“It was a tough game but at least we found our identity. We’re a false starting team so we’re going to do what we do best.”
So began head coach Lovie Smith’s remarks to the media, reflecting on the Bears’ maddening Monday night loss to the Lions.
“When we get off the bus, we’re going to do so before the bus driver is even ready to let us off the bus,” he said. “If J’Marcus moves too early and gets jammed in the doorway and cripples our ability to function, so be it. Our opponents are going to know what they get when the Bears come to play. We’re very comfortable when it’s first and 15 or first and 20.”
Offensive line coach Mike Tice echoed Smith’s take on the team, choosing to focus on the one thing his charges do well.
“Our goal is simple, to move the ball,” Tice said. “Right now with all the false starts it’s not moving in the right direction necessarily, but it is moving in five-yard chunks, which isn’t an easy thing to do in the NFL on a consistent basis. So I take it as progress.”
One of the fine-tuning aspects the team worked on in practice was making sure the false starts weren’t too flamboyant.
“A false start can be just a little wiggle or flinch, which is all the energy I want my guys expending,” Tice said. “When you see JaMarcus or Frank or Kellen jumping completely out of their set position and back-pedaling into a pass-blocking stance when nobody else is moving, that’s going too far in my opinion. It just looks silly and we’re more professional at it than that.”
