I'm going to consider the victory over the Minnesota Vikings the midway point of the 2008 season, especially considering the Bears will next play football against the glorified bye week known as the Detroit Lions. Before we begin lookng ahead to a difficult second half...
I believe this is the wildest Chicago Bears season of my lifetime. 2001 was more exciting. 2006 was more beautiful. 1985 was more perfect. '86 more disappointing. The 1990s were more crap. But as for pure wildness? Nothing holds a candle to the enigma of 2008. Here are five genuine surprises.
#5 Mike Brown, Brian Urlacher = Ineffective
I know it's sacrilege to say but the two oldest members of the defense are playing like they're the two oldest members of the defense. There was an era of Chicago football where the best receivers in the game were afraid to go over the middle because they knew that catching a ball there meant one of two things. Either (1) Brian Urlacher was going to hit you hard or (2) Mike Brown was going to hit you hard. Now teams seem to throw exclusively over the middle.
#4 Matt Forte leads the team in...receptions
Forte has 29 catches in 7 games. Cedric Benson had 26 in his career here. Forte is not only on pace or roughly 1200 yards rushing but also an additional 500 yards in the air and about 15 touchdowns.
#3 They rank 20th and 28th (in the return game)
I don't pretend to be savvy enough to understand the complexities of special teams play though I'm finding it very hard to believe that Hester's struggles on returns have anything to do with his focus on the wide receiver position. You catch it. You run fast as far as you can. I'm quicker to think that today's NFL is simply too smart for any singular athlete to dominate for any extended period of time. Hester's evolution as a receiving threat will ultimately be of greater benefit to the club down the road.
#2 The offensive line has outplayed the defensive line
I believe Vegas set the odds at 550,000-1 on this after a certain preseason performance in Seattle. John St. Clair has battled several of the league's best defensive ends and done admirably with momentary exceptions and John Tait has made the 2007 Fred Miller debacle a memory. (I'm going to start always saying this: the less you mention a right tackle, the better he's playing.) As for the defensive side, they've been lucky that Alex Brown is making a bid for the NFC Pro Bowl with three sacks and the play of the year against Philadelphia.
#1 Kyle Orton is the MVP
I've said stuff. Skip Wood has said stuff in USA Today. And the truth is this: I believe the Bears have found their franchise quarterback. Not because I want to...but because I believe this kid has the intelligence, arm and (most importantly in Chicago) thick skin to be successful.
'
#2 Z said . . .1st?
Nice post jeff. I was wondering if you were gonna keep up on new post during the bye week. Keep 'em coming, man.October 21, 2008
#3 Lasse said . . .Strong safety Kevin Payne stood out again, and it wasn't just his team-leading third interception. Payne was credited with a team-high 15 tackles after coaches reviewed game film. That pushes his team-leading total to 60, six ahead of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. Graham also had another strong outing with 11 tackles, nine of them solo stops
October 21, 2008
#4 jdawg said . . .Forte for rookie of the year!
October 21, 2008
#5 Ronaldo said . . .I believe Wade dropped a pass at the goal line because he heard Brown's footsteps.
I think the way to analyze the return game is ave. starting position on kick-off returns and net punting yards. Weren't we getting the ball around the 40 yard line all game long? That's like averaging 35 yards a return. I can live with that.
October 21, 2008
#6 mikebdot said . . .Sorry been out of town and haven't had a chance to chime in yet. Though I did have the pleasure of watching this with a good friend of mine who happens to be a Vikings fan.
quick thoughts on the season thus far:
1. KO rocks. Been saying it since the beginning of the season, along with some others (Crown, animal, Jeff). His recognition of what the defenses is impressive. I vaguely remember commenters on this board remarking on his inaccuracy or his weak arm. I call bullshit.
2. As much as we're all impressed with Forte and his ability to find yards where there are none to be had, I'm overwhelmed by his ability to pass block and pick up blitzers. I clearly remember him standing a couple guys up and knocking them back in the hole. I've even called for giving him a break every once in a while in favor of Jones, but I'm convinced the reason the coaching staff (RT) hasn't done so must be because they feel there's a drop off in blocking and pass-catching.
3. St. Clair deserves a medal. Olin should be gone next year.
4. Our pass Defense sucks. We've all been saying it for weeks, but if this shiznit does not pick up, I can not look at that sideline in 2009 if Babich is standing there next to Lovie. To be shredded by: 1. washed up old QB in Griese 2. rookie QB 3. washed up old QB in Ferrote is pathetic. There's no excuse for it. It's clear it's a scheme/strategy issue when we've been consistently getting picked apart on slants and in routes week after week.NFC North division title and playoffs, here come da Bears.
October 21, 2008
#7 mikebdot said . . .This notion that we "rank" 20th in kickoff returns is bunkum. I guarantee we "lead" the league in terms of depth of kickoff for the opponent. Surely that has to count for something.
It's obvious our punt return unit is not as good for whatever reason. I don't buy that it's because of the receiver snaps. I think Hester was still hurt to be honest. Didn't he injure his ribs? That's not a small deal. So, maybe it is because of receiver snaps, indirectly.
In any event, our punt unit generated two TDs on Sunday. Did we or did we not block a kick against Carolina or Tampa and end up scoring a TD shortly thereafter or on the same play? And haven't we run a successful fake punt? I think our coverage units are much better than last year or the year before. 18 punts downed inside the 20 is a great stat. The fact that the defense usually doesn't shut them down without at least allowing 3 or 4 first downs makes me a sad panda though. But I think the improvement of our coverage units as a whole outweighs Hester's 6 or 7 great plays per year, especially since he's been dinged.
But, does anyone really care? Our offense is playing FOOTBALL! And, our defense played really good football for the majority of the games leading up to last week. It's not like we're 32nd in the league in defense. We're 14th in points given up and 16th in yards. And even with the awful 3rd down stats from the Atlanta game we lead the league in third down defense (30%). So, what does that tell you? They're getting first downs on 1st and 2nd down!
That's mostly due to prevent defense if the fourth quarter and playing way off receivers to prevent the big play. I'm firmly convinced we should have just mauled every single receiver at the 50 yard line in the Atlanta game. This would have prevented them from running another play to get into field goal range and thus caused them to throw a hail mary. The time still runs off the clock on a defensive penalty, right? It's not like they wipe out the time that went off the clock. Plus, a spot foul would have given them the ball where the receiver was mauled, not where the ball was thrown to. Pretty dirty, but it would have worked.
October 21, 2008
#8 mikebdot said . . .Incidentally, we also lead the league in offensive attempts on third down. You know what this means? We are fucking terrible at gaining enough yards to gain a first down on 1st and 2nd down. This is why we are close to .500.
October 21, 2008
#9 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .And, of course, it means we can't run the football for more than 8 yards or so. That offensive line is fucking terrible at run blocking. They seem to be GREAT at pass blocking. It's a strange dichotomy.
Oh, snap, I'm listening to Lovie's press conference from 10/20 on da site. He said "Yeah, that last play...we were in cover 2. You hear a lot about the cover 2. That last play we were in the cover 2, for those of you who didn't know that". Fuckin' dick.
October 21, 2008
#10 Sausage said . . .Tonight on the NFL Network they are going to replay the Bears game
7:00 pm central time
October 21, 2008
#11 Phil from SATX said . . .I find it hard to believe that after having two of the best seasons ever as a return man, that the league has suddenly figured hester out.
His per game receiving stats through first 6 games:
YDS: 12
Catches: 3
TDs: .3333333He might develop into a 80YD/6 Catch/ .5td per game guy....
But is it worth giving up all that field position? Especially when he's been averaging about .5TDs per game returning?
FACTS:
1) He was the best return man in the game [ever] the last two seasons
---a) he was not receiving2) He is less a less than mediocre return man this season
---b) he is receivingOctober 21, 2008
#12 mikebdot said . . .Sausage, that's a little simplistic analysis, just lining those facts up next to each other does not indicate causality. There are too many other variables, and one of them we know changed drastically over last season, being who they line up on the return team.
However, that said, I will say that Hester DOES look different this year, in the last two it appeared that every time he caught the ball in a reasonably-returnable situation something would either happen or come awfully damn close to happening. This year you don't get that same feeling. More like just a regular garden variety returner. So I'm inclined to agree with you, even if the logic isn't as clear as you suggest.
I've been against him being molded into a WR the whole time due to this very fear. I think he could turn into a very serviceable WR, maybe even eventually a great one, but he already IS a great returner. And there are other WRs out there, it doesn't have to be Devin Hester. I think the Bears will ultimately regret this, even if they won't say so publicly. [meaning they'll act like getting the pretty-good receiver was worth the possibility of him dropping off as returner, plus they won't acknowledge that he has dropped off even as it becomes obvious to us]
Hope I'm wrong though!
Lasse, Forte won't get Rookie of the Year because Matt Ryan's getting it. That's okay - he's OUR rookie of the year.
October 21, 2008
#13 mikebdot said . . .Sausage: What? He got hurt during the game and hardly played at all at WR the first two games. If he was an actual starting wideout he would definitely be what you describe. As for field position given up...you are just plain wrong on kickoffs. And, on punts, let's look at each punt against us...
Indy - punt 1, 25 yard return (best return of the year)
punt 2 - downed inside twenty (hunter smith is a good punter after all)Carolina - punt 1 - blocked and returned for TD (I didn't imagine that)
punt 2 - 50 yard punt, only 3 yard return, illegal block by Rashied (why is Rashied on punt returns? serious question there)
punt 3 - 46 yard punt caught at 10, only 6 yard return, didn't matter with penalty on McGowan
punt 4 - 36 yard punt out of bounds
punt 5 - 45 yards kicked to 9 yard line
punt 6 - 52 yard punt to 15 - Vasher return for 0 yards
punt 7 - 50 yard punt to 23 - Vasher 18 yard return
That guy has a leg on him. I really think our coverage isn't as good. This would explain penalties. Seems like Toub is experimenting with personnel at this point. Trying to find a replacement for Ayanbadejo.Tampa - punt 1 - 56 yards to 8, 15 yard return for Vasher
punt 2 - 45 yard punt - downed, probably bounced a few yards to get it to 45 yards
punt 3 - 43 yard punt - out of bounds
punt 4 - 42 yard punt - Vasher 10 yard return
punt 5 - 47 yard punt - Vasher 16 yard return, penalty by AP
punt 6 - 35 yard punt - Vasher fair catch in OTPhilly - punt 1 - 48 yard punt - downed
punt 2 - 40 yard punt - 6 yard return
punt 3 - 40 yard punt - 0 yard return
punt 4 - 30 yard punt - out of bounds
punt 5 - 65 yard punt - -8 yard return by Hester...yikes.
punt 6 - 43 yard punt - Hester 3 yard returnDetroit - punt 1 - 47 yard punt - 9 yard return
punt 2 - 49 yard punt to Chi 7 - fair catch
punt 3 - 51 yard punt - almost had a crease- pushed OB 5 yard return
punt 4 - 40 yard punt - 9 yard return
punt 5 - touchback
punt 6 - 41 yard punt - fair catch (didn't have to be...)
punt 7 - fumbled - led to only TD for Detroit
punt 8 - 41 yard punt - fair catch (didn't have to be...but we had big lead)Atlanta - punt 1 - 37 yards into endzone
punt 2 - 45 yard punt - fair catch - can't remember if that was a good moveMinny - punt 1 - oh, wait, there weren't any
Hester has only been able to return punts regularly in two games, against Philly and Detroit. I'm not sure why he wasn't in against Tampa and Carolina...injury related?
Regardless, Detroit seemed to game plan for that and nothing else (they are actually 2nd in the league at covering punts), and Philly is 11th in league. We won both games. Really, there were two awful returns, the fumble and the -8 yarder. The rest were just that well covered or our players were out of position. I think someone will step up as "the blocker" in the next few games. I predict it will be Steltz, if they don't send him in there to block...
It really doesn't help that there is so much turnover with receivers and cornerbacks getting injured left and right. McGowan, then Manning, then Tillman, Lloyd has caused Davis to be pulled, Tillman has played on ST in the past and delivered some vicious blocks. If continuity at the QB position matters, why wouldn't continuity blocking for returns? Ayanbadejo was always healthy, mostly because they didn't have to play him in real live game action, unlike say, Tillman, or Davis, or Hester, or Steltz, or Manning, or McGowan...
I think Toub is doing a great job to be honest. The only thing I didn't like was the squib.
PS, it's confirmed, we're 8th in the league in punt coverage. Plus, the opponent has fair caught 14 punts, which leads the league. Technically, we're 22nd in kickoff coverage, but we're kicking very deep. Gould's leg is stronger. I have yet to figure a good way to account for this, mostly because I'm not sure how to account for touchbacks. We actually have a few of those this season.
Green Bay has 5 INT returns for touchdowns. This has definitely inflated their record. Lucky bastards.
October 21, 2008
#14 Crown said . . .I should say there weren't any returns, not any punts. Obviously, the first and only punt was blocked and returned for a TD against Minny.
October 21, 2008
#15 animal said . . .I say keep Devin at WR. He will get more touches per game that way and he continues to get better at WR (barring last week with the minor injury that took him out of the game.) We are still getting the ball with great field position almost every time. We must have one of the best averages in the league. Some teams are still not kicking to Hester as we saw last week when the Vikes kicked short and McKie took it back close to midfield. We have other guys that can get the job done like D. Manning. Wouldn't mind seeing Wolfe get a shot or two at returning. Those who are already judging Hester as a receiver and predicting he will be average at best are probably the same people that called for Orton's head after the first loss. Give him time to develop, we don't know what he can be at that position yet. Too early too judge. We certainly miss Ayenbadejo a lot on special teams which I think is a big reason for the drop off in returns.
October 21, 2008
#16 DaBearsWin! said . . .I love the optimism, and I won't bash anyone at this time. I just want us to be more cautious. I love KO but we were just as infatuated with Rex at this point in 06. Not that KO will turn into Rex, but we need to see him sustain decent play.
October 21, 2008
#17 NittyGritty34 said . . .It's ironic that after all these years of weak offenses being carried by the defense & ST, this year's offense & ST are carrying the defense.
It all makes sense. Spend millions on a bunch of defensive stars then give them a third-rate scheme to execute.
It would seem that if the secondary is hurting, 1) the D-line needs to pressure the QB and 2) the secondary needs to chuck the receivers at the line to interfere with their routes.
Sunday the offense grasped victory from the jaws of defeat in spite of the porous defense.
Go Kyle! Even the national press has stopped doubting you. Go offense - keep carrying the team to victory!
Bear Down, Chicago Bears!
October 21, 2008
#18 mikebdot said . . .sausage: Fact: Last year, we had Ayabedejo, this year, we do not.
Animal: small point about the rex infatuation comment. While Rex had played really well through seven weeks, I seem to remember a lot of dropped interceptions. I remember telling a friend, who was in disbelief at the Bears record, that while Rex has played well, that I've seen him throw a few passes a game that were very dangerous throws that could have, and in some cases, should have been picked. That's not even mentioning the Arizona game and the Miami game that ended our unbeaten streak. Kyle just doesn't seem to make those throws. He gets it. That's the big difference. He hasn't had a pick in like what, three games. Anyway, I'm finally sold on Kyle. I wouldn't say that I was ever a Rex backer necessarily, I did want the team to wait it out with him and see if he could overcome some of those growing pains. Now, I'm glad they didn't . To bad we can't have the superbowl back.Go Bears.
October 21, 2008
#19 Phil from SATX said . . .By the way, the Baltimore Ravens are 24th in the league in KO returns, and 22nd in punt returns. I would guess they have less balls kicked out of bounds on them. Plus, we are freaking hurt at key ST positions.
Stop it with this Ayanbadejo crap.
Holy shit, in '07 we were "dead last" in kickoff return yardage...riiiight. Last year, we had 10 returns over 20 yards, 4 over 40, 4 TDs, only 6 fair catches on punts, and 6 fumbles. This year we have 1 over 20, 5 fair catches already, and only 1 fumble (that didn't really matter).
Not sure why I'm the only one that simply doesn't care about this. It doesn't matter if your defense doesn't force teams to punt or when they do punt you have a different lineup every single game blocking. The only reason our average was so high last season was because Denver is fucking stupid. The rest of the season was sort of mediocre. I think Hester will break one or two throughout the year if we actually can force some punts and the game is fairly tight so the other team tries to get out of trouble, but if we keep giving up first down after first down the other team can kick it out of bounds with very little penalty...unless our offense keeps playing like madmen.
And Lovie did mention the fact that ST touchdowns cause the defenses numbers to be inflated since they blocked that punt and scored a TD, it basically gave the Vikes another 1/2 of a possession. The other one they were about to get the ball anyway...and I say "1/2" because it's sort of a coin flip on who gets the last possession of the game anyway. So, it isn't necessarily a whole possession. Maybe more like 2/3. Not sure how the game theory stuff works out.
October 21, 2008
#20 Pankster said . . .I seem to remember that our D was playing VERY well in the beginning of 2006 too, which helped a lot. Also, we've all been in general agreement about the fact that the thing that changed for Rex in 2006 was when teams started with the heavy blitzing, beginning with the Cardinals. Every team thereafter followed that plan and Rex had a tough time adjusting to it.
For Kyle, he has already had to face some heavy blitzing and has proven to have some skill at changing plays in the face of blitzes and generally using his pocket and a quick release to not get killed by the blitz. Not always, mind you, and Kyle has thrown some balls that should have been intercepted, but so does everyone, and he's obviously limited those chances for the D's he's faced or there'd be more of them.
And yes, I say extend Orton sooner rather than later. Seven games in to the 2008 season, he's shown more than enough.
October 21, 2008
#21 KentuckyBearsFan said . . .FUCK YOU BABICH PATCH!!!!!!! LOVIE BE LIKE DA DONALD AND FIRE BABICH PATCHES ASS!!!!!!!!!!! JEFF GREAT POST!!
October 21, 2008
#22 jdawg said . . .Holy crap...Mike Singletary is now the head coach of the 49ers.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/21/SPB113LJ8P.DTL
October 21, 2008
#23 NY Bears Fan said . . .I think those criticizing Babich need to remember who is calling the D shots. Next time you see a shot of Lovie on the side line take a look at that thing wrapped around his head. Its called a headset. Its used to communicate with his coaches. When Lovie speaks into the mic part of the headset sprites carry the message to the ear phone part of Babich's headset and the message travels to Babich's brain, hopefully stopping before it gets to the lower brain stem.
October 21, 2008
#24 The Knight of Ownage said . . .With regard to Singletary taking the job of the 49ers, he was hesitant to take it since he had worked with Nolan for so long. There is a great quote from an article on ESPN http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3655827
"[I] looked at [Nolan] and he looked at me, and before I said a word, he said, 'I want you to take this job,'" Singletary recalled. "'I know that you have the heart of the players at hand, and I know they're important to you. ... If you do not take the job, I will be very disappointed in you as my friend.'"
October 22, 2008
#25 Shady said . . .Click on the link for some Bears inspiration.
If we believe in ourselves, we'll play in Tampa.
Stay cool O.
Stay cool ST.
Get better D.
Nuff said.
October 22, 2008
#26 lampnasty said . . .Why does Babich get so much of the blame when it's Lovie "cool as a cucumber" Smith's defense?
When you ask yourself why the Bears defense can't get after the QB, you have to examine the tackles and pass rushers. Both ends Alex Brown and 'Wale Ogunleye are solid contributors on this defense. Alex has been playing out of his mind. He's taken that job at DE by the horns and Mark Anderson hasn't recovered since. 'Wale on the other hand earned his stripes last year and established himself as a leader on the line. Dusty Dvoracek has been a run stuffer and Marcus Harrison indeed has that motor Angelo was talking about. Tommie. Well Tommie is looking better, but there's a long way to go with him still. And you can throw Anthony Adams and Izzy Idonije in that group as well... And there is supposed to be a problem here? Look at that depth, you have to feel good about the list of players you have on that line.
The defense has a banged up secondary, but young players have stepped in and made big plays. I know Zach Bowman is gone for the season, but what a fucking debut.
Strange how the defense is either horrid or outstanding on any given series.
Re: Surprises
5. Urlacher and Brown aren't the same players physically that they used to be, partly because they're a year older, and because they sacrifice their bodies for the team. While they're not the same physically, mentally they're a year stronger. How often do we see Urlacher and Brown out of position? Rarely. In fact, their presence on the field alone makes the defense better. Maybe WRs don't fear them as much anymore (which is a mistake by the way because they both still can lay the wood) but Urlacher and Brown help the defense align correctly and know Lovie's scheme in and allow the defense to do more. At the beginning of the season both players had big injury concerns: Urlacher with his neck and back, and Brown with his knees. Honestly, I'm just happy they're both healthy and on the field this year.
4. That's what happens when you start a QB that checks down his progressions and takes what the defense gives him. Needless to say Forte is smooth catching the ball and turning up field. Another reason for that statistic? The Bears don't have a number one WR, and apparently they don't need one either.
3. Another misleading statistic if you're referencing the yards/return average. The ghost of Devin Hester is scoring touchdowns and giving the Bears ridiculous field position. Once the offense shows the league they can score with that kind of field position, they'll start kicking to Hester again and that's when we'll see the returns come, provided he stays healthy.
2. Couldn't agree more about the offensive line. They've outperformed everybody's expectations except for their own. Apparently Chris Williams will be ready to go against Detroit, but with the way St. Clair is playing do you replace him? Or do you just slide him to RG and bench Beekman? My thoughts? If it ain't broke then don't fix it.
1. It's funny how the Bears were searching for an answer at the QB position and all along it was hiding right underneath their nose. While I'm not ready to crown Orton the franchise QB quite yet, he's done one hell of a job so far and keeps improving each week. Right now his confidence is sky high and he's playing like he wants a trip to Hawaii. As long as he keeps making the right decisions and has time to throw, he just might get there. GO KO!
October 22, 2008
#27 Phil from SATX said . . .don't forget what an excellent blocker forte has been all year. He's been such a catalyst for the offense and even with the stats he's put up this year, they don't even begin to tell his impact. i think he and orton's awareness in the pocket have been the reason the line has improved so vastly. he is starting to remind me of sweetness, no hyperbole intended (maybe westbrook is a more fair comparison). but he makes every player around him better.
whether it be the dink and dunk screens, which are nearly indefensible because forte has such great hands and body control and orton puts em on point, or his blocks. dude is for real. oh yeah he runs pretty well.
just wish he wasnt so jesusy during interviews.October 22, 2008
#28 shonbear said . . .Lampnasty, Forte's just doing what his faith tells him to do, same as literally billions of people in this world. I guarantee you part of the reason he's so solid as a performer and as a human being is because of that faith. He's planting seeds on a big stage. Loved the rest of your comments.
In fact, loved all these comments - jdawg and Shady thinking alike. I also agree with all the positive points Jeff raised - I think that, strangely enough, this offense is now the foundation of this team - with the gutty performances of Kyle, Forte and this incredibly over-performing line, they are all setting a great example for the rest of the team. What we always loved about the Chicago Bears D - we're seeing that in the O, maybe MORE than the D.
What I don't get is the point Shady raised - actually several great points - strange how great the defense can be at times and how terrible at others. And I agree with his individual assessment of our defensive line - what I don't get is WHY AREN'T THEY ABLE TO GET TO THE QUARTERBACK? That is the biggest puzzler to me. Maybe they're just not that good? (Not you Alex)
That said, it is great to finally see a D that can stuff the run. Remember when we had those two huge dudes on the inside - Ted Washington and I forget the other? Our inside guys may not be built like those manatees but they're doing a great job.
BUT GET TO THE FREAKING QUARTERBACK! If you do, all the D's problems will be solved.
Agree about MikeB's studious assessment of the Special Teams. Bottom line is field position, and we are getting it in spades. Another great Shady point - now Kyle's showing that he will score, and score quickly, when you give him the ball - teams will have to come to the conclusion that they may as well kick it to Hester, he doesn't look that great anyway this year (just wait boys). They will be kicking to him because to do otherwise is now becoming suicide to a team.
Pass rush fellers, that's about all we're missing right now. Maybe a little better run blocking (okay a lot better). Maybe this is where C Williams gets worked in, I just can't figure out how. I truly believe O. Kreutz may be the weakest link right now, but I acknowledge the importance of his non-physical job - calling protections, etc. Just don't know what to do here - but I'm thinking as good as St. John is playing, can you play Williams as left guard? Slide Beekman to center (a position he can play)? Okay, Lovie won't do that. What about Williams at right guard for Garza? Run blocking HAS to improve with that. Any offensive line experts, please weigh in.
GO BEARS!
October 22, 2008
#29 Peanut FTW said . . .phil
roosevelt colvin who went and got him couple rings when he left.
October 22, 2008
#30 Phil from SATX said . . .My biggest concern with defensive personnel atm is, after the bye, if Peanut and Vasher are healthy; I don't want Graham off the field. He has done fabulous at TFL and run support. Why even play hillenmeyer if your getting that production from a cover corner, esp a pretty big corner. Just stick him in at the nickel and run 90% nickel.
I also don't think Dusty should ever be off the field if our D is out there; he is by far the best NT type player we have, Alex is too big a play maker also to not have out there. I mean rotating if it's really hot I guess but which Olineman rotate? Put the best four out there and let em go; maybe rotate by series but IMO shifting for situation doesn't gain us much with our Dline.
Offensively, KO is the man. He is our franchise QB. My only concern is that what has happened to Hester, Urlacher, Harris; would happen to him but I would hope not.
Comparisons to Rex should cease to exist ; KO threw 4-5 TDs against Minnesota and no picks, yes he only got credit for 2 as one was fumbled at the goal by Clark and recovered by Davis taking 1 away and 2 drops by Booker in the endzone. And we were already doubting Rex by this time; at least I surely was. After the Arizona game I thought he should be benched and have been waiting on it ever since. Thank goodness for KO! Sign neckbeard for the longhaul.Forte is another God send. I think our line and him are going to have to get better at running the ball for him to get Rookie of the Year; but I think he is absolutely phenominal. I don't think Ryan is a lock at all for it though , he still has quite a bit to prove, and a lot of games to go. If he plays well against Philly, I think he'd be a real candidate but we shall see on Sunday.
Sometimes the Bears bye week is a great day to watch football; I don't get stressed or anxious at all and I can just enjoy watching players make great plays without any real care for who wins.
October 22, 2008
#31 Peanut FTW said . . .Shonbear, I went and looked it up - I was talking about the combination of Washington and Keith Traylor (didn't we used to call him Tractor Traylor) - those dudes were fat and huge and absolutely no one could run inside on us.
October 22, 2008
#32 Phil from SATX said . . .Williams is too tall and stretched out to play guard well. He would be at a disadvantage for inside leverage against every DT he faced; also his height inside could cause problems even for Orton on short throws over the middle, he'd always be in a throwing lane. St. Clair is a much better candidate for Guard as he is a few inches shorter and stockier built than Williams and is naturally a guard. People look at moving St Clair to Guard as some demotion; stop. It is just as tough a job but in different ways; so the point is if Williams can play LT as good or better than St. Clair, St. Clair can definately move people better than Beekman at LG and that would be your best line combo, if Williams can't cover LT as well then your better off leaving the line alone. I do like our line, but somehow we need more push on runs.. period.
October 22, 2008
#33 mikebdot said . . .Thank you Peanut - that was great!
Is FTW For the Win?
October 22, 2008
#34 DTB said . . .Peanut FTW: Vasher has lost the starting job to Graham, regardless of health. I wouldn't mind having Vash be a nickelback. Actually, I could stand anything they choose as it's a win/win. Plus, if Vash doesn't play the majority of the snaps I'm sure his pay is decreased. I doubt he made his full allotment last year...Tillman either. But maybe I'm wrong.
October 22, 2008
#35 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .So when did they intend on breaking this one out?
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/1234712,CST-SPT-mully22.article
October 22, 2008
#36 FORTE iz BEAST said . . .As expected, the Bears placed rookie cornerback Zack Bowman on injured reserve Wednesday but made the surprise move of signing veteran safety Terrence Holt to replace Bowman on the roster.
Holt, a free safety with versatility, was waived by Carolina at the end of the exhibition season. He has started 43 of 69 games since coming into the league as a fifth-round draft pick of Detroit in 2003. Holt spent four seasons with the Lions before signing as an unrestricted free-agent with Arizona in 2007. He started all 16 games last season and led Cardinals defensive backs with 75 tackles before they released him last winter. Holt has eight career interceptions.
He will help shore up depth in an injury-depleted secondary and potentially on special teams
October 22, 2008
#37 FORTE iz BEAST said . . .I am happy with the win but Come on guys our defense looked like shit! We got no coverage schemes at all and i hate that cover 2 ... i think lovies philosphy on cover 2 is hurtin us....something has to be done..
October 22, 2008
#38 CKBEARS said . . .Im sorry guys i wanna win too but the DEATH to this season will be Because of LOVIE AND BABICH STUPID ASS COACHIN!
October 22, 2008
#39 mikebdot said . . .No one could run inside on traylor and no one could throw a ball near his sticky hands. Anyone else remember his fatass running that ball back like 65 yards? classic.
October 22, 2008
#40 Phil from SATX said . . .You guys can say "cover 2 sucks" until you're blue in the face, but it's simply untrue. The cover 2 only sucks if your front can't generate any pressure. That is the case with us. Our guys cannot get in there to put the QB on his back. The coaches have experimented with pretty much every front four combination they have at their disposal. The people on the line are the ones not delivering. You can blame Ron Turner all day long, but if you have a mental midget, a heartless running back, a fullback that can't block, a crappy run blocking unit, and receivers that drop key catches or can't get separation, it doesn't really matter who we have calling the plays. It's all about execution. Let's be clear though, when you know you still have a craptistically run blocking O-line and an awful fullback and you still choose to run straight up the middle on 3rd and 4th down, you deserve to lose the game against Atlanta.
Giving the quarterback a selection of plays to choose from abdicates quite a bit of the responsibility. Notice how Turner was quick to blame that particular issue when Orton made a bad decision I believe against Tampa, now all of the sudden it's the reason for the success? I find that interesting...
I will not say I hate Olin Kreutz in pass blocking situations. He is a rock when it comes to pushing people side to side and keeping everything in front of him, but he simply cannot get push to move people backwards. I think the lack of running is due to a lack of holding on every single play. We hardly ever get flagged for holding. Mostly false starts (related to running no huddle fairly irregularly until recently) and defensive offsides. We've been called for lining up in the neutral zone or being just a bit early at least 5 or 6 times this year. I still think we take too many penalties, but I guess with more defensive snaps taken against us, the law of averages says something has to give.
Does anyone know of a site that tracks number of snaps against? For some reason I would guess we are close to the league lead in defensive snaps taken.
October 22, 2008
#41 mikebdot said . . .Seriously, is there ever a plausible reason to line up in the neutral zone? Tommie Harris is famous for this.
October 22, 2008
#42 Viva said . . .Phil: No, there is not. Ogun has been flagged for it. So has Brown. And Briggs on a punt I believe. I think they are just jumping "early" even though the center actually does in fact move the football, but everyone else stands still. It's an optical illusion for the ref...plus, just because you MOVE doesn't mean you're actually in the neutral zone. I've actually noticed them let us slide on one or two plays like that...or at least it appeared so to me.
October 22, 2008
#43 Viva said . . .Jeff -
# 1 - KO is no doubt our MVP.
#2 - Our O Line has outplayed our D line.
#3 - Special Teams rankings are what they are, but they have put points on the board and moved the chains (fake punt in critical situations). JA was a genius when he traded for Brandon Ayenbadejo and drafted the Skunk, and is no doubt wishing he would have matched the Ravens offer to keep BA on board.
#4 - Love the fact that Stache is leading the team in receptions. The almost equally important consequence is that Orton is playing within himself...
#5 - I think you are wrong. BU may have lost a step (I will conceed that) but he is and never was a fan of the Cover Duece because it required him to play faster then he ever could. He is the fastest MLB in the league and still not fast enough to play that scheme???? It is the scheme that has taken him out of his game. As for MB, he is still laying the wood, and I credit him for putting the rooks in the right place.I'd replace your # 5 with - Lovie and Babich Patch are not in-game strategists, and need to be. The talent is there, the plays are not.
They need to retool their Decision Making. Honestly, they need to practice making critical decisions after every practice - run through the gauntlet of situations that they will face and rehearse them.Talent wise - this is a Playoff Caliber team, and I credit Lovie and JA for whatever insight they had in building this roster, but down the stretch we will need playoff caliber coaching, and time will tell if we have it.
October 22, 2008
#44 Max said . . .Phil -
Why not wait until the end of the season on resigning Orton? Knowing, as we do, that JA and company have consistently taken care of their own.
Are there financial justifications for it?
October 22, 2008
#45 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .Not going to lie. . . i didnt read all of the comments posted. I would but there were alot of numbers in there and far to many big words (dichotomy. . . touche mike, i need to start paying attention in literature class or something)
So, what do i want to see from this bye week:
-Corners get healthy (if anyone else goes down, i say we just stick Rashied or Adrian Peterson in at corner. Our soft coverage means that the receivers will be open anyway, they just have to make the tackle. Be like Troy Brown and the Pats. . . cept neither Rash or A.P. is 80 years old)
-Lovie and Bob decide that they would like to blitz every so often because our D-line couldnt pressure Chris Chandler if he was still playing and that man was like a statue in the pocket... he couldnt move.
-Receivers get healthy. . . and Earl Bennett sees the field
-Lovie decides to finally pull his head out of his ass
-Olin punches somebody. . . anybody. . . hopefully Tommie Harris to knock some sense into him. Just because.
-Kevin Jones gets more love so Forte wont be dead by week 14
A win vs the Lions and a loss for the Packers vs the Titans
October 22, 2008
#46 Peanut FTW said . . .Everytime I hear Mike Singletary speak,I wish he was the Bears Coach.
I don't care if couldn't coach his way out of a paperbag,I would like our press conference to have some sense of emotion.Like the damn game meant something win or lose.
I like what Terrell Davis on NFL Network said about Mike"Just listening to Mike press conference,He sound like a guy you want to go play for"
Makes me wonder,Is this team playing for Lovie,or playing with Lovie?
October 23, 2008
#47 mikebdot said . . .yes Phil FTW is for the win. I changed from Urlacher because well it seems as though he is just taking up space most plays now instead of making plays. I really hope we have a healthy Peanut, Lloyd, and Hester after the bye. Kinda wish they'd do injury reports even on the bye; do they not practice at all, not even watch tapes on the bye?
October 23, 2008
#48 Bearman on the Sangamon said . . .Peanut: From da site:
What is the schedule for the Bears players during their bye week?
Mike J.
Rockford, MichiganAfter being off Tuesday as they are throughout the season, the Bears will practice Wednesday and Thursday before being off Friday through Sunday. They will then return to Halas Hall to practice next Monday in advance of their Nov. 2 home game against the Detroit Lions.
October 23, 2008
#49 brownbear said . . .Decatur Staleys: I don't know about Singletary as a Bears coach. Dan McNeil has an article in the Sun Times today about that. He raises some good points.
Mike Singletary is my second favorite Bear of all time. Our expectations would be HUGE and possibly misplaced if he was a coach in Chicago. What would we think of Samurai Mike if he let us down...a couple dismal seasons and he leaves the Chicago sports scene for good. Look at when Bart Starr was the Head Coach of Green Bay.
I with Mike the best of luck in San Fransisco. He has said that his dream is to be a Super Bowl winning Head Coach, well, I hope he accomplishes that. I will be passively rooting for the 49ers from now on...unless they play the Bears...in which case I hope he gets his ass handed to him in a basket with a nice bow. If the Bears are on the Niners' schedule, I hope they go 15-1.
October 23, 2008
#50 brownbear said . . .Pass defense is bad... agreed. It seems to be a scheme issue at heart. while its nice and fun to watch our line backers sit in the gaps at pre-snap. they aren't getting enough depth to take away passing lanes on slands and ins. offenses have realized that and are capitalizing...
October 23, 2008
#51 Phil from SATX said . . .Pass defense is bad... agreed. It seems to be a scheme issue at heart. while its nice and fun to watch our line backers sit in the gaps at pre-snap. they aren't getting enough depth to take away passing lanes on slands and ins. offenses have realized that and are capitalizing...
October 23, 2008
#52 mikebdot said . . .I think you're right Brownbear. It looks cool but how many times are they just dropping into coverage - the vast percentage, right? (Mikeb you can weigh in here, you probably know) So if you're the offense facing them you just assume it's a ruse. And then burn them with quick slants that you know they can't get to. If they were in standard position, many of those slants wouldn't be there. Do the line up thing like 10 plays per game, fancy blitz of some sort on half of them.
BTW you don't have to just blitz out of that all-on-the-line configuration.
B. Patch, read (here) and react!
October 23, 2008
#53 mikebdot said . . .Phil: Not sure how to come up with that data. One thing I don't agree with is that having the linebackers in standard formation doesn't invite quick slants. That's untrue in a number of different coverage schemes. When the linebackers play the true cover-2, if you put your running back on the same side as the TE or the third wide receiver or the FB and send them out into a passing pattern, if the linebacker is covering a specific player, they can still run a quick slant to that side. Where the benefit to the "bend but don't break" defense comes in is when you have a corner like Charles Tillman who occasionally separates his man from the football either before or after the catch. You rely on turnovers to win football games. It wasn't any different than in '06 when we went to the Super Bowl. They've been doing this ever since Lovie got here. I'm not quite sure why the fan base has decided to get pissed off about this now...
This team could very easily be 7-0. It's would definitely be a huge stretch to say "we could very easily be 0-7". We've left numerous plays out on the field on offense and that won't be true for long. If this team actually decides to get it's shit together it's going to be ridiculous. My point is, there is much reason to be optimistic about the rest of the season. That 4-6 defensive look is VERY effective at stopping the run. I believe the two biggest running plays against us this season were due to a Kevin Payne missed tackle where it appeared half the other defenders on the field were tackled by the opposing O-line. Am I the only one that noticed that? Is it just plain ok to tackle a linebacker? Seems to be the case. Our linemen are just plain not dirty enough in the running game.
www.pro-football-reference.com has an interesting stat. We've given the opposing team nine first downs by way of penalty. And we're 10th in the league at yards given up on the ground...31st in yards given up in the air. Wow. 3rd in interceptions though...bend but don't break indeed.
October 23, 2008
#54 mikebdot said . . .Actually, they didn't weight by yards/game. So, 6th in yards rushing against per game. 30th for passing yards/game. So, maybe INT rank will drop a few as well...
October 23, 2008
#55 mikebdot said . . .And I should have said man-under cover 2. whatever, point is, if the linebackers are even playing mildly deep zones (8+ yards downfield), you're fucked regardless there too. Maybe you have one of the backers hanging out underneath, then you throw to the other side. Plus, if your linebacker isn't very good at reading where the ball is going, that never helps. I don't think Briggs or Hillenmeyer are very good at this. I really wish they'd rotate them out on occasion to see if we can get a big stop with Williams or Laroche (sp?). Like they do with the linemen. They mentioned something during the game about toying with Steltz in there as a nickel back, but I didn't really notice that at all. I need to watch the game again...
October 23, 2008
#56 The Knight of Ownage said . . .Also, note to Jeff, the comments seem to be posting quicker the past few comments I made. The past few weeks it's been a nightmare trying to get comments to show up. That's why there are a lot of double and triple posts. I've gotten a lot of time-out errors and sent to that noah-brier.bgi site. Or whatever the hell it is. Most of the time the comments show up anyway.
October 23, 2008
#57 Bearman on the Sangamon said . . .Hey Bearman, don't forget Titans head coach Jeff Fisher was a Bear, a special teams standout, until some weird player named Bill Cowher ended his career.
Look at chalk talk on ChicagoBears.com. THREE more wins, and Da Team will be the first team w/ 700 all-time wins! No one else comes close to beating us, the Packers are next w/ 666 all-time wins (no wonder why the devil loves them...).
Go Bears!
October 23, 2008
#58 jeff said . . .Haha. Whatever. I'm not saying Singletary any former Bear would be a bad coach...at all. I am just cautious about one coming back to coach...I guess it worked out for Ditka...But still...McNeil's article is good.
October 24, 2008
#59 enderwiggin said . . .sorry i've been nowhere guys.
big post tomorrow (i hope)
October 24, 2008
#60 enderwiggin said . . .No problemo Jeff. Keep 'em coming man!
Its good to see some Jdawg post, but where is animal and bill? Mikebot- keep it real manOctober 24, 2008
#61 NY Bears Fan said . . .wow! I agree. Post are fastfast!
October 24, 2008
#62 mikebdot said . . .I was watching Criminal Minds on CBS this week and had to do a double take. Tommie Harris made a cameo appearance, at first I swore it couldn't be him but it was. Maybe he missed his rehab because he was off acting, aren't the Bears paying him enough already?
October 24, 2008
#63 Peanut FTW said . . .NY Bears Fan: He was suspended for a game...perhaps this was the reason? He didn't receive pay, I would imagine...well, for the game I mean.
How does that work with "guaranteed money"? Anyone know? Like, if someone is guaranteed $10M for 5 years and is suspended for one game, does that figure into a "game check"?
October 24, 2008
#64 Trialeenesbitt said . . .I did the same double take NY; I told my wife.. "that's Tommie fn Harris, I bet that's why he was suspended." too which she replied.. "who is Tommie Harris". Anyhoo mikeb, I'm not an expert but it would seem logical to withhold that one game total in guaranteed money; so 5 yrs is 80 reg season games and 10 mill for 80 games is 125k per game in guaranteed money so would work out to be essesntially a $125k fine for the suspension of a game.
October 24, 2008
#65 CocoChanels said . . .hi
June 20, 2009
#66 artinee said . . .Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
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July 3, 2009
#67 allin said . . .someone?
July 18, 2009
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???? 15$ ?? 30000 ???????. ?????? ?? asdf388@rambler.ruJuly 30, 2009
#69 screamerct said . . .had recently herpes virus found in my blood. what I haveto do??? I'm in panic...
September 11, 2009
#70 werlinks said . . .What's up? Been reading for a while and just decided to write!
Umm so like does anyone know how to unblock bebo from school?
November 7, 2009
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E-mail: slava2764@mail.ruNovember 25, 2009
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E-mail: slava2764@mail.ruNovember 25, 2009
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