SB Nation - Marcus Hamilton

K NUGENT RELEASED

Niko Houllis — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:20:57 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

Going, Going, GONE

The Buccaneers announced today that they have signed K Shane Andrus. In addition, the team released CB Marcus Hamilton and K Mike Nugent.

Andrus entered the league as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. He played in one game for the Colts in 2009, handling kickoff duties in their season opener against Jacksonville. Andrus led Indianapolis with 19 points during the 2009 preseason, connecting on 5-of-6 field goal attempts and all four PATs.

Hamilton was signed by Tampa Bay on September 23 and played in one game for the Buccaneers this season. Nugent, who signed with Tampa Bay on March 4, played in each of the first four games in 2009.

I decided to go over to BigBlueStampede and this is a comment I found about our new kicker...

"Andrus has been magnificent in camp and pre-season. If you are reading this and you are NOT a Colts fan (and your favorite team is desperate for a quality kicker), look no further than Shane Andrus. He hasn't missed a kick yet in pre-season, and his kick-offs have been consistently good."

Of course the Colts needed Andrus while Vinatieri was healing.

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

View full size photo »

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

NightLink: Tom Thayer Speaks Out About the Chicago Bears

Dane Noble — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:38:09 -0000

Former Bears lineman and current radio analyst Tom Thayer answers some questions about his team.

Which individuals have impressed you most during OTA practices?

The first guys who come to mind are Earl Bennett, Kevin Payne, Rod Marinelli and Marcus Hamilton. Obviously it’s harder to evaluate the strong guys—the defensive linemen and linebackers—in non-contact drills just because it’s harder to see a demonstration of strength.

Earl Bennett is the first guy you mentioned. How has he impressed you?

You can tell that he’s a naturally-gifted innate receiver. He’s not learning the receiver position. Earl is a receiver who’s getting better at the position, especially in terms of his ability to get off the line of scrimmage and knowing what he wants to do when he’s confronted at the line of scrimmage.

How has Payne stood out?

A lot of it has to do with his athleticism in individual drills. You watch him doing basic drills compared to the guys in front and back of him, and he looks very athletic. He has all the traits they look for in evaluating defensive backs. He’s very smooth. Obviously we know he’s confident in his contact. He just has to make certain that he’s sure about his assignments, so that every adjustment that needs to be made can be made instinctively and not have to be thought about, and I think that’s where Kevin Payne is really making the most strides.

How confident are you that the Bears defense will revert to the form it displayed in 2005-06?

I think they’re going to be better. I think there’s going to be more pressure on some of the high impact players to play better. When they put more pressure on you, raise the expectations and have a hands-on approach like the coaches have on this team, they have a chance to be a better defense that they have been the last few years.

Thayer goes on to say that his biggest concern is the other safety position. I personally really like Craig Steltz, but we haven't heard much about him this offseason.

If I had to assign grades right now, I'd say:

QB/ RB/ TE: A+

WR: B-

OL: B

DL/ LB: B+

DB: C

I am hopeful that, with or without an upgrade to our WR corp, we will win the North, and contend with the big boys in the NFC.

NightLink: Don't Forget About Craig Steltz

Dane Noble — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:16:36 -0000

There are a lot of holes in the Chicago Bears starting lineup... probably more than can be filled in one draft. But let's take a moment to redirect our attention away from free agency, Jerry Angelo, and the upcoming draft.

Our free safety and strong safety positions are both question marks, with the departure of Mike Brown obviously leaving a bigger need at FS. The only addition to the secondary this offseason is Josh Bullocks, and many of you have expressed your discontent about that. But then there is Craig Steltz, drafted in the 4th round of the 2008 draft.

The Bears have said that Steltz might start at FS next season, a move that I don't altogether endorse... Steltz is a true SS. But the point of this article is to give my opinion on him. I saw Craig Steltz play live while at LSU, and the guy is a natural playmaker. He has a big motor, and an great nose for the ball. Steltz is incredibly intelligent, and is known to be a main-stay in the film room. His coaches have described him as a leader on and off the field, and is very coachable.

Steltz was inactive the first 5 games last year, his rookie season. But, he appeared in the last 11 games, grabbing the attention of Bears coaching staff with his improvement over the last half of the season. And I'm sure you all remember the game where he made the interception that preserved the Bears win over the Lions (pictured above).

Regardless of what the Bears do with Bowman, Manning, Hamilton, Bullocks, or Steltz, I firmly expect to see Steltz in the starting lineup of the Chicago Bears for many years to come. He will be a great asset to our organization, and I hope that you haven't written him off just yet.

Chicago Bears re-sign CB Marcus Hamilton

Adam T — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:44:01 -0000

From the Trib:

Drafted in the seventh round by Tampa Bay in 2007, Hamilton spent his rookie year on the practice squad and appeared in one game with the Buccaneers last season before they waived him. The Bears then claimed him on Sept. 23, and he was credited with four tackles -- three solo -- in nine appearances. Hamilton was an exclusive-rights free agent

Bears Tender Roach and Hamilton

Adam T — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:20:24 -0000

The Bears have tendered exclusive rights to free agents Nick Roach and Marcus Hamilton.

Nick Roach started nine games as the Sam backer. He ended the season as the starter after his play exceeded that of incumbent starter Hunter Hillenmeyer. Roach was claimed off of waivers in 2007 from the San Diego Chargers.

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2008 - Nick Roach	13	0	0	0	0	0	24	9	33

Marcus Hamilton was a mid season pickup off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccanners. He was picked up after a string of injuries to the Bears secondary. He saw most of his time on the field as a member of special teams.

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2008 - Marcus Hamilton	4	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	4