Posts Tagged ‘Chicago Bears’

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Preview: Raiders vs. Bears the Top Three Questions for the Raiders

August 21st, 2010

The Oakland Raiders are undefeated thus far. Yes, I know it’s pre-season and they have only played one game. But damn it, it feels good to hear. Furthermore, when was the last time you heard it.

On Saturday, Darren McFadden will be non-existent—with a hamstring injury. And Darrius Heyward Bey is a question mark because of exhaustion.

McFadden, non-existent? Bey, a question mark? What’s new? In 2009, when they were healthy they were both non-existent question marks.

Against the Chicago Bears, these are the other question marks that will be answered.

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Posted in Breaking News, Jason Campbell, NFL, Tom Cable, oakland raiders

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Bears End Training Camp With Some Questions Left to Be Answered

August 20th, 2010

The Chicago Bears will officially break camp after a brief walk through Friday afternoon. The team will then travel to Chicago for their first home preseason game against the Raiders.

The Bears have been through one preseason game, and three weeks of camp. But there is still some uncertainty with this team.

Here's my views on how training camp went.

Is the offensive line good enough to protect Cutler?

The offensive line was something the Bears needed to address after last season's disaster. Have they fully addressed it yet? In my opinion, no.

The line played decent enough in their one series with Cutler against San Diego. But nothing too special and from what I've seen in camp there is still some positions up for grabs.

Chris Williams and Olin Kreutz seem to have their spots locked down. This is Williams first chance to prove himself for a full season. We all know Kreutz can play well, but can he do it for a full year?

Lance Louis has caught the coaches attention, and can grab a starting spot on the line. Louis played well against San Diego. A solid rest of the preseason, and Louis will be starting week one.

Position battles still going strong

When the Bears opened up camp in July, there were some positions up for grabs and some battles that would pick up steam as camp went on.

Nick Roach and Pisa Tinoisamoa have been battling for the last linebacker spot, and the position is still up for grabs.

Both players played significant time against San Diego, but the advantage seems to be going to Tinoisamoa.

Major Wright took a minor set back in his quest to become a starting safety for the Bears along side Chris Harris, when he injured his finger against the Chargers.

Injury bug hits Chicago

The Bears have seen their fair share of injuries in camp and preseason. Major Wright, Craig Steltz and Caleb Hanie were just a few of the players that got hurt last week.

Although none of them seem too severe, the Bears need the injury bug gone before week one.

The Bears brought in quarterback Matt Gutierrez to serve as a backup to Cutler in the preseason. Gutierrez likely wont stay on the Bears roster for long, just long enough until Hanie comes back from injury.

Can this core of receivers supply Jay Cutler with what he needs?

While the Bears don't have a superstar wide receiver, the core that they have seems to be working just fine. The question is, can they do it all season?

Throughout camp, Cutler has made it obvious that Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are his favorite targets. In almost every drill, Cutler targeted Knox and Hester more than any other receivers.

That doesn't meant the other receivers won't contribute.

Expect Devin Aromashodu to pick up where he left off last season, as a surprise play maker. He has speed, hands, and runs correct routes.

Earl Bennett had a productive year last year, and the Bears expect the same. A nice possession type receiver.

Mix in Greg Olsen, and Jay Cutler could have a steady surge of receivers this season.



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Posted in Chicago Bears, Football, NFC North, NFL, Opinion

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NFL Preseason 2010: An Early Look at the Detroit Lions Offense

August 20th, 2010

With the preseason now upon us it’s time to look at what the Detroit Lions roster might look like on the 12th of September when they take on the Chicago Bears.

With Martin Mayhew at the helm, it is difficult to accurately predict a final roster because of his willingness to make changes.  I expect that Mayhew will probably make a move or two before the start of the regular season.

The other factor that could alter the roster is if any player has an outstanding preseason.

Today the offense will be previewed, with the defense coming up on Friday.

I will separate the players’ chances of making the roster into three categories, safe, on the bubble, and no chance.  

Let the second guessing begin.

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Posted in Brandon Pettigrew, Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions, Football, Jahvid Best, Kevin Smith, Matthew Stafford, NFC North, NFL, Preview/Prediction

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Chicago Bears: Major Wright Injury Presents Major Problems

August 19th, 2010

The Bears' less-than-stellar secondary now faces the grim reality of playing two men down for the next few weeks.

Safeties Craig Steltz (ankle) and Major Wright (finger) have been sidelined with injuries suffered in the team's opening preseason game against the San Diego Chargers.

Wright, who impressed in the early going Saturday night in San Diego, had surgery Tuesday to repair the broken bone in his finger. His return date is questionable.

"I've liked what Major has done through training camp and tonight also," Coach Lovie Smith said. "We need to get him back on the field as soon as possible."

Wright, a third-round draft choice out of Florida, was in the mix to start at one of the safety positions.

Among the candidates were Steltz, Al Afalava, Danieal Manning, and Josh Bullocks.

Safety Chris Harris returned to the Bears this offseason, and seems destined to man one of the safety positions, most likely free safety.

As it looks now, the likely candidate to start at strong safety is Danieal Manning.

Manning has experience in Lovie Smith's cover-two defense and has played both safety positions in the past, but he was penciled in as the team's nickelback earlier in training camp.

If he indeed starts at safety, it will weaken the Bears' depth at cornerback, as the likely starters Charles Tillman and Zackary Bowman are already labeled with histories of injuries.

Tim Jennings, a free agent who played last season for the Indianapolis Colts, and Corey Graham would be the next men in line should Tillman or Bowman get injured.

The Bears' secondary is big on bodies, but not talent, and if Wright is unable to rehab in time for the team's September 12 opener against the Detroit Lions, he may miss significant action and time that could negatively affect his rookie season.

When the Bears drafted Wright, they hoped he could occupy the free safety position and team up with the veteran Harris to give the Bears some continuity in the defensive backfield (something that was sorely missed last season).

As Wright is sidelined and unlikely to play much more in the preseason, he'll be thrown into the fire against NFL offenses in the regular season without the opportunity to get his feet wet.

And that's a scary proposition for both Wright and the Bears' secondary.

If Manning and Harris start Week One for the Bears and perform well, then this will be a moot point, provided Bowman and Tillman can enjoy healthy campaigns.

If not, then it could be another topsy-turvy season in the Bears' secondary.

 

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Posted in Chicago Bears, Football, Major Wright, NFC North, NFL, Opinion, danieal manning

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Chicago Bears Training Camp News: Tuesday Update

August 18th, 2010

The Chicago Bears returned to the practice field after having Sunday off to rest and recover from the game Saturday night and some of the news coming out the game wasn’t that good or that bad. The following is a look at how the Bears training camp has gone since coming back from their game against the Chargers and how their injury situation looks following the game.

 

Game End Notes

There were a couple of interesting tidbits not really mentioned in some of the media outlets in regards to the game.

You might as well consider Greg Matthews a guy who will be on his way out of Chicago.  Matthews dropped several passes the other night and didn’t do much for the Bears.  Considering that there is a glut of talent at the position, the Bears could probably let him go and use his spot to bring in another quarterback or a safety.

Quarterback Jay Cutler had eight snaps during the game the other night but the coaching staff says that he will get many more in the games to follow. They wished to play it safe during their first “live” action of the season and not risk Cutler getting injured. He was sacked once however causing Bears fans to hold their collective breath but he popped back up and looked just fine. Can that happen to him 50 times a season and will he keep popping up like that? Let’s hope that we don’t have to find out.

 

Injury Update

The Bears suffered several injuries during their game on Saturday night and probably the two most noticeable injuries happened to quarterback Caleb Hanie and safety Major Wright.

Hanie suffered a shoulder injury after he was sacked and didn’t return to the game.  He had an MRI on the shoulder and the tests have come back negative. There is no indication how long he might be out at this time but he will be out of Saturday’s game for sure.

The Bears have been pretty quiet about the injury that Wright suffered to his finger. As far as it is known, he injured his index finger and will have surgery today to fix the finger. The coaching staff says that he will be ready to go for the regular season but may not play any additional snaps in the preseason.

Safety Craig Steltz injured his ankle on Saturday night and has been ruled out for the Bears preseason home opener against the Oakland Raiders this Saturday night.  

Tight end Brandon Manumaleuna practiced for the first time in a while after hurting his knee. The Bears will be glad to have him back as he will be a welcome addition to the offensive line as a blocker.   

Defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert sat out practice as did wide receiver Johnny Knox (hamstring) and linebackers Matt Mayberry (unknown illness) and Hunter Hillenmeyer (ankle).  

 

On Safari for a Quarterback

With Hanie out for an extended period of time, the Bears only have two quarterbacks available for the preseason (Jay Cutler and Dan LeFevour). They are currently in the market for another quarterback and have reached out to former St. Louis Rams quarterback Trent Green (who promptly said no) and journeymen quarterback Todd Collins who has turned the Bears down over money (around $150,000). What will the Bears do?

Something has to be done quickly because the Bears need that extra body in camp. Look for them to aggressively pursue a quarterback including free agents or they could trade a player or draft pick to grab one. They cannot go through the rest of the preseason with just Cutler and LeFevour at quarterback.

 

More Playing Time?

We didn’t get to see much of Cutler and defensive end Julius Peppers in the Bear’s first game but the coaching staff promises that we will see much more of them in the next two preseason games. It will be much easier to evaluate the team if the first string plays a little bit longer (than they did this past Saturday).

 

Back to Camping

The Bears held a practice on Monday and not much happened during the practice. A lot of the attention by both fans and media was drawn to seeing who would actually practice and who was sitting out or missing. Why? Because the Bears hadn’t given enough information as to who was hurt and what their condition was.  

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Posted in Caleb Hanie, Chicago Bears, Craig Steltz, Football, Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, NFC North, NFL, Preview/Prediction, hunter hillenmeyer

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