SB Nation User Blog: thecubreporter

It's a shame we didn't know the O-line sucked

thecubreporter — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:56:29 -0000

It's officially time for Bears fans to worry about the offensive line this season: Head coach Lovie Smith is starting to make excuses for the inept play of his blockers up front during training camp.

"When they come out in practice," Smith said after Monday's afternoon workout in Bourbonnais, "they're going against a great defensive front. So it can only make us a better team."

http://chi.scout.com/2/661085.html

Kreutz, Williams still hurt and...

Assuming Williams gets back on the field and proves he is the best option protecting the quarterback's blind side, that would allow St. Clair to slide inside because Terrence Metcalf has no business being atop any team's depth chart. But how much time would St. Clair need to get adjused to guard after spending all of training camp at tackle?

also said Grossman and Orton both had miserable days on Monday...

Urlacher agrees to new deal

thecubreporter — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:31:27 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3499320&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

According to sources, Urlacher and the Bears have come to terms on a revised contract, which includes a one-year extension, thus ending their offseason contract squabble.

Urlacher, 30, had four years and approximately $25.5 million remaining on his contract. Under the terms of the upgraded deal, Urlacher will receive a $6 million signing bonus along with a $1 million bump in salary each of the next four years. The sides also have agreed to extend the pact into 2012, at a salary of $7.5 million. Urlacher can earn an additional $500,000 in a workout bonus in 2012.

That's a total of roughly $43.5 million over the next five years, with $18 million in new money for the six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All Pro.

Favre's got the itch

thecubreporter — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:19:48 -0000

to keep playing, so says Chris Mortensen and Al Harris. Poor Aaron Rodgers...

http://deadspin.com/5021546/brett-favre-seriously-considering-unretirement-nfl-live-says

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This Can't Be Good...

thecubreporter — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:46:02 -0000

http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog/roto_arcade/post/Juggernaut-Index-No-32-Rex-Grossman-is-proba;_ylt=AqUo6W6kwW5nTs_cOZWT50lNC5kB?urn=fantasy,91153

I know it's just fantasy football, but the Bears are ranked #32 in the "juggernaut index"

The Juggernaut Index is our annual attempt to rank every NFL team for fantasy purposes. We're not concerned with real-life wins and losses here. No, here we just care about imaginary winning. If an NFL team gains lots of yardage, limits turnovers, and scores when they reach the red zone, then you'll want to own their skill position players in fantasy leagues.

Brandon Lloyd looking good and more from OTA

thecubreporter — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:29:54 -0000

http://chi.scout.com/2/761055.html

Brandon Lloyd continues to be the best receiver on the field by far, which is either a testament to his natural ability or an indictment of the other wideouts on the roster. Both Grossman and Orton appear to be getting more comfortable with him in the offense, as they are looking for him more and more once the initial read on a pass play isn't there. Lloyd could be on his way to resurrecting his once-promising career, or he could simply be teasing yet another team since he has a reputation for not showing up on game day – feel free to ask the 49ers and Redskins.

Grossman vs Orton:

Because of all the drama surrounding the tailback position Monday, quarterbacks Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton continued their battle for the starting job in relative anonymity. Grossman's best delivery of the day came on a deep pattern down the seam to Forte, who got behind Michael Okwo in coverage and made the catch with relative ease – it was the kind of route that Benson simply wasn't capable of running, by the way. Orton was again checking down to his secondary reads more often than not and somewhat reluctant to air it out down the field, and Corey Graham picked off one of the few deep balls he tried on an underthrown fly pattern to Greg Olsen down the right sideline.

OTA Update

thecubreporter — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:14:00 -0000

http://chi.scout.com/2/756618.html

- Orton getting more first team reps than Grossman at the moment, writer speculates that it's just because Grossman got the majority over the last few seasons.

- " Caleb Hanie has clearly separated himself from Nick Hill and stands a relatively decent chance of making the 53-man roster as the No. 3 QB."

- Forte looking good

- "As expected, John Tait looks like he has been moved from left tackle over to the right side, although it's not the team's No. 1 pick, Chris Williams, who's protecting the quarterback's blind side. John St. Clair is currently running with the first team offense at left tackle, although this seems like a subtle tactic to make sure Williams earns his spot as a rookie."

- Terrance Metcalf starting at left guard so far

- Dvoracek looking healthy..

Now that Jason Taylor is available...

thecubreporter — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:19:47 -0000

think we can get him for Marty Booker?

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Draft Hype Machine

thecubreporter — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:57:22 -0000

Some quotes and tidbits about the Bears draft...surprisingly upbeat of course.

http://chi.scout.com/2/750866.html

BEST PICK: The Bears picked LSU safety Craig Steltz in the fourth round (120th overall), but according to Angelo, there was complete agreement in the war room that he had the ability to become a starter. Steltz was only a full-time starter for one season at LSU, but he had 101 tackles and six interceptions last year. He's big enough to play effectively in the box but also has the instincts to play free safety, so he could be a factor very soon in an area that has been troubled for the past four seasons because of frequent injuries to Mike Brown – a special player when healthy.

COULD SURPRISE: Nebraska cornerback Zack Bowman's two seasons in Lincoln were hindered by a pair of knee surgeries that limited him to nine starts. But Bowman, who lasted until the fifth round (No. 142 overall) because of the injuries, is very close to 100 percent and on the verge of regaining the elite talent he flashed before he was hurt. He's 6-0 and 197 pounds and ran a 4.44 40 at the combine.

The corner had 10 interceptions and 22 pass break-ups in junior college before an injury-plagued career at Nebraska that included major surgeries on both knees. He started just nine games in two years in Lincoln, but says his knees are fine now.

"After the combine, they were really good," he said. "They're fine. I just want to keep them that way."

Gabriel said Bowman was not 100 percent during his senior season, but he is now.

"He had a great combine," Gabriel said. "We took him with the idea that he's 100 percent recovered."

Angelo entertained the notion of trading down in the first round when three offensive tackles they liked were all available: Williams, Branden Albert and Jeff Otah.

"We got phone calls from several people, and they were very, very aggressive," Angelo said. "But we really felt strongly about Chris. We thought he fit the prototype of what we were looking for intangibly. And we felt [good] obviously [about] his skill level and his position.

"Not many times do you set your course to target a guy and/or guys, and we had a choice of them, but we didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, and we don't want to get cute on draft day. We're very happy with our selection. Maybe we could have gotten him later, but if we didn't, then we wouldn't have felt as good as we [do] right now."

Forte's write-up

thecubreporter — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:50:22 -0000

http://chi.scout.com/a.z?s=25&p=2&c=750055

Included only to mention he had a 4.44/40 which seems lower than what Chad found...

RB Matt Forte – Tulane

The numbers: 6-2, 217 pounds, 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 23 bench-press reps at 225 pounds, 31.5-inch vertical jump. The skinny: A very well-rounded running back who was awfully productive for the Green Wave, Forte also catches the ball very well out of the backfield and is a willing blocker in the passing game. He lacks elite speed and isn't necessarily the most explosive ball-carrier in the draft, but he is tough between the tackles and put up 2,127 yards on the ground this past season. The analysis: It's safe to say that Cedric Benson has officially been put on notice, as Forte can challenge for playing time immediately in a way that Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe can't. The Monsters of the Midway were dead last in the league at 3.1 yards per carry in 2007, but adding another weapon on the ground in addition to a potential franchise left tackle with first-rounder Chris Williams should be a big help for this struggling offense.

Did We Take the Right Offensive Lineman?

thecubreporter — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:41:33 -0000

http://chi.scout.com/a.z?s=25&p=2&c=749738#ChrisWilliams

some dude who's been an NFL scout for supposedly 35 years and his take. Had Williams Rated #2 ahead of Otah and Clady.

2. Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
40: 5.15v Ht: 6061v Wt: 315v Rating: 1.125
An athletic big man with quickness, body control, flexibility and balance. Smart player who comes off the ball, hits up and turns defender. Good power and finishing skills. Outstanding playing range and ability to adjust on the move at the second level. Not a great finisher but dominated none the less. Outstanding balance points, knee, and ankle bend.. Can control with punch. Outstanding ability to ride defender past the pocket. Round # 1 sure thing.

3. Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh
40: 5.57v Ht: 6060v Wt: 322v Rating: 1.143
Not a natural knee bender, but was a massive person, who used his hands well, sustained blocks, played on his feet and finished people inline. I liked the way he rolled into his sets and the way he moved his feet for a big man. On pass pro, I thought his sets were efficient and consistent. Good hand placement. Can come off the ball and maul people inline. Still developing but has real solid playing skills. Top round draft consideration

4. Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
40: 5.24v Ht: 6061v Wt: 309v Rating: 1.152
Has outstanding feet, balance, and body control. Came off the ball with good pad level, hit on the rise with good hand placement. On pass protection, I felt his sets were efficient. Good depth on his kick step and slide. Did overplay and open outside shoulder some, but I liked his balance points and his ability to replaces hands. Not particularly strong. Needs more weight room dedication. Has left tackle playing

the "v" stands for verified.

fwiw, his write-up on Albert

Branden Albert was a heck of a pick for the Chiefs, and they’re leading the way in the first round in my estimation. They have two top 15 picks.

My thinking with Albert is that he’s got great versatility. I rated him as a guard but he can play tackle. Obviously the Chiefs have seen more of him than I have, and they probably know better. He’s got really good movement, he’s got good athletic ability, and he’s got the feet to be an outside guy. I love his ability to block at the second level and pull and lead on toss plays.

He’s a young guy and he’s only going to get better. He wasn’t highly recruited coming out of high school so the sky is the limit with this guy. But the Chiefs have got themselves two starters with two picks right now.