SB Nation - Trumaine McBride

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.

Another Bear Bites the Dust, Desomond Clark Out for a Few Weeks

Adam T — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:16:28 -0000

The lose to the Green Bay Packers has now become the least of our problems. The Bears have suffered a rash of injuries in the game. Brian Urlacher, Pisa Tinoisamoa and Trumaine McBride are already out for extended periods of time.

Now TE Desmond Clark is our for a "few" weeks with a cracked rib.

Clark took a big shot from behind from Packers safety Aaron Rouse at the end of a 23-yard reception, and it’s believed the injury is to the back side of his ribs.

Luckily, the Bears are deep at the TE spot and Clark is not the starter, but with Olsen getting shut down by the Packers, he still has an impact.

Analysis: How The Chicago Bears Look Coming Into Week 1

Brandon — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:37 -0000

by David Duprey - AP

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I'm at a major disadvantage here because I didn't watch the Chicago Bears at all this preseason. I'm sure there are many Bears fans reading the site this week (Welcome!) so feel free to correct all my errors and omissions in the comments. Usually the preseason isn't very telling, but on the eve of the QB Jay Cutler era, it would've been nice to have gotten a sneak peak. Mitchell already looked at the matchups. I'm really trying to get a good look at the Bears.

A Tale of Two Pass Rushes. One thing the Bears and Packers had in common last season, that neither team wants to repeat again in 2009, is their inability to sack the quarterback. In 2008, Chicago had 28 sacks as a team and the Packers had 27. To address the problem, the Packers made major changes by hiring Dom Capers as defensive coordinator and converting to a 3-4 defense. On the other hand, Chicago didn't rock the boat. Lovie Smith will now call the defensive plays and defensive coordinator Bob Babich will focus on coaching the linebackers. The big addition in personnel was drafting DE/DT Jarron Gilbert in the 3rd round to provide an inside pass rush. They also drafted DE Henry Melton in the 4th round, but his season ended when he was placed on I.R. The bigger problem might be the ongoing injury problems to Pro Bowl DT Tommie Harris, who was playing on one leg in early August, and everyone is just expecting he'll be out with injuries at some point this season. Will the addition of Gilbert, and the return of Smith to the defensive play calling, be enough to improve their pass rush?

If the pass rush doesn't get to QB Aaron Rodgers, then he could be looking at a cast of unknowns in Chicago's secondary. It's all about injuries, injuries, injuries, as the Bears have been without three starters (CB Charles Tillman, CB Zack Bowman, and FS Daniel Manning) for most of the preseason. When the Bears depth chart was announced, and it showed CB Trumaine McBride, CB Nathan Vasher, and FS Al Afalava in the starting lineup, it seemed the general consensus in the comments was horror. Bowman was finally healthy last week at Cleveland. According to Kevin Seifert, Bowman should get his first career start, while Manning should play in the nickel.

Chicago was very good at stopping the run last season, and LB Lance Briggs and LB Brian Urlacher should lead a very good unit again in 2009. Although losing DT Dusty Dvoracek for the season with a torn ACL won't help their depth. But even great units have their bad days. RB Ryan Grant had his best game last season (145 yards and 1 TD) against Chicago at Lambeau.

How about the offense? After four paragraphs, you'd think I'd have something to say about the offense. GM Jerry Angelo has done everything he can to turn the offense around in one season. Cutler was a great QB in Denver, and he should still be great. To make sure Cutler starts all 16 games, they added three offensive lineman in free agency. LT Orlando Pace has made it through all of training camp without an injury and he'll start alongside returning LG Roberto Garza and C Olin Kreutz. RG Frank Omiyale was signed as a free agent from the Panthers, and former 1st round OL Chris Williams is at RT. WR Devin Hester and TE Greg Olson have never been great receivers, but Cutler could make them great. Every fantasy draft is expecting a break out season for RB Matt Forte. This should be the best offense the Bears have seen in many seasons, but it still has to prove it on the field.

In Chicago, the offense should be much better. But injuries are threatening to tear the defense apart. Will this season be a case of one step forward (on offense) and one step back (on defense) for the Bears?

The Season Is Upon Us!

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

by Jason Babyak - AP

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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

Bears Depth Chart Revealed!

Dane Noble — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:10:47 -0000

The Bears revealed the depth chart this evening, via this interactive chart. I'll list the starters, but you can visit the team's official site for the full depth.

Offense

WR: Earl Bennett

LT: Orlando Pace

LG: Frank Omiyale

C: Olin Kreutz

RG: Roberto Garza

RT: Chris Williams

TE: Greg Olsen

WR: Devin Hester

QB: Jay Cutler

FB: Jason McKie

RB: Matt Forte

Defense

LCB: Trumaine McBride

LE: Adewale Ogunleye

DT: Tommie Harris

NT: Anthony Adams

RE: Alex Brown

RCB: Nathan Vasher

SLB: Pisa Tinoisamoa

MLB: Brian Urlacher

WLB: Lance Briggs

SS: Al Afalava

FS: Kevin Payne

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.

Last Chance: Players on the Bubble

Dane Noble — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:00:15 -0000

Tonight's game versus the Cleveland Browns will provide one last chance for a lot of players to make their case for a spot on the final 53 man roster. Some positions are pretty clear, while others have yet to be figured out. Here's an article from the Tribune that identifies certain players that may be on the outside looking in.

Excerpt:

Linebacker

How many: 7.

Projected odd men out: Marcus Freeman, Kevin Malast.

Prognosis: At the team's deepest position, veterans with starting experience such as Nick Roach, Jamar Williams and Hunter Hillenmeyer figure to stay. That's a good second team. Newly signed Darrell McClover is a commodity on special teams, and that gives him an edge over the rookie Freeman. Freeman could land on the practice squad despite a preseason that fell short of expectations.

Also mentioned in the article are Brandon Rideau, Trumaine McBride, Craig Steltz, and others. Make sure you check out the rest...

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

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Denver Game

Dane Noble — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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-We saw another great offensive performance last night, most notably from Jay Cutler, Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark, and Caleb Hanie. Matt Forte had a solid performance as well

-Trumaine McBride missed a couple of open field tackles.

-Rashied Davis stepped up big time on Special Teams play.

-In the first quarter, Jay Cutler had Olsen open for a first down pass, but opted for a deeper pass to Dez Clark for the conversion. That is confidence from a QB.

-I kept jotting down how good Pisa Tinoisamoa seems to be.

-Orlando Pace had his hands full... got beat several times in passing situations. Did not seem to be very nimble.

-Anthony Adams played smart football, staying at home on a reverse, and snuffing out pulling guards.

-Corey Graham shedded a block and made good open field tackles twice last night.

-Dez Clark is playing with a sense of urgency and aggressiveness. Will be more of a receiving threat than we may have thought. Ran hard after the catch.

-The DLine is definitely getting off the line fast, which is one of the main things Marinelli coaches.

-Jason McKie had several great lead blocks.

-The defense stopped the run in the first half, only giving up 6 yards. Second half, gave up several good runs.

-Al Afalava was quieter last night, but played very well in rushing situations in goal line stands.

-Johnny Knox beat Alphonso Smith for 43 yards... Smith was considered one of the best cover men in this year's draft class.

-Adrian Peterson ran very well... seemed much more aggressive with the football.

-Roberto Garza pulled out twice as lead blocker. Looked very strong, providing great blocks.

-When Cutler was interviewed on the sideline, and asked about the WR corp, he made a comment that he "doesn't know who we're gonna get." Was that a slip up? Are the Bears still looking to acquire someone?

-Briggs and Urlacher switched places twice in short yardage situations.

Who did you see step up last night? Who may have cost themselves a roster or starting spot?

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Bills Edition

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

More photos » by Dean Duprey - AP

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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.