SB Nation - Robbie Gould

Looking for the Bright Side: Week 12 Chicago Bears

Sklz711 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:04:08 -0000

Every week, win or lose, there are some things to improve upon for the next game. The opposite of this is equally true, and no matter how soul crushing a loss is there are always a few good things to take from the game as signs of some kind of improvement or life.

So follow me below the jump and lets look at the few pinpoints of light in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Johnny Knox is looking more like a top flight WR every game.

This goes beyond Fort Knox scoring our only touchdown of the game, which was a combination of being a good WR and a picture perfect pass. This is looking specifically at the play in the end zone where Cutler threw a bad ball that instead of going in front of Knox, it went straight behind him right into the man in coverage. How does this make Knox a good receiver you may ask? He didn't come up with the ball, but what he did when he realized he didn't have a play on the ball is something we have been missing for a long time. He immediately went into "CB" mode and attempted to punch the ball loose to save the INT. That's a veteran move from a rookie player, and this isn't the first time Knox has played beyond his years.

If you remember back a few games where Knox drew the unsportsmanlike conduct call by not letting them walk all over him, but then stopping when punches started to get thrown. Great call. Knox consistently impresses me when he's on the field, both as wide receiver and in the return game, and if he's this good as a true rookie we may have the steal of the 2009 draft playing as WR for a long time.

We have an embarrasment of riches in the return game.

Speaking of Fort Knox in the return game, sure he fumbled one against the Vikings but it wasn't your normal guy attacking the ball and knocking it loose fumble. It was one of those spinneroonis on top of the back of an opposing player fumbles that happens once in a blue moon. If you run that play one hundred more times it's likely that Knox is downed and no fumble occurs. He also showed great heart and ability to dust himself off by giving us a fantastic return later in the game that was very close to being a touchdown.

Knox leverages his speed in a different way than Hester tends to, going more straight up field than side to side looking for the home run. Both methods have their place, but when Hester starts dancing too much it spells problems at times. Also back returning we've got Daniel Manning who returns very much in the mold of Joshua Cribbs, less of a finesse runner and more of a bruising return man, he'll make a few shifts but he's heading up field no matter what is in his way. He may not hit the home run ball, but he's going to grab every single yard that he can take from the opposing team on his returns.

If you said two years ago that we'd have two good returners, and neither would be named Hester most people would have called you crazy. Add both of them, and a Hester that could emerge again at any moment and you've got a return game that has to respected even if the rest of the team doesn't earn it.

Al Afalava has a great shot at developing into a quality safety for us.

I'm a guy that likes to admit when he was wrong, and I was wrong about Afalava. I really was against the pick of Afalava due to his off the field issues, since at least the descriptions of the incident showed a real lack of maturity and responsibility. However he's been nothing but a model citizen since coming to the NFL and has had zero negative reports about any of his activities on the field, or off. Boy am I glad I was wrong.

Afalava has really burst onto the scene as one of the only Safeties that I don't cringe when I see him on the field. After watching as much of the game as I could looking for him you could see him dutifully covering his man in the flat at times, and laying absolutely vicious hits at others.

One specific instance of Afalava stepping up would be the pass at the front of the end zone. If you watch the play, HH is the closest man to the play, but doesn't even move more than a couple of inches towards the ball even when he sees it coming in his direction. Meanwhile, Afalava coming back towards the ball makes a really hard hit on the receiver in the end zone. What does this matter? It was still a TD? Yeah, the coverage failed, but at that point the only shot you have is to knock that ball loose and break up the reception which is a duty that Hillenmeyer apparently wanted no part of.

As long as Afalava continues to get better in his understanding of coverages and work a bit more on his mobility, and you could be looking at another hard hitting safety in the mold of Mike Brown in the years to come.

Lance Briggs is getting an opportunity to show himself as a monster with Urlacher's absence.

If you look at the way Lance was talked about during the years of his contract dispute there were definitely two factions. There were the people that wanted to trade him for whatever we could get, and there were people that wanted him to stay. Everyone knew he was a good player, but there was a real undercurrent of thought that Briggs only looked good because teams had Brian Urlacher to deal with. We can put that argument to rest right now.

Sadly Briggs was apparently hurt in this game which is blow I'd rather not have dealt to the team, or to Lance, but while he was on the field he was showing, like he has shown every week, that he is a star in his own right. If you look at the little swing pass to the outside right before Favre got nailed to Chester Taylor you see Briggs literally throw Taylor to the ground with what amounted to one hand. A bit earlier when Hillenmeyer got his first FF, it was HH that caused the fumble, but it was Briggs who launched into the backfield to slow AP down enough to let HH make solid contact and get that fumble.

Lance Briggs has been one of the few bright spots on the defensive side of the ball all year, and he has shown himself in Urlacher's absence as being perfectly capable of being the anchor for our linebackers even once Brian is done with the game.

Rob Gould is rock solid, and may in fact be the real concrete cyanide.

Robbie Gould is a monster with a genetically enhanced kicking leg, woven with dark magick and the tendons of a gorilla. Seriously, Rob Gould is one of the few players on the Bears team that doesn't induce heart attacks when he's on the field. He's one of those few kickers in the league that has earned a trust from the fans and his team, and speaking for myself at least, in Gould we trust. If it's anything less than a 50 yard kick I assume that it's three points on the board and that's that. If you tell me that the Bears missed out on a field goal, I immediately assume there was some kind of blocked kick, and that's how good Gould really is.

Brad Maynard is still looking great, even at age 35.

It's hard to really fathom that Maynard has been in the league for almost fifteen years, but then again the way this guy punts someone may have doctored his birth certificate. He's right there with Gould in the lack of stress factor of this team, whatever you ask of Maynard he does. If you want a high pop fly, it happens. You want them pinned deep with a corner kick, it happens. This year with his new strength program he's even regained some of that pop that had started to diminish the last few years. When you go three and out as much as we have been lately, it really pays off to have a monster like Maynard back punting.

FANTASY WEEKEND REPORT by Craig T

Niko Houllis — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:20 -0000

Craig T's FFH (we lied about the year established. Stolen via Google search. How's that for honesty.

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Our good buddy Craig T has his internet down, let me guess, Brighthouse? Remember when Brighthouse tried to make everyone think the NFL Network was the bad guy? Now BH is the only one that Doesnt have it. Heck, I get NFL Network on a sprint phone for goodness sake!! " You carry 8 shopping channels, but no NFL Network!!!"

Anyways..This message brought to you by Verizon's Fios. JK, ....

Take it away Craig T...

Welcome, BucEm fans, to what will be our weekly look at some fantasy football help some of you might be musing over. With 8 weeks down and 5 to go, many of you are likely jockeying for playoff berths, so let's get down to it...

QBs TO START (excluding weekly automatic starts P. Manning, Brady, Roethlisberger, Brees, B. Favre, A. Rodgers, and K. Warner)

1. Tony Romo @ PHI. 8 TDs, 0 INTs in last 3 and seeing field as well as anyone.

2. Matt Hasselbeck vs DET. Weak SEA running game + weak DET defense = big bounceback game for Hasselbeck.

3. Donovan McNabb vs. DAL. Like Romo, also seeing field well in what should be a game filled w points.

4. Philip Rivers @ NYG. Clicking V-Jack lately and has passed for not less than 249 yds this season. NYG defense still not right.

5. Matt Schaub @ IND. First time he and Andre Johnson have been on the field together vs IND since 2007.

Sleeper: Jason Campbell @ ATL. Yes, ugh, I know, but WAS is coming off a bye and ATL can't stop anybody through the air. Look for a solid, if not great, game from Campbell Sunday.

QBs TO SIT

1. Eli Manning vs SD. He's just not trustworthy since injuring his heel.

2. Matt Ryan vs WAS. Roddy White is iffy for the game and WAS pass defense has been solid this season. If you have a 2nd option, consider it.

3. Jake Delhomme @ NO. If you were considering Jake as a bye-week replacement, dig deeper for an option, such as Alex Smith or Campbell. Delhomme vs a turnover-minded defense like NO is a nightmare.

4. Jay Cutler vs ARI. Has hit 3 PaTDs only once since week one.

5. Kyle Orton vs PIT. Steeler D boosted by return of Polamalu.

RBs TO START (excluding C. Johnson, Gore, MJ-D, Turner, LT, SJax, AP, Forte, Ronnie Brown, B. Jacobs)

1. Ryan Grant @ TB. Duh.

2. Joseph Addai vs. HOU. Comeback player of year candidate has scored in 4 straight.

3. Ray Rice @ CIN. Now the guy in BAL, should be key piece of offense in a close game.

4. Marion Barber @ PHI. With trio of RBs, no longer an auto start, but still gets majority of carries and goalline touches and should be started when DAL offense is clicking like it is.

5. Pierre Thomas vs. CAR. Still the main guy in the backfield of the most explosive offense in football.

Sleeper: Jamaal Charles @ JAX. Did you see what Johnson and Titans did to this run defense last week? Charles will get majority of carries and should have a good chance to score.

RBs TO SIT

1. LeSean McCoy vs DAL. Westbrook back and Cowboys have been strong against the run.

2. Laurence Maroney vs MIA. Sammy Morris' return clouds backfield picture and MIA also solid vs run.

3. Cadillac Williams vs GB. GB ranks near the top of the NFL in rushing YPGA. Certainly you've got a better option.

4. Rashard Mendenhall @ DEN.

Denver ranks 3rd against run and Willie Parker to get some work as well.

5. Beanie Wells @ CHI. Still splitting 50/50 w/Hightower, and appears not to be getting majority of goalline carries. Maybe a flex play, but not RB2 material.

WRs TO START (excluding R. Wayne, A. Johnson, L. Fitzgerald, M. Colston, R. Moss, W. Welker, Desean Jackson, R. White, Calvin Johnson, H. Ward, Vincent Jackson, D. Bowe, B. Marshall, Ochocinco)

1. Santana Moss @ ATL. Falcons giving up yards in droves to opposing number 1 WRs. Moss on Grimes' backup should be a mismatch.

2. Miles Austin @ PHI. Ride him til he bucks ya.

3. Nate Burleson vs DET. Hasselbeck's main target should cash in Sunday.

4. Donald Driver @ TB. Bucs' secondary will get a stiff test Sunday, and Driver has been Rodgers' go to guy. Jennings also a solid play.

5. Kevin Walter @ IND. Should have more one on one matchups than Johnson and targets should increase with loss of Owen Daniels.

Sleeper: Steve Breaston @ CHI. In line for solid number of targets with Boldin re-aggravating his ankle.

WRs TO SIT

1. Ted Ginn, Jr @ NE. Don't be fooled by his 2 KRTD performance against NYJ... He still hasn't earned his starting WR spot back yet from Hartline/Bess.

2. Roy E. Williams @ PHI. I don't care that he scored last week. He stinks and doesn't have trust of his QB.

3. Eddie Royal vs PIT. Only receiver worth trusting right now is B. Marshall. Gaffney stealing some of Royal's targets.

4. Lance Moore vs CAR. Gimpy, may be a GTD. With Meachem and Henderson likely to get targets, consider better alternatives over Moore if you can.

5. Mario Manningham vs. SD. Manning spreading around the targets and is having a tough time throwing an accurate deep ball, which hurts a big play WR like double M.

TEs TO START (excluding Witten, Gates, Clark, V. Davis, Shockey, T. Gonzalez)

1. Brent Celek vs DAL. Even though DAL has been great at holding down opposing TEs, he's too valuable to this offense lately to sit.

2. Kevin Boss vs SD. Great underneath option for Manning, who's struggling to step up and make deep throws.

3. Fred Davis @ ATL. TE is a big part of WAS passing game, and Davis has the athletic ability of a WR.

4. Donald Lee vs. TB. Rodgers looks at TE in red zone often and matchup problems exist for Buccaneers. Sub in Jermichael Finley here if he's cleared to play.

5. Heath Miller @ DEN. With Denver's defense so tough against the run and in the red zone, Big Ben's go to guy in the red zone should get some scoring looks.

Sleeper: Ben Watson vs MIA. Scored in 2 of last 3 games.

TEs TO SIT

1. Brandon Pettigrew @ SEA. If you're looking for a bye-week filler, look elsewhere. Without Stafford healthy, Pettigrew is a forgotten part of the offense.

2. Kellen Winslow vs TB. Yea yea, Freeman's gotta throw it to somebody, but who can really tell who he'll connect with? If you've got another solid option, consider it until we see how he connects with K2.

3. Bo Scaife @ SF. Niners 3-4 defense matches up their athletic LBs very well with opposing TEs.

4. Todd Heap @ CIN. Good for 3 catches, 40-50 yds, and that is all.

5. Tony Scheffler vs PIT. Except for his big game against SD a few weeks ago, has done nothing this year.

5 KICKERS TO START:

1. Shaun Suisham @ ATL

2. David Akers @ DAL

3. Nate Kaeding @ NYG

4. Kris Brown @ IND

5. Shayne Graham vs BAL

5 KICKERS TO SIT:

1. Dan Carpenter @ NE

2. Jason Elam vs WAS

3. Olindo Mare vs DET

4. Robbie Gould vs ARI

5. John Kasay @ NO

5 DEFENSES WITH GOOD MATCHUPS:

1. PIT @ DEN

2. SEA vs DET

3. NO vs CAR

4. JAX vs KC

5. SF vs TEN

5 DEFENSES WITH TOUGH MATCHUPS:

1. DAL @ PHI

2. NYG vs SD

3. PHI vs DAL

4. MIA @ NE

5. ATL vs WAS

NightLink: Bears Looking For Closers

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:30:18 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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Brad Biggs of the Sun Times has a nice piece about the Bears looking to improve at closing out games. With this being Atlanta week (who will ever forget the final 11 seconds last year?) it seems like a perfect time to discuss the Bears second half game-planning, and their ability to close out on their opponents.

Here's the link to the Biggs article, right here. Last year many fans called into question the inability of Lovie Smith and his staff to close out games from an X's and O's standpoint. Were they failing at the halftime adjustments?

They squandered double-digit second-half leads in two of the first three weeks in losses to Carolina and Tampa Bay, and they went to Houston in the season finale knowing a victory would put them in the postseason. The Bears led the Texans 10-0 before crumbling.

The most stunning of all was the Week 6 meltdown with 11 seconds to play at Atlanta. The Bears had rallied for a one-point lead on a 17-yard pass from Kyle Orton to Rashied Davis in the Georgia Dome against the upstart Falcons. A bad Robbie Gould squib kick, a bad defensive call combined with poor execution and a 48-yard Jason Elam field goal later, they left stunned losers 22-20.

On thing that surprised me was Smith's overall record when leading after 3 quarters, the last couple years not so good, but before that, stellar.

The Bears were 26-1 under Smith in his first three seasons when they led after the third quarter. Since 2007, they are 12-6, including the lead they squandered at Green Bay to open the season.

When protecting a lead late, much of the onus falls on a good pass rush, something the Bears lacked the last two years, but this season...

With 14 sacks through the first four games, they're at half their total from 2008 and on pace for 56, the most since the Bears had 70 in the 15-game season of 1987. It's far easier to rush the passer with a lead late in the game, and the improved play by ends Alex Brownand Adewale Ogunleye has been encouraging.

In case you missed it, last week on chicagobears.com, Larry Mayer wrote about the Bears offense doing some self evaluation, and this interesting stat caught my eye.

Although the Bears have been outscored 31-7 in the first quarter, they've outscored their opponents 68-27 in the second half.

I know the Packer game slipped through the cracks, but so far I've been impressed with some of the 2nd half adjustments by the coaching staff.

I think it's just a matter of time before the Bears start to find some early momentum. Last year they seemed to get points on so many opening drives, but this year the offense has so many new parts so I'm not surprised by the slow starts. They'll get it rolling soon enough.

Johnny Knox Jumpstarting The 2nd Half

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:01:00 -0000

More photos » by M. Spencer Green - AP

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The Bears came out a little flat offensively (as usual) and their defense was struggling to tame the Lions. Fortunately for the Bears they have one of the better special teams units in the NFL, led by coordinator Dave Toub. Brad Maynard was his normal stellar self, Robbie Gould finally got the 50 yard monkey off his back, but it was the man most in need of a nickname, Johnny Knox, that sparked the Bears to their win on Sunday.

Taking the third quarter kickoff back 102 yards for a score was exactly what the fired up Bears needed to get rolling. And with the Bears, it's the kind of thing we've come to expect. Last year Danieal Manning proved to be an electric kickoff returner, Devin Hester (although not as ridiculous as years past) still has us fans glued to our seats when he's about to return a kick or punt, and now Johnny Knox is the real deal.

Kickoff coverage has evolved. Gone are the days of simply staying in your lanes. Teams spend so much time on the third phase of the game these days. Working on funneling the returner where you want him to go, crisscrossing the coverage players, but the main emphasis is always on keeping the return man to your inside shoulder. The lanes the players need to stay in now are meant to turn with the direction of the kick and the return man, and by always keeping the returner to your inside he should never be able to get outside your widest man. Some teams will assign a player to be the contain men on each side of the field in case of cutbacks. Either the Lions don't employ this strategy or their left contain man was sucked to the ball. The Bears set up the return in the first half. Dave Toub from chicagobears.com;

"It was a designed bounce or naked, however you want to call it. Everyone is blocking left and then he bounced it out naked to the [right]. We saw that they were over-pursuing. We ran left, left, left in the first half, and then we came out in the second half with the left and bounced it to the right."

At some point in scouting for the game the coaches must have noticed the Lions being over aggressive in their pursuit. On the play the entire kick return team will all look to set up their blocks to the left, as if they were running to the left. The key is for them all to sell the return left.

The kick took Knox to the middle of the field 2 yards deep, he immediately darts to the left hash and at the 5 he starts to veer right, at the 10 he makes a hard cut right, then he turns up field past a few Lions, cuts left again away from the kicker and he's gone. From the Chicago Tribune:

The first decision was by special teams coach Dave Toub, who noticed in the first half that the Lions had a tendency to over pursue on kick returns. So at halftime he told kickoff return man Johnny Knox he was going to break one.

On the opening kickoff of the second half, Toub called for a kick return in which everybody starts out blocking left. Then Knox was supposed to bounce the return to the right.

It was a perfect call at a perfect time in the game. With the counter action from Knox looking to go right the whole way, the Lions didn't have any idea what hit them.

Week 3 Preview: Bears (1-1) @ Seahawks (1-1)

SackMan — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:36:17 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

2 months ago: Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) reacts after being hit by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis in the second quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. Hasselbeck injured his ribs on the play. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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There's been many smiling faces in Chicago this week, after the Bears big win against the Super Bowl champs. But, now... it's time to turn the page to Seattle, as the Bears head out west this Sunday for a 3:05 CT start on FOX.

Week 2 Recap

The Seahawks are coming off a 23-10 road loss to division rival San Francisco. It was a brutal day for Seattle, as a depleted defense gave up 256 rushing yards to the 49ers, including a 207 yard effort by Frank Gore. Adding "injury to insult," QB Matt Hasselbeck left the game just before the half with a cracked rib, and backup LT Sean Locklear, filling in for the injured All-Pro Walter Jones, also left the game with an injured ankle. Seattle's star LB, Lofa Tatupu, exited in the 1st QTR with a hamstring injury. Backup QB Seneca Wallace, threw a TD and an INT in relief of Hasselbeck, however the Seahawks got shut out in the second half.

The Bears thrilled the crowd with a stunning 17-14 last second victory in their home opener over the Steelers in the rain. Robbie Gould sealed the deal with a 44 yard FG with 15 seconds left. QB Jay Cutler had a near perfect day against the vaunted Pittsburgh defense... completing 71% of his passes with 2 TDs and zero INTs and a 104.7 QB rating (and nobody cared what kind of face he made at the post-game press conference). The Bears defense held Big Ben in check, but the new look LB unit (minus Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tinoisamoa) did allow 105 yards on the ground to a Steelers team that has struggled to run the ball. The game served as a coming out party for rookie WR Johhny Knox, who was targeted 9 times by Cutler and led the Bears with 6 catches for 70 yards and a game tying TD. The Bears were aided by two missed FGs by Steelers K Jeff Reed. However, had Reed made both kicks, Jay Cutler still would've had the ball on a final possession with an opportunity to win the game

Quick Numbers:

256: The total number of rushing yards allowed by the Seahawks in last week's loss to the 49ers.
2: The number of injured LTs (Sean Locklear & Walter Jones), injured starting LBs (Lofa Tatupa & Leroy Hill), and injured starting CBs (Marcus Trufant & Josh Wilson) for the Seahawks.
104.7: Jay Cutler's QB rating last week vs the Steelers.
2.2: Matt Forte's average yards per carry so far in 2009.

Key Injuries:

SEA LB Lofa Tatupu (hamstring) Q
SEA WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (back) P
SEA QB Matt Hasselbeck (ribs) Q
SEA CB Marcus Trufant (back) O
SEA CB Josh Wilson (ankle) O
SEA LB Leroy Hill (groin) O
SEA LT Walter Jones (knee) P
SEA LT Sean Locklear (ankle) P

CHI LB Brian Urlacher (wrist) IR
CHI LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee) Q
CHI TE Desmond Clark (ribs) Q
CHI DE Alex Brown (ankle) Q

When the Seahawks have the ball.
With the injuries to Hasselbeck and LTs Jones and Locklear, the outlook sure doesn't look promising for the Seattle passing game... especially if backup QB Seneca Wallace starts in place of Hasselbeck. Look for the Seahawks to play a conservative field position battle and keep the ball on the ground to avoid turnovers. RBs Julius Jones and Edgerrin James should challenge the Bears "B team" of LBs on early downs, and big TE John Carlson could be the key to third down conversions. TJ Houshmandzadeh is on a mission to prove Bears GM Jerry Angelo wrong for not wanting to sign him in the offseason... it'll be hard to prove if the Bears pass rush continues it's early season trend of putting heat on opposing QBs. However, the ankle injury to Bears starting RDE Alex Brown could neutralize the injuries to the Seahawks LTs.

The key matchup: LB Lance Briggs vs the Seahawks running game
Expecting a heavy dose of the run game (to either protect the injured Hasselbeck, or minimize the less capable Wallace), Lance Briggs will have to step up and do most of the dirty work himself.

The X factor on offense for the Seahawks: RB Justin Forsett
The second year scat back from California got very heavily involved in the offense last week with 5 carries for 35 yards, and 6 catches for 57 yards. If Wallace starts in place of Hasselbeck, expect Forsett to be an easy bail out option when the primary targets are covered.

When the Bears have the ball.
Seattle is normally a very tough and loud place to play as a visiting team... but the Bears offense could feast against a banged up Seahawk defense. The Bears have yet to establish a productive run game in the first two weeks of the season, partially because of matchups. They faced a new 3-4 Packers D on opening night, and didn't have any fresh game film to study from. Then, of course they followed that by facing the always tough Steelers 3-4 run D. An injured Seattle LB unit could be just the cure for the Bears running woes. However, look for the Bears to do the unexpected and "get off the bus passing" downfield with play action in the first series... to set up the run. They'll want to create an early opportunity to run against 7 man fronts instead of 8, by spreading the field vertically... which could make for some big gains by Matt Forte and build confidence in their run game.

The key matchup: WRs Johnny Knox and Devin Hester vs the Seahawks depleted CBs
We've seen Knox and Hester get behind All-Pro Charles Woodson, and we've seen Knox find holes in the Steelers defense. Now, the the two burners will get the opportunity to test a wounded Seattle secondary, who only have 3 healthy CBs. Cutler is already smelling blood.

The X Factor on offense for the Bears: TE Greg Olsen
Jay Cutler's new BFF has been shut down for the most part in the first two weeks, as defensive coordinators schemed to make someone else beat them. However, the Seahawks are so banged up on defense, that it should be quite difficult for them to remove Olsen from the equation.

Side notes from the NFC North:

Earlier in the pre-season, I warned that the Vikings days of dominant run D was coming to an end. Pat Williams, the key to their stout run D, turns 37 years old on October 24th... and so far this season, my prediction looks on target. Through two games, the Vikings are allowing 4.0 YPC and 109 YPG, to the woeful Browns and Lions. Small sample size, yes... but, it's the Browns (#32 in total offense) and Lions (#30 in total offense) we're talkin about here. That's a problem for Minnesota, especially with Frank Gore coming into town after a 207 yard performance.

Speaking of problems, the Packers offensive line has allowed a whopping 10 sacks and 19 QB hits in the first two games... including a 5 sack performance by Bengals DE Antwan Odom last week. If that's not bad enough, starting LT Chad Clifton is expected to miss the next two games with an ankle injury as the Pack go on the road for the first time this year to St. Louis and Minnesota.

The overall #1 pick of the draft, Matthew Stafford, is off to a horrendous start for the Lions, with 1 TD to 5 INTs and a QB rating of 40.5 in the first two games. I'll keep tabs on Stafford all season, as I eventually try to draw a comparison to Troy Aikman, who started every game for the 1-15 Cowboys in 1989, after also being the #1 pick in the draft.

The Play Of The Game: Cutler to Olsen for 29 yds

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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What was the big play in the Bears game? The Knox leaping TD catch (why did he leap?), the two missed FG's by Steeler kicker Jeff Reed, the game winner by Robbie Gould? Maybe one of the two sacks by Alex Brown, or his pressure on Ben Roethlisberger that led to the interception by Charles Tillman?

For my money it was none of these. If I was pressed to pick a play of the game it was a play during the Knox TD catch drive. The playaction pass to Greg Olsen by Jay Cutler for 29 yards. It was a great and a well executed play call. Kudos to Ron Turner... that doesn't happen to often...

It was first and ten after the Bears converted a third down pass to Devin Hester. They were near midfield and it was a perfect time for a play action pass. Up to that point the Bears running game wasn't anything special, but they kept with it enough to keep the Steeler D honest. The Bears were doing a real good job with the short quick passing game, so the Steelers had that to think about as well. Throwing deep over the middle at that time was probably down on the list of things Pittsburgh was looking for.

During the game CBS Color man Phil Simms remarked that the usual route for Bears tight ends on that particular play was a drag across the middle, and by Greg Olsen taking it vertical it was sure to have surprised the Steelers. Simms said it was an unusual, but well designed play. One other aspect of the play was Olsen knowing he'd get creamed after the catch, yet hanging on.

After getting knocked silly earlier in the game down the left sideline by Tyrone Carter, Olsen showed the kind of toughness us Bears fans respect by holding onto that ball. He knew Carter was again barreling down in him, but he secured the reception on the way to the ground.

The play itself started with Olsen coming in motion right to left and settling in the slot on the left side. Hester (right) and Earl Bennett (left) were lined up split wide, and Kellen Davis was on the right side of the line as a TE. Matt Forte was the lone running back. Hester and Bennett both ran deep out routes, just deep enough for the safeties to have to respect them running a fly route, thus holding them from the middle long enough for Olsen to find an opening. The fake to Forte held the linebackers momentarily to allow Olsen to get behind them. Cutler actually made the pass before he had his feet set, yet he still threw a strike. He made a confident throw, Olsen showed good concentration in holding on to the catch, and the Bears pass protection gave Cutler plenty of time to find his receiver.

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.

High Fantasy Ranking for Matt Forte

Adam T — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:24:07 -0000

NFL.com has their fantasy football rankings up and Matt Forte has found himself near the top of the list. In the Top 100 players, Forte comes in at #2 behind Adrian Peterson. Obviously, Forte's value increases if it is a reception league. I'd imagine also having a QB ranked in the Top 10 (#9), something that is completely foreign to Bears fans, helps those out.

Take a look at the top 10: Is Forte ranked correctly?

1) Adrian Peterson

2) Matt Forte

3) Michael Turner

4) Maurice Jones-Drew

5) DeAngelo Williams

6) Chris Johnson

7) Drew Brees

8) Stephen Jackson

9) Brian Westbrook

10) Frank Gore

Other Bears listed:

Jay Cutler: #9 quarterback

Devin Hester: #34 receiver

Earl Bennett: #66 receiver

Greg Olsen: #6 tight end

Desmond Clark: #26 tight end

Robbie Gould: #16 kicker (I think Gould got rooked here unless they are assuming he gets less FGs with Cutler in town)

Chicago D/ST: #11 (I think this one depends on what stats are used. The Bears will be near the top of takeaways and the return game)

The 2008 Season Reviewed - Wins

Dane Noble — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:00:12 -0000

As disappointing as the Chicago Bears 2008 season was, there were definitely some positive moments... and some moments that were down right amazing.

ChiFan13 provided you with a review of the Bears losses of 2008, complete with a Helmet Tip to PB at Burnt Orange Nation for allowing us to use his format. Well, let's see if we can get rid of that bad taste in our mouths, if only for as long as it takes you to read this article, and remember the Chicago Bears wins of 2008.

Win #1: @ Indianapolis, 29-13

Lead up to the game: Well, we meet again. February 4, 2007 was not that long ago, and Bears fans had revenge on their minds. Colts fans were undoubtedly giddy at the thought of opening up the season at their home field... but that would all change once the game got under way.

Follow me inside for more...

Performance: To say the Bears were overachievers in this game would be a major understatement. Our rookie running back, Matt Forte, broke a 50 yard touchdown run in the 1st quarter. Adewale Ogunleye scored a safety in the 2nd quarter. Lance Briggs, who had 8 tackles in the game, scored in the 3rd Period on a fumble recovery. And Jason McKie scored on a 1 yard run in the 4th. Brian Urlacher added 8 solo tackles of his own... and the defense got to Peyton Manning twice for sacks. Our rookie running back ended with 123 yards rushing, and Kyle Orton didn't turn the ball over once. Today was a good day to be a Chicago Bears fan.

Post game feeling in 10 words: What the hell just happened? No, really... what just happened??

Win #2: Philadelphia, 24-20

Leading up to the game: Bears fans had just witnessed back-to-back weeks of letting a great lead get away from us... and we weren't happy. And now we get the Eagles at home. We needed to make something happen this game.

Performance: The game seemed to go back and forth. Chicago would score, then Philly would score. As the time clock crept closer to the end of the game, fans were seriously wondering if the Bears had the killer instinct to put the game away. Then it happened... the goal-line stance that showed what we had in our defense. We stuffed Philly on the 1 yard line 4 straight times, in a smothering defensive effort. Kyle Orton through 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles, but also had 3 TDs. Forte contributed solidly on the ground and receiving, and the defense registered 3 sacks. Kevin Payne and Urlacher combined for 17 tackles. What a game.

Post game feeling in 10 words: Defense finally made a stand... No More Screwing Around. Period.

Win #3: @ Detroit, 34-7

Leading up to the Game: Riding the coattails of the awesome win against the Eagles, the Bears were in Detroit to face the winless Lions. Big things were expected from the Bears.

Performance: This game almost did not seem fair. Orton picked the Lions defense apart, throwing for 334 yards and 2 TDs. Forte did not have a lot of yards, but added 1 rushing TD and 1 receiving TD to his performance. The defense made a bang, sacking the hapless Lions QBs (Orlovsky and Kitna) 4 times, and Charles Tillman returning an interception for a TD. Briggs had another big game, with 8 tackles and 1 sack. Detroit's only score would come in the 3rd Quarter, after falling behind 31-0.

Post game feeling in 10 words (provided by Mike Brown when asked about being at the top of the NFC North): "If we stay there, we get to the playoffs." Amen.

Win #4: vs. Minnesota, 48-41

Leading up to the game: Atlanta the week before. That is all I can write about that.

Performance: Three Bears secondary members were out with injuries, yet Chicago managed to intercept Gus Frerotte 4 times, and the Chicago Bears scored more points than they had since 1986. Orton looked like he was headed to the Pro Bowl, and Greg Olsen showed why he was the #1 pick for the Bears a couple seasons ago. Just like the Bears have become known for over the last few seasons, the special teams unit provided 2 scores, and the defense scored once. The Vikings Adrian Peterson had a field day against a beat-up defensive Bears unit, rushing for over 100 yards and a couple of scores. It was a wild, wild game, and I was happy to see it come to an end.

Post game feeling after the game: Tied with Green Bay, Bye week, then Detroit... sounds great.

Win #5: Detroit, 27-23.

Leading up to the game: Hopefully, we were rested and healthier than we had been. Bye weeks are great when a team is banged up.

Performance: Uh-oh. Enter the Dragon. Kyle Orton left the game with what the team was saying was a high ankle sprain right before half time, and Rex Grossman was about to have his last shot at remaining a Chicago Bear. His performance was less than stellar, drawing boos from the crowd despite throwing 1 TD and running for another. To say we won this game doesn't sound like a big deal... but we were 5 minutes away from losing to what would eventually be the Winless Lions of 2008.

Post game feeling in 10 words: Orton out a month? Can (the) Cannon lead us to victory?

Win #6: @ St. Louis, 27-3.

Leading up to the game: Hammered... I mean HAMMERED by the Pack the week before.

Performance: It was against the Rams, so we nailed them like we should have. After losing to the Titans and Packers, entering St. Louis and beating up on the Rams just didn't have any real merit to it. Regardless, Forte had a career day, rushing for 139 yards and 2 TDs, and the Chicago defense picked off Trent Green 4 times, and added 5 sacks to the stat tracker. We won. Yay.

Post game feeling in 10 words: Can we just play the Lions and Rams every game?

Win #7: vs. Jacksonville, 23-10

Leading up to the game: After getting embarrased, again, by Adrian Peterson the week before, I was still wishing we could just play the Lions again. Or the Rams.

Performance: Surprisingly, the Bears showed up for this game. With the playoffs (playoffs?!) looming in the not so far distance, we needed to make this happen... and we did. Danieal Manning set the tone early in the game with an intercepion, and Kyle Orton threw 2 TDs in the first half, as the Bears roll on to an impressive victory. 3 Chicago defensive players registered 8 tackles, and Robbie Gould was 3/3 on FGs. Orton looked decent, having a TD to INT ratio of 2:1. Overall, good game.

Post game feeling in 10 words: Playoffs possible? We'll see, but Brees and Co are coming...

Win #8: vs. New Orleans, 27-24 (OT)

Leading up to the game: Well, this is where we can make something happen. We have to win to have a shot at the playoffs.

Performance: Wow. What a game. Robbie Gould was gold again, hitting a crucial FG at both the end of regulation and in OT to give the Bears a little more light at the end of their tunnel. Wait, I can't go straight to the end of the game. The game started with fireworks too, with Danieal Manning running the opening kick-off back 83 yards for a TD. This was a gutsy performance by both teams, each fighting for their playoff lives. Statistically, the Saints beat us in every category, and we turned the ball over 3 times to boot. After watching the Saints creep back from a 21-7 deficit to go ahead 24-21 with 3 miutes left in the game, I said screw it. We don't deserve this. Another blown lead??? But, Mr. Orton, who had quite the unremarkable game statistically, lead us down the field on the last posession of regulation. Now, you can start reading this paragraph over again.

Post game feeling in 10 words: Are you kidding me?? Is this really going to happen??

Win #9: Green Bay, 20-17 (OT) (MNF)

Leading up to the game: Must win. Last home game of the season. Monday Night Football. Green Bay Packers. It's go time!!

Performance: I KNEW we would block that kick. I told my girlfriend that we would block the kick, and walked downstairs to grab another beer. I didn't see the snap, didn't see Alex Brown get his hand on the football, but I didn't need to... I knew. Then I heard her shouting, and I nonchalantly walked back upstairs for OT. The weather was frigid... the wind chill was -13 degrees. But, the fellers showed up that game. Orton was shaky, but hung in there; Forte was a hoss; and the defense held Green Bay to a field goal in the 2nd half. All was good in the world.

Post game feeling in 10 words: Must win at Houston, Vikes must lose to Giants. Oops.....

"Fantasy" Football...a look back at the '08 Bears

thebutlerway — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:14:17 -0000

Year after year, fantasy football seems to be on the rise. It seems like more commercials are geared towards getting people signed up, more television channels are gearing their bottom line stats towards fantasy football, and people like me take it all in and fall into a four month long binge. Whether you are a casual participant or the league commish, we can all agree that nothing brings more joy than taunting a fellow league member because they all passed up on that season's gem in the draft (ahem...Matt Forte). While the Bears may be the only team I stand up and cheer for, I now keep an eye on players around the league, and often find myself flipping back and forth between games like a madman.

Ladies and gentlemen, I love fantasy football. And I woud love it more if I could put somebody from my beloved Chicago Bears on my team and not feel like an idiot homer. I put fantasy in quotations above because adding some of our guys to the lineup has often been anything but a fantasy...I think "nightmare football" or "failball" may be the more accurate description.

This year, however, has not been as bad as in years past. With (somewhat) steady QB play, an exciting new running back, and Devin Hester catching the ball every now and then, the Bears managed to muster some fairly decent fantasy football stats every few weeks.

So without further ado, here's the 2008 fantasy recap for your Chicago Bears.

Quarterback

Our fearless leader, Kyle Orton, was never expected to be much fantasy-wise. Yahoo leagues had him projected as the 18th best QB option, sandwiched between Eli Manning and Matt Ryan. If only he remained within that sandwich. Let's be honest, Orton was our "game manager", and outside of playing Detroit, he was never a lock for QB in an 8 or 10 team league. This year proved to be pass happy for the NFL, with Brees and Warner chasing Marino's yardage record, Manning putting together a MVP year, and rising stars like Rivers and Cutler getting comfortable in their roles as starters. With our offensive system, Orton just isn't able to make an impact for your fantasy football team. However, if you did start Orton, I hope it was during week 5. His 334 yards and 2 TDs were Brady-esque, and those stats are always welcome. The bottom line here is that there are plenty of better fantasy QBs to choose from, and using Orton for a spot start may be your best reason to keep him on your roster.

Running Back

I remember a certain moment in the last round of my fantasy football draft where I looked at the draft board and laughed as I announced I was picking Matt Forte. Having already picked up Marion Barber and Brandon Jacobs, this was me trying to be funny and show these guys I work with that I'm very partial to my Bears, even if this was a rookie RB. Keep in mind that I no longer live in Chicago, so I was jeered for this pick for about two weeks. Oh how quickly they shut up.

What makes Forte such a great RB option is that he is an offensive weapon when coming out of the backfield. If you have a player who can run and catch, he is twice as valuable as anybody else in the position. Anybody can be fat like LenDale White and fall into the endzone for a quick score from the 1 yard line, but those points can only take you so far. Forte had 7 games this season with 5+ receptions. He even pulled in a TD in the great week 5 neckbearding of Detroit. His fantasy numbers receiving-wise almost made him a better WR option than our core of illustrious wide receivers.

In addition to having great hands, he also put up some good numbers on the ground. His games against the Colts, Detroit (Nov 2), and St. Louis were all for 100+ yards, and he topped 75 yards an additional 4 times. On the other side of the coin, he did have some pretty bad fantasy performances as well. While Forte managed to get some big 3rd down runs throughout the year, he struggled early in the week 4 & 5 games against Philly and Detroit, managing only 79 yards total in those games and producing only 1 touchdown. By the end of the season, he wasn't putting up the kinds of fantasy numbers that you expect from a running back. But looking back on 2008, I think that both Bears fans and fantasy owners had nothing but praise for the rookie from Tulane.

Tight Ends

This position is always a fantasy killer. There are the elite players (Gates, Gonzalez, Dallas Clark), and then you have everybody else. Desmond Clark falls into the everybody else category, barely. Averaging less than 3 receptions and 9 yards per game is roughly 4 points in most leagues, and that's a total you'd expect from a horrible kicker.

On the other hand, Greg Olsen was a better option, but not much better. His season averages are similar to Dez...just over 3 catches and 10.6 yards per game, but his 5 TDs and big play ability make him an alluring pick up in leagues where the TE pool is thin. If given the chance to play most downs as the primary receiving TE, he could certainly elevate his fantasy stock. Olsen was a beast down the stretch, netting 3 TDs and averaging close to 45 yards per game over the last four weeks of the season. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. As the better tight ends in the league head into their later years, Olsen has the chance to become a top TE fantasy player.

Wide Receivers

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but only one word comes to mind for the fantasy football options at wide receiver:

In 11 games, Brandon Lloyd caught 26 balls for 364 yards and 2 TDs. In 13 games, Marty Booker caught 14 balls for 211 yards and 2 TDs. To put this in perspective, our old pal Justin Gage produced 6 TDs from 34 catches for 651 yards. This is primarily with Kerry Collins throwing the ball to him. He was more productive than both of them combined. In terms of fantasy football (and possibly football in general), these two receivers just don't make the cut.

But then there was Devin Hester. He didn't do much in the first few weeks, but Hester slowly became a good 3rd WR option for any fantasy football squad. He had 5 games of 5+ receptions to go along with 7 games of 50+ yards. These certainly aren't top notch WR fantasy games, but they are good for putting up a solid 10 points for your team. What the Bears decide to do with their receiving corps in 2009 will certainly determine if he can become a more reliable fantasy player, but in the meantime he will do just fine as a compliment to touchdown machines like Anquan Boldin, yardage monsters like Andre Johnson, and weasely slot receivers who can catch 10 balls a game like Wes Welker.

Defense / Special Teams

I have yet to participate in a league where individual defensive players are picked, and I look forward to doing it next year. But most leagues revolve around the D/ST position, and year after year Chicago is a great pick. If "passing yards against" becomes a common fantasy stat, I may change my tune unless we can improve our secondary. The biggest fantasy qualm with the Bears D/ST would be the lack of sacks. They managed only 28 this year, and these are typically easy points for a good defensive unit to put up for your fantasy team. Where the points lack from sacks, they are made up for in other areas...namely the 22 picks and 10 fumble recoveries. With 5 defensive touchdowns and a league-high 4 blocked kicks, the Bears D/ST proves to be a well-rounded point scoring machine. Not many other teams can provide that type of fantasy security from this position, and I'd imagine that these boys have something to prove next year, and should still continue to be a great pick in the forseeable future. On the special teams side, the 1 return touchdown was really a letdown, especially considering what we have done over the last few years. Overall, fantasy owners will fight over this unit to fill their D/ST role.

Kicker

Robbie Gould is not just a great kicker, fellas...he is also a great addition to your fantasy football roster. He was perfect in 2008 with extra points (41-41), and only missed 3 field goals. His 8 makes from 40-49 put the fantasy points on the board, especially in week 3 when he hit two of those against Tampa Bay. The only dowside to Gould as a fantasy kicker is the 50+ stat. In 2008 he was 0-0, and in his career he is 0-2. However, consistently accurate kickers are hard to come by, so his lack of long yardage kicks can be put aside for now. With plenty of scores coming from the ground and hopefully more through the air, his consistensy will continue to translate into fantasy "Gould"...yeah I know, bad joke.

So there you have it. Fantasy football is an artform, and art will always have its critics. The Bears make for an easy fantasy team to dissect...strong running, strong defense, and strong kicking. But what do you think?

I look forward to seeing what changes Angelo & Co. make during the next few months, and I'll be sure to put together the 2009 Bears fantasy preview, as well as take a look around the league to help you put together a solid fantasy football campaign.