SB Nation - Kevin Jones

Revisiting the Arizona Cardinals Past With The Detroit Lions

Andrew602 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:02:36 -0000

Before the last two seasons the Cardinals had made it a regular occurrence to face the Detroit Lions during the regular season. From 2001-2007 the Cardinals and Lions have squared off with the average score being Cardinals 24.7, Lions 26.5. The Cardinals have currently lost 2 of 3 and face the Lions who have only won 3 out of the last 34 games. Let's take a look down memory lane to see the Cardinals previous 6 games with the Lions.

Dec 8th, 2002: Cardinals 23, Lions 20

It was a game between two losers, as the 3-9 Lions traveled to Arizona to face the 4-8 Cardinals. It wasn't the most exciting of games but it did involve a 4th quarter comeback by Jake Plummer. The game went to OT where Robert Porcher recorded a QB hit that was intercepted by Chris Claiborne who returned it 30 yards into FG position. A facemask penalty was called on Porcher and Cardinals TE Freddie Jones, making the penalties offset and both teams replayed the down. The Cardinals got into FG range where they eventually kicked the FG for the win in OT.

Sep 7th, 2003: Cardinals 24, Lions 42

The Cardinals opened the season at Detroit, where rookie Anquan Boldin made a name for himself setting rookie debut records with 10 catches and 217 yards. The new-look Cardinals featuring Jeff Blake and Emmitt Smith weren't enough for the Lions high-scoring offense. The Cardinals turned the ball over 3 times and Joey Harrington threw 4 touchdowns which eventually set the tone for the Cardinals 4-12 season.

Dec 5th, 2004: Cardinals 12, Lions 26

The Cardinals traveled to Detroit for the 2nd year in a row, where Cardinals fans were waiting to see what 7th round pick John Navarre would do at quarterback. That question was answered when he threw 4 interceptions in the first game of his career. The part that hurt more was that the Lions had lost 5 in a row before this game and many thought the Cardinals would be favored to win. That turned out to be wrong when Lions rookie running back Kevin Jones ran for 196 yards - ouch.

Nov 13th, 2005: Cardinals 21, Lions 29

At Detroit, the Cardinals were once again not able to beat the lowly Lions who were currently on another losing skid(2). Kurt Warner started in place of Josh McCown, and threw for 359 yards, but only had 1 touchdown on the day. The Cardinals could only run for 38 yards and scored their 1st rushing touchdown of the season, while allowing 157 rushing yards to the Lions. This was the Cardinals third straight loss at Detroit and was their last appearence there until this season.

Nov 19th, 2006: Cardinals 17, Lions 10

The Cardinals played the Lions for the first time at University of Phoenix stadium with rookie Matt Leinart at quarterback getting his first NFL win. Leinart threw 233 yards and 1 touchdown while also running in a touchdown. The Cardinals were on their own 8 game losing streak and getting this win helped them ~~revive their season and make the playoffs~~ break their 3 game losing streak to the Lions and finish the season 5-11.

Nov 11th, 2007: Cardinals 31, Lions 21

Yours truly attended this game to watch the Cardinals lay a beating on the Lions after making their previous five games too close. Kurt Warner had 259 passing yards and 3 touchdowns as the Cardinals out-gained the Lions 319-245 in total yards. The Cardinals held the Lions to -18 rushing yards while forcing 5 turnovers in what would be the last time these two teams met.

If you're noticing a tendency here it's that the Cardinals haven't won in Detroit in this past decade no matter how bad the Lions have been. Obviously the Cardinals should be tremendously favored to win the game, but after the ugly loss we were forced to watch last week, who knows which Cardinals team will show up on Sunday.

The Season Is Upon Us!

Mitchell_M — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:11:04 -0000

by Jason Babyak - AP

View full size photo »

Today is Tuesday, September 8th. In five short days, it will be September 13th. Sunday. Do you know what that means?

Yes, actual meaningful NFL football is back again. All the pointless preseason predictions and fantasy football fallacies (lol, alliteration) can finally come to an end, and the boys start playing games that actually count towards something. Let's have a quick, unscientific breakdown of how Green Bay stacks up to the first ~~victims~~ opponents of the season: the Chicago Bears.

The game is a complicated one, but it can be easily broken down into four main matchups: one team's rushing offense against the other's defense, one team's passing offense against the other's defense, and vice versa. Special teams, coaching, depth, and weather are all important, but for now, these four areas are the beginning of the buildup towards the opener. Let's get to it, shall we?

CHI rushing vs. GB defense: The obvious place to start is with Chicago's Matt Forte. The 3rd round pick lit the Windy City on fire during his rookie campaign, racking up 1,715 yards on 379 total touches. He had so much involvement, some said that he was the Bears' offense in 2008. And they wouldn't be too far off: Forte accounted for 73% of Chicago's rushing attempts and nearly 35% of his team's offensive yardage, well beyond anyone else in the league.

Forte's detractors say that he's primed for a sophomore slump, citing the dreaded 'Curse of 370' as reason for him to regress in 2009. I personally doubt this theory's application to Forte, and I certainly don't believe that last season's workload will affect him until after Week 10 at the earliest. Forte will be fine.

As far as depth goes, Chicago has little need for a 3rd down back or goal line specialist because Forte fills those roles so well. However, their roster did take a hit when Kevin Jones, formerly a first rounder from Detroit, went down for the year with a torn ankle ligament. Garrette Wolfe (4.6 ypc in 2008) and The Other Adrian Peterson (5.0 ypc in 2008) fill out the running back stable, but neither of them averaged more than 2 carries per game last season.

When blocking is concerned, Chicago boasts an above-average offensive line. Olin Kreutz and Roberto Garza are solid run blockers inside, but the decision to start Frank Omiyale over Josh Beekman could be the weak link in the trenches. Orlando Pace is no longer the dominant run blocker he once was, but his 6'7" 325 lb. frame can still move DEs out of the way. Last year's first round pick Chris Williams seems to be healthy for 2009, but the amount of time spent in the trainer's room figures to have hindered his progress. He might be a turnstile, or he might be a brick wall. We have no way to know. Jason McKie and Desmond Clark are decent blockers out of the backfield and on the edge respectively, while Greg Olsen's blocking is not quite there yet.

Against Green Bay's defense, it's hard to predict exactly what will happen. The 3-4 alignment gives much better flexibility when it comes to runs outside the tackles, but the gaps between the NT and DEs might result in open running lanes between the tackles if the ILBs can't disengage from blocks. However, if Cullen Jenkins, B.J. Raji, and Ryan Pickett penetrate just one or two yards in the backfield, they can short-circuit any rushing attempts the Bears throw at us. When Forte gets to the linebackers, the only real concern is Nick Barnett's ability to make tackles after the long rehab from an ACL tear. Brady Poppinga, Aaron Kampman, Brandon Chillar, and A.J. Hawk are all adept tacklers and will slow down Forte as he makes cuts.

Advantage: Chicago. The 3-4 defense looks great, but doesn't have experience handling a versatile back like Forte or a power run scheme that Chicago employs.

CHI passing vs. GB defense: Jay Cutler made headlines when he complained his way out of Denver. However, Green Bay's defense needs to focus less on his child-like tendencies and more on the cannon growing out of his shoulder. Cutler has developed a nice rapport with TE Greg Olsen, and Matt Forte is always a threat to catch out of the backfield. However, Chicago suffers from a major shortage of proven WRs, as Earl Bennett has 0 career catches and Devin Hester, while greatly improved, is still a burner trying to become a receiver.

Chicago's pass protection is the major question mark coming into the season, as Orlando Pace has too many miles on him while Chris Williams doesn't have enough. Both have the tools to be elite pass protectors, but Pace is getting old and Williams doesn't know how to use them just yet. Will they keep Cutler off his back, or will they be helping him up off the turf? Olin Kreutz will help as much as he can by continuing to be a smart center who makes excellent line calls.

Green Bay's secondary is widely regarded as a top unit in the NFL. Charles Woodson can cover just about anything, and Al Harris has remained a top-flight corner despite his declines in speed and agility. Nick Collins is an excellent athlete playing the deep safety, and Tramon Williams is one of the better nickel corners in the league. Two problems in the secondary are Atari Bigby, who doesn't cover receivers all that well, and depth behind Williams at CB.

The biggest coverage questions, especially against Chicago, lie with the LB corps. Brandon Chillar was a shut-down defender against TEs last season, but his move inside might take him away from that role. Aaron Kampman spent his entire NFL career at DE, so his coverage skills are likely below average right now. Clay Matthews is a decent coverage linebacker, but his hamstring injury hindered his preseason development and pushed Brady Poppinga into the starting job.

Green Bay's best chance to clamp down on the Bears' passing attack is to use the outstanding pass rush they've developed throughout the offseason. Jay Cutler isn't as panicky as Kurt Warner when facing the rush, but he's not Peyton Manning either. If the blitz schemes can force Cutler into hurried decisions, he's liable to force a throw into an area that isn't open. Disguising blitz packages and using stunts will hopefully confuse both Cutler and the offensive line, giving the Bears few opportunities to air it out.

Advantage: Push. If I had to choose, I'd choose Green Bay, but only slightly.

GB rushing vs. CHI defense: Green Bay's rushing attack left much to be desired last season, mainly due to Ryan Grant's snail-like start and a game of musical chairs with the offensive line. However, Mike McCarthy has sought to reverse last year's fortunes in the ground game, which has already looked better in the preseason. By committing to a starting five early on, McCarthy has given the five-some of Clifton, Colledge, Spitz, Sitton, and Barbre a chance to develop a cohesiveness up front that the team has missed for years now. Combined with Ryan Grant's improved health and conditioning and DeShawn Wynn's newfound commitment to the run game, Green Bay should have a competent rushing attack.

Chicago's defense is still formidable, but is showing visible signs of decline. Tommie Harris is unblockable when healthy, but his injuries have made that rarely the case. Adwale Ogunleye has never been a stout run defender, and Alex Brown and Anthony Adams are fringe starters that lack overwhelming size. Lance Briggs is still an outstanding defender, Pisa Tinoisamoa was an excellent pickup from the Rams, and Brian Urlacher looks healthy enough to stall his decline.

Advantage: Chicago. Green Bay needs to show their dominant run game in practice, not just in theory.

GB passing vs. CHI defense: Green Bay's passing attack needs little introduction. Aaron Rodgers has been outstanding in the offseason, and gets to work with a corps of receivers that is the envy of any NFL team not from Arizona. Greg Jennings is recovered from his concussion suffered against the Cardinals, and Donald Driver, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Donald Lee, and Jermichael Finley are all excellent route runners able to produce after the catch.

In the preseason, Green Bay's pass protection has been nothing short of fantastic. Aaron Rodgers was hardly touched throughout the four-week exhibition schedule; he often had more time than he knew what to do with. Chad Clifton is getting up in years, but the coaching staff believes he's got at least one year left in him. Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz, and Josh Sitton are all above-average in pass protection, and Allen Barbre has at least been servicable.

Chicago's secondary is in shambles right now. Gone is Mike Brown, once a terror in the defensive backfield. He is replaced by Kevin Payne, who started all 16 games last year because of injuries. At the other safety is Al Afalava, a rookie out of Oregon. Trumaine McBride and Nathan Vasher are at the corners, but they simply aren't able to cover the likes of Jennings and Driver. Charles Tillman just started practicing on Monday after offseason back surgery. CB Zack Bowman and S Daneal Manning are both struggling with hamstring issues.

To illustrate the Bears' concerns with their pass defense, I turn to ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert:

Can those players [Tillman, Bowman, Manning] possibly be ready to match up against a Packers passing offense that proved laser-sharp at every turn this preseason? (One statistic to chew on: Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers averaged 11.3 yards per attempt this preseason, more than any NFL passer with more than 17 attempts.)

To avoid a massacre, Chicago needs to get after Aaron Rodgers. Adwale Ogunleye has the tools of an outstanding pass rusher despite his long-coming decline. Tommie Harris is an outstanding inside rusher. Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Pisa Tinoisamoa, and Hunter Hillenmeyer (remember him?) are above-average to great blitzers. Will they be able to take advantage of a developing Packer offensive line?

Advantage: Green Bay by a country mile. Aaron Rodgers was excellent against Chicago last year and has only improved.

Preliminary verdict: It all comes down to the passing game for Green Bay and the running game for Chicago. If Green Bay can't contain Matt Forte, Chicago will be able to control the clock and decide the game. If Chicago can't contain Aaron Rodgers, it's going to be ugly for the Bears. To quote Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald,

In their press release for Sunday night’s nationally televised season opener at Green Bay against the Packers, the Bears list their starting cornerbacks as Trumaine McBride and Nate Vasher on the "unofficial depth chart."

Good thing it’s "unofficial," because if the Bears are forced to line up with McBride and Vasher covering Greg Jennings and Donald Driver all night they’ll lose by 4 touchdowns.

I'm going to avoid making an outright prediction this early in the week, but I'll let the voters do the talking for me.

Poll

What outcome do you see for the season opener on Sunday night?

Big GB win.

830 votes

Close GB win.

649 votes

Too close to call right now.

70 votes

Close CHI win.

194 votes

Big CHI win.

97 votes

1840 votes | Poll has closed

Position Battles: Running Backs

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:00:10 -0000

I found it odd the Bears didn't bother bringing in an undrafted free agent tailback to compete in camp and to play the fourth quarters of the preseason games. Last year they kept four on the opening day roster, so is it a given they will do the same thing this year?

Matt Forte could reach Pro Bowl status and Kevin Jones is healthy and in great shape. These two are obvious locks for the final roster and should be a formidable tandem if used correctly. I'd love to see Forte & Jones at about 60% / 40% on touches, a point I addressed right here last month.

Are Garrett Wolfe and Adrian Peterson comfortably on the final 53? What about the fullbacks? Last year the Bears kept only one, Jason McKie, but brought in Jason Davis when McKie was banged up and liked what they saw. And then what about rookie, and already fan favorite, Will Ta'ufo'ou? How many backs will be there on opening day?

Take the jump and see what I think...

I thought last year was going to be Garrett Wolfe's last chance to prove his worth. Even though he saw very limited action on offense, he really became a standout special teams player before he was injured. This year the Bears continue to preach getting Wolfe more involved in the offense, so does that mean their minds are already made up about him?

Adrian Peterson is a pro's pro. He does his job on special teams, he runs hard when he gets opportunities, he'll block, he can catch out of the backfield, it just seems like the Bears take him for granted. He has a solid year in 2005 with over 80 touches then rarely saw the field in 2006. In 2007 he has 51 receptions and over 500 yards rushing, not spectacular I know, but another solid year for a back-up. Last year with Kevin Jones ineffective, the Bears would rather drive Forte into the ground than get Peterson some carries (he only had 20).

Offensively these two bring different skills to the table, but at the end of the day neither will supplant Forte or Jones for many touches this year. It'll come down to special team play, and both thrive in the third phase. I can see the Bears bringing both these guys for the ride again this year, but if they decide to go an extra wide receiver, tight end, or even full back, I believe Peterson will be the odd man out. I think the Bears still view the upside of Garrett Wolfe as better than Peterson, even though we still have yet to see it.

I really can't see Jason McKie not making the final roster. For as many FB Dive jokes that float around WCG, McKie is a solid player. It's not his fault every person in the stadium knows when that dive is coming. He has better than average hands out of the backfield, he's a solid lead blocker, he's a good special teams player, and when used properly he'll pick up a tough yard for you. With as many double TE sets the Bears incorporate there really isn't a need to carry more than one FB. I think Davis will be the one left unemployed, with the Bears tyring to get Ta'ufo'ou on the practice squad. I wonder if after his one preseason game, has Will Ta'ufo'ou reached the legendary status of Mike Hass yet?

If the Bears do only go with three tailbacks and one fullback, then you can bet either an extra tight end (Michael Gaines), or an extra wideout (Devin Aromashodu) will be the beneficiary. Then again if the Bears keep only 2 quarterbacks... decisions, decisions, decisions...

Poll

Who makes the final 53?

Adrian Peterson

117 votes

Garrett Wolfe

258 votes

Both

380 votes

755 votes | Poll has closed

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Bills Edition

Dane Noble — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:30:48 -0000

More photos » by Dean Duprey - AP

Browse more photos »

The Chicago Bears traded for Jay Cutler four months and two weeks ago. For the last 18 weeks, fans have held their breath in anticipation of getting to see him officially take the field, and expectations have been seemingly building and building with the passing of each day.

The game against the Bills was, if anything, a reality check for us fans. While we have allowed for ideas to grow wildly in our heads and imaginations, we got to witness things for exactly what they are- new.

Take a moment to think about the number of players on our starting (or contributing) offense that have never played before as Bears teammates. You'll come up with quite a lot of names. That means that a large majority of our offensive players have never played together, and are learning a new scheme, getting their timing down, learning what works and what doesn't work... in other words, jelling.

Regardless of what our expectations were of Jay Cutler in preseason game #1, we have to take into consideration all of the newness that he (and the rest of the offense) just experienced together. But, no worries. We've got plenty of time to knock off the rust and get everyone on the same page.

And honestly, the same can be said of our defensive secondary. We have had injuries, as well as people swapping positions, and tonight we saw what seemed like 10 different looks at those positions. Again, no worries. This game was as much about evaluating our personnel as it was anything.

Now, on to the purpose of this post. Here are some random things I saw during the Bills game:

- Kevin Jones runs hard. He keep his legs churning, and looked very aggressive when he had the ball in his hands. He will be a huge asset this season.

- Orlando Pace was only on the field for (I think) the first 2 offensive series. He had very nice footwork, but did get thrown off balance on a couple of pass plays.

- Kevin Shaffer replaced Pace on the 3rd series, and did not look very polished. He seemed to lumber around quite a bit, and seemed a bit wild. Got pushed around some, and got beat by speed rush.

- Chris Williams looked solid. He showed great technique... I was very excited to see such good production from him.

- Devin Hester ran several really good routes. Looked very crisp several times.

- Garrett Wolfe ran hard. He was definitely showing some heart out there. Ran hard between the tackles, and shook off a couple of big hits from linebackers.

- Jason Davis made some very good lead blocks from the fullback position. He exploded once the ball was snapped, quickly picking up momentum.

- Kellen Davis looked strong after the catch.

- Trumaine McBride was aggressive. Made some big hits, missed a tackle early due to not wrapping up, but seemed to bounce back from that. Played at a fast pace.

- Brian Urlacher looked fast. Had great movement.

- Our right defensive ends consistently fired off the ball with enormous speed. For most of the night, seemed to over-pursue. In the backfield a lot, but seemed to be too fast at times, taking themselves out of the play.

- Al Afalava plays hard. Missed a couple of tackles due to aggressiveness, but made several plays as well. Good special teams play.

- Johnny Knox and Juaquin Iglesias both looked unpolished.

- Cutler looked to Brandon Rideau in the endzone, but the play was called off due to a time out.

- Alex Brown showed a good bull rush.

- Woodny Turenne looked good. Fumble recovery in the first half, and was a good tackler (kept the ball carrier in front of him).

A lot of us had big expectations from our pass rush. The best way for an offense to counter a pass rushing scheme is to keep them on their toes. The Bills no-huddle offense did just that. They wore down our defensive front, nullifying any sort of schematics that we might have had. Rod Marinelli should not have that issue too much in the regular season.

For those who didn't see the Bills first preseason game, they definitely had the luxury of having a game under their belts heading into the Bears game. Their two rookie offensive linemen, Andy Levitre and Eric Wood, looked exponentially better this week. This shows the importance of getting the repetitions in the preseason.

Not to look too far into the future (as we have plenty more analysis from this week's game coming), but this first preseason game was a great opportunity to get our snaps in, learn how to apply all of the offseason schemes that we implemented, and get better. I don't think the game against the Bills should change too much of our outlooks on the 2009 season.

Preseason Game 1: Bears @ Bills

Dane Noble — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:00:16 -0000

It's like being a little kid, and tomorrow being Christmas. Only, we have already gotten our present (and possibly, the biggest present EVER), but now we get to really see what it can do.

Tomorrow at 6:00pm (Central Time), the Chicago Bears will take the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium to battle the Buffalo Bills in New York.

The Bills (7-9 in 2008) have a lot of question marks heading into their 2009 season, most notably their offensive line and their pas rush. Let's get some 2008 statistics out of the way:

Offense-

Overall offensive ranking: 25th

Rushing: 14th (115 yards/ game)

Passing: 22nd (190 yards/ game)

Points: 23rd (21 points/ game)

Trent Edwards: 2,699 yards/ 11 TDs/ 10 INTs/ 23 Sacks

Marshawn Lynch: 1,036 yards/ 8 TDs

Lee Evans: 1,017 yards / 3 TDs

The Bills drafted two offensive linemen in April, Andy Levitre and Eric Wood, both projected to start at Guard. Trent Edwards is expected to have a more productive 2009 campaign, largely in part to the addition of Terrell Owens to the wide receiving corp. The offense has the potential to score a lot of points this season.

Defense-

Overall defensive ranking: 14th

Rushing: 22nd (122 yards/ game)

Passing: 14th (204 yards/ game)

Points: 14th (21.4 points/ game)

Paul Posluszny: 110 tackles, 1 FF, 1 INT

Terrence McGee: 66 tackles, 3 INTs

To help with the pas rush, the Bills drafted Aaron Maybin. Maybin has been a hold-out thus far, but is expected to sign a contract at any time now. Leodis McKelvin will be in his 2nd year, and should build on his productive 2008 rookie season.

What can we expect from the Bills in 2009? They should be a threat to score some points, but that will largely hinge on the production from their OL. Having two rookie starters might hinder their progress, but Wood and Levitre are both incredibly smart, and should improve in great strides as they get more snaps under their belts. Defensively, the Bills need to strengthen their pass rush. Not having Maybin thus far will likely hurt his contributions once he actually gets on the field.

Now, onto our Chicago Bears (9-7 in 2008). First, let's look at our 2008 numbers:

Offense-

Overall offensive ranking: 26th

Rushing: 24th (105 yards/ game)

Passing: 21st (191 yards/ game)

Points: 14th (23.4 points/ game)

Kyle Orton: 2,972 yards/ 18 TDs/ 12 INTs/ 27 Sacks

Matt Forte: 1,238 yards/ 8 TDs

Devin Hester: 665 yards/ 3 TDs

Offensively, the Bears are a different team. Jay Cutler will take the lead at QB; additions to the OL include Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale, and Kevin Shaffer; Kevin Jones is expected to be healthy, and will provide a nice compliment to Forte; the WR corp will consist of several first year players who have the potential to contribute immediately.

Defense-

Overall defensive ranking: 21st

Rushing: 5th (93.5 yards/ game)

Passing: 30th (241 yards/ game)

Points: 16th (22 points/ game)

Lance Briggs: 110 tackles/ 1 FF/ 3 INTs

Kevin Payne: 88 tackles, 4 INTs

The addition of Rod Marinelli is considered by Lovie Smith to be the best free agency acquisition by any team in 2008. Marinelli has high expectations in revamping the defensive pass rush, which was virtually nonexistent last season. Pisa Tinoisamoa should help contribute to one of the best LB corps in the NFL, along side Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. The secondary is the biggest concern, having seen position changes, and a few offseason injuries. Their success will hinge on the pass rush up front.

What can we expect from the Bears in 2009? If the OL can jell, we should see more points put on the board. Cutler will make the WRs better than they look on paper, and the playbook will open up more than past years. Defensively, it all starts up front. Tommie Harris is a huge question mark, and will likely determine how successful the pass rush is. There is potential on both sides of the ball, so we'll see how it all works out. Special teams will once again be a huge advantage for the Bears.

As for the game versus the Bills, here are a few things to look for:

OL productivity: Both teams have a new OL. The Bears pass rush should see success against the young OL of the Bills. The Bears OL will not have a very tough test against the Bills paltry pass rush, so we should see great success from our new guys. All eyes will be on the Bears tackles, Orlando Pace and Chris Williams.

The passing game: Terrell Owens will be out with a sprained toe, so the Bills will be looking at what they have without him. The Bears will be looking closely at their young guys, and we should see Cutler throwing early and often.

Defensive pass rush: As mentioned, this will be a weak spot for the Bills, but should be a strong suit for the Bears. Look for Edwards to be scrambling a lot while the starters are on the field.

The preseason is not by any stretch indicative of success in the regular season, but with so many new pieces, this should be one of the most anticipated preseasons of all time for the Bears. All three phases of the game will be in the spotlight, and we should see how much production will come from all of the offseason work.

Look for a Game Thread tomorrow here at Windy City Gridiron, as well as plenty of post-game analysis in the days to follow. Get your popcorn ready!

Know Thy Enemy 2009: Chicago Bears - November 12

Fooch — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:00:12 -0000

Week 11 brings an intriguing home matchup for the 49ers. They will be facing off against the Chicago Bears at Candlestick Park on the NFL Network. Even though time has passed, it's still worth noting that this is the first regular season matchup between the teams since the Bears successfully accused the 49ers of tampering with Lance Briggs.

Many of you may be wondering where this logo comes from, as it's most definitely not the logo for our Bears site. Well, in March of 2008, when the tampering business was going down I got extremely annoyed with the Bears. So I had our man wjackalope develop this graphic and proceeded to refer to the Bears as the Chicago Stoolies (stool pigeon, get it?). Anyways, time has passed but I thought it would be amusing to roll this logo out one more time.

The Chicago Bears are represented at SB Nation by WCG over at Windy City Gridiron.

Overview
2008 was an up and down year for the Bears, to say the least. If they had managed a win at Houston in Week 17 they would have made the playoffs. Instead they finished 9-7 and 1/2 game back of the wildcard Eagles. They lose 5 games by a touchdown or less as their ineffective offense was carried by another very solid defense. Their breakout star on offense was Matt Forte. While he put up big totals, he averaged just under the league average per carry and they had nobody to offset him. That might have been due in part to the continued struggles of their passing game. That would also factor in some of their offseason decisions. The Bears defense finished fifth against the run and tenth against the pass. Although they've got big names like Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs (among many others), it appears to have been a true team effort by most everybody on defense.

Additions
Well, it was a pretty quiet offseason for the Monsters of the Midway...oh wait, not so much. The big news for Chicago was the trade for Jay Cutler. I don't think there's anybody in the world who would say Cutler is NOT an upgrade over Kyle Orton or Rex Grossman. While they haven't exactly added much to their wide receiver corps, Cutler should provide an upgrade just by not being Orton or the Sex Cannon. The other big name addition was offensive tackle Orlando Pace. He's getting long in the tooth, but a late resurgence could do wonders for the Bears. The Bears added one other Ram in linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, who folks think will be their starting strong side linebacker. Finally, they added Josh Bullocks as a potential starting free safety.

The Bears highest draft choice was in the third round, so naturally they have all their players in camp. Given the lateness of their draft, there is some very interesting potential mixed in with some projects. Their top two picks were DT Jarron Gilbert and WR Juaquin Iglesias. I saw Iglesias in a postseason All Star game and recall coming away mildly impressed. Another guy I'm intrigued by (or at least have some knowledge of) is fourth round pick, CB D.J. Moore out of Vanderbilt. Charles Tillman is out due to back surgery (although he thinks he'll be back relatively early in the season), so I'd imagine D.J. Moore is going to get a nice hunk of preseason playing time.

Subtractions
The Bears parted ways with quite a few of their veterans this offseason, especially on defense. The biggest sentimental loss is probably Mike Brown. The 10-year vet was definitely a fan favorite but the Bears have started a bit of a youth movement on defense. On offense they cut ties with John St. Clair, but Bears fans are not too concerned about that at this point. Of course, the two biggest losses for the Bears have to be Rex Grossman and this 49ers fan favorite.

2009 Questions and Answers
My biggest question remains whether Jay Cutler has a sufficient amount of wide receivers a this disposal. While Devin Hester might continue to improve as a wide receiver, there's not a whole lot else there. I do think Juaquin Iglesias is talented, but history has proven rookie receivers take time to develop. I do think Cutler upgrades the receivers, but will it be enough?

Elsewhere on offense, I'm curious to see what Kevin Jones brings to the table. He has yet to play a full season and thus far it's safe to say he's been a disappointment. He's been able to find the end zone in the past, but all in all, I'm not buying yet. If the Bears are going to improve their offense, they need him to be a solid second banana to Forte. Whomever it is playing #2 to Forte, they're gonna need a heck of a lot more Jones's 34 carries.

On defense (and this could be applied on offense with the likes of Cutler and Pace), the question is how the unit will come together with a potential new free safety, strong side linebacker, and maybe even cornerback if Moore impresses. It was probably time for changes, but you still have to live with the outcome of those changes.

@ San Francisco
As I said in our very early schedule discussion, I think this is a real measuring stick game. We both felt this ended up as a win. I continue to think that if the 49ers are going to make any kind of noise this season, this is a must-win for them. The Bears are certainly a talented squad, but I really don't think they're so much more talented than the 49ers that they will walk out of here with an easy win. I think this about a lot of the games this season, but once again, I see a very close matchup. We could be looking at a field goal decision.

Brad Biggs' Players Worth Keeping An Eye On

Dane Noble — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:54:42 -0000

It would be easy to start rattling off names that we would want to watch during training camp- Cutler, Harris, Hester, Urlacher. To strip down a roster from 80 players to 53 would be no fun task, but it does make you start thinking about some of the players who might not get as much media attention.

Brad Biggs has put together a list of "under the radar" guys to keep an eye on during camp. A couple of the players are ones that we have been wondering about here at WCG.

Safety Al Afalava. The Bears went into the draft knowing they needed a free safety but with their draft position, they didn't identify any that would fill their need in what was considered a weak class. They wound up grabbing Afalava in the sixth round, and he's a strong safety although the Bears have said he can play both positions. He's a serious hitter and should provide some exciting moments late in some preseason games that are otherwise not exciting. It could be an uphill battle to make the roster and just being a thumper won't get it done for him. He needs to show instincts first. Missing the bulk of the offseason program because of the rules for schools like Oregon State that are on the quarter system didn't help him.

Running back Garrett Wolfe. It looks like veteran Adrian Peterson will be pushed for a roster spot but after seven seasons he isn't going to go without a fight. Peterson has been a security blanket for coaches. They know he can handle any situation at any time, and you can't put a value on what that means. Wolfe was better on special teams last season but has yet to find a niche on offense. He's going to need to step forward and a real case can be made that his opportunity has not come yet.

Different people have different opinions of Afalava, and I really wonder if he'll have a shot at the final 53. My gut says he'll need a huge camp to find a spot.

Wolfe has been mentioned by Ron Turner and Jerry Angelo this offseason, and both of them made comments about wanting him to get worked into the game here and there. But if he isn't living up to his potential, with a healthy Kevin Jones and the always reliable Adrian Peterson, Wolfe might find himself as the odd man out.

Make sure you head over to Biggs' blog, Inside the Bears, and catch the rest of his list of players worth keeping an eye on. Who do you think has the most to prove during training camp? Someone on Biggs' list, or is there someone else that might be worth keeping an eye on?

The 10 Most Important Bears in 2009 - #5

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:00:23 -0000

In this ongoing series I'll look at which Bears I think will need to contribute the most in 2009 for them to have a successful season.

#5 Matt Forte - Running Back

Even with the addition of Jay Cutler, the Bears will need to run the ball, and second year pro Matt Forte will need to show his rookie year was just a tease to what his full potential can be. NFL people say a players biggest jump in level of play comes between their rookie and second year, so expectations will be high. Forte had an exceptional first year in Chicago, 1,238 rushing yards, 316 attempts, 63 receptions, 12 total TD, third in the NFL in yards from scrimmage(1,715) and touches (379), and only 1 fumble. However, the stat that stands out to me is his average yards per carry, 3.9. It's OK, but not what a top tier running back should be producing.

Last year thirty backs averaged better than the 3.9 of Forte. Improvements to the Bears offensive line will go a long way towards improving his average as will not dealing with an eighth defender in the box on almost every running down (thank you Jay Cutler!). A healthy Kevin Jones will help keep the running game fresh. If Jones is 100% the drop off won't be as great and both backs bring a different style for the defense to think about.

If Forte is able to really get going running, it'll let the Bears hit some big gains off of play action. The middle of the field is usually what opens up first off of play action and with Greg Olsen primed for a break out year it could be a beautiful thing. The pieces of the Bears offense should really compliment each other in 2009.

Even though Cutler is used to playing in poor weather, some late season games will come down to grinding it out and winning the time of possession; can you keep the chains moving and hold onto the ball? I'm sure we'll hear the "get off the bus running" sound bite about a hundred times this year, but I expect Forte and the offensive line to be up for the challenge. As I've written before I could see Forte getting less carries but more yards. I don't see him approaching his 63 receptions, but he'll still get his fair share of catches. I could see him making the NFC Pro Bowl (then again if the Bears are in the Super Bowl he'll have to skip the game), and establishing himself as one of the top backs in the game today.

The List so far:

#10 - Nathan Vasher - Cornerback

#9 - Kevin Payne - Strong Safety

#8 - Rod Marinelli - Defensive Coordinator

#7 - Devin Hester - Wide Receiver / Return Specialist

#6 - Lovie Smith - Defensive Coordinator

#5 - Matt Forte - Running Back

What Will Kevin Jones Bring To 2009?

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:30:08 -0000

The Bears are determined to get former Detroit number one draft choice Kevin Jones more involved in the offense this year, and for the longevity and health of Matt Forte I hope Jones can be productive. Running back tandems are the norm in today's NFL. More teams are looking for that guy to split carries with, the Smash to the Dash, the Lightning and the Thunder, or the Earth to play off the Wind and Fire. In the Bears 2006 Super Bowl season Thomas Jones split carries (about 65% - 35%) with Cedric Benson. In that same year the Super Bowl Champion Colts had a 55% - 45% split between Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes. I'd be happy to see the 2009 Forte / Jones split somewhere in the 60% - 40% range.

Some teams are forced to get more backs involved due to injuries, but ideally splitting time among 2 or even 3 backs will keep everyone fresh and healthy. Last year Kevin Jones had only 34 carries, which was second to Forte's 316. Not a very good ratio, in fact Forte was on the field for 84% of the Bears offensive snaps. Dude needs a breather!

What could a healthy K. Jones bring to the party? His rookie year he averaged 4.7 yards per carry while going over eleven hundred yards. His 3rd year in the league he caught 61 balls out of the backfield for over five hundred yards. When healthy he's been able to produce, (the key words there of course are "when healthy"). He missed one game his rookie year with an ankle injury. He missed three games in '05 due to an elbow injury. In 2006 he suffered a season ending foot injury against the Vikings and missed the last 3 games on the year, but in his 13 games he had over 1200 yards from scrimmage. In 2007 he started the year on the PUP list recovering from his foot injury, but did make it back for week 3. Then on Dec 23rd of ‘07 against the Chiefs he left the game with his most recent injury, a torn ACL of the right knee.

Is Jones injury prone or unlucky? I tend to say the latter of the two, because none of the injuries are related. Is he soft? I doubt it. His two season ending injuries were extremely severe (the ACL tear and a Lisfranc fracture of his foot) and he fought back real hard to recover from the foot injury just to play that season.

These days it's pretty common for athletes to return in a year's time from a torn ACL, but for a running back to fully get back the acceleration, the cutting, the stopping and starting, and for him to be able to strengthen the knee to withstand the rigors and punishment of an NFL season simply takes more time. All reports were that Jones looked like a new player during OTA's.

We're talking about a back that was the #1 rated prospect out of High School by several recruiting sites, a nationally ranked High School sprinter in the 100 and 200, and a 1st Team All American at Virginia Tech. Jones, at 6' 225, is built a bit stockier than Forte and may get some of the short yardage carries (no more McKie please). Jones runs a bit lower through the hole than Forte and will give defenses a different look. Both can be viable options as receivers (some screens please), and both are adept in picking up the blitz.

I'd love to see Jones get around 150 carries, with Forte about 250, and yes a little Garrett Wolfe sprinkled in every so often. For some perspective on running back tandems, Carolina had DeAngelo Williams at 273 attempts and Jonathan Stewart at 184. The Colts' Addai and Rhodes split again with each a bit over 150. The Titans Chris Johnson had 251 and LenDale White 200. Even the Falcons workhorse Michael Turner and his league leading 357 attempts was spelled from time to time by Jerious Norwood's 95 carries and 36 receptions.

The Bears have Jones for two more years, he'll only be 27 when the season gets going, and with a limited workload he could be very productive. With him and Forte well rested throughout the season, the Bears truly can "get off the bus running."

Poll

How many touches (rushes and receptions) would you like to see Kevin Jones get in 2009?

Less that 50

20 votes

50-100

157 votes

100-150

285 votes

More than 150

206 votes

668 votes | Poll has closed

NightLink: Reading Between the Lines?

Dane Noble — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:00:25 -0000

On the Chicago Bears official site, there is an article about how Jay Cutler is handling the criticisms that have been tossed his way since his arrival in Chicago (see: Tony Dungy, Mike Ditka). Of course, Jay says all of the right things and sounds like he is ready to disprove his critics and play football.

But what caught my attention was further down in the article. Now, I know it is never wise to automatically take things like this at face value, but I also know that after moves get made, you can sometimes comb back through old items, and maybe find hints of what was to come.

In this case, it is a quote from Lovie Smith on the Bears running backs. We all know that our 1-2 punch of Matt Forte/ Kevin Jones will exist, and we have heard from Ron Turner that he expects to work Garrett Wolfe into the mix. As far as Adrian Peterson goes, he has been a staple on Special Teams, and considered by most of us to have a solid grasp on a roster spot. But here is Lovie's comment:

"We’re a running football team," Smith said. "We’re going to pound the ball quite a bit. That’s why it’s important for Kevin. It’s also important for [third-stringer] Garrett Wolfe. Garrett has had a good offseason too. … You need at least two and then maybe even three [running backs]."

He mentions Jones and Wolfe outright, but does not mention Peterson. We also have not heard anything from OTAs about Peterson. Could Lovie's comment be a sign that we will only carry three RBs on the roster this year? Is there a need to keep Peterson on the roster for Special Teams/ RB depth?

And what about our FB? We know that Michael Gaines has played both TE and FB... should we expect the Bears to cut ties with Jason McKie, and play the 275lb Gaines at FB?