Squib Kicks and more tears

 

I’ll start by saying I have never really liked the squib kick in the game of football.  I understand the concept of taking away the potential 85 yard touch-down return but it only makes sense to use it when a field goal won’t hurt your team.  The Bears were up by 1 point with 11 seconds left.  The key things at that point of the game was the time on the clock and field position.  A squib kick hands the other good field position. Add in a quarterback that has a lot of expertise in game winning throws at the end of the game and you are asking for trouble.  Hey Lovie, why don’t you ask Virginia Tech about Matt Ryan’s end of game passing abilities. On top of that, both starting cornerbacks were hurt at that point in the game.  On top of that, Bob Babich, for some reason, continues to have his corners give the receiver a 8 to 10 yard cushion off the ball.  On top of that, Jason Elam has been one of the better kickers in the league for a long time now.  On top of that, Tommie Harris is a shell of his former self and the rest of the defensive line is providing zero penetration. On top of that, the Cover-2 doesn’t work without penetration and also provides no safety valve for a deep ball.  On top of that…I could go on but I won’t.

The Bears looked like they were turning the corner with a great win of Philly and a sound beating of Detroit after 2 awful weeks against Carolina and Tampa.  Thankfully, I was on vacation for those games and the copious amount of beer I consumed at Hooters numbed the pain of watching Brian Griese throw the ball 67 times against the Bears.  The Bears schedule, on paper, is somewhat in their favor for a run to win the division and make the playoffs.  The problem is, the Bears have been up for the 2 top teams on their schedule so far, the Colts and the Eagles but have shown up for only 3 quarters against Carolina, Tampa and 1 quarter against Atlanta.  Instead of being 6-0 or at the very least 5-1, they are 3-3.

The good news is that Kyle Orton is getting better and better and Matt Forte has been pretty solid.  The bad news is the defense has been inconsistant once again. Plus, the injury bug is starting to creep in once again on defense.  3-3 could turn ugly pretty quickly if they can’t figure things out soon.  The first step should be to show Babich the door.  He has overtaken Ron Turner as the Bears’ worst coordinator and that is sad.

State of the Bears Address

State of the Bears Address

 

With training camp just under a month away, I thought I would write a pre-training camp sate of the Bears address.  I’ll start off by saying that last year was very painful for me.  I had a bad feeling the Super Bowl hangover would cause problems with the team but I didn’t think it would be as bad as it was.  I’m trying to put a positive look on the 2008 Bears team, but decisions by team management is making it difficult.

 

I’ll start out with the positives:

 

Special Teams

A definite positive overall, the Bears have one of the best special team’s squads in the league.

 

Return Game

Devin Hester, Devin Hester, Devin Hester.  Don’t really need to say anything more than he is a threat to score a touchdown on pretty much every punt return or kick return he gets his hands on.  Rashied Davis is also another solid kick off return threat. 

 

Kicking/Punting

Robbie Gould has turned out to be one of the most accurate kickers in Bears history.  He made the Pro-Bowl in 2006 and signed a 5 year contract extension during this off-season.  Entering into his 12th year in the league Brad Maynard is still one of the best punters in the NFL. 

 

On free agent loss that will hurt is the Ravens signing of Brendon Ayanbadejo.  Ayanbedejo is a perennial special teams, Pro Bowler and will be missed.  He amassed 26 special teams tackles last year.

 

Defense

The combination of injuries and an awful offense took its toll on the Bears defense last year.  Reports are that all of the key factors in the defense are healthy or at least mostly healthy and ready for training camp. 

 

D-Line (Tackles)

Coming off a hamstring tear the year prior, plus fighting a knee injury, Tommie Harris still showed why he is one of the best defensive linemen in football.  Harris should be 100% this year and I have zero doubt that he will continue to dominate the middle.  Anthony Adams is another solid defensive tackle for the Bears.  Dusty Dvoracek has played 1 quarter in the 2 years he has been with the team.  He has a motor that won’t quit. Hopefully he can stay away from the injury bug because I am excited to see him become a key factor in the front 7.  The Bears drafted Marcus Harrison from Arkansas in the 4^th round of this year’s draft.  It sounds like he has the potential of being a very good lineman in the NFL.  Off the field issues dropped his status in the draft, but hopefully he doesn’t go the Tank Johnson and Cedric Benson route. Gerald Lee and Matt Toeaina add solid depth to the tackle position.

 

D-Line (Ends)

It sounds like Alex Brown will join Adewale Ogunleye as the 2 starting DE’s with sack specialist Mark Anderson as the insert to keep everyone fresh.  I like this a lot better than Anderson as the starter.  I think his sack numbers will go up to his rookie year levels this way.  Isreal Idonijie and Dan Bazuin round out the DE core.  Bazuin was IR’d last season as a rookie and I am interested to see what he brings to the table.

 

Linebackers

Not much to say here, but arthritic back or not, the Bears have probably the best linebacking tandem in the league with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.  Hunter Hillenmeyer doesn’t get the press he deserves as the other factor in the linebacker core. I also think Jamar Williams and Michael Okwo are ready for break out seasons.

 

Secondary

The secondary was decimated by injuries last year.  Charles Tilman had another solid year but Nathan Vasher was out for most of the year and that hurt the defense badly.  When Mike Brown is on the field, he is one of the best FS’ in the league.  Unfortunately, in the past 3 years, he has been off the field for most of them due to injury.  It sounds like he is healthy again and very excited for the 2008 season.  Mike Brown makes the defense better in play and leadership.  Trumaine McBride, Ricky Manning Jr., Danieal Manning add very solid depth to the secondary.  The Bears drafted SS Craig Steltz this year.  I’m excited with this pick because I have visions of Gary Fencik and Doug Plank dancing in my head.

 

The fun part is over with, now I have to talk about the offense. 

 

Offensive (Line)

I’ll start by saying that I have been unhappy with the offensive line for the past 3 seasons.  I have felt that, even in the Super Bowl year, that this was the weakest unit on the team.  Fortunately, rather unfortunately, this is not the case anymore.  I will say that I am very, very happy that the “Human Turn-style” Fred Miller, along with his cohort, Ruben “False Start” Brown are gone.  I can’t count high enough to give you the number of expletives I have screamed at the television at those 2 the past few years.  Good riddance to both. Olin Kreutz = Pro Bowler, John Tait is also solid and I love that he is moving to right tackle.  The Bears may finally have a dominant left tackle in Chris Williams, who was drafted with their first pick this year.  We’ll have to wait and see.  The guard position bothers me.  Roberto Garza, no matter how great of a guy he is, would be a back up on any other team.  I’m not even sure I’d want Terrance Metcalf as a back up let alone a starter.  Hopefully, Josh Beekman can win one of the guard spots.  He doesn’t have the prototypical size but he has a nasty streak that I loved watching when he played for Boston College.

 

Tight Ends

I am very happy with the tight end tandem of Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark. Olsen had flashes of greatly during his rookie year and Clark showed he is a down field threat in 2006.  Hopefully, Ron Turner…sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little, will run some 2 tight end sets this season.

 

Running Backs/Full Backs

I have to admit, I am eager to see how Matt Forte will turn out.  I was happy that the Bears took him with their 2^nd choice in the draft.  I hated the Cedric Benson pick in ’04 and am ecstatic he is gone.  Anyone and their grandmother could fall down and get 3 yards.  Have fun trying to get a job jackass.  Adrian Peterson is a decent backup.  I like him because he runs with heart.  If Ron Turner had any vision at all, Garrett Wolfe could be a threat to gain 15+ yards here and there.  Oh and Ron, I’m guessing that you don’t understand the concept of physics but here is a thought.  Don’t run Wolfe up the middle against the Vikings D again this season.  Garrett Wolfe is 5’ 7”, 186 pounds, Kevin Williams is 6’5”, 311 pounds and Pat Williams is 6’ 3, 317 pounds.  Garret won’t win. FB’s don’t do much in the Bears O, except block, so there isn’t a whole lot to say other than Jason McKie is pretty solid there.

 

Quarterbacks

Going into training camp, there is a competition between Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton for QB1.  I’ll start with the positives at QB, 1) Brian Griese is no longer on the roster, 2)…..wait, I am thinking……screw it, now I’ll start with the positives of Rex Grossman – 1) great arm, 2)…..wait, I’m thinking………….I like his gunslinger attitude, 3)….my brain hurts, onto his negatives 1)his gunslinger attitude gets him in trouble 2)fumbles snaps, 3)doesn’t step up in the pocket under pressure, 4)makes poor decisions way too often 5) I have to hear Tony Kornheiser talk about how bad Rexy is 2,000 times a game on MNF. Kyle Orton positives 1) doesn’t turn the ball over, 2)steps up in the pocket under pressure, 3) his beard rocks, 4) Kyle Orton drunk pictures on the internet are awesome. His negatives are that he doesn’t have the greatest arm and is more like Trent Dilfer than a Tom Brady. Both have rings, though so that may not be that bad with a great Bears D.

 

Wide Receivers (I just threw up in my mouth again)

Good googely, moogely, ESPN has Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd as the 2 starters on the depth chart right now.  I have also heard the Lloyd has looked like the best WR during the OTA’s.  I’m starting to tear up just thinking about that.  If Mark Bradley can stay healthy and Devin Hester can makes strides at the receiver spot this year, there is hope that I won’t pop a blood vessel watching the Bears this year. I’ve read that 3^rd round pick Earl Bennett doesn’t drop passes, so hopefully he can send Lloyd to the waiver wire or bench, where he belongs. Hey, Ron Turner, just some advice here, GO ROUTE TO DEVIN HESTER, GO ROUTE TO DEVIN HESTER, GO ROUTE TO DEVIN HESTER!

 

Overall

I actually feel a little more positive about the upcoming season than I did before I started writing this blog.  If we can keep injuries to a minimum, the Bears should have a much better season than the miserable one they had last year.  The season hinges on the offense though.  There has to be something of a running game or it will be more of the same.  The Bears will be in games until the 2^nd half starts and the defense fades because they have been on the field way too long.  We’ll have to wait and see what happens with QB1 and how the receivers sorts out.  If they can do something, then I see a playoff team, if they are the same as last year (not quite sure the offense could get worse) then it’s just another waste of a great defense in Chicago.

 

 

 

 

 

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 Go Camping Tidbits…

Olin Kruetz, who had missed the past 6 days of camp with an achilles injury, passed a physical today and practiced for the first time.

Kevin Jones, still recovering from his knee surgery and on the PUP list, was on the field today.  Helmet but no pads.  Looks like he is on pace to start practicing sometime next week.

Chris Williams, who had slightly strained his back on his first day of workouts, was on the field again, helmet no pads, but this is a good sign he may see action in a day or two. I sure hope he is on the field soon, the offensive line hasn’t looked all that great so far. Plus, I really need to get the vision of Stan Thomas out of my head. It would really depress me if Williams turns into another Thomas.

Bears waived ex-Saluki QB, Nick Hill today, shattering hopes of Southern Illinois alumni, that he may become QB1 for the Bears this season.

It looks like the QB battle is going to be won on the field during the preseason games, which it should be.  Orton and Rexy have both looked good and bad in the tapes I have seen.  Kyle has been throwing up some picks the past few days while Rexy has been having trouble with snaps again here and there.  Now the Kruetz is back, hopefully that problem will be resolved. 

Earl Bennett and Matt Forte continue to impress.  I can’t wait to see Forte in a game.  Bennett looks like he is ready to contribute right out of the box at the wide receiver spot, although he has had some problems fumbling the ball while taking punts. 

I’ve been reading reports that Garrette Wolfe has been looking really good in camp. The Bears may just have to carry 4 RBs this year if that is the case.

Mark Bradley has looked really good at the receiver spot so far.  Hopefully, he can stay away from the injury bug that Dan Bauzin and Dusty Dvoracek have.

That’s about it for today.  I’ll have more in depth information this week.

 

Bears and Urlacher agree to new contract deal

The Chicago Bears and middle linebacker Brian Urlacher came to an agreement for a restructured contract just before the start of training camp.  The new deal gives Urlacher an $18 million bump in pay.  He had 4 years and approximately $25 million left on his previous contract.  The new contract gives him a $6 million signing bonus and a total value of about $43.5 million, while adding a 5th year. 

The Bears went against the grain with the contract renegotiation, in actually renegotiating a contract.  I think management realized that it is important to keep the face of the franchise happy for both the fans and team morale and unity.  The Bears had to deal with Lance Briggs’ contract fiasco last season that seamed to divide management and team personnel.  It was a story many teams have dealt within the past, said player believes he is paid too little, team doesn’t think so, said player threatens to holdout of training camp, team threatens fines and franchises player, said player unhappy with the franchise tag, threatens to hold out until traded, team goes through the motion of trading player, nothing happens, other players support said player in the contract squabble, said player eventually plays and resigns with the team in the off-season for a deal very close to the one the team offered in the first place, said player drives his Lamborghini into a light pole….OK, OK, I’m sorry, I’ll stop.  Thankfully, we won’t have to go through this drama again with Brian Urlacher, he has been paid and is happy, that is until the salary cap goes up again and he thinks he is underpaid once again.  Whoops, sorry again, I’ll put away my crystal ball.

The situation is pretty easy, Urlacher felt he needed more money, the Bears definitely needed their star player, the contract is done, so the Bears can go into training camp as a solid, cohesive unit because everyone is “paid”.  Well, except for their #1 draft pick Chris Williams, who is pegged to start at left tackle and said the holding out was not in his vocabulary. Although, there is a good 18 or so hours to get that one done before camp starts. Oh and Devin Hester wants more money too.  From what I have heard, he and the Bears are negotiating…

Brett Favre and the Chicago Bears

 

With all of the Brett Favre talk this past week about his “impending” return, I’ve been asked at least a dozen times if I would want Favre on the Bears this year.  My answer to that question is an absolute YES!  This is one of those questions where I didn’t even need time to think about it.  It would be easy for me to say that the two biggest reasons for me wanting Favre as QB1 this year are Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton.  The fact of the matter is though, that I’m actually ok with either of them as the starter.  Rexy signed a 1 year deal in the off-season, and needs to show he is a legit QB if he ever wants another chance to be a starter in the NFL.  I think his benching last year helped his head out a lot.  He looked like a completely different player when he came in at the end of the year before his injury against the Redskins.  Kyle Orton is kind of in the same situation, its time for him to show he can be a legit starter also.  As a rookie, he won 9 games.  Maybe the defense won the nine games, but he didn’t do anything to lose games during that time just like a Trent Dilfer.

The main reason my answer is yes to the Favre question is because of the 16 years of torture I had to endure watching him light up the Bears twice a year.  There a four teams I hate the most on this earth. All equally but for different reasons.  I hate the Yankees, the St. Louis Cardinals, Duke and the Packers.  I hate the Packers because I am a Bears fan. Plain and simple.  Favre made it even easier for me to hate the Packers because he was so good there for so long.  I must say that I never hated Favre, just hated the Packers worse for having a player like that.  I even have an autographed Favre helmet sighting next to my Devin Hester helmet (don’t worry Bears fans, it’s a Southern Miss helmet, I wouldn’t bring the awful green and yellow into my house). It was sort of like, when Wade Boggs ended up with the Yankees.  It pained me that he was there, but I hated the Yankees worse because he was there.  It wasn’t until Boggs embraced being a Yankee after retiring, when my hatred for that traitor grew. But that is another story. 

Can Brett still play?  I think he answered that question last year.  Is he a better option at QB than Grossman or Orton at this point? Yes he is.  Could he bring the Bears closer to a Super Bowl than those two?  Yes he can. The Bears are wasting a great defense with an awful offense.  Its happened more times than not in my life as a Bears fan.  Its about time the Bears have a real QB for once.  Can Rexy or Kyle be the one? Maybe, maybe not, but if he is available, I don’t think Brad Maynard would have a problem giving up his number for a Super Bowl ring. 

The best reason to bring in Brett Favre.  It would be the biggest Stone Cold Salute to the Packers that could ever occur.