Look for Cutler to Air It Out in Cincy
by John M. Crist of BearReport.com, October 25, 2009 at 2:56pm ET
Tommie Harris Profile
No matter what coach Lovie Smith says about the Bears still being a running football team, their best bet to come back from Cincinnati with a win is to throw it early and often against a poor Bengals secondary.
Cincy is 28th in the league defending the pass, giving up 254.8 yards per game and nine touchdown passes in six contests, so offensive coordinator Ron Turner would be wise to put his full faith and confidence in the right arm of quarterback Jay Cutler. Not to mention the fact that reserve running back Adrian Peterson is going to miss his second consecutive game with a sprained knee, meaning Garrett Wolfe is the only ball carrier available to spell starter Matt Forte for a series here and there. Turner desperately wants the struggling Forte to begin looking like the player that was so good both running and receiving as a rookie, but this is not the time to lean on him for 25-30 carries since the depth chart is thinned out and the Bengals are having issues in the defensive backfield.
On the other side of the football, even though the organization from top to bottom is still going on with the charade that defensive tackle Tommie Harris is healthy, the former Pro Bowler did not practice this week and won't be active due to recurring knee problems. Stepping into his place at the three-technique position is second-year pro Marcus Harrison, who slides over from nose tackle, while Anthony Adams will be in the starting lineup again alongside Harrison. Rookie Jarron Gilbert could see his first significant action of the season, plus it will be interesting to see how the Bears employ newly-acquired pass rusher Gaines Adams.
Expect the Monsters of the Midway to go out of their way to shut down the rejuvenated Cedric Benson because they're sixth in the NFL defending the run, plus Cutler should find his receivers open for most of the afternoon.
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