Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles confirmed in an interview on ESPN 1000 that he had a talk with head coach Matt Eberflus about having the team’s best defensive players on the field during crucial in-game situations.In a November 27 interview before the Bears’ Week 12 win over the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football,” Poles revealed he spoke to Eberflus after the team’s ugly loss to the Detroit Lions the previous week. Chicago’s defense allowed two touchdowns in the final four minutes against Detroit, and two of the team’s top defenders were curiously absent for chunks of both touchdown drives.
Top pass rusher Montez Sweat played 39 out of a possible 63 snaps against Detroit (63%). Per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports, on third downs and red zone plays against the Lions, Sweat was on the field for 9-of-18 plays. Star linebacker Tremaine Edmunds wasn’t on the field for any of the 11 plays the Lions ran on their final, game-winning drive. Edmunds played 41 snaps against the Lions. Fellow linebacker T.J. Edwards played 61.
“My big thing is just in critical moments having players on the field that can impact the game. So we’ve had conversations about that,” Poles said about his convo with Eberflus, via The Daily Herald.
Why Have Montez Sweat’s Snap Counts Been on the Lower Side?
The Bears sent a future second-round picked to the Washington Commanders prior to the trade deadline in exchange for Sweat, who has now played in four games for the Bears. Fatigue could have been a reason for Sweat being on the sidelines, but considering Chicago’s offense won the time of possession battle by lopsided margin (the Bears offense had the ball for over 40 of the game’s 60 minutes), that’s unlikely.
Perhaps it has taken Sweat a bit to get used to a new defensive scheme. “It takes a little more time to get in the rhythm and have the entire playbook down that most people got all off-season. So you do look for that play time to continue to increase,” Poles added.
“Generally, I want to be there every play, but the body and the hear doesn’t really work like that. As much fresh as I can be out there, that’s what I want to do,” Sweat said after the Lions game, via Shaw Local.
“These are pro athletes and they’ve played a lot of football, so you leave it to him. When he’s exhausted and needs to take a play or two, you let him, then get back in there as fast as you can. When there’s a stoppage in play, get back in there,” Eberflus said, when asked about Sweat’s snap count.
In Chicago’s 12-10 victory over Minnesota, Sweat’s playing time went from 63% of the team’s defensive snaps to 71%. He had his best game as a Bear against the Vikings, finishing with seven pressures, 1.5 sacks and a 25% pass rush win rate, according to PFF.
Prior to the Vikings game, Sweat noted he was feeling more comfortable than ever on his new team.
“With a football camp, they go through OTAs, they go through training camp, and even when the season starts it’s still like kinks and stuff like that. Everything is still moving fast, but let me tell you I’m light years ahead of where I was two weeks ago,” Sweat noted.
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