IS PACK D-TERIORATING? // Green Bay's Defense Getting Burned

GREEN BAY, Wis. The way the Green Bay Packers' offense has beenplaying of late, the only way to stop it is to keep it off the field.To do that, the Bears need to move the ball against Green Bay'sdefense, a prospect not nearly as intimidating as it once appeared.

The defense the Bears will face today at Green Bay's historicLambeau Field (Noon, Fox-TV, 720-AM) barely resembles the bunch thatlimited them to six points in a 27-point loss on Halloween night.

"We're in a little bit of a tailspin, particularly on defenseat this point, and we have to snap out of it if we have any chance atall at the end," Packers coach Mike Holmgren said of his team'sthree-game slide, which has them at 6-7 and needing to win all threeremaining games to have a shot at the playoffs.

"Right now our confidence level is not what it was earlier inthe season. At one point, we were the No. 1 defensive team infootball. You really take the field believing no one can move theball on you. Now, all of a sudden, people have, and your confidencelevel changes."

The Packers' defense was ranked No. 3 in the NFL the first timethe Bears faced Green Bay - second against the run and seventhagainst the pass. Today, they rank 12th on defense - seventh againstthe run, but 17th against the pass.

"They've given up some big pass plays," Bears coach DaveWannstedt said. "Nothing has really changed in the way they'vestopped running games, but their pass defense has been different."

Teams have taken to using three- and five-step drops againstthe Packers' vaunted pass rush led by Reggie White and Sean Jones.

"You see it all the time in the NFL," receiver Tom Waddle said. "You see a team for 10 weeks, and the offensive coordinators andcoaching staffs are smart enough to find a way to beat a team."

Waddle said the way teams have attacked the Minnesota Vikingsis a perfect example. Their All-Pro defensive tackles used to dominate games, but now teams have double-teamed both players andtaken advantage of their quick upfield rush in the middle of thefield. Ditto with Green Bay.

"We see on film how teams haven't given those guys a chance toput a rush on the quarterback and create havoc," Waddle said.

The result: the Packers have allowed 29 points per game inthe last five games after allowing 12.8 per game in their firsteight.

"They've played some pretty good teams on the road," offensivetackle Andy Heck said of Buffalo, Dallas and Detroit, the teams thathave beaten Green Bay the last three weeks. "The No. 1 thing I seewhen I look at them is that they have some very talented people ondefense that we know are capable of making big plays."

Holmgren has talked about being aggressive against the Bears,and Wannstedt takes that to mean more blitzing on defense and moretrick plays on offense.

"They've gotten away from the blitz a bit, but when you talkabout being more aggressive that's one way to do it," Wannstedt said.

The strengths of the Bears' offense are the decision-making ofWalsh and a continued commitment to the running game. Walsh doesn'thave the greatest arm in the world, and Wannstedt was asked if theBears might have difficulty hitting big plays downfield.

"We have to look at it, not from the standpoint of what maybeDallas did against them and how Dallas scored, but from a viewpointof what we need to do.

"We have to be concenred with the best way for us to move thefootball and not get frustrated if we don't hit them on a big passplay. We just have to do what we do best and what gives us a chanceto win."

Walsh said the rainy and windy conditions at Soldier Field onHalloween night meant the team that ran the ball best was going towin. He said that still applies, especially given the cold andsnowy conditions the Bears are going to face.

"When you're out there playing, you don't worry about thecold," Walsh said. "You worry about Reggie White and the other guysthey have."