National Football League

Calls for balanced offense ring familiar to Bears

Published Sep. 22, 2011 5:32 a.m. ET

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Jay Cutler isn't sure how long he'll last if he keeps taking beatings like this.

The Chicago Bears quarterback got knocked around again and the running game was all but ignored in a 30-13 loss at New Orleans last weekend that had an all-too-familiar feel. For that, offensive coordinator Mike Martz said there's one person to blame, and he's the man.

''If you're looking for blame, blame me,'' he said Wednesday.

Martz's mea culpa came on the heels of a loss that brought back memories of the Bears' struggles early last season, when they looked like a team on the verge of a collapse. Chicago called 52 pass plays and 11 handoffs against the Saints, wiping out the good vibe from a lopsided win over Atlanta in the opener.

Now, the Bears are getting ready for defending champion Green Bay, and although the Packers are having issues defending the pass, Martz might want to consider this if he's tempted to air it out: Coach Lovie Smith made it clear he wants more balance. General manager Jerry Angelo and Cutler joined the chorus on Wednesday.

''Balance is critical to any game plan, and when you create balance there comes a lot more diversity with your scheme and players,'' Angelo said. ''We didn't have that Sunday. That was obvious. And because we didn't, problems were created, particularly in the second half.''

The Bears are in a familiar position after two weeks, trying to blend the running and passing games while their quarterback takes a pounding. They lead the league in sacks allowed with 11 after giving up an NFL-worst 56 last year. Cutler took 52 of them in 15 games, and he's already absorbed more than his share of shots.

He was sacked six times against the Saints, all in the second half, and got kicked in the throat. That explains why he's had trouble speaking the past few days, but even with his tone barely above a mumble, he made this much clear.

''We've got to get Matt (Forte) involved in the run game a little bit more,'' he said. ''We've got to make a larger emphasis on that, and I think that's going to clean up a lot of stuff for us.''

Forte carried 10 times for 49 yards, and Kahlil Bell had a 1-yard loss on his lone attempt. The Bears wound up with 12 runs, matching the third-fewest in a single game, and one was a Cutler scramble.

With no run game and poor protection, Cutler was an easy target for the blitzing Saints - particularly in the second half, when New Orleans turned a three-point game into a runaway. While things got out of hand over the final two quarters, the Bears never got their running game going.

''Why it happened, how it happened, all those things - none of them are justified,'' Martz said. ''I'm very critical of how you manage a game. I've been calling plays for most of my life, and you go back and there are days you don't do a great job. I didn't do a good job responding. There are some things we should have adjusted to ... I should have adjusted to better. I didn't do that.''

What transpired, instead, bore an eerie resemblance to the first seven games last season, when the Bears stumbled into their off week at 4-3.

Chicago regrouped, committed to the run, and made a big push to win the NFC North at 11-5 and advance to the conference championship game, losing to Green Bay. The Bears ranked among the most balanced teams over the final nine games last season, running 276 pass plays while handing the ball off 258 times, but they got away from that against the Saints.

The Bears want to run the ball more, but they're looking at an opponent that can't seem to defend the pass.

The Packers withstood a 432-yard passing performance by Cam Newton to beat Carolina 30-23 last week after beating New Orleans 42-34 in the opener even though Drew Brees threw for 419. They have also lost Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins to a season-ending neck injury against the Panthers.

Even so, Smith was adamant he wants a more balanced run-pass ratio. Could he have demanded it during last week's game?

''Yeah, he could,'' Martz said. ''It's just kind of not how we do things. Lovie has great trust in what we're doing and understands that. I think he understood, too, a lot of the issues that we were dealing with.''

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