Chi Sun-Times: Offensively challenged Bears put spin on punting - Mike Mulligan

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Mike Mulligan

Offensively challenged Bears put spin on punting

http://www.suntimes.com/output/mulligan/cst-spt-mully09.html

September 9, 2005

BY MIKE MULLIGAN STAFF REPORTER

One of the great cliches in football history is credited to John Heisman, legendary player, college coach and athletic director of the Downtown Athletic Club in New York.

''When in doubt, punt!'' Heisman advised.

In the modern era of sophisticated passing offenses, "punt'' has come to be viewed as a four-letter word. Not to the 2005 Bears, though, who are embracing the word as poetry heading into the season opener Sunday against the Washington Redskins. While some teams aspire to score touchdowns, run up points and overwhelm opponents, the local franchise is a bit more realistic as it hits the road with a rookie quarterback against a defense that ranked No. 3 in the NFL last season.

''There is nothing wrong with three runs and a punt,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said. ''A team like ours can live with that because we think we're going to get a few turnovers and set that offense up in good position where we can get something done. Eventually we feel like [our opponents] will do something wrong before we will.''

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner has advised Kyle Orton, a onetime Heisman Trophy candidate, of the philosophy of the award's namesake.

''There is nothing wrong with punting the ball, and I have made that comment to Kyle a few times,'' Turner said. ''We have a good defense. Punting the ball is not a negative play. A negative play is a sack, a fumble or an interception.''

The Bears have talked a big game in terms of expecting plays from their quarterback. They have insisted Orton won't be asked merely to manage the game, but rather to step up and make something happen. He's starting, they insist, because he's the best quarterback on the roster.

Fair enough. But the truth is Orton doesn't have to win games for the Bears so much as not lose them, especially against a team such as Washington that also relies on defense to win. If Orton can keep the defense out of short-field situations, the Bears feel they can shut down anyone and make enough plays to supply winning field position.

It's a difficult way to win because the margin for error is small. One miscue or botched assignment, and all is lost.

Smith said ''you hate to talk in those terms'' about limiting mistakes because it discourages aggressiveness, but it's important to look at the matchups every week when putting together a game plan. Turner said thinking of a punt as a good thing is important ''in some games more than others, and this would definitely be one of them.''

The Redskins, who won only one more game than the Bears last year, have one of just three top defenses the Bears will face this season and boast a similar philosophy to the Bears in terms of relying on turnover differential to determine their fate.

Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey has a lot more experience than Orton but has shown a tendency to misfire and implode against intense pressure. The running game led by Clinton Portis ate up the Bears last season in a 13-10 victory at Soldier Field. But the Bears figure that Week 6 game came before they were comfortable in their gap-control system, and many of the errors that led to problems in run defense have been eliminated. Washington figures its defense will be better, too, in its second year in the scheme.

''Field position is going to be important, and that includes every aspect of special teams,'' punter Brad Maynard said. ''With our defense, if I can do the job pinning them down and we let our defense play their game, we'll get good field position.''

Maynard was arguably the team MVP during the 13-3 season of 2001, and he said he feels good despite missing much of training camp with a leg injury.

''My leg is fresh; that is not an issue at all,'' Maynard said. ''With a punter or kicker, sometimes the less you do the better because you are more fresh on Sunday.''

Look for the Bears to try to turn the game into a battle of who has the best defense, instead of who has the worst quarterback.

''We don't think we're second fiddle to many people,'' Smith said of his defense. ''They were very good defensively last year, but we think we're pretty good, too.''