ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

Wow. Simply Wow. I couldn't believe it when the news trickled into the office yesterday. The Bears traded for Jay Cutler. It is official. We have completed our set of Vanderbilt commemorative glasses!  The 25 year old quarterback whose ego was bruised when Denver tried to trade for former Patriots backup Matt Cassel got what he wanted.

He got out of Denver.

Jerry Angelo has to be given credit this morning. Angelo put em on the table folks. He is all in. This move is his legacy in Chicago. With the transfer of 2 first round draft picks(this year and next year), Kyle Orton, and a 3rd rounder this year, Mr. Angelo has erased all of his previous draft picks. Rex Grossman is an afterthought. Dan Bazuin? Never heard of him. Every single one of the bust-outs or mild successes he has brought to the franchise are dwarfed with the Cutler deal. I'm going to applaud this move only on the basis that the Bears did something. Inactivity in this league eventually catches up with you. Go ask the Rams, Lions, or any of the other floundering franchises in the NFL. You can't stand Pat. Pun intended.

I still don't think Cutler is the next coming of Joe Montana. I'm skeptical. And you should be skeptical too. A healthy dose of skepticism can go a long way Bears fans. I understand Cutler's "great potential". I know he is 25 years old, coming off a ProBowl, and has a cannon for an arm. I get all of that. I'm also fully aware of how terribly he handled himself in regards to the business of the NFL. I'm not concerned if he can't handle the trade talk. I care if he can throw more touchdowns than interceptions. I care if he can do better than 17-20 in his NEXT 3 years.

Cutler comes to Chicago and is going to be welcomed by a decent tight end that we never throw to, a young running back who carried us last year, and his new best friend Orlando Pace. And that's it. It has been pointed out by a lot of sports writers in this town, Cutler will quickly realize that the cupboard is bare after that.  Where are Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall? Sorry Jay! You get Devin Hester who has yet to learn the playbook and your old buddy Earl Bennet. Reality hits you like the windchill in this town.

We have been searching for this elusive franchise quarterback as if it were the magic pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It has haunted this franchise for a generation. I've spend the better part of my young blogging career complaining about the horrible QB play. I'm kind of lost without that bit. If this deal works out, Jerry Angel has put me out of business. The cynical tone I've taken all these years has to evaporate like a fart in the wind. I won't be able to do the "I told you so" bit either. There is no point. All I wanted to see as a Bears fan was a committment to winning. The additions of 2, count them, 2 PROBOWLERS sent the message loud and clear.

Wow. Simply Wow.

Jerry Angelo was right when he slipped up after the season ended:

"It starts with the quarterback. It's all about the quarterback," Angelo said. "You don't win because of wide receivers. You don't win because of running backs. You win because of the quarterback. We've got to get the quarterback position stabilized."

I couldn't agree more. I just didn't know you had it in you Jer.

BEAR DOWN

I started this site years ago to capture the water cooler talk me and the guys were having at the office. This is a common story. I'd bet my $10 NCAA tourney challenge fee that most of the independent sports blogs were started for the same reason. I'll give you 3 guesses as to what the most common topic has been. If you said Bears quarterbacks, you'd be dead right. This post is no different.

The news out of Denver that rookie head coach Josh McDaniels was unable to mend fences with quarterback Jay Cutler is music to a lot of people's ears in Chicago. Everyone is all over this story. Opinions on whether or not Jay Cutler should be a Bear, is skewing 50/50 in my opinion. Let's take SunTimes writer Neil Hayes for example. (go read it, I'll wait) He's got us trading anything and everything to Denver to get Cutler. Urlacher, 2 picks this year, 2 picks next year, Forte, Orton, and deep dish pizzas. Send it all! Do whatever it takes! I have to admit, that a few days ago I was saying pretty much the same thing. I was willing to give Denver anything but Forte and Olsen. You have to have something to work with if you're Cutler, right? But the more I think about this move, the more I'm thinking we stick with Orton. MJ has already listed all the things this team needs, and I agree with him Quarterback isn't one of them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Orton is the answer. But he most certainly isn't the problem.

It basically boils down to wins for me. Wojo said it best on ESPN.com

Why call Denver and ask about Cutler? Because the Broncos haven't reached the playoffs since the 2005 season. Because Cutler's record as a starter is 17-20.

Yea, he's from Indiana. Sure, he's a Bears fan. But wasn't Sexy Rexy from Indiana too? Wasn't he a Bears fan? (actually I think it was the Colts, but you get the picture) What exactly does this guy bring to the table? Potential. A quantifiable amount of potential because he's been in the league for 4 years and gone to a Pro-Bowl. At least that is what everyone is thinking. Drafting a QB this year is going to be a huge crap shoot. Hell, it's always a crap shoot. We should know, we've cornered the market in drafting bust outs.

Jerry Angelo and the Bears should give up trying to draft a quarterback. At least with the intent of landing that guy who works under center for 15 years. It ain't going to happen. Besides, with the fiscally challenged (or responsible) Bears organization, we'd rather land a diamond in the rough like Tom Brady on the second day of the draft. It would be cheaper and there would be less pressure. Who wants to spend all that money on an unproven quarterback? They can't bring anything of value to the table except for POTENTIAL.

Free Agency or a blockbuster trade are our best chances at getting that elusive franchise quarterback in Chicago. The problem is I don't think it's Cutler. The "wise" Mel Kiper has called Cutler overrated. He believes he has delusions of grandeur. Kiper went so far as to compare Cutler to Jeff George. Uh-oh. I want nothing to do with that! But Kiper is going too far in my opinion. While Hayes is willing to give up everything to get Cutler in a Bears uniform, Kiper is asking for his money back. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. 

I'm running out of steam tonight. More on the Cutler Saga tomorrow. Let's just hope he doesn't end up in Green Bay or Minnesota while we're all sleeping. Especially since Jerry Angelo has been sleeping in this offseason.

Bear Down!

I think I may have forgotten how to write. It's been a terribly long time since I have written on this blog and as a result I am sure I have lost both of my loyal readers. That's the bad news. The good news is that while I was off on my sabatical from writing about Chicago Sports I finished another semester towards my Masters and the wife and I had a kid. So, that's my excuse. What's yours?

There has been a lot of news lately surrounding the various Chicago sports teams. First, you've got the Bulls. They're fighting for a spot in the NBA playoffs. I still don't care. Don't get me wrong, I love Derrick Rose. I just can't get into NBA basketball. Call me a fair-weather fan if you must, but I just can't sit and watch this team for 4 quarters. I will say that I love how the Chairman makes trades to bring back guys who used to play for the Bulls. Second tours of duty are common for the White Sox, and now, common for the Bulls too. Welcome back Brad Miller. What's next, bring back Ron Artest? He was a Bull once right?

We've also got the mighty Blackhawks doing well this year. (ok, maybe not as of late. They've won only one 1 game in their last 5) They're doing well enough that I may have to reach out and get a Hawks writer to help cover them. I love hockey, and I love the Blackhawks, but we all know that I'm an inconsistent contributer to this site as of late. The Blackhawks, in my opinion are the second most likely team in this city to win a championship within the next 3-5 years. Which leads me to the Cubs!

Aaahhh yes. The Cubbies! What fun does this team have in store for us in 2009? I'm not sure what the hell is going on with the Northsiders except for the minor grumblings I hear out of MJ every-so-often. The bottom line with the Cubs is that they should run away with the division this year. Watch me go out on a limb here: If they stay healthy and their pitching is solid, they can't be stopped in the NL Central. Anything after that is just gravy on a biscuit.

I'm going to reserve any judgement on the White Sox as I am still trying to collect my thoughts from the few spring training games I have seen these past 2 weeks. I'll get you a pre-season White Sox post SOON. And I don't mean in April. There is a ton to talk about with the Sox. We don't have Crede at third any more, Bartolo Colon is back(second tour of White Sox duty, thanks Chairman Reinsdorf!), Jose Contreras pitched today and looked pretty damn good, Chris Getz, the kid we drafted from Georgia, Owens, Anderson, JD is still on the team, Thome has back problems, will the rotation be solid again, and on and on and on...

You get the picture. I'll wrap this return up by saying that the NFL draft is coming in a month and the Bears are hopelessly trying to figure out how not to spend more than $500k at a time for any given player. You have to love the moves we've made this offseason. MJ has the breakdown here.

Finally, today was Selection Sunday, and it came and went without an appearance from my beloved Ramblers. I'm wondering if I'm going to be alive long enough to see Loyola ever go dancing. It's going to take a miracle, but thankfully, the NCAA continues to support conference championships. They're our only hope of getting into the tourney. Loyola will never have an RPI high enough to get into the dance. Their RPI this year was a stout 222. Winning 3 or 4 games in a row during a conference championship is clearly the only way little Loyola gets invited to the dance. Here's to hoping for that last miracle. And that's all I have for you tonight!

Come back this week kids, and tell your friends. It's going to get interesting.

I've never been a big fan of Thursday night football. It grinds my gears. I'm a traditionalist. I like my Bowl games on New Years Day, and I like my NFL football on Sundays. I let Monday Night Football slide because, well, Monday's suck and ESPN is right about this one fact.MNF makes the horrible pot of stink-stink otherwise known as your 9 to 5  disapear witha 7:15 kick off. Thursdays are just wrong. It causes people across the country nothing but stress. Who amongst us hasn't forgotten about the Thursday night game and what it means to our confidence pools or our fantasy team? I know most sites send nag emails to remind us, but this just isn't good enough for me. There are only two Thursday NFL games that I can ever remember in my pea sized brain. Turkey Day and any Thursday the Bears are playing.

So the Saints come marching into frigid Soldier Field this Thursday, in what I describe as a must win game for the Bears. It's crunch time kids, and the Bears are most likely going to miss the playoffs if they don't win this game. I know that with Minnesota's 4th quarter push past the woeful Lions last week the job gets tougher for the Bears. A lot of people are saying we have to win out to actually make the playoffs. MJ subscribes to this line of thought, but Not So Fast My Friends. I'm going with the old coaching stand by - one game at a time. Let's beat the Saints. We'll start with figuring out who the Saints are.

They have a record of 7-6. They rank 3rd in points scored, 1st in pass yards, and 27th in rushing yards. I'll give you 3 guesses what the Saints game plan is going to be on Thursday. Drew Brees comes to Chicago with a gaudy number of touchdowns thrown (26). The Bears secondary is going to be tested early and often by the QB out of Purdue. Speaking of Purdue QBs (yes, this is the battle of Boilermakers) our very own Kyle Orton has nothing to worry about with the Saints defense.

The Saints D is 24th in points allowed, 21st in total yards, 26th against the pass, and 20th against the run. This should translate to a great game for both Orton and New Orleans native Matt Forte. I'm looking for Forte to break 120 yards against the Saints defense. This is going to be a big game for the young man, and if my guess is right it will get him another few points on the road to finishing in second place for the rookie of the year award. Sorry Matt, but I think Matt Ryan from the ATL is a lock for the rookie honor. But who cares about individual accolades, right? We're hoping for a win.

The Bears defense is going to have a very tough time with the Saints. Corey Graham is going to be tested often and I wouldn't be surprised if this is the game we lose Mike Brown. I hate to jinx it for you Mr. Brown, but you are like that old carton of milk in the fridge. Way past your expiration. I anticipate a long winter of hot baths and Ben-Gay for Mike Brown after this game. I don't know why, but I just have a bad feeling. The feeling gets stronger each time I see who goes on IR. (Dusty Dvoracek is the latest addition to the "I have an ouchy" list)

And just think, December just started!

I'm not too confident that the defense can get any pressure on Brees, and as a result I'm picking against the Bears at home. The Saints take this shoot out, but the Bears will have to come on strong to make it look interesting in the end: Saints 32 Bears 21. I hope I'm wrong, but there ya go.

BEAR DOWN

I'm anxiously awaiting the biggest Bears game of the year tonight. The Bears are visiting the Vikings tonight in an NFC showdown! How exciting. Well, at least on the surface. The Bears are trying to win a game on the road, in the garbage bag, to distance themselves from the Packers and the Vikings. This is a big game because if we do get the win, then I'm pretty sure we're going to win the division. The Packers have already lost to the Panthers today and a win over the Vikings would leave the division looking like so:

1. Bears (7-5, 6-4 division)
2. Vikings (6-6, 4-4 division)
3. Packers (5-7, 4-5 division)
4. Lions (0-12, 0 for the rest of my life)

Not bad. Is it an unlikely leap of faith on my part to predict that the Bears would win this division if they win tonight? Sure, but I don't see how a win in Minnesota tonight doesn't build some tremendous momentum for the Bears. I didn't expect the Bears to win more than 5 games, but a win tonight puts them in the driver's seat for the division. Now, we're going to be the weakest division winner in the NFC, but it doesn't matter. Kyle Orton, and Matt Forte have done a tremendous job getting this team back on track. If the defense can rise to the challenge that is Adrian Peterson, we're going to be even better situated for the remainder of the season.

And that's the key. The defense. The non-existent defense. The defense that showed up and actually stopped the run against the Titans will have to make the trip to Minnesota tonight if we are to win this division. The injuries are going to start pilling up on us too. Nate Vasher is out for the rest of the season.  Corey Graham is going to start in his place. Is this a drop off in skill and talent? You bet. But in the end, I don't think it matters. I think the defense has been playing soft all year long. It won't matter that Graham is starting instead of Vasher. How could it when our corners are being asked to give receivers a 7 yard head start? You watch. Regardless of the cover 2, you won't see any bump and run. No catch and release. Nope. You will guys back off the ball, and thus the receiver. You'll probably also see Mike Brown being sent on an occasional blitz too, but at entirely the WRONG times.

The only hope I have for this game is going to come in the form of a Devin Hester kick return. He is long overdue, and considering we probably won't see much of an air game (Forte v Peterson), this will be the only real excitement in this game. It will be a close one, but I'm going to take the Bears on the road to beat the Vikings tonight:

Bears 17 - Vikings 10. 

Bear Down

Trying something new here kids. Not so new over at the Bears website though. Some half time reporting for you. I'm writing this as Brian Urlacher FINALLY makes a play and intercepts Rodgers. Too bad the Bears defense couldn't do anything with it. Another 3 and out.

So far the story of this game is the Bears defense. We can't stop the run. This is a surprise to everyone as the Bears defense did a number on Chris Johnson and the Titans last week. With 4 minutes remaining, the Bears defense has already given up more yards on the ground to the Packers than last weeks entire game!  It's over 80 yards on the ground. If the Packers continue to run so effectively against us, we're going to be in trouble. They have gobbled up time of possession in this first half. We're only down 7-3 but with 3 minutes or so left they are driving on us. It's 3rd down and 4. This is a big 3rd down. We could get the ball back before the 2 minute warning. But then the Tampa-2 lets us down as Rodgers finds a wide open James Jones for the first down. The Packers are still driving...

Offensively, just like games in the past, Matt Forte is the only bright spot. Orton is still hobbling around and clearly isn't 100%. In fact, we almost lost him on the first drive when one of the Packers defenders stumbled into his shin. A handful of his throws have been off the mark this afternoon which leads me to openly question if it was a wise move to have him start this game. I know I don't like Grossman, but losing Orton for longer than a few weeks would be devastating.

So to summarize, the Bears defense can't stop the run. Either the schemes have been totally wrong, or the fact we are missing tackles are the causes. No sooner do I type that..the Packers actually score. On the ground. Ryan Grant. He made it look easy. Time to see what Babich and Lovie Smith can do during the half to get this game under control. 

There isn't much to say about the Bear's 21-14 loss to the undefeated Titans. It was your typical cold day in Chicago. Some people lend themselves to hyperbole and call it "Bear weather". It came complete with the mid-game cheer for the year's first flurries. That's a requirement in this town. No matter how far the league moves away from Bear football, we Chicagoans hold onto it as if we were a baby with a blankie. Snow means we win. Right? I mean, we still play outdoors and on real grass! That's got to count for something. Nevermind that our backup quarterback, Rex Grossman got the start instead of our most recent beloved savior, Kyle Orton. Let's forget the fact that Orton had an opportunity to play in this game if his pre-game workout passed his own scrutiny. To no one's surprise, it didn't.

Kyle is a lot smarter than he looks. Why would he risk further injuring his ankle against a Titans defense that ranks 5th in total defense? I understand his logic. What I don't understand is how Rex Grossman hasn't gotten any better sitting on the bench. You'd think that the time away from the pressures of being the starting quarterback would have him working hard on his fundamentals. The fact is, Grossman hasn't improved at all. He still throws off his back foot, throws into double coverage, and has the worst pocket pressence of any quarterback I've seen since Moses Moreno. That's right, I named dropped Moreno. Don't act surprised. You all know we have a HUGE list of incompetants to compare Rex against. To be honest, no one really remembers Moreno except for Bear's savants like MJ. This game could be a win if Rex Grossman wasn't playing. I stand by my assesment. Rex had a bad game. He missed a lot of open receivers. The most painful inaccurate throw had to be the one to Devin Hester. Hester was cutting across mid-field on a slant and Grossman missed him by a good couple of feet. How do you overthrow the fastest guy on the field? Do you blame that on rust? I don't. I blame it on Grossman being Grossman.

There isn't anything surprising about Rex's performance. I don't believe in good-Rex and bad-Rex anymore. It's just Rex. He is a decent backup quarterback, but if you want to get the win, you have to find ways to hide his deficiencies. That job is left to Ron Turner. Turner had to be wondering how much longer he could continue to avoid giving every play to Matt Forte on Sunday. The only positive yards I saw for the Bears came from the young back out of Tulane. He is a great all-purpose threat and I'm curious as to why we didn't give the ball to Forte on a number of our possesions in the 4th quarter.

The defense is another matter all together in this match up. I'm not happy with the defense. I understand that we only gave up 21 points, but our defense has to get it together. I did not hear Urlacher's name mentioned even once on the telecast. I take it back, he did shoot the gap on an all out blitz which ended up with Mike Brown getting a sack. The secondary was piss-poor again. (go ahead, argue with me) Kerry Collins threw for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns. With all due respect, the Titans were known for their run game. Specifically, the Titans are known for the great Chris Johnson who has been tearing the league apart. Credit should go to our defense for stuffing him all game long. Johnson finished with 8 yards on 14 attempts. But I'm greedy. I didn't see enough pressure on Collins. Wouldn't you think the defense would blitz a little bit more to keep the pressure up on Collins. Maybe we should have been "hurrying" him a bit more to get a turnover or two?

 The bottom line on this one is that the Bears probably could have avoided the 8 straight posessions of straight punts if Orton would have played. But that is why the play the game right?

I'm running out of steam on this one. I've got a ton of points I still need to get down on paper, but for tonight...that's all. BEAR DOWN.

If the NFL was cool - they would allow me to just embed their video's into this post.

But since they continue to be uptight about their content, I give you the links to the Bears/Titans game highlights here.

That's right. A close shoot out. How else would you explain the Bears 48-41 victory today over the Vikings? I haven't had this much fun watching a Bears game in years. Unlike MJ I wasn't having flashbacks of the 1995 Wanny/Turner Bears. That could be because I can't remember yesterday, let alone a Bears season over 10 years ago. This team doesn't remind me at all of that 1995 offensive juggernaut. For starters, I think Orton is better than Erik Kramer ever was, and our defense isn't as bad this year. Then again, I'd have to check the stats. Huh. I guess the 95 Bears defense finished 19th at the end of that season. This year's team is sitting at 16th in total defense. Maybe MJ is on to something...

Don't get me wrong, the 2008 Bears defense stinks like French cheese. There is nothing special about our D this year. We gave up over 40 points today to the Gus Ferotte led Vikings. That is nothing to be proud of. We should ask Ferotte which Bears defense is better, the one he saw back in his Redskins days or the Brian Urlacher led team that makes Adrian Peterson look like he should be wearing the #34. I swear AP gets another endorsement deal every time he plays the Bears. He's great. No doubt. But you get the feeling his hall of fame tape is going to consist of nothing but Bears highlights. AP had 22 carries for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. His longest run was for 54 yards in which he proceeded to make Mike Brown look like a fool. Other than that, we kept him in check.

It goes without saying that the Cover-2 defense doesn't seem to work when you can't rush the quarterback. I guess I shouldn't get greedy. The Bears did sack Ferotte twice. That's 2 more sacks than we have seen in the previous 2 games. It concerns me a great deal that we can't get to the quarterback more often. Is it because Babich isn't being as aggressive as he was last year with his play calling? Is it because Tommie Harris has mental problems? Maybe we need to send Urlacher after the quarterback every so often to keep quarterbacks honest? I'm not sure what the solution is, but I do know that I was getting nervous watching the Vikings stampede down the field with 4 minutes left in this game. The only bright spot I saw on defense, scratch that, the only consistent play I saw today came from Alex Brown. He was terrific today.

I shouldn't complain about the defense too much. They did end up with 4 picks thanks to Corey Graham and Trumaine McBride. Both were filling in for Peanut and Vasher. I was worried that former Bear Bernard Berrian, who I am on record as saying was not worth all that cash, would pound us. He had 81 yards and a touchdown. His replacement, the much older and cheaper Marty Booker had 79 yards on 3 catches and a touchdown. He should have had 3 touchdowns, but he is an old dude and his hands aren't as good as we remember them being. He dropped 2 DARTS from Kyle Orton today. I'm going to cut Marty a break tonight because after he made his first catch, which wasn't in the end zone, he looked around astonished. It seemed as if he was saying, "Thank God. I finally caught a pass". I appreciate the frustration and more specifically, the acknowledgment of his struggles. Booker is all class and I'm happy to report he tore up the Vikings secondary on his touchdown pass. It was a brilliant maneuver that split the safety and got him out in the open. It was like watching the 25 year old version of Marty Booker burn right down the field for a score. 

This was a good win. There were some down moments that I'll cover in depth tomorrow (yes, I will be back tomorrow. I've got my shit together again) like Matt Forte's lack of carries, the inability of Ron Turner to find his tight ends, and why we always sit on 3 point leads. But for now, I'm like that fat dude at McDonalds who just realized that apple pies are 2 for $1 - elated!

BEAR DOWN

Time to shake the rust off kids! It's football time. There is going to be a lot to talk about and analyze this season and I'm going to start with the pre-season questions I need answered before I will be comfortable with this team. None of this should be new to any of you, but you can consider this as an airing of grievances.

1.  Can Kyle Orton carry the offense? I don't see how else to put this, but we have some problems on offense. There is no question that the offensive line is going to suck. The receivers are anything but spectacular, and the running game is left to Kevin Jones, a former Lions running back who was cut because of knee issues and a 2nd round pick out of Tulane. If we are going to be successful on offense, it starts with the cliche, the quarterback. We need an EPIC performance from Orton. Not only because I've been waiting my entire life to see a competent quarterback in a Bears uniform (my apologies to Hardbaugh and McMahon) but there are no other options. We need a quarterback that has the ability to overcome the pass rush of an opposing team's defense just as much as the inept play calling. Ron Turner is not your friend Kyle. Listen to the play he calls, and then call your own play when you know it will just end in a 2 yard gain when we need 7. This is a lot to ask of a quarterback. It isn't realistic to expect Orton to do what quarterbacks like Brett Favre have done recently - win with no help. Shit, win with true obsticles! Nope, I don't think Kyle has that special quality to overcome the ineptness of his organization.But like Lovie says, Kyle is our quarterback. That will have to do.
2. Is the defense as bad as it looked in the preseason? Only time will tell, but it doesn't look good. First, the face of the franchise held us hostage for more money AFTER he had neck surgery in the offseason. We gave it to him because not only does Urlacher play his balls off, but we don't really have that much stability on defense. Who would have taken his spot? I didn't see the Bears draft a middle linebacker this year. Regardless of the team politics, the linebackers are probably the healthiest and best part of our defense. Hillenmeyer, Urlacher, and Briggs are great together. Hillenmeyer is underappreciated in the group, but he does a solid job on the outside. Briggs is our best linebacker. I base this simply on the number of plays he makes, his health, and his his age. Besides, Urlacher plays so damn hard he has to be wearing down. No one can keep up the pace he has been on. The back problems were an early indication of this. Now he has a neck issue. Briggs has to prove that the big money he got was warranted. The defensive line is still anchored by Tommie Harris. Harris is an amazing talent, but he has to stay healthy for the defense to be relevant. That initial push up the middle has to come from Tommie Harris. The game planning people make for the Bears includes heavy double teams for Tommie Harris. Off the edge we have Ogunleye, and opposite him the forgotten Alex Brown. Brown has solidified his position as a starter, reclaiming the job from Marc Anderson who proved to be a freak 2 seasons ago with all those sacks. The more I look at the line, the more my confidence increases that what we saw this preseason wasn't the real D. Then again, remember what Frank Gore did against the first team. It wasn't pretty.
3. Can Matt Forte be a difference maker? I vote yes. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, and he seems to always be falling foward. He actually gains yards on the ground! This is important for a Bears team that cut the ineffective Cedric Benson in the offseason. Benson had a lot of problems off the field, but even bigger problems on it. He just wasn't that good. I don't know if it was the play calling or his motivation or both. If it was the play calling, then Matt Forte is going to look just as bad. I guess the reason why I think it won't matter is because he has the ability to be creative, regardless of the horrible calls. This is something Cedric Benson was never able to pull off. I'm expecting big things from Forte, and like the defense back in Orton's rookie season, I think Forte is going to be real reason we win games.
4. Will Ron Turner finally figure out how to run an offense? No. Next question.

Summer vacation is over. I am back and full of stories from Bourbonnais, IL. I drove down to Bears training camp this morning with my lovely wife. I was giddy. This was my first trip down to training camp. I didn't know what to expect. The first thing that had me worried was the drive. Summertime in Chicago means construction time. This year is no exception, but I have to say I was surprised to see that the trip only took one and half hours from the north burbs. I can't say enough about how easy it is to get down there, and from the size of the crowds today, I am preaching to the choir. (Just go, take the kids and have a good time)

There are a lot of questions about the Bears this season. I came to camp prepared with a cooler filled with G2, some fresh rope sausage from St. Louis, and a camera. I couldn't get answers to every question on my list , but here are my notes:

• What are we doing with the quarterback position?

Suffering. That's what. I sat around and watched all four quarterbacks practice and do drills. Orton, Grossman, Hanie and Nick Hill (from SIU) all took some practice snaps. I saw them throw a few deep balls and a ton of quick outs. Surprised? I didn't think so. Orton and Grossman aren't that different. I saw each of them miss the mark a few times in various drills. I even saw one broken play before the ball even snapped. That was when Grossman was under center. I'm guessing from the heckling in the crowd, Grossman must have fumbled the snap. He fumbles the snap even in practice. With no rush. What a freaking joke. I got close enough to get some good pictures. Check them out here.

• Who looked good? 
  

Believe it or not, Nick Hill looked good. I saw him taking some throws early in the afternoon and he did well. He seems pretty big (listed at 6'3) and he had some nice zip on the ball. He did miss one of the tight ends on a curl pattern, but over all I think he impressed me the most. That is to say, I didn't notice the other QBs, unless they made a mistake. I think Hill might have a chance to make the team, but let's see what he does in game this preseason.

• Ok, cut the crap. How was Hester? 

Hester was Hester. He was running around as if he was a newly minted millionaire...wait, he IS a newly minted millionaire. This was Hester's first real practice, with a contract and a magically healed, contract-itis caused, hamstring. If this guy had a leg problem, I'm M. Olympia. He was unbelievably fast. I saw him return kicks and it was amazing, even without hitting, how he was able to weave his way forward for 50-60 yards. This guy is the only bright spot on offense. He took some reps as a wideout too. He ran some decent routes and made an especially amazing catch while falling backwards on a tight in-pattern. It was the highlight of the day. The bottom line is that Hester is healthy, fast, and seems to be ready to put the work in to become a great wide receiver. Now all we need is a quarterback, left tackle, and a run game.

•  So, is there a run game?

I'm not sure. I didn't get a chance to see the running backs do much of anything. There was a drill they were doing on the side of one field that wasn't especially fun to watch. They basically went after a tackling dummy. Now that I think about it, it was a "chip" drill. This is probably something they expect rookie running back Matt Forte to handle since the line is weak on the backside. That just reeks of wins doesn't it? Speaking of Forte, I didn't get a chance to see him run. This pissed me off to no end because I am high on Forte and would have loved to see him tear into our defense. But, I can tell you he is bigger than you think.

Ok kids, I gotta head to work. Part II of this write up will hit the wire later tonight. We'll talk about the facilities and the other side of the ball - the defense.

BEAR DOWN!

The Bears are done hibernating. Finally. The Halas Hall braintrust has actually signed a veteran running back to support rookie Matt Forte in the backfield. Kevin Jones signed a 1 year contract for a little over $600k. This is a great move, if I do say so myself. I had to look up the contract details on ESPN, here. The [Bears] website never has contract details (I've pointed this out in the past). So let's get to it. Why am I so high on Kevin Jones? Is it because I miss a different running back named Jones?! (Thomas) Nope, that isn't it. It's simply because this is a no lose deal for the Bears. It is pure upside. What is the worst thing that happens? Jones isn't fully healed from his recent injury problems? That is what cost him his job in Detroit. If he isn't healthy, we wasted $600k and are left with Forte anyway.

The bottom line is that Matt Forte isn't going to be able to carry the entire load for us this season. The coaching staff wasn't planning on starting Forte this year. The running back out of Tulane was supposed to be the spark that the now departed Cedric Benson needed to do his job. Thomas Jones was that spark a few years ago, and it isn't far fetched to believe that Forte would have pushed Benson to a level of play we haven't seen from the laggard. But Benson is now gone, and the Bears needed depth at the position that defines the franchise. Going into training camp with Peterson, Wolfe, and Forte would have been irresponsible.

Kevin Jones comes to Chicago and plans to prove to the league that he is healthy. He gets the chance to stick it to his old team twice this season. If he is healthy, he may get that chance every year. He is excited to be a Bear, and he has worked hard to get himself back into shape. Unlike Benson I get the feeling that Jones just loves playing football. We're not going to win the division because of this move. Then again, if another disgruntled NFC North player wants to get revenge on his old team, Chicago is more than willing to help.

Go BEARS!

More news tonight. But here it is. Cedric Benson has been cut! Read it here.

Well at least he is getting better at taking mug shots! Cedric Benson was arrested early Saturday Morning in Austin Texas. This is the second time in 5 weeks that Ced has seen the inside of a prison cell.  What is wrong with this guy? Besides the fact that he can't run the football, he also can't seem to follow instructions. I believe it was Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo that gave Ced the benefit of the doubt on his first arrest for boating while intoxicated. I'm sure they sat him down and told him the same things they told Tank Johnson. Keep your head low kid. Stay out of trouble. Easy, right? Wrong.

The timing of this arrest couldn't have been worse. The Bears had just kicked off their fan convention on Saturday. Can you imagine what Jerry Angelo was thinking when he got the news? I bet he has every one of these articles that said he was picking on Benson too much for the BWI printed and framed. "Eat that media!" That's what I bet he was thinking. I told you so is probably another winning quote just waiting to be said. I was in the car when the first interview hit the airwaves. Angelo wasn't happy. He wasn't pulling his punches and you could just imagine the irate look on his face. I'm sure he had his people draw up the termination paperwork right then and there.

I'm not 100% sure this is a good move. I'm not sure what the Bears can do. We are caught between a rock and a hard place. I like Forte, but does anyone believe he can carry the full load of an NFL season in his rookie year? The free-agent running backs are starting to look good to me. They include former Lions back, Kevin Jones, Shaun Alexander, and Travis Henry. I'll break down each of these guys, hopefully before we sign one of them. My early pick would be Jones. He wants it more than anyone else. He's been working on that rehab this off season and I think he can eat up some downs and help balance things out for our struggling offense.

I tried to find a clip of his most recent arrest and this is all I could come up with:

Cedric Benson arrested for DUI

What kind of blogger would I be if I didn't end the night with a quick few words on our starting running back, Cedric Benson. You see, Ced was out getting his drink on this weekend in Austin, Texas. This dude is living large on a 37 foot yacht. That's not a boat mofo! That's a YACHT.

You'd think that Cedric would be in the gym working on getting ready for the fight of his life after the Bears drafted Matt Forte in the second round of this year's draft. If that wasn't enough, Jerry Angelo might actually be giving up on Benson. His comments after drafting Forte were not favorable to Benson and his role on this coming Bears team. But for now, let's focus on how Cedric is disputing the charges. Is it really that far fetched that a couple of cops in Austin were over zealous in their handling of Benson? MJ and I were talking about it and he brought up a good point. The cops don't know Benson as well as we do in Chicago. He speaks slow, but it ain't because he is high or drunk. That's just Cedric. Never in a hurry. What's that you say? His eyes aren't open all the way? Well, that explains a lot. No wonder he can't hit the hole. He can't see it. I mean come on! You really think that Cedric was operating his 37ft yacht while drunk?

Actually, yes. I do. I'm going to put it to you like this. I've never been on a boat in Texas, but I'm sure there is a difference between being a drunk white guy on a boat and a drunk black guy who is ripped, inked, and shouting at you behind the wheel of a yacht. I'm just saying! Hell, I'll take it even further. Texas has strict laws about BWI because there are a lot of unfortunate accidents that happen on the water down there. My opinion of most people who enjoy boating is that they also enjoy drinking. Boating and drinking go hand in hand. Don't believe me? Go up to Fox Lake. The only thing that out paces the mullet count in Illinois' waterways is the number of PBR cans in that cooler by your feet.

The bottom line is that this isn't going to be great news for Benson. He might be telling the truth. He may not have had to be sprayed in the face with pepper spray. He may have passed the 2 sobriety tests on the boat. He also may have been singled out because of who he was. In either case, the Bears have some serious soul searching to do, and they better do it before the NFL's new sheriff does it for them.

I hope I don't have to print "Free Cedric Benson" T-shirts in a few weeks.

Bear Down. (on an AA meeting)

Negligent is a strong word.

There was an article floating around from Peter King today that graded the Bears draft this past weekend. It pretty much summarized my angst towards this organization. Here is a snippet:

The three teams I didn't like:

1. Chicago. The Bears had 12 draft choices this year. No quarterback picked. Chicago had nine draft choices in 2007. No quarterback picked. Chicago had seven draft choices in 2006. Three years with a quarterback need, 28 draft choices, and never a passer picked. This isn't odd. It's negligent.

After watching a championship slip out of our hands, we Bears fans will have to endure another season of futility at all the key positions on offense. (Benson is still the started) Thanks to this draft, we could be in for a terrible ride.

Conventional wisdom says that a tackle, and the offensive line in general, are the basis for a good offense. I'm not disputing that. What I am pissed about is the fact that Jerry Angelo has yet to admit that he doesn't know how to draft a quarterback. He has yet to admit that it is the most important position on the field. He hasn't drafted a quarterback in the last 3 drafts. That's pretty shocking.

Angelo's solution

As I write this, I know that the venom I spew should be tempered. The Bears waited for the perfect spot to get some extra quarterbacks into camp; after the draft finished. If that sounds like the safe, cheap way to get someone to hold the clipboard, it's not a coincidence. We signed 2 un-drafted free agent QBs early this morning. The first is the QB out of Southern Illinois, Nick Hill. The second is Caleb Hanie out of Colorado State. I know little if anything about either of them. I dare even the biggest die-hard college football fans to tell me something about these two. The experts seem to know something on Hanie. I had the pleasure of riding in on the Metra today for a late team meeting. I listened to Jeremy Green's podcast, Football Today, from ESPN for the duration of my commute. To my surprise, he had Mel Kiper Jr. on the phone. Kiper seems to be rather fond of Hanie. So, what the hell do I know. Maybe Hanie is our Romo.

Why the Bear's are completely wrong, and lack any vision.

We all know that Grossman and Orton are going to compete for the starting job this year. They both signed identical contracts. The message is clear to both of them and so is the organization's plan. Angelo is running a skills competition in this season's training camp. "Let the best man win" and all of that. That makes me nervous. If Grossman is as good as I think he is during practice, it means that we're trotting out a QB that no one on the team has confidence in. On the other hand, if Orton wins the job, we trot out the QB that the coaching staff has no confidence in. That's a lose-lose situation. It seems that no one planned for the following year. With both contract's expiring, the Bears go into the 2009 season with ZERO quarterbacks. In the best case scenario only one of the current quarterbacks signs an extension with the Bears. My money is on Grossman. That means we are going to need a new quarterback next year anyway. Why not just draft a decent talent this year and get him started on the offense? Especially with all the new WR we just added. They could learn and grow together. Not drafting a QB this year is irresponsible of Angelo and Lovie Smith. They have stymied this fine organization's growth by sticking to the "defense and special teams" game plan. People WILL stop kicking to Hester this year Jerry. Then what are you doing to do?

What I'm in favor of doing.

If I was able to predict the future, I'd say the Bears go 4-12 and get either the 3rd or 4th pick in next year's draft. I'm positive this is going to cause problems for the Bears. They don't want to repeat the mistakes of the past, but they're going to need a QB. Is that a high enough pick to get a QB next year? Are we taking another Florida QB in the first round? (Tim Tebow) That doesn't seem like a sane decision to me. Nope, I think this is a bad plan. What the Bears should have done is draft John David Booty from USC in this year's draft. By passing on him twice, and letting him go to a division rival (the Vikings traded up to get him) we have ensured our place as worst offense in the division.

I hear you complaining out there. But wait, you say! Does JDB improve my predicted 4-12 season for next year? No. Neither would Dixon, Woodson, Colt45 Brennan, or that kid Kevin O’Connell from San Diego State (Patriots Blog on the link there). That's not the point. The point is that we could have taken a low-risk flier with our 5th round pick and drafted a QB that could learn this horrible offense NOW. We're going to need a young quarterback. Forget the fact that all of the guys past the second round are probably going to me journeymen at best. Do the Bear's really have the luxury of sleeping on this glaring hole?!

I find the lack of urgency at the QB position to be yet another reminder that Halas Hall is being overrun by some bad offensive talent evaluators.

My only hope is that the fans let the organization know that we won't stand for it. If we don't win the division next year, and both these quarterback's are a disaster, I think you have no choice but to move on from the Angelo/Smith regime.

I hear Bill Cowher might be ready to come back.