Nov. 18--The Chicago Bears' 21-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday wasn't pretty, but it provided relief the team desperately needed after two non-competitive losses. No one is confusing the Bears for a playoff team, but they at least sprayed some water on the fire ahead of Lovie Smith's return to Chicago with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Here are four things we learned about the Bears in Week 11:
1. The Bears have some fight in them.
After two straight punchless performances, the Bears swung back against the Vikings. When they lost 51-23 to the Patriots, several players insisted they had enough pride and professionalism to continue playing hard. No "rah-rah" speeches would make a difference, veterans such as Jared Allen and Ryan Mundy said.
But after a dog of a game against the Packers, some analysts and former players used the word "quit" -- the greatest indictment in sports.
The truest test of character and professionalism would occur after the Bears are eliminated from postseason contention. But for now, with their chances to qualify for the postseason still very slim, their effort and desire to win was apparent in the tough running of Matt Forte, the effort for contested catches by Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, the collective pass rush, and numerous other examples.
Regardless of why players remained motivated, the important thing was that they were. There's no reason to expect anything less this week against Smith and the Bucs.
2. Losing is taking a toll on Marc Trestman.
My colleague Dan Wiederer did an excellent job in Tuesday's newspaper describing the head coach's day-after-game press conference. Trestman was uncharacteristically evasive, even when faced with easy, positive questions, such as one about Josh McCown, a man for whom Trestman previously has been effusive in his praise.
This is the effect of losing. Regardless of whether Trestman decided to shut down or if he's just following orders, it's easy to see why someone might believe saying less to the media is the best way to preserve locker room support and focus under the weight of heavy criticism and intensifying pressure.
The disappointing result is that the public misses out on Trestman's insight, which in happier times was a pleasure and privilege to hear. Trestman obviously enjoys educating others about football and how he guides the team. It would be a shame if he continues to stray from that.
Trestman's insight and eagerness to engage were bright spots in what is too often an antagonistic relationship between the Bears and local media. A head coach can compensate for many negative influences because of how frequently he meets with reporters.
I saw a similar erosion in 2009, my first year covering the Redskins. Coach Jim Zorn -- who happens to be a friend of Trestman's -- became a lame duck in Week 3 of his second season when his team lost to the Detroit Lions, ending the Lions' 19-game losing streak.
Zorn is a charismatic, quirky, pleasant man who was just as likely to talk to reporters about skinning a coyote as he would attacking Cover-2. As the wheels fell off in 2009, Zorn withdrew from media at management's order. He was fired at the end of the season but handled himself with unparalleled class in a dire situation.
Hopefully, Trestman can find a better balance between his natural inclination to have a positive interaction with the media and whatever other priorities he and the organization believe might be in conflict with that.
3. Lance Briggs has something left in his tank.
Four days after his 34th birthday, the veteran linebacker disrupted the Vikings on several plays and generally made a positive impact.
On the fourth play from scrimmage, a handoff to Jerick McKinnon, he shot a gap between the right guard and center before tight end Rhett Ellison could block him on the second level. Briggs got into the backfield unblocked and tackled McKinnon for a 3-yard loss.
On third-and-6 on the next series, Briggs got the Bears' defense off the field by tracking tight end Chase Ford down from behind on a drag route underneath and making the tackle.
In the third quarter, his blitz forced rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to throw before he wanted to. The incompletion got the Bears off the field on third-and-10.
When the running back motioned from the backfield to the slot, safety Chris Conte came down and tapped Briggs, letting Briggs know that he would handle the coverage responsibility and that Briggs could blitz. It was the correct read, correct adjustment, and it got the Bears the ball back.
Briggs appeared to the defender responsible for Ellison on the first-quarter touchdown catch. Ellison ran a hard fake inside before reversing field into the flat on a play-action keeper, and Briggs sold out against the run. Overall, though, Briggs gave the Bears' defense much of what it needed to bounce back from two lopsided losses.
4. No team should be stubborn enough to play man-to-man coverage against the Bears.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer's insistence on having his cornerbacks play man-to-man against the Bears is baffling. Cornerback Josh Robinson, at 5-foot-10, didn't stand much of a chance against Brandon Marshall (6-4) and Alshon Jeffery (6-3). Marshall and Jeffery are too strong and too big.
The Patriots, a predominant man-to-man team, played mostly zone against the Bears in the Week 8 blowout. If Bill Belichick is willing to adjust, every other defensive coordinator should follow suit. It will be interesting to see what Zimmer plans for the Dec. 28 rematch.
We've seen teams have success zoning the Bears out and forcing quarterback Jay Cutler to check his way down the field with short passes, often to running back Matt Forte. Expect Lovie Smith to use his Cover-2 scheme this Sunday to test Cutler's patience.
