Preseason Game #3 Review

In the 3^rd preseason game of the year, the Bears lost to the 49ers 37-30. As with the previous games, there were some positives and some negatives but for me the positives far outweighed the negatives.

 I’ll start out with the negatives today.  The defense looked like garbage once again.  I have to question if defensive coordinator, Bob Babich, coaches fundamentals at all?  Since Ron Rivera left the Bears defense just can’t tackle anymore.  From my viewpoint, the problem is a cross between laziness and trying to strip the ball from the ball carrier every time.  I grow more and more frustrated every time I see a Bears player try and make an arm tackle.  It doesn’t work in high school and it surely doesn’t work in the NFL.  And to all the players in the secondary, minus possibly Mike Brown, just once instead of trying to strip the ball, put your facemask in somebody’s chest!!!!  I understand being aggressive but it drives me up a way when a 5 yard play turns into a 20 yard play because of the lack of tackling. It happens with this defense far too often.

 

Another issue with the defense last night was that the defensive line was not getting a good push off the ball once again for the most part.  This defensive scheme doesn’t work without it.  Anthony Adams got blown off the ball 5 or 6 times, which is absolutely ridiculous.  The first play of the game, he was 5 yard down the field by the time the offensive player stopped pushing him.  You figure he would have been embarrassed enough not to let it happen again, but it happened on the very next play.  Thankfully, Dusty Dvoracek looked healthy last night and should leapfrog Adams in the depth chart.  I’ve waited two long years to see what he can do and from the looks of last night, he and Tommie Harris in the middle might be a monster to contend with. Another DT that looks to be able to help things out on the line is Marcus Harrison.  He has shown spurts of first round talent in the past 2 games. 

 

I think overall, the defense will be fine.  Minus injuries, there is just way too much talent on the defense to think otherwise.  I think at some point though, if things continue down this path, Lovie Smith is going to have to take control away from Babich.  I know that the defensive players like him a lot but missed tackles and poor line play isn’t going to help his sometimes suspect play calling as we have seen in the past.

Now onto the positives from last night.  Coaches from teams on the Bears’ schedule may have been shaking their heads this morning after seeing the return game from last night.  Not only do they have to worry about Devin Hester running a kickoff back for a touchdown, they may also have to worry about Danieal Manning doing the same thing.  Not only did Manning show his quickness and speed, he showed great ability to break tackles on two returns where he amassed 171 total yards.  With returns like that, the Bears may not have to deal with a top offense.  Earl Bennett also looked pretty good in the by returning a kick for 19 yards and a punt for 20.  Garrette Wolfe did a decent job himself until he fumbled the ball. Isreal Idonije had a blocked field goal for the Beats in the second half. Robby Gould was solid as usual too.  He was 3 out of 4 on field goals and 3 out of 3 for extra points.

Offensively, I thought Kyle Orton looked great as the new starting quarterback for the Bears.  He was very accurate in his throws and it looks like he has gained arm strength.  He had some pop in some of his throws, which was great to see.  He ended the night going 10 for 17 with 2 TD’s and no interceptions and a QB rating of 126.3.  For me the best part of him starting last night, was that he looks a lot calmer in the pocket than Rex Grossman ever does.  I didn’t have that nervous feeling that a turnover may or may not happen. 

Rashied Davis looked great last night catching 2 TD’s from Orton.  He came close to a 3rd TD, but there was a bit too much on the ball for him to handle.  Mark Bradley looked pretty solid in the game.  Devin Hester didn’t do much, but seems like his route running is getting better and better.  He also had an opportunity for a TD but dropped the ball.  Brandon Rideau caught a 51 yard TD pass from Caleb Hanie in the last seconds of the game.  The Bears may want to keep him on the roster, the ex basketball player has some hops.

The running game looked pretty decent overall.  The offensive line looks pretty effective for the most part.  There were a few run plays here and there that went absolutely nowhere but Josh Beekman and John St. Clair were actually opening up some holes.  I though they both played very well.  I expected to have to write that the offensive line played lousy again but I really can’t do that today.  They open up some holes for the RB’s and gave Orton time to throw the ball.  I think he was only pressured 3 times and hurried once in the half that he played. The only real weak spot on the line last night was Roberto Garza.  I’m sorry but he should not be a starting guard in this league but hopefully he and John Tait can gel on the right side where he can be serviceable.

Matt Forte looked pretty good in his action in the first half.  He showed he has the ability to cut and create something out of nothing which is the complete opposite of what Cedric Benson ever showed.  Kevin Jones saw the field for the first time.  He looked like he is healthy and had 30 yards on three carries.  A tandem of Jones and Forte might just be what the Bears need to have an effective offense this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Aboard the Neck Beard Train…

 

Lovie Smith will formally announce that Kyle Orton will be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears at the start of the regular season.  While he has not been spectacular at camp, he has been solid.  Rex Grossman has continued to struggle here and there with fumbled snaps and interceptions. Although, not completely his fault, Grossman looked pretty bad during the Seahawks game this past Saturday.

I’m a little excited that Orton is getting a chance to start.  He doesn’t do anything great but doesn’t make too many mistakes either and with the awful offensive line that the Bears have, that is probably a good thing.  Two more things that may come out of Orton being named QB1 is hopefully more Kyle Orton drunk pictures on the net and more neck beard. 

Bears Preseason Games Review

I just finished watching the Bears second preseason game against the Seahawks.  Like with any preseason game the outcome doesn’t really matter.  The reason for the games are to evaluate talent, set depth charts, etc.  This one was more of the same.  As I sit here thinking about what to say, I am having a tough time not getting depressed and angry about what may inevitably happen again as soon as the real season starts.  I’m trying to be optimistic about the season but what I have seen from the #1 offense so far leads me to believe that the Bears are going to be more of the same.  A team consisting of a great defense andspecial teams that is wasted with an offense that sputters around for more 3 and outs than I care to count with some turnovers sprinkled on top.

The offensive line is so atrocious that I can’t even talk about the QB battle between Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman because it’s not really fair to either of them.  After the beating that Rex took last night in the first quarter, my advice is to make sure both QB’s health insurance policies are paid up in full.  Between the constant pressure and the penalties, Grossman really had no chance to showcase any ability.  During the few plays where he was able to set his feet, he looked pretty good.  Kyle Orton looked pretty good on the 2 minute drill at the end of the second half for where the Bears scored a field goal.  Caleb Hanie looked solid in his second outing.  He played against guys that may not be on the roster in a week or two but for what it’s worth, he may be turn into a pretty good NFL quarterback one of these days. 

Defensively, the Bears looked very good.  They tackled a lot better than they did in the first game against KC.  They had 3 interceptions, one for a touchdown and a safety.  A couple young players that I thought looked really good were Dan Bauzin, Marcus Harrison, Craid Steltz, Corey Graham and Leonard Peters.  Bauzin and Harrison both a motor on them.  They were both instrumental on Corey Graham’s interception for a touchdown.  Peters, a practice squad member last year, was all over the field the second half.  I liked the hustle I saw out of him, even though that hair and the number 45 jersey he wears doesn’t seam to fit as well as it did with Gary Fencik back in the day.

The special teams had 2 blocked punts, one by Darrell McGlover in the 2nd quarter causing a saftey and one in the 4th quarter by Mark Bradley. Earl Bennett ran back a 75 yard punt return for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.  A nice stutter step and a block by Leonard Peters sent him on his way.  The best thing about the run was that when he got to the endzone, he just dropped the ball like he had been there before. I have to say that I liked seeing that.

Overall, there were positives and negatives but I think we are still going to have to wait and see how things are going to shape up in the next two preseason games to know where the Bears offense will be this season.  Hopefully, the offensive line can gel a bit so we can see what kind of offensive talent the Bears have.

 

Bears Release 1st Depth Chart of the Season

The Bears released the first depth chart of the 2008 season today.  There are no real surprises so far, especially with so many positions on offense still up for grabs.  The position battles are in italics below.

 

Offense

WR–Rashied Davis/Devin Hester, Mike Hass, Brandon Rideau, Ryan Grice-Mullen
LT–John St. Clair, Cody Balogh, (Chris Williams)
LG–Terrence Metcalf, Anthony Oakley, Ryan Poles
C–Olin Kreutz, Josh Beekman, Anthony Oakley
RG–Roberto Garza, Tyler Reed, Chester Adams
RT–John Tait, Kirk Barton
TE–Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen, Kellen Davis, Fontel Mines, Marcus Stone
WR–Marty Booker/Brandon Lloyd, Mark Bradley, Earl Bennett, Marcus Monk
QB–Rex Grossman/Kyle Orton, Caleb Hanie
RB–Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, Garrett Wolfe, P.J. Pope, (Kevin Jones)
FB–Jason McKie, Lousaka Polite

Defense

LE–Adewale Ogunleye, Dan Bazuin, Joe Clermond, Nick Osborn
DT–Tommie Harris, Israel Idonije, Marcus Harrison
NT–Anthony Adams, Matt Toeaina, (Dusty Dvoracek)
RE–Alex Brown, Mark Anderson, Ervin Baldwin
WLB–Lance Briggs, Jamar Williams, Joey LaRocque
MLB–Brian Urlacher, Nick Roach, Rod Wilson
SLB–Hunter Hillenmeyer, Darrell McClover, Michael Okwo
LCB–Charles Tillman, Corey Graham, Zack Bowman, Leslie Majors
RCB–Nathan Vasher, Trumaine McBride, Ricky Manning Jr., Trey Brown
SS–Brandon McGowan, Kevin Payne, Leonard Peters
FS–Mike Brown, Danieal Manning, Craig Steltz, Josh Gattis

QB – The competition between Grossman and Orton has brought out no clear front runner, although from reports that I have read, Grossman has looked better than Orton the past few days.  We’ll have to wait and see how the two perform in the preseason games before a winner will be chosen.  Rex may have let it slip that coach Lovie Smith with let them know who will be QB1 by the 3rd preseason game against the 49ers on August 21.

RB – Matt Forte is listed as RB1 at the moment and is slated to start in the first preseason game on Thursday (Aug. 7th) against KC.  Kevin Jones is still on the PUP list, so it is unknown at this point if he will make the roster at the start of the season or not.  Garrett Wolfe, who is trying to make the team as the 3rd down back has been impressive in camp so far.  Keeping Wolfe could provide offensive coordinator, Ron Turner (ugh!), a nice change of pace, although he showed no vision with very limited use of Wolfe on the roster last year, so I won’t get my hopes up.

LT/LG – These two spots on the offensive line are a bit clouded at the moment because of injuries.  Rookie Chris Williams has yet to see the field with a lingering back spasm problem.  John St. Clair has been used as the starting LT so far.  Terrence Metcalf has been out for the past few days, so Josh Beekman has moved over from the Center spot to fill in.  If the Bears can get Williams on the field, Metcalf and St. Clair should fight for the position.  I’d rather see Beekman get a legitimate shot, Metcalf shouldn’t be fighting for a starting spot let alone be on an NFL roster.

WR – The starting WR positions are still up for grabs. From reports that I have seen, however, Devin Hester has been playing lights out and may be showing potential as a #1 WR.  Mark Bradley and Marty Booker have been very solid in camp also.  Rashied Davis, an Arena Football league veteran, who has shown great flashes in the return game and as a deep threat the past few years may be the dark horse in the race.  It has been reported that he has looked great in camp and could be named one of the starters.  I have also heard that Brandon Lloyd has looked very good in camp.  Maybe he has finally figured things out and is focusing strictly on football and not trying to be a fashion model.  He played for Ron Turner at the U of Illinois, so maybe his relationship with Turner can bring out the potential he showed with the 49ers and not the train wreck he was with the Redskins.  Rookie Earl Bennett has looked good in camp also.  He seems to catch every ball thrown to him.  The team has been working with him on Punt Returns.  He has looked spotty at best there. Mike Hass, Marcus Monk, Brandon Rideau and Ryan Grice-Mullen round out the WRs in camp.  Each has shown some talent, not sure how many will be released or put on the practice squad.

There aren’t really any position battles on defense, but the team is waiting for Dusty Dvoracek to get on the field from a calf injury he has been dealing with.  Once on the field, it will be Anthony Adams or himself as the starting NT.  If healthy, both should see significant playing time this year along with Matt Toeaina.

One other spot on defense where there has been movement on the depth chart is the nickel cornerback position.  Corey Graham has leapfrogged Trumain McBride, Zack Bowman and Ricky Manning Jr. with stellar play filling in for starting left corner Peanut Tilman, when he missed some camp due to personal issues.  Graham, may at some point in the season or next year, compete with Tilman for the starting LC job.

I’ll have an in depth report of the Bears first preseason game against KC on Friday.  For Bears fans outside of the Chicagoland area (like me), the NFL Network will re-broadcast the game at various times throughout the week.  The scheduled broadcasts are below.  Also, the game on August 21, is going to be on FOX.

All times are Eastern. 

WEEK 1

Thursday Aug 7   12am

KC at Chi

Friday Aug 8     3:30pm

KC at Chi

Sunday Aug 10   4am

KC at Chi

Wednesday Aug 13   4pm

KC at Chi

 

WEEK 2

Sunday  Aug 17   1pm

Chi at Seattle

Thursday Aug 21  12:30am

Chi at Seattle

 

WEEK 4

Sunday Aug 31    4pm

Chi at Cleveland