SB Nation - Marcus Harrison

Anthony Adams Looking To Start… Again

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:15:09 -0000

Starting DT Marcus Harrison has 20 total tackles and a sack on the year while back up Anthony Adams has 34 total tackles and 2 sacks so far. Adams actually began the season starting 5 of the first 6 games then was replaced by Harrison. Why? I have no idea. Every time Adams has a chance to play he gets results. In the last 5 games all of which saw Harrison starting with Adams in a reserve role, Harrison has 5 tackles and Adams has 19.

The Bears rotate their DT's enough so starting is really just a formality, but I think the most productive players should get the nod on the first team. The impressive thing about Adams is when he was moved to the bench you didn't hear a peep out of him. A true professional.

Lovie Smith from chicagobears.com;

"Anthony Adams played outstanding ball, making tackles, [and] the big fumble recovery was huge for us at the time. Those guys have both played a lot this year," Smith said. "One guy normally starts, but both of them play a lot. Anthony Adams, he is one guy I can say who really played well from start to finish [Sunday]. We evaluate everything based on that week and we'll do the same this week."

Poll

Who do you think should start at DT?

Tommie Harris' Future With the Bears

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:00:26 -0000

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Tommie Harris... What to do with Tommie Harris? His salary, though not as out of line as many think, is still a large chunk of change. But if he's wreaking havoc like the Pro Bowl Tommie, does anyone really care how much his deal is worth? Many people have floated the idea of trading him, myself included, but is there a market for him and would any potential deal bring anything worth the salary relief? The Cover 2 defense looks to be in place again next year, so that 3 technique tackle is a necessity. If it isn't Harris, is there someone on the current roster that can be that guy? Questions, questions, questions...

For the record here's the info on his contract; Last summer he signed a four year $40 million extension that takes him through 2012. $18 million of the deal is guaranteed and next year he's set to make $1.235 million (and a $2.5 million roster bonus in June if he makes the roster), in 2011 he'll make $2.3125 million, and in 2012 he'll make $2.5 million. A lot, yes, but not untradeable.

I think the best case scenario for all involved, would be if Harris were 100% healthy for 2010 and was able to play at that Pro Bowl form. But how realistic is that? The last two seasons he's started slow, not to mention the "benchings" he received in each of the last two years, and hasn't really showed any consistency in being the player he was. He's showed flashes, but he hasn't been able to maintain it. Against the Rams he didn't play as much as in weeks past because his knee was acting up. Asides from the best case scenario, here are a few other possibilities for Tommie as they finish out the season.

1) He keeps this upward swing in play going for the rest of '09 and gives some hope to the Bears that 2010 will be a big year for him. If Harris were to finish strong the Bears would have some options.

a) Ride it out and see if he can regain his old form. Let's face it, if he's right, he's one of the best DT's in the league, and why move away from a potentially dominating force inside.

b) If he can finish strong, it'll be the highest his trade value will be since 2006. I don't think they'll get too much for him (a late second or third round draft pick at most). In trading him the Bears will have to find another team that is lacking at DT, a team that is willing to take on the salary, and a team that really believes in Tommie.

c) Keep him and reevaluate him before the 2010 trade deadline. This could backfire if he regresses next season, but if he looks good a trade could present itself. Then again if he's looking good why trade him?

2) He continues to show flashes of his brilliance, but no consistency.

a) Trade him, but what would he bring as a shell of his old self? A sixth or a fifth round pick at best? Finding a willing trade partner with him not going good will prove to be tough.

b) Cut him this off season. They'll be no stud DT coming in the draft, so is Marcus Harrison gonna be that guy? Israel Idonije? Jarron Gilbert?

c) Keep him because even at less that 100% he's still the best you have. I really think this may be the way the Bears go.

I guess one other scenario could play itself out. He could keep struggling with injuries the rest of this season and show no signs of improvement this off season. Then the writing would be on the wall in regards to his future. Honestly I hope he can bounce back from his recent struggles, everything I've read and heard about him off the field paints him in a good light.

Poll

What do you believe the future holds for Tommie Harris?

He’ll stay, and I’m happy about it.

207 votes

He’ll stay, unfortunately...

217 votes

He’ll be cut.

39 votes

He’ll be traded.

94 votes

557 votes | Poll has closed

Angelo's Drafting Prowess Not Seen On Offensive Line

Dane Noble — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:14:44 -0000

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After thinking this morning about the three not-so-savvy free agent OL acquisitions (Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale, and Kevin Shaffer) Jerry Angelo brought to Chicago this past offseason, I started wondering about how he has addressed the OL through the draft.

Angelo is, of course, known as a "build through the draft" GM, and many will agree that, in building a team, it all starts in the trenches with the big guys. Lucky for me, I didn't have to do too much research, because Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald covered the topic today.

Since 2003, Jerry Angelo has drafted 8 offensive linemen out of 81 total picks through that span. Not a very high percentage, but then LeGere shows us where those 8 picks have been:

Year	Player	Round	Total picks
2009	Lance Louis	7	9
2008	C. Williams	1	7
2008	C. Adams	7	7
2008	Kirk Barton	7	7
2007	J. Beekman	4	9
2007	Aaron Brandt	7	9
2006	Tyler Reed	6	7
2005	None	N/A	6
2004	None	N/A	8
2003	B. Anderson	7	12

Besides Chris Williams in 2008, only one lineman has been drafted higher than the 6th round (Josh Beekman). And as you can see, in two of those years, we didn't select any. Not exactly building the foundation via the draft like he is known for, is it?

LeGere does go on to make sure we remember that Angelo has had success in the draft...

That's not to condemn Angelo's drafting record. The team's topfive receivers- Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Matt Forte, Johnny Knox, and Greg Olsen- are all Angelo draft picks.

So are six of the top seven tacklers: Lance Briggs, Danieal Manning, Al Afalava, Charles Tillman, Zack Bowman, Alex Brown, Tommie Harris, and Marcus Harrison.

It also hasn't been long since Angelo was ranked the #8 General Manager in all of professional sports by Forbes, and third best in the NFL. But, the fact remains that Angelo has not addressed the OL in the draft, and the most recent free agent pick ups have not been worth the time.

It would seem to me that, if he was so "fixated" on getting the QB position right, he would also be fixated on protecting him. You can bet that Jay Cutler is already in someone's ears, telling the organization that this is not going to cut it.

Larry Meyer, senior writer at the Bears official site, sat down for his weekly meeting with Angelo today, and Mayer asked Angelo about scouting for talent:

LM: During the season, how actively do you look to sign players to your 53-man roster that are on other teams’ practice squads or are street free agents?

JA: Very actively. I think we’ve got a very good track record of doing that. We are looking for players all the time that fit what we do to create more competition at positions. To me, we do that as well as anybody. We are always actively looking at bringing players on board. But you can’t do it as a revolving door. If you bring a player in, it’s because you saw something—what he did in college or in the NFL. When you bring him in, there’s got to be a plan for him. These aren’t auditions. We want to bring them in, and further their development. So there has to be a plan. We just don’t pick guys up randomly, bring them in for a couple weeks and then send then down the road. We don’t operate that way. It’s not about collecting talent, it’s about finding players that fit what we do and feel we can win with.

I'm not saying that I don't trust Angelo, but it just doesn't feel very good to get a QB like Cutler, only to have not addressed his protection through the draft or free agency very effectively.

Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down: Browns Edition

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

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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!

Update: Tommie Harris Not Expected to Play Sunday

Dane Noble — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:20:56 -0000

Per the Trib, Tommie Harris is expected to miss the game Sunday against the Bengals.

Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris is expected to be sidelined for Sunday's gameagainst the Bengals with a knee injury after missing his third consecutive practice Friday.

His left knee has given him problems since the 2007 season, when he first injured it against the Cowboys.

Marcus Harrison has gotten first-team reps at defensive tackle with Harris sidelined and should step in next to nose tackle Anthony Adams.

UPDATE- 3:11pm ET: Harris will be officially listed as Doubtful for the game Sunday, meaning there is a 25% or less chance that he will play. Said Lovie Smith:

"Tommie still has some (knee) soreness from the last game," Smith said. "I can't spend a lot of time concerned about guys that can't (play) right now. I just want them to continue to get treatment and get better. That's what Tommie is doing."

Why Are The Bears Considered An Elite Defensive Team?

Blitzburgh — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:57:57 -0000

It's interesting how teams in professional sports - and in the National Football League in particular - get branded in certain ways. Often times these labels stick with teams years longer than they perhaps should. The Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, are still thought of as a smash-mouth, physical running team even though they haven't fared well on the ground for most of the past 20 games or so. Another example is how the Chicago Bears are still thought of as an elite, physical defense because of some of their success earlier this decade. The Bears aren't really an elite defense anymore in my opinion and haven't been for two years running.

Let's take a closer look.

The last time the Bears defense was outstanding was in 2006, the year they lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. The year before in 2005, Chicago was lights out on defense and rode their opportunistic ball hawking defense all the way to the #2 seed in the NFC and a home playoff game at Soldier Field that they would lose to the Carolina Panthers. Let's start though with the 2006 defense though. Here are some of their numbers from that year - the season they made it all the way to the Super Bowl before falling to the Colts (league rank in parentheses).

2006

Yards/G: 294.1 (5th)
Points: 15.9 (3rd)
Rushing Yards/G: 99.38 (6th)
Passing Yards: 194.7 (11th)
Turnovers: 44 (1st)
Sacks: 40 (8th)
DVOA: 2nd (Pass Defense = 1st; Rush = 6th)
Top Ten Tackle Leaders: Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman, Danieal Manning, Ricky Manning, Chris Harris, Alex Brown, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Adewale Ugonleye, Nathan Vashar

The Bears were also good in 2005, but let's face it - four years ago means very little in the salary cap era of the NFL. I know us Steelers fans don't necessarily think of our team in 2005 as particularly similar to the squad we're watching in 2009. Anyway, the Bears were outstanding in 2005 on defense and combined with their solid play on that side of the ball in 2006, they earned the reputation as being one of the more physical and punishing defenses in the league.

Miscellaneous: The Bears started the 2006 season much like the 2008 Steelers did on defense. They were outstanding, holding their first 10 opponents under 300 yards. They pitched two shutouts in those first ten games and averaged only 12 points per game on defense while jumping out to a 9-1 record to start the year. They had three guys force at least four fumbles that year and eight defenders with two or more interceptions. By contrast, the Steelers only had one guy force more than four fumbles last year - Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison with seven. They also only had four players notch multiple picks. If you look at their roster from that year, you'll also notice that all of their top defenders were in their prime physical years - age 25-29 - with a number of other young key contributors like Tommie Harris being worked in during the early years of their career.

Let's see how they've fared the last two years though to see if they're deserving of still being thought of as one of the league's better units.

2007

Yards/G: 354.6 (28th)
Points: 21.75 (16th)
Rushing Yards/G: 122.9 (24th)
Passing Yards: 231.7 (27th)
Turnovers: 33 (8th)
Sacks: 41 (6th)
DVOA: 8th (Pass = 14th; Rush = 4th)
Top Ten Tackle Leaders: Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Danieal Manning, Charles Tillman, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Brandon McGowan, Adewale Ugonleye, Adam Archuleta, Alex Brown, Ricky Manning

Miscellaneous: This is the year we really start to see the Bears defense decline. Chicago only held their opponent to under 300 yards of total offense on four occasions that season - once against the hapless Raiders and another against the rebuilding Chiefs running a Herm Edwards offense. They gave up 30+ points four times and likely would have finished even worse than 7-9 had they not sacked the quarterback and forced as many turnovers as they did. Adewale Ugonleye was particularly productive at 30 years of age for Chicago. He forced 6 fumbles, recovered three more, and had 9 sacks - tops on the squad that year. Ugonleye is now 32 years of age and not as explosive at the point of attack as he once was despite making his first Pro Bowl appearance last year (he should have made it the year before, not last season). It's also worth noting that 2007 was the first year of Bob Babich regime at defensive coordinator. I'm not sure of why, but former coordinator Ron Rivera was not retained by Lovie Smith following Chicago's run to the Super Bowl in 2006. Rivera had previously been in charge of the Bears defense since 2004 and had improved dramatically during his tenure there. Babich meanwhile got his first NFL gig with the Rams in 2003 when he was named their linebackers coach. Before being promoted to defensive coordinator prior to the 2007 season, Babich had never been a defensive coordinator at any level and had held only one job higher than a linebackers coach in his entire career - the head coaching gig at North Dakota State. Coaching matters - we know that having been blessed to watch Dick LeBeau for so many years. I don't think Babich is up to snuff and I'm frankly shocked he wasn't canned after last season.

2008

Yards/G: 334.6 (21st)
Points: 21.8 (16th)
Rushing Yards/G: 93.5 (5th)
Passing Yards: 241.1 (30th)
Turnovers: 32 (2nd)
Sacks: 28 (23rd)
DVOA: 7th (Pass = 10th; Rush = 5th)
Top Ten Tackle Leaders: Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher, Kenny Payne, Corey Graham, Mike Brown, Adewale Ugonleye, Alex Brown, Tommie Harris, Nick Roach

Miscellaneous: The Bears really didn't have more than one or two impressive showings on defense last year. If you look at their schedule from 2008, you'll notice they only held their opponent under 10 points on two ocassions. One of them was against the lowly Lions. The other against the equally sad St. Louis Rams. They also played fairly well against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 and against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14. Those four games constitute the only contests that they were able to hold their opponents under 300 yards of total offense. By contrast, the Pittsburgh Steelers only surrendered more than 300 yards just once in 2008 and only 6 times in 2007, four of which came in the final four weeks of the season after injuries had more than taken their toll on Pittsburgh's defense. Chicago also gave up 27 or more points five times last year, including 41 to Minnesota in Week 7 at Soldier Field. Finally, Chicago was able to remain competitive last year due to the fact that they still forced a healthy number of turnovers. In fact, they forced at least one turnover in every game last year. That's fairly impressive. It's worth nothing though that nine of their 32 turnovers - or roughly 28 percent - came in two of their 16 games. They actually lost both games. In other words, I see a team that was extraordinarily vulnerable against the pass manage to pad their turnover stats and consequently hang tough in a number of close games despite not having a very dominating defense whatsoever. The fact that they registered the 23rd fewest sacks despite seeing more passing attempts than any other defense also speaks volumes about their inability to control games with their defense like they once could.

Finally, I mentioned earlier that the Bears defense was largely in the peak window on the defensive side of the ball in 2006. By 2008, the Bears roster on defense featured three starters over the age of 30. Perhaps more importantly though - because after all, the Steelers defense has its fair share of veterans - the Bears no longer were receiving such substantial contributions from their younger defensive players as they had in years past. IN 2007, the Bears drafted Greg Olson - a tight end out of Miami - in the first round and Dan Bazuin - a defensive end from Central Michigan in the 2nd. Bazuin never made it on to the field for the Bears. The Bears 3rd and 4th Round picks were also on the offensive side of the ball.

The next year, the Bears drafted an offensive tackle in the first round, yet another running back in the second, a wide receiver with their first 3rd round pick before finally selecting Marcus Harrison with their other 3rd round selection. Harrison looked pretty good last year but the bottom line is that's not much attention paid to the defense for several years in a row. In an attempt to shore up their defense after several years of not retooling its personnel, Chicago finally paid more attention to that side of the ball in this past April's Drat. Five of the Bears first seven picks were on defense. Smart move if you ask me, particularly because they seem to have a running back for the future in Matt Forte, a quarterback in Jay Cutler and an above average offensive line that gave up a respectable number of sacks last year (29) considering how bad their quarterback play was, not to mention how often they had to throw the ball due to the poor play from the defense.

Though they lost, for a game the Bears defense looked good this past Sunday night. They stymied Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense for most of the evening. Green Bay had just 224 yards of offense, 72 of which came on their final drive of the game. Though I think Pittsburgh will have a few opportunities to run the ball after softening the Bears defense through the air, I'd still say I'm not holding my breath hoping that the running game will somehow materialize this Sunday, even though I'm no believer in Chicago's defense generally speaking. The Bears limited Green Bay's rushing game to just 76 yards on 22 carries. They should be just fine against the run even without Urlacher.

That's enough for now and I apologize for the lack of any real coherency with that post but I wanted to try to take a little bit closer look at the Bears defense the past several years to see really if they're as worthy of the frequent praise they get for their play on defense. My take? They've neither been terrible nor great, but in the past two years, I'd put them closer to poor if not for an opportunistic defense that has a knack for turning the ball over.

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.

Position Batles: Defensive Line

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:00:10 -0000

In playing the defensive line, the more versatile you are the better your chances are at sticking around, especially for the reserves. A guy like Israel Idonije will have a long career in the NFL because he can play every spot along the line. Last year the Bears opened up with five true DT's, three true DE's and Idonije. Before the '08 season Izzy bulked up to get more reps at DT, but he was still capable of playing DE. This year he got his weight back down (270) to play more DE, but he's seen action at DT in both preseason games so far.

With 13 defensive linemen on the roster as of today, versitality will be key in making final decisions regarding cuts.

Losing Dusty Dvoracek to another season ending injury (or is it...)thins out the depth at DT, but I thought he was on the bubble anyway. It's cliché to say, but no one works harder than Dusty when it comes to getting ready to play. Kid has battled back every year to get ready for the season, only to have lady luck frown on him again and again. I wish him (as I'm sure most Bears fans do) good luck.

Among the DT's, you have to figure rookie third round pick Jarron Gilbert is a lock to make the team. He's been getting reps at the 3 technique DT, but he has the speed and quickness to spell DE on occasion. Fellow rookie Henry Melton was drafted to compete at DE, but in the N.Y. game he was getting reps at DT. Versatile. Melton was sold as more of a project type, but I've liked what I've seen of him so far, and wouldn't be surprised if he stuck.

Of the true DT's sure to stick, Anthony Adams and Marcus Harrisonwill fight it out for the starting NT job, but both will see plenty of reps. Last year Harrison backed up at the 3 Technique, so I could see him getting some reps there out of necessity, along with the aforementioned Izzy Idonije who is listed as a DT, but will see action at DE, and will definitely be on the '09 roster. Versatile. Last year DT Matt Toeaina opened up on the '09 squad, I saw him as a bubble guy before the Dvoracek news, but now he might stick as the third NT. And of course, Tommie Harris will be around even if he's battling injuries all year. If you count Harris, Gilbert, Adams, Harrison, Idonijie, and Toeania as the 6 DT's you're left with the same 3 DE's as last year, for 9 defensive linemen total (same as last year).

DE's Alex Brown, Adawale Ogunleye, and Mark Anderson all look to be definitely returning this year. I haven't been very impressed with Mark Anderson since his rookie year (has anyone?), but I think he'll stick around to see if Rod Marinellican make him a complete DE. Both he and Ogunleye are in their contract year and I don't expect them both back in 2010. This year will be an audition of sorts; Does Adawale have enough left in the tank for 1 more Bears contract? Will Anderson show enough in '09 to warrant him getting a new deal? I expect Joe Clermond and Ervin Baldwin will be released.

So, if Henry Melton is to stay around, with the scenario I described above, the Bears would have to keep 10 D-Linemen. Highly unlikely. With Melton's size/speed combo he could be a core special teamer, but can the Bears justify keeping him over Toenia? Especially with the injury history of Tommie Harris? If Melton can make strides as a DT he might make the decision a tough one. The practice squad would be an option for Melton if he can be brought back. An alternative, as broached by SackMan, is to bring in a more established DT. I could see the Bears scouring over the veteran cuts and replacing Toeania before the season starts.

With regards to Melton vs. Toenia, you have to gauge need vs. upside. Is the potential of Melton enough to outweigh the need of another true DT? I'd like to see Melton make the team, but at what cost, I'm not sure.

Poll

Henry Melton?

makes the 53 man roster...

337 votes

is cut, but brought back for the practice squad...

213 votes

is cut and signed by another team...

41 votes

is cut, never to be heard from again...

18 votes

609 votes | Poll has closed

NightLink: Final Thoughts From Bourbonnais

Dane Noble — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:57:54 -0000

Brad Biggs wrote a great article on some of his thoughts from camp, focusing on some of the players who don't get the coverage that others do. I'll include some of the highlights, but make sure mosey on over and read the full article.

Devin Aromashodu: Wide receiver flashed some ability at times during camp but the Bears have a catch-22 when it comes to getting him action with the first team in preseason. They're only doing so much with three-wide packages and building chemistry between Jay Cutler and starters Devin Hester and Earl Bennett is much more important.

Josh Beekman: Would be remiss in not mentioning that the arrow is pointing up for him. Probably projects as a center though because of his size.

Earl Bennett: Quietly had a solid camp. We'll see how that translates.

Alex Brown: The focus is on Tommie Harris and Mark Anderson returning to form but Brown might be better with Rod Marinelli on board. He did well rushing on Orlando Pace in camp.

Desmond Clark: Guy gets craftier as he gets older and still is smooth enough to run the seam route.

Rashied Davis: Got more work with the ones over the final week of camp.

Marcus Freeman: Will be looking for him in the second half on Saturday night. Didn't see a lot in training camp but it takes time for rookies to fit in, even on the practice field.

Corey Graham: If the cornerbacks come back healthy and there isn't a spot for him on defense, he ought to be a mainstay on special teams.

Marcus Harrison: Wouldn't be surprising to see him get action with the ones vs. the Giants. The defense needs him to provide a consistent interior push.

Hunter Hillenmeyer: Went mostly unnoticed but he played well at Buffalo and might be in a better position now that he's back in the middle.

Johnny Knox: Did not look interested in going across the middle where the big boys are in the Buffalo game. Keep an eye on that.

Lance Louis: Was worked a lot at left tackle but I am convinced that was out of need. You don't see any left tackles in the league that are 6-3. He's athletic but will have to find a home inside at guard.

D.J. Moore: As one coach said, the smaller cornerback is learning how to work. He's always going to have to work against being listed at 5-9 (generous listing?).

Frank Omiyale: Did pretty well vs. Tommie Harris in one-on-one drills this past week.

NightLink: Top 10 Bears Prospects

Dane Noble — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:00:11 -0000

For the purposes of this article, the writer has defined a prospect as "a player entering their third year in the NFL or is under 25 years old."

We have mentioned the fact that the Bears seem to be building a very young and solid foundation for our offense, and 5 of the 10 players listed here are on the offensive side of the ball.

While I may not agree with everything the author writes, he has done a good job with his analysis. Here are his top 10 Bears prospects for 2009:

1- Matt Forte

2- Greg Olsen

3- Chris Williams

6- Kevin Payne

10- Corey Graham

Just missing the top 10 were: Craig Steltz, Caleb Hanie, and Johnny Knox.

Be sure to head on over to the original article and check out his analysis.