Biggs: Bears waiting for Anderson to break out of slump

[Xee]

Bears waiting for Anderson to break out of slump
After his 12-sack rookie season in 2006, Mark Anderson has all but disappeared -- and nobody seems to know why

November 21, 2008
BY BRAD BIGGS bbiggs@suntimes.com

With great pay come great expectations, so it's difficult to get as worked up about defensive end Mark Anderson's struggles this season as it is about some of the Bears who went through the Jerry Angelo cash-rewards program in the offseason.

Anderson was a fifth-round draft pick in 2006, and he's performing like one for the NFL's 19th-ranked defense. Anderson hasn't made a sack this season, and it has been 22 games since he has had a full one.

With tackle Tommie Harris, you can point to his surgically repaired left knee and say he's not 100 percent. Cornerback Nathan Vasher has had hand surgery and hasn't been able to find himself as he works his way back from a torn groin muscle that cost him 12 games in 2008.

The riddle with Anderson is that when it comes to pinpointing why he looks nothing like the player who had 16 sacks in his first 20 NFL games, there's nothing for the Bears to grab hold of and examine.

''I haven't seen him show up in games,'' Angelo said. ''We can only say what we see. We have not seen Mark show any production the way we all expected him to do it. The only thing I can tell you is he's practicing hard, he's playing hard, his athleticism is still there.

''It's puzzling, and I can't put my finger on it. I've probably never been in a situation quite like this where you saw a guy come in and do what he did in his rookie year.''

When Angelo finished writing new contracts and extensions for 10 Bears this summer, Anderson was at or near the top of a short list of players being considered next in the reward-your-own system. The coaching staff was moving Anderson back into the reserve role he played during the Super Bowl season, when he recorded the fourth-highest sack total (12) by a rookie since it became an official statistic in 1982 and wound up second in voting for defensive rookie of the year.

The expectation was that the return to that role would make Anderson a more effective pass rusher. It hasn't, and he has only 11 tackles (three solos) and two tackles for loss despite steady playing time.

While he's back in a reserve role, Anderson isn't being used the way he was in '06, when a lot of his playing time came as a situational pass rusher, coming in on second-and-long and third-and-forever -- prime time to pin back his ears and head full-speed for the quarterback. He would get solid time in the second halves of games in which the Bears held big leads.

Now he's in a rotation with Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye, and he mostly is getting action a series at a time.

''That's how it used to be -- it was strictly pass, and I knew what to do,'' Anderson said. ''This year I am rotating along, and it's all situations. I probably only got four or five rushes during the last game, and that's really how it's been all year.

''I'm not going to say I haven't had my opportunities to get sacks. It just seems like I had more as a rookie. Right now, my opportunities are limited because you never know what they're going to be doing when I am out there.''

In fairness, Anderson is only part of the incredible disappearing act on the line when it comes to pressuring the quarterback. With 17 sacks, the Bears rank 30th in sacks per pass attempt and are on pace to finish with 27, which would rank as the second-fewest in franchise history in a 16-game season.

''You can't say, 'Well, he's not used to coming in out of the bullpen,''' Angelo said. ''That's the way he came in during his rookie year. I'm just hoping that it's going to turn around and we're going to see it in bunches.

''I can't sit here and tell you I have a real pulse on what it is. Great kid, great worker, plays hard -- there is nothing there, anything in his background, off the field, that would give a reason for this.''

The Bears are preparing to head to St. Louis, where the Rams are having increasing trouble protecting Marc Bulger. Injured left tackle Orlando Pace will be replaced by Adam Goldberg, who allowed three sacks in his last start. Rams quarterbacks have been sacked 17 times in the last five games, and Bulger has eight turnovers in the last three weeks, three of them fumbles.

The bottom line is whatever role he's playing, Anderson has to create his own opportunities.

''This is just a little hump in the road,'' he said. ''That's how I look at it. We have six games left, and that's enough time to reach my goals.''

He still has believers.

''He practices hard,'' defensive coordinator Bob Babich said. ''Mark is going to come out of it, and he's going to come out of it in a big way.''

[G08]

No he's not. He's undersized and football-retarded. Dude can't read run/pass for the life of him.

[wab]

The ends are really suffering because of Tommie's ineffectiveness. For all that is said about Urlacher and Mike Brown...at the end of the day Tommie is what makes this defense go. He really is the lynchpin.

[Beardude]

No sacks in 22 games and he plays primarily on passing downs.

I'd say opponents have watched film and have found his weaknesses.

[IE]

This is the answer, and I think explains the situation perfectly:

The author, describing how he's used now:

Now he's in a rotation with Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye, and he mostly is getting action a series at a time

Andersen, describing how he was used in his 12 sack rookie year:

''That's how it used to be -- it was strictly pass, and I knew what to do,'' Anderson said. ''This year I am rotating along, and it's all situations. I probably only got four or five rushes during the last game, and that's really how it's been all year..

The kid is not a full-time DE, and may never be. He is what he is. Last year we learned it was definitely a mistake to start him, because he's basically a situational pass rusher an a liability as an all-around DE.

So this year, what does our friend Mr. Babich do? He starts Alex again to supposedly "correct" his mistake from last year ... but then Mr. Babich still makes sure to keep Alex IN in the situations where Andersen had proved he actually is most valuable, and also makes sure to use Andersen in the same way he proved he was most ineffective (for entire series).

I get it...

[G08]

Babich better be gone or I'm turning in my Bears-fan card. Okay I won't but I'll be really mad-diddly-ad.

[UOK]

Anderson is useful as a 3rd down pass-rush...only.

BABICH

MORON

[Pagan]

Nice find IE- that explains it completely- guess Anderson hasnt really hit a sophmore slump, he's just being handcuffed.

Keep him STRICTLY as a pass rush specialist, double digits sacks is WELL worth paying a guy to play a third of the snaps.

pagan

[IE]

This is one of the best circumstantial indictments of a coach that I've ever seen. I think the Bear 2 defense and the way the Bear coaches use players & call defenses has been exposed.

The few feathers the Bear D has in its cap this year are surprising a hobbled Indy in the first week with the linebackers playing up, and beating Philly without Westbrook and one or two of their best WRs. What else have they done? Give up 41 to the Vikes, and beat the worst team in the history of the NFL twice. We have a problem, because now the 2008 Babich Bears D is well-understood by the rest of the NFL. Even the Lions get it now, and the Bears were lucky to beat them.... think about that.

Unfortunately, I believe this team is going nowhere until Babich does. I really don't see another win on the schedule with this D. I know it is Lovie's system, but he's not going anywhere & I think eventually he'll realize (if he doesn't already) that he needs to bring in a different defensive leader to work with him to update/modernize/improve the Bear D. If he doesn't, Lovie is making his own bed.

[RING4CHI]

The coaching staff is wasting this kid's talent by playing him in the wrongest of ways and at the wrongest of times.

Babich better be gone as quickly as Terry Shea was.

[Pagan]

I'm wondering if the change in D-Line coaches last year has also made a difference.

pagan

[Otis Day]

Anderson doesn't have it anyway. He has no new moves. To weak to bull rush and only speed rushes and as soon as these big tackles get their hands on him he is done.

His rook year he lucked into quite a few sacks. many times the qbs were flushed his way as he was getting pushed to the outside.

he has done nothing for two years for the team to even consider keeping him around. As someone mentioned earlier he is football stupid.

[Pagan]

As true as much of that may be Otis, I cant help but think that the pressure generated (or not) has much to do with the success of DE's getting sacks.
Up until this last game, O-Gun and A. Brown were ineffective rushing the passer- they sure looked good when the DT's were bulldozing there way in the middle.

I'm frustrated by the play of Anderson, it looked like he could've been the steal of the draft- but nobody gets lucky that many times against many teams for a whole year. It could be injury, coupled with coaching- who knows. He's still young- I wouldnt write him off. Try playing him on pass rushing downs only and see how he does- especially if the DT's are getting pressure.

pagan

[Otis Day]

I thinked what helped our pass rush against the Rams more was the stunts they were running with Ogun. On his first sack, Url came up inside and blitzed to his left occupying the guard. I believe it was Harris at the time also pushed left occupying the tackle and forcing him into the TE. Ogun swung wide to the right and there was a massive opening and he went in untouched.

These type of stunts have been missing all year. But according to Lubbie, he changed nothing for this game. That same stunt was ran again later in the game and I believe that is where Ogun got his other sack as well, not sure.

With a three step drop, Anderson doesn't stand a chance trying to speed rush around the outside of the LT. He needs to be able to come inside but he can't.