Matt Bowen of the National Football Post is a former NFL safety who often breaks games down with exquisite detail, and this week he focuses on how the Chicago Bears can limit Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley. Earlier this season Finley had his best game of the year against the Bears, hauling in seven passes for 85 yards and three touchdowns. Bowen doesn't like the idea of playing cover-one and isolating a safety on Finley, but he expects the Bears defense to have better success in Tampa-2 if Brian Urlacher stays in sound technique against the athletic tight end. Here is the best bit of his strategic breakdown for the game on Sunday night:
Zone/Man pressure: The Bears will use some man-pressure, but I expect to see more zone blitz concepts on Sunday out their base and Nickel personnel. In Chicago's zone pressure schemes, they will rush five and drop six into coverage. Show Cover 2, stem to the blitz front and force Rodgers to throw hot with zone coverage principles in the backend (three-deep, three-under). The key vs. Finley is the play of the seam-flat defenders (responsible for No.2 strong and weak). When Rodgers reads blitz at the line of scrimmage drive downhill, maintain leverage and tackle vs. the Packers' TE in the open field. You can't sit in Cover 2 the entire night and you have to show some form of pressure. The routes to look for here: slant, option, quick seam, 7 (corner).
If the Bears can find a way to limit Finley, they might have a chance to keep the game close and pull it out in the end.
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