Kyle Orton, welcome to Rex Grossman's throne.

''All players will have competition,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said, according to Chicago media outlets. ''Everybody's in the same group. But Kyle is our quarterback. He has done a lot of good things for us this year, but we all start from scratch and go from there.''

You are our quarterback, sure, there will be some false sense of competition from the likes of a guy such as Rex Grossman or another similar underachieving quarterback, but c'mon we all know this is your spot. You...are our quarterback!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3798106

well that game went a long way to clearing up a few things for this team, such as;

1. Kyle Orton early season 2008 = Rex Grossman early season 2006: What a difference some time in the league makes. it seems that once teams actually start to plan around you a little bit your true colors really begin to show. we can all blame the ankle if we want, but no ankle sprain makes you misread coverage multiple times in a game and no, this is not some hasty split second pissed off evaluation, i have been feeling all year that orton's performance has been a mirage caused by playing mediocre pass defenses.

2. this coaching staff is horrible, seriously. i have never drank more during a bears game than i did tonight and i still saw the berrian play coming from a mile away. really, tillman, you are going to break in on that fucking play despite the fact that we have 8 men in the box already and you are guarding the fastest player on the field? jesus this team is abysmal in about every aspect of their game but i blame the majority of this on the coaching staff. multiple bad calls by both coordinators and lovie's country club attitude has really taken it's toll on this once hungry defense.

3. it is time to rethink the tampa 2: sure, the tampa 2 has been around for a long time and for some teams it can still work...this isn't one of those teams. this team is getting old and showing it's age in brown, urlacher, tillman and our defensive ends. we get no pressure up front, we cover no one down field and the 10-15 yard area down the middle of the field is consistently open due to urlacher's inability to cover any ground. we need to switch this defense to something else, something more vanilla, a simple 2 man under or cover 3 scheme that we can execute more easily with our personnel that we have right now. oh, and fire the 2 morons who are responsible for the defense (babich and lovie, i'm pointing @ you).

4.keep ron turner; i know, i know, crazy right? never would i have suggested this, but he has called some good games this season and he is really starting to get some steam rolling and i don't see any better options out there @ this point so i think the best move is to stick w/ turner and try to bring in some more weapons for him to utilize (because all we have right now is forte and that just isn't enough).

5. the devin hester conundrum; jeez, has anyone else ever seen a punt returner run so timidly? the guy made some great moves in the receiving games, but please please please get him out of returning. i know he says he still wants the ball on the returns, but i sure can't tell, and when gale sayers says you are running scared...well...the man knows a thing or two about football and i'm more inclined to believe him over lovie who spins everything to the positive (kyle orton turned the ball over 3 times! well, this is a learning experience!)

that is the end of my incoherent rambling because it is high time i pass out and try to forget the disaster of a football game i witnessed. i sincerely hope we get blown out the rest of the year because i swear i'm developing an ulcer and more of a drinking problem than i already have.

Not saying the guy is a worldbeater or even a top 15 quarterback at this point in his career, but he is still a serviceable starter who has a little mobility and probably a year or two left in him and according to PFT (i know, terrible to quote them since i'm pretty sure they just make up most rumors, but whatever) the Bucs will take whatever they can get for him.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/09/11/bucs-shopping-garcia/

In case anyone is as obsessed with Madden as I am i'm sure they'll be interested to see that the new ratings were leaked. Some notables for the Bears.

• Grossman is a 79, Orton comes in at 76.
• Benson and Forte are both 80s. Peterson is a 78.
• Booker gets an 82, Hester 81, Earl Bennet at 79.
• Clark is still better than Olsen by 86 - 85.
• Our starting line is Williams (79) Metcalf (78) Kreutz (93) Garza (85) and Tait (86)
• The defense is especially sick with Lach (98) Briggs (95) Harris (95) Tillman (91) Vash (91) Ogun (89) Mike Brown (87).
• We only have 2 defensive starters coming in under an 80 rating..Hillenmeyer and Dvoracek, both at 79s.
• Our overall team rating is pretty poor at 80. The Pack are a 91 and Vikings a 90.

Madden Team and Player Ratings

Yahoo! Sports  usually does (i believe) weekly reports on every team in the NFL, this weeks Bears Report centered mainly on Benson and how the Bears should react to his recent misdemeanors. A little bit of the article and the link below.

And Benson is not a repeat offender in the NFL, although he was arrested for trespassing in college five years ago when he attempted to recover a TV set that had been stolen from him.

And my favorite part of the article...

If the Bears canned every player and coach who didn’t get the job done last season, they could print their roster on a matchbook cover.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/post/Bears-will-keep-Turner-Babich-as-coordinators-i?urn=nfl,5952 9

"Ron Turner will be back to have his play-calling ability questioned again next season. Defensive coordinator Bob Babich -- Smith's hand-picked successor to Ron Rivera, who was run off despite a Super Bowl appearance last season -- also will remain."

Guess one good game (yesterday) saved Turner's job after all.

http://www.southtownstar.com/sports/668444,112707bearsnb.article

"Harris is reportedly having enough knee pain that he'll need offseason arthroscopic knee surgery.

Smith also said he couldn't be certain cornerback Nathan Vasher would return from a groin strain."

well this sucks, our defense will be horrible if we lose another lineman and after RMJ had a rough day followed by McBrides rough day we could really use Vasher.

a pretty damn funny nugget from yahoo! sports for once:

Rex Grossman: "And he's supposed to be giving us a better shot at winning?" after watching fellow Chicago Bears quarterback Brian Griese throw four interceptions - three in the end zone - during a 16-7 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Chad Pennington: "I feel like Rex Grossman" after replacement Kellen Clemens completed five of 12 passes with two interceptions during the New York Jets' loss to the Buffalo Bills.
oopsie, here is the link. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ja-winnersloser102807&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

if this rumor is true, i don't even know what to think of this organization anymore.

With the possibility of a run at Aaron Rowand looming, the Cardinals are undecided about using Jim Edmonds as a center fielder next year.
(Updated 10/13/2007)

Center field is no higher than fourth when it comes to positions the Cardinals should be looking to address. There are bigger needs at shortstop, second base and right field. Edmonds can still handle center when healthy, and when he's not, Rick Ankiel can fill in. However, the biggest reason why it makes little sense to go long-term on a new center fielder is top prospect Colby Rasmus, who should be ready to take over the position in 2009.

i definately agree we need to fill holes at short, but we are probably stuck at second base with Kennedy since we gave him the deal we did. and i guess rotoworld doesn't see Ankiel as our everyday right fielder either. and we need pitching. seriously, Aaron Rowand, this is a sick belated april fools joke, right?

I was just wondering, does anyone know of a good place to bet online on NFL games? I don't even know if this is legal or what, but i kind of felt like layin a little bit of money down from time to time on some games so if anyone knows of a good spot post it in the comments please!

One-line diaries are prohibited on McCovey Chronicles. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread.

Not sure if anyone else caught this, but Wade Wilson was suspended 5 games by the NFL for violating the substance abuse policy regarding HGH. Wilson says the drugs were only for personal use and noen were distributed to Bears players...anyone worried about this?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3000615

there is the link to the story.

Well, i rushed out to my local Wal Mart to pick up Madden 08 and this game is pretty impressive. Gameplay is great all around, but i wanted to whine about a few Bear ratings that got real screwed up.

#1 - Kyle Orton is a 71. In and of itself, this isn't terrible, he is a third stringer...but here is where it gets bad, Chris Leak is a 72! What!? Kyle Orton was better in college, was a better prospect in the draft, Won 10 games as a rookie quarterback...but Chris Leak is rated better than him? Seriously, boost Orton to a 75.

#2 - Mark Anderson is slower than Alex Brown...seriously. Mark Anderson is only 1 overall point behind Brown (85 to 84) but his speed only registers 79 while Brown gets 83. What Chicago Bears team did EA Sports model their 08 Bears team after?

#3 - This one isn't too bad, but they made Mike Brown the starting Free Safety (luckily they granted him with 88 speed) and Arch the starting SS. The way i see the Bears depth chart sitting will be Manning starting at FS and Brown starting at SS with Arch as the backup SS and McGowan the backup FS.

Also, this isn't too worthy of it's own gripe #, but after Harris (97) and Adams (77) the next best is Dusty D at 66...seems a little low since most of the below average players usually register around 70. One thing to look forward to come the opening day roster update...Darwin Walker is rated at 85 so we will have a nice Harris with Walker/Adams combo.

//end semi-sorta-kinda rant

News: The Chicago Tribune reports that Bears WR/KR Devin Hester was out of practice again Thursday with an injury shrouded in mystery. The club is being cautious with him and the nature of his problem. "How about general soreness?" coach Lovie Smith said. "Leg injury. You can put it like that."

Analysis: Not good for a guy who relies on his speed to have a leg injury that the head coach won't get into. Maybe Lovie is doing his best Bill Belichick impersonation. If he stays healthy, then the potential for Hester is incredible. Consider him someone worth taking with a late-round pick as a flier in the event he does take off in the Bears' offense.

Yikes. (by the way, i didn't see this on the main page nor in the diary list, sorry if someone posted it in the comments of something but i haven't had a chance to read the comments so i figured i'd post this anyway.

The Lions signed J.T. O'Sullivan, obviously hoping to pick his brain for any info on how the Bears tear their asses up year in and year out.

Jul 18 The Lions signed O'Sullivan on Friday.
Advice: The 6-foot-2, 227-pound O'Sullivan, released last week by the Chicago Bears, was with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europa, where he completed 160 of 235 passes for 1,997 yards and 15 touchdowns. If he is to make the team, he is no more than a third-stringer. for significant playing time next season after the Panthers released defensive end Al Wallace in a salary cap move.

And i'm back, got the Defensive Lineman rankings and i'm proud to say this one is free for all Bears fans to read but i'll go ahead and post what they have to say about us anyway.

2. Chicago Bears
Defensive tackles Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson were tough for opponents' offensive lines to contend with last season. The loss of Johnson (released due to off-the-field problems) and Harris coming off surgery knocks the Bears out of the top spot, but they still will be very impressive. Chicago will be a force along the defensive front with ends Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye consistently putting pressure on the quarterback. Head coach Lovie Smith and the Bears' front office have added excellent depth with 2006 draft choice Mark Anderson and 2007 second-rounder Dan Bazuin. Both are somewhat undersized, but Anderson had 12 sacks as a rookie. Bazuin is untested but has great talent to pressure the quarterback off the edge.

I was actually a little suprised that they gave us the number 2 spot after the Tank release. Who will be our number two DT? That guy we signed from San Fran? The Vikings come in at 9th, Green Bay at 14 and Detroit at 25. Gotta love the NFC North!

LinkLink: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2935257

I really thought we should've been top 5, but i'll take 10th.

10. Chicago Bears
The Bears are a good mixture of size and athleticism, youth and seasoned veterans. They have a good set of bookend tackles with left tackle John Tait being a fluid, easy mover and right tackle Fred Miller bringing a lot of experience and skills to the table. They did a good job of protecting quarterback Rex Grossman from outside pressure coming off the edges, and along with guards Ruben Brown and Roberto Garza and center Olin Kreutz, they held opposing defenses to just 23 sacks in 2006. The coaching staff would like to improve on the 3.8 yards per carry they gained last season, and that will likely have to happen from the middle of the line because neither tackle is a great drive-blocker. Kreutz, Brown and Garza are aggressive blockers with quick feet, but they lack the raw power to create big running lanes.

And the only thing you need to know about our division is that we finish ahead of all of them, this division is ours baby!

Linkus Maximus: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=2934057&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2& ;univLogin02=stateChanged

Can the Bears finally crack the top 10 in these lists that seem to be created by guys who have never watched a football game but just compile the opinions of every sports writer into one big article? YES! The Bears finish at 8th so it is actually not privileged information for once, i'll post anyway...

8. Chicago Bears
The first-round selection of the talented Greg Olsen, along with nine-year veteran Desmond Clark, gives the Bears a formidable tandem at tight end. Clark has natural receiving skills and is an excellent route runner. He uses his foot quickness and agility to get separation in short and intermediate zones. He has very soft hands and can make tough receptions in traffic. Clark is not a physical blocker, but can wall off well enough to make room to run on the edge. Olsen is an unproven NFL commodity who has the potential to be an impact player as a rookie. If he can gain strength and learn the Bears' system quickly, he will give Chicago the flexibility of having two excellent receiving tight ends on the field simultaneously. John Gilmore is Chicago's third tight end. He is primarily used in goal-line and short-yardage situations.

Pretty much the most generic assessment of all time, but whatever, we cracked the top 10 at one offensive spot and we lead our division so i'll take it. Green Bay comes in at 21 with Bubba Franks and Clark Harris(?). Detroit is right behind them at 22 with Dan Campbell and Eric Beverly (guess detroit sank all those picks into wide receivers they forgot what a tight end is). Rounding out the division is Minny at 25 with Jim Kleinsasser and 2 other guys no one has ever heard of. Once again, the more these go on the better i feel about our chances of winning this division and making another run at an NFL Championship.

The Linkinator: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=2923211&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos2

Had to get this one up ASAP for Tyger! Once again, we don't make the top 10 and it's insider access only.

18. Chicago Bears
Bernard Berrian exceeded all expectations last year and became a very dangerous deep threat. He isn't real strong or physical, but he can fly and that deep speed can change a game very quickly. He is a bit of a one-trick pony, though, and needs to further refine his skills. Muhsin Muhammad is a big, strong veteran who isn't real dynamic, but is a solid possession option. Neither Berrien nor Muhammad should be considered a true No. 1 wideout. The Bears have a wild card in Mark Bradley. Bradley has had a very difficult time overcoming injuries, but if he can stay healthy and gain some valuable game experience, he has a chance to develop into the Bears' best wide receiver.

And for comparisons sake; Detroit comes in at #5 due to the Roy Williams/Mike Furry/Calvin Johnson combo, a pretty damn good combo if you ask me. (I still believe Detroit will be our biggest threat in the division, however year in and year out it seems people are calling Detroit the dark horse of the division and every year they flop). Green Bay comes in at 28 with a very consistent Donald Driver aaannnddd not much else. And the lovely Vikings are DEAD LAST at 32 with Troy Williamson, Bobbles Wade (god, won't it be great seeing him in the NFC North again!) and draft pick Sidney Rice.

The more i read these rankings the more i feel better about our chances, Detroit scares me a bit but like i've said, every year they are considered the favorite to bust out and win the division and it never happens.

Linky! http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=2921051

Once again the Bears don't make it into the Top 10 so this is privileged insider information (sure am glad i bought that subscription from those sexy little cheerleaders for 25% of the cover price!)

24. Chicago Bears
Chicago finished the 2006 season ranked 15th in rush yards per game, but that could drop in 2007. The team traded veteran Thomas Jones to the Jets. Jones was not only a solid player, but an excellent team leader. The No. 1 running back job now belongs to Cedric Benson. Benson never has been the full-time guy and will need to start earning the respect of his teammates this offseason. Jones was very well respected on this team and Benson's attitude has not always set well with his teammates. Benson has the talent to be an elite runner, but time will tell if he can become that. The depth is pretty good behind Benson. Backup Adrian Peterson is a versatile veteran who knows the offense. The team will also look to get rookie third-round pick Garrett Wolfe involved in the offense.

Lets see where the rest of our lovely division comes in at. Minny comes in at number 5 after picking Adrian Peterson (not as good as our adrian peterson) to go along with Chester Taylor. The Lions and the 4 headed monster of Kevin Jones/Tatum Bell/TJ "the underachiever" Duckett/Brian Calhoun rank 20th. And our beloved Pack come in at 32, dead last in the NFL, due to the fact that they no longer believe in the running back position apparently and will go with a rookie, Brandon Jackson.

Hmm, this is ESPN Insider crap, but I guess it isn't a huge problem to post it here since we all dislike ESPN anyway :)

21. Chicago Bears
Rex Grossman enters the final year of his contract with a lot of questions about whether he is the future of this franchise. He can look great at times, picking apart defenses with accuracy and making some great deep throws (especially the seam route) as evidenced by his 23 TD passes in 2006. However, he can look like a totally different player when pressured. He'll make horrible decisions and use poor mechanics, as evidenced by his 20 interceptions last season. He must take better care of the football and play better under pressure if he wants to keep his job. Backup Brian Griese has a lot of starting experience, knows the offense and takes care of the football. He could easily take over the starting job. Young Kyle Orton has starting experience and excellent physical skills. He is probably better than a No. 3 QB, but for now he's stuck in Chicago.

For comparisons sake, Brett Favre and Green Bay come in at 15. Detroit and Kitna come in at 22. And Minny and Tarvaris Jackson come in at 31.

From time to time I get little CBS Sportsline MLB Rumor Mill alerts and this nugget came in today.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Royals' DH Mike Sweeney told the Kansas City Star he wants to catch again, returning to his roots. Sweeney, 33, last caught regularly in 1998 and was the team's opening-day catcher that year. "I've been talking to my agent," Sweeney said, "and I'm thinking about becoming a catcher again."

Is Mike Sweeney crazy?

Here is a little article that was on Yahoo recently outlining NFC North team needs.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jm-nfcnorthneeds040307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Here is what they had to say about the Bears.

Chicago Bears
Team needs: OT, CB, WR, TE, RB
Overall pick/round: 31 (1), 37 (2), 94 (3), 130 (4), 168 (5), 221 (7), 241 (7)

OT: Fred Miller is 34 years old and fellow tackle John Tait is 32, so an early play for someone like Joe Staley or Tony Ugoh is possible. If they wait until the third round, names like James Marten, Julius Wilson or Adam Koets could surface as players that fit into the mold of what they are looking for up front.

CB: This would be a pro-active choice as the Bears could lose both Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman to free agency a year from now. And even though Devin Hester is determined to prove his worth as a corner, his responsibilities could be restricted to return specialist ... and/or wide receiver (see below). There has also been some talk of moving safety Danieal Manning outside, but that would require him to make better decisions while the ball is in the air. The depth of the cornerback position could allow them to make a move on someone either early in the second round or as late as the fourth round and still find a competent defender.

WR: For all the criticism of Rex Grossman, fans and media coverage fail to mention that the Bears have had a very average set of receivers over the past few years, even with the injection of speedy Mark Bradley and versatile Bernard Berrian. The front office has shied away from using top picks on this position, but if one fell to them at No. 31 they would likely evaluate their options. They have added a veteran safety and defensive tackle in recent weeks, so pushing receiver up the draft board is a definite possibility. However, there has also been some talk internally about moving Hester to the offensive side of the ball, but whether it would be a permanent move has not yet been decided.

TE: The 37th overall pick could be right around the range for Arizona State's Zach Miller, but that might be too high for the Bears considering their other needs. However, if they wait too long - as was the case last year - they could find themselves eyeing a list of lower-tier tight ends that would be hard pressed to earn a final roster spot.

RB: Cedric Benson has had some durability issues, plus he has put the ball on the ground and has failed to finish his runs with the same type of intensity he showed while in college. Aside from Benson, they would like to use Adrian Peterson mostly on special teams and Gerald Riggs, Jr. is their only reserve back on their current roster. As a result, investing a mid-round choice on a change-of-pace back like Darius Walker is a consideration. Though, if they address this need earlier, Florida State's Lorenzo Booker is a perfect fit.

Hmm, if the Bears end up trading away Thomas Jones...Could we end up bringing in Tatum Bell as his replacement?

* McGahee and Broncos halfback Tatum Bell are two backs being shopped in trades. McGahee's availability is still puzzling considering the Bills could lose three defensive players in free agency -- cornerback Nate Clements, defensive end Chris Kelsay and middle linebacker London Fletcher-Baker. Bell's inconsistency and fumbling issues have him on Mike Shanahan's trade list.

All this...The Saints are Americas team this, Our Countries team that...What a load of crap. How about ESPN send one of their beloved fat retard reporters to New Orleans to all those who have been displaced from their homes, to those who have lost loved ones in Katrina and ask them if the Saints are repairing their city and making everything okay for them? Maybe New Orleans shouldn't have spent the money renovating a friggin' football stadium and used that money to build homes or shelters for those whose homes were swept away. The Saints are fixin' SHIT in New Orleans, doesn't ESPN know that the people who are attending Saints games are those who were nowhere near the danger of Katrina, because those who lost their homes probably cannot afford to be spending 100 bucks a pop on a fuckin' football ticket. Good lord. Wasn't there a great Chicago fire like 60 years ago or something...maybe the Bears should be Americas team because after all, they built new buildings to replace those lost in the fire! Because that is what football teams do, they rebuild cities!

Well, this is my first diary and it may not be Pulitzer prize worthy, but it is something that I have wanted to get off my chest and hear others opinions on. Obviously, Big Mac is up for HOF Induction and it isn't looking like he is going to get in due to his alleged steroid use and his debacle in the court room. Yet, in another popular sport, a steroid user has been sent to a Pro Bowl and was even in the running for Defensive Player of the Year...Shawne Merriman. I feel this is the biggest slap in the face to anyone who is a Big Mac/Bonds/Sosa fan. How can sports writers hang all over the jock of Merriman when he was CAUGHT cheating with steroids yet constantly berate Mac/Bonds/Sosa due to their alleged steroid use. They say there is no way those guys could hit those homers without roids, but they believe that Merriman can get 17 sacks in 12 games without the help of 'roids? This is the biggest pile of crap I have ever witnessed. How do others feel about this? I believe if a sports writer will defend Merrimans action, he should punch Big Mac on the HOF ballet.

Trade deadline is today, July 31st, at 4pm EST. The biggest name left on the block is Alfonso Soriano. Where is he gonna go?

I'm gonna guess the Twins, they have the most depth in their minor-league system to give up to the Nats. Bowden is a dumby though, so he can probably be easily ripped off.

[update] I went ahead and removed Texas and Detroit from the poll, they had no votes, and added the Dodgers and Marlins, who are both in the race for Sori. Kind've strange that the Marlins would be willing to trade for Sori, but they do have a LOT of pitching prospects.