Tedy: I really see Peppers as a standard defensive end, every single down just lining up on the edge and rushing up the field. It's the right fit for him with the Bears. The Patriots, and their 3-4 scheme and the constant moving parts with different game plans, I don't think that's really what Julius Peppers is. He's a guy that you want on that edge, always threatening that passer. You don't want him dropping into coverage too often. That defense in Chicago is based on pressure, getting to the passer with a four-man rush because they have a cover-2 concept where the players drop back, they look at the quarterback, they read the quarterback, and once that quarterback makes one read to the left or right, they start to break that way. They believe if the quarterback has to re-set himself and start to look back to the other side of the field, the pressure will be there. That's why they need players like Peppers. Israel Idonije, on the other side, is also a quality pass rusher. For a quarterback to go through his full progression -- from 1 to 2 to 3 and sometimes to his check-down -- you need time to do that. The Bears make it hard on you and Peppers is a big reason why.
Mike: The Bears also flip Peppers from side to side, so both left tackle Matt Light and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer could match up against him, and a player like tight end Alge Crumpler could be a big help.
Tedy: Lovie Smith is also a great defensive mind. It's almost like what Coach Belichick does with Vince Wilfork, who is the best they have. They move him around. It's the same thing with Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli with Peppers. It could be the left side or the right side, depending on the matchups.
Mike: When we look at the Bears' linebacker corps, it starts with Brian Urlacher.
Tedy: He played great last week against the Lions with 19 tackles. He was all over the place. Lance Briggs is one of my favorite players; I think he's a great linebacker. They've had some injuries at the other linebacker spot; it's been a revolving door over the last few weeks. Those linebackers are based on functioning as one unit in this gap-penetrating scheme. One of them has outside leverage, the other has inside leverage, and the other one flows over the top. They really work well together in this scheme.
Mike: It's also not unusual to see them 10, 15, 20 yards down the field in pass coverage.
Tedy: It's the old Tampa Cover-2 scheme that the Bears are known for. They played it best when they went to the Super Bowl in the 2006 season, with Urlacher dropping back in the middle, the two outside linebackers reading the quarterback. That's what they're best at. In those zone coverage concepts, all eyes will be on Tom Brady and reading him, making his reads and finding his receivers in those zones. Then you have the cornerbacks -- Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman. They're not shutdown types, like Nnamdi Asomugha, Champ Bailey or Charles Woodson. Those guys, you put them on a receiver and you're done. You feel comfortable with that. Scheme corners, instead of shutdown corners, is when you play within a system. In this case, it's that Cover-2 system, where you play zone concepts and you're responsible for certain areas of the field.
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