NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Vikings

Bears

Bears OC Luke Getsy said their offensive strategy varies based on the type of defense they are facing on a week-to-week basis.

“You have a team that plays shell coverage or man coverage in Washington and then you have a team (in Minnesota) that only plays zone and they pressure everybody or give the illusion of pressure and drop into coverage. Those are pretty significantly different,” Getsy said, via Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. “If you have an offense that’s been together for five or six years, you may have a plan that, ‘OK, if they do this, we’ve built this six-year repertoire of things we have answers for and we know how to get to them.’ Whereas when you’re in a little bit of the earlier phase, Year 1 or 2, where you don’t want to put that much on your players. You want to simplify those game plans as much as you can so they can try to play fast and get the opportunities, like getting the ball (to) your playmakers and let them do the work rather than trying to create the perfect play to hit them at the exact moment.”

Regarding Chicago ranking No. 28 in the NFL in passing yards per game, HC Matt Eberflus said they must find more opportunities on downfield and explosive plays. 

“If it’s at (28th), it’s not where it needs to be, right?” Eberflus said. “We just got to continue to work on that. It’s got to … get the downfield, explosive throws. How you score in the NFL is to get explosive passes and explosive runs. That’s what you need to do.”

Getsy praised Justin Fields’ running ability but thinks protection adjustments, making checks at the line of scrimmage, and awareness in the pocket is most important for his development. 

“The running is what makes him exciting and it helps create some cool explosives, but it’s the rest of it that’s going to let him play in this league for a real long time,” Getsy said. “Being able to make a protection adjustment, make the right line check, progress properly, pocket movements, all that stuff is really important for his growth and development.”

Lions

Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu had a game-sealing interception against the Vikings, clinching the NFC North title and drawing praise from DC Aaron Glenn and HC Dan Campbell.

“I feel like it was my time,” Melifonwu said, via Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. “It was my first career interception, so thank God for that. I was just in the post, I saw Justin Jefferson in the middle, eyes up at the quarterback and I jumped him. When BB (Brian Branch) got one earlier and Kerby (Joseph) got two, I feel like it was a matter of time. My time was coming.”

“I’m a big fan of safeties that have a corner background,” Glenn said last week of Melifonwu. “That’s one of the reasons he’s here, because he’s able to cover like we need to, like a corner, but he is tough enough and physical enough as a safety to get down in the box and go make plays. … One of Iffy’s biggest issues was him being healthy for the whole time and then making that transition. Man, that’s not an easy transition because he did come in as a corner. (But) now, he understands exactly what we’re looking for in the safeties.”

“You would love to say that every rookie’s going to come in and fill that vision immediately, but that’s not the reality, that’s not the truth,” Campbell added. “Everybody grows at different rates. Some of them, it does happen fast. Some of them, it’s late in the year. Some of them, it’s year two. Some of it is year three, which we’re seeing with a couple of our guys right now….Just another outstanding performance. He’s a factor. He’s just getting better and better. He’s instinctive and you see the athletic ability. He plays physically. He’s just getting better and better. I mean, he really is.”

Vikings

• CBS Sports analyst and former agent Joel Corry notes the Vikings won’t be able to tag either QB Kirk Cousins or OLB Danielle Hunter this offseason because their contracts void after the end of the designation window.