Biggs: Ogunleye leads Bears' long-awaited sack attack

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Ogunleye leads Bears' long-awaited sack attack

November 24, 2008
BY BRAD BIGGS bbiggs@suntimes.com


ST. LOUIS -- It's not the first statistic the Bears ever turn to, not like turnover ratio or the success of running the ball and stopping the run.

But sacks have proved to be a pretty good indicator of when the Bears' defense is healthy, and it produced a season-high five Sunday in a 27-3 whipping of the St. Louis Rams.

End Adewale Ogunleye got a free rush up the middle on a stunt on the first third down of the game and drilled quarterback Marc Bulger for an eight-yard loss, knocking him out of the game with a concussion. Trent Green relieved, and the first time he dropped back to pass, he was met by Ogunleye, who sacked him for a 13-yard loss.

The Bears never let up with their pressure. Tackle Tommie Harris recorded two sacks to give him four in the last five games, and end Alex Brown, going against fill-in left tackle Adam Goldberg, got one to give him four on the season.

''We've been struggling and I've been trying to get some sacks, and that was a big statement for us,'' said Ogunleye, who leads the team with 4½. ''The way everyone was acting around the city, we might as well just give up and not show up. But the way it happens, it comes in bunches. We were in a little bit of a lull, and hopefully this is a good step for us in the right direction.''

The Bears entered the game with just 17 sacks, including five in their previous five games, and were on pace for 27, which would be the franchise's second-lowest figure in a 16-game season. The Bears are now 6-1 this season when they have two sacks or more, 0-4 when they don't.

With the pressure came some giveaways. Lance Briggs' two interceptions were tipped at the line of scrimmage, and a blitzing Briggs deflected a pass picked off by Brian Urlacher. Green completed 16 of 30 passes for 219 yards, but the picks were drive-killers.

''I don't care about sacks,'' Brown said. ''I care about winning and getting pressure on the quarterback. What's the difference tackling a quarterback for a four-yard loss or tackling the running back for a four-yard loss? There's no difference. You guys put a lot into it. But we did our job today as a defensive line. That's what we need to do for the next five games.''

The Bears head to Minnesota for a rematch of their 48-41 victory over the Vikings on Oct. 19. They sacked Gus Frerotte twice in that game and picked him off four times.

''It's always about execution,'' coach Lovie Smith said. ''Did we change our defense, throw it out and start over? No, we played our defense and played it a lot better than we've been playing.''
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