Goosebumps, baby. Goosebumps.
We'll leave this post up going forward and let the conversation take place below. I'll update this with my thoughts - based mainly on the opinions of others and various streams I'll be looking at. If you're going to the game tonight - AND STAYING FOR ALL FOUR QUARTERS - feel free to email me a nice column about the experience and what you saw (jeff@dabearsblog.com). I'll throw it on the main page sometime tomorrow.
Final thoughts on Favre going to the New York Jets:
1. Even if it doesn't make the Jets considerably better, it makes them considerably more exciting.
2. On a negative note, the Jets are now THE STORY in the National Football League this year. They'll lead the highlight packages and newspaper headlines. They've stolen the thunder from the Super Bowl champions that share their house. I just don't think the Jets are good enough to handle that pressure.
3. Roger Goodell is spending today at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Why? He's praying for a Jets-Packers Super Bowl.
4. Hate him as much you want (and I certainly do), Brett Favre not being on the Minnesota Vikings or Green Bay Packers is a victory for the Chicago Bears.
#2 Max said . . .In regards to Farve... my dream was for him to stay in GB and be forced to start the season as backup to Aaron Rodgers. Then, everytime AR threw an INT or was sacked for a loss, or had an incompletion the crowd would boo and TV camara men would show Brett's face on the bench. Soon the locker room would become divided, with the vet's saying they wanted Brett. Finally, the he would come during one of the two bears-packers games and suck terrible. The pick would finish dead last in the NFC north.
This could still happen, minus farve on the bench. Since he's in the AFC now, i hope he kicks ass with the jets and Rodgers bombs with the Packers... that would equal maximum heat on Green Bay. Plus i hate the Pats, so hopefully that division wont be such a push over for Brady and Co. I hope the jets are just good enough with Farve that they miss the playoffs by one game so the fucking packers get a 3rd round for their HOF QB.
Also. Go Bears.
August 7, 2008
#3 jeff said . . .Heres what i wanna see tonight:
1) I wanna see Forte showing something. Making some moves, gain yards, run with authority and most importantly dont FALL DOWN AFTER FIRST CONTACT!
2) I'd like to see the receivers make some catchs. They dont have to be spectacular, but some solid route running with no confusion (mainly focusin on the first team and the Skunk) and no drops.
3) i want whoever the QB is to hit his targets, I wanna see some FIRST DOWNS consistently.
4) Id like to see the right side of the O-Line with Tait on that side operate effectively in both pass and run blocking (also because i have no expectations for the left side.)
5) i wanna see Trumaine McBride make a pick in the second or third quarter and take it to the house. . . just because.
Unfortunetly, McBride's "pick 6" is almost as believable as the rest of the things i listed. . . scary
August 7, 2008
#4 Max said . . .max, i'm looking for forte hitting 4 yards per carry...no picks from the QBs
August 7, 2008
#5 Max said . . .Good call Jeff, I wanna see good decision making period. Even if they dont through a pick, I dont wanna close my eyes and pray that the pass our QB just threw isnt intercepted. I hate that feeling
August 7, 2008
#6 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .through???? i meant throw
August 7, 2008
#7 Jimbo said . . .The Bear contacted "Fred Miller about coming back.
not addressing the oline this off season isn't bodeing well if fred the 1st person you have to call.
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/huddleup/2008/08/fred-miller-bac.html
WTF!! JAAugust 7, 2008
#8 jeff said . . .Slightly off topic: Apperently Fred Miller and the Bears are talking about a new contract. We would then slide Tait to left tackle. If we sign Miller this means two things to me:
(1) Williams has even less of a chance of starting this year.
(2) we will lead the NFC in false startsThat being said, I suppose at this point we just need warm bodies. Jerry really dropped the ball on this O-Line thing.
August 7, 2008
#9 animal said . . .JAMAR to definitely start for Hunter.
August 7, 2008
#10 jeff updates said . . .He is really gone... now who will throw us all those interceptions? Come on, Aaron, we are counting on you.
August 8, 2008
#11 jeff updates said . . .http://player.play.it/player/player.html?id=93&onestat=wbbm-am
link working.
joniak, baby. i'm very happy.
August 8, 2008
#12 craig said . . .enough with the defense already. all that can happen is mike brown getting hurt.
August 8, 2008
#13 Jimbo said . . .Defense must have gotten complacent playing against our offense in camp...
August 8, 2008
#14 Viva said . . .UPDATE. According to WBBM bears 1st pick Williams has undergone surgery to repair a hernated disk in his back. He will miss considerable time, probably not the whole season.
FUCK, not exactly what we were hoping for with that 1st round pick.
August 8, 2008
#15 jeff said . . .Joniak reports: Chris Williams is going to have surgery on his back (Herniated Disk). He said that the injury is being reported as something that took place at camp, and that he will not be out the entire year.
August 8, 2008
#16 Viva said . . .the defense rotated a lot of guys off the field.
chris williams is out indefinitely. possibly for the year but we're definitely not going to see him during the first half the season.
from the trib (seconded by joniak):
Rookie left tackle Chris Williams had surgery for a herniated disk in his lower back and will be sidelined indefinitely. Williams injured his back on the second day of camp and will be kept on the 53-man roster but it is unknown when he will returnAugust 8, 2008
#17 jeff said . . .Joniak reports: Chris Williams is going to have surgery on his back (Herniated Disk). He said that the injury is being reported as something that took place at camp, and that he will not be out the entire year.
August 8, 2008
#18 Max said . . .ooooooh, i like this forte character,
August 8, 2008
#19 jeff said . . .Forte looks good. Rashied did all right. D has looked bad til Wale sack
August 8, 2008
#20 Max said . . .again, not watching. but jersey city mac has been on every damn tackle thus far.
August 8, 2008
#21 Max said . . .Damn it. . . although KO didnt get hit that last series so thats good. . . knock on wood
August 8, 2008
#22 jeff said . . .Forte . . . one man offense
August 8, 2008
#23 Prefontaine said . . .max, almost wrote the same thing. who is this kid?
August 8, 2008
#24 jeff said . . .The game manager at his finest. Doing just enough to keep the job. Can Forte play QB??
August 8, 2008
#25 Max said . . .ok, thats enough forte for te-day. let him rest now.
August 8, 2008
#26 craig said . . .And yeah Jeff, hes doing well covering the run. The long pass inside the 5 he was over top for and got there late but it was a good pass and he hit the receiver. Not sure if that was Peanuts fault or not
And there is Bradley in the game. . . . and there is KO throwing out of his reach.
August 8, 2008
#27 Prefontaine said . . .So proud to see Chilltown McGowan stepping up. Forte impressive. Orton, not so much.
August 8, 2008
#28 Max said . . .This guy has never been impressive. Where is Rex. I'm ready for the REXperiment to begin!!! Give him the ones!!
August 8, 2008
#29 Max said . . .Croyles out. he looked good against us. Mike Brown just ran down the third down back for the cheifs. . . good to see him back
August 8, 2008
#30 Max said . . .I say give forte one more possession to see him go. Thats just me though.
Hester with the 16 yard grab. Nice toss nice catch
August 8, 2008
#31 Max said . . .Forte has 6 rushes for 22 yards. . . not 4 yards yet jeff, but close.
Mark Bradley sighting.
Lets see Forte get the yard here on third and 1
August 8, 2008
#32 craig said . . .Nice . . .
And the first holding penalty on Olsen . . . one of a couple im sure
August 8, 2008
#33 Max said . . .Captain Neckbeard hitting a rythym?
August 8, 2008
#34 jeff said . . .Well . . . lets hear it Rex supporters. . . KO can fumble by himself too
August 8, 2008
#35 Prefontaine said . . .bleh.
just bleh.
how many roads must a fan walk down? before you can get him a quarterback?
August 8, 2008
#36 Prefontaine said . . .This is your chance to take control of this QB derby Rex!!
I call 3 and out for the D, and Rex leads a scoring drive for 7. Or he'll fumble a snap, but I am trying to stay positive with Rex this year.
THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING!!!
August 8, 2008
#37 Prefontaine said . . .This is your chance to take control of this QB derby Rex!!
3 and out for the D, and Rex leads a scoring drive for 7. Or he'll fumble a snap, but I am trying to stay positive with Rex this year.
THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING!!!
August 8, 2008
#38 Max said . . .This is your chance to take control of this QB derby Rex!!
3 and out for the D, and Rex leads a scoring drive for 7. Or he'll fumble a snap, but I am trying to stay positive with Rex this year.
THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING!!!
August 8, 2008
#39 Max said . . .To bad, i thought KO had a decent start up until kneeing the ball out of his own hand.
Good as Gould
August 8, 2008
#40 Max said . . .Anderson just whiffed on a sack. . . right after Adams had a sweet sack on Huard. . . . But anderson just missed. wow
August 8, 2008
#41 Max said . . .Anderson just whiffed on a sack. . . right after Adams had a sweet sack on Huard. . . . But anderson just missed. wow
August 8, 2008
#42 Max said . . .Anderson just whiffed on a sack. . . right after Adams had a sweet sack on Huard. . . . But anderson just missed. wow
AP with good run Rex with a nice toss to Lloyd 2 minute warning.
August 8, 2008
#43 Max said . . .whoops, the dreaded triple post
August 8, 2008
#44 Max said . . .there was some ok stuff in the first half, but the glaring problem is the fact that we have 3 points. . . . that sucks, seriously
August 8, 2008
#45 jeff said . . .YES! Mike Brown gets my nomination for best hair on the Bears. They just showed him on the sidelines and it was great
August 8, 2008
#46 Max said . . .i don't worry about stuff like that, max. there's no game-planning involved here.
August 8, 2008
#47 Max said . . .McBride and Payne just got burned for about 20 yards inside the 10 with 20 seconds left. McGown and the other DB got burned the play before
August 8, 2008
#48 craig said . . .Graham was the other DB. And touchdown KC. McBride doesnt wrap up. Damn
August 8, 2008
#49 Max said . . .McBride looks outmatched on this drive.
August 8, 2008
#50 craig said . . .I know Jeff, but they are still tryin to score when on offense, id just be nice to have something more than 3 freaking points
August 8, 2008
#51 Max said . . .Good half for the O-line.
August 8, 2008
#52 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .TV announcers suck . . . so dumb. Eric Kramer is one of them, they are both useless. What we knoabout the first half:
Forte can play.
Receivers dont seem to be doing to bad
We still dont know alot about our QBs. Neither blew me outa the water, but i dont think either played bad so far
First team D started bad. . . like bad 16 plays like 81 yards 9 minute drive for a TD . . . against the Chiefs??? Come on. They played better after that
August 8, 2008
#53 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .So with Williams out an this problem was from college doesn't somebody on the medical staff has some explaining to do?
August 8, 2008
#54 craig said . . .Well Williams season done,Who's availble?
besides f miller?August 8, 2008
#55 Max said . . .You know, it's funny. I actually feel like the D started like this all the time last season. Weak opening drive, after which they were able to figure it out and clamp down. Am I wrong? I'm gonna try to dig up some stats on that.
August 8, 2008
#56 Max said . . .Croyle was 5-5 on third down conversions that first drive including a third and 15. We need to be better than that
August 8, 2008
#57 craig said . . .According to Kramer, Garrett Wolfe is competing with himself for the job of third down back . . . how do you compete with yourself. If there isnt anyone else there for the job, then your not in a competition. Your just tryin to improve.
3 and out. Booker dropped pass, Wolfe runs about 15 yards but its all behind the line of scrimmage so it gains 0 yards and then bad pass Rex to Wolfe as Rex was flushed from the pocket
August 8, 2008
#58 jeff said . . .They're interviewing Orton. He looks like a woodland creature.
August 8, 2008
#59 craig said . . .so now the reports are that the bears plan to keep chris williams on the active roster at the start of the season. thatd be surprising.
August 8, 2008
#60 jeff said . . .Liking Garrett Wolfe. He's scootery.
August 8, 2008
#61 Max said . . .be interesting to see where the QB shit goes from here.
August 8, 2008
#62 Max said . . .Rod Wilson picks a wounded duck. . . it mighta been tipped at the line, but i cant be to sure.
Rex to Wolfe, about a 5 yard pass, and wolfe runs another 20 yards for the TD
And who is Nick Roach. He tipped the next pass and is said to have passed up Wilson to be Urlachers back up . . . i dont even know who Roach is.
Caleb Canie is in now.
August 8, 2008
#63 RandomName said . . .*Hanie
And Hass with a great catch. . . too bad he still isnt making the team
Wolfe has shown alot of promise. . . i mean it is againt third stringers, but hes still showing alot of flash 44 yard run, 25 yard run and catch for td, nother good first down run on third and short. I like it.
So Rex and KO are exactly who we thought they were. KO was efficient, Rex fell down once taking a snap, but also threw a TD. I dont think i know more about either guy that i didnt know before.
August 8, 2008
#64 RandomName said . . .Haney! Haney!
August 8, 2008
#65 Max said . . .Pope is good Wolfe is great. I'm liking what I'm seeing
August 8, 2008
#66 craig said . . .Hanie to Davis for 25 yards. Nice pass nice catch nice protection.
Next pass to BRANDON RIDEAU who is still on the team for a 15 yard TD. Hanie looked good those last 2 plays. Squeezed it inbetween 2 defenders. Wow
August 8, 2008
#67 RandomName said . . .Agree with Max re: KO and Grossman. They are who we thought they were.
Nice play by these lower string receivers so far...
August 8, 2008
#68 craig said . . .oh yeah Forte is a great find it seems. 87 made a nice catch
August 8, 2008
#69 Max said . . .Max, re: hair... have you seen #45 Leonard Peters? Think Polamalu.
August 8, 2008
#70 Max said . . .Players that ive noticed for good play:
Forte
Kellen Davis
Wolfe
McGowan/(and Payne a little too) in stopping the runBad play:
McBride. . . just some bad coverage and a dumb penalty
August 8, 2008
#71 shady said . . .Re: Hair
Yeah, Peters flashed past the camera once. Its good but Browns hair is all afro puff and spikey. Peters gets second. Steltz gets third in terms of hair until i see Grice Mullens out there
August 8, 2008
#72 craig said . . .has anyone noticed there isn't much of a difference between the 1st team offense and the 3rd?
August 8, 2008
#73 craig said . . .Did a Bears QB just scramble for a first down on third and long?
August 8, 2008
#74 Shady said . . .Like the strong finish on that run by Polite. By the way, I think Beekman's played the whole game at LG... is that right? He was in there on that drive.
August 8, 2008
#75 said . . .A run on 3rd and 8? Classic Ron Turner right there.
Maybe the Bears don't want this to be a 3-way QB competition because you could say the best QB play tonight came from Caleb Hanie.
August 8, 2008
#76 Shady said . . .A run on 3rd and 8? Classic Ron Turner right there.
Maybe the Bears don't want this to be a 3-way QB competition because you could say the best QB tonight was Caleb Hanie.
August 8, 2008
#77 RandomName said . . .The screen play?
Bears can't run it, and the Bears can't stop it.
August 8, 2008
#78 Shady said . . .OK We lost, it's preseason though. 12 men in the huddle wtf? HAnie is great. wo rookie receiver drops could've been big for us. Hanie > Grossman>Ortan
August 8, 2008
#79 Windy City Packer Fan said . . .So many dropped balls, first Monk then Bennett, yikes!
Good thing these games don't count for shit.
August 8, 2008
#80 RandomName said . . .Forte looks REAL good for you guys. Who is this Hanie guy? He can move and puts some zip on the ball...any way he enters the QB competition? (I'll watch yours, because they cancelled ours)
August 8, 2008
#81 jeff said . . .OK We lost, it's preseason though. 12 men in the huddle wtf? HAnie is great. two rookie receiver drops could've been big for us. Hanie > Grossman>Ortan
August 8, 2008
#82 Shady said . . .i'm watching favre on the sideline of the jets game, windy. damn it's weird. but i'm not going to lie...it's like looking at a different man. i'm not angry at the sight. he doesn't upset me. he's just a quarterback for another team. it's bizarre.
August 8, 2008
#83 Windy City Packer Fan said . . .Yeah and if the Bears had the balls he'd be on our sideline.
August 8, 2008
#84 Me said . . .Yeah Jeff, it is weird; and I agree, he doesn't look the same.
Anyways, no more Favre talk from me, he's not on our roster any longer. I'm not real happy with what he put our team through the last few weeks anyway.
Is there any chance that Caleb Hanie gets a chance to run with the first teamers this preseason?
Bummer about Chris Williams...Lovie says he knows he will be back...but didn't say how long.
August 8, 2008
#85 craig said . . .I like Caleb Hanie and I'm glad other people got to see his skills tonight. But the voice of reason reminds you: 3rd string defense, rookie learning curve. Keep him around and let him mature. This year is about figuring out if Rex can take the next step or not.
August 8, 2008
#86 jeff said . . .Nice showing by Hanie after starting a little too jumpy.
Only thing Monk and Bennett did all game was drop key passes. Too bad, especially for Monk. He's already a longshot.
O-line actually did fairly well all game.
PJ Pope played hard down the stretch.
August 8, 2008
#87 craig said . . .mel kiper liked hanie a lot....hanie will be the third guy.
August 8, 2008
#88 shonbear said . . .Nice showing by Hanie after starting a little too jumpy. Will be interesting to see how he progresses over the next year or so... Hopefully, though, his strong showing cools down all the ridiculous Noodle Arm Pennington talk.
Only thing Monk and Bennett did all game was drop key passes. Too bad, especially for Monk. He's already a longshot. Bennett's not going anywhere but I would've liked to see him do something.
O-line actually did fairly well all game. Looks like they're giving Beekman a long look at LG.
PJ Pope played hard down the stretch, as did Polite. Good stuff.
Final thought... dare I start thinking about a Chilltown McGowan jersey? Nothing like a hometown guy to root for. Last time a Jersey City kid was playing in the NFL was... who... Bernie "Fumbles" Parmalee?
August 8, 2008
#89 Shady said . . .Thoughts:
First looking at Larry (the tool) Mayer's input. Here's a quote:
"On the first play of the Bears’ second possession of the second half, Garrett Wolfe squirted through the line and dashed down the sideline for a 42-yard gain to the Bears’ 48.
But Grossman was sacked when he fell to the seat of his pants after getting his feet tangled with an offensive lineman. He then failed to connect with Marty Booker on third down and was shown by television cameras shouting as he came off the field."
Now his quote about Orton:
"Once he finally stepped onto the field, Orton was solid but not spectacular. On three possessions, he completed 7 of 10 passes for 56 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and an 83.8 passer rating. Orton looked sharp in connecting on passes of 11 yards to Rashied Davis along the sideline and 16 yards to Devin Hester and 12 yards to Desmond Clark over the middle.
Orton’s biggest miscue came when the ball squirted out of his hands while he was scrambling to his left looking for a receiver on third-and-10 from the Kansas City 15. After the quarterback recovered his own fumble for a 9-yard loss, Robbie Gould’s 42-yard field goal drew the Bears to within 7-3 with 6:51 remaining in the second quarter."
Is it just me or is there clearly a difference in the tone of the reporting of the two QB's. It seems like they are trying to make a big deal out of Rex's flaws and just brush over Kyle's flaws when neither really impressed, but there is just not enough time to get into a game flow and make adjustments to what teh Defense is allowing in one or two drives.
Some assessments:
-Disappointed in the defense on that first drive.
-Satisfied with Forte's play, we'll see how things go with him playing longer and getting into a game flow. Hope he doesn't get overconfident with a lame KC Defense.
-GW awesome, use him more, he's a playmaker, AP, playmaker, interested to see what happens when KJ starts getting some reps. Were looking decent on the running game.
-Liked the balance of yardage stats for run vs pass.
-hated the amount of passing yards we allowed. We don't look as deep as we think we are if we are allowing that many passing yards.
-PENALTIES!!! NO GOOD!!
-Ron Turner, first play was to run off the bus to catch a 4 yard pass. Whatever!
This QB derby may be just keeping both QB's lame and not improving. We'll see what happens in next game. They should start Rex next time.
-Hope to still see some breakaway.
The defense needs to step up, our lame offense may be making our defense not as good.
Chris Williams, are you kidding me???
August 8, 2008
#90 JWilson said . . .Yeah, LOTS of penalties on special teams tonight, but I'm sure Taub will get that straightened out.
The 1st defensive stand of the game? Not good. They couldn't get off the field on 3rd down! Sometimes this cover 2 looks so soft making it seem like any decent QB/WR combo could pick it apart with the underneath stuff. That kind of shit reminds me of how they lost the Super Bowl, I hope Babich realizes it and sends the blitz more often this year to throw off the opposing teams rhythm.
Wolfe looked quick and elusive in space, and I can only pray Turner figures out a way to utilize his skills effectively and consistently. Forte looked like a motivated RB in this game, but we also saw that from Cedric too. Remember he looked great in camp and preseason, but could do shit in the regular season. Let's hope that doesn't happen to Forte. Kevin Jones should also be a nice addition.
I never want to see Bennett returning kicks/punts again. He can't, don't make him. He catches passes not kicks dammit!
August 8, 2008
#91 johnny el paso said . . .The best QB play tonight came from Caleb Hanie for sure. Once he got warm, he looked far more decisive than Grossman or Orton. That long scramble was awesome. Nice to see a Chicago QB run forward not backward. He didn't trip on his own guy, and he didn't fumble. He should get more snaps to see what he can do. Forte looked good. Liked to have seen him more. Wolfe looked good too. We might not need Kevin Jones. Bennet and Monk need to hold on to the ball! For the 1st pre-season game the team looked all and all pretty good.
Give Hanie more snaps!
August 8, 2008
#92 shonbear said . . .the 1st team defense is not so impressing in the 1st series....
August 8, 2008
#93 jeff said . . .Also, one thing I really wanted to see was a smooth well oiled machine offensive drive from the ones. Watching the sucky Chiefs drive down the filed in 8 minutes getting first downs and finally capping it off with a rushing TD and Fucking Brodie Croyle behind the helm. Then seing Drew Brees in the NO/ARZ game do the same thing. This is what I've been longing for from the Chicago Bears. Have a fucking sustained drive that's ended with a Touch Down dammit. Why can't they watch the teams that are able to accomplish this sort of thing and make it happen. What the hell is it. O-line, Recievers, QB decisions Offensive play calling (my fav).
I want to re-iterate that the team that comes off the bus running had a 4 yard pass for their first play from scrimage. What's the first play going to be on Regular season opening day huh?
Argh!!
Also again, WE ALLOWED 254 YARDS PASSING FOR THEIR 3 QB'S..7-10 YARD AVERAGE PER ATTEMPT TO OUR 187 YARDS 6 YARD AVERAGE PER ATTEMPT.
What does it say when the three KC QB's that have never been considered (or even known for that matter) guys who are better than our two guys that have started 1 or more seasons.
Something drastic needs to happen. Alright I will end on a good note for what it's worth because the preseason means nothing, here's why.
Of the 12 teams that have played so far (four that went to the playoffs last season, two of the four went to the superbowl) only the Redskins won. Rock on Colt Brennan!
August 8, 2008
#94 shonbear said . . .shonbear...everything in that game was meaningless except how the quarterbacks performed. it's the preseason.
August 8, 2008
#95 Anytime said . . .I know, it's just that when I watched their first drive and the New Orleans first drive vs our first I felt like things seem smoother for those teams. I want to see at a minimum a snap shot of that kind of smoothness when we watch our team.
August 8, 2008
#96 mikebdot said . . .Well I would have loved to have been able to see all four quarters I experienced some of the most horrific traffic I have ever seen to get to the game. I work twenty miles from downtown, left to got there at 5:00, and did not get into the stadium until halftime. Very upsetting.
I have not read the other posts yet but I wil give a brief summary of my thoughts, even though I have quite a few flowing right now.
Brodie Croyle bent over the first team defense. BRODIE CROYLE!! Wasn't this kid supposed to SUCK! (based on Hard Knocks last season he does have a red hot sokin wife though)
Rex looked alright but far from spectacular. Wolfe was impressive but what is that really saying vs. the defense that was in the game, I don't know.
Caleb looked to me like he can turn into a legitimate NFL qb. Very raw but hes got talent. He still has the mentality to tuck and run if he does not see anything develop, but it seems he does it a little too soon without giving the recievers a chance.
Hass once again displayed is touchably soft hands, I still think he should make the 53 man roster. Put him on special teams if you have. I am sure he can tackle......
Overall this team has given me a lot to be pescemistic about (pessimistic pesmistik??) especially the fact that our O line continues to fall about at an exponential rate with the development of Chris Williams back injury. ( Probably end up cutting him and he will be great somewhere else. Colombo anyone) The fact that they are contacting Fred Miller is the ultimate sign of how terrible our line is.
Ron Turner is a Jackass.
Lovie is an indecisive coward.
J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!August 8, 2008
#97 Pissed Off said . . .Shady: Supposedly there is an unwritten rule that you don't blitz as frequently in the preaseason since everything is very vanilla and you don't want people getting hurt. Just a comment about those third downs...
I didn't get to see the game though, so I have no idea what happened.
It really sucks about Chris Williams. The line looked good though? That's mildly encouraging...
Just glad there is actually some new info to discuss even if I can't contribute...
August 8, 2008
#98 Pissed Off said . . .Oh my god, in an article in the trib it says the bears want to re-sign Fred Miller. WTF? But then Tait would move back to LT for the time being and I'm OK with St. Clair at RT as long as Miller stays on the bench.
Is anyone else sick of the constant "we're a running team" being shoved down our throat. Are we going to run on 3rd and 8?
August 8, 2008
#99 beardown82 said . . .And why the fuck didnt we get this Williams shit figured out earlier, he could have had this fucking surgery two weeks ago. My guess is he'll recover super slowly and we might have him back by week 10ish and he wont be 100% but they'll use him anyway so he's not a waste, and I'd be OK with that. We're going to re-sign Fred "Saloon Door" Miller but I want him on the bench as an emergency guy, I'll take St Clair at RT and Tait at LT for the time being. We should sign a stud LG, maybe Beekman or Reed is that guy, I'd rather us get Ruben Brown back or Bentley....someone great so he takes pressure off of the LT.
August 8, 2008
#100 Pissed Off said . . .I don't know if I can take another year of Fred Miller. It seems pretty obvious now that our offensive line will probably be just as bad as it was last season. I can't think of any reasons for us to assume otherwise.
This will put even more pressure on the Bears defense. Let's see if the can hack it and stay healthy this season.
Game thoughts: I'm not freaking out about the defense giving up a TD drive on the first drive of the preseason. If teams have to use 16-18 play drives to score TDs on us...I'm happy with that...as compared to the big plays we gave up all of last season.
Forte looks like he can be a very solid running back. Hit some holes nicely and has a smooth running style. Also looks like he can be a dual threat out of the backfield in the passing game which we will need. I just hope he turns out to be a good blocker, because he will need to be with this offensive line.
Kyle and Rex...nothing too impressive really from either of them. Keep the competition going.
August 8, 2008
#101 Al In WI said . . .Is everyone hungover today, no one has posted for over three hours and its the morning after gameday?
August 8, 2008
#102 KentuckyBearsFan said . . .Ugh..... Fred Miller. I can't handle that, especially if Orton is the qb or something. That's just too much bad.
August 8, 2008
#103 Al In WI said . . .Damn, the Bears should have taken Otah.
"Injury took place in camp." Uh, sure it did Chris.
August 8, 2008
#104 jdawg said . . .What really bothers me is the reaction of a large group of fans at last nights game to the qb situation. What the hell? Orton is all by himself and drops the ball killing a decent drive, and there is quiet. Rex gets stepped on by our 3rd string center and a thunder of boos rain down. Whatever.
As for the qb battle itself niether got enough of a chance in my opinion to really do much. Orton had one good throw to Hester, the rest of his passes were dump offs to the running backs. Otherwise he looked like Orton; just average.
Rex had a beauty to Lloyd to start things off, and did get the TD. He also had a drop, a throw away and a batted pass. Meaning his accuracy was right on.
I don't know if it was play calling or just two guys being extra careful but there weren't a lot of looks at big plays last night. That concerns me.
McGowan looked great at safety with Mike Brown there to look after him. McGowan really popped out.
I don't know whether Forte is that quick and explosive or if he just looks like it compared with Benson. He looked the part though.August 8, 2008
#105 jdawg said . . .please keep in mind that we are only going to see vanilla D and O in the preseason. I don't think Tommy even played a down.
That being said, this Williams injury is a genuine monkey wrench and could cost us the first half of the season. Its going to be hard for all the newcomers on offense to gel with a patchwork O-line. Looks like we're going to be seeing a lot of roll-outs to the right and runs to the right.
August 8, 2008
#106 Jimbo said . . .please keep in mind that we are only going to see vanilla D and O in the preseason. I don't think Tommy even played a down.
That being said, this Williams injury is a genuine monkey wrench and could cost us the first half of the season. Its going to be hard for all the newcomers on offense to gel with a patchwork O-line. Looks like we're going to be seeing a lot of roll-outs to the right and runs to the right.
August 8, 2008
#107 Luke said . . .I was not exactly inspired by yesterday's game. I think the news about williams sort of skewed my opinion of the whole day. WTF is with our first round picks??? This guy better be a fucking stud when he finally recovers... ugh i've been banking on him making a big impact on the line for the last 3 months! that pisses me off... but it happens.
The D looked soft on the first drive, but shit, its preseason. I dont think they were going 100%. Besides Whale had a nice sack. I am not even slightly concerned about the D... its a unit full of vets who are (hopefully) finally healthy.
The offense... just didnt really look that special to me. Orton is boring as sin. Hats off for completing check down passes to Forte, but comon, how many first downs did he get? And that dropped ball didnt scream "game manager." Sorry, but if he was gonna win the starting job he needed to light it up with the #1 offense. The line was actually somewhat decent, he had time. We get one fucking field goal against a shit team and only because there was a penalty on the S.T. to get us inside the 35!
Rex had a couple nice throws (the one to Loydd was nice). Its really hard to evaluate much since he was running against the Cheifs even shittier #2 defense. I guess he at least had a scoring drive...
Forte, Wolfe, and AP looked solid. A healthy Jones will add some depth there, so i am 100% less depressed about our running game at this point then i was when camp started. The O-Line, however, is another issue.
Anyway, its preseason, but i still think our play on both sides of the ball in the 1st quarter was less than awesome. That said, i think this team will be just fine by preseason game #3. Pick a fucking QB already and let him get comfortable with the offense. If you ask me, i'm still in Rex's corner.
August 8, 2008
#108 Luke said . . .Alright, first thought: Brandon McGowan was acting quite the stud to start things off. The length of the first Chiefs drive didn't bother me. If anything it just made it so I could see how McGowan fared with the ones. I REALLY want to see other linebackers compete w/ Hillenmeyer. Not that he sucked a considerable amount of ass or anything I've just been thinking that for awhile. Orton is just as mediocre as he's always been. He made easy throws to help his percentage. I was very surprised to see the o-line performing at a high level. It seemed all three QBs had ample time for decision-making. All the running backs looked good. Forte looks like a potential star. We'll see how that unfolds. AP looks like he wants to start. Wolfe looks like he wants to start. And how many awesome catches does Mike Hass have to make in the preseason to earn a spot on the roster? That catch was awesome. The Rideau catch was very good as well. Overall, I'm happy with what I've seen, minus some offensive play-calling and Orton starting. Week 2 of the preseason coming up. Let's hope it becomes Rex's team that day
August 8, 2008
#109 PolygonHell said . . .Alright, first thought: Brandon McGowan was acting quite the stud to start things off. The length of the first Chiefs drive didn't bother me. If anything it just made it so I could see how McGowan fared with the ones. I REALLY want to see other linebackers compete w/ Hillenmeyer. Not that he sucked a considerable amount of ass or anything I've just been thinking that for awhile. Orton is just as mediocre as he's always been. He made easy throws to help his percentage. I was very surprised to see the o-line performing at a high level. It seemed all three QBs had ample time for decision-making. All the running backs looked good. Forte looks like a potential star. We'll see how that unfolds. AP looks like he wants to start. Wolfe looks like he wants to start. And how many awesome catches does Mike Hass have to make in the preseason to earn a spot on the roster? That catch was awesome. The Rideau catch was very good as well. Overall, I'm happy with what I've seen, minus some offensive play-calling and Orton starting. Week 2 of the preseason coming up. Let's hope it becomes Rex's team that day
August 8, 2008
#110 Pissed Off said . . .I think the only thing you could tell about the quarterback battle is how difficult it's going to be (short of one of them imploding) to get a good read on the situation if the offense can't sustain drives.
I think it's clear that Rex was supposed to go in earlier with the ones, but becasue of the dead drives, by the time Orton had his reps we're at the end of the 2nd quarter.
Then your comparing two totally different situations, Rex always seemed to be in 3rd and long situations, not necessarilly as a result of his play.
I don't think there will be a definitive winner at the end of the next preseason game andthe coaches have to make a decision for the 3rd game IMO.
To me the offense looked a lot like last year, early runs for no gain, and dropped passes leading to third and long.
The OLine did look better in pass protection, but that might just be the lack of blitzing in preseason.
August 8, 2008
#111 Idonije said . . .Right on Kentucky, we should've gone with Otah.
Man Forte did look good and quick. I'm excited about this guy, and call me a Rex apologist but he did have the drop from booker as Al said for about a 10 yardish gain. And he did overthrow wolfe when he was rushed out of the pocket (which he went forward) but I think he mabye he should've just scrambled and skipped on the dump off pass attempt to wolfe. Bad angle on the other booker miss as well but I wonder what Rex was yelling about coming off the field. It wasnt on TV but was reported. I thought he looked good, but it was such a small sampling. I hear douches like Mark Schlereth say Orton was better that game and I just wonder why the entire media has it in for Rex, chicago papers, national guys, everyone. Its fucked up and just as Al said whats the deal with the fans, Rex got stepped on and the boos come out yet Kyle drops a ball and its not big deal. FWFs at that game.
August 8, 2008
#112 mikebdot said . . .Why didn't we know this earlier and jump at signing Olivea? We could have played him at RT, moved Tait back to LT, and keep a FB/D. Clark in to help on the many 3rds and long we will be seeing this year! Wolfe looked electric, and Forte actually looked like a big boy running back. He is shifty enough to make the 1st guy miss, and falls forward for the extra yards. I don't mean the T. Jones take the handoff and just plunge forward before contact, I mean Forte runs hard and when he is getting taken down he leans forward.
Beekman seemed to play quite a bit and I thought looked pretty good.
This may not get a favorable reception, but I could not help but think about it over and over again last night after hearing about the C. Williams surgery. Would a solid GM not have looked at taking an OT in the 1st round 2 years ago? We could have ended up with Tony Ugoh who went to the Colts. I like Olsen and think he is a bona fide playmaker and Ron Turner willing will be a huge piece to the offense, but knowing both our OT's were well past their primes, and the O-line had a lot of years in general, wouldn't most GM's look long and hard at grabbing some insurance? We had D. Clark coming off a good year, and could have grabbed another TE later in the draft? We could have started out with out OT on the bench and "grooming" him for the position, and then when Miller started sucking real bad put him in there, and who knows maybe our running game is better last year.
I know that hindsight is 20/20, but I feel like that is a move the consistently good GM's in the NFL make. And I am not bitching about Angelo, because I truly believe he has given us pretty solid team if we could just get out hands on a good QB, but damn that move would have been tons better right now.
August 8, 2008
#113 mikebdot said . . .PO'd: Not sure how you can claim that fans who go to a preseason game after a season of going 7-9 are fairweather fans. Maybe they're "idiots" for booing on something most likely not his issue, but still, that word doesn't mean what you think it means.
Idonije: That O-lineman would have gotten hurt too!
August 8, 2008
#114 mikebdot said . . .PO'd: Not sure how you can claim that fans who go to a preseason game after a season of going 7-9 are fairweather fans. Maybe they're "idiots" for booing on something most likely not his issue, but still, that word doesn't mean what you think it means.
Idonije: That O-lineman would have gotten hurt too!
August 8, 2008
#115 Luke said . . .PO'd: Not sure how you can claim that fans who go to a preseason game after a season of going 7-9 are fairweather fans. Maybe they're "idiots" for booing on something most likely not his issue, but still, that word doesn't mean what you think it means.
Idonije: That O-lineman would have gotten hurt too!
August 8, 2008
#116 Oaktown34luv said . . .Alright, first thought: Brandon McGowan was acting quite the stud to start things off. The length of the first Chiefs drive didn't bother me. If anything it just made it so I could see how McGowan fared with the ones. I REALLY want to see other linebackers compete w/ Hillenmeyer. Not that he sucked a considerable amount of ass or anything I've just been thinking that for awhile. Orton is just as mediocre as he's always been. He made easy throws to help his percentage. I was very surprised to see the o-line performing at a high level. It seemed all three QBs had ample time for decision-making. All the running backs looked good. Forte looks like a potential star. We'll see how that unfolds. AP looks like he wants to start. Wolfe looks like he wants to start. And how many awesome catches does Mike Hass have to make in the preseason to earn a spot on the roster? That catch was awesome. The Rideau catch was very good as well. Overall, I'm happy with what I've seen, minus some offensive play-calling and Orton starting. Week 2 of the preseason coming up. Let's hope it becomes Rex's team that day
August 8, 2008
#117 BearsTransplant said . . .PO'd Rex gets booed because the BT proped his inconsistant ass up as the Bears' starting quarterback and wouldn't allow competition at THE key position on our football team FOR WAY TOO LONG. The BT was trying to save face on a 1st round draft choice instead of trying to win football games. And Bears fans hate that shit!! So they boo whenever Rex faulters. How long would Ditka have put up with Rex's inconsistant play? I'll bet no where near as long as Lovie and Co. did.
August 8, 2008
#118 BearsTransplant said . . .Ok...first off, the Chief's pass-rush is a joke. One of KC's D-ends ran right around St. Clair on a play during the first series, and just stood there, like a deer in the headlights. And while almost any guard is an upgrade over geriatric-Reuben Brown, I don't give much credit to the left side for "playing well," in this game. I remember St. Clair getting beat on almost every snap for the Rams in 2002...to the point that I actually remember it. He couldn't make the team with the '04 Dolphins either. THE DOLPHINS! He really can't handle the speed-rushers at all.
Please stop clamoring for Reuben Brown. His best move last year was being fat and getting in the way. An absolute joke. The reason the left side of the line looked better last night was that any guard on the Bear's roster currently can actually get off the ball, and block a little bit downfield. And Fred Miller? He's just not very good. He had some Ok years with St. Louis, '06 was decent with the Bears ('til the Superbowl), but he's just not very good. Great point on Olivea, Mr. Idonijie, I was thinking the exact same thing. And now it's too late for any quality free-agent replacement, barring a trade (yeah, right).
The Bears seem absolutely opposed to paying market value for quality offensive lineman or QBs, thinking they can get it done through the draft. For a team that's 11 million UNDER the cap, it's inexcusable. D. Manning has no place on a football team other than as a kickoff returner, Todd "Toast," McBride needs to be cut (today). I was also sad to see Peterson (S) look so out of position. He had a rep as a thumper @ Hawaii, and I had hopes for him. You can't play Safety if you don't know where the end zone is. Kyle Orton....just never takes any chances. And if Hester is supposed to be a big offensive weapon this year, especially in the go-routes, do you honestly beleive that KO can even throw the ball that far? I don't. I like Rex, at this point.
On the positive side, other than that, I like our whole defense, including the depth. I don't even think that Urlacher is irreplaceable at this point (MLB play would drop off, but not to the point of catastrophe). I played the "Bears Pre-season drinking game," with my GF last night, and supprisingly didn't get that wasted: there were only 2 3-and-outs that I could remember. No dropped snaps by Rex (bad mechanics on one throw, and it went out of bounds...I'll take it). Very few negative-yardage plays. Not that many incompletions. We're going to love Forte/Wolfe; defenses are going to get used to tackling higher on Forte becuase of his height, and then Wolfe will squirt right by them (7" height difference). The most I had to drink for as when Mike Haas (3 drinks) caugth a pass (5 drinks). They weren't sustained drives, but they weren't garbage posessions either. I liked most of the playcalling, and when the plays were busted, the players improvised well. Kellen Davis looks like a bigger Jason Taylor, and I like what he brings to the table. That was a great one-knee'd catch he had in the 4th quarter.
I think it's going to be a good season. Clearly, Angelo and Co. took a stupid, stupid chance on an O-lineman that other scouts were clearly scared off by due to his previous back issues. Claiming that it's a "new injury," is fine and dandy, except for the fact that other teams seem to have had information that we didn't (or are Lovie/Angelo just beyond stubborn, bordering on pig-headed? hmmm....) The offense is going to be better. The blocking might not be, but the offense as a whole will be. Tait on the right side should pop bigger holes to run through, and improve the play-action. Hester will keep the 2nd safety out of the box. The only 2 things in the division I'm scared of, are the Vikings defensive line (beasts, all of them), and their Adrian Peterson. If we can keep our QBs on their feet and contain AP in the backfield against the Vikings, we'll win this division. Aaron Rodgers sucks, the Lions are the Lions....Bear down my friends, Bear down. And being that booing Rex doesn't help the team, so shut the fuck up. It's not FWF, it's morons who know nothing about football. And there are plenty of them. My 2 cents.
August 8, 2008
#119 jeremy34 said . . .Ok...first off, the Chief's pass-rush is a joke. One of KC's D-ends ran right around St. Clair on a play during the first series, and just stood there, like a deer in the headlights. And while almost any guard is an upgrade over geriatric-Reuben Brown, I don't give much credit to the left side for "playing well," in this game. I remember St. Clair getting beat on almost every snap for the Rams in 2002...to the point that I actually remember it. He couldn't make the team with the '04 Dolphins either. THE DOLPHINS! He really can't handle the speed-rushers at all.
Please stop clamoring for Reuben Brown. His best move last year was being fat and getting in the way. An absolute joke. The reason the left side of the line looked better last night was that any guard on the Bear's roster currently can actually get off the ball, and block a little bit downfield. And Fred Miller? He's just not very good. He had some Ok years with St. Louis, '06 was decent with the Bears ('til the Superbowl), but he's just not very good. Great point on Olivea, Mr. Idonijie, I was thinking the exact same thing. And now it's too late for any quality free-agent replacement, barring a trade (yeah, right).
The Bears seem absolutely opposed to paying market value for quality offensive lineman or QBs, thinking they can get it done through the draft. For a team that's 11 million UNDER the cap, it's inexcusable. D. Manning has no place on a football team other than as a kickoff returner, Todd "Toast," McBride needs to be cut (today). I was also sad to see Peterson (S) look so out of position. He had a rep as a thumper @ Hawaii, and I had hopes for him. You can't play Safety if you don't know where the end zone is. Kyle Orton....just never takes any chances. And if Hester is supposed to be a big offensive weapon this year, especially in the go-routes, do you honestly beleive that KO can even throw the ball that far? I don't. I like Rex, at this point.
On the positive side, other than that, I like our whole defense, including the depth. I don't even think that Urlacher is irreplaceable at this point (MLB play would drop off, but not to the point of catastrophe). I played the "Bears Pre-season drinking game," with my GF last night, and supprisingly didn't get that wasted: there were only 2 3-and-outs that I could remember. No dropped snaps by Rex (bad mechanics on one throw, and it went out of bounds...I'll take it). Very few negative-yardage plays. Not that many incompletions. We're going to love Forte/Wolfe; defenses are going to get used to tackling higher on Forte becuase of his height, and then Wolfe will squirt right by them (7" height difference). The most I had to drink for as when Mike Haas (3 drinks) caugth a pass (5 drinks). They weren't sustained drives, but they weren't garbage posessions either. I liked most of the playcalling, and when the plays were busted, the players improvised well. Kellen Davis looks like a bigger Jason Taylor, and I like what he brings to the table. That was a great one-knee'd catch he had in the 4th quarter.
I think it's going to be a good season. Clearly, Angelo and Co. took a stupid, stupid chance on an O-lineman that other scouts were clearly scared off by due to his previous back issues. Claiming that it's a "new injury," is fine and dandy, except for the fact that other teams seem to have had information that we didn't (or are Lovie/Angelo just beyond stubborn, bordering on pig-headed? hmmm....) The offense is going to be better. The blocking might not be, but the offense as a whole will be. Tait on the right side should pop bigger holes to run through, and improve the play-action. Hester will keep the 2nd safety out of the box. The only 2 things in the division I'm scared of, are the Vikings defensive line (beasts, all of them), and their Adrian Peterson. If we can keep our QBs on their feet and contain AP in the backfield against the Vikings, we'll win this division. Aaron Rodgers sucks, the Lions are the Lions....Bear down my friends, Bear down. And being that booing Rex doesn't help the team, so shut the fuck up. It's not FWF, it's morons who know nothing about football. And there are plenty of them. My 2 cents.
August 8, 2008
#120 jeremy34 said . . .I think Mark Schlereth (I don't care if I misspelled his name) has a huge learning disability. I really think he might have an iq of 35. I turn on espn last night, because I couldn't watch the game, and that idiot gets on there and tells me and the rest of the country that Orton is the better qb for some stupid-ass reasons. Then earlier, I'm watching Saints Cardinals because people still have this USC fetish over these two over-hyped pre madonnas that think they are nfl starts before they play an NFL game, and I have to listen to Kornheiser(dont' care if I misspelled his name) talk about Favre, Brett Favre, and bunch of other bullshit while 30 other players are competing for jobs. You know that movie about idiocracy where everyone is dumbed down in the future because no one thinks for themselves anymore....thats what I think of when I turn on ESPN. I literally can not listen to ESPN NFL announcers.... just can't do it.
August 8, 2008
#121 Pissed Off said . . .Mikebdot, your comment about that o-lineman getting hurt doesn't make sense to me.
Someone needs to step up and take the blame for the Chris Williams pick. Maybe it was just bad luck, but NFL Network's main scouting guy - Mayock I think wrote about C Williams health issues before the draft. So if a guy in the media knows about it, why can't our medical staff know more than that.
Like someone else said, he better be a stud when he comes back. I was already hoping he could anchor this line for years and now I am just going to assume we won't see him all year. (It's in best interest for my health) And with a group of running backs that can actually run the football, I was really jazzed about our run game - offense - year.
August 8, 2008
#122 Decatur Staleys #7 said . . .I lump "idiots" in with the FWFs category.
August 8, 2008
Well it look like Williams might be back by Nov 2nd
August 8, 2008
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.