Week 3 Quick Hitters
Go Pack Go! Home that is. A game where both teams played poorly, the Bears managed to get a patented “Lovie takaway” at the right time to pull out a victory. Here’s a few tidbits of the game.
* He’s baaaack. Devin Hester, you are ridiculous! One of his returns set up a FG, and another he took to the house. Packers punter Tim Masthay bombed a huge kick out of his own endzone, only to out-kick his coverage team. Oh, and putting it in the center of the field for Devin to navigate wasn’t the best of ideas either.
* And again, how do you stop Julius Peppers? You hold him. At least 4 of them got called this time. Could have easily been another 5-6 called. He also caused 3 false starts, and was also responsible for the brown stains in Tauscher’s and Clifton’s pants.
* The Bears might be the only team that opponents actually fear kicking FG’s against. Busting up through the middle, mean machine Peppers got his 10th career field goal block against Mason Crosby.
* Did anyone notice the 2 huge dents around midfield? Those were from AJ Hawk getting planted first by Devin Hester on a Cutler to Knox completion, and the other he was smoked by Kellen Davis on Hester’s punt return.
* I didn’t like that Cutler showed glimpses of “bad Rex” from last year. The bad throws into coverage off your back foot will almost never have a good result. Please stop doing that. Thanks.
* But I did enjoy when Cutler scrambled down the right sideline, then cut back in only to break Frank Zombo’s ankles in the process. First down!
* Tim Jennings played pretty well when his name was called. It’s nice to know that they’ll be ok if an injury happens to Bowman or Tillman.
* I actually saw DJ Moore hit someone! Mind you, it wasn’t very hard and Urlacher had to clean it up, but I’ll take it. With that being said, can we get Jennings in at nickel please?
* Lovie benched Tommie Harris for his lack of production. Ok, now let’s bench Mark Anderson for his. Hello, Corey Wootton.
* Henry Melton has had some nice plays. Problem is, Lovie has him playing DT in pass rush situations. Stop it, and get him out at DE please. Put Idonije at DT in those situations.
* J’Marcus Webb filled in for Shaffer for a few series. Man, he’s big. He looked pretty comfortable out there, but still a rookie. Glad he got his feet wet. Looks like he may be the Bears future starter at tackle.
* Very proud of the Bears fans that were in attendance on Monday Night. We were extremely loud and the Bears D fed off of it, while the Packers offensive line struggled. Nicely done!
* One last thing. To all the people that say “the better team didn’t win.” So you’re telling me the “better team” that night was the one so undisciplined that they committed 18 penalties, 2 turnovers, had no running game, and has a special teams unit that had a FG blocked and gave up a punt return? Oh, ok. Gotcha.
Week 2 Quick Hitters
Big win for the Bears over the Cowboys! Here’s some things I saw during the game.
* Hey refs..throwing the flag on the blatant facemask to Jay Cutler would have been nice. Bears would have had the ball at the 50 yd line and a 1st down. At least Anthony Spencer got fined $5000 for it.
* Well, at least the headsets worked this week. Now if the can only figure out how to adjust the “volume” so Jay can actually hear the play. Idiots.
* To the offensive line: Hey, we know you can’t block, but can you at least help Jay up when he gets killed? Thanks.
* Oh, and why is it that the refs always help Favre up, but I have yet to see them help up Jay? Must be a Grandpa thing.
* So far it seems like the special teams are the weakest phase for the Bears. A punt got returned on them, and Hester is still running backwards. Get on it, Dave Toub!
* Tim Jennings made a great heads up play. Cowboys pooch kicked in the air, and since the ball didn’t hit the ground, Jennings called for a fair catch. Genius!
* Lovie still doesn’t know when to challenge. Seeing the replay once, I knew that the Cowboys ball carrier was clearly down and the ground caused the fumble. The big ass tv above the field must not be big enough for Lovie. Well, at least he didn’t call a time out first.
* Hey Devin Hester, it’s pretty simple. When you line up, don’t cover up an eligible receiver, i.e. Greg Olsen. That was a big gain nullified. C’mon Man!
* I loved on the 3rd and short qb sneak that ol’ wiley Olin Kreutz already moved the ball across the line before the snap. Nice veteran move.
* Mike “Mad Scientist” Martz. Keep blitzing please, while he goes 4 wide and scores in 2 plays. Thanks.
* Attn Tommie Harris: Anytime you want to show up, it would be nice. That goes for Mark Anderson too.
* Matt Toeiana had another nice game. They can’t run the ball with Toe and Anthony Adams in the middle. Bears are currently #1 against the run.
* At some point the Bears have to get the running game going. Ranked 28th.
* Major Wright with another injury and on the shelf for 4-6 weeks. Not to worry, Craig Steltz is back this week….ugh.
* In the Week 1 Quick Hitters, I dogged on DJ Moore. He then goes out and has a 2 interception game. Nice job DJ, but I will NOT apologize until I actually see you hit someone.
* Speaking of hitting…Chris Harris is a beast. That is all.
* Charles Tillman is the best in the league at hitting the ball out. Period. We could use a few more on Monday Night Peanut!
BEAR DOWN.
Week 1 Quick Hitters
Here’s some news and notes from the Bears lucky last minute win over the Lions.
* Can the Bears find some headsets that work please? On the second play Cutler was already pointing to his helmet unable to hear the play. Stop shopping at Radio Shack, thanks.
*Forte had 151 receiving yards, showing that the Bears can now run a successful screen play. Welcome to the 1980’s.
*Devin Aromashodu had 3 drops. One was for a touchdown, and the other two he took a big hit on. You’re going to get hit anyway, catch the damn ball please.
*Bears went with an uneven line once. Omiyale went over to the left side next to Chris Williams as Manumaleuna lined up next to RG Lance Louis. Interesting formation, now if we only can get Omiyale to line up near the bench.
*On goal line plays, lets put Omiyale in the backfield, since that’s where he usually ends up anyways.
*Matt Forte and Chester Taylor lined up in backfield together, pick your poison opposing defenses.
*Bears need to stop fumbling. Forte fumbles at the 26 yard line, and Greg Olsen at the 8 yard line. Stop it, no, seriously, STOP it!
*Pisa Tinoisomoa had a nice quiet game. On one running play he blew up the pulling guard AND the fullback, clearing the way for Urlacher and Bowman to clean up. On another, he took out the pulling guard while still maintaining the edge, turning the ball carrier back inside where help was waiting. Keep doing the dirty work Pisa!
*After Pepper’s strip sack, the Lions figured out how to stop him…….it’s called holding. And they did it well.
*Urlacher hit everything in sight. Just do it BEFORE the whistle. Thanks.
*Briggs had some huge plays. Shooting the gap causing a fumble on the handoff and recovering at the 1 yard line was huge. Now, if the Bears could only find a way to score from there.
*Lions couldn’t run a screen. Of course, it’s hard to when Briggs rips the running back to the ground and then chases after the QB. Then as the running back attempted to get back up to keep the play alive, Tommie Harris put him back on the ground. Incomplete.
*Ok Lovie, you fooled us. You made us think that DJ Moore was a real football player. But the joke is over, get him off the field. Put Manning back at nickel please.
*Ex-running back and now 260 lb Henry Melton should be in the backfield on short yardage and goal line. Make it happen Martz!
Training Camp Preview – Defense
With the addition of Julius Peppers and with Brian Urlacher back in the line up, the Bears defense has a chance to be great average this season. Let’s take a look at each position.
DE – Welcome Julius. Teams will have to gameplan on how to stop him. Knowing that, the Bears would be smart to get him reps on both sides. Rookie Corey Wootton looks to back up Peppers on the right side. The left side will be a battle between Mark Anderson and Isreal Idonije. Will Anderson looks to be the starter, Izzy is impressing so far in camp and preseason. Henry Melton could be the odd man out here.
DT – Tommie Harris is actually healthy enough to practice, that’s a first. Let’s see if that will translate onto the field. Anthony Adams looks to start next to him, with Marcus Harrison backing them up being able to play both positions. The battle will be between Matt Toeaina and Jarron Gilbert. My guess would be to keep 4 – DE’s and 5 – DT’s with Gilbert also being able to play outside if need be.
OLB – Pisa Tinoisamoa and Nick Roack will compete for the starting job at strong side linebacker. Right now Pisa is getting the reps with the 1’s, but Roach won’t go away easy. On the weak side, Lance Briggs will remain awesome the starter, with Brian Iwuh providing depth. Tim Shaw adds depth to both postions and is a special teams stud. Hopefully, the Bears find room to keep all 5 of these guys.
MLB – Some guy named Brian Urlacher will return to his starting position in the middle. The ever reliable Hunter Hillenmeyer will back him up.
CB – Charles Tillman and Zack Bowman will remain the starters, but will switch sides. Corey Graham and Tim Jennings will back them up, with Graham penciled in at nickel back. DJ Moore and Joshua Moore will compete for the last roster spot.
S – Chris Harris is back, and will start at free safety. When healthy, Major Wright has impressed and will most likely start opposite. Danieal Manning and Craig Steltz will rotate in when needed. Josh Bullocks could be odd man out, and Quentin Scott looks like practice squad material.
Training Camp Preview – Offense
With training camp under way, there are still a few positions up for grab. Only the hot days of August will decide the fate of a few. Players in some positions seem like a lock, but lets still take a look at the depth as well.
QB – Jay Cutler – Everyone says he needs to throw less interceptions that last year. Agreed. But in won’t be by much. Mike Martz’s system is to score everytime a take chances. Either it’ll be a marriage made in heaven, or will end worse than a Tiger Wood’s divorce. There’s not much for back up behind Cutler, but history proves it most likely will not be needed. Caleb Hanie seems to be struggling a little with Martz’s system, but is still the back up favorite. Dan LeFevour fell into their laps in the 6th round, but he’s a project. The signed Mike Teel, who knows the Martz system. The Bears traditionally only carry two QB’s on their roster, one on the practice squad. But this year may be three on the roster…..should be interesting.
RB – Matt Forte – coming off a season long knee aggravation, Forte has been said to seem quicker and faster in OTA’s. So far in training camp, everyone has been impressed with his quickness. He’s back, healthy, and 100%. But I’m not too concerned with Chester Taylor backing him up. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if Taylor gets more reps than Forte and the season goes on. Either way, a great 1-2 punch. The real story comes down to the 3rd string back. Do they keep Wolfe, the special teamer, or Bell, a power runner? But there’s also a newcomer to the party, Harvey Unga, who is nursing a hamstring. The question remains whether to carry three or four RB’s.
FB – Eddie Williams was brought in from the Redskins. Will Ta’ufo’ou is challenging for the position.
WR – Hester, Knox, Bennett, Aromashodu. And I hate to say it, the 5th will be Rashied Davis or Juaquin Iglesias. Ugh, seems like Davis is the favorite so far in training camp, damn him. There really will be no position battles. I don’t believe Freddie Barnes will be able to beat any of these guys out.
TE – Brandon Manumaleuna and Greg Olsen are the only locks. The rest is up for grabs. Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis, and Richard Angulo for most likely a 3 position spot in the Martz system.
OT – Chris Williams is the only lock at starting LT. Frank Omiyale is still running with the first team at RT, but is only one false start penalty away from riding the bench. Shaffer provides a nice back up at RT if needed. James Marten impressive so far, but still an uphill battle. J’Marcus Webb still a project.
OG – It’s a 4-way battle for 2 spots. Garza, Beekman, Asiata, and Louis will battle it out in training camp. While Beekman and Garza have the experience at the position, Asiata and Lance Louis have the size to dominate the position. This is definitely the most intriguing battle to watch for.
C – Olin Kreutz will be your starter like it or not. Beekman and Garza can both fill the position if there is a need.
Welcome Home, Chris, Welcome Home!
On Tuesday, April 27th, the Bears traded LB Jamar Williams for Panthers SS Chris Harris. Harris was dealt to the Panthers less than 3 years ago, and now rejoins the Bears to finally solidify the Strong Safety position. Look out NFC North receivers, the Hitman is back. The only person in Chicago that is not thrilled with this trade, is safety Kevin Payne, who was consequently just traded to the St Louis Rams for an undisclosed draft pick.
Looking Back – 2010 Bears Draft
So Jerry Angelo said the was looking for 3 potential starters from his 5 picks. Haha, good one Jerry! Maybe starting for the Rams. I’m sorry, but when you only have five picks, you can’t draft just on value, you must fill your needs too. Let’s take a look at the Bears picks and see where it all went wrong.
3rd rd (75) = Major Wright FS 6’0″ 206 Florida
Wright was the best FS available at pick 75. Why? Because Angelo got bitch-slapped by Packers Ted Thompson. The Packers traded their 3rd (86) and 4th (122) rounds picks to move up to pick 71 to grab FS Morgan Burnett of Georgia Tech, just ahead of the Bears. Maybe the Bears would have taken Wright either way, but we’ll never know. While both are quality picks, it will be interesting to see which FS pans out.
Grade: A-
4th rd (109) = Corey Wootton DE 6’6″ 270 Northwestern
This was strictly a value pick and a risk the Bears could not afford to take with only having 5 picks. Not only is he coming off a knee surgury, but he can’t even jump out of a pool. And didn’t the Bears just spend 80 million on another DE? So now Wootton will join Peppers, Idonije, Anderson, Gilbert, and Melton at defensive end. The Bears should have taken CB Akwasi Owasu-Ansuh (6’0″ 207, Indiana PA) here.
Grade: C+
5th rd (141) = Josh Moore CB 5’11” 188 Kansas State
Where do I start with this pick? First, he only benched 225 twice at the combine. He only runs a 4.50 40. Oh, and his last name is Moore! This is by far, Jerry’s worst pick in this draft. If he would have taken Owasu-Ansuh in the 4th, he could have had his choice of the following players here: OG Marshall Newhouse (6’3″ 326, TCU), OG Mitch Petrus (6’3″ 310, Arkansas), WR Carlton Mitchell (6’4″ 212, USF), WR Riley Cooper (6’4″ 222, Florida), and FS Robert Johnson (6’2″ 203, Utah).
Grade: F
6th rd (181) = Dan LeFevour QB 6’3″ 230 Central Michigan
Very intriguing pick here. Grabbing LeFevour in the 6th round is a steal. He will finally provide the Bears with a quality back up (sorry Hanie) for years to come. But because Jerry Angelo screwed up the 2 picks prior to this one, I’m not sure if this was the right move at the time. Only time will tell. Other players available at this time include: WR David Gettis (6’3″ 217, Baylor), WR Dezmon Briscoe (6’2 207, Kansas), OG Selvish Capers (6’4″ 308, W.Virginia), OT Kyle Calloway (6’6″ 323, Iowa), and OT Ramon Harewood (6’7″ 360, Morehouse).
Grade: B-
7th rd = J’Marcus Webb OT 6’8″ 328 West Texas A&M
The Bears targeted Webb as a potential free agent, but they were scared he’d be taken later in the 7th round and never make free agency. Ah, a Mike Tice project. I’m ok with this pick, has potential to be a diamond on the rough. Only other player I might have gone with here is OG Brandon Carter (6’6″ 329, Texas Tech), who ironically is a free agent now. Go get him now Jerry!
Grade: C+
Overall draft grade = C
Bears Mock Draft
Well, it’s that time of year again. Time for Jerry Angelo to prove that he has no idea what he’s doing. But, luckily for him, I’m here to help this year. I even threw in a couple Dan Bazuin Jerry picks to make it look like his own doing. As it stands now, the Bears only have 5 picks, rounds 3-7, with 1 pick in each round. That being said, I have this feeling that Mr. Angelo is going to make some kind of trade to gain an extra pick in either the 2nd or 3rd round. Because of this unknown, I’ve decided to make not 1, but 2 mock drafts. Don’t worry Jerry, I will only charge you for one. The first mock draft is if the Bears pick up a 2nd round pick, and the second mock draft is guessing they’ll pick up another 3rd round pick.
If the Bears pick up a 2nd round pick:
2nd rd – Nate Allen – FS – South Florida, 6’1″ 207
3rd rd – Akwasi Owasu-Ansuh – CB – Ind (PA), 6’0 207
4th rd – Brandon Carter – OG – Texas Tech, 6’6″ 326
5th rd – Marcus Easley – WR – UConn, 6’3″ 214
6th rd – George Johnson – DE – Rutgers, 6’5″ 268
7th rd – Nate Collins – DT – Virginia, 6’2″ 290
If the Bears pick up another 3rd round pick:
3rd rd – Akwasi Owasu-Ansuh – CB – Ind (PA), 6’0 207
3rd rd – Carlton Mitchell – WR – South Florida – 6’4″ 212
4th rd – John Jerry – OG – Ole Miss – 6’6″ 312
5th rd – Daniel Te’o-Nesheim – DE – Washington, 6’4″ 263
6th rd – Robert Johnson – FS – Utah, 6’2″ 203
7th rd – Levi Horn – OT – Montana, 6’7″ 327
Well, there you have it. I’m hoping to get at least a few right, but with my luck and Jerry’s IQ, he’ll just draft 5 more TE’s.
2010 Bears Draft Preview – Cornerbacks
The Bears are quietly coveting some Cornerbacks before next weeks draft. Some project as more of a Free Safety in the NFL, which would be nice, but some quality depth at corners would be a smart pick too. Currently, Zachary Bowman looks to start opposite Charles Tillman, with Corey Graham backing them up. Newly acquired Tim Jennings best fit seems to be at nickel back. Unproven DJ Moore will likely struggle to see the field again this year. Here are a few possibilities to add depth and also some Safety prospects:
Jerome Murphy 6’0″ 196 South Florida (projected 3rd rd)
Despite his lanky frame, Murphy is one of the biggest hitters in this years cornerback draft class. Willing and physical tackler on the outside. Uses a good burst and his 4.50 speed to track the ball in the air. Can play press coverage, but seems more comfortable in a zone defense. While sometimes a step slow getting to a receiver in his zone, he will lay that receiver out. Extremely tough, and uses his long arms to break up passes. Would be a good value pick if he falls to the 3rd round.
Akwasi Owusu-Ansah 6’0″ 207 Indiana (PA) (proj. 3rd rd)
Plays with aggression at the line, while showing good flexibility and footwork in his backpedal. Could flourish in a zone system at the Free Safety position. Oh, and he’s fast…real fast. Ran a 4.32 40-time. Also has excellent hands, and is strong enough to snatch the ball out of the grasp of receivers. You might want to start practicing pronouncing his name, because, well, he is also a great kick returner. Some scouts have him being taken in the 2nd round, but a shoulder injury might drop him into the 3rd and even early 4th. (pictured)
Amari Spievey 5’11” 195 Iowa (projected 4th round)
Very experienced zone corner. Has great awareness of receivers and the ability to close in either direction. Has great hands, and can adjust to the ball to make a play. A good tackler, registering 124 tackles his last two seasons at Iowa, showing a willingness to support the run. With his 4.52 speed, sometimes gets caught behind a receiver. Will need to use his instincts and not get fooled with double moves.
Myron Lewis 6’2″ 203 Vanderbilt (projected 5th rd)
With his size and good read and react skills, has the ability to play Safety at the next level. Recognizes and diagnoses routes, then puts himself in great position to make a play on the ball. Can read the action in the backfield in order to jump routes. Plays the run well, is a secure open-field tackler, and is willing to lay the wood when called upon. Uses his 4.42 speed and agility to play multiple positions in the defensive backfield. Since it seems that Jerry Angelo’s main goal is to fill the entire roster with Vanderbilt Commodores, don’t be surprised if he jumps on Lewis in the 4th round.