Ball starts 2018 with Bears' victory

by Chris Bearman

Blogger, Chicago Tribune

One of the biggest resignings of the offseason was of little note to most in the GFML, but to coach/GM Bob Winuvas, it was a huge deal - resigning Reynaldo Ball to a 4 year, 5 million dollar deal with 1 million guaranteed. After finishing as the Bears' leading rusher last year while only with the team for 8 games, the Bears' front office felt he was a key piece going forward.

Ball is repaying the faith shown in him tenfold, getting the first touchdown of the day while leading the rushing attack, and offense, to a 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field this Sunday.

The team showed some rust early on, as Green Bay marched down the field using some solid passes from quarterback Scotty Stover. However, the run defense in particular was nasty for Chicago, forcing the Packers to rely more on the pass than they would like. Their initial drive would stall out, and Green Bay would send Mason Crosby out for a 46 yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead.

Drew Brees' first drive as a Bear started off poorly, as he struggled to get a deep, or even intermediate, passing game going with his cadre of wide receivers. A stalled drive gave the ball back to the Packers, but the Bears' defense, just like last year, made their mark when new linebacker Manti Te'o picked off former teammate Scotty Stover.

"Great reaction play by Manti," Coach Winuvas said. "He was lying in wait and just snaked in front beautifully."

The Bears' offense would gain some life, and after a few solid Brees passes, Ball would demand the rock. Ball would also deliver on a beautifully blocked 45 yard romp to the end zone and lead the Bears to a 7-3 advantage to end the first quarter.

Both offenses would struggle to gain ground through most of the second quarter, but the Bears would find footing late, orchestrating a drive that culminated in a Leonard Hankerson 15 yard touchdown catch to extend the Bears' lead to 14-3.

"(Drew) Brees hit his back foot and Hankerson was wide open. Can't hit a cleaner pass than that," Coach Winuvas said of the play.

The opening possession of the second half saw the Bears march down the field with the short pass, as Brees seemed timid to throw the length of the field all day long. The run game would get the team some traction as well, but the drive would stall out, New kicker Caleb Sturgis would nail a 40 yard field goal to further extend the Bears' advantage to 17-3.

A quick three and out by the Packers would return the ball to the Bears, and Brees would guide the team down the field and hit Kevin White on a 3 yard slant route for a touchdown and a 24-3 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, new cornerback Joe Haden would earn some praise from his coach when he skied high to take a ball away from Packers' wide receiver Nate Lewis in a 1-on-1 battle.

"Great individual effort. That's the reason we worked hard to go get Joe (Haden) - for plays like that," Coach Winuvas said of the interception.

The only other highlight for Green Bay was Demarcus Prewitt's 105 yard punt return for a touchdown late in the fourth. Prewitt eluded tacklers and made a great individual effort to get some point on the board for Green Bay in a losing cause.

For the Bears, Drew Brees was accurate if lacking in distance, going 17 of 24 for only 145 yards and 2 touchdowns. Reynaldo Ball had 127 yards on 14 carries and the 45 yard touchdown. Kevin White led the team in receptions (6/34/1 TD), but Julian Edelman (4/44) led the team in yardage. Leonard Hankerson (2/28/1 TD) also hit the stat sheet. Defensively, former Packer Manti Te'o feasted on his former team, leading the Bears in tackles (3) while compiling an interception and a sack. Defensive end Jayson DiManche had a strip/sack of Scotty Stover on the day as well, and Joe Haden earned an interception along with a solo tackle.

For the Packers, Scotty Stover went 7 of 16 for 101 yards and 2 interceptions. The running game was hard sledding, as Israel Howard (6/15) and DeMarcus Prewitt (4/11) provided little. Tight end Richard Rodgers led the team with 2 receptions for 35 yards. Defensively, Brandon Marshall got 5 tackles and a sack in the losing effort.

"Overall, I'm pleased with the effort, but we still have lots of rust to kick off and kinks to iron out. We'll work on that moving forward," Coach Winuva said of the game.

Green Bay (0-1) heads home to host a Vikings team in disarray after their head coach abruptly resigned. Chicago (1-0) hosts the New York Jets next week.

Can the coach keep the good vibes flowing early? Or will New York bring the Bears' high back down to earth?