If you’ve ever had bed bugs, you know why I’ve been one-and-done posting the last couple days.  Needless to say I’m looking forward to getting the Bears on the television set tomorrow night and watching the entire first half in slow motion. (Not kidding about this.  It’s the only way to evaluate linemen.)

Here are the players I’m watching…

Devin Hester
I know the roster battle between Aroma and Rideau is gaining the media attention but the most we can expect from either of these guys during the season is 25-30 catches.  Hester has become the big question mark on the offense and for the first time in his career he’s being routinely criticized in the media.  He needs a big fake game response and it’s imperative that Ron Turner and Jay Cutler do everything in their power to help provide one.  I’d like to see a few short, slanty-type routes to get some rhythm going.

Matt Toeaina
This is Big Toe’s Super Bowl.  With Dusty D’s truck broken down on Mike Brown Boulevard, Matt has a chance to solidify his position in the defensive tackle rotation for the duration of the 2009 season.  I hope Lovie doesn’t wait till the second half – against backups – to give the guy extensive playing time.

Nathan Vasher
With the fake games, it is all about steady improvement and no player improved more from the first fake game to the second fake game than Nathan Vasher.  He was far-from-lost in coverage and looked more confident as a tackler than I’ve seen him in years.  Kyle Orton doesn’t have the arm to really test the secondary down the field but he can be terrifically accurate underneath.  Tackling will be key for the corners…especially Vash. 
Frank Omiyale, Olin Kreutz, Roberto Garza
The middle of the offensive line struggled against the big defensive tackles of the Giants, outside of a few plays.  The Broncos defense is not good and I’m looking to see these three guys dominate inside and spring Matt Forte to some big runs on obvious running downs.  Omiyale may have been handed the job at left guard but with the improving Josh Beekman on the bench, the Bears will have a short leash.

Caleb Hanie
I really like what Luke McCown did the other night for the Bucs, specifically his ability to make plays with his legs.  Hanie can’t afford to miss open receivers all over the field and maintain his status as the backup quarterback.  For the confidence of both the player and the coaches, Caleb needs to show the consistency required to be successful and win games.

Brandon Marshall is not a grown-up…
…but I’d like him to be on the Chicago Bears.  Charlie, Romeo, Mangenius and now Joshy McD. How many more organizations/institutions must the disciples of Belichick destroy before someone realizes that they don’t belong in leadership positions?  When a new coach infuriates the two most talented players on his roster before ever coaching a game, perhaps a warning flag should be raised?  Marshall will be out of Denver in the near future and will make some team a hell of a lot better.  I’d prefer it be us.

Manning, Bowman Won’t Play?
Vaughn McClure reports in the Trib that Danieal Manning and Zack Bowman are unlikely to play this weekend against Denver.  This means that three quarters of our starting defensive backfield will see the field for the first time at Lambeau on September 13th (against the best passing offense we’ll see all season).  

Cutler to Hester

Both the Sun-Times and the Trib have columns this morning about the on-field relationship between Jay Cutler and Devin Hester.  Last year Hester had 51 catches for 665 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first full season at wide receiver.  Not bad, if you ask me, but nowhere near what a club expects from a “number one”.  More than numbers, Hester needs to be the player that opposing defenses game plan against.  He needs to be the player defensive coordinators fear.  His rapport with Cutler will come and when it does, the Bears will be one of the best offenses in football.

Favre On the Spot

I’m not surprised that Brett Favre’s arrival in Minnesota has created a schism in the locker room.  Players go through an exhausting series of spring OTAs and are dragged away from their families for training camp in an attempt to create a team unity.  Favre decided he wanted no role in those activities and was rewarded with the head coach chauffeuring him from the airport to the first day of post-camp practice.  Favre is set to play into the third quarter this weekend for the Vikes and he may have to do so without Bernard Berrian, still struggling with a hamstring injury.  If Favre struggles, expect the groans from the locker to only get louder.  This is not a developing roster.  This is a playoff team.  And I’m betting that most of them don’t view Favre with the same rose-colored glasses Brad Childress does.

I Don’t Care About Cutler Returning To Denver

Note to every writer in the Chicago and Denver sports media: nobody gives a shit about Cutler returning to Denver to play a fake game.  The only thing that is less a story is Kyle Orton facing the Bears.

I’m becoming a Caleb Hanie fan.  I’m certainly not there yet but it’s happening.  Saturday night, against the New York Giants, Hanie looked comfortable scrambling outside the pocket but lacked the accuracy needed to be a winning NFL quarterback.  His two misses of Kellen Davis on crossing patterns and an overthrow down the sideline to Jackass were a bit on the inexcusable side.  I’m not saying he won’t develop the necessary accuracy (I actually believe he will) but it’s not currently in the arsenal.

Now with reports of Luke McCown becoming available in Tampa Bay, Tyler Thigpen on the trading block in Kansas City and someone destined to be the odd man out in Minnesota, the Bears would be wise to use Sunday night’s game in Denver as a final dress rehearsal for Hanie as the backup quarterback.  If he produces, it’s a moot point.  If he struggles, make some calls.

I just don’t want to be one rolled-up-on knee away from a deer in the headlights.

Devin Aromashodu
I’ve been rooting for Aroma to make this club because he played for my all-time favorite college football team: the 2004 undefeated Auburn Tigers.  (That team also featured Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown, Jason Campbell, Kenny Irons and Carlos Rogers…and was not allowed to play for a national title.)  Aroma has become a near-lock to make the roster, developing a quick rapport with Jay Cutler and impressing the coaching staff.  Saturday night should be an opportunity for him to cement his role in the offense.

Rashied Davis
I don’t think I’ve ever read a stranger column than Mike Mulligan’s plea for Rashied Davis to make the Bears roster.  I understand Davis’ story is an inspirational one but to write such a column without mention of the player’s inability to hold onto footballs thrown directly into his hands reeks of  “I don’t wanna lose a locker room source”.  I also think the column is all-for-naught as I fully expect Rash to be on the roster.  To quote Ron Turner, ‘We have a real good feel for where he is and what he can do. We know him.” 

You know why I love this site and you guys?  Because yesterday we argued the merits of carrying either a second fullback (Jason Davis) or a fullback/tight end hybrid (Michael Gaines).  Let’s see what we can cook up today. Again, we’re assuming the Bears repeat the 25/25 breakdown of 2008.

DEFENSIVE LINE (Last year: 9)
This year: Tommie, Adams, Izzy, Harrison, Ogunleye, Brown, Anderson, Gilbert, Melton
Note: I know the consensus thought is the Bears will take Matt Toeaina after Dusty Dvoracek confirms that he’s not going to play this season.  I just have the feeling that Jerry and Lovie will have a hard time letting Henry Melton go.  Matt Toeaina spent time on the practice squad a year ago without being picked up by another franchise and I think the Bears will be willing to take that chance again.

LINEBACKER (Last year: 6) 
This year: Urlacher, Briggs, Tinoisamoa, Jamar, Hunter, Roach
Note: There’s very little drama at this position but a shitload of depth.  We haven’t heard from Nick Roach – due to a concussion – but most reports indicate he’ll be back on the field soon.  The player I loved watching Saturday night was Mike Rivera, a rookie from Mark Mangino’s Kansas program.  I’ll be rooting for him to finish the summer strong and hoping he lands on the practice squad.

SAFETY (Last year: 5)
This year: Payne, Manning, Afalava, Steltz, Bullocks
Note: I don’t like making this list without Mike Brown’s name.

CORNERBACK (Last year: 5)  
This year: Peanut, Bowman, Graham, Vasher, McBride
Note: You may remember these five names from last year’s 53 man roster.  Is that a good thing?  Only if we get the pass rush….. 

Final note on the second fake game.  Richmond McGee banged a nice kickoff to the goal line and dropped a punt inside the fifteen yard-line.  I know this is a personal dream of mine but I really hope the Bears keep this guy in the organization.  One man to backup both kicking spots is a nice comfort.

Last year, of the fifty-three men kept on the roster, twenty-five were offensive players.  Assuming the Bears stick with that breakdown, I’m projecting who is going to make this club.

QUARTERBACKS (Last year: 3)
This year: Jay Cutler, Caleb Hanie
Note: There is absolutely no reason for this club to carry Brett Basanez on anything other than the practice squad – with even that being wasteful.  Basanez saw only one series of action against the Giants and wasn’t allowed to throw on 4th and 8.

RUNNING BACKS (Last year: 4)
This year: Matt Forte, Kevin Jones, Garrett Wolfe, Adrian Peterson
Note: The only real change in this group from a year ago is the re-organization of their usage.  Forte-Jones is the definitive 1-2 and Wolfe has firmly established himself as a versatile third down back.  Peterson is a Lovie Smith favorite and should continue to contribute on special teams.

FULLBACKS (Last year: 1)
This year: Jason McKie, Jason Davis
Note: The Bears know they are not deep in the receiving corps and I think they’ll err on the side of bringing Davis onto the fifty-three to provide more power and the point of attack.  Davis also seems to be quite popular in the clubhouse and I think that’s starting to mean something at Halas Hall.
WIDE RECEIVERS (Last year: 6)
This year: Hester, Bennett, Rideau, Aromashodu, Davis, Knox
Note: When I actually sat to consider the position, I surprised myself.  I couldn’t make an argument against Rideau or D.A.  I couldn’t make an argument for Iglesias, outside of where he was drafted.  That left me with Rash Davis on the roster and Johnny Knox being selected for his ability in the return game. 

TIGHT ENDS (Last year: 3)
This year: Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis
Note:  I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that the Bears are stacked at my favorite position on the football field.  Outside of Jay Cutler, no player impressed me more Saturday night than Kellen Davis.  If Caleb Hanie had improved accuracy, Davis would have had a half dozen catches for close to a hundred yards.  Watch for this group to total somewhere in the 20 touchdown range this year.

OFFENSIVE LINE (Last year: 8)
This year: Kreutz, Beekman, Omiyale, Garza, Pace, Williams, Dan Buenning, Kevin Shaffer
Note: This thing that makes projecting the Bears’ linemen difficult is the versatility of players like Omiyale and Beekman.  Omiyale showed a ton when filling in for Jordan Gross at left tackle last year in Carolina and Beekman seems to have settled in as the primary backup at both guards and center.  If Pace were to go down, Chris Williams could slide to the left tackle and that’s why I chose Shaffer for the club.  If Kreutz were to get hurt, the Bears would need a guard on-the-ready.  I think it’s Buenning.  Lance Louis should be a player in the future but a practice squad-er this year.

Total players: 25

Brad Biggs is reporting
that Dusty Dvoracek will have season-ending (and Bears tenure-ending)
surgery.  Sad.  Dusty D was an easy player to root for because of his
seemingly endless motor.  This is a tough fucking sport and I feel
terrible when hard-working players like Dusty lose a year of their
professional life due to injury.  Losing four straight is borderline
unfathomable.

The Bears kept six defensive tackles a year ago and one thinks
they’d do the same this year. Tommie Harris, Anthony Adams, Jarron
Gilbert, Marcus Harrison and Israel Idonije will be five of them. This
would mean Matt Toeaina has the next three weeks to solidify his spot
on the final fifty-three.

With only one meaningful fake game remaining, I have five questions the Bears must answer before they suit up against the Packers on September 13th. (Side note: The Bears/Packers rivalry – though still wonderfully historic – has been infinitely diluted by Brett Favre’s signing in Minnesota.  We can hate them all we want but they have two division games circled on THEIR calendars.  The Bears ain’t involved.)

Question #1. Will Peanut Tillman and Zack Bowman be healthy enough to start on opening day?

Question #2. Is there enough gas in Tommie Harris’ tank for a return to his dominant, All-Pro form in the middle?

Question #3. Can Jay Cutler get on the same page with the Devin “Under Construction” Hester in just three weeks?

Question #4. Who will return kickoffs should Danieal Manning’s hamstring issues lead to a lack of burst come the start of the season?

Question #5. DA?  Brandon Rideau?  Rashied Davis?  Johnny Knox?  How many and who?

So I watched every snap from the starting units in slow motion this morning.  Why?  (1) I’m a football nerd.  (2) I don’t like other people telling me about linemen play.  Here’s my three responses to the both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.