score. Score - Bears, 25-14.

Chicago - Cedric Benson 12 run (Gould kick). Drive - 26 yards, 4 plays, 2:04; 2 firsts, both rush. Key play - Adawale Ogunleye sacked Brees, forcing and recovering a fumble. The Bears won possession via a replay challenge. Score - Bears, 32-14.

Chicago - Jones 15 run (Gould kick). Drive - 30 yards, 5 plays, 3:02; 2 firsts, rush; 1-1 thirds. Time remaining - 4:19. Key play - Jones ran for 12 yards on third-and-11. Score - Bears, 36-14.

Tackle leaders - New Orleans: Scott Fujita 9-1-10, Jay Bellamy 7-2-9, Brian Young 6-1-7, Will Smith 6-0-6, Scott Shanle 6-0-6, Mark Simoneau 5-1-6, Josh Bullocks 3-2-5. Chicago: Chris Harris 8-1-9, Nathan Vasher 5-0-5, Lance Briggs 5-0-5, Charles Tillman 4-0-4, Brian Urlacher 4-0-4, Ian Scott 4-0-4, Adawale Ogunleye 2-1-3, Alex Brown 2-1-3.

Sacks - New Orleans 0. Chicago: Ogunleye 1, Mark Anderson 1, Isreal Idonije 1.

Interceptions: Chicago: Vasher 1.

Forced fumbles: Chicago: Harris 1, Ogunleye 1, Anderson 1.

Fumble recoveries: Chicago: Vasher 1, Ogunleye 1,