SB Nation Blog: WCG

Matt Forte Signs

WCG — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:08:01 -0000

The Bears have signed second round running back out of Tulane, Matt Forte.

Terms are not disclosed, but it is a four year deal.

Forte finished his career at Tulane (2004-07) as the school’s all-time leader in rushing yards per game (99.2), rushing touchdowns (39), total touchdowns (44) and scoring among non-kickers (266 points). The 6-2, 216 pounder finished his Green Wave career ranked second in school annals in all-purpose yards (5,261), rushing yards (4,265), rushing attempts (833) and 100-yard rushing games (16). Forte is just the 11th player in NCAA Division I (Bowl Subdivision) history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season with 2,127 in 2007 which ranks seventh all-time in NCAA history.

Matt Forte Close To Signing

WCG — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:50:45 -0000

The Bears are closing in on once again being the first team to sign all their draft picks. This would be the third and most improbable year considering the number of picks they had, 12 (Most in NFC).

The Bears are nearing a deal with second round pick Matt Forte. A deal is expected to be done tonight.

That leaves only first round selection Chris Williams; however, it is also being reported that the Bears are in "aggressive" negotiations with him and a deal could be reached as early as Friday.

I know we have a lot of issues with management and how they do things, but this as well as signing our own players, within reason, to deals are two areas they have excelled.

Harrison, Bowman and Bennett Sign

WCG — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:37:52 -0000

The Bears took care of three more of their rookie class yesterday.

Marcus Harrison, Earl Bennett and Zackary Bowman all recieved 4 year deals with the Bears.

Marcus Harrison

Harrison is a first-round talent who dropped in the draft because of durability and character concerns. The 6-3, 310-pounder tore his left ACL last spring, but rebounded to register 76 tackles, 6½ tackles-for-loss and 1½ sacks while starting 10 games at Arkansas. He also batted down 10 passes and forced one fumble.

Earl Bennett

Highly competitive and productive, Bennett finished as the SEC’s all-time leading receiver with 236 catches despite playing only three seasons at Vanderbilt. The 6-foot, 209-pounder is the only player in conference history with at least 75 receptions in multiple seasons.

Zackary Bowman

Bowman showed promise in 2005 at Nebraska, recording 27 tackles, 14 pass breakups and two interceptions while starting five of 11 games played. But the 6-1, 197-pounder tore his left ACL in spring practice and missed the entire 2006 season.

The two remaining players yet sign are first rounder Chris Williams and second round Matt Forte.

Ricky Manning Jr. To Be Traded, No Surprise

WCG — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:48:30 -0000

Based on observation and surprising no one, Bears CB Ricky Manning Jr, currently in depth chart abyss is likely to be on the trading block once training camp starts.

He wasn't even involved in the nickel package during the offseason program and was running third on the depth chart, doing more watching than participating. Barring a major change, it's expected Manning will be on the trading block when training camp opens. He's a veteran with starting experience who has proven to be durable. He's handling the situation well and seems open to the idea of a change of scenery. Manning is probably best suited for a team that doesn't play cover two and is best in man-to-man coverage. If the Bears stay healthy in the secondary, he could find a new home in August.

Again this move surprises no one and really does not affect anything unless CBs go down after he is traded.

Marcus Harrison Almost in the Bag

WCG — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:10:22 -0000

A source close the Bears organization said that the Bears and third round selection Marcus Harrison should finalize a deal within the next 24 hours.

Third-round pick Marcus Harrison is on the verge of signing a four-year deal with the Bears, an NFL source said Monday. The deal is expected to be finalized within the next 24 hours.

Harrison, a defensive tackle from Arkansas, could provide a spark as a backup on the interior of the defensive line this coming season. He had first-round potential, but an arrest and ACL injury caused the rookie to drop. Harrison is projected as a future starter.

The remaining unsigned Bears draft choices are 1st rounder Chris Williams, second rounder Matt Forte, third rounder Earl Bennett and fifth rounder Zackary Bowman.

I am curious as to how Cedric Benson's waiving effects Matt Forte's signing. Surely before he pretty much had to sign what was given to him, but now with Benson out he has a bit more leverage if he was interested in pushing.

I ran by a license plate today with a Chicago Bears border. NEEDA QB

WCG — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:10:27 -0000

I ran by a license plate today with a Chicago Bears border. NEEDA QB

Top 50 Players

WCG — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:14:16 -0000

Sportsline is running a now annual top 50 players list. As expected the list starts off with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. The top ten is rounded out by LaDanian Tomlinson, Randy Moss, Champ Bailey, Mario Williams, Bob Sanders, Carson Palmer, DeMarcus Ware and Kevin Williams.

Obviously, this list is already suspect. Mario Williams is top ten???

The Bears score three on the list, though in the second half.

32. Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago Bears: A few years back he was overrated. He's not anymore. Urlacher excels in the middle of the Chicago defense.

36. Tommie Harris, DT, Chicago Bears: Harris is strong and quick. He had eight sacks last season, showing off his quickness. He can still hold the point against the run.

50. Devin Hester, KR, Chicago Bears: I don't normally put return men on these lists, but this guy has earned it. It will be interesting to see how long he can maintain it.

Take a look at the list and let me know what you think.

Bears Behind the Scenes

WCG — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:48:28 -0000

The official site has up an interesting interview with Bears equipment manager Tony Medlin. Nothing real special, just some behind the scenes stuff on getting the Bears ready.

Has a player ever asked for a jersey number that’s retired, like No. 34 for instance?

That has happened. Someone asked me for a 28 [retired for Willie Galimore], never a 34. Most guys know about Walter Payton’s number. That’s a given.

Matt Forte The Better Option For The Bears

WCG — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:09:23 -0000

Take a look at this article, its author is outlining reasons whey just removing Cedric Benson from the team is improving the team.

Forte won't be able to sign his contract and retire on the same day
There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Benson that he enjoyed getting paid to play football but never truly wanted to play football. Even as a 12th-round draft pick of the Dodgers back in 2001, he stuck around the game of baseball just long enough to get a few healthy paychecks before returning to the University of Texas to focus on his pigskin career. Once Benson received $17 million in guaranteed money from the Bears as the No. 4-overall pick three years ago, it's possible that the drive and determination he needed to live up to his lofty draft status instantly disappeared.

While Forte will certainly be paid well once he signs his name on the dotted line, he won't be guaranteed millions and millions of dollars as a second-rounder and will undoubtedly make the brunt of his money with his second NFL contract – meaning he'll have to earn it on Sunday.

My issues were never really with Benson's ability, they were always with the way I perceived his attitude. Hopefully this works out for us.

Great Days In Bears History - Walter Payton Goes Wild

WCG — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:10:34 -0000

Going into week 10 of the 1977 NFL season the Chicago Bears were a paltry 4-5 and nowhere near the playoff picture. The Bears would finish the season with a 6 game winning streak and go into the playoffs at 9-6 where they would lose to the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 37-7. The second game of the win streak was on November 11th and was at Soldier Field.

This game would a history making game and was versus the Minnesota Vikings who had no idea what was about to happen to them.

Walter Payton ran over the Vikings to the tune of 275 yards, including a long of 58 yards setting a single game rushing record. So dominant was Payton's performance the Bears only registered 23 passing yards. The total surpassed the previous total set by OJ Simpson.

1977 was arguably Walter Payton's best season seeing him run for 1852 yards with 14 rushing TDs with an average rush per yard of 5.5. This performance in no small part led to Payton being the youngest player in NFL history to win the MVP award. Payton's total of 1852 was 8 yards more than the entire passing offense could muster that year.

Since then Payton's mark of 275 yards in a single game has been bested three times (Corey Dillion - 278 vs. Denver, Jamal Lewis - 295 vs. Cleveland, Adrian Peterson - 296 vs. San Diego), but if one wanted to make such an argument one could that Payton's is still the most impressive feat. Gone are the days that a 100 yards per game and 1,000 yards per season are for elite running backs only. Now that is considered average.

Based on this performance many thought Payton would also break OJ Simpson's single season mark of 2,003 yards, but an icy field and bad footing in the last game of the year in New York left Payton with just 47 yards and short of the mark.