Eddie Goldman, Willie Young lead disruptive charge for Chicago Bears "D"

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CHICAGO The Bears likely arent ready to start talking about the future only the next game but at 5-7 and fading fast in the postseason picture, thats what some of the conversation will shift to amongst fans and media.The good news is we caught two bright glimpses of the defense"s future from the Bears" crushing 26-20 overtime defeat to San Francisco, including one from an expected mainstay and one whose outlook beyond 2015 was quite murky as recently as a month ago.Eddie Goldman and Willie Young accounted for 3.5 of the Bears four sacks and three of their four tackles for loss in Sunday.Goldman was a dominant force early on, impressing a number of his teammates in the process.Eddie Goldman will be a Pro Bowler within the next two years, Jarvis Jenkins said. Obviously hes been growing, everybody been seeing it and I see it with his preparation everyday.Goldman spearheaded the improvement of Chicagos run defense, which held the Niners to 77 carries on their first 22 runs (3.5 ypc) after allowing season-highs of 177 and 170 over the past two weeks, respectively. Goldman also supplied consistent penetration in the backfield, showing power and quickness to notch his first multi-sack game in the NFL.He has the best hands of a nose that I face around the whole NFL, said Hroniss Grasu, the man whos been tasked with blocking Goldman in practice throughout his rookie year. Right on the snap, his hands are on your chest. He plays with great great leverage; those are his weapons.He gets his bear paws right into your chest; it sucks.Young has awakened over the past three games, tallying 3.5 of his 4.5 sacks over that span, and picking up the slack while Pernell McPhee has fought through a knee injury.Young beat former All-Pro left tackle Joe Staley on multiple occasions Sunday, including to begin San Franciscos final drive.I just told [Staley after the game], I didnt get no sleep all week watching you. This didnt happen overnight. I told my son, go on and watch TV or something, Ive got some studying to do. Joe Staley this week. My hat go off to him. Hes a great player.Suddenly, Young is looking like a difference maker at a position he still wont call his own. Coming off a ruptured Achilles suffered last December, his explosion and flexibility are improving noticeably every week.And thats not the part that impresses McPhee the most about Youngs rise.His focus level. Earlier this season, he wasnt playing that much. He stayed focused. He stayed asking questions. When we got his opportunity, he just took it to another level. And you can see every day hes improving. Hes asking questions about dropping into coverage, and he really takes it into consideration, as he moved from D-end to outside linebacker.

Perhaps Chicago will still have speed edge rush at or near the top of its offseason to-do list, but it"s encouraging the 30-year-old Young, slated to earn a reasonable $3 million in the final year of his contract in 2016, is helping bolster Chicago"s rush more than earlier in the season.

Of course, the key to a formidable pass rush is one that can get home from different areas and as Goldman ascends, it"s creating more chances for Young, McPhee and Lamarr Houston.

"How many plays did he have today? Two sacks? Heck yeah. Im very proud of where hes at," Young said of Goldman."That allows the guys on the edge to get after the quarterback and just let it go. When you have that kind of inside production, its crucial."

With the postseason push taking a step back Sunday, it"s also crucial for Ryan Pace and John Fox to know what kind of defensive playmakers they have for the future. With their recent surge, Goldman and Young are rushing into that category.

Source: http://www.chicagofootball.com/2015/12/07/eddie-goldman-willie-young-lead-disruptive-charge-for-chicago-bears-d/a238zob/