SB Nation - Charles Tillman

Week 13 Preview: Rams (1-10) @ Bears (4-7)

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:30:16 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

When you are sitting at 4-7 there isn't a lot that can put your team in a good mood, but taking on the worse off 1-10 St. Louis Rams could be a good start. If things go as they have all year the Bears should be able to win. They lose to the real good teams and beat the real bad teams. However if the flip side occurs and the Bears actually get dropped by the hapless Rams, in Chicago no less, then it could be a start to the end of season house cleaning many fans want.

Week 12 Recap

The Rams: Seattle running back Justin Forsett had a career day in St. Louis last week with two tuddy's and 130 yards rushing as the Seahawks won 27-17. The Rams actually out gained Seattle 364 to 265, but that Seattle D picked up 4 sacks and 2 picks. Ram QB Kyle Boller (yes the former bust out with the Ravens) threw for his third most yards ever, 282, and hit 10 different receivers while doing it. He also added 26 yards on the ground. A less that 100% Steven Jackson still racked up 89 yards rushing and chipped in with 5 grabs out of the backfield for 29 yards.

The Bears: Chicago looked like a Sophomore team trying to take on the Varsity. The Vikings whipped up on the Bears in every possible way winning 36-10, and it wasn't even that close. Brett Favre had one of the better days of his stellar career and Jarred Allen's 2 sacks led the Viking D to a dominating performance. Here are the ugly final yardage totals, Minnesota 537 - Chicago 169, and don't forget the Bears only had 2 yards of total offense in the second half. U-G-L-Y.

Quick Numbers:

20: A career high (so far) interceptions for Jay Cutler.
8: Number of interceptions the Rams defense has picked off so far this year.
7: Turnovers by Kyle Boller in just 4 games played.
6: Charles Tillman leads the league with 6 forced fumbles this year.

Key Injuries:

STL - RB Steven Jackson - Questionable (Back) Likely will play

STL - FB Mike Karney - Questionable (Neck)

STL - OT Jason Smith - Out (Concussion)

CHI - OLB Lance Briggs - Out (Knee)

CHI - LT Orlando Pace - Out (Groin)

CHI - Desmond Clark - Questionable (Neck)

CHI - Charles Tillman - Probable (Concussion) Likely will play

When the Rams have the ball.
Steven Jackson, Steven Jackson, and more Steven Jackson. Jackson leads the team in rushing and receptions and the Rams look to get him the ball as much as possible. Look for QB Kyle Boller to target Jackson early to try and get his confidence up.

The key match-up for the Rams: Rams OL vs. Bears DL
The Rams offensive line should welcome back starting guard Richie Incognito and center Jason Brown. If the interior of the Ram line is able to neutralize the Bears DT's look for them to methodically pound the 231 pound Jackson inside all day. With the way the Rams defense has been playing controlling the clock is their best chance at a win.

The X factor on offense for the Rams: QB Kyle Boller
As I mentioned above Boller tossed for his third most yards ever, if the Rams are able to establish the run, their play-actions and roll outs could give the Bears fits. Boller is a mobile QB and won't hesitate to take off and pick up what he can.

When the Bears have the ball.
The Rams have given up the fifth most total yards and are fifth worst against the rush (148.5 per game), so I would expect the Bears to try and get the run game going. After only 8 rushing attempts against the Vikings last week the Bears have to try and get it going vs. the Rams. Matt Forte rushed for 139 yards last year in St. Louis, his most as a pro, and should be a big part of the offensive game plan this week. Jay Cutler has played much better at home this year, but the Bears should allow him to easy into the game this week. And for the love of God, could we not see the wide receiver screen this week?

The key match-up for the Bears: RT Kevin Shaffer vs. DE Leonard Little
I alluded to this match up in my preview I did on the Sporting News, so it makes sense to bring it to light here as well. The Bears picked a heck of a week to plug Shaffer in at RT. Little is the best pass rusher the Rams have with 5.5 sacks on the year (and 86.5 on his career), but Shaffer played mostly right tackle in Cleveland so it isn't new to him.

The X Factor on offense for the Bears: QB Jay Cutler
Can someone of the stature of Cutler be an X Factor? I'm not sure, but he is this week... Since I had Boller as the X Factor for St. Louis why not throw Cutler in there for Chicago? The only way I see the Rams having a chance this week is if Cutler allows them, with a few more interceptions. Play in the system, take what is given to you, and run when some open field presents itself. I can see another unsatisfying win just like the Cleveland game, but at this point the Bears will take any win they can get.

Side notes from the NFC North:

Vikings: Sunday Night Football and a trip to Arizona, this may be the last team on the schedule that could trip up the Vikings.

Packers: Baltimore is a tough place to play and Ray Rice is gonna be a tough test for the Packers, he's #2 in the NFL in yards from scrimmage.

Lions: Look for the Bengals passing game to make quick work of a banged up Lions secondary.

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Eagles Edition

Dane Noble — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:32:44 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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Seeing talented players stuck on an untalented football team can be disheartening, and I'm starting to feel sorry for some of ours. For every playmaker the Chicago Bears have, there seem to be three bozos who can't do their job.

And even when we see some things go right for our football team, at the end of the day, we are who we found out we were back at the beginning of the season: not very good.

- Lump Al Afalava, Danieal Manning, Corey Graham, and Charles Tillman all into the same category: Players Who Will Either Make Big Plays, Or Get Burned.

- On the Michael Vick run on 3rd and 1 early in the game, all three Chicago linebackers blitzed, all into different holes. Vick's one second hesitation was enough for him to see which hole to run into.

- From the More Things That Fall On the Head Coach's Shoulders department: Getting off the field on 3rd down, and Penalties.

- The offensive line will have to be retooled for next year, or we may see Jay Cutler standing outside Halas Hall with a picket sign in his hands.

- We saw a 4 WR set on the Bears first drive, but Matt Forte was given the ball on a sweep.

- Cutler missed 3 TDs throws last night... all on overthrows. What's up with that?

- Adewale Ogunleye is very strong... has the potential to be a very good defensive end.

- On the Eagles first TD, Lance Briggs blitzed, and the Eagles ran a RB screen to his side. Yes, the blitz was shown early.

- Kahlil Bell... got pretty lucky on his first ever NFL carry. The Eagles happened to be blitzing in every hole of the OL, except the gap Bell was headed. Good to see the young man start his career that way.

- On the previous play, Bell actually motioned out of the backfield, and ended up split wide right. Cutler looked for him on a pass, but it was incomplete.

- For all of the criticism I have heaped up on Charles Tillman, he had a good game last night.

- Every week, penalties. So, why should this week be different? Come on Lovie Smith...

- The only thing Josh Beekman can consistently do well is pulling out to the right as a lead blocker on trap plays.

- I like Lance Briggs, and am thankful he is a part of our football team.

- When an offense hits the field for the final time, and needs to drive down the field in order to come from behind, a false start penalty is not a good first play. (Yes, Orlando Pace, I'm talking about you sir.)

- Donovan McNabb pulling Cutler to the side after the game for a pep talk: Priceless.

Week 10 Preview: Bears (4-4) @ 49ers (3-5)

SackMan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:03:15 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Jay, things will get better once they finally decide to build a team around you. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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The schedule makers do no favors for the Bears this week, as they have to make the long flight out to San Francisco on a short week of practice for a Thursday night kickoff.

Week 9 Recap

The 49ers played nice hosts, and gave Vince Young and the Titans their second win of the season 34-27. QB Alex Smith, making his second straight start, made everyone remember why he was benched in the first place, as he threw 3 INTs, including a decisive pick 6 with less than 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter. TE Vernon Davis continued his impressive season with 10 catches for over 100 yards, and Frank Gore ran like he always does, but in the end, San Francisco lost a game they should've won at home. Anyone claiming that Mike Singletary is the next coming of Don Shula, and you know who you are, might want to taste a bite of reality. I suggest the Grawboski's take off the beer glasses.

The Bears embarrassed themselves at home in a 41-21 loss to the Cardinals. Sadly, an event that I predicted all too well in last week's game preview. The game was even more lobsided than the score appears, as the pathetic defense allowed the Cardinals to score on their first 6 possessions without an ounce of resistance. It wasn't until Matt Leinart came into relieve Kurt Warner for the afternoon, that the Bears defense actually looked alive, nearly intercepting Leinart on his first pass... and picking him off on his second attempt. Warner promptly came back into the game and threw his 5th TD pass for a career day... a week after he threw 5 INTs. The defense wasted away a 369 yard 3 TD performance from Jay Cutler, who was running for his life all afternoon. Greg Olsen was the recipient of all 3 TDs, as he enjoyed the best game of his career. Tommie Harris got ejected on the 4th play from scrimmage for punching a Cardinals lineman in the face... it was the only punch the Bears defense packed all day.

Quick Numbers:

23.9: Points allowed per game by the Bears defense.
5: Rushing attempts for Matt Forte last Sunday vs the Cardinals.
65.7: Alex Smith's career QB rating.
25: Passes of 20-plus allowed by the 49ers defense.

Key Injuries:

SF WR Issac Bruce (ankle) Q
SF CB Nate Clements (shoulder) O
SF LT Joe Staley (knee) O
SF RB Glen Coffee (concussion) O

CHI RB Garrett Wolfe (Kidney) O
CHI CB Charles Tillman (Shoulder) Q
CHI SS Al Afalava (Shoulder) Q

When the 49ers have the ball.
There are two pieces that make this San Francisco offense work: RB Frank Gore, and TE Vernon Davis. Gore is averaging 5.6 yards per carry, and can take it to the house from anywhere on the field. Davis is finally performing like the elite player the 49ers thought he would be, when they drafted him in the first round. According to Davis' tweets, "The 49ers will dominate the Bears defense." A prediction that doesn't seem so far-fetched after last Sunday. However, the 49ers will be without their starting LT Joe Staley for this one, as he sprained his MCL early in Sunday's loss to Tennessee. QB Alex Smith was sacked 4 times without Staley's protection.

The key matchup for the 49ers: Frank Gore vs the Bears front 7
Expect Singletary to play this one close to the vest, and run Frank Gore all night to avoid mistakes from his crappy QB. The Bears defense allowed 182 rushing yards to the NFL's 32 ranked run offense last week. It's surely up on the wall in Singletary's office.

The X factor on offense for the 49ers: TE Vernon Davis
Davis has been a beast this year, and Bears LBs have been awful in pass coverage vs opposing TEs. Davis could cakewalk through the middle of the Bears zone coverage.

When the Bears have the ball.
This offense has become completely one-dimensional... as Jay Cutler has almost nothing to work with in his "non-supporting" cast. Because of the crappy roster that has been built on both sides of the ball, the Bears are going to have to let Cutler be Cutler, and live or die on his golden arm for the rest of the season. The pass protection is suspect, the run blocking is awful, and the receivers can't create separation or find an open spot in a zone even when Cutler escapes the pocket and extends the play. At this point, it's safe to say that Cutler is probably second guessing his decision to leave Denver. The Bears finally have a franchise QB... the problem is they don't have a franchise.

Last season, Ron Turner implemented a no-huddle offense for Kyle Orton to minimize the deficiencies of the O-line. At the midway point of the season, Cutler's finally familiar enough with the offense to do the same. Expect to see it Thursday night.

The key matchup for the Bears: QB Jay Cutler vs the line of scrimmage
On an extremely short week of preparation, neither defense is likely to do anything out of the ordinary. This will give Cutler an opportunity to recognize the 49ers defensive fronts pretty well, and attack them at will if the Bears implement the no-huddle.

The X Factor on offense for the Bears: TE Greg Olsen
It's redundant every week... I can't even bother to choose another X-factor for the Bears. Olsen is a game changer for the Bears... when he's heavily involved.

Side notes from the NFC North:

Vikings & Lions: Minnesota hosts Detroit after a bye week this Sunday. There's no easier match-up on paper than this one. QB Matthew Stafford finally returned to the field last week for the Lions and threw 5 INTs in Seattle.

Packers: Aaron Rodgers was sacked another 6 times last week... by the Tampa Bay Yucs! The Pack allowed an additional 12 QB hits, giving Tampa their first victory of the season. Packers have now allowed an NFL worst 37 sacks on the year, and they host a hot Dallas team this Sunday. Bad things will happen to Aaron Rodgers.

49ers-Bears Final Injury Report

Fooch — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:42:40 -0000

We've got our final injury report of the week and the only major addition is that Isaac Bruce is listed as questionable. Even if Bruce is active on Thursday, it sounds like he's dropped to fourth on the depth chart, at the highest. I actually kind of hope he's active to see whether or not he sees the field at all. Looking through the receiver depth chart, Jason Hill would seem to have moved back in as the #3 receiver. Arnaz Battle has more or less fallen off the map as a receiver. That leaves Brandon Jones competing with Bruce for receiving playing time.

The team usually sticks with no more than three receivers, so I suppose it's not that big of an issue in the end. When they extend out to four or five receivers, the fourth and fifth guy are usually tight ends or running backs. Of course, given Glen Coffee's injury, maybe we see a bit more Brandon Jones in those 4 and 5 receiver sets?

Coach Singletary's press conference transcript is now after the jump.

49ers
Out
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
DE Demetric Evans (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)
RB Glen Coffee (concussion)

Questionable
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)

Probable
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
RB Michael Robinson (stinger)
G David Baas (stinger)
CB Tarell Brown (rib)
RB Frank Gore (eye lid)
S Curtis Taylor (shin)
TE Vernon Davis (shoulder)
WR Jason Hill (ankle)
WR Brandon Jones (knee)
TE Delanie Walker (shin, knee)
LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder)

Bears
Out
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee)
S Kevin Payne (back)
RB Garrett Wolfe (back)

Questionable
S Al Afalava (shoulder)

Probable
TE Desmond Clark (neck)
DT Tommie Harris (knee)
CB Charles Tillman (shoulder)

Coach Singletary's press conference transcript is now after the jump...

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Walk-Thru November 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

Opening statements:

"Good afternoon. We had a good week's work for the short amount of time it was. We have some guys a little banged up, but we worked through it okay. I am excited about tomorrow night. We will be ready to go. I am excited about the game, excited about the challenge and excited that the country will have a chance to see the 49ers - the young 49ers - come of age in the second half of the season. I am excited about that."

On whether the short week is more of a mental or physical test for the players:

"For us, it is kind of hard to put into words - probably more mental if anything. You go out there coming off of a loss on Sunday, a disappointing loss there. You are going into a new week and you are kind of bumped, bruised, whatever. At the same time, you have to work through what happened on Sunday, the setback there, and then get ready for a game on national television this upcoming week. At some point in time, you have to make a decision to let that go and grasp what is in front of you. Our guys made that transition and are getting ready for tomorrow night."

On whether there are any advantages to the short week:

"The only advantage to a short week is to win. That is the only advantage and it is a good advantage."

On how he will know if his team comes of age Thursday:

"Guys, you know what, all I can say about tomorrow night is that you just have to watch the game. I am sure you will ask the questions afterward, but you just have to watch the game. That's all I can tell you."

On whether he is feeling any extra emotions about the Bears as the game gets closer:

"It is the next game on the schedule."

On TE Vernon Davis' comments about the Bears:

"I'll put it this way, I talked to him about it, and I know what he meant. I'm a little frustrated, and I think if you really translate or if you read through the lines, read between the lines, I don't think he was being disrespectful at all. I think basically he was saying, ‘You know what, we can do this. Let's not sit back and talk about what the Bears are going to do. Let's go out there and do what we can do.' You have grown to know Vernon as well. He can get a little excited and that is what he did. As a team, we just have to be ready to go tomorrow night, but I know what he meant."

On whether he is at all glad Davis made those comments:

"No. I can't say I am glad, but at the same time, it's not one of those things where you sit back and really think a whole lot about it. I just think he said it, okay it is out there. I'm sure they will read it and have their reaction, but we just have to be ready to play."

On why he said he was frustrated by Davis' comments:

"I'm frustrated in terms of, it is kind of like, ‘Let's go. Let's go.' That's what I mean."

On whether Davis' comments can be damaging to the team:

"I am going to leave that alone. I just think he said it, it's out there. Some things you wish you could say differently, but we will roll with it."

On how WR Isaac Bruce has looked practiced this week considering his ankle injury:

"He was doing fine. He was trying to work his way through it. Yesterday he rolled it and he is going to be questionable or doubtful for the game."

On whether that it was the same ankle from last weekend's game:

"Yes."

On whether WR Jason Hill will be a starter:

"If that is the case, yes."

On whether Isaac Bruce's injury will be noted on the team's injury report:

"Yes, it will be."

On Brandon Jones' status as the teams punt returner:

"Brandon Jones will be the punt returner, yes."

On whether he has received extra attention from the Chicago media for this upcoming game:

"There has been some extra media that I did not respond to. I didn't want that. We're playing another game and another opportunity for us to get better and didn't want to get into all of the other sideshows. We're going to play a game and we're going to try to win a football game and that's it."

On whether it's harder to comeback from behind in a game during a short week:

"No. For us, we can't get into if we get behind or if we do this, do that. We just have to go out there and play the game and think about winning the game. Let the other stuff go. We can think about that afterwards. Going towards the game, we're thinking about playing a football game and winning a football game. The same feelings that we have as a team, they have the same thing now. If they didn't play Sunday, then I'd have a problem with it. We're both going to be dealing with the same issues. Let's go play the game."

On whether RB Michael Robinson would be the backup running back:

"Yes sir, Michael Robinson."

On whether there is a contingency plan at running back:

"[FB] Norris, Moran Norris would be the next guy."

On whether him facing the Bears in the past as an assistant takes away any butterflies now having to face them as a head coach:

"Yes. The first time was - the fact that we were in Soldier Field, it was just different emotions for a while, but you get over that pretty quick as the game gets going. It's just the nature of the game."

On whether there is a little extra adrenaline for prime-time games:

"Prime-time games, I think some teams play up and some teams play down. I think, for us, we'll play up. I don't know anything else about how Chicago responded. I just know that tomorrow night, we'll be ready to play."

49ers-Bears Tuesday Injury Report

Fooch — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:33 -0000

I know all of us were a bit concerned by all the players on yesterday's injury report. However, as today's report shows, virtually all the "limited" and "non-participants" were full participants today. Yesterday's report was a projection because there was no actual practice, so I'm guessing the team was just being a bit more conservative. Of course, Glen Coffee is not going to be playing, and given that we haven't seen any transactions today, it looks like Gore and Robinson will be handling the load at running back.

After the jump we've got press conference transcripts for OC Jimmy Raye and Alex Smith.

49ers
Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
DE Demetric Evans (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)
RB Glen Coffee (concussion)

Limited Participation in Practice
LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder)

Full Participation in Practice
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
RB Michael Robinson (stinger)
G David Baas (stinger)
CB Tarell Brown (rib)
RB Frank Gore (eye lid)
S Curtis Taylor (shin)
TE Vernon Davis (shoulder)
WR Jason Hill (ankle)
TE Delanie Walker (shin, knee)

Bears
Out
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee)

Did not Participate in Practice
S Al Afalava (shoulder)
S Kevin Payne (back)
RB Garrett Wolfe (back)

Limited Participation in Practice
TE Desmond Clark (neck)
DT Tommie Harris (knee)
CB Charles Tillman (shoulder)

After the jump we've got transcripts for Jimmy Raye and Alex Smith...

Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye
Post-Walk Thru November 10, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On why WR Jason Hill received more playing time against the Titans:

"He has been practicing well since his hamstring injury and making progress. That coupled with the fact that [WR] Isaac [Bruce] had a tender ankle and ran a seven route over on the left boundary and rolled his ankle, tweaked it a little bit. So, we were down in numbers in the three-wide package and Jason was the next guy up. We were fortunate that we had him up for the game because he was the guy who had gotten the work as all three backups going into the game. It turned out that he was able to play and he made some plays for us."

On his background with the shotgun:

"Quite a bit, I would say extensive. There was a period of time where I coached with a couple of disciples of the Bill Walsh system that didn't believe in the gun that we didn't use it. But, in New York, Oakland, Atlanta and L.A. with Jim Everett, all of that was gun. I don't know if you want specifics, I don't know how to answer that question."

On whether you are limited in the types of runs you can call out of the shotgun:

"Somewhat, but it depends. When you make that decision, the kinds of runs that you are running, most of the time, are not direct runs because you don't have a lead blocker. But, they are runs that take advantage of the front and the alignment of the defense. They give you the same that is the likeness of pass and pass protection. They come not only in the draw variety, but across the formation kind of runs. We did have some success Sunday running the trap, but we had to relocate the back in order to do that."

On what QB coach Mike Johnson learned from watching college spread offenses in the offseason:

"You would have to ask Mike that. We discussed it in the offseason. I think what you need to understand is what we did Sunday has always been a part of what we do. We didn't invent the runs we ran Sunday out of the shotgun. We have had, and been practicing, our third down, our quarterback-not-under-the-center offense and runs since March. So, it wasn't something where, all of the sudden three weeks ago, because everyone thought we should be in the spread, that we went and looked at someone running the shotgun and came up with plays. It is a part of the offense that we have. What we did Sunday is a part of what we do."

On why he called it a third down offense:

"It is applicable to all downs, but what you had seen previously was when we were in the gun was basically on third down."

On the two interceptions QB Alex Smith has thrown when targeting WR Michael Crabtree:

"The one in Indianapolis was a tipped ball, and Sunday the one was a tipped ball that probably would fall to the ground harmlessly. The ball was thrown near the boundary and it was tipped and the linebacker came back within an eyelash of stepping out of bounds and got the rebound of the ball. I think tipped balls, you can't practice tipped balls. If the receiver and the defensive back are in a close confrontation, and they both get their hands on the ball at the same time, and there are other defenders near, that's why defensive backs work the tip drill. And, unfortunately for us, we've had two, not two but three deflections that have gone up in the air and the defense capitalized on them."

On whether he's comfortable going forward with the kind of offensive emphasis he showed on Sunday:

"I don't know that. I think sometimes the perception is that I should answer questions that give the defensive coordinators of the teams that we play a pre-game scouting report on what we're going to line up in. We have, as I said early on, the contingencies of what we do offensively to take care of the defenses that we play. If that is in fact the case that what we carry into the game is available for us and it helps us win the game, then I guess the answer to that would be yes."

On where the offense is as a unit:

"I think our record is 3-5. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. We're 3-5. I would say we're not near where we need to be. If it was better, I think we would have won more games or helped our cause in terms of winning more games. I think we made improvement, but there were areas of the game Sunday that were outstanding. The play was exceptional, was outstanding, but it's very difficult to overcome four turnovers."

On whether it's been difficult to find improvement given the changes in the offense:

"Yes and no. Continuity is very difficult to come by. We've changed a lot of places, and that's the nature of the NFL. If there's one thing that is constant about the NFL, it's change. And, unfortunately for us, in the first seven or eight weeks, we've had to change the quarterback. We've had to change the right guard. We've had to change the left guard. We've had to change the running back. We've had to change the wide receiver. We've had an onslaught of changes, but the way we manage that is a benefit to us if we can do it in an expeditious fashion so we can get on with winning games. It's been difficult, but we're probably going to have more changes going forward."

On the first touchdown pass from QB Alex Smith to WR Jason Hill in the back of the end zone:

"Well, what they did right was they applied the scramble rules that are in place that were taught in the red area, and Alex remained a passer. And, in most situations like that, the quarterback leaves his passer mentality and becomes a runner. But, he kept his eyes downfield and drifting and he was in a position where he could either throw or not take a negative and throw the ball out of bounds, and he remained a passer. That was the best thing about it. And then Jason applied his onside scramble rule, and we were able to get a completion for a touchdown, which gave us a completion of a T-2 at the end of the half and got points. And then we had a T-4 at the end of the game that got points. So, those things are very gratifying."

On whether he has met with head coach Mike Singletary about the receiving corps and WR Isaac Bruce's role:

"No, that meeting, I don't think has happened, unless I was excluded from it. We will visit that - we wanted to get through today and see where he is tomorrow, and in the meantime, we will increase the activity of [WR] Josh Morgan and [WR] Jason Hill. We'll see where he is, where his foot is or his injury is. And then we'll make a decision going forward."

On Bruce's injury:

"We'll see where he is physically. See where he is physically and then we'll make a decision going forward."

On the areas of the offense in Sunday's game that he was pleased with:

"Well, as I mentioned, I was pleased with our, as we refer to it, T-2 offense, which is our offense before the half, which was very good in Indianapolis that went down and got a score also. Our T-4 was very good, which we went down at the end of the game and got a score and an opportunity to onside kick the ball and have another chance to put the game into overtime. We were five for five in the red zone, three touchdowns and two field goals. We had a 19-play drive in that game that overcame three or four penalties and a negative that went down and got points. I thought our ‘me-to-you' factor was very good. Is he open? The pass to [TE] Vernon [Davis] was a great adjustment and throw. We threw the ball - he complete 29 balls, and we showed some ability in our deceptive game with our arounds and handing the ball to the wide receivers that made yards. So, I thought the playing area was very good. I was very disappointed that we had the mishaps that we had that led to 24 points for them, because, I think, without the turnovers, it would have been a different outcome."

On whether the T-2 and T-4 are similar plays:

"No, they're not."

On whether he can explain the time at the end of the half and the time at the end of the game:

"It changes because at the T-2, any points are good. When you're playing T-2 and you have the ball before the half, whether you get a field goal or a touchdown, any points you get are good. And, T-4, you're in a T-4 situation, you're either in an offense to try to either extend the game or win the game. So, the impetus of the play is totally different because you're operating against the timeouts. You're operating against a defense that's trying to prevent you from either extending the game or prolonging the game or, in a T-4 situation, winning the game at the end. That would be the difference."

QB Alex Smith
Post-Walk Thru - November 10, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On which package does he like better, the T-2, or T-4:

"It's pretty similar. You hope not to be in the T-4."

On why he performs well during the end of halves and games:

"I have no idea. I don't know."

On a theory that he performed better in a spread-offense similar to his college playing days at Utah:

"Spread out? Maybe, perhaps, I don't know. It could be you think that anytime that you are spread out and you're in the gun, all quarterbacks are going to see things better. I don't know, I'm not sure."

On his experience running the two-minute drill at Utah:

"It was more T-2's than T-4's."

On whether he likes playing better in a shotgun formation:

"In certain situations, yes, if there is no threat of a run. Sometimes is nice to mix it up and get back there. I think that in third down situations, pressure situations is when you get back and see it and maybe buy yourself half of second to get the ball out. Other than that, you'd like to keep a balance between the run and pass situations in the game to keep that and be under center."

On either having the opportunity to review film from the Tennessee game or going straight to game film to prepare for Chicago:

"I watched it quickly yesterday morning, then you move on pretty fast. I watched a lot of Chicago yesterday and it's such a short week."

On having one of his best offensive performances overshadowed by his interceptions:

"I felt that, in a sense, that I saw things well. You turn on the tape and it wasn't like I saw anything new. When I rehashed the game in my mind, it looked very similar to what I looked at when I turned on the tape which is a good thing. I felt like I saw everything well. A couple of balls were thrown tight - there was one on the boundary the safety was coming trying to make a play on it, it gets tipped in-bounds and the one that [WR] Josh [Morgan] had tighter coverage. There those are kind of the job hazards that kind of come with the territory. That is going to happen, I think that as a quarterback the important things are if you are making good decisions, are you throwing the ball where you want to throw it, are you getting the ball out on time, those are the types of decisions that you're looking at. That's how you prevent turnovers from the quarterback's perspective, by making sound decisions and throwing the ball accurately on time."

On whether he was relaying his throwing tendencies to the opposing defense with his eyes:

"The one on the boundary could have gone up. That half second maybe allowed that safety to come over and make a play that allowed that ball to stay in-bounds. The other two didn't feel like I was late at all. But the first one I could say, critically looking at it, I could have gone up quicker."

On whether working on his body language could have prevented that turnover:

"That was a third-and-long and we were trying to ‘hi-lo' the corner on the boundary. It was a matter of trusting what you see from that defender and letting the ball go."

On what Jason Hill did right on his first touchdown:

"The great thing he did - initially he started back down towards me, trying to give me a throw and saw that the inside receiver was kind of running in the flat there and a lot of passing is about spacing, so I think he immediately saw that, put his foot in the ground, turned and ran upfield, at least giving me two throws. Once he came down a little bit, his defender bit and he turned and slipped upfield and was open in the back of the end zone."

On whether defenses are playing WR Michael Crabtree differently:

"I guess I don't know. We are moving on so fast from this Tennessee game, it's hard to look at things like that. I think the more he plays, the more he is going to give people to think about, the more routes he's going to give corners to think about and the more comfortable he is going to be with things."

On why he hasn't been able to develop much chemistry with WR Josh Morgan:

"I don't know. It's a matter of what the defense is giving us sometimes, maybe sometimes what we are asking him to do. I think it's a combination of things."

On his ability to draw offsides penalties and whether it is something he has worked on a lot:

"It was something I never did as a younger guy. I never did it in college. I never did it much my first couple years. I just think I'm more conscious of it now in certain situations. I'm more conscious of using it to your advantage."

On how difficult it is to develop a rapport with WR Michael Crabtree:

"I think the thing you miss when he comes in like that is you miss the training camp practices where you can really build the fundamentals of your routes together. It's timing. When he comes in within the week we are doing our game plans and he is doing a great job of getting himself up to speed and not missing a beat and it's just a matter of us all working together to get that done."

On whether there is any sense of significance to this game:

"Every game is the biggest game at that point. That's the truth of it. This week, you play and you learn from it and you move on already and we're on to Chicago. Yes, this is the biggest game of the season and the next week that will probably be the biggest game. Right now, the focus is on Chicago and that's it. It's them coming in and getting a win and it is the biggest thing."

On how much losing four in a row weighs on the team:

"It might, but we can't let it weight on us. We have to continue to work to play harder, to execute better, and to win a game and that's what we have to get done."

On whether building a rapport with Crabtree is just a matter of time:

"I think so. Time and repetitions, but it's different. I think there are things that we ask him to do that he may be more comfortable with because he has a history with them. Yes, a little bit of that is just going to be time and repetitions."

Cornerbacks: To press or not to press

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:57 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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A hot topic of discussion the last few years is how far the Bears usually have their corners off the line of scrimmage. Is it a coaching point, or do the players just play off on their own? When they do play some bump and run coverage is it in the defensive game plan to do so or are the DB's making the call to do it? Make no mistake about it, where ever the corners line up it's a coach's call.

It's schemed where they line up. If a CB is playing off on his own, going against the game plan, and he's getting burned with quick slants or hitches that player will be benched, and conversely if a CB is playing up tight against the coaches wishes and he isn't effective he'll find some pine time as well.

In last Sunday's game it was pointed out that Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald likes when corners play him close, and why not, at 6'3" & 217 pounds he's bigger and stronger than most every corner he plays against. While Charles Tillman played tight on a handful of snaps, the Bears played off the majority of the time. When is the opportune time to press? When is it best to play off? Unless you're an elite CB, blessed with incredible make up speed, you play according to scheme. And the Bears scheme usually dictates play loose.

In the Cover 2 type defense we've seen in Chicago during the Lovie Smith era, the corners are responsible for the sideline in about 12/13 yards, keeping balls thrown to the flats in front of them. The Bears favor physical corners (Tillman, Zackary Bowman, and Corey Graham) who should be able to press. In theory, the CB's could easily play press coverage while looking for a back coming to the flat or a slot WR or TE running an out or arrow route into their zone. By pressing the split end they'll throw off the timing of a quick slant or skinny post in between horizontal zones (CB/LB) or a fade or go route behind him (between the CB/S).

I've always felt that playing real soft coverage on the WR's in zone gives too much of an advantage to the offense. If the CB's play off the slant can be thrown immediately, before the wide out can get close to the 2nd defender in. Pressing up will make the WR have to work to get into his route and give the defense a chance to be effective. With all the 3 step drops the Bears see, doing anything to disrupt the timing patterns should be priority #1.

In some variations of the zone defense, the corners are actually responsible for sticking man to man if they go deep, so pressing them could be a problem. If you try to bump and run, but don't get a good jam, you risk getting blown by. The same can obviously be said when in man to man, so if the corner doesn't have the speed to stick with a WR, pressing isn't a good idea. None of the Bears corners have what you would call track speed. No 4.3 40's in that group. So why take a chance on playing tight. This is the biggest reason why they elect to rarely press.

Generally speaking, defenses that get to the QB with a regularity can press more, with the thinking that routes that take time to develop won't work if the QB is running for his life. And by pressing you take away the quick timing routes QB's look for when they sense a blitz.

Other times you'll see some teams funneling wide outs to their help with press coverage. For example, if a defense is in a rolled over 3 deep look, (The 3 deep consisting of both safeties rolling over to one corners side with the other corner responsible for the other third of the field) the corner that is pressing may try and induce the WR to an outside release knowing he has over the top help from a safety. If the team is a primarily a Cover 2 team, this is a great wrinkle to add to the defense. You may get a QB reading Cover 2 off the snap that attempts to hit his WR down the sideline (the usual hole in the Cover 2 between the CB/S), but with the safety over further than in the Cover 2 (because he only has deep third responsibility) he could be there for the pick.

Bottom line is the Bears don't press because they don't have the type of defense that allows you to press, both scheme wise and with their personnel. The Bears just don't bring the kind of heat on opposing QB's that would benefit from bump and run coverage. If the Bears did play tight, with the QB having plenty of time to scan the field, NFL WR's would eventually beat the press. Remember no track star DB's in this group. They could mix things up and press while in zone from time to time, but again if the QB is allowed to sit in the pocket, it'll be easy pickens.

If you think of the CB's and/or teams that are successful with the bump and run type coverage, you'll either think of the corners with great make up speed, that could make plays on the ball seemingly where ever they are on the field, or the teams that eat quarterbacks for lunch. Two things we don't see in Chicago.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:30:23 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

about 1 month ago: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, left, tries to elude the rush of Denver Broncos' Darrell Reid (95) and a second defender during the first quarter of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski)

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Happy Tuesday, friends. After being up late, and watching a hard-fought game go awry, I bet you're pretty bleary-eyed, and grumpy, but let's try to make this a good day. I don't want to think that the Broncos have fallen into losing habits here, and I really don't think that's the case.

Of course, those who speak, but don't know what they're talking about, will start screaming about how the Broncos have been exposed, and they're a fraud, and every other damn thing. A few persistent issues have emerged, but they can be corrected. If anything, losing back-to-back games against good teams can teach you a great deal about your own team.

Let's reflect on this, as I know the coaching staff is, and the players are. Next week, the Broncos face the Redskins, which presents a great opportunity to get back on the winning track. After that, San Diego comes to town. The Broncos still control the AFC West, make no mistake about that.

On the other side of the jump, we'll break it all down. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. It's now midseason, and the Broncos are 6-2, and in first place by a game, and having beaten San Diego on the road. Think back to August, and if I told you that's where the Broncos would be, you'd be happy to take that deal, right? It's a little less great to win the first 6 and lose the last 2, but whatever.

I mentioned some issues, and I want to talk about them briefly. I think all are fixable in the second half of the season.

a. Ben Hamilton is getting to be pretty useless, and I think it's time to see what Seth Olsen has. Hamilton has gone from being above-average before his concussion-driven missed season, to average last season, to decidedly below-average this season. Every time the Ravens and Steelers needed to get pressure on Kyle Orton, they did it over Hamilton. Every other team in the NFL has seen that, and will try to replicate that strategy.

From former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah, during the game:

I don't know what Olsen can do yet, but he's definitely bigger and stouter than Hamilton. I have to think he can anchor better than what we've seen from #50. I am pretty sure Russ Hochstein isn't the answer, but I'd like to see what Olsen looks like.

b. The Broncos need better execution overall on offense. The scheme is fine, and the players are fine, they just need to make the plays that they have a chance to make. They have had some bad penalties, some poorly-timed drops, some slip-and-falls in the running game putting them off schedule, and lately, some bad throws. Plays like Brandon Stokley coming just short of a first down, and Hamilton getting called for a (really questionable) holding penalty on a converted 4th-and-5 are what has been hurting the Broncos offense. The coaches need to send the message that if the players who are playing don't execute, they'll find somebody who will.

c. Signing Mitch Berger was a big mistake. I think it's worth working out some other punters, but really, I liked Brett Kern. If somebody better than Berger is available, I think he should be brought in. Getting a good punter needs to be a high priority in the offseason, too.

d. Interestingly, short-yardage offense has improved during the two losses, as the Broncos have shown a willingness to throw some in those situations. It is still a concern going forward, though. Olsen may help here, if he is given a shot.

e. No-huddle offenses have been problematic for the Broncos the last two weeks. They limit their ability to disguise coverages and rush packages, and they also make it hard to substitute as much as the Broncos want to. Not every team is effective in the no-huddle, but just about every team the Broncos might see in the playoffs is. They need to figure out who their best base defensive group is against the no-huddle.

I think my underlying thought right now is that the Broncos probably aren't quite ready for the Super Bowl, but they hung with a team tonight who is a real championship contender. They beat New England a couple weeks ago, who is a real championship contender. They beat Dallas and Cincinnati, who at the least are good teams. The Broncos have a ways to go, but as first halves of the season go, you have to feel pretty good about theirs. It's not time to start anything over, or blow anything up. It's time to make a few adjustments, execute better, and keep working toward winning games.

2. Information from My Eyes, Steelers at Broncos.

a. Did I mention that I think Mitch Berger sucks? Nothing has particularly changed for me on that score. John Bena coined a new term last night, Brett Kern-backers. I liked Kern, but I don't think I am a Brett Kern-backer. I am a guy who wants a consistent good performance from the Broncos punter, whoever it is.

Philosophically, not a single player or coach on this team means more to me than the team itself. I don't care who is doing it, I just want it done. As much as I love John Elway, the team always came before him to me, too. Part of his greatness, though, was that he'd never make you separate him from the team.

b. It didn't get mentioned a lot, but Tyler Polumbus struggled at RT, especially in the second half of the game. LaMarr Woodley got a lot of pressure and forced a few key throwaways. He'll be okay against most teams, but this was a tough situation for him. Ryan Harris's absence was most definitely felt.

c. I liked the work of both Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal in this game. They consistently did a good job getting open and catching the ball. Marshall had the one drop, but it was a good effort for him overall.

d. I thought D.J. Williams had his worst game of the year, by far. He was taking bad angles all night, and didn't look like he had a prayer of getting off a lot of blocks. I'm admittedly not generally his biggest fan, but he's had the best year of his career in 2009. Monday night, not so much.

e. Wesley Woodyard played a lot more snaps than he's used to, and I thought he wore down in the second half of the game. The Steelers played a tremendous amount of 3 WR sets, which kept Andra Davis on the sideline, and Woodyard in the game.

f. Kyle Orton was actually not too bad for most of the game. He had 2 bad throws, and about 3 bad decisions (one of them was picked off). He was pretty sharp the rest of the night. He needs to cut out the bad decisions, but I was generally a lot happier with his performance tonight than I was against the Ravens. (I don't care about statistics, of course.) Nobody is saying they're thrilled with his ultimate performance, of course, but there's more nuance to the situation, than just looking at the stat sheet.

g. Rashard Mendenhall was the primary reason the Steelers won the game. He got going in the second half, and it forced the Broncos to be more aggressive in the box. I used to think very little of Mendenhall, but he has improved a lot. He runs with vastly better patience and body lean than he did even just a month ago.

h. The Steelers also have themselves a find with Mike Wallace. He's very dangerous for a 3rd WR. They don't do a lot of traditional slot-type stuff, and in nickel offense, if anything, Hines Ward is their slot guy. (I think making definitive distinctions between #1, #2, and #3 WRs is silly.) Wallace has great speed, and he showed good route-running skills Monday night.

i. I liked what I saw of Ty Law in his limited action. Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins both mostly struggled in the game, neither making a great impact. Champ ought to be embarassed by letting Ward jump over him in garbage time. He knows better than that. He also got beat in man-to-man coverage several times by Santonio Holmes. Andre' Goodman was good in this game, though, even beyond his interception.

j. The Broncos use of the "mush rush" was very good in the first half, and very bad for most of the second. Robert Ayers played a key role in containing Ben Roethlisberger when he as assigned that duty, and that's what he was doing when Kenny Peterson knocked the ball free.

k. The Broncos got hosed on the Gaffney challenge, and also on the Haggan fumble recovery. Don Carey has joined my list of bad referees. I like how a return team becomes an intercepting team. I can't believe that he's related to Mike Carey, who is excellent. And he's the older brother? Wow.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games:

a. I watched a lot of the Green Bay-Tampa Bay game Sunday, for a few reasons. I haven't seen much of the Bucs this year, and I wanted to look at Josh Freeman, who I liked a lot coming out of college. He looked like a rookie at times, but he showed a lot of positives too. I thought he looked poised and confident, and I am not that surprised. I remember when he beat Texas as a freshman, and commanded the game. (My buddy lost a grand on the game, and he called me frantically looking for NFL advice for the next day, to "get back even." It was a debacle. I don't give gambling advice anymore, because of that weekend.)

Anyway, Freeman looked like a star that day in 2006, and he looked like he may be one someday in the NFL on Sunday. I think Tampa did the right thing, giving him some time to learn from the sideline, but it has to be Freeman Time the rest of the season.

b. I loved Raheem Morris's line after getting his first victory as a head coach.

Statistics are for losers, and today, we're winners.

And then, there's Chicago Bears lover/reporter/enabler/apologist Brad Biggs of National Football Post, after his beloveds got blown out again.

That's positive news? The Bears got smoked, again, Brad. Their best player, who is supposed to always play well, performed close to expectations. It's only positive news if he is on your fantasy team, which is why I don't really like fantasy football. (Well, that and the dorktastic "experts' you have to tolerate on TV.)

Cutler played alright, but he didn't do anything to elevate the play of anybody else, as usual, and the interception he threw in the 4th quarter did kill the Bears' chances of coming back.

It's amazing how the Bears team has assumed the personality of the 2008 Broncos. There's a good chance they'll get blown away on defense, and Cutler is almost definitely going to need to carry the offense. In my business, we contract with companies to take over non-core operations. We call it a lift-and-shift. You terminate your employees who work in a call center, and we'll instantly hire them. They'll work for us, and you'll pay us a fee that is less than what you pay for this operation. Meanwhile, we'll optimize, and reduce the headcount, and correspondingly, the costs.

Everybody considered Cutler's acqusition to be a lift-and-shift. The Bears got a franchise QB. Imagine what he'll do on a team that plays good defense and runs the ball. Football is such a multi-variate system, it's really amazing.

c. I would really hate to be a Bears fan. They have no high draft picks this year, and suddenly a lot of roster holes to fill. They need 3 or 4 new starters on their offensive line, to begin with. Orlando Pace is done, Josh Beekman and Roberto Garza were never starting-caliber players in the NFL, and Olin Kreutz is getting close to done. I don't care for Chris Williams, either. He's looked passable at RT, but if he was worthy of his draft slot, he would have bumped Pace, because it's clear as day that he isn't good enough. You wouldn't use a #1 on an RTO (Right Tackle Only), unless it was Jeff Otah.

They could also use some WRs, some secondary players, and a pass rusher. We're not asking for much, right?

Chicago has a cash-poor ownership group, and the cold weather and their ugly uniforms don't tend to help draw free agents. (Yes, both things matter. It's part of the problem in Cleveland too.) I just don't know how you can bring in enough players there to improve for next season.

d. On Monday I read a lot of epitaphs about the Chicago defense, which didn't get into a lot of the "why" they're so bad. As I was explaining to a friend a few days ago, a defense has to have all 11 players working well together, in order for it to be sound and effective. Because defense is fundamentally a reactive mission, there are many inter-dependencies among the three levels, and communication, like-mindedness through practice, and discipline make all the difference. That sounds simple, and it really is.

First of all, you'd better either be good against the run with 7 in the box, or have a big-time safety who can move 12 yards from a cover-2 shell to the line of scrimmage really quickly. The Bears can't stop the run with 7, so you know they'll have 8 in the box. Then, there's the passing game. When a team can't rush the passer with 4 players, they need to blitz with numbers. When they blitz with numbers, it makes it hard to play soundly in zone coverage, so you mostly have to start playing man coverage. When you play a lot of man coverage, you'd better hope you have the athletes to cover the other team's athletes - and chances are, their #3 and #4 options are better than yours. That's a simple fact of it being harder to find players with coverage skills than it is to find guys who can run a route and catch a ball, when he knows where he is supposed to go.

So you can't stop the run, you can't get pressure with 4, you can't play zone, and you can't play man. All that's left is to guess at what the offense is going to do, and play for that. The obvious problem there is what happens when you guess wrong. You get exposed, and give up huge plays. That sounds a lot like the 2008 Broncos' defense, right?

To apply this to the Bears, they used to get pressure with their front 4, but Tommie Harris is having a bad season. He was a healthy scratch for the Cincinnati game, reportedly because of some attitude issues, and they got lambasted. Then, he got ejected over some extreme foolishness 1 minute into Sunday's game. The Bears again got crushed. Harris is among the best 3-technique DTs in the NFL, when his body and attitude are right.

With no Harris, Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye have struggled to get any pressure, so the Bears have blitzed, ineffectively. They have all these tall, slow CBs who can't do anything except play zone coverage, and they got shredded in man-to-man on Sunday, as they did against Cincinnati. If you decide to be a cover-2 team, you'd better play a lot of cover-2, because your personnel can't hold up playing man.

If Harris can manage to get his body and mind right, and have a dominant second half, he could personally bring a soundness back to the Bears that could send them on a 6-2ish run in the second half to finish 10-6. The more likely outcome is that he continues to sulk, the Bears continue to get gashed, and they finish 7-9 at best. And the Broncos have a nice draft pick. Thanks, guys :)

e. Funny story. My brother Chris (who did join MHR as Chris911, incidentally) and I were talking on the phone the other night, like we do sometimes.

Chris: You know, Jay Cutler has a losing record in games where he throws for over 300 yards.

Ted: You know, Jay Cutler has a losing record as a starting QB in the NFL.

Yessir. I love that draft pick more and more every day.

f. Remember the spring of 2008 when many wanted Denver to become Vanderbilt West? It hasn't worked out so well for Chicago. Earl Bennett's ceiling is to be an average starter, if he puts it all together. He can't get off bump coverage right now, whatsoever. He also runs bad routes and drops the ball a lot. In other words, everything he was supposed to do well, he doesn't. Yes, I know he had 7 catches for 93 yards Sunday, but the vast majority of it was in garbage time, against soft zone coverage. (And, yes, wise guys, I know, most of the game was garbage time.)

Chris Williams, I already discussed. He has definitely been a disappointment. This year, the Bears took D.J. Moore, a CB, who is somehow not good enough to beat out any of the pu pu platter of guys who take turns opposite Charles Tillman. He has been a gameday inactive all season, and is not even a special teams contributor.

I watched the Florida-Vanderbilt game Saturday night, and was reflecting on this. Vanderbilt has no hope in the SEC. They can't recruit talent that is nearly good enough to compete, and most of their guys have tended to underachieve in the NFL. They are on my list with Texas and Ohio State of schools whose players I am naturally suspicious of, although it's all for different reasons.

I wonder if Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Stanford, Duke, Rice,and Baylor ever thought about forming a football-only, high-SATs conference. Actually, this year, Vandy would be in the bottom half of that league, too.

g. Staying with the college theme for a minute, the best all-around QB I have seen this season at any school is Cincinnati's sophomore backup, Zach Collaros. He has completed 76% of his passes for 1,229 yards, with 10 TDs and 1 interception in the 3+ games he has appeared in. He has also rushed 43 times for 281 yards, and 4 TDs, while only being sacked 10 times.

Cincinnati's original starter, senior Tony Pike, is expected to start this week, although head coach Brian Kelly did cop to it being a tough decision. Pike is likely to be drafted on Day 1 next spring. Collaros is going to contend for the Heisman Trophy next season, and he'll be a high pick too, when he decides to leave school. He's the total package, with an above-average arm, very good poise, and outstanding accuracy and athleticism. The only knock on him is that he's 6 feet tall, but he has some definite Drew Brees-like qualities as a thrower. This is a 75-yard TD run against a South Florida team with lots of athletes. The guy is real.

h. A guy I really like on an otherwise not-great unit is Atlanta Guard Harvey Dahl. He has been getting very good pad level, and driving guys, in helping Michael Turner have his best two games of the season. I beat up Sam Baker for his pass protection last week, but he did well in the running game Sunday, too. The Redskins are normally solid against the run, but Atlanta gashed them repeatedly.

i. Michael Lombardi stole my thunder, which is an occasional hazard of writing for Tuesday mornings. (The) Other smart analysts see(s) the same things and beat(s) you to talking about them sometimes. Ray Lewis definitely looks like he's doing it more on guile and want-to than skill anymore. I respect his effort greatly, and sometimes he makes a huge play, like against the Chargers, but he's clearly hit his downside. Big up Lombardi, for consistently seeing what the reporters don't see. (By the way, it's weird and unnatural to see Lombardi stand with a mic and interview players and coaches for NFL Network. Stop the madness, and be an analyst, Mike. You're better than some locker jockey.)

j. I was pretty critical of Dallas' Mike Jenkins earlier in the season, and he deserved it. Lately, though, he's been playing fantastic football. He did a great job Sunday night, and was the largest part of the Dallas secondary's outstanding effort not to give up the big plays that Philly wins with every week.

k. The Eagles are reputed to be a West Coast team, but they are not that, and never have been since Mr. Game Management, Andy Reid, came to town. Donovan McNabb isn't a West Coast QB, who does really well with timing throws. The Eagles are a vertical, downfield team, and they finally have guys in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Brent Celek, who can get down the field and make the plays they want to make.

l. By the way, everybody knows I like Tim Tebow, but McNabb is the guy who Tebow most reminds me of. They played in similar-ish option-heavy offenses in college, and they have very similar profiles as throwers coming into the NFL. Tebow's stats are down this year, mostly due to bad pass protection, but he's throwing the ball better than ever when he gets some time.

m. The Chargers might be back. I haven't seen their LBs look as good as they did on Sunday in two years. Some of that may be due to the Giants offensive line, though, which is good in the running game, and below-average in the passing game. All this stuff about them having the best line is hogwash. (I've actually seen Michael Lombardi say that this season.) They have a natural LG, David Diehl, playing LT, and he gets owned by good pass rushers.

n. Brandon Jacobs looks really slow to the hole this season. He was never quick, but he's a different player. I have to wonder if he is hurt. Of course, I am prejudiced against tall RBs, because, definitionally, it's easier to hit them, than it is the compact guys. It's fair to say Jacobs has never been a favorite of mine.

o. I'd like to say that ST&NO favorite Alex Smith has established himself as a clear-cut solution at QB for the 49ers, but the fact is, they've lost all three games which he has played in. Two of the three interceptions he threw on Sunday were off the hands of his own players, so I don't really put those on him, personally. On the positive side, that play he made for a TD pass at the end of the first half was an All-Pro caliber play, that not many QBs could make. He kept himself alive with his feet, and made a perfect throw on the run.

This is what I know about Smith. His biggest problem is that he struggles with the mechanics of drops from under center which are more than 3 steps. It's not natural to him, and his footwork is slow, like he is thinking about it. That got him sacked on A-gap blitzes two or three times Sunday.

Smith is much more comfortable from the shotgun, and I think I would go to a medium-gun alignment with him, that is often called the Pistol. It's run a bit at some colleges, notably Nevada, and the Chiefs used it with Tyler Thigpen last season. The QB lines up 3 yards behind the center, with the RB 3 yards behind the QB. It provides better directional evenness to your running game than lining up in a full shotgun with the RB to one side or the other of the QB.

Smith can do all the things you need your QB to do; it's just a matter of putting him in position to be successful. I'll be interested to watch this game on Thursday night, against Chicago, because he could have a huge game.

p. I did like what I saw of Vince Young, again. He has played like he's fine with being part of a conservative game plan, which is what he needs. The option stuff he was running with Chris Johnson was effective, and he did hit Justin Gage deep on a couple throws. One, in particular, used all of Gage's vertical. He was actually a starter on Missouri's basketball team in his college days.

q. The Titans are suddenly playing some defense again too, especially Michael Griffin at safety. I also was impressed with William Hayes, who has taken over at LDE for Jevon Kearse, who may have finally had it, at this point. The Titans are a threat to make noise as a spoiler in the second half of the season. The return of Cortland Finnegan has helped them a lot, too. He's not the greatest cover guy, but he's a hitter, and he is always close to the ball. He compares favorably to Asante Samuel in that way.

r. The Panthers just make me shake my head sometimes. They are almost completely back to their 12-4 level from last year lately, except for their QB play. They really erred by not getting one, but John Fox and Jake Delhomme are almost married. Delhomme is going to cost Fox his job, for his sentimentality.

Remember when the Chargers whacked Marty Schottenheimer coming off the 14-2 record? It was the right move. So would cutting ties with Delhomme have been, after last season. Of course, the Chargers blew the second part by hiring Norv Turner. The Panthers will get their chance to do something in the offseason, but they have no first-round pick. If San Francisco decides Alex Smith isn't their guy, he'd be perfect for a team like Carolina, who runs the ball and attacks downfield off of play action. Marc Bulger might be a possible fit too, as the Rams will almost certainly be drafting a QB this year. The Panthers will likely need to get a retread, though.

s. The Saints deserved to get beat on Sunday, but they managed to win anyway. That's something championship teams do, is win without their best stuff.

t. The Texans are really close to being a serious playoff contender, but a Chris Brown goal-line fumble and a Kris Brown missed field goal have basically cost them two games. People haven't noticed, but Matt Schaub is putting up Pro Bowl numbers in Houston. Old friend Gary Kubiak needs to get his team to execute better in key situations.

u. I said I wasn't going to pick the addict Jaguars again, but I did on Sunday, because the Chiefs are horrible. The addicts then proceeded to almost give the game away. Shocker! ST&NO favorite Reggie Nelson had a very good game for the Jags, and so did Brandon Marshall's best friend from college, Mike Sims-Walker.

v. Matt Cassel was the bright spot for the Chiefs, again, and he continues to do pretty well with very little help. I guarantee that the Chiefs don't regret trading for him, especially at the price they paid.

4. In honor of Veterans' Day, I wanted to blaze a different path by doing something apolitical and propaganda-free. It's Tangential Story Time, in ST&NO. Yay!!!

Most regular readers are at least generally aware that I spent 4 years in the United States Navy. I don't think I have ever mentioned that going to sea is basically my family business, though. My dad was in the Navy for 14 years, and then has worked as an executive for companies which supply the Navy for the last 20+ years. His brother recently retired as a long-time civilian mariner for the Navy, and his other brother was a Marine, who rode a Navy ship or two. My youngest brother is currently employed as a Naval civilian mariner, presently working for a ship stationed in Gaeta, Italy. There's lots of salt in my family.

So, I woke up early on Sucker-Free Saturday, and a headline popped into my RSS reader that grabbed my attention.

Navy ship built with WTC steel to go into service

I clicked the link to read the article, and saw something very interesting in the first sentence.

NEW YORK — The Navy is commissioning its newest battleship with a bow forged from steel that once held up the World Trade Center.

The Navy decommissioned its last four remaining Iowa-class Battleships in the early 1990s, and I didn't think that they had any plans to bring them back, despite some misgivings from parts of the Marine Corps that current Naval Gunfire Support programs wouldn't be sufficient for a Normandy-like shore landing.

A Battleship is a specific type of ship, like in the children's game of the same name. The Iowa class had wooden decks, and three turrets with three independent 50-caliber 16-inch guns each, for a total of 9 guns. The shells were 16 inches in diameter, and weighed 2,700 pounds each. (Modern Cruisers and Destroyers have one or two (mostly two) 5-inch, 54-caliber guns each, by comparison. Those shells are 5 inches in diameter, and weigh 70 pounds.) Each Iowa-class turret took a crew of 94 men to operate, and I actually served with a guy who was working in Turret #3 on the Iowa in 1989, when Turret #2 exploded and killed 47 men.

Battleships played a large part in the Pacific theater in World War II, and somewhat minor parts in Korea, Vietnam, and the first Persian Gulf War. The primary missions of Battleships were shore bombardment, and ship-to-ship combat. The advent of precision-guided munitions (like Harpoon missiles, for ship-to-ship combat), and the reality that 5-inch, 54-caliber guns are considered by the Navy to be sufficient for Naval Gunfire Support, largely made battleships unnecessary, and the last Battleships were decommissioned not long after World War II, with a few held in reserve status. Iowa, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Missouri were each re-commissioned several times over the coming decades, with the Missouri being the last active battleship, being decommissioned for the last time in 1992. (The picture below is of the Iowa, shooting her guns to starboard.)

So, there's this new ship, called the USS New York, and the AP says it's a battleship. At first, I was skeptical, because I know that the Battleship mission is obsolete. Thinking about it, though, it is named after a state, like US battleships have historically been. I also know that the Bush Adminstration Pentagon had some meat-heads in high places of their procurement organization, who favored weapons systems with some badass factor to them, whether they were strictly necessary or not. But I would have heard about new Battleships, right? Hmmmm.

I called the guy who would know, my father Ed, who has appeared in ST&NO before, and I got my answer.

Ted: Hey, what do you know about this new ship, New York, that was partially built from World Trade Center steel?

Ed: Well, it's being commissioned this morning.

Ted: What kind of ship is it?

Ed: It's a piece-of-(bleep) LPD-17 class. A Gator Freighter. (Note: Gator Freighter is the ~~somewhat~~ very derisive name for Amphibious Navy ships which primarily carry Marines. Surface combatant guys, like me, don't think too much of Amphibs, or the people who ride them.)

Ted: Oh, OK. This AP reporter called it a battleship, and it's named after a state, which lends that some coincidental level of plausibility. I was skeptical, so I thought I'd ask somebody who knows.

Ed: <Scoffs> The media doesn't know what the hell they're talking about.

The media doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. Hmmm... Where have I heard that before?

5. What's New In Cleveland Update:

We have a great local brewery here called Great Lakes Brewing Company, that puts out this great stuff they call Christmas Ale every year, at this time. It tastes like cinnamon, but it's 7.5% alcohol by volume, so if you're like me, and you drink them like they're just expensive Bud Lights, they can really creep on you quickly.

So, I was at a the Cleveland State University bar called Becky's last Thursday, for my fraternity's monthly alumni happy hour. I was pleased to discover that they had Christmas Ale on tap, which I would later find out was running me $18 per pitcher, times 3 pitchers. Whatever. I am drinking some fine seasonal beer, and one of the guys says, "Hey, that's Mike Trivisonno right there, like 5 feet away."

Trivisonno is the local Radio Idiot, who I have disparaged on here before a few times, as being part of the Browns problems. I am not sure what he was doing at Becky's, of all places, but he was hanging out with some uglo-Americans, who may or may not have been related to him. He's holding court, and talking about the Browns, and how the city is cursed, and blah blah blah. (I hate it when people say "blah blah blah" in a conversation, but for some strange reason I just felt the strong need to type it there, like my ex-wife possessed my body momentarily, or something. Deal with it.)

It seems the work of the Radio Idiot is never finished. He bloviates even off the clock. I wonder if Rush Limbaugh does too.... That was a little deeper than a Shallow Thought. Focus.

OK, here's the deal. There's no such thing as curses. There's only confusing hope for a plan (hat tip to Michael Lombardi). That's what they do here, in all sports - even the Cavs, to some extent. (Let's face it: the Shaq acqusition is all about hope.)

Randy Lerner, by all accounts, is an OK guy, and he wants to win. He doesn't know anything about football, and I don't think he particularly wants to, either. He's actually a soccer guy, and he owns Aston Villa. He needs somebody to establish and run a program for him. It can't be a Head Coach, because he's too hands-off for that kind of arrangement. (That works fine with appropriately engaged owners like Robert Kraft, Bud Adams, and Pat Bowlen.)

He needs a Bill Parcells-type situation, which is why he is reportedly pursuing Mike Holmgren. I think Holmgren is going to end up saying he'd rather coach than head a front office, but it's a good idea to try. Whoever ends up being the head honcho is going to fire Eric Mangini, and start over from scratch, again. This is increasingly clear. The trick is going to be hiring the right honcho, for the first time since they came back into the NFL in 1999.

Ron Wolf and Ernie Accorsi aren't going to want the job, but if I were Lerner, I'd put on a full-court press to get one of them to help me find the right honcho. A guy I would make a run at is Jimmy Johnson, but only as a team president, not a coach. You hire him, tell him he only has to work 30 hours a week, some of it from Florida, and let him hire a focused GM, (maybe Chris Polian, or Marty Hurney if he is let go at Carolina?) and let them decide what to do with the coaching staff. Then, the chain of command is clear: Owner, to President, to GM, to Head Coach.

As a side note, I expect Mangini to struggle to find future work in coaching. His credibility in the NFL is shot at this point, and what college is going to hire a guy like that? Can you see him talking a kid into coming to play at State U? Absolutely not.

6. So, I know you've been wondering what a guy like me does on a Friday night. My gameplan changes every week, like any good team's (except the Colts); and this past Friday, my friend Ashley was looking for somebody to go with her to a happy hour event at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It sounded like fun, so I emailed her, and we went.

I'd like to tell you that I am a really cultured, artsy guy, but the truth is that I'm not. I'm kind of a rugged football, business, and politics guy. Somewhat embarassingly, it was the first time I had gone to the Museum in 7 1/2 years of living in Cleveland. Ashley is really smart, though, and I figured correctly that I would learn some stuff from her.

There was a Paul Gauguin exhibit, which was included in the price of admission. I looked up Gauguin on the interwebz, and learned that he was a contemporary of Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh's brother Theo was actually Gauguin's agent, and he got them to work together in 1888. They spent 9 weeks together at Van Gogh's famous Yellow House in Arles, and they quarreled constantly, because they saw the right way to paint very differently. (At the CMA, there were several examples, side-by-side, where both men painted the same thing, and they looked extremely different.) Both men had bouts of depression and suicidal tendencies. When Gauguin fled the tense situation after Van Gogh threatened him with a razor blade, Van Gogh freaked out, and went to a brothel, where he famously cut part of his ear off. They never saw each other again.

When I saw the news that the Chiefs cut Larry Johnson on Monday, the thought of his relationship with Todd Haley made me think of Gauguin and Van Gogh. Haley is a talented coach, and Johnson is a talented player. Both men have reputations for being difficult, though, and many (including me) were skeptical about the pairing when Haley was hired. Johnson's actions, around callng out Haley on Twitter and using gay slurs, were stupid. Really, it's not too different from cutting your ear off, on the foolishness scale.

Haley couldn't have Johnson play for him again, just as Gauguin couldn't return to Arles to work with Van Gogh. If you're betting on futures, take Haley's (like it would have been wise to take Gauguin.) Johnson is 30 and well-worn, old for a RB; Haley is 42, which is young for a Head Coach. Van Gogh died two years after the ear incident, while Gauguin had 13 more years, and a lot of productivity after that. Go with the guy who knew it was time to cut the cord, rather than the one who cut off his ear to spite his face.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. The worst thing about November is the jewelry commercials during football games. (Well, I guess I should be glad not to see Chevy commercials with any Mellencamp songs.) I have found the answer, friends, if you're into man-cavery like me.

If you have Sunday Ticket with SuperFan, the setup works like this. Watch games on a muted TV (or two, if you can manage it, like I do). Watch the Red Zone channel on a laptop, with SuperConnect, and listen to the sound on the laptop, preferably over some decent speakers. Red Zone has no commercials, so when they come on TV, you can just ignore the visual stimulus, and listen to the sounds of what's going on on the laptop screen. I spent the whole day Sunday with this, so I got to see a lot of football, without hearing incessantly about how you're no kind of man if you don't go to Jared, the Galleria of Jewelry, and that every kiss begins with Kay. Damn, it's great to be single. (This is Ourrrrrrr Country!!!!!)

Have a good week, and let's get ready for a Broncos victory in Washington on Sunday. No hysterics are necessary, let's just take some comfort in the fairly safe assumption that our coaching staff is driving the players to learn from and improve on their mistakes. See you next Tuesday!

Arizona Cardinal of the Week: Week 9

Andrew602 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:16:49 -0000

After the Cardinals impressive win over the Chicago Bears yesterday, I can say with confidence that it's much easier to post the Cardinal of the week. Let me get back to the painful loss last week one more time to congratulate Tim Hightower for winning last week's COTW. Sunday, the Cardinals quite possibly played their best offensive game of the season, and there were many players that stepped up to lead their team to a 4-0 start on the road. It shouldn't be shocking that all the candidates are on offense, starting with the player that had a monster game.

Kurt Warner - Is this really a contest? Kurt Warner easily redeemed himself for his awful performance last week. He tied a franchise single game record with five touchdowns, and eventually led the Cardinals to 41 points on Sunday. If Warner can keep up this pace, the Cardinals shouldn't have a problem hanging with any teams in the league.

Larry Fitzgerald - We saw the Fitzgerald of last year on Sunday. Fitz caught two touchdowns in the win, and more importantly 123 receiving yards, a season high. Larry was at the end of several first downs, and appeared to be unstoppable at times lining up against Charles Tillman.

Steve Breaston - Breaston did a solid job starting next to Fitzgerald in the absense of Anquan Boldin. He had a good game and even caught a touchdown late to ice the game. Breaston also added 25 yards to the rushing total, and was dependable once again with punt return duties.

Tim Hightower - I thought about naming Beanie as well but when it came down to it, Tim has a wider variety of skills, and that has been the determining factor this season keeping him the starter. Hightower can catch out of the backfield, and is also an important piece in pass protection.

When it came down to it, nobody on the defense did enough to stand out. As a whole, they did get pressure on Jay Cutler and forced a turnover, but they also allowed 369 passing yards and almost let the game get close. As always, if you feel anybody should be added to the list, just drop a comment listing who and why. Who did you vote for?

Poll

Who is the Arizona Cardinal of the Week?

Kurt Warner - 22 of 32 for 261 yards and 5 TD's (QB rating of 132.9)

263 votes

Larry Fitzgerald - 9 receptions for 123 yards (13.6 ypc) and 2 TDs

46 votes

Steve Breaston - 5 rec for 66 yards and 1 TD, one carry for 25 yards

5 votes

Tim Hightower - 15 carries for 77 yards and one catch for 11 yards

11 votes

Matt Ware - (added by popular demand) 1 tackle and 1 pick

1 votes

326 votes | Poll has closed

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Cardinals Edition

Dane Noble — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:23:16 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

View full size photo »

The NFC playoff picture seems to be working itself into a pretty clear picture, and, although it could still happen, my prediction of a 12-4 season for the Chicago Bears looks unobtainable. And honestly, at this point, I'm not so sure that our coaching is to blame.

Our GM brought in three new offensive linemen, and none of them have helped. Can Ron Turner be to blame for our porous running game? He didn't make the FA signings.

On the other side of the ball, we do not have the personnel to run a Tampa-2/ Cover-2 defense. Our secondary is a liability,,, is Lovie to blame for our lack of talent on defense? We just don't have the personnel.

The only mystery for me is the DL/ Rod Marinelli situation. It seems like half of our roster is comprised of defensive linemen, and we still chose to trade our 2010 2nd round draft pick for another pass rusher. Add to that, we have a guy that is well-known around the league as being one of the best DL coaches in the NFL... you'd think that would be an area of strength for us.

We know our offense is failing because of our personnel at OL, we know our LB corp is thinned out and that our secondary is incredibly weak... but where's the front 4? Why have we seen over the last few weeks our DL get dominated in the passing and rushing games? What's up with Coach Marinelli?

- Rashied Davis is still doing a mighty fine job on STs. And undersized WR making great open-field tackles... gotta love it.

- Tommie, Tommie, Tommie. What happened to Tommie Harris? Is his career coming to a quick halt? We can expect him not to be wearing a Bears uniform next season... but will he even be in the NFL? Maybe not, unless the Bungles give him a shot.

- One of my notes simply said that Fitz > Tillman. But, that was early in the game. Now, I'll change that note to say that it is a shame when Charles Tillman is our best coverage cornerback.

- I have been wondering for 2 weeks if Hunter Hillenmeyer was really 100% healthy. Rib injuries take much longer than 2 weeks to heal from, and I smelled a rat when he came back so quickly.

- Jay Cutler's first possession of the game: he walks onto the field with his head down, looking at the ground.

- Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and Greg Olsen have all developed great hands. I mentioned last week that Cutler puts them in positions where they have to make tough catches... well, they can. Exhibit "A": that catch early in Q1 down the sidelines when Hester was blanketed by the CB. Cutler saw the single-coverage, audibled into a fly route, and made a picture-perfect throw to Hester. And what a catch!

- Garrett Wolfe made an outstanding tackle on KO coverage.

- While we looked like we might be able to generate some pressure on Kurt Warner early in the game, turns out, not really. Soft coverage on the WRs + zero pass rush = duplication of the Cincy game.

- Arizona's OL absolutely dominated Marinelli's DL. Passing plays, rushing plays... didn't matter. An inside source said that the Card's OL even formed a wall in front of the Bears showers after the game, and the DL couldn't bust through then either. They went home without showering.

- Johnny Knox was one cut away from daylight on the KOR following Arizona's second TD. But, he was going too fast to make that final cut.

- We finally saw Cutler looking downfield for our WRs more this week, especially to Hester. On a related note, kudos to the OL. While they still broke down and sucked a large part of the game, there were spurts where they did a good job of protecting the QB. Kudos guys.

- My OL grades: Chris Williams: B, Roberto Garza: B-, Olin Kreutz: C, Josh Beekman/ Frank Omiyale: D, Orlando Pace: C-

- 3rd and 16, 1st quarter. Earl Bennett runs a deep post, right into the lap of the safety. Had he turned that deep post into a skinny post, things would have happened. I know it's his first year on the field, but he's gotta be more aware. Against zone defenses, you have to find the soft spots... not run straight to a defender.

- My prediction of turnovers, penalties, and QB sacks for both teams did not some true. Well, Cutler did get nailed, and the Bears did have too many penalties. But I was thinking it would go both ways.

- As of the 10 minute mark in the second quarter, Matt Forte had exactly one rush.

- Question: If it's 3rd and 5 for Arizona, why are our DBs 12 yards off the WRs? I mean, I trust Lovie Smith, and I know he is having to play defense with some bad talent... but 12 yards off the WRs? Of course they converted a first down. And eventually scored a TD.

- Oh, speaking of converting... 3rd and 10, Arizona ball. Easy pitch and catch on a 12 yard curl route. 5 plays later, TD. Too easy, too soft.

- Kevin Payne plays hard, and hits hard. Good to see a bit of fire from someone on defense.

- Alex Brown fights hard. Even in the 4th quarter when we are getting schooled. Keep on fighting big guy.

- Injuries: Yikes. And now we have another game in three days. Friggin great. You know what though? We will beat San Francisco.

The Saturday Sim: Cardinals-Bears

Andrew602 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:08:28 -0000

Warner couldn't escape his dreadful performance from last week.

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Ok so it technically wasn't posted right on Saturday, but I finally go the simulation between the Bears and Cardinals done, and let me tell you, it was tough to watch(you'll find out why in a moment). Before I break down the simulation, for those of you who aren't familiar with this, I simulate a game between the Cardinals and their opponent for that given week on the popular game known as Madden. I set it for All Madden difficulty, 8 minute quarters, with a 15 second run off. Then I post the results here. So far Madden has simulated the Cardinals to be perfect, but will that continue today?

First Quarter

The Cardinals receive the ball, and immediately start throwing to their receivers. Unfortunately, Kurt Warner throws one of those passes to Bears cornerback, Charles Tillman- Bears ball. On the Bears first drive, the Cardinals defense pressures Cutler right away, and Calais Campbell comes away with a sack. The Bears are forced to punt. The Cardinals start their next drive throwing the ball frequently again. After a Reggie Wells holding call, Warner throws a nice 42 yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald. Warner looks better on this drive, until I speak to soon and he throws a pick again to Charles Tillman in the red zone. The Cardinals stifle the Bears again, who then punt the ball back to the Cardinals. After a few successful passes, the Cardinals in the 1st quarter in the red zone. It's an exciting first quarter, 0-0

Second Quarter

The Cardinals open the quarter by Kurt Warner throwing a touchdown for 6 yards to Steve Breaston!!! 7-0 Cardinals.

On the Bears next drive, they finally get a first down for the game. They can't keep that trend alive as Calais Campbell gets his second sack of the game. On the punt return, Steve Breaston can't hold onto the ball, and the Bears recover. The Cardinals challenge but lose. They continue to lose when Cutler throws a 5 yard pass to Matt Forte to tie the game. 7-7.

The Cardinals open their next drive with a run, their 1st of the game. After that, they must punt to the Bears and the Bears have to punt back. The Cardinals march down to the Bears end zone, but they can't punch it in, and settle for a field goal. At this point, Kurt Warner has already thrown 24 pass attempts. 10-7 Cardinals

The Bears hurry up with under a minute. Jay Cutler doesn't get pressured, and the Bears get a field goal to tie the game at 10. 10-10

Third Quarter

The Bears open the 2nd half running the ball more. At mid field Hester receives a catch and fumbles, in which the Cardinals recover. Kurt Warner leads the offense down the field, throwing passes better then earlier. Unfortunately, he throws a pass straight to Daniel Manning, who then returns the ball for a pick six. 17-10 Bears.

Kurt Warner and the offense immediately get back to business, airing the ball out with a 30 yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald. In the Bears end zone, Kurt Warner throws another interception to Charles Tillman, his fourth of the game. Ouch!!

The Bears continue running the ball better, and Devin Hester breaks a 36 yard catch to get the Bears into Cardinals territory. At the goal line, the Cardinals defense stuffs three running attempts, forcing the Bears to settle for a field goal. 20-10 Bears

Fourth Quarter

The Cardinals open the final quarter, passing the ball more. They aren't running a hurry up,and attempt to even run the ball a few times. After a Kurt Warner sack, the Cardinals face third and long. Kurt Warner confusingly dumps the ball off, which isn't enough for the first down. Cards punt the ball.

The Bears primarily run, and are able to take the time down to the 2 minute warning, and force the Cardinals to use all three timeouts. There, the Bears are able to kick in a 50 yard field goal. Bears lead 23-17.

With under two minutes left, the Cardinals play hurry up. After three incomplete passes, the Cardinals complete a fourth down pass to Early Doucet. Kurt Warner continues to throw dump off passes, and the Cardinals eventually run out of time. Cardinals lose 10-23.

The Stats

	Cardinals	Bears
Total	387	235
Pass	376	163
Rush	11	72
First Downs	19	12
Third Down	4-9(44%)	1-7(14%)
TOP	18:40	13:20

	comp/att	Yards	TD	INT	Rate
Warner	32/46(69%)	384	1	4	65.8
Cutler	13/18(72%)	178	1	0	122.0

	Att	Yards	Avg	TD
Hightower	3	8	2.6	0
Forte	16	61	3.8	0

	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Fitzgerald	5	114	22.8	0
Boldin	5	66	13.2	0
Breaston	6	74	12.3	0
Hester	7	113	16.1	0
Forte	2	21	10.5	1
Davis	1	23	23.0	0

Final Thought

It's an unsettling loss that I hope does not happen this week. Kurt Warner would also not want to have a game like this if he wants to continue being the starter. One thing that the computer can't take into hand is that the Cardinals are a better road team, and I think that will be the difference. What are your thoughts on the simulation?