SB Nation - Adewale Ogunleye

Bears 2009 Season Defensive Stats

MuleTrain — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:48:50 -0000

The Chicago Bears once-vaunted defense is a thing of the past. The dominating units of 2005 & 2006 have been replaced by the 2009 version which has a poor secondary, can not get to the quarterback, and can not get off the field on 3rd downs. By conventional stats, the Bears were: 17th in yards per game, 13th against the pass, 23rd against the run, and 21st in points allowed. They were 15th in yards per play. Pretty much the definition of mediocre. Below is a more detailed look at how this unit performed this past season:

The Chicago Bears defense ranked 27th in 3rd down percentage (41%). Giving up a 1st down on 41% of all 3rd downs, will not get you very far in the NFL. Although, the Colts ranked 31st in the NFL on 3rd downs (45%). Indy also has one of the best offenses in the NFL and one of the best QB's of all time. A great offense can overcome a mediocre defense and vice versa. If you're average on both sides of the ball, just where are you going? The top 3 defenses on 3rd downs (Jets, Eagles, Vikings) all had sub 35% values. In 2005, the Bears were 2nd (32%) & in 2006 they were also 2nd (31%).

Other conventional defensive stats: 35 sacks (ranked 13th), 13 ints (ranked 22nd), 66 passes defensed (ranked 31st), & 15 recovered fumbles (ranked 1st). Wtih 28 total takeaways, the Bears were tied for 12th in the NFL. In 2005 & 2006 the Bears had 34 & 43 takeaways respectively. Musical chairs at safety & a weak pass rush is a really bad combination. "Paging Mr. Peppers, the Bears are on line 1, your free agent jackpot is ready."

According to Football Outsiders, the Bears are 22nd overall in Defense DVOA. 24th vs the pass, 15th vs the run, with a variance of 7.9% (ranked 25th), which means the Bears defense is not consistent; they've had some good games and lots of bad games.

So what does all that mean? The Bears D is below average. They are not getting to the quarterback enough, they can not stop teams on 3rd down, and they are not getting enough interceptions.

Let's dig a little deeper.

According to FO, our defensive line is ranked 19th overall in Adjusted Line Yards (the Adjusted Line Yards formula takes all running back carries and assigns responsibility to the offensive/defensive line based on the following percentages: * Losses: 120% value, * 0-4 Yards: 100% value, * 5-10 Yards: 50% value, * 11+ Yards: 0% value). Basically, they did an average job against the run.

Their Power Success is 64% against them for 15th in the league. On 3rd and 4th down, with less than 2 yards to go, teams are converting 64% of the time they RUN the ball.

Predictably, the Bears D-line is ranked 21st with a 5.9% sack rate. They do not get to the quarterback enough.

Let's dig even deeper on those disappointing Run Defense stats so we can assign some blame. The table excerpt lists the opposing teams success versus the Bears based on where the other team runs the ball. (These runs are from the perspective of the OFFENSE, so a run listed as LEFT TACKLE is actually at the RIGHT Defensive End: Alex Brown.)

The Bears typical defensive alignment is Brown (right DE, over/outside of offense's LT), Adams (NT between offense's LG & C), Tommie (3-Tech or left DT between offense's RG & RT), Ogunleye (left DE over/outside of offense's RT)

First number is adjusted line yards, and the second number is league rank.

Rnk TM LEFT END LEFT TACKLE MID/GUARD RIGHT TACKLE RIGHT END

19 CHI 5.08 yds -- 28th 4.72 yds -- 27th 3.64 yds -- 8th 4.43 yds -- 25th 3.91 yds -- 15th

Overall, the line underperformed, except in runs up the middle; Adams & Harris did a nice job. On runs off-tackle or outside, the ends didn't contribute enough.

The scouting and evaluation website ProFootballFocus.com is a valuable tool (IMO) in evaluating individual performances along the defensive and offensive lines. As with any subjective analysis, take these with a grain of salt.

Defensive Ends: OverallRank PassRushRank RunStopRank Sacks/Hits/Pressures/Tackles

Adewale Ogunleye 49th 22nd 68th 6 / 8 / 25 / 19

Alex Brown 25th 35th 16th 7 / 12 / 20 / 30

Mark Anderson 46th 57th 32nd 3 / 5 / 17 / 22

Julius Peppers 9th 9th 51st 10 / 10 / 33 / 23

Defensive Tackles: OverallRank PassRushRank RunStopRank Sacks/Hits/Pressures/Tackles

Tommie Harris 75th 80th (ugh) 43rd 3 / 5 / 10 / 18

Anthony Adams 29th 45th 22nd 2 / 3 / 8 / 32

Israel Idonije 14th 6th (wow) 47th 2 / 4 / 13 / 11

Marcus Harrison 80th 77th 77th 1 / 3 / 5 / 17

Vince Wilfork 6th 26th 4th 0 / 0 / 9 / 34

So what's the solution to the Bears defensive line issues? Sign Julius Peppers & get Idonije more snaps. Israel played 322 snaps compared to Tommie getting 628, Harrison 596, & Adams 586. Adams is a capable run defender; adding Vince Wilfork would be nice but very expensive. The Bears need Peppers; the rest of the D-line roster will have to do. Playing Idonije more and Harrison a lot less would also be a good start.

The Bears' secondary is another weak spot for this defense. FootballOutsiders.com's defensive statistics has DVOA values and league ranks of how a #1 WR, #2 WR, Other WR, TE, & RB do in the passing game against the defense. (the table below lists yards/game vs. the Bears and league rank)

PassRnk vs. #1 WR vs. #2 WR vs. Other WR vs. TE vs. RB

24th 79.0 yds --20th 41.9 yds --21st 26.9 yds --17th 46.7 yds --10th 37.5 yds --22nd

It's really tough to look at those numbers and see a secondary that's getting it done. They ranked 22nd in interceptions and 31st in passes defensed (see way above). To further the point, here is the secondary breakdown from ProFootballFocus.com (Danieal Manning was listed as a safety):

Safety: OverallRank CoverageRank Tackles/Int/PassesDefensed/QB Rating Against

Payne 69th 56th 36 / 0 / 2 / 58.1

Afalava 71st 55th 42 / 0 / 3 / 123.6

Manning 36th 36th 56 / 1 / 0 / 91.1

Ryan Clark (Pit) 18th 16th 71 / 3 / 4 / 36.2

Corners: OverallRank CoverageRank Tackles/Int/PassesDefensed/QB Rating Against

Tillman 82nd 56th 68 / 2 / 3 / 97.3

Bowman 102nd 98th 57 / 6 / 3 / 76.0

Dunta Robinson (Hou) 98th 60th 54 / 0 / 7 / 99.3

Bowman's horrific numbers here can be traced back to 3 games: 1st meeting vs. Detroit, Cincinnati, & Arizona. His last 6 games don't look so bad. Overall though, there's just not a lot of high quality in the Bears' secondary right now. Free agent to be Ryan Clark would help. Using their 3rd or 4th round pick on a quality ball hawk at safety would also be nice. (Note: Moving Tillman to safety is a bad idea IMO. He has hurt both of his shoulders in his career. He just isn't physically able to hit TE's, RB's, or big WR's the way a safety needs to. Moving him to safety also leaves a HUGE gaping hole at CB.)

If the Bears want to be relevant next season, the defense must improve. As a unit, their pass defense is well below average. They do not generate a consistent pass rush and the safeties (and arguably our corners too) are mediocre at best. Whether in free agency or the draft, Jerry and company have lots of work to do.

Your 2010 NFL Defensive Unrestricted Free Agent List

Jimmy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:10:15 -0000

More photos » Chuck Burton - AP

Browse more photos »

National Football Post published the full list of unrestricted defensive free agents this morning. It is pretty slim pickings since the CBA is no longer in existence- with most of the players being older because the service time to become an unrestricted free agent being increased, but there are a couple of guys that would help the Titans:

Packers DE Aaron Kampman- The Packers switched to a 3-4 this past season and in doing so moved Kampman from end to linebacker. He struggled in that role but would obviously be a DE with the Titans. Kampman averaged 12+ sacks in the three seasons prior to the switch. He turned 30 in November so he could have a couple of good years left in the tank.

Bears DE Adewale Ogunleye- Ogunleye is a solid pass rusher who has an awesome name. He turns 33 in August but is still a solid pass rusher. He is not a guy you would want to give a long term deal, but he could come in and help this team in 2010.

Panthers DE Julius Peppers- Peppers is the youngest of these three and the best. The reason I haven't listed him until now is that he is going to get silly money, and we all know that isn't coming from the Titans.

Cardinals LB Karlos Dansby- Much like Peppers, Dansby is going to command a boatload of money, but acquiring Dansby would make the what seems inevitable departure of Keith Bulluck a little easier to handle. Unfortunately it will probably be lose/lose for us on that one.

It is a safe bet that 85% of the corners on that list are better than what the Titans ran out there last season. Of course all of this is a moo point because the Titans will sign a couple of C level free agents and tell us the way to do it is to build through the draft. While I agree with that idea, you still have to be willing to supplement your drafts with solid players, and you have to stop wasting high round draft picks.

Season Reviews: Allen Barbre

Mitchell_M — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:00:21 -0000

While our 2009 wasn't as successful as it was for other teams, we saw enough to expect more success in 2010 and beyond. There's a lot to like about the Green Bay Packers going forward, unless of course you're cheering for the other team. But which players fit in the best? Which don't? Which ones are keepers, and which ones need to be driven out of town? It's time to look at who did well (and who didn't), and ultimately what their role will be going forward.

It's the end of 2008, and Green Bay's starting tackle tears his ACL. There's no telling whether or not he'll be back in time for 2009, a crossroads made all the more complex by his status as an unrestricted free agent. There are a few options for the team. Number one is to find a rookie replacement in the draft. This was a popular stance, given the abundance of talent at OT, especially in the first round. The second was to find a replacement in free agency, which could have worked as easily as it could have imploded. The final option was the most understated, the most logical, and the most dangerous, all at the same time.

Going into training camp, the Packers had two choices to replace the then-departed Mark Tauscher: Breno Giacomini and Allen Barbre. Tauscher was like a New York strip steak where you knew exactly what you were gonna get. But with the local steakhouse shut down (temporarily), you've got to eat somewhere else, and you end up at an Indian restaurant choosing between paneer masala and saag korma.

For the record, both dishes are exquisite and delicious if you go to the right place. But to the lay person, unless you've studied them both up close, you've got no idea whatsoever as to which is better for you. And we tried to explore it, but it's like trying to determine which dish is a better fit by just glancing at the menu.

Considering the relative dearth of knowledge regarding these two players' readiness as starters, the 2009 preseason sealed the deal for Allen Barbre. After all, he got the starter reps, and the Green Bay starters set the world aflame during the preseason. And then the season started and defenses actually tried to get after Rodgers and Barbre turned into a human turnstile.

So what happened? Mainly, the offense was forced to choose between helping Barbre on the right side and helping Chad Clifton on the left, who had more than his fair share of failures in pass protection. Barbre was left alone to learn on the job, seemingly indefinitely. Then, of course, Mark Tauscher was resigned, worked his way back into playing shape, and Green Bay went on a second-half run to end the season at 11-5.

But at what cost? After all, Barbre had shown some development over the course of the season. Yes, he was the scapegoat for the offense that was a league-leader in sacks allowed. Yes, the likes of Adewale Ogunleye, Ray Edwards, and Antwan Odom ran roughshod over his stumbling bumbling sorry-excuse-for-a-tackle hide from time to time. But he showed glimpses of dominating run blocking and surprisingly potent pass protection every so often.

Maybe 2009 is what he needed. Maybe he needed to win out against Giacomini (can we talk about how bad 2009 would have been were Breno the starter?) and be thrown into the fire and left there until Tauscher healed his knee fully. Maybe he can use this past season as motivation to improve his game to the point where he can be a viable option and not just a contingency plan.

As always, players like Barbre need the offseason like fish need water. Physical tools? Definitely. Valuable experience? Absolutely. Confidence? I'm sure he'd tell you he's confident, but you and I aren't quick to agree. Integrating his mind and body seamlessly? There's the ticket.

All of the intangibles are things that reveal themselves in due time. However, learning how to recognize defensive schemes, how to attack oncoming defenders, how to keep proper technique, and which assignments go with what calls are all things that can be improved between now and September. Will he do it and lobby for the position of Mark Tauscher's replacement a second time? Or will he fall to the wayside as the team seeks to not repeat the same mistake twice?

Poll

Where will Barbre go in 2010 and beyond?

Uphill: 2009 was a learning experience; he showed he can play and will improve.

189 votes

About the same: A first-year starter, but his strengths and weaknesses cancel each other out.

169 votes

Downhill: 2009 was as good as we can expect, he'll never see the field unless there's a tragedy.

195 votes

553 votes | Poll has closed

Chicago Bears Roster Turnover: Defensive Line

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:00:17 -0000

The Bears need their defensive line to be a disruptive unit. In the one gap system the Bears employ there has to be penetration from the front four. After signing the ‘biggest free agent acquisition' of 2009 in D-Line coach Rod Marinelli, most Bears fans expected a drastic improvement. While the unit made strides, it was nowhere near what they were hoping for. With the Bears sure to remain in Lovie Smith's preferred Tampa 2 base defense, the D will only go as far as the line can take them.

They will count on improving from within, but is there enough talent on the roster to do so? Is there enough money allocated to the defensive side of the ball to make a big ticket signing?

DEFENSIVE LINE - Even though he didn't make an on field impact in 2009, Gaines Adams was a big part of the plan for 2010. Adams had some success in the Tampa 2 his first couple of years as a Buccaneer, and last year he just couldn't break into the rotation after coming over in the trade. The passing of Adams will have an impact on free agency and possibly the draft.

Chicago's top 2 sackers Adewale Ogunleye (4.5 sacks in the first 4 games) and Alex Brown (2.5 the first 4) both had strong starts to the season and looked to be on their way to career years. But neither could maintain their pace. They ended up with just 6.5 and 6 sacks respectively. Not good enough. There has to be changes on this unit.

Alex Brown - Signed through 2011 - I like Alex Brown. I think he gives his all on every play, he plays the run as good as any right defensive end in the league, he's rarely caught out of position, and he's been a very consistent player in his time in Chicago. The problem is his consistency hasn't been good enough. I want double digit sacks from my RDE. I want a RDE that will give offenses fits. I want a RDE that will require a double team from time to time. I've been saying for years that Brown would be a great compliment to a stud DE, maybe even better suited for the left side. Going into his ninth season as a Bear, I'd expect pretty much the same as we've seen so far. Solid but unspectacular play, with a big game or two sprinkled in during the season.

Adewale Ogunleye - Free Agent - I think the Bears would like to bring Ogunleye back, but only at a reduced rate. He'll test the free agent waters looking for one more fat contract, one which I doubt the soon to be 33 year old will receive. If he's willing to return on the cheap, and for possibly only a one or two (at the most) year deal, I could see the Bears making an offer. But if he receives an offer with some good up front money I think he takes it. If the call were mine to make I would thank him for his time and allow him to sign elsewhere.

Mark Anderson - Free Agent - If there is no Collective Bargaining Agreement agreed upon then Anderson is a lock to return, but if a deal is reached he'll be an unrestricted free agent and Chicago may let him walk. If the decision comes down to Ogunleye and Anderson I think they go with the younger player, but a lot will depend on the size of offers they are getting from other teams. I really can't see a team, in this day and age, throwing a ton of cash at the underachieving Anderson, but you never know. I'm guessing he'll be back and given the first opportunity to start at LDE.

Tommie Harris - Signed through 2012 - In June of this year Harris is due a $2.5 million roster bonus. That is some serious incentive for Harris to get into great shape this off season. He ended the season as healthy as he's been, but his nagging injuries have hampered him for a few years now. My guess is he'll be back at the 3 Technique DT again next year.

Anthony Adams - Signed through 2010 - Adams will once again be in the mix at NT for the Bears, he'll either be starting or get plenty of reps off the bench. He's relatively cheap considering how well he's played at only $900,000 for the final year of his deal. If Adams is again playing well during the season I could see the Bears approaching him about an extension.

Marcus Harrison - Signed through 2011 - He can play both DT spots for the Bears, which will solidify his roster spot in 2010. But he's more suited for the nose. Adams has been more productive the last couple years at NT, so Harrison will need a good start to camp if he's to win the starting NT job back. He'll have to report in great shape with a hunger to start. Ideally the Bears would like to start Harrison and bring Adams hustle and energy off the bench.

Israel Idonije - Signed through 2011 - His versatility got him his contract extension, and while he may not win a starting job, it's his versatility that will keep him in the D-Line rotation for years to come. His late season stint on the DL was no big deal, as his injured foot did not require surgery.

Jarron Gilbert - Signed through 2012 - With the failure of Dan Bauzin still fresh in our minds, Gilbert, last years top pick, has to get on the field and do something positive. There is no question about his size and athleticism, but will that translate to the football field? He is still listed as a DT, but he did see some action at DE. He'll need to tone up a bit this off season, and add some strength, but he'll definitely be around at least one more year. He better be cognizant of what happened to Bauzin and bust his butt getting ready for OTA's, that draft status stuff won't save him forever.

Matt Toeaina - Restricted Free Agent -Toeaina is a guy I can see leaving the Bears and having a solid career elsewhere. He plays just well enough to stick around, but his style isn't a great fit for what the Bears want from their DT's. I don't think he'll be around next season.

Henry Melton - Signed through 2012 - It seems every year the Bears draft a project type player and wait for him to suffer a preseason injury so they can stash him on IR. Melton had his red-shirt year and is someone the coaches are high on. There was talk of bulking him up to play inside, but he has the speed and athleticism the Bears covet for their DE's. He's raw technically, but hopefully he was a willing pupil for Marinelli.

2010 DL OUTLOOK - If there's one thing for certain in a Jerry Angelo draft, it's that he'll draft at least one defensive lineman. He's only had one draft where he didn't draft on the d-line and that was in 2005. And that was because he just spent his top two 2004 picks (and a fifth) on defensive lineman. Knowing JA like we all do, does anyone else think he'll trade down, pick up more picks, and snag a DE and a DT?

However, if he chooses to go the free agent route, there is one big and expensive impact player out there who already has stated he won't return to the Carolina Panthers. Julius Peppers could just be a dream for some Bears fans, but with a possible uncapped year, and with some money sure to be freed up anyway, is there anything stopping the Bears from signing him? My guess is Peppers and his agent will want him to become the highest paid defensive lineman in the league, and he'll probably get it. I don't think he'll deserve it, but that looks to be the price of doing business with him and his people. Should the Bears do what ever it takes to get a potential difference making player on their D-Line? I don't know... My fear is that he gets a giant pay day then fades away like so many other players.

Option #2 could be Aaron Kampman. Kampman didn't play as poorly as a 3-4 OLB as some would think, but he's definitely better suited as a 4-3 DE. He'll be cheaper than Peppers, and may want to stay in the NFC North, that is if the Packers don't want him back. My guess is the Bears don't make a big acquisition, and go with the veterans they have. But signing Peppers sure would be interesting...

Poll

Can Mark Anderson be that consistent double digit sack guy?

Yes

256 votes

No

425 votes

681 votes | Poll has closed

Chicago Bears team needs

tjdove123 — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:38:19 -0000

It was a season of failed expectations for the Chicago Bears. Jay Culter’s arrival had people talking super bowl but the results were much different. There are a lot of holes on this Bear’s team that need to be addressed. Unfortunately, GM Jerry Angelo has left the Bears without a pick until the 3rd round. Well the problems still need to be addressed so what should the Bears focus on?

1. Safety - Daniel Manning has proved that he is nothing more than a nickel back and return man. Al Afalava out performed his draft position but is not the long term solution at the position. This defense needs a playmaking safety, they could have signed Darren Sharper last offseason but decided not against that. Not picking until the 3rd round will hamper the ability to upgrade this position through the draft.

2. Defensive End - Adewale Ogunleye is a free agent; Mark Anderson has not come close to his rookie years production; and Alex Brown shouldn’t be your top threat as a pass rusher. The Tampa Two defense heavily depends on pressure from the end position and this group is not getting the job done. Maybe Coach Marinelli can get some production out of last year’s draft picks, Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton.

3. Offensive Tackle - Chris Williams showed a lot of promise at left tackle but the right side needs to be addressed. Kevin Shaffer is nothing more than a backup and hopefully Orlando Pace retires. Again its going to be tough to fill this position through the draft. Bears fans keep your fingers crossed for some late round magic.

Poll

Do you have faith that GM Jerry Angelo can get an impact player with the Bears' 3rd round pick?

Yes

71 votes

No

227 votes

298 votes | Poll has closed

A Look Back: 2000 NFL Draft

Bernie19Kosar — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:00:20 -0000

This isn't much prettier than the first go round.

Courtney Brown or trade down! We should have traded down.

Part one is here in case you missed it.

If you weren't around for the lead up to the 2000 NFL draft, here is a quick run down. It was Courtney Brown. At the end of the '99 season the above slogan was hung on a banner in the Dawg pound. Courtney Brown had it all you look for in a defensive end. He was the perfect prospect.

6-4, 285lbs and he ran 4.52 at his pro day. Think about that for a second. Someone who is the size of roughly Eric Steinbach but is faster than Pat White. And this wasn't just a projection on just size and speed.

Courtney Brown dominated the BigTen. He set career records at PSU in tackles for loss (70) and sacks (33). He set single season record of 29 TFL's. He was defensive POY in '99 and was All BigTen for three seasons. He also had a 3.45 GPA at PSU.

In other words, he had no holes in his game. He played the run as well as he rushed the passer. He was a slam dunk. This was a pick that could have been made the second the Super Bowl was finished the prior season. He was Ndamukong Suh 10 years ago.

And the Browns had him. Everyone was ecstatic. Peter King gave the Browns draft a B for Courtney Brown alone (P.S that article is hilarious for just for the fact that King gave the Raiders an A- for taking a kicker in the first round! A KICKER! Then he craps all over the Bears for taking a workout myth in Brian Urlacher. Gotta love Peter King).

By the way, just to make this even more painful, if the Browns would have taken the Saints trade offer the prior draft for Ricky Williams, the Browns would have been picking first and second. But no, we had to have a face of the franchise! God forbid our face of the franchise was a smart GM.

Without any further ado, I give you the Cleveland Browns 2000 NFL draft.

1st Pick, 1st Round, 1st Overall: Courtney Brown, DE Penn State University

He was almost never healthy. Played one full 16 game NFL season, his rookie year. That rookie season he showed flashes of being worthy of the number one pick. He had a 3 sack game against the hated Steelers and he was much better than anticipated against the run than we ever could have hoped for, bagging 70 tackles.

Before the 2001 NFL season, Brown had a bum ankle and missed the first 6 weeks of the NFL season. After the bye week, Brown was back and he was awesome. In the next 4 games, he was everywhere on the field. He racked up 21 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and knocked down 4 passes. He was becoming the monster that we had all envisioned on draft day.

The following week, Brown injured his knee. He would miss the rest of the season. He would never be the same. His knee was a horrible injury that lead to further surgeries, some even the experimental kind (I think he was one of the first players to ever undergo micro fracture surgery).

He was never the same. He never had the same explosion. The explanation was always that "he just thought too much" out on the field. I don't buy it. I just think that the injuries were worse than he ever let on and the guy was just always hurt. His body just couldn't handle it. He played in 11, 13, 2, 13 games the rest of his career. He never again showed the athletic gifts that he possessed. Courtney Brown may be the greatest "what-if" player in Browns history behind only Ernie Davis. Who knows what he could have been without the knee injury of 2001.

Career Stats

206 tackles, 19 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 8 fumble recoveries, 1 defensive TD

Players we could have drafted: (Yes I know this is stupid and 100% subjective to many factors, but I always like looking back at who we "could have drafted" just for fun.) LaVar Arrington and Chris Samuels went 2-3 in this draft, but like I said before, there was ZERO chance that the Browns were not taking Courtney Brown.

1st Pick, 2nd Round, 32nd Overall: Dennis Northcutt WR University of Arizona

Once again, the Browns decided that Tim Couch needed another WR instead of a blocker. Don't get me wrong, Dennis Northcutt was a great college wideout. His senior season he had 88 catches for 1,422 while adding in 19 yards per punt return. 19 yards per punt return is hard in NCAA'10 let alone in real life. What Northcutt lacked in size (5-11 172lbs.) he made up in shiftyness and wiggle.

Northcutt started 8 games for the Browns in '00 and finished second on the team in receptions and third in receiving yards. He also was the Browns punt returner averaging 11 yards per return.

In his time with the Browns he never became more than a decent number three option and a great punt returner. Of course if you ask any Cleveland Browns fan about Dennis Northcutt, you will probably hear about this (Don't click and read if you just ate, or don't feel like crying like a bitch for the next 30 minutes).

Career Stats (I will only list Browns stats since Northcutt is still in the NFL):

276 catches, 3438 yards, 12 TD's (11 receiving, 1 rushing), 10.6 YPPR, 3 punt return TD's

Players we could have drafted: Mike Brown, Ian Gold, Chad Clifton and Marvel Smith. Some OT's would have been nice. Hell I would have settled for Cosey Coleman.

1st Pick, 3rd Round, 63rd Overall: Travis Prentice, RB Miami University

Travis Prentice, or Touchdown Travis as he was known back then, destroyed the MAC. Here is a list of his records when he left Miami University:

Career Rushing TDs (73)
Career Total TDs (78)
Career Points (468)
Career Points (Non-Kickers) (468)
Games with TDs (35)
Game with Two or More TDs (25)
Consecutive Carries Without a Fumble Season (365)
Consecutive Carries Without a Fumble Career (862)

Not too shabby right? Well he sucked as a pro. Once again, I don't know how much I could blame Prentice at this point. His offensive line was horrid, but 3.0 YPC out of a guy that started 11 games is inexcusable. Prentice was cut after the '00 season and was cut by the Vikings a year later. The Browns first third rounder of '00 was out of football in two seasons. Yikes.

Career Stats;

525 Yards, 2.8 YPC, 9 TD's, 38 catches, 201 yards, 1 rec TD

Players we could have drafted: Laveranues Coles, Mark Simoneau and Hank Poteat (I know he sucks now).

16th Pick, 3rd Round, 79th Overall: JaJuan Dawson, WR Tulane

Don't lie, you have no idea what he looks like. This could be someone else for all you know.

JaJuan Dawson put up some nice stats at Tulane catching passes from future pro (and first rounder) Patrick Ramsey. He had 96 catches for 1051 yards and 8 TD's. His Wes Welker like YPC could have been a huge red flag, but what the hell, this was the third round and the Browns needed WR's!

Well Dawson sucked and was cut from the Browns after two seasons and 31 catches later. He caught on with the Texans for one season, but was out of the NFL after that. For those keeping score at home, the Browns had two third rounders that played a combined 5 seasons in the NFL and only three of those were with the Browns. (P.S. That is Dawson in the picture above.)

Career Stats:

52 catches, 664 yards, 2 TD's

Players we could have drafted: Darrell Jackson, Reuben Droughns, Damion McIntosh, John St. Clair (I know he sucks now).

1st Pick, 4th Round, 95th Overall: Lewis Sanders, CB University of Maryland

Lewis Sanders had a good career at Maryland. He was All ACC in '99, semi-finalist for the Thorpe award and the Sporting News third team All American. He had 2 kick returns for TD's at Maryland and ranked seventh all-time at Maryland with 10 INT's. Came out as a junior.

Why did he last all the way to the third round? No one really knew if he was a small safety or a big cornerback. He fell into the awkward middle I like to call the Mike Adams zone. He stuck with the Browns for four seasons, playing in all 16 games two of those four, before he was let go and signed on with the Texans. He has bounced from Houston to Atlanta to New England. A roster filler.

Career Stats:

230 tackles, 1 sack, 2 FF, 5 INT

Players we could have drafted: Na'il Diggs, David Barrett, Terrelle Smith (It was an ugly round for the whole NFL.)

15th Pick, 4th Round, 110 Overall: Aaron Shea, TE University of Michigan

I always thought that Aaron Shea was a myth. I always would hear about this talented TE on the Browns roster, yet it seems like I never saw him. He was a TE/FB at Michigan where he used his decent blocking and decent hands to become a decent college H-Back. He was never going to be a great blocker or game changing receiving TE.

He started off with a good rookie season where he split time with Mark Campbell. He caught 30 passes for 302 yards. Sadly, both of those would be career highs.

Shea could never shake the injury bug. For the rest of his career he appeared in 12, 7, 4, 15, and 12 games. After the 2003 NFL season Shea sold his number 80 to Kellen Winslow Jr. for a package of suits, meals and vacations that totaled up to 30,000 dollars.

Shea has since retired and now works for the Cleveland Browns selling suites.

Career Stats:

97 catches, 851 yards, 7 TDs

Players we could have drafted: Cooper Carlisle, Isaiah Kacyvenski and Tyrone Carter

1st Pick, 5th Round, 130 Overall: Anthony Malbrough, CB Texas Tech University

Full disclosure. I cannot remember Anthony Malbrough. So I did some digging. He played with the Browns for one season, in which he had 15 tackles in his rookie season. After that he played some in NFL Europe and has since become a mainstay in the CFL.

He didn't do anything jaw dropping at Texas Tech his senior season, he wasn't even really considered a draft prospect. Even CNNSi didn't have a work-up done on him for their coverage of the draft. Yet the Browns thought he was worth a fifth rounder.

Career Stats:

15 tackles

Players we could have drafted: Shane Lechler (Don't laugh, we drafted a long snapper the previous season), Clark Haggans, and Ralph Brown

16th Pick, 5th Round, 146th Overall: Lamar Chapman, CB Kansas State University

Full disclosure. I barely remember Lamar Chapman. Through this old article, I found out that Chapman made the '98 All Big 12 team. Anyways, Chapman's career with the Browns and the NFL was short lived at best. he made it through two seasons with the Browns and was out of football after that. Again, for those keeping score at home, the Browns two fifth rounders lasted a combined 3 seasons in the NFL.

Career Stats:

12 Tackles, 1 Fumble recovery, 1 INT

Players we could have drafted: Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Dante Hall, and Sammy Morris

1st Pick, 6th Round, 167th Overall: **TRADED** for Karim Abdul-Jabbar

We traded a 6th round draft pick for six starts of Abdul-Jabbar. SIX starts. He was let go after the '99 season. This is the exact reason this team has sucked. Instead of building a roster through the draft we were hoping to strike lightning in a bottle with Jabbar. Didn't happen. What will piss you off even more is the player that was taken right behind this traded draft choice. Unreal.

Players we could have drafted: Marc Bulger (the 168th pick, and before you say, wait a second Matt [my name], we just used the number one pick on a QB the previous season, there is no way the front office would be dumb enough to draft a QB the next season. Just wait for it.), and Dhani Jones

I guarantee that this pass was incomplete.

17th Pick, 6th Round, 183rd Overall: Spergon Wynn, QB South West Texas State

Just when you think that this front office was as dumb as they could possibly be, Spergon Wynn happens. The kid throws for a 49.8 completion percentage at South West Texas State, and this front office thinks, "Awesome, instead of drafting a blocker for the face of the franchise, let's draft a back-up that can play when Tim Couch is killed from a look out block!" When you can't complete 50% of your passes at a Southland Conference School, you have to be a NFL QB right? Add in the fact that your TD-INT ratio was a healthy 14-13, why you have a recipe for success.

As much as I want to defend some of the early picks the Browns made (Couch and Brown) there are moves that this front office made that just completely cut this franchise off at the knees. This wasn't a case of a good player that just keeps dropping and the value of drafting him is just too high (think Drew Henson and the Houston Texans), this was a front office that either had no idea how to draft a NFL team or didn't care. Either case isn't acceptable.

When you add in the fact that Wynn was let go after one season, it makes me want to kick my dog. He was out of the NFL in two seasons.

Career Stats:

585 Yards, 46.1 Completion Percentage, 1 TD, 7 INT; But who saw that coming right? It gets worse.

Players we could have drafted: Adalius Thomas, Robaire Smith, and Tom Brady (Yeah, that one.)

39th Pick, 6th Round, 206 Pick Overall: Brad Bedell, OG University of Colorado

Finally. This is the first offensive lineman that the Browns took since the expansion draft. 21 picks. We drafted a back-up QB before we drafted one offensive lineman. This isn't hyperbole, but the Browns should be a studied as an example of how NOT to build a franchise. We drafted 5 DB's and a long snapper before one offensive lineman. This is how Jim Bundren starts for your football team.

Bedell was a flier at best. He was described as a waist bender and lacked agility to be a good blocker. Yes, everyone has holes in the 6th round, but at least we made a mistake on an offensive lineman.

Bedell was gone from the Browns after two seasons and bounced around for most of his career playing with Browns, Dolphins, Packers and Texans.

Players we could have drafted: Mark Tauscher, Alfonso Boone, and Rob Meier

1st Pick, 7th Round, 207th Pick Overall: Maniua Savea, OG University of Arizona

Back-to-Back! Too bad Savea never made the team. From what I can tell, he was cut before the start of the '00 season.

Awesome.

Players we could have drafted: Adewale Ogunleye, and Brian Waters

Undrafted Free Agents:

Shaun O'Hara, C Rutgers University: I have to give the front office credit for signing O'Hara and turning him into a good player. He left for the NYGiants and has become a Pro Bowler.

Draft recap:

This draft gave us zero starting offensive lineman. I hate to sound like I am kicking a dead dog here, but this was/is a major reason why we have never been able to get traction as a franchise. We have never been able to control the LOS. It is the reason that Pittsburgh and Baltimore push us around every season. It is a major reason why this seasons last four games made me so happy. We were killing people at the LOS.

As for the '00 draft SIX of the above 10 draft picks were no longer on the Browns after two seasons. 60%. I don't have to be Gil Brandt to realize that sucks. Big time. The Browns were handed extra draft picks by the NFL and they pissed them away.

The fact that Butch Davis had this franchise in the playoffs in the 2002 season is a freaking miracle.

I don't mean to sound angry, but I am. I think we can all agree that the draft is a crap shoot. Look at Courtney Brown, all the tools, all the character, but just plain bad luck. But some of this teams bad luck was brought on by foolish moves and even worse drafting. I think we can all agree, thank God for Mike Holmgren.

Spergon Wynn, if by some stroke of luck you are reading this, I don't hate you. I just hate the fact that we drafted you.

The Top Eight Positional Needs of the Chicago Bears

Sklz711 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:51:14 -0000

We're finally in the giant nebulous off season, and we are smack in the middle of a coaching search to fill the new offensive and defensive coordinator openings. Both of these positions are of great importance to the team, but our needs at various positions actually on the field will have as much if not more to do with how we fare next season.

So tonight, we will take a look at what I think our top eight positional needs are in no specific order. Then in the following weeks, we'll take a closer look at the individual positions and what kind of help we may be able to find before next year.

Halfback: We've got a young back in Matt Forte, but we are still in need of someone to properly spell the young back. Bell could be the answer, but it's hard to say in his limited amount of touches behind our ramshackle line.

Fullback: Jason McKie, he's a fantastic human being, but not exactly the best at any aspect of the FB game. A jack of all trades, McKie will be 30 before the start of next season, so it's likely that we'll see someone else getting groomed for this position even if it's on the practice squad.

Guard: Frank Omiyale and Roberto Garza are our current starting guards, and while Omiyale at no point appeared to be an answer at guard, he did show a large amount of improvement in the waning weeks of the season. Garza has been one of the few consistently above average linemen on the team, but he'll be turning 31 before the start of the season.

Tackle: Chris Williams, and I suppose Kevin Shaffer would be the other currently penciled in on the right side of the line. Chris Williams has finally found his way to his natural position and looked very good considering the small amount of time he'd spent in live games at left tackle. A young player still filled with a lot of upside, he has a strong future ahead of him anchoring the left side.

Kevin Shaffer isn't the worst tackle to have ever played the game by a long shot, but he's not a high quality starter either. When he came into a league he showed an aggressiveness that he's lost over the years, and his former strong suit of run blocking has declined with that loss. Coming into next season at age 30, it's unlikely that he'll learn any new tricks.

Defensive End: Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson, Alex Brown, Gaines Adams. A lot of this position really writes itself. Ogun is 32, and I believe going to be 33 for next season. Always a high effort guy, Ogun looked as good as always until going onto injured reserve at the end of December. It's going to be hard to come back from a broken leg at his age and level of wear and tear.

Mark Anderson is trying to live down the label as a one season wonder, after having a Bears rookie record of 12 sacks in that 2006 campaign. Since then he has totaled less than 10 over the last three entire years. Sometimes criticized for having only a single pass rush move, at age 26 he's still hopefully still young enough to learn something new and take his game to the next level.

Alex Brown, what more can be said except class act. Even with a team that was out of serious contention, Alex Brown continued to play with grit and determination, as well as trying to make the case for a new contract if memory serves. He racked up 7.5 sacks in a year that was marred with bad line play and injuries to the linebacker corps.

Gaines Adams is a young kid that was drafted because of all the promise in the world, but traded away because of a lack of production. Gaines is a risk/reward case if I ever saw one but his diminutive size, coming in about the same weight as Brown while being two inches taller, has caused a lot of pause with the Bears fan base.

Defensive Tackle: Tommie Harris, Israel Idonije, Jarron Gilbert, Anthony Adams, Marcus Harrison, and Matt Toeaina. At first glance the word glut immediately jumps to mind, but once you dig down a bit deeper you come to the realization that this position is experiencing the most flux out of any except perhaps safety.

Tommie Harris is a fantastic player, when he feels like playing both mentally and physically. Injury issues, motivational issues, and more while Tommie probably had the most raw talent and promise on the team, it's extremely likely that Tommie is going to be cut or traded sooner or later, even if it's not next season.

Izzy is listed as a DT, and he can play it, but he's better known as a special teams all star who basically won the game for us a few weeks back with a blocked XP. Always known for doing what's asked of him, whether it be gaining or losing weight, playing special teams, the works, he's also a solid contributor on the defensive line recording 2.5 sacks in limited playing time this year.

Jarron Gilbert and Marcus Harrision are both the young guns of the tackle group, coming off their rookie and second years respectively. They've both got high ceilings and could be very good tackles given the opportunity on the field. Gilbert needs a lot more work out of the two, but both should be able to contribute next year. Matt Toeania was a sixth round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals and while he's looked okay in limited reps, is the most likely to be cut from the active roster of the three.

Anthony Adams has been a decent contributor and a great depth guy since coming over from the 49ers, probably never going to be an all star, but like Hunter for the LB corps, this guy makes a fantastic safety net knowing how to play across the entire line as well as fullback.

Safety: A position of weakness for the last couple of years, we've finally started to develop some talent with the draft the only problem is attempting to figure out who is going continue to develop, and who is already playing at their highest level.

Al Afalava has looked fantastic, and is playing well beyond his years as a rookie safety in the league. Without a doubt the best safety currently on the roster, this was an amazingly good draft pick having been grabbed in sixth round.

Daniel Manning while a fantastic athlete hasn't really shown what he can do at the position. The same could be said for Craig Steltz, and Kevin Payne, with Kevin Payne having had the most opportunity to show we he can do in his short career.

Josh Bullocks is still technically on the roster, but he is most definitely one of the primary target for roster cuts considering his low price tag, and his position of not being drafted by the organization.

Cornerback: Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Corey Graham, Zackary Bowman, and D.J. Moore. Where to start with this motley crew of corners.

Nathan Vasher never really recovered from injury, and has been extremely lackluster ever since. He has a contract that his highly overpaying him for his current level of production, and barring a miraculous rebound he will very likely be off the team at some point next year.

Charles Tillman while still not at the same level he was, was back to his ball hawking ways this year with 6 forced fumbles and two interceptions. If he continues his return to form he started this year, then it's very likely he holds onto his starting job.

The young trio of Zackary Bowman, Corey Graham, and D.J. Moore are an odd group to gauge. We haven't seen D.J. Moore hit the field at all this far, and Corey Graham has had his only little version of attempted DMS by the attempted but apparently aborted move to safety. Bowman however had plenty of time on the field this year and looked fairly good for a second year player, ending the year with 6 INT and a FF.

The large number of young unproven players at the position make it hard to judge exactly how big of a need this position is.

So, that's it for a quick little rundown of the main positions of need for the team. Now I throw it to you guys, if you had to rank our needs by position from eight to first, what would your ranking be, and why?

I'll see you all next week when I get a bit more in depth on what I think number eight is.

Way, Way Too Early 2010 Roster Predictions

MuleTrain — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:00:18 -0000

The Bears have lots of guys under contract for next year (I believe Jerry said 62, but they won't ALL be on the team come opening day). The Bears have lots of holes to fill. Where will their player changes occur? Brad Biggs highlights here that the Bears only have 4 unrestricted free agents.

...only special teamer Darrell McClover, defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, running back Adrian Peterson and linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa will be unrestricted free agents. [The CBA negotiations will determine whether] defensive end Mark Anderson, safety Josh Bullocks, nickel back Danieal Manning and linebacker Jamar Williams will be unrestricted.

My roster breakdown below:

Here is the link to the Bears 53-man roster coming out of camp last year. Also, here's a link to the starters' salaries and cap numbers for 2010. Who's still on the team for opening day 2010?

100%, Absolutely on the Roster:

Quarterbacks (2): Jay Cutler, Caleb Hanie

Running Backs (1): Matt Forte

Wide Receivers (4): Devin Aromashodu, Johnny Knox, Devin Hester (trade bait? is he even tradeable?) Earl Bennett

Tight Ends (3): Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis

Offensive Linemen (4): Chris Williams (starting LT), Frank Omiyale (competition at RT or is he the LG?), Josh Beekman, Kevin Shaffer

Defensive Linemen (6): Alex Brown, Anthony Adams, Israel Idonije, Gaines Adams (he will be evaluated during OTAs, minicamps, & camp plus given every opportunity to succeed) Jarron Gilbert, Tommie Harris (he still has too much talent to cut; with no high draft picks, and bleak FA options, you have to keep talented defensive tackles)

Linebackers (4): Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Nick Roach, Tim Shaw (No way this guy isn't on the roster next year)

Cornerbacks (3): Charles Tillman, Zack Bowman, D.J. Moore

Safeties (1): Al Afalava

Special Teams (3): Robbie Gould, Brad Maynard, Pat Mannelly

* That's 31 guys.

75%+ Chance Still on the Roster:

Running Backs (1): Khalil Bell (Is he the complimentary guy? Bears hold his exclusive rights)

Wide Receiver (2): Rashied Davis (Emotional leader in locker room and great special teamer, veteran), Juaquin Iglesias (high draft pick).

Offensive Linemen (2): Olin Kreutz (Veteran, still shows flashes of greatness, will they actually cut the heart & soul even though Jerry and him do not get along?), Lance Louis (young lineman who showed promise)

Defensive Linemen (2): Henry Melton (forgot we "red-shirted" him, probably given 1 more season to make it), Marcus Harrison (he is young, cheap, and a defensive tackle; someone please stay on him to make sure he's in shape)

Linebackers (1): Hunter Hillenmeyer (veteran, stable presence, quality backup)

Cornerbacks (1): Corey Graham (cheap, capable backup corner or nickel)

* That's 9 more (40 total)

50% or Less Still on the Roster:

Jason McKie (never did much this season, but will probably keep a fullback anyway, isn't there someone better?)

Roberto Garza (if they can upgrade here in FA he's gone, if not, he's a veteran although rather non-descript)

Danieal Manning (depends on contract demands, but 1 heckuva return man, and knows nickel and safety spots)

Kevin Payne (has not stepped forward as a force, cheap though, knows both safety positions)

Craig Steltz (given starting spot, then lost it, then showed promise in final 2 games)

* 2 or 3 out of these 5 stick around (42 or 43 total)

25% or Less Still on the Roster:

Adrian Peterson (free agent, long time Bear, takes his role w/out complaint, STs his specialty, but replaceable)

Garrett Wolfe (special teamer, never found a role on offense, new OC might determine his future; lacerated kidney & now shoulder surgery)

Mark Anderson (what is he worth?, does he still have potential?, don't we have enough ends?, we gave up a 2nd for Gaines Adams, if Melton pans out or Gilbert is an end then he's not needed. If there ever was a end who should be converted to a 3-4 OLB, this is it. He should have been traded to a 3-4 team 2 years ago.)

Jamar Williams (is he really as good as the 1 game he shined?, showed brief flashes, restricted free agent-what's his market?)

Pisa Tinoisamoa (got hurt, what's his prognosis for recovery?, too expensive?, isn't Roach just as good?)

Josh Bullocks (didn't play much until the end, but how many safeties do they keep from a position that did not perform well this year? If Payne and Steltz are both purged, then maybe Bullocks sticks around)

* 1 or 2 out of these 6 stick (43-45 total)

ZERO% Chance Still on the Roster:

Orlando Pace (really bad, they can't possibly bring him back)

Matt Toeaina (numbers glut at d-line)

Nate Vasher (really overpaid, never got back to pre-injury performance levels)

Dusty Dvoracek (always hurt)

Darrell McClover (Tim Shaw has replaced you)

Kevin Jones (hasn't done anything in 2 seasons, just keeps getting hurt)

Adewale Ogunleye (you played hard, but just didn't get to the quarterback enough to justify your contract)

Any other guys I missed are probably inconsequential (Woodny Turenne, James Marten, Brett Basanez). They may be back for camp, but probably won't factor in the final 53.

That list leaves 8-10 guys the Bears need to fill their roster (not including the practice squad).

Bears will probably draft another lower round safety, a mid-round defensive tackle & cornerback, and a low round project on the offensive line. They'll draft a RB somewhere. Will they draft a top 5 guard in the 3rd round? *crosses fingers*

The Bears must find a free agent Guard or Right Tackle or both if Kreutz is let go. They really need to find a free agent stud safety. An impact end or tackle for the defensive line would be nice. However, I don't see the Bears' brain trust investing more money there, and those guys just don't hit unrestricted free agency that often. The good ones get tagged and we don't have the draft picks to obtain one. Unless a true number 1 receiver falls in their laps, I think the Bears will go into next season pretty much status quo at that position. I think Wolfe is let go and either they draft a RB or pick up someone in FA. (I'd like to get Sproles, but I guess we'll have to see what kind of offense the new OC brings with him.)

I figure the Bears will end up with 4 to 5 free agents and 4 to 5 draft picks on the team come September. That might not seem like enough turnover for a 7-9 team, but Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith are still in charge. Jerry likes his nucleus, so you probably won't see a major purge of current players.

Week 17 Preview: Bears (6-9) @ Lions (2-13)

SackMan — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:00:18 -0000

Tick tock, tick tock. No, it's not Captain Hook's alligator. But, Lovie Smith should be afraid of the hook... cause that's what might be coming after the Bears conclude another disappointing season in Detroit on Sunday. This marks the 3rd consecutive season that Lovie's Bears will miss the playoffs. That's not exactly a recipe for job security after a Super Bowl appearance. But, it could be worse... we could all be Lions fans. Actually, some could argue that we should be Lions fans on Sunday. The countdown to Black Monday begins at 12:00 CT on FOX.

Week 16 Recap

The Lions mustered op two field goals in 20-6 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco. Drew Stanton... yes, I just typed Drew Stanton, led the Lions with 130 yards passing, and... wait for it.... three interceptions. Is there anything else worth mentioning here? No... not really.

The Bears were in the holiday spirit. They gave us all a nice gift last Monday night, with a thrilling 36-30 victory in overtime over the Vikings. Jay Cutler was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week, for his 273 yard, 4 TD and 1 INT performance, and Devin Aromashodu led the team with 150 yards receiving and the game winning TD. Cutler continued the giving spirit, much as he has done all year with his NFL leading 26 interceptions, by giving his offensive lineman airplane tickets as a thank you. I'm not quite sure if that's a gift... or a hint that they all need to leave.

Quick Numbers:

150: Receiving yards for Devin Aromashodu last week. The highest total of any Bear all season, and just the second 100 yard receiving day the Bears have had in 2009 (Hester's 101 vs the Bengals in week 7).
9: Former Bears that have been full time starters on new teams since leaving Chicago. Makes you wonder why the Bears didn't want to keep them, and have been trying to fix most of these positions since their departure? QB Kyle Orton (traded), RB Thomas Jones (traded), RB Cedric Benson (released), WR Justin Gage (released), S Chris Harris (traded), RT Marc Colombo* (released), LT Mike Gandy** (released), FB Lousaka Polite (released), and S Brandon McGowan (released).

*Colombo made 57 straight starts at RT for Cowboys before undergoing ankle surgery in mid season.
** Gandy had made 76 straight starts in Buffalo and Arizona, since leaving the Bears, before being placed in IR after week 12 this year. He's been protecting future HOF QB Kurt Warner's blind side for the past 3 seasons.
0: Games active for 3rd round pick WR Juaquin Iglesias... on a team with zero professional WRs. He'll suit up for the first time in his career on Sunday.

Key Injuries:

CHI HC Lovie Smith (job) O
CHI DE Adewale Ogunleye (broken leg) O
CHI DT Israel Idonije (foot) O
CHI CB Charles Tillman (ribs) O
CHI WR Johnny Knox (ankle) Did not participate
CHI S Al Afalava (knee) Did not participate
CHI S Danieal Manning (calf) Did not participate

DET QB Matthew Stafford (knee surgery) O
DET S Louis Delmas (knee) Did not participate
DET LB Larry Foote (foot) Did not participate
DET DT Grady Jackson (knee) Did not participate

When the Bears and Lions have the ball.

As my readers know, normally I go into depth here and break down the key matchups for both offenses:
A. When they have the ball
B. The key match-up
C. The X factor

But being the season finale and all... I thought I'd shake it up a bit. And quite frankly, when either of these offenses have the ball... not much happens.

Detroit

The Lions are trying to build a team around #1 overall pick QB Matthew Stafford, and so far Stafford showed glimpses of being worthy of that pick. However, he's taken a beating behind that line and has struggled to stay on the field since hurting his knee in the first match-up between these two teams (a 48-24 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field in week 4).

Stafford had already compiled 296 yards passing in that game, before getting injured on 3rd and 5 at the Bears 6 yard line early in the 4th quarter. Stafford had marched the Lions on a 14 play 65 yard drive, and settled for a FG to cut the lead to 34-24. But, with Stafford out for the remainder of the game, the Lions offense went numb. Stafford's knee gave him trouble the rest of the year, and he was finally put on the IR for surgery on Dec 24th, after some gutsy performances.

With Stafford, Rodgers, and hopefully an improved Jay Cutler... the NFC North could boast some of the games best QBs in the near future.

Chicago

Very much like the Lions, the Bears made a big investment in a young QB. Two first round picks, Kyle Orton, and a $30 mil extension for Jay Cutler. The only problem is... the Bears didn't get the memo that you're supposed to build a team around your QB. Poor personnel decisions and bad coaching have turned year 1 of the Cutler era into a comedy of errors. However, Cutler might get the last laugh, as his performance may ultimately get this coaching staff fired, and open the door for new decision makers who might do a much better job.

The one thing that really stands out though, is the Bears inability to put Cutler in a situation where he historically has shredded defenses... outside of the pocket. Cutler's career passer rating outside the pocket is 114.3 compared to 79.3 in the pocket. When Cutler's out of the pocket and on the move, defenders have to make a decision: either commit to the ball or to the coverage. And Ron Turner took some of the blame for that this week , saying he should have called more movement plays.

"There were opportunities we could have done it more and probably should have," he said.

Bottom line, when your best playmaker is your QB, your job is to put him in a position to pose mismatches and make big plays. The job will likely belong to someone else next year.

Week 16 Preview: Vikings (11-3) at Bears (5-9)

SackMan — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:00:19 -0000

The Lovie Smith era gets closer to an end, and the Brad Childress and Brett Favre show visit Soldier Field on Monday night, as the Vikings try to clinch the division. It really should be criminal for the Bears to be on prime time television once again this year. I think the American public has been forced to watch enough of them by now. The destruction will begin at 7:30 CT on ESPN. A loss next week to the Lions in Detroit should bring the axe to a swing.

Week 15 Recap

The Vikings played perhaps their worst game of the season in Carolina last Sunday night... getting eaten by the Panthers 26-7. Brett Favre continues to play poor in December, as he's now had QB ratings of below 80 in each of his last 3 games (79.4, 73.2, 73.9) But, Jay Cutler still has him beat with that 7.9... take that Brett! The Vikings have dropped two of their 3 games this month, and tension is building between Childress and Favre. The Bears are a great cure for that.

The Bears did exactly what we thought they'd do... get flat out embarrassed in Baltimore. The highlight of a 31-7 loss: a 19 play drive, that took 9:15 and moved 73 yards, before turning the ball over on downs at the Baltimore 1 yard line. I don't know what's more comical? A. That it took the Bears 19 friggin plays to go 73 yards, B. That they didn't even score, or C. That Earl Bennett scored a TD by himself 4 plays later on a punt return that took all of 5 or 6 seconds. Prior to Bennett's TD return, the Bears had a 17:10 to 7:05 advantage in time of possession and were down 14-0. Pathetic. But... not nearly as pathetic as Jay Cutler's 7.9 QB rating.

Quick Numbers:

7.9: Do I need to explain the significance of this number?
30: Million dollars left on the two-year contract extension signed with Mr. 7.9 this past October
2: More games of horrendous Chicago Bears football left in the Lovie Smith era
0: Games active for 3rd round pick WR Juaquin Iglesias... on a team with zero professional WRs

Key Injuries:

CHI Bear fans nation wide (severe vomiting) O
CHI LB Lance Briggs (back) Q
CHI WR Devin Hester (calf) Q
CHI DE Adewale Ogunleye (broken leg) O
CHI S Kevin Payne (ankle) O
CHI S Al Afalava (knee) Q

MIN CB Antoine Winfield (foot) P
MIN WR Percy Harvin (neck)

When the Vikings have the ball.
QB Brett Favre, RB Adrian Peterson, RB Chester Taylor, WR Sidney Rice, WR Bernard Berrian, WR/KR Percy Harvin, TE Visanthe Shiancoe, LT Bryant McKinnie, LG Steve Hutchinson, C John Sullivan, RG Anthony Herrera and RT Phil Loadholt. Folks... that's what a professional offense looks like. Enjoy watching it, because you're not gonna see anything like it in Chicago anytime soon. The Vikings average 28.3 points per game... the Bears average 18.1.

The key match-up for the Vikings: LG Steve Hutchinson vs the second level of the Bears defense
I think I may have highlighted this as the key matchup last time... and for good reason. Hutchinson is one of the best run blocking guards in the NFL. There's a reason why Seattle hasn't been able to run the ball effectively since his departure. Hutchinson handles his opponent at the point of attack, and gets to the second level, where big holes open for big, big runs. The Bears LBs will have to free themselves from Hutchinson in order to eliminate huge runs from Adrian Peterson.

The X factor on offense for the Vikings: TE Visanthe Shiancoe
The Bears have always had trouble defending TEs, since the routes point toward the seams in the Cover 2. However, this year has been worse without the coverage skills of #54. Todd Heap burned the Bears for two easy red zone scores last week. Shiancoe should see the same opportunities.

When the Bears have the ball.
They can't be any worse than they were last week? Right? Please tell me I'm right. At this point, there's so much tension between players and coaches, that you can't honestly expect a positive performance from this unit as a whole. Devin Hester is disgruntled and calling for coaching changes. Jay Cutler is saying nothing, because he has nothing nice to say... he's just letting the 7.9 do the talking. And, Matt Forte doesn't want to hear Brian Urlacher's criticism anymore. But, at least this offense leads the league in something: 26 INTs... tops in the NFL!

The key match-up for the Bears: LT Chris Williams vs DE Jared Allen
Allen leads the NFC with 13.5 sacks... and he's got the inexperienced Chris Williams on his radar. If Williams holds his ground, it'll be either a miracle, or a sign that he's got a good career ahead of him. I'm predicting he'll get torched, especially if Ron Turner continues to call ill-advised formations and not give Williams enough help.

The X Factor for the Bears: Finger pointing
Who's fault is it? Me or you? Jay or Ron? Lovie or his safeties? Rod or his lineman? There's a lot of conflict here... if the Bears can put that aside and try to win a football game, you'll see a better effort.

Side notes from the NFC North:

Ugh... what's to report really? The Bears stink, Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the division, Matthew Stafford is hurt again (a trend that could be significant), and the Vikings have already clinched a playoff spot, and trying to do the same in the division Monday night. The only story is the Favre-Childress fight. And, honestly... who cares?