By JP Hochbaum

Now that I have time to digest entirely what happened and I am no longer slightly inebriated I would like to revisit what went wrong in the Bears game.

Cutler- He needs to get better at blitz recognition if he is to succeed in Martz’s offense. The Seahawks game planned to blitz a cornerback/safety whenever the Bears were in sets where three receivers were lined up one side and thus it was hidden from the tackle on that side to pick up. This is where either a running back should pick up the block or Cutler recognizes the blitz and quickly gets rid of the ball. I also think he is doing a great job at not throwing interceptions, but I think he is now overcompensating his fear of throwing a pick and holding the ball too long. If Cutler could get his act together it really doesn’t matter how bad the o-line is, this offense could be great.

Martz- He needs to gameplan better and run the damn ball. The balance last game was 80% pass and 20% run. No team, unless you’re the Patriots or Colts, could get away with this. The seven step drop that caused a safety was incredibly stupid and the adjustments he showed against the Cowboys have seem to have disappeared.

The O-line- they actually performed decently because we didn’t see DE’s and DT’s beating us as bad as before. The pressure came on the outside from the secondary and we can’t really fault their run blocking when they only get 12 attempts a game.

Wide receivers- Since on a tv I can’t see how they are running routes I can’t really say they had a good or bad game. I could only assume they aren’t being very helpful and while I like Knox he seems to miss on some big opportunities and it killed me watching several catches for first downs fall short when the receivers ran backwards.

The defense- It seems Peppers met his kryptonite in rookie LT Okung. Tillman made Mike Williams look like he was an all-pro receiver. Urlacher didn’t do much without his Robin. They didn’t play horrible altogether but the big names were glaringly absent and no turnovers is telling of this.

The special teams- Well I believe Desmond Clark could get even less time after being called for a hold on Mannings’s potential game winning kick return. Hester is back and now has a a chance to break a record with the next line drive punt that heads his way.

All in all this is a team that has the talent to be the front runner of a very weak NFC. But as with almost any other team it comes down to how they fix their problems. If Martz and Jay can overcome a weak and young o-line it can be done. 

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By Adam McFadden 

There are several good things that came form this game and really only one bad thing. I think we are all well aware of what was bad: Todd Collins. No real reason to talk about him or analyze his game, he is just horrible and needs to be released right away. If Cutler can’t make it again it has to be Hanie. With a quarterback at least able to complete a pass we could have made this game a lot more lopsisded.

As for the positives it was great to see our team be able to run it for once. I am still looking for more consistency but I think getting Cutler back will help us because people won’t be able to stack the box on us. I was impressed with Webb and Williams, and I think just going for size over experience/skill seems to be working for the running game and the pass blocking was improved. The key was that the defensive ends were not blowing us up all game, and if C. Williams comes back do we keep Omiyale on the right or keep Webb there? At this point Omiyale can’t focus enough to not go a game without getting called for a penalty. I couldn’t really see much from the receivers because there was no one available to throw the ball to them so analyzing them seems to be pointless.

The defense was once again stellar, led by Peppers amazing pass block and interception. Even more satisfying is that our safeties seem to be not hurting us, which at this point of the season has to be seen as a positive. We are continually getting what I expected by our linebacker trio and it seems Idonije either had a breakout game or Clausen helped him pad his stats. I will need more than one game to give any props to Idonije. Another notable is that we went another game without seeing Tommie Harris on the field. People may want him traded but considering Moss was had for a 3rd rounder I have to believe Harris would only net us a 7th rounder, wow how the mighty have fallen!

All in all this was a good game to get us back on track and get our offensive line another game to get their act together. I feel now that with a decent or average o-line this team could be a contender for the super bowl, but that o-line is a really big if.

http://www.dabearsandbulls.com/ 

 

 

The Bears went 11-5 and made the NFC Championship game last year, but I never bet big money on them to win ever. I didn’t trust them. Jay Cutler is an interception prone quarterback and offensive coordinator Mike Martz is a coordinator whose system leads to a lot of turnovers (a lot of yards and touchdowns too, but a lot of turnovers).

It also leads to a lot of sacks, complete with the Mike Martz “oh shit, I think I’ve actually killed my quarterback this time” face. Chicago’s offensive line was just going to be overmatched. I felt this would lead to several ugly losses, implosions you could call them. I just didn’t feel they were consistent enough to win 3 or 4 games in a row to win the Super Bowl.

I was right in that prediction. The Bears only lost 5 regular season games, but all 5 of them were ugly games by the Bears offense. They had a game against the Giants in which they allowed 10 sacks, 9 in the first half, knocking Jay Cutler out. Cutler had a 4 interception game against the Redskins. They lost 36-7 to the Patriots. They surrendered 6 sacks to the Seahawks and then another 6 sacks to the Packers.

They won one playoff game, Jay Cutler’s first playoff game since high school. However, they eventually imploded the next week against division rival and eventual Super Bowl champions the Green Bay Packers. A 21-14 loss might not look terrible, but let’s consider some facts. Jay Cutler was 6-14 for 80 yards before eventually going down with an “is he really hurt? really?” knee injury that will forever be remembered as “kneegate.” The Bears were down 21-0 at the time before 3^rd stringer Caleb Hanie, following an 0 for 4 from Todd Collins, almost led the most improbable comeback in years.

Every year since 2003, at least one team that gets a first round bye misses the playoffs the following season. I already have Pittsburgh doing so, but I also will have Chicago doing so. With any reasonable luck, I think they’re at best an 8-8 or 9-7 team last year. They had a point differential of plus 46 and a lot of luck in their wins.

They beat Detroit week 1 when a Calvin Johnson touchdown that would have won the game for the Bears was ruled an incompletion. According to NFL rules, that call was correct, but the rules are bullshit. They beat the Cowboys week 2, but remember these were the 1-7 Wade Phillips Cowboys, not the Cowboys that went 5-3 in the 2^nd half to finish 6-10. They beat Green Bay week 3 by a mere 3 points despite the fact that Green Bay essentially handed the game to them with 18 penalties.

They beat Carolina week 5, but who didn’t? They beat the then winless Bills week 9 by 3, despite scoring 3 touchdowns and no field goals, the same as the Bills did (the Bears had a 2 point conversion and the Bills missed an extra point and failed on a 2 point conversion). They beat the lowly Vikings week 10 and then beat the Dolphins and their 3^rd string quarterback (and 3^rd string center) week 11.

They beat Philadelphia by 5 week 12, which would have been a lot more impressive had Asante Samuel played. Samuel was arguably the best cornerback in the league last year. He has great ball skills and almost certainly would have picked off Cutler once or twice. They beat Detroit by 4 week 13, the homeless Vikings week 15, and had their most impressive win week 16 when they beat the Jets. They won a playoff game as well, but they did it against the Seahawks who made the playoffs at 7-9 and were 1 15+ point loss away from setting a single season record with 10 15+ point losses. Basically, lady luck was on their side all season.

That won’t be the case this season and, on top of that, they have to play a first place schedule. They play the Packers twice, Atlanta, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Detroit twice, and San Diego. Their 5 easy games are Seattle, Kansas City, Minnesota twice, and Carolina. They still have major problems on the line and an interception prone quarterback with a mad genius offensive coordinator whose scheme puts the spotlight on this team’s weaknesses.

At left tackle, Frank Omiyale, rated as one of the worst guards in 2009, allowed 14 sacks and committed 11 penalties. He’s been demoted and J’Marcus Webb will move from the right side to the left side. I don’t know how much better that is. Going against easier pass rushers on the right side, Webb allowed 12 sacks and a whopping 48 quarterback pressures last season. He also committed 10 penalties. He was just a 7^th round rookie so he might be better this season, but the Bears should not feel secure with him protecting Cutler’s blindside.

Taking Webb’s place on the right side is rookie first round pick Gabe Carimi. Carimi is a talented run blocker who struggles with pass protection and for that reason is nothing more than a right tackle in this league. Still, he could be the team’s best offensive lineman next season as a mere rookie. That says something about how bad this line is.

Last year’s best offensive lineman, Olin Kreutz, is gone as a free agent. Kreutz had spent 13 seasons with the team and was offended when the Bears refused to pay him the 4.5 million he wanted, offering 4 million instead. He refused to resign in Chicago and he eventually signed for 2 million in New Orleans (oops), but that’s beside the point.

The Bears will miss his talent and veteran leadership on the line and in the locker room as well. His former teammates were very angry and disappointed with the front office when they refused to meet Kreutz’ demands and bring him back. Chemistry problems are never good, especially since I still believe several veterans in this locker room are either not happy with Cutler for sitting out the rest of the NFC Championship game and/or Lovie Smith for pulling Cutler, if that is in fact what happened. Finally, they’ll miss the continuity with Kreutz, a bad thing coming out of a lockout shortened offseason.

To take Kreutz’ place in the middle, the Bears have moved Roberto Garza from right guard. Garza is a mediocre player who doesn’t have a lot of experience at center, not a good thing coming out of this lockout. The Bears also signed Chris Spencer this offseason for 6 million dollars over 2 years. Besides the potential chemistry problems created by the Bears signing Spencer for 6 million while refusing to give Kreutz 4.5 (over a shorter period of time, but still), Spencer is a mediocre and injury prone player. He’ll start at center if there’s a problem with one of the guards and Garza has to move back there.

There’s a very good chance there’s a problem with one of the guards. At right guard, Lance Louis, a backup last season, steps into the starting lineup with Garza moving to center. He’s a tried and failed starter in this league. Meanwhile, at left guard, Chris Williams is only still on the roster and in a starting spot because he was the 14^th overall pick in 2008 and the Bears don’t want to admit defeat. Williams, a left tackle at Vanderbilt, has been tried at every position except center in an attempt by the Bears to get some sort of value out of him, with no success.

Cutler can’t be too thrilled about having to play behind this line. In fact, after they allowed 9 sacks to the lowly Bills in their first preseason game, I would not be surprised if Cutler ruled himself out for the season as a precautionary measure. I’m sorry. I had to. Cutler’s receiving corps, however, are a little better than his offensive line.

The Bears used a trio of Johnny Knox, Devin Hester, and Earl Bennett last season. Obviously they were not too thrilled with Bennett because they signed Roy Williams after Dallas cut him. Williams was a monumental bust in Dallas after they traded a 1^st a 3^rd and a 6^th for him and gave him a large long term deal.

However, Williams was a Pro Bowler in 2006 under Mike Martz when he was a coordinator in Detroit. He was on pace for another Pro Bowl season in 2007, Martz’ only other season in Detroit, before he got hurt so if there’s anywhere Williams is going to revive his career, it’s in Chicago with Martz. Knox, Williams, and Hester are currently all battling for positioning on the depth chart.

Knox is the most talented of the 3, catching 51 passes for 960 yards and 5 touchdowns last year in his 2^nd season. He was the #1 last year, but has recently been demoted to 2^nd string in favor of Roy Williams, who Mike Martz apparently has a boner for. Devin Hester will be the #2 receiver once again, even though Knox is significantly more talented as a receiver than he is. Knox has been involved in trade talks even, but it now appears that he isn’t going anywhere. He’ll still see a lot of the field because the Bears use so many 3 wide receiver sets, but he deserves to be a starter.

While they added to their receiving corps with Roy Williams, they subtracted by trading talented tight end Greg Olsen to Carolina for a 3^rd round pick. They won’t miss him too much, however. Mike Martz has no clue what to do with a tight end so tight ends are fairly useless to the Bears. Matt Speath, primarily a blocker, is penciled in as the starter, but he won’t see the ball much.

Matt Forte is the lead back and no one has benefited more from Mike Martz’ presence than Forte. Martz has turned him into a Marshall Faulk lite type player. He rushed for 1069 yards on 237 carries and also caught 51 passes for 547 yards. Backing him up, the Bears have nothing but two washed up veteran running backs. Chester Taylor rushed for a mere 2.4 yards per carry last season, the equivalent of taking the hand off and falling over. To “upgrade” their #2 back position, the Bears brought in another former Cowboy, Marion Barber, who averaged 3.3 yards per carry last season. Neither have much, if anything left in the tank, but could vulture goal line carries from Forte.

 

When the Bears made the Super Bowl in 2006, it was on the strength of their defense. This is obvious, as their quarterback was Rex Grossman (still confused as to how this happened). The key defensive players for the Bears in 2006 were Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher, and Lance Briggs. Briggs and Urlacher are both still very solid players, but they aren’t what they used to be. Both are over thirty. Meanwhile, Tommie Harris has struggled with injuries and was cut this past offseason.

However, the Bears have added Julius Peppers into the mix. He was their best defensive player hands down last season. Peppers may have only had 8 sacks, but he was an absolute beast against the run. He also held his own in pass coverage, leading all defensive ends in the league in batted passes. He also picked off 2 passes and forced 3 fumbles. He did this all while being constantly double teamed.

The beneficiary of Peppers constantly being doubled was Isreal Idonije. The 30-year-old was a first time starter in 2010, yet recorded 8 sacks thanks to Peppers’ drawing all the attention on the right side. It’s conceivable that Idonije struggles this season. If so, Corey Wootton, a 2010 4^th round pick, could step in, as could Vernon Gholston.

Wootton was decent as a rookie and will forever be remembered as the pass rusher who ended Brett Favre’s career (or so we think). Gholston, meanwhile, was a monumental bust with the New York Jets as the 6^th overall pick in 2008 out of Ohio State. He had no sacks in 3 seasons, but gets a fresh start in Chicago in a 4-3 defense like the one he played in at Ohio State. He’ll also get to work with defensive line coach, Rod Marinelli, an expert at coaching up defensive linemen.

Gholston is not the only reclamation project in town. Amobi Okoye was the 11^th overall pick in 2007, but struggled in 4 seasons in Houston. He was eventually cut this offseason because he struggled to adapt to Houston’s new 3-4 defense. He’ll continue to play in a 4-3 in Chicago. He too will get to work with Marinelli and he’s currently listed as the starter next to Anthony Adams, a declining, but still talented player.

Okoye could struggle. He just turned 24 (remember, he was the youngest player ever drafted in the first round when he was drafted), but had a mere 11 sacks in 4 seasons with the Texans. If he struggles, rookie 2^nd round pick Stephen Paea would be inserted into the starting lineup. Paea/Okoye will replace Tommie Harris in the lineup nicely. Paea fell to the middle of the 2^nd round this past April and the Bears, who considered him at 29 in the first round, moved up to get him so they obviously like him.

At linebacker, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs are not quite the same players they used to be, but they are still very, very good players, especially Urlacher, who was one of the best players at his positions at age 33 with 125 tackles. The 3^rd linebacker spot is much more questionable. Nick Roach, a career backup, will start on the strong side with incumbent starter Pisa Tinoisamoa still a free agent after major knee surgery. He wouldn’t be ready for the start of the season even if he was resigned, and besides, he was a pretty marginal player last year anywhere. JT Thomas seems like the strong side linebacker of the future, but he was just a 6^th round pick in April and he’ll be hurt by the lockout.

At cornerback, the Bears try to go three deep with Charles Tillman, Tim Jennings, and Dre Moore, in an attempt to match up with the Packers depth at receiver, but they fail in that regard. None of those 3 were particularly great in 2010, though none of the three were particularly bad either. I’m surprised the Bears didn’t address this position through the draft.

At strong safety, Danieal Manning is gone as a free agent and 2010 3^rd round pick Major Wright, who flashed as a rookie, will become the full time starter. Meanwhile, the marginal Chris Harris will start at free safety. They have rookie 3^rd round pick Chris Conte in the mix. He can play either safety position and might even see time at cornerback, but the Bears have said they view him as a safety long term and also that they don’t plan on playing him very much this season.

The NFL is a league of parity. Teams come up. Teams go down. I think this is a team that goes down this year. They had a lot of lucky wins last year and they frequently combusted. They have a very tough schedule this year and a several potential locker room chemistry problems. Every season since 2003, there has been at least one team that had a first round bye in the previous season that missed the playoffs in the next season. I think the Bears do so this season.

Quarterback: B-

Running backs: B

Receiving corps: C+

Offensive line: D

Run defense: B+

Pass rush: B-

Pass coverage: B-

Coaching: C+

Projection: 7-9 3^rd in NFC North

 

 

By Ryan Glab 

Bears offense vs. Panthers defense

And thus the Todd Collins experiment begins. I’d call it more of a Band Aid because he’ll likely only play this week against the Panthers. Lovie Smith is optimistic that Jay Cutler will be ready for next week’s game. Collins was brought to the team before the last preseason game because he’s a veteran who has had some experience in the system that Martz runs. He started the fourth preseason game against the Browns and looked efficient and impressive, but exactly how much can anybody deduce from the most meaningless game on an NFL schedule? I scoff at those who are dreading complete disaster, though. Did anybody seriously expect to see success from Collins last week when he was thrust into the fire after Cutler went out? He was only notified that he’d be playing when the teams were coming back onto the field after halftime. Plus, there was no way for the Bears to turn things around given the way the offensive line was playing. Still, Collins is definitely a step down from Cutler and the offense will be tempered a little. Smith openly acknowledged this week that the Bears need to run the football better and that ought to be the game plan going into the game, but will Martz stick to the game plan? He’s been known to deviate from the game plan as he sees opportunities open up throughout the game. I’d like to see more from Chester Taylor. He’s a got a better rushing average than Matt Forte and he’s a little more savvy with picking his holes and exploding through them. It’s a shame the Bears don’t have a better offensive line and a coordinator who likes to run the ball because Forte and Taylor could be one of the best duos in the league if given an opportunity. The Panthers are struggling on defense as they’re adjusting to life without Julius Peppers. They’re tied with the Bears with just four sacks on the season, second-lowest total in the NFL. Linebacker James Anderson leads the team with 45 tackles and is joined by fellow ‘backer, Jon Beason, a talented fourth-year player who averaged 139 tackles per season in his first three years in the league. Free safety Sherrod Martin is out for the game with a concussion but strong safety Charles Godfrey has three interceptions this season and five forced fumbles over the course of his two-plus year career. The Panthers are not very dominant up front and can be exploited if Martz so desires. With Collins and a weak offensive line, the Bears have their work cut out for them.

Advantage: Panthers

Bears defense vs. Panthers offense

Last week, the New York Giants rushed for 94 of their 189 rushing yards in the fourth quarter, including runs of 22 and 29 yards after the two-minute warning. So, while I understand that some fans have concerns about the run defense against the talented duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart for the Panthers, I don’t agree with those concerns at all. The majority of those rushing yards last week came after the game was already out of hand. No player or coach will ever admit it, but the defense quit in the fourth quarter, specifically after the two-minute warning. Sure, they were on the field and still going through the motions, but there’s no way they were giving 100% effort. And 100% effort is what I’m expecting them to give against a one-dimensional Panthers offense. Panthers All Pro wide receiver Steve Smith, who has torched the Bears in the past, will not be playing in this game due to an ankle sprain. The Panthers also just released receiver Dwayne Jarrett earlier this week. What this means is that the Panthers are likely to start rookie receivers Brandon LaFell and David Gettis with rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen. A lot of pessimistic Bears fans are so worried about the Bears offense and how they’re going to put points on the board, but what about this Panthers offense? I think we’re going to see an invigorated defensive effort, led by Peppers — who is making his return to his home state — as the Bears shut down the Panthers offense.

Advantage: Bears

Special Teams

Panthers kicker John Kasay has just three field goals this year but has long been a steady and reliable player. Punter Jason Baker has 15 punts returned on him this year, more than any other punter in the league. Brad Maynard doesn’t have much distance left in his leg but he’s still a reliable directional punter. Hopefully his leg isn’t spent after punting 9 times last week and 22 times on the season, fourth-most in the NFL. Given the number of stalled drives both teams might have, Robbie Gould could be in a battle with Kasay for number of field goals attempted this week. Gould has missed just one kick this year, a 49-yard attempt against the Packers. Gould has been kicking the ball deep on his kickoffs this year, but he seemed to lose a little bit against the Giants last week. There wasn’t a large sample size, though, due to the lack of scoring. His second-half kickoff landed at the 11 and the kickoff after his field goal was fielded at the 6. Hopefully in the warmer climate this week he can get back to putting it inside the 5. Panthers kick returner Mike Goodson is 25th in the league with a 23.6 yards-per-return average and punt returner Captain Munnerlyn has a 9.3 yards-per-return average, which ranks him 21st in the league. Their counterparts? Johnny Knox ranked 13th with a 25.5 average and Danieal Manning ranked 21st with a 24.4 average. And Devin Hester ranked 18th with a 10.1 average and a touchdown. Bears have the special teams edge yet again.

Advantage: Bears

Intangibles

For as much heat as Lovie Smith takes from Chicago fans and for as warm as his seat is, Panthers head coach John Fox is under much more scrutiny and his seat is much hotter. There have been rumors that he could be the first coach fired this year and that it could happen in the middle of the season. If such a move takes place, usually the bye week is the best time to do it because that gives the interim coach two weeks to prepare for the next opponent. Ironically, the Panthers’ bye is next week. So, the Bears could conceivably give Fox a send-off with a convincing victory that dropped the Panthers to 0-5 on the season. I doubt it would happen so soon in the season, though. The Bears have a better collection of coaching talent on their team and should be able to make the necessary in-game adjustments to win this game. Charlotte is not a particularly football-crazed town, especially when their team is doing so poorly. I think the crowd won’t play much of a factor in this one and with the Bears supposedly wearing their home jerseys — due to the heat, the Panthers are said to be wearing their whites this week — it could feel like a home performance for the Bears. I expect a nice homecoming game for Peppers — and to some extent, Chris Harris — and Collins should play well enough to get the job done and guide the Bears to their fourth victory of the season. I’ve changed my prediction of the final score since I made my picks Friday morning, but the result remains the same.

Advantage: Bears

Final Score: Chicago 16, Carolina 10

http://www.bearsbeat.com/ 

By Adam McFadden 

I would first like to dispel the myth that Green Bay gave us this game. Now I could buy the argument that we were given a win by the refs in week 1, although we thoroughly dominated almost every stat category of that game. So winning the statistics game really doesn’t matter if your team scores more points than the other team. But this game was won by the Bears, albeit in an ugly way. When a team records as many penalties as the Packers did, (I think they still may be getting a few more flags as we speak, Nick Collins) it is caused by putting pressure on the other team and putting them on their heels. We could thank Julius Peppers for this who seems to have earned his contract all in one game. So the argument that we were given this game just doesn’t fly with me because in my opinion penalties happen either from bad coaching or the other team causing the penalized team to think it must get that extra step, Tauscher was essentially scared out of his pants having to face Peppers. So that being said I am going to attempt to analyze parts of the Bears performance.

The offensive line was something that impressed me. I know the stat sheet says we were still allowing to many sacks, but I attribute most of those to Cuter simply holding the ball too long. This is something Bear fans need to get used to. Cutler doesn’t like to stay in the pocket when no one is open so he tends to try to escape it and in doing so will occasionally get sacked. I also thought I saw some decent holes in the run game and am surprised we didn’t run it more in an effort to control the clock and keep Rogers off the field. I also noticed a J’Marcus Webb sighting for a brief spell of Shaffer. Looks to me the coaching staff is finally coaching and trying to light that competitive fire withing their own team.

The defensive line is another thing that impressed me, without the services of Tommie Harris. As a unit they dominated by simply causing penalties (intentional grounding, holding and false starts), or should I say Peppers dominated and the other guys were just there to make sure Peppers wasn’t getting triple teamed. I know Rogers didn’t get sacked but this is where I attribute that to Rogers being so damn good in the pocket. I have to give it to Rogers he is possibly the best QB in the league, and it pains me to say this with Cutler on our team but I am a realist. As for some other individual performances I only saw Mark Anderson and Idonije get any kind of significant pressure, but no one was close to being as consistent as Peppers.

The linebackers were all over the run game as usual but as far as defending the pass they seemed to be just an inch or two off on many of Rogers throws. That first TD that went right by Urlacher seemed to be in reach of Urlacher’s hands, so although he looked good I think it is evident that he has lost a step or two. I tend to think that in 2005 that pass could have been picked off. There was also the long third down pass that Pisa seemed to just miss as it sailed over his hands and into Finley’s hands. The question is should the linebackers be in position to stop these or is the d-line not getting the needed pressure?

The secondary seemed to get picked apart all day, but it is understandable considering we allowed Rogers to do crossword puzzles in the pocket. And I have to reiterate that Rogers is just good. The wide receivers seemed to lack the separation which was evident by Cutler being sacked and tucking the ball away and running a few times. Considering on a tv I can’t watch what the receivers are doing I have to assume that they weren’t getting open consistently. The running backs seemed to have holes but without consistently running I can’t blame them for their low average, a running game needs to be allowed to get the ball more to judge it correctly. Jay Cutler was okay, but he was great at the right times. Special teams was highlighted by the return of Mr Ridiculous. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Gould missed a field goal that he is expected to miss, because any attempt outside of 45 yards and he becomes a below average kicker. Plain and simple we have to give some credit to coaching by the coordinators, and the philosophy of an overly aggressive zone defense instilled by Lovie Smith. And I liked the 4th and 1 call here but hated it against Detroit, they were completely different scenarios. I am not saying they are free of blame (coaches) or criticism but they have transformed this team.

This game was overall highlighted by great special teams, causing penalties, timely scoring drives, timely turnovers, and a bend but don’t break defense. But the game was not given to us! As easy as people could say that the Packers were sloppy with penalties we could easily say that we left an additional 10 points off the scorecard by a missed FG and a drop by Clark (a poor pass too). Right now we still aren’t a sure bet to win games but we are now a team that is developing and improving and doing this with an undefeated record!

http://www.dabearsandbulls.com/

By Adam McFadden

Go back to he 06 Super Bowl season for a minute. Remember who the Bears’ starting safeties were? You got it! The same guys that are starting for the Bears next week – Chris Harris and Daniael Manning. Yeah, I know about Mike Brown being hurt, but for argument’s sake these guys were our starters. Now, can you name all the guys that have started for the Bears at safety between then and now? Let me break it down:

After trading away Chris Harris and playing round with Manning at corner and nickle back, the Bears relied on a whole host of different guys at safety. Of course there was Mike Brown, but the Bears made a big mistake relying on the injury prone veteran. Brandon McGowan was a solid player and a good find for an undrafted guy, but he should have only been a depth and special teams player. The weirdest move in my opinion was trading Chris Harris for what essentially was his replacement in college at the football power house known as Louisiana Monroe in Kevin Payne. Kevin and Chris both were at school at the same time, yet Chris started at safety ahead of Kevin. So it only makes sense to trade a guy that started ahead of another guy in college, just started as a rookie on a team that made it to the Super Bowl andplayed well for a guy that was essentially his backup in college… Good move Jerry.

But what very well may have been the worst move of all that year was trading for the venerable Adam Archuletta. God, just shoot me now. The white chocolate of the NFL, Adam wowed all the scouts when he was drafted with his super athleticism. But what I’ve come to realize was that Adam was not really that great of an athlete. All these pre-draft, pre-combine training facilities have inflated the true athletic ability of a lot of prospects. I feel Mr. Archuletta owes a lot of money to Jay Schroeder, the founder of Evo-Sport for all his success. 

A guy I wished the Bears would have kept around was Todd Johnson. I loved watching this guy play with complete and utter reckless abandon and total disregard for his own safety. I can’t remember all the specifics of the play, but i think it was in 05 that Todd hit a receiver so hard that it knocked the ball out of their hands, injuring himself and another Bears player in the process. He was one of the hardest hitters in the league. Too bad he wore lead boots and couldn’t run.

So moving along, Mike Brown gets hurt again, Kevin Payne plays ineptly. Craig Steltz’s southern accent gets more annoying, the Manning experiment contines, and the position is in complete shambles.

Welcome Al Afalava, a sixth round pick. He plays solid, but completely uninspiring ball, and is unemployed one year later. That’s how bad the position was. The guy that started for us last year, is very young with starting experience and would be a minimum contract guy, can’t even latch on to a team or a practice squad. Josh Bullocks was basically kindling in New Orleans, meaning he was always getting burned and things weren’t much different here.

So this year things have turned full circle. We bring Chris back from Carolina, and move Manning back to safety where he belongs. Just think if the Bears would have left this combo back there since the Super Bowl. They would have a lot more experience playing together and gained a lot of experience in playing this position in this system. Think about Manning. Everyone knows about his athleticism and potential. Imagine if would have had these past couple years to refine his techniques at safety rather than bouncing around in the secondary. Think about the comradery with Harris and the guys and how that might have improved morale with the team.

What I fear is the same type of thing is happening with the O-line especially concerning Chris Williams. He’s been getting the Daniael Manning treatment here and its affected him and the team negatively. Common sense dictates that Chris should play left tackle and Omiyale should play right. By moving these guys all around the past two years it is hurting their development and the teams cohesion. Going into the offseason, we’re not going to have any idea still in what we have with the young guys on the line. Is Chris the starting left tackle of the future? We don’t know. We should have figured that out this year, but I don’t think we’re going too. 

Lovie, Mike, and Mike: Please play these guys at the positions they belong. Stop impeding their growth and doing crazy things with their positions and let them develop properly so we know what we have.

And Jerry, well that’s a whole other article…

Go back to Bears Fan Spot 

http://www.dabearsandbulls.com/ 

 

 

Wide Receiver

This is how bad the Bears wide receiving corps is. No receiver caught more than 37 balls, while Roy Williams led all Bears’ wide receivers in snaps played. Jerry Angelo was known for not valuing the wide receiver position, but he’s been fired so it appears this is the year they’ll finally find Jay Cutler someone to throw to. Receivers like Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright, and Alshon Jeffery will be in play at 19.

Guard

At right guard, Chris Spencer was pretty awful. At left guard, Chris Williams was pretty awful until he got hurt. He was replaced with Edwin Williams, who was arguably their best offensive lineman this season, but he seems to be moving to center long term. Meanwhile, Chris Williams is expected to move back to left tackle to compete with J’Marcus Webb. With Edwin Williams moving to center, Roberto Garza is expected to move back to guard, but the soon to be 33 year old is hardly a savior. They need either one or two new guards this offseason.

Offensive Tackle

J’Marcus Webb was awful at left tackle last season, allowing 12 sacks and 30 pressures, while committing 14 penalties. Chris Williams is expected to compete with him for the job in 2012, but I don’t know how much better he’ll be. At right tackle, Gabe Carimi was promising in limited action, but went on IR early in the season. In his absence, Lance Louis and Frank Omiyale were awful. They can’t be allowed to play the position again next season.

Outside Linebacker

Linebacker has been a strength of the Bears for years, but Brian Urlacher will be 34 and coming off a major knee injury next season, while Lance Briggs is 31 year old and still wants a new contract or to be traded to a team that will give him a new contract. They also don’t have a great 3^rd linebacker so I expect them to add a linebacker or two to groom through the draft.

 

Tight End

The Bears had a talented tight end in Greg Olsen, but traded him away because Mike Martz has no idea how to use a tight end. Martz is no longer the offensive coordinator, so they should add a pass catching tight end to the mix. Kellen Davis is a good blocker, but nothing else.

Cornerback

They have 3 cornerbacks who are free agents this offseason, including starter Tim Jennings. Depending on what happens, they could need to add a cornerback or two through the draft or free agency.

Safety

Safety is another position where they have a couple free agents, but they also didn’t have particularly good play there during the season. They have other needs, however, so they may go into next season with Chris Conte and Major Wright as the starters.

Defensive End

Israel Idonije is a decent player, but he can be upgraded. He’s also a 31 year old free agent so it wouldn’t surprise me, if the value fits, to see the Bears take a defensive end and groom him opposite Julius Peppers.

Running Back

Matt Forte is a free agent. Other than Jay Cutler, he’s literally their only good offensive player so he’ll need to be resigned. Even if he is resigned, they need depth after him. Neither Chester Taylor nor Marion Barber have provided that over the last couple years, while Kahlil Bell, who showed good ability down the stretch when Forte was hurt, is a free agent. He could be resigned as a backup or leave for more carries elsewhere. If that happens, a backup for Forte will be needed because Barber won’t cut it (pardon the pun) in 2012.

 

Free Agency Priorities

Guard

They added a tackle through the draft, but they didn’t fix their problems inside at guard. Hopefully they can find some guard help in free agency otherwise Jay Cutler might get some more “injuries.” 

Center

Olin Kreutz was their only good offensive lineman last year. They need to resign the veteran center. If they don’t, they need to find a free agent replacement. 

Running Back

This team was at it’s best when it was a run first team last year. They’d be a better running team if they had a backup other than Chester Taylor and his 2.4 yards per carry. 

Outside Linebacker

Pisa Tinoisomoa is a free agent and I don’t think JT Thomas, a 6th round pick, is ready to take over for him. They need to resign him or a different outside linebacker. 

 

Draft Needs 

Quarterback

This is controversial, but I stand behind everything I said about Jay Cutler. I don’t have any right to question his toughness, but other NFL players, guys who have played in Championship Games, Super Bowls, played through injury, have every right to. If Cutler’s healthy enough to walk around on the sidelines, he’s healthy to play. The coach says no, fight, get in there. I never liked Cutler before, bad body language, an interception machine, but if I were the in charge, he’d be gone. I’d make a trade and get a veteran and some picks, draft a successor to the veteran and keep Hanie on as my 3^rd guy. This won’t happen though.

Drafted Nathan Enderle (#160) 

Offensive Tackle

Frank Omiyale was their left tackle this year. This is the same Frank Omiyale who some called the worst starting GUARD in the league last year. No wonder they gave up 56 sacks. J’Marcus Webb is just a rookie at right tackle and they like him, so he’ll stay, but at the very least, they need a new left tackle.

Drafted Gabe Carimi (#29) 

Guard

Chris Williams and Roberto Garza both suck. Williams might buy himself some more time because he’s a 2008 1^st round pick, but Garza needs to be upgraded.

Wide Receiver

A receiver opposite Johnny Knox is needed. Devin Aromashodu sucks and Devin Hester isn’t a full time receiver.

Running Back

A true power running back is needed. Not Chester Taylor.

Defensive Tackle

Tommie Harris has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff and could be traded or cut this offseason. Either way they’d need a replacement.

Drafted Stephen Paea (#53) 

Center

Olin Kreutz turns 34 in June and is a free agent. I doubt they let him go, but a future replacement could be added.