SB Nation - Jason McKie

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Packers Part II

Dane Noble — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:23 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

If there was any small mathematical chance that the Bears could challenge for an NFC Wild Card spot, losing to the Packers wiped those numbers away. Not that there were too many people who were still believing it would actually happen, but it is still hard to imagine that we would have a third year in a row without reaching the playoffs after reaching the Super Bowl in 2006.

In six years with the Bears, Lovie Smith has three seasons with a winning record, and two playoff births.

- Not only did Cutler look to Aromashodu often, he looked towards him early. The first two plays of the game were passes to DA (1 complete and 1 incomplete).

- Omiyale had 2 penalties in the second series for the Bears (false start and holding). Penalties are drive killers.

- I really feel sorry for Cutler when he has to constantly throw off his back foot, but on the rare occasion he can set his feet and step into the throw, it looks great. He throws a damn good football.

- Lots of 3WR sets early in the game... indicative of absolutely no running game.

- Yes, our OL is still awful, but things looked much better this week than most weeks. CWilliams made some errors, but he also made some great blocks. Let's hope he keeps getting live reps for the rest of the year.

- Omiyale was very similar to Williams... made some bone-headed plays, but also made some damn good blocks. Steadily showing improvement.

- I like Knox, and I think he's going to turn out to be a mighty fine WR next year, assuming the OL is improved.

- What happened on the Bears extra point attempt? Was there a penalty on Pat Mannelly? ( I had no sound)

- Glad to see Tommie doing something again. Let's see if he can keep it going over the next few weeks.

- Afalava loves to hit people. And I love watching him hit people.

- The Bears defense showed improvement in getting off the field after 3rd down plays... GB was only 5/13 on 3rd down attempts.

- 13 penalties/ 109 yards. For shame.

- The guy we gave up a second round draft pick for registered his fourth tackle as a Chicago Bear on Sunday. In seven games he has been active, he's got 4 tackles and 0 sacks.

- Lance Briggs, despite not having his usual 10+ tackles, still played like a madman.

- I dislike seeing Bullocks on the field, even if he does make a few tackles.

- Knox/ Aroma's combined numbers: 13 rec/ 159 yds/ 2 TDs.

- Jason McKie made a couple of great blocks on DTs that our OL was unable to block.

Up next... @ Ravens. Should be fun!

Cutler Not Being Coached Up

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:00:11 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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Listening to former Bears QB Jim Miller on the Comcast post game after the Eagles loss, it became even clearer, the Bears are simply not coaching Cutler up. Miller questioned what's being taught to Cutler, both the mental aspects of the position and his fundamentals. To paraphrase Miller, ‘you can't trade for a good QB and expect him to be good without constant coaching', or something to that extent.

He called into question both Ron Turner and QB coach Pep Hamilton, while reflecting on his time in New England spent under then QB coach (and current Denver Bronco head coach) Josh McDaniels, and then Patriot offensive coordinator (and current Notre Dame head coach) Charlie Weis. Every QB meeting he had in N.E. was spent with these two coaches along with head coach Bill Belicheck. Compare that brain trust to Turner, Hamilton, and Lovie Smith.

I can't honestly say I know that much about Hamilton other than his bio, but I've never seen him described as a "wonder kid", "up and comer", "future head coach material", or stuff like that. He very well could be a burgeoning offensive mastermind, and I hope he is, but looking around the NFL and all the publicity surrounding many young coaches prior to them getting a head job you have to wonder if Hamilton were that good, wouldn't there be someone singing his praises by now? Josh McDaniels, Mike Tomlin, Raheem Morris, Eric Mangini, Todd Haley, and Jim Schwartz were all heralded as hot young coaching commodities before getting their big break. Does anyone have Hamilton on a hot potential coaches list?

Jay Cutler is a 26 year old talent that needs to be coached up to reach his full potential. I feel last year in Denver he merely scratched the surface of what he'll eventually become, but he'll need the right offensive coaches surrounding him.

Getting back to Miller, the particular play that got Miller all riled up was the missed TD on the Greg Olsen overthrow in the second quarter. First off, shouldn't Olsen have dove for the ball? Antonio Gates makes that catch. Tony Gonzalez makes that catch. As does Vernon Davis. If Olsen wants to be an elite tight end then at least give an elite effort. But it wasn't the miss by Olsen that Miller didn't like, it was Cutler not throwing to Jason McKie in the flat. He pointed out that as soon as the Eagles blitzed from the right side his immediate hot route should have been the fullback in the flat. There should have been no back foot throw, there should have been a simple set up and toss to a wide open McKie.

Miller also wondered if when the play call is coming in from Ron Turner, if Turner drops some tidbits of info with the play. For example, after the play call does Turner mention; "OK, it's 2nd and 10, if the play isn't there throw it away" or the occasional, "We're in the Red Zone, don't force anything, we'll take the 3 points!", I guess no one really knows except those with access to the radio feed, but we have to wonder.

If the right coaches aren't surrounding Jay Cutler, and some offensive stability isn't put around him, I fear his play may continue this trend to mediocrity. Get a system in place next year that fits his talents, and stick with it. It's pretty much a given that Turner can't be allowed to come back next year, and with the way the Bears have operated in the past in terms of Lovie Smith and his coaching hires, you have to wonder if the new offensive coordinator is on the current staff. Could Pep Hamilton be promoted? If so I'm all for Jim Miller as the next QB coach.

And by the way... Have a Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Falcons Edition

Dane Noble — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:17:56 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

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Shame on the Bears coaches. I don't say that too often, but last night you would have thought that we had to play that game on short notice. There is no way that a team who wants to be significant contenders in their conference (or division for that matter) can have two weeks to prepare for a game, and end up looking so lost.

Penalties, miscues, blown coverage... we had two weeks to get our game together. Shame on our coaches.

- Garrett Wolfe looked nice in kick off coverage. Not sure why he's making special teams tackles when he's the only other RB active for the game, but he looked good nonetheless.

- Ron Turner tried twice to throw the ball to Jason McKie, once as a screen in Q1, and once in play-action near the goal line in Q3.

- Matt Forte continues to excel in picking up the blitz. Great blocker.

- I am so very tired of seeing Jay Cutler throw off-balance. His Happy Feet Syndrome has got to be coached out of him. Set your feet Jay!

- Defense came out strong at the start of the game, with three straight 3/ outs for Atlanta, and a punt in their first 4 possessions.

- Nick Roach plays hard. He needs some coaching, and more experience, but I like his energy on the field.

- Orlando Pace and Chris Williams had their hands full last night with John Abraham and Krory Biermann. Considering those tough match-ups, I give the nod to Pace/ Williams. Nice job fellas.

- Should an offensive holding penalty really be 10 yards? That seems excessive. Maybe 5 yards and replay the down.

- Frank Omiyale is not a long-term answer for our OL.

- Roberto Garza can still drive folks 10 yards down the field. He got beat last night a few times as well, but it is fun to see his meanness come out every now and then.

- The Falcons WRs were finding holes in our coverage early in the game, but luckily it took Matt Ryan a while to find his rhythm. Early miscues kept us in the game.

- If you, or anyone you know, still thinks Devin Hester should not be returning punts (ChiFan13), please stop. Hester is good at PRs.

- Tony Gonzales is strong. We tried stripping the ball a couple of times when a normal person would not have been able to hang on to the ball. Tony G did.

- Pisa Tinoisamoa = "Cement Wall" according to Al Michaels. Hard for a nickname like that to stick if he can't stay healthy.

- Trade deadline is Tuesday at 4pm. Jerry Angelo has to be thinking of bringing in another LB.

- Jay Cutler is over-throwing his WRs too much. Definitely a symptom of not setting his feet.

- Bears pass rush? Hello? Hellooooo? Two weeks to get ready, and zero sacks? No defensive lineman had more than 2 tackles. Shame on our coaches.

- Atlanta had two straight 3 and outs to start the second half. Per usual for our defense. How about sustaining that throughout an entire half, coaches?

- Desmond Clark showed some great hands, just like he did in the pre-season. We've got to get him more involved in the passing game.

- I am not typically too harsh on Ron Turner's play calling, but our red zone performance last night was terrible. You don't call a sweep on the goal line!

- Al Afalava continues to make big plays. He was out of position a couple of times, but also did a mighty fine job on Tony G a few times last night. I like Afalava.

- 9 more penalties last night. Shame on our coaches.

- Special teams coverage was ungood. Dave Toub, you had two weeks like everyone else did.

- If we play an entire game of good football, we can beat anyone on our schedule. Unfortunately, we are our own worst enemy. Time to reevaluate some things, and seriously look at our OL and coaching staff.

Analysis: Green Bay Packers defeat Bears 21-15

Brandon — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:00:30 -0000

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This is the 3rd straight season that the Green Bay Packers have won their 1st game of the season.

Although, in each of those opening season wins, the offense has come out flat. The offense wasn't awful against the Bears but there wasn't a lot of passing or rushing yards. No turnovers, but awful pass protection. If you look back at last season, QB Aaron Rodgers was crisp in his first NFL start, but something did seem wrong with RB Ryan Grant. I was an optimist at the time, but in hindsight, Grant wasn't the same runner he had been at the end of 2007. Speaking of 2007, the Packers could have lost the season opener to the Eagles except the special teams bailed them out. The offense is usually behind the defense at the start of the season. They've just got to fix that offensive line. I wonder what Mark Tauscher is up to?

The defense really impressed me. I was concerned they might get beaten up front, but they really controlled the line of scrimmage. All of the linebackers (except my least favorite one) were great. The return of DE Cullen Jenkins made a big difference, and they should be even better once DT B.J. Raji is fully recovered from his ankle injury.

Bears vs Packers coverage; Bears vs Packers recap; Bears vs Packers boxscore; Windy City Gridiron

As usual, the play descriptions are from the play-by-play at NFL.com.

First Quarter

(13:04) 25-R.Grant right end to CHI 32 for 1 yard (55-L.Briggs, 53-N.Roach).
(12:27) 25-R.Grant left tackle to CHI 31 for 1 yard (55-L.Briggs, 44-K.Payne).

Mike McCarthy wants to improve the strength up front because they switched from a zone blocking to a man block scheme. The idea was to open more running lanes for RB Ryan Grant. After they got into FG range, they ran two straight plays to nowhere, and settled for a missed FG attempt. The good news was that the blocking got better as the game went along.

(8:53) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at GB 35 for -7 yards (93-A.Ogunleye).

This was the first of two sacks allowed by RT Allen Barbre, although he seemed to be operating a revolving door for most of the game. He beat out RT Breno Giacomini this preseason, in part, because of a sack allowed by Giacomini that led to the shoulder injury for QB Matt Flynn. But Barbre did redeem himself on the game winning TD drive, NBC showed a good replay of him keeping the DE well outside the pocket. I expect the coaches will stick with him, but he'll need a lot of work this week in practice. And I bet they don't leave Giacomini inactive again.

(7:37) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete deep right to 80-D.Driver (24-A.Afalava) [54-B.Urlacher].

Oh, that was so close. QB Aaron Rodgers just threw it a little too far. After watching such a crisp preseason from the 1st team offense, it was surprising to watch them struggle with their timing.

(7:13) 6-J.Cutler pass deep left to 23-D.Hester pushed ob at CHI 38 for 20 yards (31-A.Harris).

I guess I keep expecting WR Devin Hester to fail as a receiver, but he made a nice move to stay inbounds. He should have a big season.

(4:17) 6-J.Cutler pass deep middle intended for 88-D.Clark INTERCEPTED by 36-N.Collins at GB 12. 36-N.Collins to GB 43 for 31 yards (22-M.Forte).

QB Jay Cutler was rattled by the pass pressure the entire 1st half, but he was also forcing it. I'm sure he wanted to prove himself to everyone. This pass couldn't get there before S Nick Collins jumped the route. Of course CB Tramon Williams dropped two INTs before Collins finally took one of the gifts Cutler was handing out.

Second Quarter

(10:22) 25-R.Grant right end pushed ob at CHI 8 for 25 yards (44-K.Payne). PENALTY on GB-72-J.Spitz, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at CHI 33 - No Play.

The refs didn't do the Packers any favors in this game, but penalties were still a problem. The box score only shows 6 penalties for 45 yards, but this one was a 35 yard swing.

(8:13) 6-J.Cutler pass deep right to 13-J.Knox pushed ob at GB 8 for 68 yards (21-C.Woodson).

This is why I'm not a blitz fanatic. Maybe Collins couldn't have gotten there in time to break it up, but the weak side blitz didn't get to Cutler and CB Charles Woodson couldn't keep up with the speedster (even with a little tug of his jersey). There was one safety back to cover the entire deep field, and he fell down. I'm probably too conservative, but I prefer it when there are two safeties playing deep and outside the hash marks.

(6:54) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle intended for 22-M.Forte INTERCEPTED by 97-J.Jolly at GB 12. 97-J.Jolly to GB 14 for 2 yards (57-O.Kreutz).

Watch the replay if you missed it. Just an amazing play by DT Johnny Jolly.

(5:58) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked in End Zone for -11 yards, SAFETY (38-D.Manning).

OK, the Bears were taking advantage of Barbre's struggles, but what the hell was Rodgers doing? He can't scramble that far back when he's so close to the end zone.

(4:56) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass deep middle intended for 13-J.Knox INTERCEPTED by 38-T.Williams at GB 32. 38-T.Williams pushed ob at CHI 1 for 67 yards (80-E.Bennett). Chicago challenged the fumble ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #2 at 04:39.)

The recap says Knox was the intended receiver, but he wasn't in the same area code. Cutler was pressured again on the play and rushed it, but he's obviously expecting Knox to run a different route. He still has to get familiar with all his new receivers.

(4:40) 25-R.Grant left end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. PENALTY on CHI-96-A.Brown, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced between downs.

My new favorite lead blocker is TE Spencer Havner. Once I saw him come in, I expected a TD run, which was something that wasn't a sure thing last season at the goal line. He wasn't directly responsible, but he tied up a blocker or two in the middle that couldn't go outside and tackle Grant.

Third Quarter

(14:21) 22-M.Forte left guard to CHI 32 for 10 yards (74-A.Kampman).

This was the longest run by RB Matt Forte of the game. He's never killed the Packers, but he couldn't get anything going on the ground and had zero receptions. Despite all the offseason talk about the pass rush in the new 3-4, what I really watched was how it would hold up against the run, and they were great in this game.

(13:50) 22-M.Forte left tackle to CHI 29 for -3 yards (77-C.Jenkins, 36-N.Collins).

Welcome back DE Cullen Jenkins! He was great in his first game back since last September, and had a sack too later in the quarter, but this was my favorite play. The sack was great; he split two blockers and got to Cutler. But on this play, he tossed one of the Bears top free agent pickups, LG Frank Omiyale, to the ground before getting into the backfield to stuff Forte.

(10:19) 6-J.Cutler pass deep right to 23-D.Hester for 36 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Cris Collinsworth was going crazy trying to figure out why Collins didn't get over in time. Apparently he had cramps and he just couldn't move fast enough. Collins was held out for at least one series, he was replaced by S Aaron Rouse, but then returned later in the game.

(9:00) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete deep right to 87-J.Nelson.

Another deep pass where the timing was off. Rodgers just had to put a little bit more air under it, although WR Jordy Nelson might not have been running the crispest route.

(8:55) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete short left to 42-D.Wynn.

This was the 2nd or 3rd attempted screen pass. They seem to like calling them on obvious passing downs to slow the pass rush, but they always seem to get busted. I wouldn't be heartbroken if the screen pass vanished from the play book.

(1:10) 42-D.Wynn left end to CHI 43 for -2 yards (96-A.Brown).

This was only the second possession of the 3rd quarter, and McCarthy had really noticed that LB Brian Urlacher was out of the game. But this was the 5th running play in a row, and the Bears jumped all over it. It turned a 2nd and 5 into a 3rd and long. There was not a good rhythm to the play calling, and it did not keep the Bears off balance.

Fourth Quarter

(12:43) (Punt formation) 25-G.Wolfe up the middle to CHI 30 for 4 yards (16-B.Swain, 55-D.Bishop). Chicago challenged the too many players on field ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #2 at 12:39.)

Oh, boy. There's going to be hell to pay on Chicago talk radio next week for that little stunt. And to make matters worse, they wasted their final challenge and another time out on it.

(8:39) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass incomplete deep middle to 80-E.Bennett (21-C.Woodson). PENALTY on GB-31-A.Harris, Illegal Contact, 5 yards, enforced at CHI 40 - No Play.

Yep, the ref screwed up badly. WR Earl Bennett was actually lined up in the backfield, it should have been an illegal formation on Chicago. But then the ref saw CB Al Harris check Bennett over 5 yards from where Bennett was illegally standing, although still within 5 yards from the line of scrimmage, and called a penalty on Harris. There would have been hell to pay, if it had cost them the game, but luckily it didn't.

By the way, I expected Bennett was a bust since he didn't catch a single pass in his rookie season, but he made some nice catches in this game. He also made a couple penalties, one that was even caught by the ref, so he still needs some more experience.

(7:16) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short right to 82-G.Olsen to GB 23 for 8 yards (37-A.Rouse).

For everyone looking for a breakout performance from TE Greg Olsen, it sure didn't happen in this game. This was his only catch. Hardly his worst game against the Packers, he had a two fumble disaster a couple seasons ago, but he either kills the Packers or sucks. He's just inconsistent.

(6:34) 6-J.Cutler pass short left to 37-J.McKie to GB 15 for 8 yards (31-A.Harris).

I couldn't figure out the Packers linebacker rotation. LBs A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett, and Brandon Chillar all played inside, but it seemed like the plan was to rotate Hawk on running downs and Chillar on passing downs. Although for week 1, they also seemed to rotate Barnett out, probably to take it easy as he comes back from his torn ACL. LB Clay Matthews wasn't expected to start, but he played a lot at outside LB, and seemed to rotate with LB Brady Poppinga. Matthews didn't have a flashy game, but he didn't give Chicago anywhere to run outside. On this play, Poppinga bit inside and left FB Jason McKie wide open in the flat. Hopefully Matthews plays more and more as the season goes on.

(3:11) 22-M.Forte left end to GB 3 for no gain (79-R.Pickett, 77-C.Jenkins). GB-97-J.Jolly was injured during the play.

Congratulations run defense! Last season, this goal line stance would have failed, and the opponents would have scored a big game winning TD while exhausting the clock. Instead they stuffed the Bears and forced them to settle for a FG with 2 minutes left. Plenty of time...

(1:18) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep left to 85-G.Jennings for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

It's hard to feel sorry for a Bear, but CB Nathan Vasher had a great game, until he allowed the game losing TD. On the other hand, hopefully he's still in their starting lineup for the next game in Chicago. Also, they finally got the timing on a deep pass right.

(1:06) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short left intended for 13-J.Knox INTERCEPTED by 31-A.Harris at CHI 43. 31-A.Harris pushed ob at CHI 14 for 29 yards (6-J.Cutler).

I loved this play. Not only because it was a game ending INT, but because the veteran Harris jumped a route that the rookie Knox went soft on. A great veteran move.

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.

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Denver Game

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

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Browse more photos »

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

-Trumaine McBride missed a couple of open field tackles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Jason McKie had several great lead blocks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Position Battles: Running Backs

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:00:10 -0000

I found it odd the Bears didn't bother bringing in an undrafted free agent tailback to compete in camp and to play the fourth quarters of the preseason games. Last year they kept four on the opening day roster, so is it a given they will do the same thing this year?

Matt Forte could reach Pro Bowl status and Kevin Jones is healthy and in great shape. These two are obvious locks for the final roster and should be a formidable tandem if used correctly. I'd love to see Forte & Jones at about 60% / 40% on touches, a point I addressed right here last month.

Are Garrett Wolfe and Adrian Peterson comfortably on the final 53? What about the fullbacks? Last year the Bears kept only one, Jason McKie, but brought in Jason Davis when McKie was banged up and liked what they saw. And then what about rookie, and already fan favorite, Will Ta'ufo'ou? How many backs will be there on opening day?

Take the jump and see what I think...

I thought last year was going to be Garrett Wolfe's last chance to prove his worth. Even though he saw very limited action on offense, he really became a standout special teams player before he was injured. This year the Bears continue to preach getting Wolfe more involved in the offense, so does that mean their minds are already made up about him?

Adrian Peterson is a pro's pro. He does his job on special teams, he runs hard when he gets opportunities, he'll block, he can catch out of the backfield, it just seems like the Bears take him for granted. He has a solid year in 2005 with over 80 touches then rarely saw the field in 2006. In 2007 he has 51 receptions and over 500 yards rushing, not spectacular I know, but another solid year for a back-up. Last year with Kevin Jones ineffective, the Bears would rather drive Forte into the ground than get Peterson some carries (he only had 20).

Offensively these two bring different skills to the table, but at the end of the day neither will supplant Forte or Jones for many touches this year. It'll come down to special team play, and both thrive in the third phase. I can see the Bears bringing both these guys for the ride again this year, but if they decide to go an extra wide receiver, tight end, or even full back, I believe Peterson will be the odd man out. I think the Bears still view the upside of Garrett Wolfe as better than Peterson, even though we still have yet to see it.

I really can't see Jason McKie not making the final roster. For as many FB Dive jokes that float around WCG, McKie is a solid player. It's not his fault every person in the stadium knows when that dive is coming. He has better than average hands out of the backfield, he's a solid lead blocker, he's a good special teams player, and when used properly he'll pick up a tough yard for you. With as many double TE sets the Bears incorporate there really isn't a need to carry more than one FB. I think Davis will be the one left unemployed, with the Bears tyring to get Ta'ufo'ou on the practice squad. I wonder if after his one preseason game, has Will Ta'ufo'ou reached the legendary status of Mike Hass yet?

If the Bears do only go with three tailbacks and one fullback, then you can bet either an extra tight end (Michael Gaines), or an extra wideout (Devin Aromashodu) will be the beneficiary. Then again if the Bears keep only 2 quarterbacks... decisions, decisions, decisions...

Poll

Who makes the final 53?

Adrian Peterson

117 votes

Garrett Wolfe

258 votes

Both

380 votes

755 votes | Poll has closed

Interview With Brad Biggs, Pt. 2

Dane Noble — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:19:43 -0000

Last September, WCG sat down with Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times, and talked about our beloved Bears football team. Make sure you go back and read the interview if you haven't already.

Brad was gracious enough to take time out of his schedule and do a second interview for the readers here at Windy City Gridiron. He is very knowledgeable, and has some great insight to things going on around Halas Hall.

Make sure you show Brad some love in the comments section for taking the time to talk with us! Now, on to the interview. Biggs's responses are in the blockquotes.

Besides the obvious names (Urlacher, Cutler, Kreutz), who are some of the players that teammates best respond to on the field and in the lockerroom? Who else could be considered leaders of the team?

I think a guy like Jay Cutler is still in a position where he has to gradually transition into a leadership role. Quarterbacks, by nature, are leaders for a football team but just because you're the guy, you still have to earn your stripes. Cutler has said the right things since arriving, and everyone is saying the right things about him. He'll continue to grow into the role during training camp and at this point it would probably be a surprise if he's not selected one of the team's captains at the end of the preseason. Brian Urlacher, obviously, has been a longtime captain for the team but he's mostly a lead-by-example type of guy. Urlacher isn't going to deliver a lot of stirring speeches but there's no question people stop and listen if he has something to say. Who steps forward on defense as a leader in the absence of Mike Brown will be interesting. That's probably one of the reasons they like Craig Steltz as a possibility at free safety even if many view him as little more than a stop-gap measure at the position. Steltz has been a good communicator in the secondary and that's a big part of playing the position. When you're talking about leadership, I think most of the veterans are pretty good examples. Tight end Desmond Clark is someone people will turn to, and I know Greg Olsen has given him a lot of credit since his rookie season. Charles Tillman, Alex Brown and Jason McKie are some other guys who have been around for a while.

How big of a difference will Rod Marinelli make? A lot of folks seem to think that his impact may not be immediate.

I think Marinelli will make a significant impact and probably do so quickly. The line played pretty well under former coach Don Johnson, who was a disciplinarian. Tommie Harris and Johnson butted heads and obviously Harris strayed off the path under Brick Haley, ultimately getting himself suspended for one game last season for conduct detrimental to the team. Players are not going to stray off the path under Marinelli. His big thing is preaching the details, the small stuff, and I think he'll make an impact in 2009. Is he going to reincarnate Warren Sapp? Probably not. Will he excavate Simeon Rice? That's not going to happen either. But the Bears have some solid ends in Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye to go with Mark Anderson. If Marinelli can improve the play on the interior, this group could make good strides.

To what degree is Jerry Angelo making his presence known on the field during OTAs? Does Ted Phillips ever make an appearance on the field or in the lockerroom?

Angelo is on the field frequently. His office overlooks the practice fields at Halas Hall and he's a regular on the field, observing the action. Angelo isn't in the huddle or the ears of the coaches during practice, but he's out keeping an eye on the team. Phillips will wander downstairs on occasion. I've never seen Angelo or Phillips in the locker room. That's mostly a players' haven.

With things looking like they are now, could the Bears crack the top-10 in overall offense and defense in 2009? Could we really be contenders for the NFC title this year, or is that premature?

Top 10 is generally based on yardage. Considering the corps of wide receivers, that might be a tough climb for the offense to make. Could it happen? Sure. But I don't think the Bears are going to deviate too much from their running approach and you need to be chucking the ball an awful lot to reach the top 10. Can the defense reach that level? I certainly wouldn't rule that out but a return to prominence is going to be dependent on a big improvement by Marinelli's unit during Lovie Smith's first season as play caller. If the defense regains its form from 2005 and 2006, sure the Bears could contend for the NFC title. No question about it.

There have been talks that Jerry Angelo may have saved his job this offseason... was he in jeopardy? Any chance that Lovie Smith, Ron Turner, and/or Bob Babich are in the hot-seat?

I don't see how Angelo was in jeopardy at all. He's signed through 2013. Since when do the Bears and the McCaskeys pay people to not work for them for four or five years? No way. I don't see how Smith is on the hot seat going into this season, although he's certainly made himself more accountable by taking over the defense. If he was going to unload Babich, he would have made that move after this last season. Turner will be expected to make the offense much better, no question, but Smith hasn't tinkered much with that side of the ball since the forgettable Terry Shea experience.

Would Brett Favre help or hurt the Vikes?

A healthy Favre would be a big boost for the Vikings. He's not in MVP form, maybe not even that close to it, but they've got some tremendous pieces in place there and they need Favre now after sending clear messages to Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson that they would prefer No. 4 this season. They don't need Favre to be Superman. They need him to make a few plays a game when he's not handing off to Adrian Peterson, who is the best player in the division.

Do you ever happen to read Windy City Gridiron? (you don't have to be truthful)

I try to read everything Bear related I can. I'll stop and look at anything interesting and there's plenty of good stuff on WCG.

Any parting words for the readers at WCG?

I'd like to encourage readers to follow me on my blog Inside the Bears at http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/. I also send out updates on my Twitter account and will be tweeting around the clock when training camp arrives. The first training camp practice is four weeks away. My Twitter handle is BradBiggs. Join up. Thanks.