Are You Ready for Some Football?

 

 

Football season is upon us as a slew of preaseason games went down tonight accross the NFL. Among them, the Chicago Bears took on the KC Chiefs at home at Soldier Field.  Despite the 24-20 loss, it was a great chance to get a look at some of the new players, as well as players who don't get much playing time during the regular season.  During the first half, the Bears were held to just a field goal, however rookie RB Matt Forte got 7 carries under his belt to start his NFL career, as he rushed for 25 yards.  The second half was where the Bears really started to shine and show some depth.  Backup LB Rod Wilson had an interception, which opened the door to a 25-yd TD on a Grossman-to-Wolfe screen play.  On that offensive play, Wolfe showed extreme speed and elusiveness that could prove valuable in the regular season.  Wolfe had that reception TD, as well as 64 rushing-yds on 7 carries (including a 42 yd burst).  RB PJ Pope also provided some steady running, as he had 8 carries and 4 receptions for a total of 56 yds.  Another surprisingly solid performance came from young Bear QB Caleb Hanie, and undrafted free agent out of Colorado State.  Hanie entered the game in the third quarter and went 9/16 for 101 yds and a TD.  He showed great poise as he led the Bears on a scoring drive in the 3rd quarter that included a 25-yd completion to rookie TE Kellen Davis, and 13-yd TD pass to WR Brandon Rideau.  Hanie then led the Bears on the final drive of the game, again showing poise down the stretch.  He made two fine passes (which could have won the game for the Bears) that were unfortunately dropped by rookies Marcus Monk and Earl Bennett (rookie jitters, hopefully).  In other notes, the young O-Line provided some nice pass protection, despite the news that first-rounder Chris Williams had undergone back surgery the night before to repair a herniated-disk.  Also, youngsters S Kevin Payne, DT Marcus Harrison, and LB Nick Roach turned in solid performances on defense.  Overall, this was a good night that gave the players some valuable game experience, and also gave us a look at some of our rookies who may be able to fill key roles during the regular season.

Tonight's stats:

Passing- Caleb Hanie 9/16...101 yds...1 TD

Receiving-Pope 4 rec/39 yds...Wolfe 1/25 yds/TD...Davis 1/25 yds

Rushing-Wolfe 7 car/64 yds...Forte 7 car/25 yds...Hanie 2/21 yds

ESPN Box Score

NFL Game Center

DG Live: NFL Draft '08-Part II

The Bears finished off their 2008 Draft with a nice crop of 12 players at positions of need.  In the later rounds, they did take some chances on guys that could bring high reward.  Among them were TE Kellen Davis from Michigan St, who at 6'6 1/2"/262 lb could provide a red-zone threat for the Bears at 3rd string tight end; as well as WR Marcus Monk from Arkansas who could challenge for a roster spot.  This draft saw many big-name college players go to teams that could potentially have a spot for them.

Among the QB prospects, there were many big names who are expected to push their way into starting jobs in 2008, as well as many project prospects who will try to make the team in camp.  In the early rounds, many top tier players went to teams where they were needed.  Matt Ryan, the top QB in the draft, went to the Atlanta Falcons 3rd overall.  Joe Flacco was also picked in the first round by the Ravens.  In the second round, the other two top tier guys were picked up, with Brian Brohm going to Green Bay to challenge Aaron Rodgers the heir to Favre's job, while Chad Henne was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.  In the later rounds, Pittsburgh (who had a nice draft of big-name players) picked 2007 Heisman contender Dennis Dixon, the Giants got Andre Woodson to try and back-up Eli Manning, and Washington chose Hawaii's Colt Brennan and his big-time arm.

On the RB side of things, the loaded class seemed to go in order.  Al Davis couldn't pass up on Darren McFadden at #4, while Jerry Jones took the other Arkansas back, Felix Jones, at #22 in the first round.  Pittsburgh used their first-rounder on power-back speedster Rashard Mendenhall to be the ying to Willie Parker's yang.  The second round RBs started with the Bears' pick of Matt Forte out of Tulane, and the rest of the backs filed out from there; names like Rice, Charles, Slaton, and Hart were all chosen to be given a shot in the NFL-ranks.

The second round might as well be renamed the round of the wide receivers, as most of the elite ones went there.  Washington picked up both Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly in that round, while Pittsburgh (one round after bringing in another top RB) brought in another WR in Limas Sweed to complement Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes.  Donovan McNabb's team also got him California speedster DeSean Jackson, as well.  In round 3, the Bears picked up Vanderbilt's Earl Bennett to try and bolster their thin receiving corps.

Other teams did a great job just by bringing in some big, NCAA star power.  The Kansas City Chiefs used their top picks to draft Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers, and Jamaal Charles, who can all probably contribute right away.  The Steelers got three big names in Mendenhall, Sweed, and Dixon, while the Washington Redskins got three receivers in Devin Thomas, Fred Davis, and Malcom Kelly, along with Brennan's arm to throw to them all.  The Arizona Cardinals, meanwhile, shored up three positions of need with big-name guys: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at CB, Calais Campbell at DE, and LSU's Early Doucet to bolster their Pro-Bowl receiving corps.

Overall, this was a pretty good draft, deep in prospects that can contribute on many NFL teams starting next year.  The Bears, for one, shored up many areas of need.  They got their young Offensive Tackle to protect the QB, and try and create more space for the running game.  They picked up another RB to shore up a weak running game, and they drafted a WR to try and make-up for the losses of Berrian and Moose.  Only the games will tell how smart each of these picks was, but by first look they aren't bad.  Sure, they could have done some things differently (tried to get Mendenhall, drafted a QB somewhere?!...)but bottom line is they took care of the places they needed to, they took some gambles late like you should, and hopefully it will all payoff.

Here is Mel Kiper Jr.'s review of the Bears draft; very reassuring.  Check out ESPN.com's coverage of the draft.

DG Live: NFL Draft '08

The first day of the 2008 NFL Draft is now over, as teams are flying through rounds 3-8 at this very moment.  With the first six picks, all six prospects invited to New York were selected.  Miami, as expected, picked Jake Long (OT, Michigan) with the first pick.  Following that, other marquee names like Chris Long, Matt Ryan, and Darren McFadden all came off the board.  With the 14th pick, the Bears found themselves staring at a plethora of Offensive Tackles; the position they were in most need of drafting.  They took Chris Williams, from Vanderbilt.  Now, I believe that this was a good pick: it is what they needed most and Williams was one of the top rated guys.  Jeff Otah(Pitt), Branden Albert(Virginia), and Gosder Cherilus(BC) were still available, but it is really hard to distinguish a big difference between them and Williams.  After this pick, however, is when the interesting moves started happening.  Most experts had power RB Rashard Mendenhall, from the University of Illinois, going to either Detroit, Arizona, or even Carolina; however, he fell out of the Top 20 to Pittsburgh at #23.  This, while a great pick by Pittsburgh, was a place the Bears could have jumped in.  Between the Bears #14 pick of Chris Williams and Pittburgh's #23 pick of Mendenhall, there were five teams trading up or down.  With these teams so willing to trade, the Bears should have traded one of their 3rd rounders, and whatever else necessary, to move up and grab that elite, power back they wanted.  Instead, they stood pat and waited to Rd.2 to get Matt Forte, from Tulane.  Now Forte may be a good pro, and all of these moves cannot be judged until they perform in the NFL, however there were better options available.  Now, to Rd.2 is where some other big moves (or lack therof) happened that could come back to bite the Bears.  When the Bears selected Forte at pick #13 in Rd.2, can you guess who else was on the board?  What is the Bears biggest weakenss, and glaring hole?  If you said wide receiver, then you are correct!  At the Bears second round pick, many elite, first round talents were still on the board.  Among them, DeSean Jackson (the California speedster with Devin Hester-syle elusiveness and return game), Malcom Kelly (the OU prospect), and Limas Sweed (the 6'3" wideout who was Vince Young's favorite toy at Texas).  So while I think Willimas was a solid pick, even though there might have been other options available, the Bears could have done so much more the rest of the day.  They had the option to take Mendenhall, Sweed, Jackson, Kelly, or even Brian Brohm (who went to the Pack) or Chad Henne.  Now we look forward to a good second day, where the picks are flying in.  The Bears have 7 more picks today, possibly allowing them to take a chance on a couple big name guys that performed in the NCAA-ranks.

First, here is what I would have done on Day 1:

Rd.1-Chris Williams, OT Vanderbilt (Jeff Otah, Gosder Cherilus, Branden Albert all would have been good picks here, too)

Rd.1-Rashard Mendenhall, RB Illinois (trade a 3rd rounder and whatever else-late rounder, pick next year...to get an elite back who fell a bit)

Rd.2-Limas Sweed, WR Texas (with Mendenhall already taken care of, the Bears could have taken a great WR prospect in Rd.2 to really shore up that offense.  Having a speedster like Hester on one side, and a 6'3" receiver on the other would have been great...also could have picked DeSean Jackson for two Hester types which is not a bad thing)

Now, here is what the Bears actually did so far today:

Rd.3-Earl Bennett, WR Vanderbilt

Rd.3-Marcus Harrison, DT Arkansas

Rd.4-Craig Steltz, S LSU

Some key players the Bears should be taking a look at today are prospects at Safety and Quarterback.  At safety, guys like DJ Wolfe(OU), Marcus Griffin(Texas), DJ Parker (VA Tech), and Joshua Barrett(ASU) are all guys from big name schools, who performed at the NCAA-level.  At QB, there are some interesting options for the Bears.  When picking in the later rounds, you can get a guy that you won't need to be committed to for the long-term, so they can take more of a chance.  In my opinion, they should take a chance on guys like Andre Woodson, Dennis Dixon, or Colt Brennan.  These guys put up big numbers, and led their teams far in the college football season.  Dennis Dixon has been rehabbing in Oregon's spacious training facility, sponsored by Nike, and was a Heisman front-runner before getting injured.  Andre Woodson had Kentucky in the BCS picture late in the season, and is a big-arm guy, while Colt Brennan set records for NCAA touchdown passes, and knows how to win.  We'll see what happens today, but regardless, the draft can get you some big-time NFL players and help fill your holes very efficiently.  Here are some teams that I think got it right in the first few rounds:

Kansas City Chiefs--Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers, and Jamaal Charles

Pittsburgh Steelers--Rashard Mendenhall, Limas Sweed (give Ben some new weapons, in addition to Willie Parker, Hines Ward, and Santonio Holmes)

San Diego Chargers-Antoine Cason, Jacob Hester (very productive getting a marquee corner and backup RB to fill their losses)

Washington Redskins--Devin Thomas, Fred Davis, Malcom Kelly (gives Jason Campbell three receiving weapons that are all top-rated prospects)

Atlanta Falcons--Matt Ryan, Sam Baker, Curtis Lofton (fill a lot of needs with top-tier players...get a new face at QB and someone to protect him...by the way, when Michael Vick comes out of jail, the Bears should sign him for low-risk, high-reward)

Arizona Cardinals--Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Calais Campbell, Early Doucet

 

Looking Ahead to NFL Draft: Mock Draft 1.0

It's that time of year, again.  The Pro Bowl just finished with rookie Adrian Peterson and Cowboy T.O. leading the NFC to the comeback win, and pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in about a day.  Football action may be over, but now is the time where team's focus on rebuilding for next season.  The Bears really do have some work to do.  Here's the initial outlook on the offseason and some possibilities:

Ranked Team Needs: OT, QB, RB, DT, WR, FS, LB

Ranked Team Options:

QB-Flacco(Delaware), Woodson(Kentucky), Dixon(Oregon), Brennan(Hawaii), Ryan(BC)...(McNabb/Anderson)

RB-Mendenhall(Illinois), Jones(Arkansas), Charles(Texas), Choice(GT), Slaton(WV), Hart (Mich)...(Turner)

OT- Clady(Boise St.), Otah(Pitt), Williams, Cherilus (BC), Baker (USC)

WR-Kelly(OU), Sweed(Tex), Manningham(Mich), Doucet(LSU), Reynaud(WV), Monk(Arkansas)

FS-Phillips(Miami), Parker(VT)

DT-Pressley(NC St.), Okam(Tex)

LB-Leman(Illinois)

Draft Projections:

Scenario 1-

Rd1 Otah,OT

Rd2 Brennan, QB

Rd3 Charles, RB

Rd4 Pressley, DT

Rd5 Parker, FS

Rd6 Leman, LB

Rd7 Reynaud, WR

Scenario 2

Mendenhall, RB

Cherilus, OT

Dixon, QB

Okam, DT

Parker, FS

Leman, LB

Monk, WR

Scenario 3

(resign Bernard Berrian, WR)

(trade 1st rd pick for Donovan McNabb, QB)

Rd2 Otah, OT

Rd3 Cherilus,OT (or backup QB in Flacco, Brennan, Dixon)

Rd4 Pressley, DT

Rd5 Parker, FS

Rd6 Hart, RB

Rd7 Leman, LB

Scenario 4

Jeff Otah, OT, Pitt

Jamaal Charles, RB, Texas

Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware

DJ Parker, FS, Virginia Tech

DeMario Pressley, DT, NC State

J Leman, LB, Illinois

Darius Reynaud, WR, West Virginia

Vintage Bears Cruise to 35-7 Win over Favre's Packers

Da Monsters of the Midway that everyone remembers from the past couple of years all of a sudden were awakened by a visit from the rival Green Bay Packers.  Right from the get go, the entire team put out a a dominating performance that the Packers could not catch up to.  The opening drive, led by Kyle Orton and a suddenly productive running game and O-line, took over ten minutes off the clock and ended in a field goal.  After falling behind 7-6, due to a 66-yd TD run by Ryan Grant, da Bears took off and never looked back.  The Bears special teams blocked two punts and recovered another.  Darrel McGlover blocked one in the second quarter that resulted in a Bears first down at mid-field, while Peanut Tillman's block in the third was picked up by Corey Graham and taken in for the score.  On a particularly exciting series of plays, Kyle Orton threw a perfect pass to wide open Desmond Clark for the touchdown.  Then, the Bears went for two, and Kyle Orton executed the same play to Greg Olsen who made a great catch and put the Bears ahead 21-7.  Another highlight came on Brian Urlacher's first career interception return for a touchdown.  He brilliantly tipped Favre's fourth quarter pass, pulled into his chest and ran a tiring 85-yds to seal the fate of the Green Bay Packers.

The win gave the Bears some much needed pride and excitement as they have swept the Packers in the season series.  There were good performances all around the field that should give the team and fans some hope for next year.  Kyle Orton managed the game well, and completed the big passes when needed.  The O-line and running game did a nice job throughout, keeping the possession arrow pointing the Bears way.  And that amazing defense, led by Brian Urlacher and Alex Brown today, put in a great performance.  Last, but not least, the special teams did a stellar job (as usual!).

Some key stats from today's game:

Kyle Orton: 8/14-----101 yds-----1 TD/0 INT

Adrian Peterson:  30 carries-----102 yds----1 TD

Garrett Wolfe:  12 carries----29 yds  /  2 rec----38 yds (33 lg)

Brian Urlacher: 1 INT for 85 yd TD, 5 tackles

Alex Brown: 1 INT for 7 yd, 5 tackles, 1 sack

Let's Get Creative

The Bears offense is simply anemic.  In Monday Night's contest, they managed only 32 total rushing yards (with the longest carry being only 5 yds).  The Bears Postgame Live Crew, however offered some interesting insight that I think every fan has had on their minds.  "Let's Get Creative!"  There is absolutely no creativity in this offense, which analyst Jim Miller credits to the inability of Ron Turner to effectively utilize all of his weapons.  If we have to live with a shaky quarterbacking crew and ineffective offensive line, there are many plays that should be put into effect.  The one main weapon the offense has available is: Devin Hester!  Why don't the Bears utilize his elusiveness and speed more by designing special plays for him, and running them more often.  Using him in special plays out of the backfield has to be more effective than running Adrian Peterson up the middle to no avail.  Steve Rosenbloom of ChicagoSports.com had an interesting take before the Giants game:

"If I'm the Bears and Peterson gets hurt, I scrap the running game altogether and go with five guys in the pattern--Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark, Bernard Berrian, Muhsin Muhammad, and Devin Hester.  I would use Hester on every play.  Split him wide.  Send him deep.  Force the Giants to account for him on every play.  If Hester gets singled up, Grossman throws the ball up quick and lets him run under it.  If Hester gets double-covered, Grossman hits a slant or an out--some quickly developing pattern where Fred Miller can't hurt you.  This is all out of the shotgun, too, by the way."

This is a great plan that also brings up two other big names: Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark.  Tight Ends are such a great commodity in the NFL (Dallas Clark/Peyton Manning, Jason Witten/Tony Romo this year) and can allow for such a great weapon on offense.  They are a great bail-out play for a quarterback that perhaps is the most effective.  Dan Jiggets said on Bears Postgame Live that the outside receivers catch only 15% of the passes thrown to them, while guys over the middle (TE, slot receivers) catch over 80%!  If the Bears could utilize the three great weapons that they have in this capacity (Hester, Olsen, Clark), they would be so much better off than running it this year.  Why run it so much when the O-Line and RB position is so weak right now.

This brings us to possible solutions for the future.  Here is my take:

• Bring in a quarterback next year through FA/Trade such as Derek Anderson or Donovan McNabb who can have an immediate impact with the group of guys this team has right now
• Use the first couple of rounds in the draft to address the offensive line with some quality picks to help make them younger and more athletic
• Now, with a younger offensive line, see if that has an impact on the running style of a healthy and hopefully rejuvenated Cedric Benson; if it doesn't, you always have your new quarterback, behind a new O-line to effectively utilize all of your other weapons
• Fire Ron Turner if a better option is available who can effectively handle the offense with the more creative playcalling mentioned above
• As an aside, if Rex Grossman cannot find work as a starter, bring him back as a backup on a cheaper contract if possible.  Maybe with a couple of full years under his belt and some tutoring from a new quarterback he will be better in the future.  He has shown much potential at times in the past (first half of 2006)

Oh, and by the way...the Defense is awesome!!  The return of Mike Brown, with the health of Nathan Vasher next year and we should be good!