SB Nation - Corey Graham

Hey Lovie, looks like Devin Aromashodu showed you

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:00:19 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Is week 14 really the time to discover this "new" player? Only after being the surprise of training camp and the OTA's, after getting his name mentioned in nearly every interview by nearly every offensive player or coach in preseason, after winning the #3 WR job before week 1 (only to have an injury setback give Johnny Knox a chance), after Jay Cutler continually mentioning him as a guy that he'd like to see get some more snaps in recent weeks, and after Devin Hester is inactive for the game, does Devin Aromashodu finally get some extended playing time. D.A. was targeted 12 times, making 8 grabs for 76 yards and a TD, a really athletic TD.

At first I thought Cutler was just targeting D.A. so often to make a point, but then I realized he was getting open. He was running good routes and he was making good catches. After spending time in the Colts system, it makes sense that he'd be the most polished WR on the team. And it took until game 13 and an injury to Hester to get him on the field for more than a token snap or two. Sad...

After Kahlil Bell was elevated from the practice squad and had that storybook debut run, word from the coaches was that he always looked good in practice, but you never know until you get on the big stage. And you'll never know if you don't have the cojones to get said player on the big stage. Can Jarron Gilbert or Gaines Adams be any worse then what the Bears are putting out there on the D-Line now? Get them some extended time. It's not like you have Dan Hampton manning the trenches, get some new blood in there. Did the Corey Graham to free safety experiment go so horribly wrong that is just ended without any game time?

I'm not lauding Aromashodu as the second coming of Marcus Robinson... I'm just saying that the kid should have been given an opportunity. The Packers did seem to make more of an effort in locating D.A. as the game wore on, but Johnny Knox was able to have a career day. Two career days for two Bears receivers, who'd a thunk it?

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Eagles Edition

Dane Noble — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:32:44 -0000

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Seeing talented players stuck on an untalented football team can be disheartening, and I'm starting to feel sorry for some of ours. For every playmaker the Chicago Bears have, there seem to be three bozos who can't do their job.

And even when we see some things go right for our football team, at the end of the day, we are who we found out we were back at the beginning of the season: not very good.

- Lump Al Afalava, Danieal Manning, Corey Graham, and Charles Tillman all into the same category: Players Who Will Either Make Big Plays, Or Get Burned.

- On the Michael Vick run on 3rd and 1 early in the game, all three Chicago linebackers blitzed, all into different holes. Vick's one second hesitation was enough for him to see which hole to run into.

- From the More Things That Fall On the Head Coach's Shoulders department: Getting off the field on 3rd down, and Penalties.

- The offensive line will have to be retooled for next year, or we may see Jay Cutler standing outside Halas Hall with a picket sign in his hands.

- We saw a 4 WR set on the Bears first drive, but Matt Forte was given the ball on a sweep.

- Cutler missed 3 TDs throws last night... all on overthrows. What's up with that?

- Adewale Ogunleye is very strong... has the potential to be a very good defensive end.

- On the Eagles first TD, Lance Briggs blitzed, and the Eagles ran a RB screen to his side. Yes, the blitz was shown early.

- Kahlil Bell... got pretty lucky on his first ever NFL carry. The Eagles happened to be blitzing in every hole of the OL, except the gap Bell was headed. Good to see the young man start his career that way.

- On the previous play, Bell actually motioned out of the backfield, and ended up split wide right. Cutler looked for him on a pass, but it was incomplete.

- For all of the criticism I have heaped up on Charles Tillman, he had a good game last night.

- Every week, penalties. So, why should this week be different? Come on Lovie Smith...

- The only thing Josh Beekman can consistently do well is pulling out to the right as a lead blocker on trap plays.

- I like Lance Briggs, and am thankful he is a part of our football team.

- When an offense hits the field for the final time, and needs to drive down the field in order to come from behind, a false start penalty is not a good first play. (Yes, Orlando Pace, I'm talking about you sir.)

- Donovan McNabb pulling Cutler to the side after the game for a pep talk: Priceless.

Cornerbacks: To press or not to press

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:57 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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A hot topic of discussion the last few years is how far the Bears usually have their corners off the line of scrimmage. Is it a coaching point, or do the players just play off on their own? When they do play some bump and run coverage is it in the defensive game plan to do so or are the DB's making the call to do it? Make no mistake about it, where ever the corners line up it's a coach's call.

It's schemed where they line up. If a CB is playing off on his own, going against the game plan, and he's getting burned with quick slants or hitches that player will be benched, and conversely if a CB is playing up tight against the coaches wishes and he isn't effective he'll find some pine time as well.

In last Sunday's game it was pointed out that Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald likes when corners play him close, and why not, at 6'3" & 217 pounds he's bigger and stronger than most every corner he plays against. While Charles Tillman played tight on a handful of snaps, the Bears played off the majority of the time. When is the opportune time to press? When is it best to play off? Unless you're an elite CB, blessed with incredible make up speed, you play according to scheme. And the Bears scheme usually dictates play loose.

In the Cover 2 type defense we've seen in Chicago during the Lovie Smith era, the corners are responsible for the sideline in about 12/13 yards, keeping balls thrown to the flats in front of them. The Bears favor physical corners (Tillman, Zackary Bowman, and Corey Graham) who should be able to press. In theory, the CB's could easily play press coverage while looking for a back coming to the flat or a slot WR or TE running an out or arrow route into their zone. By pressing the split end they'll throw off the timing of a quick slant or skinny post in between horizontal zones (CB/LB) or a fade or go route behind him (between the CB/S).

I've always felt that playing real soft coverage on the WR's in zone gives too much of an advantage to the offense. If the CB's play off the slant can be thrown immediately, before the wide out can get close to the 2nd defender in. Pressing up will make the WR have to work to get into his route and give the defense a chance to be effective. With all the 3 step drops the Bears see, doing anything to disrupt the timing patterns should be priority #1.

In some variations of the zone defense, the corners are actually responsible for sticking man to man if they go deep, so pressing them could be a problem. If you try to bump and run, but don't get a good jam, you risk getting blown by. The same can obviously be said when in man to man, so if the corner doesn't have the speed to stick with a WR, pressing isn't a good idea. None of the Bears corners have what you would call track speed. No 4.3 40's in that group. So why take a chance on playing tight. This is the biggest reason why they elect to rarely press.

Generally speaking, defenses that get to the QB with a regularity can press more, with the thinking that routes that take time to develop won't work if the QB is running for his life. And by pressing you take away the quick timing routes QB's look for when they sense a blitz.

Other times you'll see some teams funneling wide outs to their help with press coverage. For example, if a defense is in a rolled over 3 deep look, (The 3 deep consisting of both safeties rolling over to one corners side with the other corner responsible for the other third of the field) the corner that is pressing may try and induce the WR to an outside release knowing he has over the top help from a safety. If the team is a primarily a Cover 2 team, this is a great wrinkle to add to the defense. You may get a QB reading Cover 2 off the snap that attempts to hit his WR down the sideline (the usual hole in the Cover 2 between the CB/S), but with the safety over further than in the Cover 2 (because he only has deep third responsibility) he could be there for the pick.

Bottom line is the Bears don't press because they don't have the type of defense that allows you to press, both scheme wise and with their personnel. The Bears just don't bring the kind of heat on opposing QB's that would benefit from bump and run coverage. If the Bears did play tight, with the QB having plenty of time to scan the field, NFL WR's would eventually beat the press. Remember no track star DB's in this group. They could mix things up and press while in zone from time to time, but again if the QB is allowed to sit in the pocket, it'll be easy pickens.

If you think of the CB's and/or teams that are successful with the bump and run type coverage, you'll either think of the corners with great make up speed, that could make plays on the ball seemingly where ever they are on the field, or the teams that eat quarterbacks for lunch. Two things we don't see in Chicago.

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Browns Edition

Dane Noble — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:28:05 -0000

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Fans of the Chicago Bears got what we expected on Sunday: a complete dominance of a terrible team. In the long run, it probably doesn't make us feel any better about the season, but in the short run, it puts us a game over .500, and along pace with some of the other wild card potential teams in the NFC.

The defense looked good yesterday for the most part, but the offense continues to show a lack of rhythm. Luckily, we have some great young talent to build our future on, but that doesn't get us off the hook for the remainder of the 2009 season.

- Many will argue that the QB is the most important position on the field, while others will say it is collectively the OL. Roberto Garza can still hold his own, but Chris Williams is the only lineman that I think is worth banking on beyond 2009.

- Matt Forte is falling victim to our lackluster OL play. If I were to grade Forte, I'd say he is a 7 out of 10, with 8 being a Pro Bowl RB. Luckily, he is still very young, and dependable.

- Orlando Pace can still get it done at certain times, but is not consistent. One play, he'll have a dominate pancake block, and the next three plays he can't maintain his balance.

- Marcus Harrison showed good penetration yesterday.

- Danieal Manning showed great athleticism, and has incredible speed. Still out of position a lot, but Lovie Smith has done a good job with him. Hopefully, we see steady improvement over the year from Manning.

- I'll see what I can pull up numbers-wise, but Jay Cutler seems to look better in the shotgun.

- Speaking of Cutler, is it just me, or does he hang his head too much? Sees like his confidence level is down, and doesn't show much fire (outside of jawing with the opposing DC). It seems like the QB would be more of a leader...

- Offensive rhythm continues to be a problem. We'll look good one drive, only to look completely out of synch for the next three.

- Nick Roach is fast. Depending on Pisa Tinoisamoa's future as a Bear, I like Roach's athleticism. Hunter Hillenmeyer is intelligent, but not a starter for every Sunday. Next year, could we see Briggs, Urlacher, Roach?

- Cutler has forced our WRs to develop good hands. He makes some throws that many WRs couldn't catch. Good to see the progress of Devin Hester and Earl Bennett.

- Devin Hester should be our punt returner for years to come. He is still very young, and has more talent than I can say. Can you imagine how great he will be as he continues to develop into a formidable WR?

- Craig Steltz struggled in the defensive side of things this past offseason, but looks great on ST coverage.

- Kyle Orton was 10/15 passing for 35 yards in the first half in the Denver game yesterday.

- In the second half, Cleveland's RBs were getting past our front 4 too easily.

- When Cutler has time to throw, and plants his feet, he looks great. Too bad that doesn't happen more than once or twice per game.

- Corey Graham looked good on ST. What is his future with the Bears?

- Is Hunter Hillenmeyer really 100% healthy? I don't think so.

- Al Afalava continued to shine in run support. That kid is tough. Pay him more.

- Once again, we saw a run by Forte headed left, only to have the line collapse, and him cut back to his right for a TD run. His vision/ shiftiness is amazing.

- Hester limping in the 4th quarter after good run. Is he alright?

- Brady Quinn needs to get out of Cleveland. I wasn't a fan of his in college, and didn't think he would be good in the NFL, but have changed my mind. He will be a good NFL QB if he can find somewhere else t play.

- Hard to criticize Ron Turner when he doesn't have the personnel to work with. Our OL will continue holding back Forte, Cutler, and others as long as we keep sticking with what we have.

- JOSH BEEKMAN IS WHO WE THOUGHT HE WAS. HE GOT RUN SLAP OVER SEVERAL TIMES, AND GOT CUTLER NAILED BECAUSE OF IT. BEEKMAN IS NOT THE ANSWER.

- If we are going to fight for a wild card spot, the NFC East will be a tough challenger. It's early still, but it would be nice to see New Orleans get a win over Atlanta...

- The orange jerseys look great!

Final Injury/Practice Report: Chicago Bears (3-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

Kirkendall — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:56:31 -0000

CINCINNATI BENGALS

OUT	PROBABLE
T Andre Smith (foot)	TE Daniel Coats (shoulder)
	DT Tank Johnson (foot)
DOUBTFUL	RB Brian Leonard (groin)
S Roy Williams (forearm)	WR Chad Ochocinco (hip)
	DT Domata Peko (knee)
QUESTIONABLE	DE Frostee Rucker (ankle)
DT Jonathan Fanene (illness)	DT Pat Sims (biceps)
WR Chris Henry (illness)

CHICAGO BEARS

OUT	PROBABLE
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee)	S Josh Bullocks (ankle)
	CB Corey Graham (ankle)
DOUBTFUL	LB Hunter Hillenmeyer (rib)
DT Tommie Harris (knee)	DT Israel Idonije (knee)
RB Adrian Peterson (knee)	S Kevin Payne (toe)

Practice

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI
DT Domata Peko (knee)	DNP	DNP	FP
S Roy Williams (forearm)	DNP	DNP	DNP
T Andre Smith (foot)	LP	LP	FP
TE Daniel Coats (shoulder)	FP	FP	FP
DT Tank Johnson (foot)	FP	DNP	FP
RB Brian Leonard (groin)	FP	FP	FP
DE Frostee Rucker (ankle)	FP	FP	FP
DT Pat Sims (biceps)	FP	FP	FP
DT Jonathan Fanene (illness)	--	DNP	DNP
WR Chris Henry (illness)	--	--	DNP
WR Chad Ochocinco (hip)	--	--	DNP

BEARS	WED	THUR	FRI
DT Tommie Harris (knee)	DNP	DNP	DNP
RB Adrian Peterson (knee)	DNP	DNP	DNP
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee)	DNP	OUT	OUT
S Josh Bullocks (ankle)	LP	LP	FP
CB Corey Graham (ankle)	LP	LP	FP
LB Hunter Hillenmeyer (rib)	LP	FP	FP
DT Israel Idonije (knee)	LP	FP	FP
S Kevin Payne (toe)	--	LP	FP

Practice Report: Chicago Bears (3-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

Kirkendall — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:59:09 -0000

Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening, we'll (TRY TO) update the practice/injury chart leading up to Sunday's game. The chart is pretty self-explanatory. If the player is listed as out, they're out for the game. If they did not participate, they didn't practice. If they were limited, then they only participated during a portion of practice (typically means missing 11-on-11 drills). If the player is listed as full participation, it simply means that they practiced fully and that the only reason they're listed is because injury was an issue the week before.

Practice

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI
DT Domata Peko (knee)	DNP	DNP
S Roy Williams (forearm)	DNP	DNP
T Andre Smith (foot)	LP	LP
TE Daniel Coats (shoulder)	FP	FP
DT Tank Johnson (foot)	FP	DNP
RB Brian Leonard (groin)	FP	FP
DE Frostee Rucker (ankle)	FP	FP
DT Pat Sims (biceps)	FP	FP
DT Jonathan Fanene (illness)	--	DNP

BEARS	WED	THUR	FRI
DT Tommie Harris (knee)	DNP	DNP
RB Adrian Peterson (knee)	DNP	DNP
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee)	DNP	OUT
S Josh Bullocks (ankle)	LP	LP
CB Corey Graham (ankle)	LP	LP
LB Hunter Hillenmeyer (rib)	LP	FP
DT Israel Idonije (knee)	LP	FP
S Kevin Payne (toe)		LP

Nathan Vasher's Job Officially in Flux

Adam T — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:42:29 -0000

We've been talking about it for years now. We need to replace Nathan Vasher as our #2 corner back, but the Bears never acted on it. We thought in the beginning of the off-season that this would be the year, with Corey Graham showing some good skills last year. Due to concerns elsewhere, he was moved to safety, only to see him come back to corner too late to make a move to dethrone Vasher. Then Zackary Bowman stepped up and seemed a likely candidate until he got hurt.

In week one versus the Packers, the Bears ran Vasher, Tillman and Bowman in and out with Tillman and Vasher getting the bulk of the reps. Vasher will still see plenty of time, but the Bears have announced that Bowman will start next week against the Steelers....kind of. The announcement isn't official, but Bowman has been practicing with the first team offense.

With Trumaine McBride out, the Bears cannot shed Vasher yet, but if we can get him covering a third string receiver and not the most dangerous man on the field, perhaps we can avoid these last-second bombs that seem to often beat us.

Why Are The Bears Considered An Elite Defensive Team?

Blitzburgh — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:57:57 -0000

It's interesting how teams in professional sports - and in the National Football League in particular - get branded in certain ways. Often times these labels stick with teams years longer than they perhaps should. The Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, are still thought of as a smash-mouth, physical running team even though they haven't fared well on the ground for most of the past 20 games or so. Another example is how the Chicago Bears are still thought of as an elite, physical defense because of some of their success earlier this decade. The Bears aren't really an elite defense anymore in my opinion and haven't been for two years running.

Let's take a closer look.

The last time the Bears defense was outstanding was in 2006, the year they lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. The year before in 2005, Chicago was lights out on defense and rode their opportunistic ball hawking defense all the way to the #2 seed in the NFC and a home playoff game at Soldier Field that they would lose to the Carolina Panthers. Let's start though with the 2006 defense though. Here are some of their numbers from that year - the season they made it all the way to the Super Bowl before falling to the Colts (league rank in parentheses).

2006

Yards/G: 294.1 (5th)
Points: 15.9 (3rd)
Rushing Yards/G: 99.38 (6th)
Passing Yards: 194.7 (11th)
Turnovers: 44 (1st)
Sacks: 40 (8th)
DVOA: 2nd (Pass Defense = 1st; Rush = 6th)
Top Ten Tackle Leaders: Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman, Danieal Manning, Ricky Manning, Chris Harris, Alex Brown, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Adewale Ugonleye, Nathan Vashar

The Bears were also good in 2005, but let's face it - four years ago means very little in the salary cap era of the NFL. I know us Steelers fans don't necessarily think of our team in 2005 as particularly similar to the squad we're watching in 2009. Anyway, the Bears were outstanding in 2005 on defense and combined with their solid play on that side of the ball in 2006, they earned the reputation as being one of the more physical and punishing defenses in the league.

Miscellaneous: The Bears started the 2006 season much like the 2008 Steelers did on defense. They were outstanding, holding their first 10 opponents under 300 yards. They pitched two shutouts in those first ten games and averaged only 12 points per game on defense while jumping out to a 9-1 record to start the year. They had three guys force at least four fumbles that year and eight defenders with two or more interceptions. By contrast, the Steelers only had one guy force more than four fumbles last year - Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison with seven. They also only had four players notch multiple picks. If you look at their roster from that year, you'll also notice that all of their top defenders were in their prime physical years - age 25-29 - with a number of other young key contributors like Tommie Harris being worked in during the early years of their career.

Let's see how they've fared the last two years though to see if they're deserving of still being thought of as one of the league's better units.

2007

Yards/G: 354.6 (28th)
Points: 21.75 (16th)
Rushing Yards/G: 122.9 (24th)
Passing Yards: 231.7 (27th)
Turnovers: 33 (8th)
Sacks: 41 (6th)
DVOA: 8th (Pass = 14th; Rush = 4th)
Top Ten Tackle Leaders: Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Danieal Manning, Charles Tillman, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Brandon McGowan, Adewale Ugonleye, Adam Archuleta, Alex Brown, Ricky Manning

Miscellaneous: This is the year we really start to see the Bears defense decline. Chicago only held their opponent to under 300 yards of total offense on four occasions that season - once against the hapless Raiders and another against the rebuilding Chiefs running a Herm Edwards offense. They gave up 30+ points four times and likely would have finished even worse than 7-9 had they not sacked the quarterback and forced as many turnovers as they did. Adewale Ugonleye was particularly productive at 30 years of age for Chicago. He forced 6 fumbles, recovered three more, and had 9 sacks - tops on the squad that year. Ugonleye is now 32 years of age and not as explosive at the point of attack as he once was despite making his first Pro Bowl appearance last year (he should have made it the year before, not last season). It's also worth noting that 2007 was the first year of Bob Babich regime at defensive coordinator. I'm not sure of why, but former coordinator Ron Rivera was not retained by Lovie Smith following Chicago's run to the Super Bowl in 2006. Rivera had previously been in charge of the Bears defense since 2004 and had improved dramatically during his tenure there. Babich meanwhile got his first NFL gig with the Rams in 2003 when he was named their linebackers coach. Before being promoted to defensive coordinator prior to the 2007 season, Babich had never been a defensive coordinator at any level and had held only one job higher than a linebackers coach in his entire career - the head coaching gig at North Dakota State. Coaching matters - we know that having been blessed to watch Dick LeBeau for so many years. I don't think Babich is up to snuff and I'm frankly shocked he wasn't canned after last season.

2008

Yards/G: 334.6 (21st)
Points: 21.8 (16th)
Rushing Yards/G: 93.5 (5th)
Passing Yards: 241.1 (30th)
Turnovers: 32 (2nd)
Sacks: 28 (23rd)
DVOA: 7th (Pass = 10th; Rush = 5th)
Top Ten Tackle Leaders: Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher, Kenny Payne, Corey Graham, Mike Brown, Adewale Ugonleye, Alex Brown, Tommie Harris, Nick Roach

Miscellaneous: The Bears really didn't have more than one or two impressive showings on defense last year. If you look at their schedule from 2008, you'll notice they only held their opponent under 10 points on two ocassions. One of them was against the lowly Lions. The other against the equally sad St. Louis Rams. They also played fairly well against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 and against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14. Those four games constitute the only contests that they were able to hold their opponents under 300 yards of total offense. By contrast, the Pittsburgh Steelers only surrendered more than 300 yards just once in 2008 and only 6 times in 2007, four of which came in the final four weeks of the season after injuries had more than taken their toll on Pittsburgh's defense. Chicago also gave up 27 or more points five times last year, including 41 to Minnesota in Week 7 at Soldier Field. Finally, Chicago was able to remain competitive last year due to the fact that they still forced a healthy number of turnovers. In fact, they forced at least one turnover in every game last year. That's fairly impressive. It's worth nothing though that nine of their 32 turnovers - or roughly 28 percent - came in two of their 16 games. They actually lost both games. In other words, I see a team that was extraordinarily vulnerable against the pass manage to pad their turnover stats and consequently hang tough in a number of close games despite not having a very dominating defense whatsoever. The fact that they registered the 23rd fewest sacks despite seeing more passing attempts than any other defense also speaks volumes about their inability to control games with their defense like they once could.

Finally, I mentioned earlier that the Bears defense was largely in the peak window on the defensive side of the ball in 2006. By 2008, the Bears roster on defense featured three starters over the age of 30. Perhaps more importantly though - because after all, the Steelers defense has its fair share of veterans - the Bears no longer were receiving such substantial contributions from their younger defensive players as they had in years past. IN 2007, the Bears drafted Greg Olson - a tight end out of Miami - in the first round and Dan Bazuin - a defensive end from Central Michigan in the 2nd. Bazuin never made it on to the field for the Bears. The Bears 3rd and 4th Round picks were also on the offensive side of the ball.

The next year, the Bears drafted an offensive tackle in the first round, yet another running back in the second, a wide receiver with their first 3rd round pick before finally selecting Marcus Harrison with their other 3rd round selection. Harrison looked pretty good last year but the bottom line is that's not much attention paid to the defense for several years in a row. In an attempt to shore up their defense after several years of not retooling its personnel, Chicago finally paid more attention to that side of the ball in this past April's Drat. Five of the Bears first seven picks were on defense. Smart move if you ask me, particularly because they seem to have a running back for the future in Matt Forte, a quarterback in Jay Cutler and an above average offensive line that gave up a respectable number of sacks last year (29) considering how bad their quarterback play was, not to mention how often they had to throw the ball due to the poor play from the defense.

Though they lost, for a game the Bears defense looked good this past Sunday night. They stymied Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense for most of the evening. Green Bay had just 224 yards of offense, 72 of which came on their final drive of the game. Though I think Pittsburgh will have a few opportunities to run the ball after softening the Bears defense through the air, I'd still say I'm not holding my breath hoping that the running game will somehow materialize this Sunday, even though I'm no believer in Chicago's defense generally speaking. The Bears limited Green Bay's rushing game to just 76 yards on 22 carries. They should be just fine against the run even without Urlacher.

That's enough for now and I apologize for the lack of any real coherency with that post but I wanted to try to take a little bit closer look at the Bears defense the past several years to see really if they're as worthy of the frequent praise they get for their play on defense. My take? They've neither been terrible nor great, but in the past two years, I'd put them closer to poor if not for an opportunistic defense that has a knack for turning the ball over.

Bears Make 53

Dane Noble — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:20:43 -0000

A few surprises, but not too many. Today, the Bears whittled their roster down to the league mandated 53 players by terminating 3 contracts, waiving 16 players, and placing 3 on Injured Reserve.

Players who were waived included guard Johan Asiata, defensive ends Ervin Baldwin and Joe Clermond, offensive tackle Cody Balogh, quarterback Brett Basanez, cornerbacks Rudy Burgess, Marcus Hamilton and Woodny Turenne, fullbacks Jason Davis and Will Ta’ufo’ou, linebackers Marcus Freeman, Kevin Malast and Mike Rivera, receiver Eric Peterman, and center Donovan Raiola.

The Bears can establish an eight-man practice squad on Sunday and also can claim players who’ve been waived by other NFL teams. In past seasons, the Bears have typically stocked their practice squad primarily with players they released a day earlier during final cuts.

Here’s a breakdown of the 53-man roster as it stands now (in alphabetical order):

Quarterbacks (2): Jay Cutler, Caleb Hanie.

Running backs (3): Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, Garrett Wolfe.

Fullbacks (1): Jason McKie:

Wide receivers (6): Devin Aromashodu, Earl Bennett, Rashied Davis, Devin Hester, Juaquin Iglesias, Johnny Knox.

Tight ends (4): Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis, Michael Gaines, Greg Olsen.

Offensive linemen (8): Josh Beekman, Roberto Garza, Olin Kreutz, Lance Louis, Frank Omiyale, Orlando

Pace, Kevin Shaffer, Chris Williams.

Defensive linemen (9): Anthony Adams, Mark Anderson, Alex Brown, Jarron Gilbert, Tommie Harris, Marcus Harrison, Israel Idonije, Adewale Ogunleye, Matt Toeaina.

Linebackers (6): Lance Briggs, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Nick Roach, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Brian Urlacher, Jamar Williams.

Cornerbacks (6): Zackary Bowman, Corey Graham, Trumaine McBride, D.J. Moore, Charles Tillman, Nate Vasher.

Safeties (5): Al Afalava, Josh Bullocks, Danieal Manning, Kevin Payne, Craig Steltz.

Specialists (3): Robbie Gould, Patrick Mannelly, Brad Maynard.

Position Battles: Defensive Backs

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:00:18 -0000

by Dean Duprey - AP

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More so than the young wide receiving corps, the question mark for the Chicago Bears is the secondary. Jay Cutler will work with what he's given offensively and make them productive, but the corners and safeties have so much uncertainty surrounding them. Not necessarily because there isn't talent in the group, but because we haven't seen the talent in the group this off-season. Charles Tillman, Zackary Bowman, and Danieal Manning have all been hurt and look to be starters once healthy. I wonder if these three were 100% and playing up to their capabilities, would there still be the uneasiness in the air about the DB's?

Last year the Bears carried 10 defensive backs, five safeties and five corners. This season I see them going with the same numbers of DB's, just with a different allocation.

With Tillman and Bowman yet to return from their injuries and with Nathan Vasher struggling to regain his Pro Bowl form I think the Bears will go with six corners on the roster in '09. First the obvious 2009 corners; Tillman, Bowman, and Corey Graham. Graham has had a somewhat quiet preseason, but after his solid '08 campaign and since he hasn't done anything to hurt his chances at sticking, he'll be back. I'm not sure if the Graham to free safety experiment is over, but he's an option at corner, he's capable of playing the nickleback, and if the other corners ever get their health straightened out, he can go back to taking reps at FS.

Of the obvious cuts, you have to expect Rudy Burgess to be gone, along with Marcus Hamilton and Trumaine McBride. McBride had a rough game in Denver, and even though he looked capable in some spot starts the last couple years, it's all about ‘what have you done for me lately?' in the NFL. He needs a good game tonight against the Browns to give the coaches something to think about. I think the Bears are looking for a reason to cut him rather than a reason to keep him.

I think Woodny Turenne will be cut and brought back to the practice squad if he goes unclaimed. Yes, I know. Woodney has looked decent this preseason, so before his fan club pipes in, please realize he was finishing out games against some soon to be unemployment statistics and future UFL players. He has some size and skills that would be a welcome addition to the 2010 Bears. But let him hone his craft on the practice squad for a year.

Which brings it down to newly signed Roderick Hood, rookie D.J. Moore, and Vasher for the last three spots. Hood brings experience to the table, Moore has his draft status and potential behind him, and Vasher has the... big money contract? I'm rooting for Vasher to return to form, I really am, I'm just not sure if he will. I am expecting the Bears to give him the benefit of doubt and he'll be back this year. If McBride was looking more impressive so far, it'd be a much tougher call. The Cleveland game may be an important one for a couple of these corners.

So... If the Bears go with six corners, as I believe they will, that leaves four spots for the safeties. Manning, Kevin Payne, and rookie surprise Al Afalava will be on the opening day roster and Dahna Deleston most definitely will not. What to do with Josh Bullocks and Craig Steltz? Steltz was crammed down our throats as the FS starter all off-season, but now he's listed as #2 along with Bullocks. I think this evenings contest may go a long way in determining their fate. I do see a scenario where both make the final 53, (keeping only 3 TE's, or 3 RB's, or 2 QB's...) could open up a roster spot. I think I'd take Bullocks at this point because his experience is at free safety, but Steltz's draft status might keep save him.

Poll

Who would you keep on the Chicago Bears Final 53?

Craig Steltz

231 votes

Josh Bullocks

95 votes

Both

77 votes

Who cares! I'm in the Woodney Turenne Fan Club!!!

54 votes

457 votes | Poll has closed