Time to sack it to 'em
Winning 1-on-1 matchups key as DEs Anderson, Idonije battle for starting spot
August 9, 2010
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Bears defensive end Mark Anderson has goals, but they are fairly general and certainly not numbered.
For the last three years, Anderson has aimed to reach double digits in sacks, as he did during his rookie season in 2006.
''No number, man,'' Anderson said Sunday. ''I do it every year, and I'm trying to do something different. The first year, I didn't even try to get 10. I just wanted to make plays, and I did.
''Back to the basics.''
The Bears have patiently waited for an encore to Anderson's magical rookie season, when he had 12 sacks. Despite playing in 46 games in the three seasons since, he's managed just 9½ sacks. After adding five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers via free agency, the Bears are counting on Anderson or Israel Idonije to capitalize on the inevitable one-on-one matchups they'll face.
''They're both tough; they play the run gaps well,'' coach Lovie Smith said. ''Now it comes down to 'Who can win the one-on-ones?' Those guys are going to get some singles now, and they've got to win 'em. So you're constantly evaluating that.''
Smith said he expects whoever wins the job to be well-rounded, meaning they can play within the scheme and defend the run, but he acknowledged that ''the icing is the rush.''
''We have to have that,'' Smith said.
So far in training camp, Anderson has distinguished himself more, putting himself in position for multiple sacks (defenders are not allowed to actually take down any quarterbacks) and even a couple of pass breakups.
Asked how he's feeling about his pass rushes from the outside, Idonije said, ''I think the main thing is consistency. I've had some success, but I've had some reps I wish I could have back. Every day it's coming together, and it's getting better.''
Idonije is at a disadvantage because he's switching from defensive tackle to defensive end. During the offseason, he dropped about 30 pounds. But Idonije insisted he feels comfortable at defensive end. He said he's familiar with the position because he has been in the system so long. He even took some snaps at defensive end last year.
''Now I've just got to rep it and rep it so it's automatic,'' he said.
Besides, Idonije isn't obsessing about becoming the starter. He said he just wants to play and be productive.
''That's really my focus,'' he said. ''This is my eighth season. Everyone has to produce. I want to be a producer regardless of where I [end up].''
Anderson wants to produce like it's 2006, when he relied on only a couple of pass-rush moves. But his downfall, he said, was beefing up his pass-rush menu when his numbers dipped.
''I just started experimenting with new stuff, but that's not the way to go,'' he said. ''I started doing too much instead of sticking to the game plan. Now I'm going to keep it simple, stick with a couple of moves that work and go from there.''
Instead of trying to throw five pitches, Anderson will go back to what worked for him -- basically, a fastball and changeup.
''Bread and butter,'' he said. ''Just getting off the ball and get a good rush, then switching it up and having a counter move inside. You've got to master the move that works well with your body type.''
During the offseason, Anderson watched film of his 2009 season.
''I wanted to see how offensive tackles were blocking me, then try to come up with a game plan from that,'' he said. ''I just did a lot of self-scouting.''
But Anderson knows one thing: Whenever he gets on the field, he'll almost always face just one blocker.
''I'm really excited,'' he said, ''not only for me, but it's going to free up everyone else, too.''
He started to do the D-line math: Peppers and Tommie Harris, both Pro Bowl linemen, will get double-teamed.
''Two people are going to have singles, and we've got to win that,'' Anderson said.
''So I feel we're going to make a name for ourselves this year. I think we're going to have a pretty good year as a whole.''
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