Hit-or-miss strategy won't get it done

Bears know drill: Be physical with Saints right from the start

Hit somebody. Those are two of the greatest words in football, whether yelled from the sidelines, screamed from the stands or implored in the huddle. The essence of the game is captured in that perfect instruction.

The term should be ringing in the Bears' ears Sunday at Soldier Field in the NFC Championship Game.

How do you beat the best offense in football? How do you slow Reggie Bush, contain Deuce McAllister and limit Drew Brees?

Hit somebody.

''You have to,'' defensive end Adewale Ogunleye said. ''You have to outphysical anybody, so I'm sure their mind-set is the same way. You have to play physical because it sets the tone early on. If you let them punch you in the mouth early on, that's the way the game is going to go. The whole game. And you don't have tomorrow. So you have to go out there and really punch them in the mouth and try to set the tone ... and start off on the right foot.''

A physical brand of football always is required, but it's essential in a playoff game against a passing offense from a domed stadium traveling to a northern city. If Bears coach Lovie Smith wants to rally the troops, he ought to tell them the tale of his Super Bowl appearance with the St. Louis Rams after the 2001 season. That was the year the New England Patriots stared into the belly of the beast and then issued a left hook into that exposed area.

The Patriots answered finesse with force and mugged the Rams' vaunted receiving corps and their high-powered offense. Bill Belichick might not be the genius he's labeled, but he's certainly smart enough to realize the NFL doesn't want to turn its championship game into a whistle and laundry festival. Nobody is tuning in to watch the officials throw flags.

It's a cynical strategy, but it has worked in past playoffs, as well as this one. The Bears need to take the same approach Sunday. The book on Marques Colston, New Orleans' big rookie receiver, says you jam him on the line of scrimmage. Cornerback Peanut Tillman should shadow him from side-to-side and attempt to make marmalade of the guy.

The Philadelphia Eagles started their game against the Saints correctly by laying out Bush on the second play. Cornerback Sheldon Brown cleaned out Bush as he went to catch a short screen pass. Trainers had to assist Bush, and he showed a lot of toughness by coming back and playing a good game. That's why the pressure has to be constant. You have to hit a guy like Bush, and when he gets up, hit him even harder.

Resident tough guy Olin Kreutz unknowingly offered up the battle cry for this game back in early December when he dismissed Darren Sharper's comments that Rex Grossman taunted the Minnesota Vikings during their first meeting and that the Vikings were looking for revenge.

''That's the problem with the NFL: Everybody threatens through the media, but no one really does anything about it,'' Kreutz said. ''I've been here nine years and everybody's always talking tough in the media, but there's never any fights. If you are going to talk tough, I mean, go fight somebody.''

The Bears will beat the Saints if they turn the game into a street fight instead of a foot race.

The design of the Bears' defense is to give away size for speed. The idea is to have speed everywhere on the field without taking away striking ability. Just because a player isn't big doesn't mean he can't be physical.

The signature coverage of the Bears' defense is Cover-2, though they are only in it about a third of the time. The Cover-2 scheme spreads defensive backs across the field and relies on the front four to create pressure with the pass rush. The idea is to discourage big plays and force the action underneath, where all seven defenders in coverage can swarm to the ball.

''We match up pretty well with everybody with athleticism on defense,'' middle linebacker Brian Urlacher said. ''We run to the football. That's all we really have to do is just run to the football -- get 11 guys on the football and be physical with them.''

Urlacher's rare combination of speed and size makes him not only the best player on the team but the face of the organization. He has been criticized for not being a take-on linebacker and trying to run around blocks instead of blowing them up. It's a part of his game he has worked on since converting from safety.

Run defense is viewed as a weakness in the Cover-2 defense. Linemen are taught to play the run on the way to the quarterback, and if anybody gets out of his run gap, the play can quickly lead to a safety, who has to make a tackle to prevent a big gain. What the Bears need from Urlacher on Sunday is a physical performance in the middle of the field, where McAllister operates. The Pro Bowl linebacker has to play to his size.

The Bears have some obvious advantages. Playing at home is huge, as is the fact they are far from satisfied with their season.

The Saints have gone from 3-13 nomads to a 10-6 team one step away from the Super Bowl. Running back Thomas Jones doesn't believe the Saints are satisfied with their season, but he said the Bears' graduation from 5-11 in 2004 to 11-5 last season taught him there are dangers.

''It can be a point where you get satisfied with what you have done,'' Jones said. ''Once you do well and everyone is telling you how well you are doing, it's not that you get lackadaisical, but you are definitely excited about what people are telling you. It's easy to lose focus.''

That's not an issue for the Bears.

''Fortunately, we haven't had to go through that this year,'' Jones said. ''We've had a lot of people telling us how bad we were, despite the wins and ... everything we have been doing.''

Kind of makes you want to hit somebody.