Justin Gage is a former teammate of Muhsin Muhammad, and he considers himself a pal of the Chicago Bears wide receiver. Even so, Gage says there are some things that are left alone even between good friends — like being a pass catcher in an offense that can’t throw the football.
“He’s having a rough year,” Gage, now a receiver with the Tennessee Titans, said. “His numbers aren’t what he wants them to be, so I just kind of leave him alone during the season.”
In 2004, Muhammad caught 93 passes for the Carolina Panthers; his receptions have decreased each season since. In 2005, his first with the Bears, Muhammad caught 64 passes. Last season it was 60. In 10 games this season, the 34-year-old has 26 catches, projecting to his lowest total in a decade.
This in a season when, largely because of Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, being a big-play wide receiver has become all the rage. After two nondescript years in Oakland, Moss is enjoying a career renaissance with the New England Patriots, leading the NFL with 16 touchdowns, three more than Owens. T.O., who like Moss seemed to be carrying more baggage than all the porters in Grand Central Station entering the season, is atop the league with 1,093 yards in receptions.
“The league is set up for offensive production,” Broncos defensive back Domonique Foxworth said. “And those guys are already better athletes than most of the DBs they’re playing against, which is rare.
“I’m not surprised. You put those guys in a good system with a good quarterback, it’s difficult to line up against them.”
No one has used terms like “good quarterbacks” and “good system” to describe the Bears’ passing attack, which could be why no one is feigning horror at the idea of facing it. While passers like the Patriots’ Tom Brady, Dallas’ Tony Romo and last season’s Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning garner most of the attention, the Bears have been building their offense around the ground game since Gale Sayers played in the 1960s.
Last season, that was good enough to win the NFC championship, despite the inconsistent play of quarterback Rex Grossman. But this season, scattershot play has infected the entire Chicago offense. Leading rusher Cedric Benson has just 627 yards, averaging only 3.3 yards a carry. That’s put more pressure on a passing game that was never intended to be the team’s focal point.
“Maybe it has to do with the weather change. It gets cold there real fast,” said Gage, who played with the Bears from 2003-06. “It’s definitely not a receiver-friendly offense. You’re always lobbying with the coaches because you want to catch the ball and go out there and make plays, but in that situation, you just don’t have the chance to go out there and throw the ball around.
“The run game was strong, which you have to give some credit to, and as far as winning goes, you couldn’t complain too much, but as a receiver, you want the ball.”
Grossman was so bad at the start of this season that he lost his job to former Bronco Brian Griese. However, Grossman has regained the QB role during the past game and a half, in part because Griese suffered a shoulder injury. Even with what has come perilously close to becoming a revolving door at the position — newspapers in Chicago are speculating that if the Bears lose today, a third quarterback, Kyle Orton, will take over — the team somehow ranks 14th in the NFL in passing.
Of course, that only points out the great fallout after, say, the top 10. The Bears are averaging a little more than 219 yards per game, with a yards-per-attempt average of 6.7. Yes, the brutal winds whipping off Lake Michigan are a consideration, as is the cold. But somehow Brett Favre and Green Bay (298.5 yards per game and 7.9 yards per attempt) have managed to get it done in potentially inclement weather.
The Bears have 11 touchdown passes for the season — five fewer than Moss, and fewer than 19 NFL teams. That does include the Broncos, who have 12 scoring passes. Denver is just above Chicago in the league passing stats, averaging 224.5 yards a game and 7.4 yards per attempt.
If Javon Walker is indeed able to return to the lineup today and contribute to the run of big plays that began in Monday’s victory over Tennessee, the Broncos would perhaps be a step closer to replicating some of New England’s and Dallas’ staggering numbers.
“It’s been unbelievable, it really has, watching those guys week in and week out,” Broncos slot receiver Brandon Stokley said of Moss and Owens. “What they’re doing isn’t easy, but they’re making it look that way. And teams have to focus so much attention on them and change their coverages so much that it opens everything up for everyone else. It just causes such havoc for defenses and defensive coordinators.
“We’re still not where we want to be yet, but I think we’ve got a Terrell Owens or Randy Moss in the making in Brandon Marshall. He’s a phenomenal player. It’s just a matter of experience — being out there, making catches and getting used to the NFL, because it’s tough for young guys to reach stardom right away.”
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
