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Camp Audibles From the Long Snapper

| August 17th, 2010

No Backup on the Horizon

The Bears have been approaching every backup quarterback within a hundred miles of the United States to join the roster and all have declined.  Why?  Because apparently Jerry and Lovie are refusing to commit a roster spot to Todd Collins or Kerry Collins or Josh McCown, players unwilling to battle Mike Teel for the right to run the mid-week scout team.  If the Bears are serious about bringing in players of a professional caliber, they have to pay them what a professional makes and move Caleb Hanie down on the depth chart to start the 2010 season.  Otherwise, they’ll risk entering the campaign with a health and experience concern being one missed blocking assignment away from deciding their occupational fates.

Seriously Minnesota?
Sometimes it seems teams go out of their way to act more like assholes, doesn’t it?  The Jets clearly have but at least the Jets are being silly about the whole thing.  News is out that the Vikings have sent Jared Allen, Ryan Longwell and Steve Hutchinson to Mississippi to lure Brett Favre back to the team.  Two things: (1) What does this say to the quarterbacks currently on the roster?  I’ll answer: “you stink”.  It says that three of your team captains have so little faith in your ability that they’d give up practice time with you to convince the 40 year-old man with a bum ankle (who threw your 2009 season away) to return to the NFL.  (2) Do the Vikings not realize how pathetic this makes them look?  
Wright the Early-Season Focus
Call me crazy but any deep pass plays connected on the Bears makes me worry and injuries at the safety position are the last thing this team can afford to sustain.  That is why it’s imperative Major Wright grow a pair, wrap the finger and get on the damn field in the next couple weeks.  I know, I know.  It isn’t fair to ask players to act like Lawrence Taylor and play with a broken arm but I’m doing it anyway.  If this kid has the ability the team says he has, it’s time put a band-aid on and suit up.  This is football.  Sometimes football players need to be reminded to act like it.

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At This Point, Why Bother?

| August 15th, 2010

The preseason has passed the highway exits marked Irrelevant, Joke and Fraud.  In San Diego last night, the Chargers lack of ticket sales led to the game being blacked out in the home market.  The Bears starters – specifically on offense – played half-a-dozen snaps and spent the remaining two hours and forty-five minutes staring at clipboards and computer printouts.

Don’t bother analyzing what you saw last night, with two exceptions.  (1) Legedu Naanee’s touchdown catch up the right sideline was made between a pair of starters in Zack Bowman and Chris Harris.  It is the kind of play the Cover-2 is designed to eliminate and yet it keeps happening to the Chicago Bears.  (2) Caleb Hanie looked tough, accurate and mobile.  He’s a kid I would really like to see this organization continue to develop to the potential Mel Kiper envisioned for him on draft day.
With those exceptions, this preseason bullshit must stop.  Nothing is being established or developed.  Coaches don’t want to show anything.  Players don’t want to play.  Fans don’t want to buy the tickets.  And the worst part?  The games are mostly non-competitive.  If we were going to watch the backups around the league battle and really fight for roster spots, I could muster some enthusiasm for the game itself.  But with the money being allocated to top draft picks and free agents, the preseason is a showroom for cars you’re going to keep in the garage.  It’s a battle for your ranking on the practice squad.
And how dare the NFL blackout a preseason game in any market.  How dare this league continue to force fans to shell out hundreds of dollars for an evening of low-rent football.  I hate the preseason but the fans who watch these games are among the most passionate and knowledgeable around.  They are the backbone of the league and restricting their viewing of even the meaningless preseason is the type of decision that reeks of the Park Avenue arrogance quickly becoming emblematic of Roger Goodell’s tenure as commissioner.  
Successful preseasons are not determined on the field.  They are determined by morning after medical reports.  If you’re healthy, you win.  That’s it.  That’s the whole deal.  And the Bears are healthy this morning.
1-0.  

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Camp Audibles From the Long Snapper

| August 11th, 2010

Three days till the unofficial start of the 2010 Chicago Bears season and I can’t lie: I’m starting to buy the hype coming out of Bourbonnais.  A year ago I spent the summer trying to curb the enthusiasm of the fans, repeating my belief that the Bears would take until mid-season to find an offensive rhythm.  (They took until December instead).  I think the Bears are going to excite us against Detroit on the first week of the season.

Trading a Tight End?
Sean Jensen wonders if the Bears can afford to trade a tight end before the season starts and it is something worth wondering.  Is it even possible these days to keep four tight ends on an NFL roster?  Does the absence of a fullback on the roster free up the space to suit up Greg Olsen in a back/end/receiver hybrid position?  I’m a believer in never trading away players that can result in points.  I like the combination of Olsen, Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis and Brandon Manumaleuna a lot.

Major Wright a Starter?
If the reports are accurate and Major Wright has performed well in training camp, I have to imagine Lovie Smith will give him every opportunity in the preseason to earn a starting job opposite Chris Harris.  Wouldn’t you rather watch a rookie struggle to gain his footing in the league as opposed to seeing Danieal Manning throw away another shot at being a starting safety?  I would.  Danieal Manning’s season should consist of his brilliant kick returns and his every so often corner blitz on third and long.

Darrelle Revis
I think the Darrelle Revis holdout is a plot perpetrated by the New York Jets to make their appearance on HBO’s Hard Knocks more interesting.  I think Revis will be in green and white before the start of the third preseason game.  But if I’m wrong – and this Revis thing is serious – every GM in the league will be calling Mike Tannenbaum over the next few weeks.  Jerry Angelo better be one of them.

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Camp Thoughts From an Outsider

| August 5th, 2010

I’m basing the following impressions on smatterings of video, coach interviews, Tweets galore, first-hand accounts from friends and articles from everybody who has set foot in Bourbonnais.

  • The Bears seem completely settled at the tackle positions, with Frank Omiyale set to start on the right side.  This immediately becomes the spot to watch for the first couple preseason games.
  • Caleb Hanie has impressed people but the Bears have a long line of guys who’ve impressed in the summer. (Does Mike Hass have a professional catch yet?)  The back-up quarterback, especially the young ones, are given the bulk of the preseason to show they’re game-ready.  Caleb’s about to show us all.
  • From all reports, Cutler and the receivers have been sharp.  This is a far cry from last summer.  Most reports also state that Cutler’s been brilliant in the red zone.  If the Bears pull off that miracle, they’re going to the playoffs.
  • I’m hearing too much about Rashied Davis.  Just way too much.
  • I don’t hear anything about Mark Anderson, while Israel Idonije and Henry Melton are drawing praise for their speed and athleticism.  I still can’t comprehend letting Alex Brown walk out the door and I don’t imagine Mark Anderson will be able to sustain a starting position for very long.  Mark my words: the Bears will allow a big run off the left-edge and it’ll piss me off.

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Notes From Two Days

| August 1st, 2010

Chris Harris’ back injury will remain a minor injury as long as it doesn’t impact his playing the first preseason game against the San Diego Chargers.  There are two units on this club that must develop over the summer and build cohesiveness: the offensive line and secondary.  It seems Mike Tice has a handle on the line.  Chris Harris is the only professional safety on the roster.

I like it when players like Isaac Bruce come to a training camp to help the inexperienced and the Bears have a load of inexperience at the wide receiver position.  Bruce was never a speed guy, so Hester and Knox will need to learn from his professionalism (if nothing else).  But Devin Aromashodu should spend every waking moment with Bruce until he leaves town.

Rick Morrissey does a nice job (I’m shocked too) of calling “bullshit” on the Lovie’s attempt to revive the Monsters of the Midway moniker.  He’s got a great, completely typical Lovie quote:

“Most missed tackles during the year have to do with bad angles,” he
said. ”In pads or out of pads, you can coach tackling every snap.
Angles are everything in tackling. These guys are good enough to get the
other guy down.”

When I read these kinds of quotes, I wonder if he actually believes what he says or just likes making newspapers print his nonsense.

Keep an eye on Torry Holt, who is rumored to be the odd man out in New England.  If Mike Martz is unhappy with what he sees on the field over the next ten days, I fully expect Holt to receive a phone call.

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DaBlog and Training Camp

| July 29th, 2010

Since I won’t be in Bourbonnais this summer due to prior theatrical commitments, I’m going to let the site become a hub for the Twitter feeds of those who are actually there.  The guys we’ll be tracking are:

Brad Biggs, Vaughn McClure and David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune.
Sean Jensen and Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Jeff Dickerson and Michael Wright of ESPN Chicago.
Zach Zaidman of The Score.
Last summer these guys gave almost play-by-play updates and we’ll have them constantly updating on the home page.  That’s right, kids.  DaBearsBlog will be one-stop shopping for all your training camp information.  When something of note takes place, I’ll pop onto the front page and talk about it.  Until then, enjoy.

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Leading into Second Preseason Game

| July 28th, 2010

Putting the beats back on the top of the table for the next couple days. I’m out in northern California so I’ll have Bears v. Raiders on local television, barring the ridiculousness of NFL preseason blackouts.


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