Oct 1, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) leaves the field after throwing an interception for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

Let’s start with the most obvious problem: Tony Romo appeared impatient and not letting plays develop as they should have.  It also looked like his “go to” guy, Dez Bryant, were not in sync at all.  Part of the problem that I can see is that Romo has to hurry up because the pocket collapses faster than it should.  By the time Romo set his feet to throw the football, he has defensive lineman in his face.  There were several open field passes that were over thrown to the Cowboy receivers.

Which leads me to my next point; the receivers had so many drops despite the fact that Bryant had more than 100 yards receiving.  If you think about it, as it was pointed out to me while writing this article, the interceptions really started after all of the dropped passes.  As I pointed earlier, Bryant and Romo were out of sync for some of the plays.  And some of those plays were times we needed the two players to connect and make things happen.  TE Jason Witten started coming back into his own, but having one player start catching again isn’t going to win you a game. The underneath routes were usually his best option until the Bears started covering them and eventually took Romo out of his rhythm, which I don’t think he ever really found in the first place.

The running game didn’t get started going very well at all as Demarco Murray ran 11 times for 24 yards.  Felix Jones added 13 more yards off of his lone carry of the night.  I will say the Bears defensive line outplayed the Cowboys offensive line.  Julius Peppers wasn’t quite the factor in the game, but the remaining Bears d-lineman put up a good showing.

The Cowboys defense did a solid job in stopping the run game of the Bears, but Brandon Marshall had a really good night with 138 yards and 1 touchdown.  Jay Cutler really didn’t need to put out too much effort to get points on the board; the Bear defense scored as many touchdowns as the offense did, getting 2 touchdowns.  Also, the defense did an average job in stopping the passing game despite Brandon Marshall.  Marshall got a ton of yards, but only one touchdown out of all those yards.  If you break it down, if the Bears didn’t have 2 touchdowns off of the defense the game would have been much closer and the Cowboys would have had a better chance at victory.  Unfortunately, the Football Gods have their way of doing things and such is a game.

Jun 12, 2012; Irving, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith (77) talks with Doug Free (68) during minicamp at Dallas Cowboys headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Are there any positives from this game?  Yes, the Cowboys did limit themselves to 4 penalties for the night.  The offensive line seemed to have gotten it together and kept themselves out of trouble and away from penalties all night long.

The Cowboys didn’t have the services of punter Chris Jones, so Brian Moorman filled in and did a pretty good job.  He pinned the Bears inside their own 10 yard line 3 times.  Moorman may not be around unless Jones misses another game and Moorman continues punting the way he has.

For the next eleven days, there will be many debates on whether or not Jason Garrett needs to go; if there is there a quarterback controversy; which receivers will be rotated around to help improve the team?

As much as I think there need to be some changes in the offense, continuity maybe the answer.  Let the offense build confidence within them and work out the issues as a unit.  I would strongly suggest a lot more 7-on-7 practices, which is basically the receivers and quarterback working on their timing and gaining that trust between them.  The offensive line needs to continue to gel and get better.  Once the offensive line and the receivers’ workout their issues, the running game will pick up and the Cowboys will be back on track.

They better hurry, eleven days from now they have the Baltimore Ravens.  Ray Lewis and company are hosting the Cowboys and I wouldn’t mind a little payback for the beating the team took in the last game in Texas Stadium.

The pain of losing hurts especially on a Monday night, but despite the problems the Cowboys have fixable problems.  Winning has never started on game day, but it starts on the practice field at Valley Ranch.  The Cowboys have a bye week this week, so instead of worrying about taking time away, they better put the work in to get better.

1. Do you believe in Jay Cutler? Is he the emotional wreck the national media makes him out to be? Tony Romo or Jay Cutler?

MB: I still believe in Jay Cutler, but he’s making it a little harder to do so.  This is sort of a make-or-break season for Jay.  Since he’s been in Chicago, there’s always been an excuse, whether it’s a lack of weapons or the 7-step drops in the old offensive system, there’s been some other reason why Cutler hasn’t been successful.  This offseason, the Bears brought in Brandon Marshall, his favorite target from Denver and drafted promising rookie Alshon Jeffery to bolster the wide receiving group.  They canned Mike Martz and promoted Mike Tice to install a more Jay-friendly offense and added Jeremy Bates, another familiar face from his days in Denver, as QB’s coach to help mentor Jay.

Cutler is made to look a whole lot worse by the national media than here locally.  He has a weekly radio show that he does and seems to be generally affable and has a pretty decent sense of humor.  I think most guys in the locker room respect the competitor that Jay is, but would probably prefer he handle some of his business behind closed doors rather than on the sidelines and in the media.

If choosing between Cutler and Romo, I’d still have to take Jay.  He’s much more gifted physically with a much better arm and enough mobility to get the job done.  Cutler is a few years younger than Romo, so that doesn’t hurt either.

Sep 23, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) is tackled by Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers (90) during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

2. We all see the weapons on offense. Tell us more about Chicago’s defense, outside of Peppers and Urlacher.

MB: Peppers and Urlacher grab a lot of the headlines, but you left off a bunch of guys.  First, how could you miss linebacker Lance Briggs?  He’s been to more consecutive Pro Bowls than Urlacher and is a tackling machine.  You can look for him to blow up at least one DeMarco Murray run for a big loss.

The defensive line has had a resurgence this season with the play of tackles Henry Melton and Stephen Paea.  They’ll be collapsing the pocket from the inside and flushing Romo out for Peppers and rookie DE Shea McClellin.

In the secondary, Charles “Peanut” Tillman is coming off a Pro Bowl season last year and has been solid again to start 2012.  He has an amazing knack for forcing fumbles, so the Cowboys had better practice good ball security.  On the other side, Tim Jennings has been the Bears’ defensive MVP with 4 INT’s and 2 tipped passes that led directly to interceptions by his teammates.  Jennings may only be about 5’8″, but he plays much bigger than his size.

3. How has new offensive coordinator Mike Tice made a difference to the Bear’s offense? And how has new QB coach Jermey Bates helped Cutler this year?

MB: So far, I think Tice may be hampering the Bears’ offense while they’re transitioning to his system.  Ultimately, I think the offense will improve, but the Bears are still going through some growing pains while he tries to figure out what works and what doesn’t.  When the Bears offense has been out of sync, I feel like it’s because Tice has been out of sync.

I don’t know what value Bates has brought other than another Cutler “guy” to coddle him and make him more comfortable.  Cutler’s breakdowns in mechanics, especially when under pressure, are maddening and I’d think that the quarterbacks coach should be able to straighten those out.

4. What’s the Bear’s biggest weakness?

MB: This may sound familiar – Offensive line.  When new GM Phil Emery joined the Bears, he had a lot of holes to fill and for the most part has done a great job, but one area he neglected was offensive line.  Left tackle J’Marcus Webb has been little more than a turn style and starting left guard Chris Spencer has lost his job to free agent Chilo Rachal after just 2 weeks.  J’Webb could be right behind him.  Second year man Gabe Carimi, last year’s top draft choice, missed all but the first 6 quarters of the season to a knee injury.  The hope is that his early season struggles are him just getting his game legs under him, but he’s been vulnerable too.  We expect to see Cutler running for his life early and often on Monday.

5. What’s your prediction for the game on Monday night?  Please include a final score.

MB: The Bears played pretty well in their last trip to Dallas and that was behind a makeshift offensive line.  I’m not sure that they’ll be able to repeat that success this time around.  As much as is made about the offenses, this game comes down to two top-10 defenses.  The Cowboys rank #1 overall while the Bears rank #7.  Each team is 2-1 and the 1 has been a clunker.  I think Jay Cutler spends a good chunk of time running for his life as I’ve set the over/under for DeMarcus Ware sacks at 3.5.  The Bears’ running backs Matt Forte and Michael Bush are both dinged up and their status is up in the air for Monday night, which puts more pressure and Cutler and the passing game.  It doesn’t add up for me.  Cowboys win 19-13 in a defensive showdown.

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