Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is a dual threat. Not only can he pass with great proficiency, he also likes to leave the pocket and run with the ball, as well. (US Presswire)
While Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has a reputation for inconsistency, Chicago Bears defensive players view him as one of the few quarterbacks with an ability to take them out of their game.

The Bears love to be in their cover-2 zone and force quarterbacks to throw it to them -- only Atlanta has more interceptions this season than the Bears' total of six. But when the teams play Monday night, it's Romo's feet that can force the Bears into playing what amounts to man to man. 

Lance Briggs said of Romo. "That is something they practice a lot because he is so good at getting out of the pocket. Once he rolls out, you know, they (receivers) create some space and they know, ‘it’s time for me to really get open now so that I can catch this pass, it’s coming.’ "

Brian Urlacher.

When Romo buys time with his feet, the coverage can't stay in zone forever because receivers will break into the open areas.

"You have to plaster," Urlacher said. "You have to find a guy in your zone, if you are playing zone, and just get close to the guy if you can. 

"And if you don't have a guy in your zone then you just go get the quarterback, try to put some pressure on him, try to make him throw it."

So essentially the zone gets reduced to man-to-man when Romo moves around, and in the case of the Bears it's a coverage they are not as strong playing. 

Julius Peppers. They picked off Romo twice, forced a fumble and although they gave up 374 passing yards they came away with a win.
 
They never did sack Romo the last game, although they had good pressure. They probably have an even better pass rush this game with a league-best 14 sacks. 

"Any  time you can play zone coverage and get pressure with four, you get more sets of eyes on the quarterback and they can break on the football," Urlacher said. "I think that's why we've gotten the picks, and the sacks are coming obviously. And even when we're not getting sacks, we're getting pressure, which is a good thing."

The Bears see the solution as keeping containment on Romo with their ends while applying heat. This way they can preserve their zone defense's integrity. 

Corey Wootton said. "He has ability to make plays, especially when he scrambles out, so contain is a major emphasis for us this week."
 
Follow Bears reporter Gene Chamberlain on Twitter @CBSBears.