The Chicago' Bears believe former Bear and current Lion Israel Idonije was feeding Detroit their defensive schemes during Sunday's Lions' victory, Barry Petchesky reports at Deadspin.
According to ESPN Chicago's Michael C. Wright, the Bears defense was convinced that Idonije, who signed with Detroit after nine years as a Chicago DE, tipped off the Lions' offense to some calls at the line. Nearly every time they called a "power" stunt, they noted, Bush burned them for big yards. "[Idonije] totally knows our defense," one Bear said.
Plausible?
Going just from the results, absolutely. A stunt, where two or more defenders coordinate to attack blockers other than the ones they're lined up against, is primarily a pass rush tactic. It's mean to confuse blockers and either create a gap or overload one side, and it leaves defenses vulnerable to a run. If the Lions knew it was coming, they could audible to handoffs or send Bush toward the holes. Bush had an eye-popping 7.7 yards per carry. And on the other side, the Bears only got to Matt Stafford once on 35 drop-backs.
Lions' coach Jim Schwartz called the charge "ridiculous" today.
