| | Bears hope to contain mobile McNabb
Associated Press
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Brian Urlacher isn't sure if he'll be
shadowing Donovan McNabb's every move Saturday when the Chicago
Bears' fast defense tries to stop one of the NFL's most creative
quarterbacks.
The Bears' use of a "spy" defender might help them keep McNabb
from going out of the pocket and turning a broken play into a big
gain. Then again, McNabb's so resourceful, it might backfire by
creating an opening for someone else.
"I'm sure (defensive coordinator) Greg Blache will think
something up pretty good, just to have someone by him or just
someone on him every play to make sure he doesn't scramble on us,"
Urlacher said Tuesday.
"It's a good matchup. We've played big mobile quarterbacks all
year long."
The Bears faced Minnesota's 6-foot-5, 260-pound Daunte Culpepper
twice this season and beat the Vikings twice on their way to the
NFC Central championship. But against another quarterback who can
move around, Green Bay's Brett Favre, the Bears lost twice.
NcNabb, a Chicago native who grew up rooting for the Bears,
rushed for 57 yards on just four carries and completed 16 of 25
passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns last week as the Eagles
beat Tampa Bay 31-9 in the first round.
"We've got to play him where he is. If he's in the pocket you
try to keep him in the pocket. If he gets out of the pocket, you
have to work like heck to make the ball come out of his hand,"
said Blache, whose defense gave up the fewest points in the NFL
this season.
"Guys have to stay disciplined. You're not going to stop him
totally. Culpepper had some success against us. Michael Vick had
some success against us. Brett Favre's had some success against us,
but you try to minimize it."
The Eagles also are successful in dumping the ball off to their
backs -- leading rusher Duce Staley tied for the team lead with 63
catches and actually had more yards receiving than running -- and
the 6-3, 225-pound McNabb is especially proficient at finding his
second and third options.
Still, the Bears know that McNabb can make a big play out of one
that was going nowhere by slipping one tackle and taking off. He
was the Eagles' third-leading rusher with 482 yards this season,
averaging nearly six yards per carry.
"I don't think we're trying to get caught up in the issue of
him being able to run that much," Bears linebacker Rosevelt Colvin
said.
"That's his talent, his skill that he brings to the game. He'll
get a couple, but hopefully we can just get him down and let him
know that he doesn't need to run anymore, put a couple licks on him
and maybe he'll keep passing it more."
McNabb says that would be fine with him.
"If it presents itself, then definitely I will try to pick up
yards and keep the chains moving," he said.
"But it's all about throwing the ball and completing the ball
downfield. What I have to do goes to the timing of the offense,
getting the ball out of my hands and letting the receivers work.
It's not that I have the mindset of tucking the ball away and
running every time."
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