SB Nation - Brian Urlacher

A Break From the Hysteria- Top 10 Chicago Lists

Dane Noble — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:15:44 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

To try and navigate around the interwebs and find anything noteworthy about the Chicago Bears that is not centered around firing Lovie Smith and/or Jerry Angelo can be quite a task. We realize that people are fired up right now, but sometimes you just need a break from all of the outcries and dire curses.

If only for a few moments, we bring you that opportunity. ESPNChicago has put together some top-10 lists that focus on the Bears, other professional teams in the city, and even athletes from Chicago who play for other city's teams. We'll post the top-10 Bears players from this decade, but make sure you check out the other lists as well if you have time.

10- Ruben Brown

4- Mike Brown

2- Olin Kreutz

Also listed are the top-10 Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire; top-10 games, and top-10 players from Chicago.

Thoughts? (besides the fact that we should fire Lovie)

Legendary Linebackers: Urlacher & Lewis

Mark Saade — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:00:18 -0000

NFL middle linebackers Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis will be forever linked as two of the best linebackers of the 21st Century, maybe even two of the best football players of all time.

Urlacher has manned the middle of the Chicago Bears defense since 2000; Lewis has held down the Baltimore Ravens defense for the last 13 years. Both men taking their defenses and teams to the top of the NFL ranks. Numerous awards and accolades have been dished out to the two superstars. The total number of tackles between them running well into the thousands.

Many great athletes have put on a helmet and shoulder pads to play linebacker in the NFL. Names such as Ray Nitschke, Sam Huff and Jack Lambert are all mentioned when discussing the greatest linebackers in history. Of course, when talking about linebackers two former Bears players are always in the conversation; Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary. Because of the rich history of the position within Chicago, Urlacher has had much to live up.

When looking back over the NFL’s last 10 years, only a few linebackers may be worthy of having their bust displayed in Canton, Ohio. Players such as Junior Seau, Derrick Brooks and of course the two subjects of this article.

Though Urlacher and Lewis play the same position, they are asked to do very different things for their team. Lewis, the emotional leader, stares down the opposing quarterback and is ready to pounce on anyone in a different color jersey. Urlacher, the prototypical linebacker for a Cover 2 defense, runs as fast as any player on the field and has the smarts to call his own defensive plays. No matter what they bring to the table, each of these men eat. Both are asked to do different things in order for their teams to succeed and both do it. Comparing these men’s stats is only scratching the surface of their worth to their team. Since each one is asked to do something different in different defensive schemes; comparing tackle, sack and interception numbers would only cheapen the impact these men have on the field.

Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher have both blazed through the league and left their marks for all of the future to see. Though Urlacher was picked higher than Lewis on draft day, (#9 and #26 overall respectively), Lewis was the more popular college player. Coming out one year early from the Univeristy of Miami, Lewis made an immediate impact on the Ravens by leading the team in tackles in his rookie year. Urlacher would make his draft stock soar after an impressive rookie combine showing. Playing safety at the University of New Mexico, Urlacher would bulk up after his senior year in college and quickly show the NFL that his athletic ability could not be ignored.

Over the course of their impressive careers, the two men have between them; two Super Bowl appearances, three Defensive Player of the Year awards, a Defensive Rookie of the Year award and 16 trips to Hawaii.

Urlacher and Lewis both have storied NFL careers that still have chapters left to be written. If both men were to retire tomorrow, they should be considered as two of the best the game has ever seen.

The NFL has a new crop of young tacklers eager to carry on the linebacking torch. Let’s hope they can live up to the standards set by Urlacher and Lewis.

Bears '09 - Oh My!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Week 14 Preview: Packers (8-4) @ Bears (5-7)

SackMan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:00:20 -0000

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The Bears will get to try and play spoiler, at least for one week, as they host their historic rivals from up North. As has been said before, the Bears figure to win one game that they're not supposed to win. Maybe that win comes Sunday at Soldier Field at 12:00pm CT on FOX.

Week 13 Recap

The Packers: Aaron Rodgers and the Pack defense put on a good show last Monday night as they beat the Ravens 27-14. It wasn't a game for stats, but the Packers got it done in prime time, something Jay Cutler has yet to do as a Bear. The Packers have now won 4 games in a row, in large part to their defense, which has quietly vaulted to the #1 spot in the NFL. Plus, the O-line has been giving Aaron Rodgers some better protection... something he's been dying to see. The Pack have allowed 45 sacks on the year, most in the NFL. But, they've given up just 4 sacks combined in the last 3 games.

The Bears: Hey... we won! We beat the Rams... at home... but it still counts, right? There was nothing to rave about in the Bears 17-9 win last week. Heck, they didn't even cover the spread... they averaged 3.2 ypc against a horrible run defense... they were 4-13 on 3rd down and punted 7 friggin times... and they lost the time of possession battle as well. If it weren't the Rams, it would've been another loss.

Quick Numbers:

62.0: Jay Cutler's completion % for the year, right on pace with his very good career mark (62.3)
103.3: Aaron Rodgers QB rating for the year... ungodly.
3.4: Matt Forte's YPC on the season. It went up a point! Pathetic.
#1: The Green Bay Packer's defensive ranking.

When the Packers have the ball.
This is a potent offense, led by one of the best QBs in the league. I'm still waiting for the day when I can write that about the Bears. They're our rival... we know them well... there's not much to write about here. Driver, Jennings, and Grant.

The key match-up for the Packers: RT Mark Tauscher vs DE Adewale Ogunleye
A healthy Chad Clifton has returned to Rodger's left side to hold down the fort, but Tauscher is about the equivalent of Fred Miller version 2008. Ogunleye could have a nice game and force Rodgers to move to his left.

The X factor on offense for the Packers: TE Jermichael Finley
The talented young TE is a playmaker, coming off a career 7 catch, 2 TD performance on MNF. He's becoming another go-to option for Rodgers in the red zone, and at 6'5", he's a mismatch.

When the Bears have the ball.
Hey Turner, can you get Jay Cutler moving out of the pocket with regularity for once? Look at his highlight reel in Denver and there's two things in common: 1. Cutler moving out of the pocket, and 2. no Run Turner.

The key match-up for the Bears: LT Chris Williams vs blitzing LBs in Dom Caper's 3-4
If there is one reason to watch this game, outside of the rivalry, it's the Chris Williams show. Williams gets a real good test to show he belongs at LT. His next test comes in two weeks, when he faces Jared Allen. By then, I'm wagering we'll be calling him another Angelo bust.

The X Factor on offense for the Bears: LB Brian Urlacher.
Yes... Brian Urlacher. The injured Brian Urlacher. You know why? Cause he's the only damn guy in the organization who seems to motivate this team.

Side notes from the NFC North:

The Vikings finally lost their second game of the season in Arizona last week... the Bears are playing the Pack... and the Lions are still the Lions. Forgive me, but I'm gonna skimp out of this section. This crappy Bears team is wearing on me.

The Bears 3 Biggest Ripoffs (and what should happen)--2009 Edition

Kev H — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:00:18 -0000

Inspired by this article earlier tonight (The NFL's Biggest Rip-Offs), I started to think about what the Bears biggest ripoffs were, when comparing salary to effectiveness.

To be fair, I'm not going to include players like Urlacher, or Tinoisamoa, because they're injured, and I don't think they can be truly judged as ripoffs. But there are a few players who just aren't living up to what we're paying them, and they should be called out.

Then to stimulate some discussion, what I think should happen. Let's delve in below...

The Problem Children

1. Orlando Pace--What more can really be said? After the retirement of John Tait, Jerry Angelo rolled the expensive dice on aging offensive lineman who had missed more games over the last three years than he'd played.

Orlando Pace counts for over 5.3 million in cap space this year. (He's actually slated to earn a little more, with the roster bonus and all added in) To put that into perspective, Brian Urlacher counts for about 10.1 million in cap space. Pace has the sixth-highest cap hit on the team. Put simply, he's underperforming, but that causes so many more problems. With the recent switch of C. Williams to Left Tackle, This could potentially mean that for the last 4 games of the season, the Bears could end up giving Pace over 1.3 million dollars to ride the bench.

If Chris Williams looks the real deal this weekend against a Packers defense that is vastly superior to the Rams, it will be even more egg on the front office face. While many of us (myself included) were intrigued by the idea of Pace, I think we all realize it was not a good idea. (Especially in retrospect.) The Bears tried to fix a problem quickly with some proven talent, but the scouting left something to be desired. Shocking, I know.

2. Frank Omiyale--Omiyale makes this list because his bonus money is so crazy ridiculous. in 2009 he's going to make a 620k salary and over 3.8 million dollars in bonuses. As Dane pointed out the other day, Omiyale is great as a pulling guard, but his abilities in that area are not justifying such a hefty price tag. His pass blocking is poor, and part of the reason we got him was to be a big physical run-blocker, but beekman has, at times, outflashed him greatly (and much more cheaply.)

3. Tommie Harris--No surprise here, but Tommie is on this list again, in all our minds, if not our hearts. Since he's going to make over 9 million dollars this year, I think it's fair from us to all expect a little more from him. Gone is the Harris who commands the double team. Gone is the Harris who bum rushes the QB straight up the middle. Gone is the Harris who grabs running backs at the handoff.

Now, to be fair, Tommie has looked a little better as of late. He may still have some nagging injury issues. He may have gotten his money and decided to pack it in. That being said, his is one of the most important positions in the Bears current defense. Our past success on defense came because we had pro-bowl level talent at every level of the defense, but without him playing like he used to, we have nothing, and he can't free up any of our approximately 100 other defensive lineman to get in the backfield and make game changing plays.

That's all well and good, Kev, but what do you think should happen?

Well, it's pretty safe to say--not all three of these guys can possibly stay on the roster. I think it's pretty obvious that Orlando Pace will likely be the man to leave, hopefully through retirement (the classy way), and not through the Bears cutting him. I respect Pace a lot, as he was a stellar player at his position for a long time. However, both he and his salary are a complete liability to the Bears.

Omiyale is still, relatively speaking, a young dude. He could continue to develop his skill set a bit, and eventually could develop into a really solid, if unspectacular lineman. His contract was insanely front-loaded, so the rest of his deal shouldn't hurt the Bears going forward.

Tommie is...well...Tommie. His contract is big enough to make it hard to find anyone really willing to trade him, and if someone values him that much, we probably should as well. We've seen what he can do, and hopefully he really is returning to form. I largely think that regaining the head of the Defense, our trash-talking middle linebacker, will help Tommie's game. While he isn't getting the explosive burst at the line, I think given the extra second that a good coverage set will provide can help Tommie regain some glory.

So what do you think? Check out the poll--which of these three do you think is the biggest ripoff, or if there's another you think is greater, you let us know why. Otherwise...get ready to knock a couple back. It could be a long Sunday afternoon...

Poll

Which of these is the biggest rip-off of 2009?

Orlando Pace

552 votes

Frank Omiyale

120 votes

Tommie Harris

192 votes

Other (Difficulty--don't say coaching or front office)

95 votes

959 votes | Poll has closed

Urlacher has a lot to say from the sidelines

Adam T — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:43:50 -0000

This post is sponsored by Comcast's Red Zone. Catch Every Touchdown From Every Game. Every Sunday Afternoon.

The sideline definitely does not suit Brian Urlacher. He has been pretty grumpy lately, though the Bears horrific playing could have a lot to do with that.

One reporter decided to spend the weekend with him and Urlacher had a lot to say about the things that bother him about the way football is played today by a lot of players.

Urlacher was amazed that Arizona Cardinals cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie(notes) jawed with Johnson in the end zone. "What are you talking [expletive] for, Cromartie?" he said. "He just went 85 yards for a TD! What could he be saying? ‘I’m just as fast as you’?"

How the Bears can move up in the 2010 NFL Draft

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:00:16 -0000

by Jason DeCrow - AP

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With no first or second round picks thanks to the Jay Cutler and Gaines Adams deals, getting an impact rookie will be challenging, but not impossible. The Bears need to find a way to get into the first or second round, and then of course, not whiff on the picks. The Bears currently have one pick in the third through seventh rounds for a total of five picks. As far as I can tell the most picks you can start draft day with is ten, but you can wheel and deal once the draft starts to get as many as you want. The Bears need to do what ever they can to get ten draft choices before draft day in order to maximize their dealing capabilities.

Looking over the Bears roster you'll see plenty of players under contract that shouldn't be a part of their future. Some players will have to be cut, but some have enough value to pick up a late round pick. Jerry Angelo (if he's still the GM this off season) has to deal away some dead weight. Just remember, making trades in the NFL isn't like other sports, player movement through trades just doesn't happen that often, but Angelo will have to thoroughly explore all possibilities. And the biggest thing he must consider is he may be drafting for the last time in Chicago, so if the opportunity arises use some of the 2011 draft choices to help get some picks in 2010.

One thing to keep in mind when dealing away some of your depth is the special teams will suffer. But with Dave Toub coordinating that phase of the team it's a chance you have to take. I'll speculate on some possible moves the Bears could make.

A) Nathan Vasher has a big money deal, but could be moved because he has had some past success. All you need is one GM to think a change of scenery could revive his career. Someone will want a former Pro Bowl corner, and a change just may do him good. Depending on the timing of the deal you could possibly get a fifth or sixth round pick for him. If the Bears could squeak out a few reps at free safety for the "Interceptor" it could help his trade value or if he fills in adequately at corner for a game or two they'll see his value go up, maybe as high as a fourth round pick.

B) I know the Bears were burned by trading away a safety a few years ago in Chris Harris, but it's clear the Bears are moving forward with Al Afalava as the strong safety. He outplayed Kevin Payne to win the job, but Payne has starting experience on his resume. He has some value around the league. The Bears seem comfortable with Craig Steltz backing up SS, so moving Payne makes sense right now. Depending on team needs this off season the Bears might end up with as high as a fifth round pick for him.

C) With Greg Olsen winning the starting tight end job from Desmond Clark, and with the emergence of Kellen Davis as a serviceable back up, Des Clark is expendable. Neither Olsen or Davis can block as well as Clark, but blocking is something they can improve on. Remember Clark was a wide receiver at Wake Forest and worked to become a better than average blocker. You need your reserve tight ends to be core special teamers and Clark doesn't fit that. If he fully recovers from this years injuries and finishes strong he might bring you a fourth round pick. Besides this season, he's been a reliable starting tight end for the Bears, and even though Clark is an 11 year vet he could be a starter for another team.

D) Garrett Wolfe, currently on IR because of a lacerated kidney, is expected to be ready for full participation come this off season. It should be with another team. For what ever reason the Bears have never been able to find a way to fit him into the game plan. He's excelled on special teams the last couple years and in his limited time with the ball in his hands this year he's been ok. With Jones expected back next year in some role and Khalil Bell able to fill the special teams spot of Wolfe, the Bears need to float Wolfe's name out there to gauge his value. At most I think they could get a fifth round pick for him, but their probably more likely to get a sixth.

The next two players I'll throw out there I really can't see traded, but you never know. Trading away players of their stature is difficult because one side will never feel truly compensated in any deals that may get to the table.

E) A popular name that is mentioned in trade speculation by many fans is Tommie Harris. With his production coming no where near his contract, moving him could be next to impossible. He has however, started playing better of late. Here's the question to ponder; If Harris is 100% and playing like the Tommie of old do you still want to trade him? If he has a strong finish to the year and they decide he isn't worth the risk, they could get a third (maybe a second) round pick for him if the right situation arises.

F) Before the recent drama surrounding Brian Urlacher I never would have even considered trading him away. But with him dropping those quotes for the Yahoo Sports piece, I could see him moved. Now finding someone that would want to take on that contract is another thing entirely. With his recent injury history teams may shy away from him, but there will be a few organizations that'll show interest. If his wrist heals properly, and all indications are that it will, he could fetch as high as a second round pick.

* Of course any of these players and any future draft choices could be used to pick up a legit number one wide receiver. In that case, picking up a guy like Brandon Marshall or Anquan Boldin would trump any plans I touched on above.

But if the Bears do stockpile lower round picks they'll then need to be used to move up in the draft, something Jerry Angelo hasn't done much of in the past. Using an NFL Draft Pick Value Chart, one of which every GM in the league uses, you can see the points needed to move up in the draft. If you've never seen the chart go take a look so what I say next makes sense (well... I'll try and make sense).

There are always teams looking to trade down, whether to save on the first round draft pick contract or because of how the draft is falling they realize "their guy" will be available later. The Bears would need between 600-900 points to get into the bottom half of round one. Many times the team trading up will have to overpay to make the move. I won't take into consideration any picks potentially obtained by moving Harris or Urlacher (like I said, it's unlikely they'll be moved).

OK, so in the scenarios outlined above the Bears would have their own 3rd-7th round picks plus two 4's a 5 and a 6. I'll look at some draft day deals that could move them into day 1 (1st round) or day 2 (2nd and 3rd round) of the 2010 NFL Draft.

1) The three 4th round picks (approximately worth 200 points) could get them into the 3rd round.

2) They Bears could package their third and fourth round picks (about 300 pts.) and move into the lower end of round two.

3) To get into the latter part of the 2010 1st round they could always move their '11 #1 pick and a handful of late '10 picks. There seems to always be a team picking in the late 1st round that is looking to get out of that pick.

4) If the Bears finish 10th worst this year their 3rd round pick (220 pts.), their 4th round pick (82 pts.), and their 5th round pick (37 pts.) could move them up to the bottom third of the 2nd round. That 2nd plus their 2011 2nd could get them into the 2010 1st round.

5) We'll call this the "Ditka Deal"; If the Bears trade every single one of their 2010 picks, their 3rd-7th (375 pts.), plus their 4 picks acquired in my moves above (approximately 200 points), they could jump up near the top of the 2nd round.

You can see how a creative GM could work the phones to move up. All you need is a willing partner and the guts to pull the trigger on numerous deals. With day 1 of the draft limited to the 1st round this year there will be more time to work the phones before day 2 and the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

Looking for the Bright Side: Week 12 Chicago Bears

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

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

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

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

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

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

We have an embarrasment of riches in the return game.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Laundry List of Mediocracy: Stuff Since the Bears Super Bowl

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

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

Enter Bears writer Jeff Dickerson: (an excerpt):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pick 6: Impact Players In 2010

Dane Noble — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:12:26 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

You didn't make the cut, bud. If you play well a few more times this year, maybe a team would be willing to give us a 2nd round pick for you. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Browse more photos »

Not much going on in Bearville this evening, but I was wondering your thoughts on something. How many "impact players" do the Bears have right now, on each side of the ball?

And by "impact", I mean players that will make a significant difference for the 2010 Chicago Bears. Here's my top-6 players for each side of the ball:

Offense:

Jay Cutler: Has the tools, is young enough to improve.

Matt Forte: Great vision, excellent shiftiness. Very young...will only get better. Great receiving threat.

Greg Olsen: Rare receiving talents for a TE. Still needs improvement, but challenging for any defense he faces.

Devin Hester: All-world game breaking ability. Exponential growth as WR this year, and can only get better.

Johnny Knox: Very similar to Hester, but a truer WR. Looking forward to his progression. Big things from this kid.

Chris Williams: Despite rough patches this year, has the talent for a solid LT. I'm predicting Pro Bowl in 2 years.

Defense:

Lance Briggs: Established himself as someone who isn't going away. Tough, athletic, leader. In his prime.

Alex Brown: Seems to be tougher and faster this year. Really benefitting from Marinelli's tutelage.

Danieal Manning: Developed under Lovie Smith's personal guidance. Will be a great safety next year.

Al Afalava: Tough, fast, technical. Has faultered at times, but will benefit greatly from another year of experience.

Anthony Adams: Seems much stronger and faster this year. Is he even at his upside yet?

Brian Urlacher: Although he will be a year older, his body is getting a full year's rest this year. Can't wait...

Sure, there are other players that could make the list, and maybe there is someone that you don't think should be on my top-6. The way I see it, there are 11 starting positions, and 6 would mean that we have more than half our bases covered for each side of the ball going into next year.

Since I've done more than half the work for them, the team can take care of the rest. You're welcome Jerry Angelo!