SB Nation - Mark Anderson

Bears '09 - Oh My!

Mark Saade — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:00:31 -0000

A once promising Chicago Bears 2009 season is already over in early December. This past Sunday’s loss to the rival Green Bay Packers has ended the tiny bit of playoff hopes that still remained. This season has had many more bad moments than good, but which is the worst? Was there one single play or moment that turned our season into the mess that was 2009?

Let’s look at the culprits. When thinking about this season, three main moments stick out to me; Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher’s season ending wrist injury in the first game of the year; the trade for Gaines Adams in which we sent our highest pick in next year’s draft (2nd round) to Tampa Bay for the disappointing defensive end; and the ending of the Thursday night game against the San Francisco 49ers when despite having thrown four interceptions earlier in the game, quarterback Jay Cutler had a chance to win in the final seconds only to throw his fifth pick in the end zone.

Brian Urlacher’s injury has been dissected every which way since it happened in September. We know how important a player he is to our defense and how necessary a leader he is to our team. I don’t think we get absolutely blown out three times this year if he is in the lineup. We might not have won the blow out games, but the outcome may have been closer. Urlacher’s injury not only cost us our most important player on the field, maybe it also changed our team’s spirit. After months of over hype leading up to this season, maybe a crushing opening day lose to our nemesis the Packers coupled with the loss of Urlacher turned our optimism down. Maybe guys had their heads hung a little bit low only one game into the season?

The Bears were 3-1 and enjoying their bye week. They were only a few plays away from being undefeated and seemed to have things figured out heading into a tough Sunday night affair against the Atlanta Falcons. Two days before the prime time match-up, the Bears pulled off a stunning trade. Not stunning in the same way as the Jay Cutler trade, stunning as in ‘Why? What for?’

The Bears sent their second round 2010 draft pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for defensive end Gaines Adams. Adams was the number four overall pick in 2007 who has vastly underachieved in the NFL. With the Bears already without a first round draft pick and deep at the defensive line position, why would they make this trade? This also sends a signal to current Bears defensive ends and future free agents Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson that at least one of them would not be around next year.

This is a slap in the face to two Bears veterans who started the ’09 season strong. Maybe they felt no matter how hard they played this year, they are already being replaced. This may have brought resentment to the two free agents to be. Maybe they stopped playing as hard or played without focus because they knew they were no longer wanted? Tension in the locker room can cause even the strongest of teams to fold.

Two prime time games; two loses. Two huge blow outs in three weeks. A promising start to the season has quickly turned ugly. Not to worry, the Bears are back in prime time to face their old captain and current San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary. A win on Thursday night on national television will get this team going again. Early on, the Bears seemed to give this game away. Their struggling defense actually played very well despite four interceptions by Cutler. We knew we were the better team, but kept hurting ourselves.

Then when all hoped seemed lost, there was Cutler with the ball in his hands and a chance to win the game. All of his previous interceptions would be a thing of the past if the Bears pulled out this victory. The season would be saved and morale would be boosted with a come from behind, on the road, in prime time victory. Alas, it did not happen. Cutler did not erase the interceptions from our memory; he actually made them more vivid. With everything to gain, Cutler threw his fifth pick of the game and threw away our hopes of a season turn around with it. Maybe with that come from behind win, our Bears turn the season around and learn how to win close games?

There is no telling what made the Bears 2009 season go downhill fast. There were many on the field issues with this team. From coaching to penalties to turnovers, but maybe if one of the aforementioned moments did not take place, we would be talking about a Bears playoff run right now. Morale and confidence is what sets players apart at this level of completion. Lose that, and you have losing. Do you think one moment alone ruined this promising season? Or were the Bears destined to fail all along?

Taking Inventory: Bears Have a Mess to Clean Up

Dane Noble — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:27:12 -0000

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Now that the 2009 season is dwindling down towards an unsuccessful campaign, it's time to start looking at what we have in house that would be beneficial to carry over into 2010. We know that we have a lot of holes to fill, and that we will have to hit the next free agency period pretty hard, but it makes sense to first see who needs to weeded out of our current roster.

Brad Biggs does a good job of compiling some names of who will be RFAs and UFAs, and who he thinks might be worth bringing back in 2010.

Who does he think the Bears might bring back?

LB Nick Roach

From Biggs:

Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, who leads the team with six sacks, is in the final year of his contract, and Angelo hasn't ruled out bringing him back. He's the only starter among six unrestricted free agents -- a list that includes Josh Bullocks, Cato June, Darrell McClover, Adrian Peterson and Pisa Tinoisamoa.

Strong-side linebacker Nick Roach will be a restricted free agent. Defensive end Mark Anderson, nickel back Danieal Manning and reserve linebacker Jamar Williams, members of the 2006 draft class, will be unrestricted if there is an extension of the collective-bargaining agreement before March. If not, they'll be restricted free agents heading into an uncapped year, and that will give the Bears the chance to control their rights.

From a defensive standpoint, we saw that Rod Marinelli seemingly made an impact at the beginning of the season with the pass rush, but in the latter weeks of the season has become ineffective. Is this a byproduct of the lack of talent on the DL?

Perhaps Marinelli just needs a full year under his belt before seeing the kind of improvements we hoped for, but we certainly have some personnel issues regardless.

As far as the linebackers go, seeing Urlacher, Pisa, and Briggs go down certainly hurt us, but having Jamar and Nick step up has been a good thing.

Looking at Biggs' information, who do you think would be expendable, and who should we bring back?

Laundry List of Mediocracy: Stuff Since the Bears Super Bowl

Dane Noble — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:09:57 -0000

When a season opens up with as many high expectations as the Bears did, it's not hard to start the finger-pointing game when things go wrong. We have all taken the time to try and pin-point things, but that task can be a bit overwhelming.

Enter Bears writer Jeff Dickerson: (an excerpt):

Football is the ultimate team game. You win as an organization, you lose as an organization. Instead of simply blaming one person (Ron Turner) for the Bears being 20-22 since the Super Bowl, take a step back and look at the big picture: It's been a collective effort, from the front office down to the players. Nobody should be immune from criticism, because everybody played a part in this mess.

Dickerson goes on to try and quantify (and qualify) why the boat is not only rocking, but also sinking since the Super Bowl:

After trading Thomas Jones to New York, the Bears handed the starting running back job to Cedric Benson (bust) in 2007.

Mark Anderson is promoted over Alex Brown in 2007 -- Anderson clearly couldn't handle the assignment.

Nathan Vasher got hurt versus Dallas in 2007 -- he never recovered.

Brian Urlacher dealt with major back issues in 2007, and missed almost all of 2009 with a dislocated wrist.

The Bears drafted Dan Bazuin (bust) in the second round in 2007.

The Bears drafted Michael Okwo (bust) in the third round in 2007.

The Bears drafted Garrett Wolfe (reach) in the third round in 2007.

And that's just 2007. Make sure you check out the full article for his complete run down.

Did he leave anything out? What do we need to see, starting right now, to right the ship before it is completely capsized?

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Lions Edition

Dane Noble — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:33:24 -0000

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Watching NFL games at a sports bar is a whole lot different than it used to be. For Chicago Bears games that aren't nationally televised, I head up to the local pub that has the Sunday Ticket, donned in my favorite navy and orange outfit of the day. The strange thing is, despite being packed like sardines into that place, I don't see many other team colors.

I don't hear much cheering for certain teams, but rather specific players on different teams. It absolutely blows my mind to see 300 people jumping from television to television with no interest in anything but the statistics of their fantasy football players. No interest in the local team. No interest in great story lines. No interest in divisional games. Only stats. It's really weird.

But, for those who have been worried about Matt Forte from a fantasy angle, he ended the day with 121 yards and a TD on the ground, with 19 yards sprinkled in from receptions.

- The defensive line is firing off the line of scrimmage faster than it has in years, with particular notice of the DEs. Detroit exploited that early, however, by running a lot of misdirection, traps, and screens.

- I officially do not trust Charles Tillman in pass coverage. He gets beat often, is out of position more often, and falls down too much. Sure, he can be a playmaker, but so far this season his coverage skills are no good.

- Detroit's TE Heller has some cannons for arms. That dude is HUGE.

- Johnny Knox is making a case for ROY, but is also making a case for having the ball stripped when he is running in the open field. Tuck the ball Johnny!

- Once again, our offense had no rhythm early in the game. How can we fix that?

- Lance Briggs should be headed to the Pro Bowl again. Big plays, tons of speed. He's really good.

- I like Tim Shaw. He is very tough on kick off coverage, and plays with a big motor. Made several ST tackles last night.

- Chris Williams is going to be a great offensive lineman for us. He still has to learn some of the small things, but considering this is his first season on the field, he does a lot of things right.

- Brad Maynard is awesome.

- Getting back to Tillman, in the second quarter, the WR was overthrown (by a mile), and Tillman still decided to push the receiver in the back to the ground. He could have gotten a flag on that one. Also, in the 4th quarter, he hit a WR out of bounds, and laughed about it.

- Zackary Bowman covering Calvin Johnson... sheesh.

- Matt Stafford has worse hair than Jay Cutler.

- 1st half defense was bend + break.

- In the first half, Detroit had 7 different players catch a pass; Chicago had 8.

- Pass rush came out strong after halftime. Good jorb Marinelli.

- Nick Roach plays hard.

- Gould from 52!!

- In the 3rd quarter, Mark Anderson ran off the field after a sack... was getting high fives from teammates, but did Urlacher ignore him? Someone watch the replay and let me know.

- For those of you who say Olin Kreutz is washed up, he was driving people last night.

- Craig Steltz earning his keep on STs.

- Forte showed some of his shiftiness on his TD run. That's what makes him good... finds the seams and quickly shifts into them.

- I don't know why, but I find myself rooting for Culpepper. I've always liked the guy... too bad about the injuries.

- Garrett Wolfe loves to trash talk. Gotta love the little man's fire.

- Rashied Davis was thrown to twice, and had 2 receptions (including good awareness of the first down marker on one).

- Another 5 sacks last night. Everyone's getting involved in those.

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.

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 Batles: Defensive Line

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:00:10 -0000

In playing the defensive line, the more versatile you are the better your chances are at sticking around, especially for the reserves. A guy like Israel Idonije will have a long career in the NFL because he can play every spot along the line. Last year the Bears opened up with five true DT's, three true DE's and Idonije. Before the '08 season Izzy bulked up to get more reps at DT, but he was still capable of playing DE. This year he got his weight back down (270) to play more DE, but he's seen action at DT in both preseason games so far.

With 13 defensive linemen on the roster as of today, versitality will be key in making final decisions regarding cuts.

Losing Dusty Dvoracek to another season ending injury (or is it...)thins out the depth at DT, but I thought he was on the bubble anyway. It's cliché to say, but no one works harder than Dusty when it comes to getting ready to play. Kid has battled back every year to get ready for the season, only to have lady luck frown on him again and again. I wish him (as I'm sure most Bears fans do) good luck.

Among the DT's, you have to figure rookie third round pick Jarron Gilbert is a lock to make the team. He's been getting reps at the 3 technique DT, but he has the speed and quickness to spell DE on occasion. Fellow rookie Henry Melton was drafted to compete at DE, but in the N.Y. game he was getting reps at DT. Versatile. Melton was sold as more of a project type, but I've liked what I've seen of him so far, and wouldn't be surprised if he stuck.

Of the true DT's sure to stick, Anthony Adams and Marcus Harrisonwill fight it out for the starting NT job, but both will see plenty of reps. Last year Harrison backed up at the 3 Technique, so I could see him getting some reps there out of necessity, along with the aforementioned Izzy Idonije who is listed as a DT, but will see action at DE, and will definitely be on the '09 roster. Versatile. Last year DT Matt Toeaina opened up on the '09 squad, I saw him as a bubble guy before the Dvoracek news, but now he might stick as the third NT. And of course, Tommie Harris will be around even if he's battling injuries all year. If you count Harris, Gilbert, Adams, Harrison, Idonijie, and Toeania as the 6 DT's you're left with the same 3 DE's as last year, for 9 defensive linemen total (same as last year).

DE's Alex Brown, Adawale Ogunleye, and Mark Anderson all look to be definitely returning this year. I haven't been very impressed with Mark Anderson since his rookie year (has anyone?), but I think he'll stick around to see if Rod Marinellican make him a complete DE. Both he and Ogunleye are in their contract year and I don't expect them both back in 2010. This year will be an audition of sorts; Does Adawale have enough left in the tank for 1 more Bears contract? Will Anderson show enough in '09 to warrant him getting a new deal? I expect Joe Clermond and Ervin Baldwin will be released.

So, if Henry Melton is to stay around, with the scenario I described above, the Bears would have to keep 10 D-Linemen. Highly unlikely. With Melton's size/speed combo he could be a core special teamer, but can the Bears justify keeping him over Toenia? Especially with the injury history of Tommie Harris? If Melton can make strides as a DT he might make the decision a tough one. The practice squad would be an option for Melton if he can be brought back. An alternative, as broached by SackMan, is to bring in a more established DT. I could see the Bears scouring over the veteran cuts and replacing Toeania before the season starts.

With regards to Melton vs. Toenia, you have to gauge need vs. upside. Is the potential of Melton enough to outweigh the need of another true DT? I'd like to see Melton make the team, but at what cost, I'm not sure.

Poll

Henry Melton?

makes the 53 man roster...

337 votes

is cut, but brought back for the practice squad...

213 votes

is cut and signed by another team...

41 votes

is cut, never to be heard from again...

18 votes

609 votes | Poll has closed

NightLink: Final Thoughts From Bourbonnais

Dane Noble — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:57:54 -0000

Brad Biggs wrote a great article on some of his thoughts from camp, focusing on some of the players who don't get the coverage that others do. I'll include some of the highlights, but make sure mosey on over and read the full article.

Devin Aromashodu: Wide receiver flashed some ability at times during camp but the Bears have a catch-22 when it comes to getting him action with the first team in preseason. They're only doing so much with three-wide packages and building chemistry between Jay Cutler and starters Devin Hester and Earl Bennett is much more important.

Josh Beekman: Would be remiss in not mentioning that the arrow is pointing up for him. Probably projects as a center though because of his size.

Earl Bennett: Quietly had a solid camp. We'll see how that translates.

Alex Brown: The focus is on Tommie Harris and Mark Anderson returning to form but Brown might be better with Rod Marinelli on board. He did well rushing on Orlando Pace in camp.

Desmond Clark: Guy gets craftier as he gets older and still is smooth enough to run the seam route.

Rashied Davis: Got more work with the ones over the final week of camp.

Marcus Freeman: Will be looking for him in the second half on Saturday night. Didn't see a lot in training camp but it takes time for rookies to fit in, even on the practice field.

Corey Graham: If the cornerbacks come back healthy and there isn't a spot for him on defense, he ought to be a mainstay on special teams.

Marcus Harrison: Wouldn't be surprising to see him get action with the ones vs. the Giants. The defense needs him to provide a consistent interior push.

Hunter Hillenmeyer: Went mostly unnoticed but he played well at Buffalo and might be in a better position now that he's back in the middle.

Johnny Knox: Did not look interested in going across the middle where the big boys are in the Buffalo game. Keep an eye on that.

Lance Louis: Was worked a lot at left tackle but I am convinced that was out of need. You don't see any left tackles in the league that are 6-3. He's athletic but will have to find a home inside at guard.

D.J. Moore: As one coach said, the smaller cornerback is learning how to work. He's always going to have to work against being listed at 5-9 (generous listing?).

Frank Omiyale: Did pretty well vs. Tommie Harris in one-on-one drills this past week.

Addressing Some Snubs From My Top 10

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:00:10 -0000

When I was asked to do "The 10 Most Important Bears in 2009", I knew it'd provide some good chatter during the off season leading up to training camp. I also knew these types of lists are so subjective and there would be no way I'd get it 100% "right" or "wrong" for that matter, which is why I really didn't argue with any suggestions or disagreements, because everyone has their own ideas and criteria for who would important for the 2009 season.

I was a bit torn on adding coaches to the list, as I've said before it's up to the players to make plays, but with the potential impact and with the way the organization was trumpeting Rod Marinelli as the D-Line coach and Lovie Smith taking over defensive play calling I felt they needed to be on there.

One thing I realized as I was compiling the Top 10 was every Bear on my list has an air of uncertainty surrounding them. Whether it was bouncing back from an injury, living up to potential, or trying to regain their past form. It wasn't my intention when I started out, it just kind of ended up that way.

Anyway, on to some snubs...

In regards to the defensive ends, by putting Rod Marinelli at #8 I was addressing any improvements the ends would make. If Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye, or Mark Anderson has a big year, everyone will immediately point to the acquisition of Marinelli as the reason why. It may not be true, but that is the story people will run with. "D-Line Guru Pays Dividends"

Personally I think Alex Brown will have his best year as a pro, he's always seemed to me like a very technically sound player, and with the push he'll get from Marinelli I think he'll blossom into a guy that could be Pro Bowl bound. He has been an alternate Pro Bowler in the past, so the jump isn't that unlikely.

Leaving Lance Briggs off the list was more due to his consistency and playing at a Pro Bowl level. I just expect him to do it again. Do I think he's an important part of the defense? Hell yes, I just think replacing the weak side linebacker is easier than replacing the middle linebacker in what the Bears do.

Placing a player that wasn't even listed as a starter at the time and who was having difficulties switching positions were the main reasons I left off Corey Graham. I do think he's a good football player and will see plenty of action (either at CB or FS), I just couldn't justify him on the list.

Charles Tillman kind of falls in the Lance Briggs category. I just expect him to be there and play as good as he can. Even with this latest setback I take him at his word that he'll be back around week 1. Obviously with the injury I might reconsider moving Nathan Vasher a bit up the list, but as it was I felt 10 was a good spot for him.

Olin Kreutz is another guy I just expect to be there all 16 games, he may not be the player he was, but he's still damn good.

Staying with the offense now, Earl Bennett was suggested by a few for this list. While I'm sure the Bears are counting on him to produce in his second year, I can't see his addition playing that big a role in the Bears success. I can see Bennett getting around 30-40 receptions for about 500 yards. Good numbers for a second year player, but not good enough to warrant inclusion on my top 10. If the Bears were going into the season expecting him to breakout and become the #1 receiver then I'd have him on there somewhere.

Greg Olsen was a guy that I tried to find a place for, but ultimately his talent led me to keep him off. I'll explain. Most NFL "experts" are predicting Olsen to be Jay Cutler's top target and most Fantasy Football sights are starting to throw Olsen in with the elite tight ends in the game. And I think most Bears fans are just kind of penciling him in for Pro Bowl berth right now, I know I am. With everyone expecting him to breakout, and with the quality of TE's on the roster, I just didn't think he was a fit for the list.

Lastly, a lot is expected from Chris Williams after barely playing last year, and as I said before if he were being counted to man the left tackle I'd have him pretty high on my list, but as the right tackle he didn't make the cut. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Kevin Shaffer beat him out for RT. I hope he can't, as Williams needs to be good enough to start.

Hopefully next year at this time I'll be recapping my series, "The Top 10 Reasons The Bears Will Repeat As SB Champs"

Poll

Who would you have placed as #1 for The 10 Most Important Bears in 2009?

Jay Cutler

418 votes

Brian Urlacher

57 votes

Tommie Harris

189 votes

Orlando Pace

32 votes

Matt Forte

108 votes

Other

26 votes

830 votes | Poll has closed

Interview With Brad Biggs- Part 3

Dane Noble — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:20:34 -0000

Thanks to everyone for jumping in and putting some questions together for Brad Biggs, the (in my opinion) best Chicago Bears beat writer out there. He has direct contact with the team, and is able to provide invaluable insight for those of us who only see things from the outside. Make sure you keep up with his blog, Inside the Bears, at http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/, and follow his Twitter (BradBiggs). He'll be providing updates around the clock during Training Camp. On to this round of questions...

GeauxBears: Talks are still continuing about our defensive secondary... our passing D was unremarkable last year, and we can't see that happen again if we are going to be serious about competing in the NFC. Certainly, an improved pass rush will take some pressure off of the DBs, but do you think we have enough talent on the roster to have a solid stand-alone defensive backfield? What's up at the 2 Safety positions?

Brad: The nice thing is that new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli will not need to use his flux capacitor to go too far back in time. The Bears just need to recreate the kind of consistent pass rush they got in 2005 and 2006 in order for the secondary to look, well, like it did in 2005 and 2006. The personnel in place is pretty much the same and if Marcus Harrison can take a step here in his second season, he could be every bit as useful as Tank Johnson was on the field and much less of a menace off the field. It starts with Tommie Harris in the middle and Marinelli should do a lot of good for him for reasons I outlined here last time. He's a no-nonsense guy who players love to play for. Marinelli has a way of connecting with each guy in his meeting room, players from all different backgrounds, and getting them to perform. If he can get Harris going, and if Harris' balky left knee allows him to get going, the rest of the unit should fall into place. Adewale Ogunleye is going to be playing for another bite at the apple—a good contract and a big season from him will not be a surprise. Mark Anderson could go from guest starring in the Bears' own version of "Lost" to also putting himself in position for a lucrative contract. Even though he's been a shadow of himself as a rookie, Anderson could put himself back on the map with a productive campaign. Alex Brown should be his steady self. It's not a lock the Bears are going to solve their defensive woes with a rebirth on the line, but if it's going to happen Marinelli is probably the guy to make it happen.

We all know that Coach Smith is a teacher and not a loud, drill sergeant type coach. But does he ever get fired up and get in players faces during practice?

Smith commands the respect of the players and he always has. You don't have to have Mike Ditka out there or someone like Bill Cowher, who could be a screamer on the sideline, to get through to the players. Smith will talk to players face-to-face on the practice field, but I've never seen him getting in a player's face.

Back in January, Warren Sapp made mention that he was going to take interest in helping Tommie Harris become a better DT. Have you heard anything about that since then?

Sapp told Mully & Hanley on the Score that he was going to get together with Harris. I have not heard anything about that since. It's more important for Harris to get together with Marinelli, who is the coach that Sapp credits for him becoming a Hall of Fame-worthy talent. Harris doing drills with Sapp in March or April isn't going to have a lot of impact in September, is it?

The NFC North is potentially a 3-way battle (sorry Lions fans... maybe in a couple of more years)... will the Packers be able to make a push for the North title in the first year of the new 3-4 defensive scheme?

Everywhere Dom Capers has been, he's had a knack for getting that system up and running immediately. There hasn't been an adjustment period, Capers' 3-4 defenses have been very good and they've been very good in a hurry. Even if Green Bay is aging in the secondary, the Packers still have some solid players back there and the Bears' wide receivers would probably be the first to tell you that. Capers had a dramatic impact on defenses he ran in Jacksonville and Miami in his first season with those clubs, and with expansion teams in Carolina and Houston, he was solid immediately. Carolina was seventh in total defense in 1995, its first year. The issue is going to be how the personnel will fit on the line and at linebacker where some are concerned about Aaron Kampman's ability to adjust. If Capers can enjoy somewhat instant success once again, sure, the Packers will be in the race.

Michael Gaines: how much will we see from him, and what are the chances he comes in at FB in short yardage situation?

Gaines needs to win a spot on the 53-man roster in training camp before you start worrying about how much he will be involved and in exactly what role. His primary competition for a job will be Kellen Davis and Jason Davis, the unrelated tight end and fullback. Gaines projects as primarily a blocking tight end, but he has the ability to make some plays downfield and I saw him make a couple dandy catches during the offseason program. When Smith was pitching Gaines about signing with the Bears after he had made a free-agent visit to the New York Jets, he mentioned the possibility of lining him up in the backfield. Certainly that is a possibility. The Bears did that some with Greg Olsen last season but not on short yardage situations. My instinct would tell me that you would want your No. 1 fullback in the backfield in a short-yardage situation.

That wraps up this session with Brad. Windy City Gridiron is incredibly thankful for the insight he is providing us, and is looking forward to Training Camp! Thanks Brad!