SB Nation - Craig Steltz

Packers Pre-Game: Inactives and Turf

Brandon — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:30:57 -0000

Inactives from Greg Bedard at JSOnline.com:

Packers inactives: WR Biren Ealy, CB Trevor Ford, FB Quinn Johnson, S Matt Giordano, T Breno Giacomini, T/G Allen Barbre, NT Ryan Pickett, LB Jeremy Thompson.

Bears inactives: WR Juaquin Iglesias, S Craig Steltz, WR Devin Hester, CB D.J. Moore, LB Cato June, DT Matt Toeainia, LT Orlando Pace, DT Jarron Gilbert.

NT Ryan Pickett appeared unlikely all week, and I'm glad to see he'll get a week off to heal his injured hamstring. They'll get a little smaller up front with either DE Michael Montgomery or DE Jarius Wynn in the rotation this week.

The loss of WR Devin Hester will hurt the Bears, but it's not a fatal blow to their offense either. It does mean the Bears might be playing with 2 TEs for nearly the entire game. LT Orlando Pace might not be a starter anymore, even if healthy.

And one more thing from Greg Bedard:

The turf here at Soldier Field looks terrible and it could be a factor in today's game. It's holding up OK now. Doubt it during the game.

I had forgotten about the awful turf at Soldier Field, though I haven't heard much about it since it was replaced back in September.

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.

NightLink: Payne Out, Afalava Questionable

Dane Noble — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:50:27 -0000

If Al Afalava cannot play tomorrow, we will see either Craig Steltz or Josh Bullocks step in, because Kevin Payne has been officially ruled out.

Now that the official injury report has been filed with the league, we know the Bears could be in trouble at the safety position Thursday night against the 49ers. Safety Kevin Payne is listed as out with a back injury. The good news is safety Al Afalava is questionable with a shoulder injury.

We need Afalava's run support against the Niners, especially with Hunter Hillenmeyer still nursing his rib injuries. I am not sure what Bullocks would bring to the table, but Steltz could at least do a decent job in run support. Luckily, we aren't facing a team that is likely to challenge us with the deep ball.

NightLink II: Looking at Thursday

Dane Noble — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:20:52 -0000

Just some quick notes to throw out your way this evening... all (except one) centered around the game Thursday.

Mike Singletary says that the Bears will always be a team he loves, and talks about the emotions of playing us.

TE Vernon Davis says that the SF offense will destroy the Bears defense up front.

And Brad Biggs tweets that former Bear WR Mike Hass was cut from the Seahawks.

And just a side note, Al Afalava did not practice today... we may very well see Craig Steltz this Thursday.

Updates From Practice & Waiting To Hear From Turner

Dane Noble — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:51:42 -0000

Brad Biggs is hammering out some updates from the Bears practice today... apparently, Tommie Harris is taking the field for the second straight Wednesday (a day he usually takes off), Craig Steltz is back from an arm injury sustained last week, and Devin Hester is sitting out with a possible ankle sprain.

Also, Cutler told reporters earlier today that Ron Turner isn't sure if he's going to scale back the offense this week.

"We're kind of in the middle of the season. We've got our base plays, we've got our concepts that we like,'' Cutler said. "It's just a matter of us running those. Each week we're going to have some different wrinkles and stuff. But the offense is what the offense is."

We'll see what Turner says the offense is going to be after practice. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Although he did not participate in Wednesday's practice, Hester says he will be ready to go for Sunday.

UPDATE #2: Despite what we heard after the game last week, Ron Turner is now saying that we won't scale back the offense. Thanks for the updates Brad!

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Browns Edition

Dane Noble — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:28:05 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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Fans of the Chicago Bears got what we expected on Sunday: a complete dominance of a terrible team. In the long run, it probably doesn't make us feel any better about the season, but in the short run, it puts us a game over .500, and along pace with some of the other wild card potential teams in the NFC.

The defense looked good yesterday for the most part, but the offense continues to show a lack of rhythm. Luckily, we have some great young talent to build our future on, but that doesn't get us off the hook for the remainder of the 2009 season.

- Many will argue that the QB is the most important position on the field, while others will say it is collectively the OL. Roberto Garza can still hold his own, but Chris Williams is the only lineman that I think is worth banking on beyond 2009.

- Matt Forte is falling victim to our lackluster OL play. If I were to grade Forte, I'd say he is a 7 out of 10, with 8 being a Pro Bowl RB. Luckily, he is still very young, and dependable.

- Orlando Pace can still get it done at certain times, but is not consistent. One play, he'll have a dominate pancake block, and the next three plays he can't maintain his balance.

- Marcus Harrison showed good penetration yesterday.

- Danieal Manning showed great athleticism, and has incredible speed. Still out of position a lot, but Lovie Smith has done a good job with him. Hopefully, we see steady improvement over the year from Manning.

- I'll see what I can pull up numbers-wise, but Jay Cutler seems to look better in the shotgun.

- Speaking of Cutler, is it just me, or does he hang his head too much? Sees like his confidence level is down, and doesn't show much fire (outside of jawing with the opposing DC). It seems like the QB would be more of a leader...

- Offensive rhythm continues to be a problem. We'll look good one drive, only to look completely out of synch for the next three.

- Nick Roach is fast. Depending on Pisa Tinoisamoa's future as a Bear, I like Roach's athleticism. Hunter Hillenmeyer is intelligent, but not a starter for every Sunday. Next year, could we see Briggs, Urlacher, Roach?

- Cutler has forced our WRs to develop good hands. He makes some throws that many WRs couldn't catch. Good to see the progress of Devin Hester and Earl Bennett.

- Devin Hester should be our punt returner for years to come. He is still very young, and has more talent than I can say. Can you imagine how great he will be as he continues to develop into a formidable WR?

- Craig Steltz struggled in the defensive side of things this past offseason, but looks great on ST coverage.

- Kyle Orton was 10/15 passing for 35 yards in the first half in the Denver game yesterday.

- In the second half, Cleveland's RBs were getting past our front 4 too easily.

- When Cutler has time to throw, and plants his feet, he looks great. Too bad that doesn't happen more than once or twice per game.

- Corey Graham looked good on ST. What is his future with the Bears?

- Is Hunter Hillenmeyer really 100% healthy? I don't think so.

- Al Afalava continued to shine in run support. That kid is tough. Pay him more.

- Once again, we saw a run by Forte headed left, only to have the line collapse, and him cut back to his right for a TD run. His vision/ shiftiness is amazing.

- Hester limping in the 4th quarter after good run. Is he alright?

- Brady Quinn needs to get out of Cleveland. I wasn't a fan of his in college, and didn't think he would be good in the NFL, but have changed my mind. He will be a good NFL QB if he can find somewhere else t play.

- Hard to criticize Ron Turner when he doesn't have the personnel to work with. Our OL will continue holding back Forte, Cutler, and others as long as we keep sticking with what we have.

- JOSH BEEKMAN IS WHO WE THOUGHT HE WAS. HE GOT RUN SLAP OVER SEVERAL TIMES, AND GOT CUTLER NAILED BECAUSE OF IT. BEEKMAN IS NOT THE ANSWER.

- If we are going to fight for a wild card spot, the NFC East will be a tough challenger. It's early still, but it would be nice to see New Orleans get a win over Atlanta...

- The orange jerseys look great!

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Lions Edition

Dane Noble — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:33:24 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

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Watching NFL games at a sports bar is a whole lot different than it used to be. For Chicago Bears games that aren't nationally televised, I head up to the local pub that has the Sunday Ticket, donned in my favorite navy and orange outfit of the day. The strange thing is, despite being packed like sardines into that place, I don't see many other team colors.

I don't hear much cheering for certain teams, but rather specific players on different teams. It absolutely blows my mind to see 300 people jumping from television to television with no interest in anything but the statistics of their fantasy football players. No interest in the local team. No interest in great story lines. No interest in divisional games. Only stats. It's really weird.

But, for those who have been worried about Matt Forte from a fantasy angle, he ended the day with 121 yards and a TD on the ground, with 19 yards sprinkled in from receptions.

- The defensive line is firing off the line of scrimmage faster than it has in years, with particular notice of the DEs. Detroit exploited that early, however, by running a lot of misdirection, traps, and screens.

- I officially do not trust Charles Tillman in pass coverage. He gets beat often, is out of position more often, and falls down too much. Sure, he can be a playmaker, but so far this season his coverage skills are no good.

- Detroit's TE Heller has some cannons for arms. That dude is HUGE.

- Johnny Knox is making a case for ROY, but is also making a case for having the ball stripped when he is running in the open field. Tuck the ball Johnny!

- Once again, our offense had no rhythm early in the game. How can we fix that?

- Lance Briggs should be headed to the Pro Bowl again. Big plays, tons of speed. He's really good.

- I like Tim Shaw. He is very tough on kick off coverage, and plays with a big motor. Made several ST tackles last night.

- Chris Williams is going to be a great offensive lineman for us. He still has to learn some of the small things, but considering this is his first season on the field, he does a lot of things right.

- Brad Maynard is awesome.

- Getting back to Tillman, in the second quarter, the WR was overthrown (by a mile), and Tillman still decided to push the receiver in the back to the ground. He could have gotten a flag on that one. Also, in the 4th quarter, he hit a WR out of bounds, and laughed about it.

- Zackary Bowman covering Calvin Johnson... sheesh.

- Matt Stafford has worse hair than Jay Cutler.

- 1st half defense was bend + break.

- In the first half, Detroit had 7 different players catch a pass; Chicago had 8.

- Pass rush came out strong after halftime. Good jorb Marinelli.

- Nick Roach plays hard.

- Gould from 52!!

- In the 3rd quarter, Mark Anderson ran off the field after a sack... was getting high fives from teammates, but did Urlacher ignore him? Someone watch the replay and let me know.

- For those of you who say Olin Kreutz is washed up, he was driving people last night.

- Craig Steltz earning his keep on STs.

- Forte showed some of his shiftiness on his TD run. That's what makes him good... finds the seams and quickly shifts into them.

- I don't know why, but I find myself rooting for Culpepper. I've always liked the guy... too bad about the injuries.

- Garrett Wolfe loves to trash talk. Gotta love the little man's fire.

- Rashied Davis was thrown to twice, and had 2 receptions (including good awareness of the first down marker on one).

- Another 5 sacks last night. Everyone's getting involved in those.

Pick Your Starting Safeties

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:49:02 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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We all know the official depth chart on the Bears website is more like a guide than anything. Right now they have Al Afalava listed as the starting strong safety (with no one listed at 2nd string) and Kevin Payne listed as the starting free safety, with Josh Bullocks listed #2 and Craig Steltz listed #3. No sign of the practicing Danieal Manning? I know the plan is for him to play some nickleback, but wasn't he being sold to us a while there as the starting free safety?

Anyway... Who do think should get the starting nod for the season?

Poll

Pick your safety starters!

SS Afalava / FS Payne

424 votes

SS Payne / FS Manning

252 votes

SS Afalava / FS Manning

151 votes

SS Steltz / FS Bullocks

20 votes

Other

15 votes

862 votes | Poll has closed

The Practice Squad Explained

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:00:16 -0000

by Nam Y Huh - AP

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There are some rules pertaining to Practice Squad eligibility that I never knew until reading some of the threads here on WCG. Even with some of these correct clarifications it seems like there are enough confused people to warrant an explanation. I just hope I don't get to long winded...

Much of my info will be pulled from the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article XXXIV. If you like these types of documents check it out. You may be able to make heads or tails of it better than I did.

I'll hit the basics first.

An NFL practice squad consists of a maximum of eight players, and those eight players are actually free to negotiate with any other team in the NFL. The only catch is if a team signs a player off your practice squad that player must be placed on their active roster, they can not be signed off 1 practice squad only to go on another. If a team wants to keep their practice squad player from signing elsewhere they must promote them to their 53 man roster. If you do lose or promote one of your eight practice squad players you may sign another, just don't over eight. (You can add a 9th if said player is from outside the United States)

The NFL is very strict with teams not going over the max of eight players. In 2004 the Redskins were caught making a change in their practice squad and for a brief moment they had 9 under contract, this led to them getting slapped with a $45,000 fine.

One important restriction on signing a player from some other teams practice squad is the following:

... a practice squad player may not sign an NFL Player Contract with his Club's next opponent later than 4:00 p.m. , New York time, on the sixth day preceding the game (except in bye weeks, when the prohibition commences on the tenth day preceding the game).

This is to prevent teams from signing a guy for the sole intent of picking their brain. If this rule weren't in place some renegade maverick owner like, let's say... Jerry Jones of the Cowboys... would keep a roster spot open for a revolving door of opposing players.

In theory a team could sign a player away from an upcoming opponent 7 days prior to extract some info, but there is a rule in place to try and prevent teams from doing this. If a team signs a practice squad player that team;

... is required to count the player on its 53-player Active/Inactive List for three games (a bye week counts as a game) even if he is terminated or assigned via waivers to another club or is signed as a free agent to another club's 53-player roster or another club's Practice Squad prior to that time.

I guess if a team were really desperate for some inside scouting they could bite the bullet and sign a guy and deal with him counting towards their 53 man roster for a few weeks, but with football being so specialized these days you'd be hard pressed to find a team that would do this.

This year practice squad players will make a minimum of $5,200 per week. Not bad, but far from what the real rostered players bring home. Add the fact that their pay isn't guaranteed, they get no benefits and no pension, and you see how their lifestyle could be ~~one bad day~~, make that one bad play, away from the unemployment line. On a positive spin, they could also be one play away from getting promoted to the active roster. Their game-days are spent sometimes at home and sometimes, if they play for a team with good ownership, in a luxury box taking in the action. While an NFL teams practice week will vary slightly from team to team, most practice squad players spend their week doing the exact same thing their active team-mates do. Monday they sit in their positional team meetings breaking down film from the previous game. Tuesdays they look at film for the upcoming weeks opponent and start getting the game-plan. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, they do their best to play their role on the scout team, getting their team ready to play.

What type of elegibility requirements are there for the practice squad?

Section 4. Eligibility: (a) The practice squad shall consist of the following players, provided that they have not served more than two previous seasons on a Practice Squad: (i) players who do not have an Accrued Season of NFL experience; and (ii) free agent players who were on the Active List for fewer than nine regular season games during their only Accrued Season(s). An otherwise eligible player may be a practice squad player for a third season only if the Club by which he is employed that season has at least 53 players on its Active/Inactive List during the entire period of his employment. (b) A player shall be deemed to have served on a Practice Squad in a season if he has passed the club's physical and been a member of the club's Practice Squad for at least three regular season or postseason games during his first two Practice Squad seasons, and for at least one regular season or postseason game during his third Practice Squad season. (A bye week counts as a game provided that the player is not terminated until after the regular season or postseason weekend in question.)

Got it? Simple right? I'll try and put some of "Section 4:" in English;

Two years on a practice squad means that team can't have you serve a 3rd year, unless... the team never has their active roster go below 53 players during the two years you serve on the practice squad, then you can get a 3rd year. That's why Brandon Rideau is ineligible, he's already had 2 years with the Bears practice squad.

If your player has spent an accrued year on your active roster he can't go on your practice squad. Which is why Craig Steltz is ineligible for the practice squad.

Free Agent players that play more than nine regular season games are ineligible for the practrice squad. Which is why Brett Basanez is eligible for the practice squad.

I like using examples for some of this stuff so here goes;

1) Let's say the Kansas City Chiefs really had a need for a fullback and their scouts had their eye on Chicago rookie Will Ta'ufo'ou, who is on the Bears practice squad. The Chiefs are free to negotiate with him, and the Bears would lose him unless they decide to promote him to their active roster. If the Bears wanted to promote him, they would then have to cut a player to make room for Ta'ufo'ou. The Bears then could negotiate with the Chiefs and work out a trade for his services.

2) Let's say Jay Cutler stubs his big toe (yes I'm keeping the hypothetical injury minor as not to jinx anything) and has to miss one week of action. The Bears could promote Basanez to be the back-up to Caleb Hanie for a week, then try and put him back on the practice squad. Keeping Basanez on the practice squad is really a smart move. His value to the league as a 3rd QB is limited, so the Bears should be able to keep him there all season. Of course if a team or two has some bad luck at the QB position the Bears could see Basanez signed away, but my guess is the Bears would promote him and cut someone else.

3) Say for example the Packers lost a couple DB's in a freak cheese curd avalanche, and really had their sights set on Bears rookie Woodny Tureene. Since the Bears play Green Bay this week they would have to wait until after this weeks game before offering Tureene a deal.

Bears Make 53

Dane Noble — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:20:43 -0000

A few surprises, but not too many. Today, the Bears whittled their roster down to the league mandated 53 players by terminating 3 contracts, waiving 16 players, and placing 3 on Injured Reserve.

Players who were waived included guard Johan Asiata, defensive ends Ervin Baldwin and Joe Clermond, offensive tackle Cody Balogh, quarterback Brett Basanez, cornerbacks Rudy Burgess, Marcus Hamilton and Woodny Turenne, fullbacks Jason Davis and Will Ta’ufo’ou, linebackers Marcus Freeman, Kevin Malast and Mike Rivera, receiver Eric Peterman, and center Donovan Raiola.

The Bears can establish an eight-man practice squad on Sunday and also can claim players who’ve been waived by other NFL teams. In past seasons, the Bears have typically stocked their practice squad primarily with players they released a day earlier during final cuts.

Here’s a breakdown of the 53-man roster as it stands now (in alphabetical order):

Quarterbacks (2): Jay Cutler, Caleb Hanie.

Running backs (3): Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, Garrett Wolfe.

Fullbacks (1): Jason McKie:

Wide receivers (6): Devin Aromashodu, Earl Bennett, Rashied Davis, Devin Hester, Juaquin Iglesias, Johnny Knox.

Tight ends (4): Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis, Michael Gaines, Greg Olsen.

Offensive linemen (8): Josh Beekman, Roberto Garza, Olin Kreutz, Lance Louis, Frank Omiyale, Orlando

Pace, Kevin Shaffer, Chris Williams.

Defensive linemen (9): Anthony Adams, Mark Anderson, Alex Brown, Jarron Gilbert, Tommie Harris, Marcus Harrison, Israel Idonije, Adewale Ogunleye, Matt Toeaina.

Linebackers (6): Lance Briggs, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Nick Roach, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Brian Urlacher, Jamar Williams.

Cornerbacks (6): Zackary Bowman, Corey Graham, Trumaine McBride, D.J. Moore, Charles Tillman, Nate Vasher.

Safeties (5): Al Afalava, Josh Bullocks, Danieal Manning, Kevin Payne, Craig Steltz.

Specialists (3): Robbie Gould, Patrick Mannelly, Brad Maynard.