MORE QUESTIONS HEADING INTO THE

FINAL TWO GAMES.

WHY HAS THE TEAM REGRESSED SINCE

THE THANKSGIVING AT LAMBEAU

FIELD AGAINST THE PACKERS?

AND WHICH PLAYERS ARE DOING WELL

ENOUGH TO KEEP THEIR ROSTER SPOT

FOR NEXT SEASON?

JAMES BIG CAT WILLIAMS JOINS ANN

KREITER ON OUR WEEKLY EDITION OF

BIG CAT AND THE BEARS.

>> THANK YOU.

UNLIKE THE BEARS FIVE LOSSES,

THIS ONE WASN'T CLOSE.

JAMES, IT WAS UGLY, IT WAS UGLY.

AS YOU WERE WATCHING THE GAME

UNFOLD, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING

ABOUT THE STATE OF JOHN FOXX'S

BEARS?

>> IT WAS HARD TO WATCH.

YOU SIT DOWN AND EXPECT TO SEE A

GOOD GAME BECAUSE IT IS A

RIVALRY GAME BETWEEN TWO TEAMS

THAT PLAY QUITE A BIT AND DON'T

LIKE EACH OTHER AND YOU EXPECTED

TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE.

FOR THEM TO COME OUT AND NOT DO

VERY MUCH AFTER SUCH A GOOD

KICKOFF RETURN.

IT WAS HARD TO WATCH.

IT WAS A LONG GAME.

>> AND THE OFFENSE FIRST.

IT WAS BRUTAL.

IT WAS BROW TALL.

THEY ONLY GAINED 10 YARDS IN THE

FIRST QUARTER FOR THE ABISMAL

STAT OF THE DAY.

AFTER THAT GREAT KICK RETURN WE

HAVE THIS.

MATT FORTE RIPPING OFF A 35-YARD

RUN AND IT'S NEGATED BECAUSE OF

A PENALTY ON THE ROOKIE.

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE ROOKIE?

IS HE UP TO THE TASK OF BEING AN

NFL CENTER?

>> IT DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION.

YOU LOOK AT SOME GUYS AND THEY

HAVE TO FIT INTO THE SYSTEM.

WHETHER OR NOT HE FITS INTO THE

SYSTEM WITH WHAT FOXX AND THESE

GUYS WANT TO DO, I'M NOT SURE

YET.

BECAUSE FROM EVERYTHING THEY SAY

THEY WANT TO BE A POUNDING

FOOTBALL TEAM.

THEY WANT TO RUN THE BALL AND

STICK IT UP IN THERE AND PLAY

DEFENSE.

AND YOU NEED SOMEBODY THAT IS

GOING TO BE ABLE TO BLOW PEOPLE

OFF THE BALL NOT A POSITION

BLOCKER.

IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE AS

TIME GOES ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY

DO SOME THINGS TO COMPENSATE FOR

THE TYPE OF TECHNIQUE THAT HE

CAN PLAY OR TRY AND BULK HIM UP

MUSCLE WISE TO MAKE HIM MORE OF

A PHYSICAL PLAYER.

>> AND THAT OFFENSIVE LINE

SUFFERED.

JAY CUTLER GOT SACKED FIVE

TIMES.

AS FOR THE DEFENSE, ANOTHER SLOW

START ON DEFENSE.

THE VIKINGS' OPENING DRIVE

CHEWED UP 6-AND-A-HALF MINUTES

ON THE CLOCK.

WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS THIS LATE

IN THE SEASON THAT WE ARE JUST

SEEING SOMETHING LIKE A LOT OF

MISSED TACKLES?

>> YOU KNOW WHAT?

THE MISSED TACKLES, THE

ASSIGNMENT ERRORS, WHEN THE BALL

SNAPS GUYS TRYING TO COMMUNICATE

WITH EACH OTHER, WHO IS SUPPOSED

TO BE COVERING WHO --

>> ISN'T THIS DEFENSE 101 HERE?

>> IT IS.

AND FOR IT TO BE HAPPENING THIS

LATE IN THE SEASON MAKES YOU

QUESTION A LOT OF THINGS.

IT'S NOT LIKE THEY HAD A LOT OF

NEW STARTER ALONG THAT DEFENSE

IN THE GAME.

THEY ONLY PENCILED IN ONE NEW

GUY.

AND HE LED THE TEAM IN TACKLES.

>> HE HAD A GREAT GAME.

>> BUT YOU HAVE TO ASK QUESTIONS

BOTH OFFENSIVELY AND DEFENSIVELY

FOR THESE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

YOU GOT TO FOCUS.

YOU GOT TO FOCUS ON THE LITTLE

THINGS.

AND FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF GAMES

IT HASN'T SEEMED LIKE THEY HAVE

DONE THAT.

>> AND ANOTHER FRUSTRATION FOR

BEARS FANS, THE OPPOSING

QUARTERBACKS LOOK LIKE ALL PROS

AGAINST THE BEARS DEFENSE.

TEDDY BRIDGEWATER HAD A CAREER

DAY.

>> THEY ARE HAVING AN ISSUE WITH

MAN TO MAN COVERAGE AND

QUARTERBACKS BREAKING THROUGH

THE CENTER OF THE LINE AND RUN

FOR LONG YARDAGE.

IT IS A COMMUNICATION ERROR.

THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO

COMMUNICATE IT WHETHER IT BE

FROM A SAFETY OR DEFENSIVE

LINEMAN IT HAS TO GET OUT THERE.

>> WELL, WHETHER IT IS RIGHT

TACKLE KYLE LONG GETTING BEAT ON

THE OUTSIDE, MIDDLE LINEBACKER

SHEA McLELLAN PLOWING AN

ASSIGNMENT OR POOR TACKLING BY

ALLEN BALL THE BLAME COULD BE

SPREAD FAR AND WIDE BUT THE HEAD

COACH REFUSED TO POINT FINGERS.

>> I'M NOT GOOD AT THE BLAME

GAME.

TO ME IT'S ALL OF US.

IT'S COACHING, IT'S PLAYING,

IT'S EXECUTING.

ULTIMATELY WE ARE ALL IN IT

TOGETHER.

I WOULD SAY I'M DISAPPOINTED IN

OUR RECORD.

AND REALLY LEAVE IT AT THAT

BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WE ARE

MEASURED ON.

>> THEY ARE MEASURED ON THAT AND

RIGHT NOW THE RECORD IS NOT

GOOD.

THEY CANNOT GET TO.500.

THE ABILITY TO GET MENTAL

TOUGHNESS THEY WILL BE FACING

FORMER HEAD COACH LOVIE SMITH.

DO PLAYERS GET UP FOR SITUATIONS

LIKE THIS IF THEY ARE PLAYING A

FORMER HEAD COACH OR FORMER

TEAM?

>> I THINK YOU DO GET UP FOR IT

A LITTLE BIT.

THIS IS FOR ME I HAD THE

OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY AGAINST

DITKA WHEN HE WENT TO THE

SAINTS.

AND FOR ME, IT WAS THE GUY THAT

DRAFTED ME.

IT WAS A GUY THAT BROUGHT ME

INTO THE LEAGUE SO I HAD A LOT

OF RESPECT FOR HIM BUT I WANTED

TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HIM.

EXCUSE ME.

SO I --

THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET

PUMPED UP.

AS AN ATHLETE, YOU USE THAT TO

YOUR ADVANTAGE.

IF THIS IS THE GUY THAT YOU

PLAYED FOR WHETHER YOU LIKED HIM

OR DIDN'T LIKE HIM, YOU WANT TO

BEAT HIM ON SUNDAY.

>> THE BEARS GOT TO THE PLAYOFFS

THREE TIMES UNDER SMITH AND HIS

NINE YEARS.

THIS IS GOING TO BE THE FIFTH

SEASON THAT THEY ARE NOT GOING

BACK.

HOW DO BEARS PLAYERS IF THEY DO

NOT HAVE THE SMITH INCENTIVE HOW

DO THEY GET UP FOR THE FINAL TWO

GAMES KNOWING THEY ARE NOT GOING

TO THE PLAYOFFS?

>> FOR EACH PLAYER IT'S

DIFFERENT.

EACH GUY HAS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT

IT IS THAT IS GOING TO MOTIVATE

HIM FOR THE GAME.

WHETHER IT'S TO GO OUT AND KICK

SOMEBODY'S BUTT OR PLAYING FOR

YOUR LIVELIHOOD THERE ARE GUYS

THAT HAVE NOT STARTED OR HAD

OPPORTUNITIES HERE AND THERE.

AND NOW THEY ARE GOING TO GET A

LITTLE MORE OF A LOOK BECAUSE

IT'S THE END OF THE SEASON.

AND COACHES WANT TO KNOW WHAT

THEY WILL BE ABLE TO USE NEXT

YEAR.

IF THAT IS NOT MOTIVATION FOR

YOU, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS.

>> ALL RIGHT.

JAMES, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE ARE

GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT NEXT

MONDAY.

IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHERE THIS IS

HEADED.

I KNOW THAT THE BOW TIE HAS BEEN

ELIMINATED FROM YOUR WARDROBE.

>> NO, WE CAN GET A WIN.

>> WE GOT TO WIN.

IF THE BEARS GET A WIN AGAINST

TAMPA OR THE LIONS.