SB Nation - Anthony Adams

Anthony Adams Looking To Start… Again

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:15:09 -0000

Starting DT Marcus Harrison has 20 total tackles and a sack on the year while back up Anthony Adams has 34 total tackles and 2 sacks so far. Adams actually began the season starting 5 of the first 6 games then was replaced by Harrison. Why? I have no idea. Every time Adams has a chance to play he gets results. In the last 5 games all of which saw Harrison starting with Adams in a reserve role, Harrison has 5 tackles and Adams has 19.

The Bears rotate their DT's enough so starting is really just a formality, but I think the most productive players should get the nod on the first team. The impressive thing about Adams is when he was moved to the bench you didn't hear a peep out of him. A true professional.

Lovie Smith from chicagobears.com;

"Anthony Adams played outstanding ball, making tackles, [and] the big fumble recovery was huge for us at the time. Those guys have both played a lot this year," Smith said. "One guy normally starts, but both of them play a lot. Anthony Adams, he is one guy I can say who really played well from start to finish [Sunday]. We evaluate everything based on that week and we'll do the same this week."

Poll

Who do you think should start at DT?

Pick 6: Impact Players In 2010

Dane Noble — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:12:26 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

You didn't make the cut, bud. If you play well a few more times this year, maybe a team would be willing to give us a 2nd round pick for you. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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Not much going on in Bearville this evening, but I was wondering your thoughts on something. How many "impact players" do the Bears have right now, on each side of the ball?

And by "impact", I mean players that will make a significant difference for the 2010 Chicago Bears. Here's my top-6 players for each side of the ball:

Offense:

Jay Cutler: Has the tools, is young enough to improve.

Matt Forte: Great vision, excellent shiftiness. Very young...will only get better. Great receiving threat.

Greg Olsen: Rare receiving talents for a TE. Still needs improvement, but challenging for any defense he faces.

Devin Hester: All-world game breaking ability. Exponential growth as WR this year, and can only get better.

Johnny Knox: Very similar to Hester, but a truer WR. Looking forward to his progression. Big things from this kid.

Chris Williams: Despite rough patches this year, has the talent for a solid LT. I'm predicting Pro Bowl in 2 years.

Defense:

Lance Briggs: Established himself as someone who isn't going away. Tough, athletic, leader. In his prime.

Alex Brown: Seems to be tougher and faster this year. Really benefitting from Marinelli's tutelage.

Danieal Manning: Developed under Lovie Smith's personal guidance. Will be a great safety next year.

Al Afalava: Tough, fast, technical. Has faultered at times, but will benefit greatly from another year of experience.

Anthony Adams: Seems much stronger and faster this year. Is he even at his upside yet?

Brian Urlacher: Although he will be a year older, his body is getting a full year's rest this year. Can't wait...

Sure, there are other players that could make the list, and maybe there is someone that you don't think should be on my top-6. The way I see it, there are 11 starting positions, and 6 would mean that we have more than half our bases covered for each side of the ball going into next year.

Since I've done more than half the work for them, the team can take care of the rest. You're welcome Jerry Angelo!

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Niners Edition

Dane Noble — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:06:39 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

You look good out there coach. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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The Chicago Bears offensive line is terrible. I read an article around week 3 or 4 by one of the Bears beat writers that said our OL was pretty average compared to the rest of the league, that there are only a few really good OLs and only a few bad ones.

He had Chicago lumped in with all the rest and claimed us to be average.

You, sir (Pompei, Dickerson, Haugh... whoever it was) were wrong.

-For those of you clamoring for Kevin Shaffer to replace Orlando Pace, you got your wish. Pace either got the breath knocked out of him, as one report said, or he was feeling dizzy, as another said. Either way, Shaffer still sucks just like he did in the preseason.

- We got to see Frank Omiyale in the last drive at LG... Ron Turner said that he wanted a bigger body in there since we were going to passing every play.

- Chris Williams, who I have been supporting all season, looked awful at times. He made a few really good blocks, and showed very quick feet, but he also got blown backwards a number of times in pass protection.

- Luckily, Nick Roach's injury wasn't bad enough to keep him out of the game. After Vernon Davis trucked him, I was concerned that we would be down to our final 3 LBs.

- I support Lovie Smith and his defensive scheme. Jerry Angelo has not done a good job of acquiring talent in the secondary. That said, there is no excuse for week after week of penalties. penaltie that kill our drives, and penalties that keep alive our opponents' drives. That falls on Lovie. No excuses.

- Teams continue to miss FGs against the Bears. What's up with that?

- Hunter Hillenmeyer looked tiny last night. I don't know for sure, but he looks 10 pounds lighter than he did at the beginning of the year. Was it the injury? Either way, he did not look like a MLB last night. He looked like a unsersized CB trying to make one tackle on Frank Gore.

- Jay Cutler likes Greg Olsen as a receiver. Matt Forte does not like Greg Olsen as a run blocker.

- We saw our first glimpse of Shaffer on the Red Zone INT that Cutler threw. He was lined up left of Pace.

- Say what you will about Tommie Harris, but I'm not buying what he is selling. He looked good last night, but I want to see that happen again. Actually, I hope he plays at a high level for the rest of the year so we can try and get a 2nd round draft pick for him next year.

- Anthony Adams is fast. And round. He is round and fast.

- Alex Smith showed something on one play that made Hillenmeyer start pumping his hands up and down over his head as an audible to the defense. Then, Lance Briggs and Nick Roach started relaying the audible to the CBs, doing the same upward hand pumping. I thought "Wow, this looks like the Bears defense have sniffed something out... this looks really intense." Well, whatever it was, it looked cooler than it actually was. Niners converted a first down on the play.

- When our CBs are 10 yards off the WR, and the DL doesn't get pressure on the passer, the WRs can run 5 yard hitches all day long. Even on 3rd and 3.

- Oh yeah, one other thing that falls on Lovie Smith's shoulders: clock management. We were around our own 40 yard line at the end of the first half, with timeouts in our pocket, and saw the clock wind down from 1:07 to 0:37, with only 1 play being run. Apparently, the referees can't hear me calling timeout from the bar.

- Offsides, against the defense. 5 yard penalty, 1st down. Rinse, repeat.

- I have no idea how good of a head coach Mike Singletary is, but he damn sure looks the part. He is very involved in the game, and coaches up everyone on his sideline, from players to other coaches.

- WR screen, bubble screen, Matt Forte screen. Rinse, repeat. Our OL is embarrassing.

- Johnny Knox showed just the right amount of fight last night... hopefully Tommie was paying attention. Sure, stick up for yourself and push back. But let the other guy throw the punch, and walk away when he does. Then, we get the extra 15 yards... not the other way around. This after school special brought to you by Windy City Gridiron.

- The sheets of paper that have my notes written on them... smells like Bridgeport IPA. Not a good thing to smell with a hangover.

- Jay Cutler is the first Bears QB since 1962 to have two 4INT games in one season. Thanks for the stat NFLN.

- Shaffer didn't know his assignment on at least 2 plays last night. He kept trying to get them at the last second from Beekman. Oy vey, have I said our OL sucks? Because they do. Write that down.

- Matt Forte, bless his heart. That kid ran his butt off last night. And poor thing, couldn't actually get anywhere (except for receptions, but I'm talking about on rushes), but he sure did run hard. Love seeing the legs keep a'churnin'.

- As I've said before, it is pointless to try and find out whose fault something is... the fact is that our OL sucks, and a lot of our troubles would go away if it didn't. But, the officiating crew last night did not have a good game. I'm not blaming anything on them, because our OL sucks... but still. Won't be a pretty meeting Monday morning for those guys.

- Clock management at the end of the game... call a timeout Lovie. Clock ticked from 25 seconds to 17 seconds just so we could line up to spike the ball.

- Hey, Devin Aromashodu... nice footwork on the sidelines. Why were you dressed out again?

- Lance Briggs, thank you. You are a good football player on our team We need more of you.

- Stop trying to do the math and figure out how we can still make the playoffs. Our OL is terrible.

49ers-Bears: Tommie Harris and the Bears defense

Fooch — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:00:39 -0000

There has been a lot of discussion about Tommie Harris and his ejection Sunday against the Cardinals. He popped Deuce Lutui in the face, leading to a fairly early ejection from the game (video after the jump). There has been some jabbering about whether Lutui had it coming, but either way, it was certainly a poor decision on the part of Harris. According to the Chicago Tribune, folks are not expecting Harris to be suspended. Apparently, since the ejection was so early in the game, it's more or less a game suspension, and so the league will simply levy a large fine.

Whether we agree with that or not, having Harris on the field tonight certainly helps a somewhat beleaguered Bears defense. The Bears roll out a front seven that includes Harris, former 49er Anthony Adams, Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown, Lance Briggs, Hunter Hillenmeyer, and Nick Roach. Certainly talented, but not quite a murderer's row.

As we are discussing week after week after week, the question is whether the 49ers offensive line and general blocking scheme will be able to provide time for Alex Smith and holes for Frank Gore. The Bears currently sit 25th against the pass and 18th against the run. Many teams would be able to take full advantage of that, but many of those teams don't have the truly awesome offensive line the 49ers have.

The 49ers will be without Glen Coffee tonight, but that probably isn't all that big a deal given how he hasn't provided much of a contribution when Gore has played. So we'll get plenty of Gore, but it's a question of how the team utilizes. I'd imagine of all the skill positions, the contribution of Gore will have the broadest impact, as usual. In the rare instances when the team has gone to screen passes, they've been fairly successful. When they mix in the outside pitches, they've been fairly successful. My favorite running play has been the fake handoff to the fullback, followed by a quick pitch to Gore going outside. It's obviously not something you run every single play, but on 2nd and 1 or 2, and 3rd and 1 or 2, the 49ers have been able to catch defenses sleeping with that play.

As always it comes down to a mix of playcalling and execution. As I said earlier this week, I do think Jimmy Raye has attempted to mix things up. However, as somebody pointed out at some point on Monday I believe, it's almost like they swung too far the other way. It's turned into a matter of finding that perfect (or even somewhat close to perfect) balance. Over at ESPN.com, Mike Sando made a good point after reviewing the 49ers-Titans game tape:

How does Raye's vision for the offense mesh with personnel changes since his hiring? The team added Crabtree unexpectedly. Smith is now the quarterback. Davis is becoming a Pro Bowl-caliber target. The offensive line isn't very good in protection. All things to weigh. It's Week 10, but adding Crabtree and Smith to the mix so late means the offense is in a formative state. What will the identity become?

As always, even with a struggling Bears defense and potentially solid play-calling, it comes down to execution. Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree have been working out when special teams practice is going on, so maybe this will bring us closer to better execution (we'll conveniently ignore the offensive line issues in that last sentence).

Update: Tommie Harris Not Expected to Play Sunday

Dane Noble — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:20:56 -0000

Per the Trib, Tommie Harris is expected to miss the game Sunday against the Bengals.

Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris is expected to be sidelined for Sunday's gameagainst the Bengals with a knee injury after missing his third consecutive practice Friday.

His left knee has given him problems since the 2007 season, when he first injured it against the Cowboys.

Marcus Harrison has gotten first-team reps at defensive tackle with Harris sidelined and should step in next to nose tackle Anthony Adams.

UPDATE- 3:11pm ET: Harris will be officially listed as Doubtful for the game Sunday, meaning there is a 25% or less chance that he will play. Said Lovie Smith:

"Tommie still has some (knee) soreness from the last game," Smith said. "I can't spend a lot of time concerned about guys that can't (play) right now. I just want them to continue to get treatment and get better. That's what Tommie is doing."

Fifty One-liners about the Second Quarter

John Morgan — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:14:35 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Jay Cutler musters a "yeah" before calming himself with a two-hour sad nap.

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50. Seattle's offensive line struggled against a still good Bears defensive line.

49. No one struggled more than Ray Willis.

48. Willis spent much of the quarter crouching, watching his man chase Seneca Wallace.

47. Robert Mathis says "hello".

46. Seattle's two-minute drill to end the half was miserably executed.

45. It's a testament to how self-defeating the two-minute defense is that Olindo Mare got a shot.

44. Greg Knapp spaces his running back at half, full and right of center.

43. Seattle's situational pass rush line is very effective.

42. Aaron Curry blew two tackles in two plays.

41. As best as I could tell, Seneca Wallace was not using hot routes.

40. The Bears relied heavily on the blitz to protect their secondary.

39. Their secondary sucks.

38. Deion Branch was playing the Deon Butler role.

37. That role: Run deep and never get targeted.

36. Kelly Jennings hesitated to tackle Earl Bennett on a wide receiver screen.

35. That hesitation allowed Chris Williams to pull out and block Jennings.

34. The reception went for 23 yards.

33. Deon Grant fell midway through a Greg Olsen route and left him wide open, but Jordan Babineaux stopped him at the reception point with a solid open field tackle.

32. Brandon Mebane was doubled off the line but Colin Cole held his ground and tackled Matt Forte after one yard on second and two.

31. Will Herring looped around two lead blockers to get a glancing blow low on Forte.

30. It worked and Seattle's backup backers dropped Forte for a loss of two.

29. Staying uncharacteristic, Herring blew coverage on the next play.

28. He dropped and that allowed Forte to come free underneath.

27. Gang tackling forced a drive-ending fumble.

26. !

25. Cory Redding dropped into cover on a sublimely hidden strong safety blitz by Deon Grant.

24. Grant wrapped around end untouched and hit Jay Cutler as he was throwing.

23. The ball floated into the hands of the big man and Redding took a knee in the end zone to give Seattle the ball at the twenty.

22. The officials reviewed Redding's cover and ruled he actually fell attempting to jam Olsen...

21. that Olsen caught an easy touchdown pass...

20. and that Ichiro is an illegal and should be promptly deported.

19. Wallace started the two-minute drill by throwing into double cover.

18. That double cover disintegrated when two Bears smashed into each other, hurting one.

17. A stupid decision turned wonderful--T.J. Houshmandzadeh streaking uncovered with one man to beat--is undone by an overthrow...

16. Proving two mistakes beat one.

15. Dick Stockton credited Lance Briggs with the pressure.

14. The Bears rushed three, none of whom was Briggs.

13. Wallace was not under pressure.

12. John Carlson dropped a pass.

11. Chris Spencer blew a block on a sloppy screen pass attempt.

10. King creative set his tight ends wide in a four wide receiver-tight formation.

9. The wide receivers were aligned like tight ends.

8. The tight ends were supposed to block in and then run laterally into the flats.

7. Neither tight end managed to block anyone.

6. Wallace didn't look towards either in the flat.

5. The pass was tipped by Anthony Adams and fell incomplete.

4. Seattle blitzed four times.

3. Owen Schmitt dropped a pass.

2. Dick Stockton thought it was John Carlson.

1. Upon further review, all white people look alike.

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Seahawks Game

Dane Noble — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:01:07 -0000

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A lot of us expected to roll into Seattle and have an easy Sunday afternoon, especially considering the injuries the Seahawks were nursing. But, to their credit, Seattle went down swinging.

- Roberto Garza does a good job when he pulls to the outside to lead block. He's done that quite a few times so far this season.

- The offensive line doesn't seem to hold the pocket together for very long. Jay Cutler seems to have less time to make a decision than a lot of other QBs.

- On one play, Cutler did actually have good protection, but he rolled out of the pocket (and into pressure) anyway. I guess he is used to not having much time.

- Nick Roach played very aggressively last night. He wasn't always in the right place, but shed some good blocks, and hit very hard.

- Danieal Manning showed some great sideline to sideline speed while playing in the secondary.

- Charles Tillman seems to get beat on a lot of routes. He is constantly either out of position, or getting beat deep. But then he'll come out and force a fumble or get an INT, so I'm not sure what to think about him.

- Lance Briggs is really good. I wish he had slowly been learning the MLB position over the last couple of years.

- Bennett is quick to avoid a hit after the catch. Whether he is ducking out in the open field, or heading out of bounds, the kid doesn't want to get hit.

- On that crucial 4th and inches at the end, the camera was on Tommie Harris... and before the snap, he looked gassed. He looked like he could barely stand up.

- I hate the bend but don't break defense. I hate the bend but don't break defense. I hate the bend but don't break defense. There, I said it 3 times while clicking my heels together.

- Matt Forte quietly had over 100 yards in total offense last night.

Johnny Knox averaged 33.5 yards on four kick off returns last night.

Okay, so now for a couple of other things...

I found myself last night (again) trying to convince myself that it is still early in the season, and that our offense still needs more time to jell. We have a ton of new faces on our offense that have never played together before, and that certainly has got to play into why we have zero offensive rhythm for a lot of the first three games.

Sure, you can look at the stats, and say that we are improving with each game played. But the stats don't always reflect the true story. Last night, until well into the 4th quarter, we had zero offensive rhythm. Period. Our offense could not get squat accomplished until late in the game.

I hate having a Bye week so early in the season, but our offense needs the extra time after the first 4 games of the season. We have Detroit next week, then 2 weeks to prepare for Atlanta. We have got to figure out how to get a quicker start on offense by then.

The Bears also registered three more sacks on the season. Briggs, Anthony Adams, and Mark Anderson all recorded a sack lat night. The Bears also had 6 QB hits.

Chicago also got hit with another 60 yards worth of penalties. Twice, our flag gave Seattle a first down. We have got to be more disciplined.

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.