Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Come To Think Of It: Hey Bears Fans, Is Brian Urlacher a Future HOF'er?

Bob Warja — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:07:31 -0500

A few relatively short years ago, this would have been an easy question to answer. It would have been an emphatic "Yes!" as Urlacher was generally thought of as one of the best defensive players in the NFL.

But in recent years, he has been criticized as overrated or has been injured. Football is not like baseball and careers are normally a lot shorter. Unlike in baseball, where you have to play 10 years to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, there are NFL players like Gale Sayers, for example, who served less time in the NFL yet made it among the elite.

This is Urlacher's 10th year in the league, though he is on injured reserve, out for the season following surgery on a dislocated right wrist.

It is widely thought around the league that the Bears base defensive scheme, the Tampa-2, does not play to the strengths of Urlacher, and limits his ability to pile up stats.

The most sacks he has had in a season was his rookie year when he had eight. He does have the fifth most interceptions among linebackers since 2000, but it's hard to judge a defensive football player by stats alone.

What we do know about Urlacher is that, when healthy, he is an explosive run-stopper and an effective pass-defender. He has great instincts, and power to sustain leverage on blockers and separate to the ball. He has the speed, agility and size to match up well with many interior targets in the passing game.

He is a six-time Pro Bowl player, winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2000 and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2005. Urlacher is only the fifth player in NFL history to win both awards.

He holds the Bears record for most tackles in a season. But is he a future HOF'er?

There are those who claim he is overrated. In a 2006 Sports Illustrated poll of 361 NFL players, Urlacher was named as the second most overrated player in the league, behind Terrell Owens. Jealousy perhaps?

Personally, I do not feel he is in the same category of Dick Butkus, but then again, no one is. It's hard when arguably the greatest linebacker in NFL history is openly critical of you. Just because you may not measure up to his standard does not necessarily mean you are not a great player.

As to being overrated, the one Bears linebacker who I do feel was in this category was Mike Singletary. I know this may rub Bears fans the wrong way, but I think the play of Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael on the inside helped elevate the play of Richard Dent and Singletary.

Yet he made the HOF. Don't get me wrong, he was a very good player. But he got in mainly on the basis of those piercing eyes and the cracked helmets. Starring on a Super Bowl winning team didn't hurt his chances either.

So far, Urlacher hasn't had the luxury of a championship as part of his resume, though he did play in one. I do think he is as good, if not better, than Singletary was.

I'd like to know what you think, Bears fans, come to think of it?

NOTE: Shortly after I wrote this, it was brought to my attention that Joey Garcia had written a piece earlier this year also asking if Urlacher was a HOF'er. Though I hadn't read that article, I wanted to give a shout out to it:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/141979-is-chicago-bears-brian-urlacher-a-future-hall-of-famer

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Bears Lose RB Garrett Wolfe For The Season

Jake Perper — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:03:52 -0500

Garrett Wolfe, a third round pick in 2007 out of Northern Illinois has landed on the injured reserve for the second straight season.

Wolfe suffered a lacerated kidney in the November 8th blowout loss against the Cardinals. Wolfe had 22 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown this season, averaging over five yards per carry. He also had nine special team tackles in the eight games he appeared. Wolfe had 21 tackles on special teams last season and was a real leader on the unit.

With the loss of Wolfe, Adrian Peterson will see a lot more work on special teams and maybe a carry here and there.

Look for the Bears to snag a runner off of another teams practice squad, who has some special teams experience. If not they’ll likely promote Kahlil Bell from their own practice squad or add free agent RB Maurice Hicks to help contribute immediately.

We’ll see what the Bears will do in the coming days, but this is a bad loss for the Bears special teams which ranks fourth this season. Wolfe was also looking like a solid contributor on offense, but we’ll have to wait until next season to see him on the field again. Wolfe joins Kevin Jones as the second running back to land on the injured reserve.

Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.

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Dancing Bear Matt Forte Only One of Team's Numerous Problems

Gene Chamberlain — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:37:55 -0500

LAKE FOREST, IL—It took very little time for the idea to come across coach Lovie Smith's lips this week in practice following last week's debacle at San Francisco.

"We have five losses. Five losses don't keep you out of anything. Our players realize that. It's a big game coming up," Smith said.

All this past week the Bears have trumpeted this because they have nothing else on which to base the rest of their season.

"The Vikings are playing well; they’re 8-1," defensive end Adewale Ogunleye said. "But besides that, with the playoffs and everything it's still in our grasp."

In truth, they're right. It always takes more than five losses to be eliminated.

The Cardinals were 9-7 last year and in the Super Bowl, as numerous Bears have pointed out this week.

Taking it a step further, the Cardinals not only made the Super Bowl at 9-7, but owned the same record after nine games that the Bears have at this point. They were 4-5.

In fact, the other NFC championship game participant, Philadelphia, wasn't much better and was actually .500 after 11 games (5-5-1).

This isn't common, though. Usually it's the dominant teams who get through the playoffs—if there are any—and this year certainly there are two in the NFC in the Vikings and Saints.

Besides, the Bears do not have the makeup of a team capable of making a late-season run to the playoffs. Simply, they are playing lousy football, the kind more likely to get a head coach or assistants fired than the kind that lights a fire under a miracle team's run.

It's not their record, but the way they play that makes playoffs or even a .500 record seem unlikely.

They are eighth in the league in penalties. Smith says this isn't common for his teams. Apparently lying is. The Bears have been eighth or better in penalties committed during four of Smith's six seasons. They've been fifth or higher in penalties three times in his six seasons.
They say they are a running team but they passed 52 times last week against San Francisco in a game they never trailed by more than seven points. Giving up on the run is something they've done well all year and currently are on pace for the most pass attempts in team history.
With 17 interceptions, quarterback Jay Cutler is just off the pace for a franchise single-season interceptions record.
The defense plays well only against poor offenses like Detroit, Cleveland and San Francisco.
The offensive line has been blamed constantly for a running attack that is ranked 30th. It's been so bad the Bears have given up early on the run and are tied for 30th in rushing attempts.

However, Smith doesn't lay all the blame on the line. This week he acknowledged running back Matt Forte dances too much instead of running straight ahead.

"I think he danced last year, too," Smith said. "We're at a point in our season right now where we're 4-5. I think anything you ask me as far as any position, it's not where we want it to be.

"Hopefully after this game we'll see some of those things. We'll see Matt make a couple more runs, we'll see every player on the field do some of the things that we've grown accustomed to."

Don't bet on it. Nine games is a pretty good sample size and the Bears haven't shown themselves capable of making a late-season run.

"The wall's against our backs," defensive tackle Tommie Harris said, slaughtering an overused cliche.

It's more likely they'll be laying beneath the wall after Donovan McNabb gets through with them than be .500 and looking to upset Minnesota.

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Poisoning the Opponent: How Far Would You Take Your Fandom?

Joe Gerrity — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:51:04 -0500

After the Bears beat the Steelers on Sunday, a group of Steeler fans got into a bit of an altercation with a group of Bears fans at a local bar.

After heated words were exchanged, the group of Bears fans offered to buy drinks for the Steelers fans as a "peacemaker." This is when things quickly got ugly.

The Bears had apparently put something in one of the drinks in an attempt to injure (we hope) a Steelers fan. Forty-six-year-old Zack Eddinger was rushed to the hospital where his heart stopped beating a total of four times.

His family was told to come immediately because the doctors didn't think he would survive.

Originally the doctors thought that antifreeze was added to the drink because the effects were so strong.

Fortunately, Zack survived.

Anyway, this brings up a few interesting points of discussion.

How far are you willing to take your fandom?

I've seen people willing to paint their bodies and go shirtless for four hours in the snow and stadiums packed to watch teams with no chance at postseason glory. Tatoos and cars, devoted entirely to a certain team.

Fandom for some of us goes back generations. We root for the Bears because our dad rooted for the Bears, because his dad rooted for the Bears. For many of us, that's all the reason we need to act like a group of rowdy, drunken frat boys every Sunday afternoon (and who can blame us?).

But to what extent would you really take things?

Say you were a Saints fan and happened to own a hotel in Miami. Now let's assume that the Saints made it all the way to the Super Bowl and the opposing team happened to be staying in your hotel. How far would you take things in order for your team to get that elusive victory?

Would you be willing to set off the fire alarm a few times the night before? Or maybe bring in a new chef whose specialty is undercooking chicken? It wouldn't be the first time something like this has been done.

It's tough to say how far people will take it. You know they are willing to go to crazy lengths for things that will almost certainly have no real impact in the game (one guy dressing up shirtless out of 70,000 fans), but if their actions had real consequences would people take things much further or are they content to let things be settled on the field?

The answer undoubtedly is personal and unique, and I am interested to hear any and all opinions on this matter.

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The Chicago Bears' “Other” Devin Should Get More Playing Time

Jake Perper — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:19:59 -0500

“He’s a different type of receiver. He’s a different target for me.” Those are the words that Bears quarterback Jay Cutler used to describe 6′2″ wide receiver Devin Aromashodu.

I simply call him the other “Devin”, because his last name is so hard to pronounce, but seriously Jay Cutler is right, Aromashodu is a different target for him.

Cutler needs a big guy out there other than Greg Olsen catching passes. His current set of wide receivers, Hester (5′11″), Bennett (6′0″), and Knox (6′0″) are the shortest receiving combo in the league and their considered midgets among league averages.

Cutler needs that type of receiver he has been lacking all season, the one who can provide a mismatch. The one Cutler can just throw the ball up to him and he can catch it because he is that much taller than the defender.

I’m just saying up to this point the Bears offense hasn’t been very good, why not make a change? They can start using more four receiver sets, or they can let Hester and Knox focus more on returning kicks and punts.

Aromashodu may not be the answer to the Bears offensive woes, but I’m sure he can help. Jay Cutler had a guy named Brandon Marshall in Denver, yeah, he is 6′4″ and is a very talented wide receiver.

The Bears current receivers, Hester, Bennett and Knox are talented, but they just aren’t experienced enough right now to get the job done.

I think in the long run they can be a very deadly trio, but they need a change and right now would be a good time to make it.

Giving Jay Cutler a big target other than Greg Olsen (6′5″) is probably the best idea the Bears can have. Everyone forgets that the other “Devin” actually was the third receiver coming into Week 1, but he went down with an injury and rookie Johnny Knox stepped in.

The Bears offense should be better with this change, but the way Ron Turner has been calling plays these days especially in the red zone, I don’t know how much it can actually help.

The only change that was good to see last Thursday night, was having Matt Forte catch more screen passes, something this team should have been doing all season.Let’s see if this change, if they listen to me, will make us better.

Devin Aromashodu, please help the Bears out. Thanks.

Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.

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Gregg Sternaman: Happy To Share My Space With "A Little Bit About Sternaman"

Todd Civin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:13:06 -0500

Through my promoting of the award winning children's story, A Glove of Their Own, I have been introduced to some tremendous human beings and some absolutely incredible causes.

Coach Bob Salomon, the coach of A Glove of Their Own has a heart the size of New Jersey and tries to help every first class human being and every worthwhile cause he can through the Pay It Forward message of the book.

As the unofficial media department for Bob and his book, I am often introduced to the many friends from the sports world that Bob makes and often try to promote their cause through the gift of writing that I've been blessed with.

Earlier this week, Bob introduced me to a new friend, Gary Bennett, a former major League catcher for 13 seasons with the Phillies, and six other clubs. Bennett, whose heart is equal in size to Salomon's, has immersed himself in the Sternyway Foundation, a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) application pending organization whose principle purpose is to provide need based funding for children to support their participation in school and/or community sponsored athletic programs.

The Sternyway Foundation was formed to honor Gregg Sternaman, long time coach in several sports at Highland Park High School out side of Chicago. Bennett had told Bob Salomon that there are "certain human beings who grace our presence that make an indelible impact on the lives of everyone they come in contact with and Coach Sternaman is such a soul ."

He shared several stories with Salomon including what appears to be "the Coaches final quarter."

"In November, 2001, Coach Sternaman noticed a bleeding mole on the middle of his back. After a biopsy, it was discovered that Coach had level one melanoma skin cancer.

"Surgery was performed to remove lymph nodes to guard against the melanoma metastasizing. Coach Sternaman was treated with interferon for a month. With regular follow up visits to the doctor, he remained cancer free for eight years."

"In the past two weeks, it was discovered that the melanoma has returned. He has late stage metastatic melanoma which has spread to his brain, lung, and other body parts. Coach is currently undergoing brain radiation and oral chemotherapy. The typical survival rate for this cancer is four months to one year."

The story, of course, moved both Salomon and me and we decided to write a story about the Coach.

I visited the Foundation site hoping to harvest enough information to write a fitting tribute to Coach Sternaman. I hoped that my word-smithing would move my readers enough to become involved.

When I got to the site, and started doing my research, it become evident that the words written on the site are written by a far better writer than me and that my craft and abilities aren't needed to tell Coach S's story.

So, instead of writing new words, about a man who I someday hope to meet, I'll simply share the words that have already been written and encourage you to not only say a prayer for Coach Sternaman, but to donate to his cause.

And if you happen to be in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park IL this Saturday, stop in and meet the Coach along with former White Sox slugger Ron Kittle and former Bears star Brian Bashnagel. Visit the site for details.

So without wasting any more of your time with my thoughts and words, I hope to share, A Little Bit About Sternaman...God Bless...

A Little Bit About Sternaman

Once in every athletes' life, if they are lucky, they encounter a very special coach.

This is the guy you think about years later. This is the guy whose teaching resonates in your head as you face life's challenges. This is the guy who not only made you a better football or baseball player, or wrestler...but made you a better human being.

Almost any coach can teach X's and O's...but few can impact a young person by teaching strength in body and character, dignity, confidence and independent thinking. This is a guy who shows you the value of hard work, the benefits of mental preparation, the importance of loving your teammates.

This is Gregg Sternaman.

A man who simultaneously is the simplest...and most complex man.

For 20 years Sternaman chose to coach high school and youth sports. He could have been a financial manager or businessman, but instead he remained true to his instincts and life's passion by coaching young people.

The name Sternaman became identified as a tough coach and a tough guy. He rarely used his first name, Sternaman really said it all. As his years of coaching grew, so did his legend.

Stories of Sternaman drawing blood from his forehead as he busted a clipboard over his head "to make a point" at halftime of a football game. Or challenging a football player, more than half his age and twice his size, to a "bull in the ring" competition spread throughout the communities he touched.

Sternaman rarely thought twice about pulling a pitcher from a baseball game in the middle of an inning, or even in the middle of a particular batter. If Sternaman saw a player sleeping or loafing in the field, he would yank that guy immediately...and give him an earful to boot.

Parents were not absolved from Sternaman's wrath either. As parents frequently do, they would contest a coach's call during the game, or ask why their son or daughter wasn't getting more playing time.

This was a good time for everyone else to vacate the field. It was only a matter of time before Sternaman put that parent in their place. These occurrences rarely happened more than once in any relationship with Sternaman.

He was known for making his point. And frequently did so through a series of colorful phrases that became known as Sternyism . The best of those have become part of sports lore throughout the North Shore of Chicago.

But as tough as he was, that is exactly how sensitive he was as well.

Sternaman was known to call an athlete at home at night to explain his actions from earlier that day. Usually, these calls included a lesson for that young person, and an open invitation to "try it again" the next day. Sternaman didn't have a dog house. He did have quite a development center.

Pushing young people to mature, to accept responsibility and to advocate for themselves, Sternaman welcomed a direct confrontation with any player...and treated that player with respect and kindness.

Even in the heat of battle, Sternaman was aware of the personal circumstances of his athletes and tried his best to provide life experiences for these young people. Whether it was pitching in a playoff game, or getting a chance to score a touchdown, Sternaman had a good sense of perspective about "the games" he coached.

His players learned to play hard for themselves, for their teammates...and in most instances, for Coach Sternaman.

For those of us privileged enough to play for him, or watch as our children did...Sternaman symbolized what youth sports is all about. That's why we tip our hats to Coach Sternaman. BR

Todd Civin is a freelance writer who writes for Bleacher Report, Sports, Then and Now , and Seamheads. He is a supporter of A Glove of Their Own, the award-winning children’s story that teaches paying it forward through baseball.Visit the site and purchase using today's featured donor code SMF197 The Sternyman Foundation as $3.00 from each sale will go to this wonderful charity.

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Chicago Bears: What Needs To Be Done To Fix The Future, Right Now!

Max Kienzler — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:34:20 -0500

The Chicago Bears go up this weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles, who will be missing Brian Westbrook. The game is on Sunday Night Football... which means that despite the absence of Westbrook, I still do not feel bad chalking this one up as a loss.

In Jay Cutler's three previous prime time performances (Packers, Falcons, 49ers), he accumulated the following total numbers: 73/131 for a 55 percent completion rate, 884 yards, three TDs and 11 Ints.

Now that doesn't mean Jay is going to come out and bomb, but I still feel very confident that the Bears chances of winning are slim. Especially considering how the offensive line has played and how much the Eagles' defense enjoys blitzing.

So if the Bears do lose and the playoffs become an afterthought, there are several changes that Lovie Smith needs to make in order for the Bears to be better prepared for the following season.

Lets start on the offensive side:

First, move Juaquin Iglesias into the receiver rotation. I like the trio of Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox and those three should be the top options, but lets see what the kid has to offer if the Bears break out a four receiver set, that doesn't include Greg Olsen.

Second, as much as I like Dez Clark and how effective he has been, it is time to move Kellen Davis into a more prominent role since he will be the future No. 2 option at tight end behind Olsen. Get him some real game experience so he will be ready when the time comes.

Third, I want to see more Adrian Peterson. This has nothing to do with Forte, I just don't see a point in using him up this season if the playoffs are not a possibility. Let A.P. get some reps and take some pressure off of Forte. Might also spark him to play better if he isn't getting all the carries.

Fourth, the offensive line should be the following: LT Chris Williams, LG Josh Beekman, C Olin Kreutz, RG Roberto Garza, and RT Kevin Shaffer.

Orlando Pace is old and won't make it to the end of his contract before he retires and this is the line that should be in place next year, (unless we sign a big name free agent over the offseason... which is doubtful) so they should get time in now.

Fifth, bring up fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou from the practice squad and see what he has. Jason Davis has been a serviceable player, but he will never be exceptional and we need to find a replacement for him soon. Why not see what Ta'ufo'ou has to offer.

On the defensive side of the ball:

First, I want to see less Adewale Ogunleye and more of Mark Anderson/Gaines Adams. Both Wale and Anderson are in contract years. Anderson will be cheaper to keep if the Bears think he is worth it. Wale will be asking for more and if we are to part ways with him, we need to see if Anderson, or the new pick up in Adams, is capable of replacing him.

Second, I want to see less Tommie Harris and more Marcus Harrison and Anthony Adams. Tommie has been a pain in the butt for the past few years and never seems to want to give it his all. Harrison and Adams do. End of story. If I am going to watch this team with no real hopes for the playoffs, I want to watch players who want to be there.

Third, change up the secondary. Insert D.J. Moore into some situations when needed and continue testing out Nathan Vasher at safety. Change it up. If the playoffs are really out of reach, experiment a little bit so you have a better idea how effective some players are in REAL game situations so when next year comes, they are better prepared.

At some point, reality has to set in and changes should be made for the following season. I understand the argument that you play to win every game, and I am not advocating against that.

But I feel that the Bears are not playoff bound so why waste the second half of the season meddling in mediocrity as opposed to prepping the team to be more competitive next year.

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Bears, Browns and Bills: Big Blunders Made By Great Lake Wrecks

Dave Hogan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:34:20 -0500

Sung to the tune of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

The Legends are all gone—Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, and Jim Kelly down to Jim Brown.

On Lake Michigan it seems, they soldier on with disregard for the frowns of the crowd and the spaceship around.

Does anyone know why Lovie goes for it on 4th down with a Long Snapper Pipe dreamin?

On offense the passes come late while the receivers fall down and crash into old referees. You got rid of Rex but your team's still a wreck.

The defense is out to lunch but still throws a punch in front of the ref, the first hard hit in what's left of the Bear's season!

Farther East we become leery on both sides of Erie, the mistakes by the Lakes continue...

The Browns play downtown and turn the minutes into hours.

They sour the dog pound but at least LeBron's still around.

Their two yard pass routes are nothing to tout, everything is wrong & they practice too long.

It's way out of bounds with Brady Quinn in, throwing cheaps shots again, they have no chance to win just like his failed pale Sarah Palin.

Eric Mangini works as a parking attendant and looks very cute but he's soon to be a defendant in a wrongful hire lawsuit.

Well below "Five Hundred" is old Buffalo, where the fan's freeze on aluminum seats.

We see TO's cleats and he looks real neat. With sunglasses on press conferences go on with all the morons as we wait for the impending meltdown. The tears for Romo are all gone, part of Niagara Falls now as we go farther below five hundred!

They've fired Coach Jauron due to that thorn TO or was it because Jim Zorn tied him in the win column?

Don't forgot Detroit. Its depresssing enough in the Rust Belt so wouldn't it be swell if one of these teams won? When Green Bay runs out of it luck, it too will suck.

The Seattle Mariners even say these teams can't beat Tampa Bay.

They have no split ends, is it a geographic trend? When will it end?, they don't know what it takes to win when the critics of November come screamin!

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Rex Grossman's Dad Defends Jay Cutler

Jake Perper — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:12:40 -0500

Former Bears quarterback Rex Grossman is currently the backup to Matt Schaub in Houston, but that doesn’t mean his father doesn’t still watch the Chicago Bears. His father Dan quickly defended Jay Cutler and compared it to how Rex was in his time with the Bears.

Here’s what he had to say to the Chicago Tribune:

“It’s a self-perpetuating problem that is not Jay Cutler’s fault,” said Dan Grossman, who played quarterback at Indiana in the ’60s. “It’s not Rex Grossman’s fault. It’s not Kyle Orton’s fault. It’s not every other quarterback who has been through that system’s fault. It’s the fault of the organization for not understanding what a quarterback needs.

“What’s amazing to me is, here we go again with Jay Cutler. He came in and he was going to be the franchise quarterback and lead the Bears. I heard some people say they were going to the Super Bowl this year. And here we are, back in the situation where...because the team is not really built around a passing game, he has struggled. I don’t really blame it on Jay Cutler.

“You know who I feel worse for? I feel worse for the Cutler family because I know how hard it was on our family. We are a very proud family. We’re not going to whine to anybody and we’re not going to cry about it. But we’re human. It’s hard to go through that, especially after you had such high expectations.

“You know this young man can really play the sport and that position. It borders on the ridiculous. And the media wants to continually rip the player. And they are missing the point. It’s not the player. It’s the organization.

“I’m not even going to rip the coaches. It’s not even the coaches. The coaches are given a clear, strong message: ‘We’re not building an offensive passing team; we’re building an offensive running team.’

“Look at how much money they have put on the defense. That’s my observation.

“(Rex) wasn’t a first-round draft pick (22nd overall out of Florida) and an Associated Press national player of the year for nothing. Obviously he came in very well thought of. Those bumps that he had in Chicago have not helped him. But I am glad to say he is on an excellent team now. And he is on an excellent offensive passing team now. He is very pleased with that.

“The whole culture is different.

“Jay Cutler, first-round draft pick. Rex Grossman, first-round draft pick. I mean, you’re telling me these guys were terrible? They did bad scouting? No. You can connect the dots pretty easily when you just look. I am just amazed at how infrequently people in the media look at it. Their evaluation is that it is always the player. That’s not right.

“I believe that the NFL is a passing league. It has been for the last 20 years. Chicago continues to use the phrase, at least Lovie Smith continues to use the phrase, ‘We get off the bus running.’ They need to abandon that concept. Running is obviously a very important part of the offense. But the best teams in this league are prolific passing teams.

“And for a team to be effective at passing, in my opinion, you have to build your offense around your quarterback. You have to commit to the quarterback: ‘You’re our guy.’

“You don’t bring your quarterback in and say: ‘We’re going to get off the bus running. But on 3rd-and-10, you’ve got to come through for us now!’"

Thoughts

I agree with Dan Grossman on a lot of the things he said.

It’s true the league is now more of a passing league, but you still have to have some kind of running game to be successful. Jay Cutler needs to be surrounded with more weapons than just Devin Hester and Greg Olsen. Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett are good, but there just too young.

The offensive line is mixed with young inexperienced guys and veterans who are on the edge of their careers. This team has the talent to make the playoffs this season, but next year if they surround Jay Cutler with protection and talent, the Bears have a chance.

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Week 11 Power Rankings, Bears Edition

Jake Perper — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:43:47 -0500

Here are the Week 11 Bears power rankings from various sites around the web:

ESPN: #23 (Last week: 19)

Analysis: “The Bears have lost four of their past five.”

Yahoo Sports: #23 (Last week: 20)

Analysis: “Did Jay Cutler send a thank-you gift basket to Bill Belichick Sunday night (and, if so, was it intercepted )?”

Pro Football Weekly: #22 (Last week: 18)

Analysis: “And how do they plan to fix this offensive line without draft picks?”

Fox Sports: #23 (Last week: 19)

Analysis: “Turnovers tell the story for the Bears in 2009. When limiting turnovers to two or fewer, Chicago is 4-1 and averaging 28.2 ppg. Unfortunately, they’ve committed 3-plus turnovers four times, in which case they are 0-4 and averaging 11.3 ppg.”

CBS Sports: #20 (Last week: 19)

Analysis: “You have to start to wonder about Jay Cutler. He’s trying to do too much. Where’s Matt Forte? They are a playoff long shot now.”

Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.

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Come To Think Of It: Chicago Bears Problems Start at The Top

Bob Warja — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:44:45 -0500

Count me among the throng of Bears fans calling for the heads of Lovie Smith and Ron Turner. But in actuality, that would only be like putting a tourniquet on a gushing wound. If we really want to fix what ails the Bears, we need to address the root cause, and that's the organization itself.

Look, let's be clear: this isn't a reaction to the comments made by Rex Grossman's dad recently. In case you hadn't heard, Dan Grossman talked about how it's not the player, it's the organization that causes failure.

No, his whining isn't what prompted this article. Let's look at the Bears hierarchy for a moment.

Mama Bear, Virginia McCaskey, technically controls the Bears. But let's face it, by all accounts she may be one helluva lady, but she leaves the internal workings of the team to Ted Phillips and her grandchildren. Phillips is the President and CEO of the Chicago Bears.

Phillips may not be very visible to Bears fans but he likes it that way. He hired Jerry Angelo to be his football man and mouthpiece, and entrusts him and Lovie with obtaining and developing the players that will take us to another championship.

Phillips is a bean counter who isn't a football expert. He's a step above Michael McCaskey, to be sure, in terms of football IQ, but that isn't saying much.

If Phillips and the other management types know football, why did Phillips need to employ a search firm to hire Angelo? Why did this team go 14 years without a GM?

As to Michael McCaskey, while it's always fun to throw him under the bus (hey, perhaps the same bus the Bears come off of running? lol), he really does not engage in the day to day operations of the Bears any longer.

Mrs. McCaskey fired her son Michael as president following the Dave McGinnis fiasco in 1999.

Michael is the CEO, however, and when his mother dies, he may assume main responsibility for the team.

That is, if he can afford to control at least 20 percent of the team upon his mother's death. I shudder at the thought.

You see, the league now requires a single individual to own at least 20 percent of a club, so if the 11 grandchildren with ownership stakes were to assume voting control, one may need to buy out some of the others to reach the league threshold.

Much of Michael McCaskey’s wealth is believed to be tied into his share of the team, however, so whether he would have the means to buy out his relatives is unclear. He would be constrained from borrowing against the team by NFL debt regulations.

Other logical successors could include Andrew McKenna and Aon Corporation founder Pat Ryan, who purchased 20 percent of the team in 1990.

But for now at least, the question is where is the accountability? Well, since the Bears are profitable, Phillips and the McCaskeys really don't have to hold Jerry and Lovie accountable for their actions. In fact, I can almost hear the Bears president thinking:

Bad drafting? OK. A failed defense scheme? We can live with that. A losing season? Well, just give us a winning season every couple years and we'll be fine. That Super Bowl in 2006? Now, we can feed off of that for awhile, as long as we're making money.

There is simply no leadership emanating from the front office. I wish Virginia would do the right thing and fire Lovie and Jerry and go outside the organization to seek opinions on hiring a solid football man.

Sadly, that's not going to happen and you can't tell me it's only because of the money owed them. Hell, the Bears are worth more than a billion dollars; it's about control of the Bears family fortune and yes, it's about ego.

Ted Phillips was the first outsider brought in to run the football operations. But he earned the family's trust by watching over the family purse as a tough contract negotiator.

The Bears have been like a toy played with by spoiled rich brats. It's time the fans recognized where the real problem lies. Here's a quote from Virginia McCaskey from 2007:

"It was a bumpy road a lot of times, how I should sell the team and give Chicago competent ownership. OK, maybe I'm not competent , but Ed and I found the people to do the job."

Oh, did you really Mrs. McCaskey? I don't think so. It's time to start over, come to think of it.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com

Sparking A Fire: What the Chicago Bears Need To Do

Adam Radochonski — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:58:19 -0500

The Chicago Bears need something to get their season going. A team with huge expectations at the beginning, mainly by acquiring a certain quarterback, they find themselves at 4-5 through 9 games, a below-average football team. Things have not gone the way Chicago has wanted, mainly the fact that they cannot run the ball, 2 of their best defensive players are hurt, and Cutler is trying the ball. Here's what needs to happen in order for the Chicago Bears to right this ship.

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50th Article, 50 Reasons Why NOT To Watch the Chicago Bears

Scott Ottersen — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:25:46 -0500

1. They suck!

2. They have two of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL, but never throw the ball deep.

3. Ron Turner still has a job despite No. 2.

4. They're 4-5 after playing teams that are a combined 38-42.

5. The remainder of their opponents are 32-30 (helped out, greatly, by Minnesota). Still...if they can't beat bad teams, why on earth would they be able to beat halfway decent teams?

6. They are four games out of first in the NFC North.

7. There are eight teams with better records than them in the NFC, and two with the same. Only six teams make the playoffs and I can't make a legitimate argument that says they are better than any of those 10 teams.

8. Ron Turner still has the job as offensive coordinator.

9. Jay Cutler has thrown 17 interceptions through nine games. He's on pace for 30.

10. Matt Forte averages fewer than three yards per rush for an entire game almost as often as he averages more than three yards per rush (four games under 3.0, five over).

11. They lost their last game 10-6, which became the second most boring game this season, just narrowly beating out the 6-3 debacle that was the Cleveland Browns against the Buffalo Bills.

12. Wait, I think Jay Cutler just threw another interception.

13. Before the season started, the entire city was buzzing and the fans had such high hopes to have a winning team that might make its way back into the playoffs. Now, it looks as if we will be lucky to be a .500 team.

14. Every time I watch the games, I remind myself that the Bears don't have a first- or second-round draft pick next year to help fill all the holes they have on the team.

15. The Bears traded that second-round draft pick for Gaines Adams, a player who has played, sparingly, in only one of his five games with the Bears, accumulating two tackles.

16. The New England Patriots acquired Randy Moss for a fourth round draft pick a few years back. He is a Pro-Bowl wide receiver and a surefire Hall of Famer. Gaines Adams has 13.5 sacks in his two-plus year career. What does it say about their front office that they get suckered into giving away a second-round draft pick for a young guy who hasn't even proven himself to be a reliable pass rusher yet?

17. No matter what is going on in the game, I will always assume the Bears defense will give up a big play. And, they usually do.

18. I get pissed off whenever I see Jay Cutler on the sideline acting like nothing is going on in his life. I'm not sure I'll ever have complete faith in him.

19. Devin Hester is not returning kicks anymore. I can't imagine that him returning kicks would take away too much from him learning the receiver position.

20. Lovie Smith calling the defensive plays has been a mistake. Maybe you would want to call something that can get someone close to putting pressure on the quarterback?

21. I feel as if the Bears keep waiting for the weather to turn, as if that is going to be the turning point of their season. Yeah, because no other team is used to playing in cold weather at this point.

22. Take away our two 30-plus point games this season, and our offense is scoring 15.4 points per game.

23. Take away our two 10-or-less points scored against games, and our defense is giving up 26.4 points per game.

24. Neither of those numbers add up to a watchable team.

25. Did I mention that Ron Turner still is an NFL offensive coordinator?

26. Adewale Ogunleye has five sacks. Alex Brown has four. Nobody else on the team has more than one. If the offense wasn't so bad, I would say that, maybe, I would DVR the games and fast forward through the defensive series and watch the offensive, but that would be, well, offensive.

27. Danieal Manning is one tackle behind Lance Briggs for tops on the team. We all know what it means when a teams safety is (almost) leading the way in tackles.

28. None of our players are dating Hollywood celebrities, so we can't even get a cameo appearance by a sexy starlet the way some other teams do.

29. Not only that, but we don't even have cheerleaders. We can't even get the obligatory cheerleader cleavage shot going to and coming back from commercials.

30. Hold on a minute, I just picked off Jay Cutler and ran it back for a touchdown while he was just laying on the ground, sulking, with his face mask stuck in the grass. I need to catch my breath.

31. Our wide receivers have made strides in becoming an average NFL receiving corps, but they still have a long way to go. With all the playmaking abilities they should have, they sure don't make a lot of big plays. It's saying something when Jay Cutler was all world outside of the pocket the past couple years and then comes to Chicago and all of the sudden can't find an open receiver once he leaves the pocket (or when he stays in the pocket, for that matter). Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and Johnny Knox are no Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal.

32. The most positive statement the media and fans can come up with regarding our team is that we still have seven games to go.

33. Too bad that statement can also be used as the most negative.

34. The Bears are minus-five in turnovers this season. I can't remember a time (without looking it up) when the Bears were on the other end of the turnover spectrum. That was the way they used to win games.

35. In the spirit of the number 50, the Bears just got beat by the team whose coach wore the most famous of 50s in Bears history, Mike Singletary.

36. It has been a pain to find something positive to write about, so if I didn't watch at all, maybe I wouldn't struggle so much.

37. I'd be able to sleep better at night not being so upset about my favorite team's inability to put together a full, four-quarter, well-thought-out game plan.

38. I'd also be able to sleep better next week and the Monday after Christmas, considering those are both night games, and I wouldn't have to stay up to watch them.

39. If only looking toward next week's game against Philadelphia, consider this a warning: Cutler's worst performances have all come in night games—Green Bay in Week One (four INTs), Atlanta in Week Six (two INTs), and San Francisco this past Thursday (five INTs). In case you haven't heard, it's Bears-Eagles, Sunday night football.

40. Our backup quarterback is Caleb Hanie. If things keep going the way they are, he could see playing time. Some people are looking forward to this. This is No. 40 on my list of reasons not to watch. If you cannot tell, I'm not looking forward to that happening.

41. I'm not a Kyle Orton fan, but it stings a little to see his team having success this season compared to the un-success the Bears are having.

42. I'm not sure what to make of this stat, but the Bears have four first-round draft picks and two second-round draft picks among their starting 11 on offense. And, one first-round draft pick and two second-round draft picks on the defensive side. For some reason, this fact angers me.

43. The Chicago Bears do not allow fans to stay in the parking lots during the game. With the team putting together such craptacular performances, they should be happy that fans show up at all and pay their overpriced ways into the stadium.

44. Sometimes I feel like I'm bad luck. Perhaps, if I stop watching, the Bears will start winning. If I decide not to watch, I will let you know how that goes for the Bears.

45. Ok, I know, I know, but I still can't believe Ron Turner has not been fired as offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears.

46. The Bears executives are such tightwads that you know they are not willing to pay top dollar for pricey free agents, therefore making it impossible to better our team. And, seeing as how they can't draft properly, it might be a long while before the Chicago Bears return to winning ways.

47. Not only is Kyle Orton having success, but Cedric Benson has become legit once again. I was never keen on letting him go. If they could have let Tank Johnson slip and then come back, why not Benson? It is unsettling to see him have success.

48. Jay Cutler has thrown five interceptions in the red zone this season. That is an insanely high number, considering no quarterbacks even threw that many all of last season. Those are easy points taken off the board. There's nothing more frustrating than watching your favorite team march their way down the field only to watch the quarterback make a dumb decision and give the other team the ball back when your team is just about to put up some points.

49. So far, the best highlight of the Bears season was watching Jarron Gilbert jump out of a pool and land on his feet. I guess he doesn't have the athletic ability to even see playing time.

50. If any fan can come up with 50 reasons why not to watch your team play, you know you are doing something wrong. Stop sitting around and collecting money and do something about making the Bears a winning football team.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com

"Lay Down, Chicago Bears." Spoofing the Bears' Fight Song

Max Kienzler — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:41:33 -0500

This slideshow is a bit short, but it reworks each verse of the Chicago Bears fight song that is played at every home game after a score. The original lyrics were composed in 1941 by a Mr. Al Hoffman. The actual lyrics are as follows: Bear down, Chicago Bears, make every play clear the way to victory; Bear down, Chicago Bears, put up a fight with a might so fearlessly. We'll never forget the way you thrilled the nation with your T-formation. Bear down, Chicago Bears, and let them know why you're wearing the crown. You're the pride and joy of Illinois, Chicago Bears, bear down. This spoof is in no way to poke fun at Mr. Hoffman's work, but is more aimed at taking what is currently a frustrating and depressing time of the season and making a joke out of it... ... Not that the actual Chicago Bears haven't already made a joke out of the season, but you know what I mean. I will say that it helps to know the tune, so as you read through it, you have a better understanding of how that goes. To hear the real song, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG8OpQyY6TI

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Chicago Bears Struggles Unforeseen...But How?

Keith Grieve — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:16:50 -0500

For those of you paying attention whether on this site or on my weekly podcast at 87sportsfans.com, you may remember a little prediction I made about the Chicago Bears going 15-1 and winning the NFC Championship.

Open mouth, insert foot.

Where could I have gone so wrong? How could I have been so blind to the many aspects of football that this team manages to find so difficult?

I made my prediction based on the following beliefs: First, Jay Cutler would not only solve the offense's problems, but make the Chicago Bears a potent offensive team.

Second, that defensive line issues from the past would be long forgotten with the presence of a healthy Tommie Harris and the addition of Rod Marinelli as Defensive Line Coach.

Third, the addition of Orlando Pace and the movement of 2008 first round pick Chris Williams to Right Tackle would solidify what had been previously an unserviceable offensive line.

Fourth, that the defensive secondary would be vastly improved with a healthy Nathan Vasher and Zachary Bowman who started to impress in 2008 before he was hurt.

Turns out I was wrong on all four principles, and losing middle linebacker Brian Urlacher didn't exactly help.

Let's dissect one by one, shall we?

1.) The addition of Jay Cutler: When General Manager Jerry Angelo made the move of the century (all nine years of it) and traded for quarterback Jay Cutler, it seemed that a key aspect of the offense that had underwhelmed in the past had finally been addressed and corrected.

It was assumed by this observer that defenses would have to respect Cutler's arm and play making ability and thus would allow RB Matt Forte to run free.

Then came Week 1 in Green Bay when Cutler repeatedly couldn't find his own receivers and the red flags went up. Now, teams not only don't fear Cutler, they don't respect him anymore, which allows them to creep and make running the ball a lot harder.

More about that later.

2.) Defensive Line play: Outside of Cutler and Pace, the much ballyhooed decision to bring in Rod Marinelli to coach the defensive line after his historically bad tenure as head coach in Detroit was expected to be a great fit.

Marinelli, after all, only got the gig in Detroit by leading one of the NFL's best defensive lines in Tampa Bay. One would think he would be able to translate that effectiveness to a Chicago team that went to Super Bowl just three seasons ago? Right?

Wrong. Not only has there been no change to a previously non-existent pass rush, Tommie Harris decided to show up only this past week in San Francisco trying to exorcise the ghosts of getting ejected in the first quarter the previous week.

No pass rush from your front four means you make yourself vulnerable in the secondary, and every game against a passer with a strong arm has proved to be a struggle. Even Matthew Stafford and Detroit had a decent first half against them.

And next week, Donovan McNabb will be on the other side of the field.

Gulp.

What Marinelli has done has marginalized the impact of position coaches and really directed the spotlight at the absolute blind eye for talent Angelo has.

Green Bay has allowed the most sacks this season to date than any other season in the past nine years. And the Bears STILL couldn't sack Aaron Rodgers.

3.) Offensive Line play: Orlando Pace joining a line that allowed Matt Forte to have a decent rookie season would give any football observer hope that things could only get better.

Wrong. This has to be the worst Bears line in the last 10 years. Olin Kreutz is nowhere near his once Pro Bowl caliber play. Guards Roberto Garza, Frank Omiyale, and Josh Beekman have shown no ability to provide holes for Forte to run through.

Of course, this only makes life for Cutler worse and magnifies the fact that there is no accomplished receiver to provide support.

If you build teams from the lines out, the Bears are in a full blown rebuilding stage.

4.) Defensive secondary play: Tackling has never been high on the priority list of any Bears defensive backs under Smith, but this season exceptionally worse.

Watching the Cardinals Beanie Wells get into the secondary and have Danieal Manning (a safety) come up and try to tackle him high and allow 6-10 more yards while he tries to tackle, strip, wear down, ride, etc. just makes me cry.

The coverage calls are mostly soft, which coupled with a lack of pass rush, allows most NFL quarterbacks to pick them apart. Inexperienced and inconsistent play at the safety position also have caused this unit to create problems.

All in all, the 2009 Chicago Bears are a debacle. The current recipe is not providing any results and the men currently at the helm have proved incompetent.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...somebody better be fired.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com

Mike Shanahan Should Have a Future in Chicago

Josh Herman — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:30:47 -0500

Bears fans worldwide know that something's wrong with their team.

After taking a chance on a disgruntled quarterback and basically trading away the team's future (no draft picks in the first two rounds in 2009 or 2010), questions are being answered and potential solutions are being sought.

Does the blame fall squarely on the quarterback's shoulders? Doubtful.

Were the losses of key linebackers Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tinoisamoa too much to overcome? Nick Roach and Hunter Hillenmeyer are nowhere near as talented as those two but the team's defense has been the least of their problems excluding the Bengals and Cardinals game.

Where the blame lies is in the personnel, most notably Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith, and Ron Turner.

Angelo decided to take a chance at getting a young and very talented quarterback, a position the Bears have been looking for production out of since Reagan was in office.

But that's not the reason he made my list.

The reason I'm scrutinizing Angelo trickles down to the other two names on my list. He traded for a gun-slinging, still-developing quarterback and brought him into an offense that's more suitable for a Kyle Orton-esque player.

And instead of changing the offense to play to your team's best offensive player, Lovie stayed with his traditionalist ways. He said "We're a running football team" enough times during training camp/preseason/regular season that most people would've thought that a guy named Payton was still suiting it up for Chicago.

So maybe this game plan didn't seem so bad at the beginning of the season. The Bears returned stud rookie Matt Forte in the backfield and the down-field option that Cutler now brought to the table would force defenses to no longer stack the box, opening holes for Forte all over the field.

But, and this comes back to Angelo, we forgot about the guys that have to make those holes, the offensive line.

Not only did Angelo decide to move the Bears' top draft pick in 2008, Chris Williams, to an unnatural position in right tackle, he also brought in washed-up future Hall-of-Famer Orlando Pace to block Cutler's blind side.

That wasn't even the worst move on the o-line. Angelo felt it necessary to sign an offensive guard with only one career start to a four-year $14 million deal, instead of trying out 2007 fourth-round pick Josh Beekman at left guard.

Now all you have is the worst blindside blocking personnel in the league and the least athletic offensive line in Lovie Smith's tenure. So Coach, what's our offensive gameplan? Don't make me say it again.

So where do the Bears go from here?

It seems as if there's a rather obvious option out there. A head coach who has been a part of three Super Bowl championship teams, two of them as the main signal caller. A head coach who's local to the Chicago area. A head coach who knows our quarterback. A head coach who runs the ball because he's successful at it, not because it's the only thing he knows.

Yes, I'm talking about Mike Shanahan.

The Oak Park native provides the fire and passion that a head coach must exhibit.

Not only does he run the ball, he's been one of the most successful coaches at it over the past twenty years.

Shanahan knows how to build offensive lines and turn guys like Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, and Mike Anderson into 1,000-yard rushers. Can you imagine what he could do with a guy who wasn't picked in the sixth round?

Cutler will be happier because now teams will have to stack the box and his big arm will finally be able to open up the field, especially with speedy receivers like Devin Hester and Johnny Knox. And with Cutler stuck here for the next few years, it would be a good thing to keep him happy.

Shanahan is a proven winner, something that's starved the city of Chicago since His Airness left for browner pastures.

So Jerry Angelo, let's say goodbye to Lovie and his traditionalism and Ron Turner and his inept ability to call every wrong play in the book and let's say hello to a guy with true Chicago grittiness and the ability to get the most out of his running game.

And who knows, if Shanahan did a good enough job, he may just be able to save Angelo his.

Special thanks to my friend Aaron Krause for bringing such a great idea to mind.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com

Come To Think of It: Is a "No Chicago Bears Sunday" Now a Welcome Respite?

Bob Warja — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:32:40 -0500

It used to be that a Sunday without a Bears game just ruined my day. I mean, the ritual of gathering around the television on Sunday is ingrained in my DNA. But now, I'll admit that I really dont' miss them all that much.

Sure, I watched on Thursday night. And yes, we've always had the occasional Sunday or Monday night game, so this is nothing new.

And yes, there was a period of time after Da Coach left that I became disillusioned with the team. The Wanny and Jauron years, for the most part, were brutal.

Yet, in the past, it seemed there was always a reason to watch even if the team wasn't that good. Primarily, our defense. But the way this team plays defense, and that damn Tampa-2 (which has outlived its useful life), it's just not that fun anymore.

And let's face it, one of the main reasons for hope this season was the arrival of Jay Cutler. But now, every time he drops back to pass, I cringe at the thought of another interception.

Look, I hate to be so negative, but I can't readily envision a plan to get us out of the mire, and even if we did have one, I wouldn't trust Jerry and Lovie to execute it properly.

Hey, I'll continue to watch and write about the Bears. After all, you just can't stop being a fan of a team you've loved seemingly forever. Being a fan doesn't involve some switch that one can simply turn on and off at will.

But if this Bears team makes the playoffs this year, I'll be more surprised than a deer in a lion cage.

It looks like our boys in blue and orange have two more wins, at a minimum. St. Louis and Detroit are both very winnable games, especially the Rams who will drop to 1-8 after playing the Saints today.

Meanwhile, I'll be fine without a Bears game today. The house will be a lot quieter without the yelling and swearing, come to think of it.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com

Chicago Bears Stuck in Long, Vicious Downward Spiral

Gene Chamberlain — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:32:26 -0500

Quarterback Jay Cutler hadn't even thrown the third of five interceptions Thursday night in one of the worst Bears offensive displays since the one-year era of former offensive coordinator Terry Shea.

Yet the analysts, and experts with NFL Network, and Internet bloggers, had already begun crucifying Cutler. The trade of Kyle Orton had blown up in the Bears' faces, the buzz went, and now they're left with no first round draft picks until 2011, along with a quarterback who is Rex Grossman with legs.

This is the kind of garbage you normally get from the people with networks and national websites who look at the surface, check out a number, give a grunt, and point a finger at the obvious as a problem.

While it's hard to defend someone after a five-interception effort against a bad San Francisco team, Cutler's situation requires deeper thinking.

No good? A waste of draft picks?

If Cutler isn't legit, how did he produce more TDs than interceptions, and higher passer ratings with a Denver Broncos team that had virtually as little complementary running game as the Bears?

For one, the Broncos at least blocked for Cutler to get him time to throw, even if they couldn't block for the run. After being sacked 19 times in nine games, Cutler is only eight sacks from the total he went down last year. He's been sacked already eight more times than in all 16 games for 2007.

Sacks don't tell the whole story in this case. If Cutler lacked the ability to step up, move side to side, or throw on the run, he'd probably already be on injured reserve. There are plenty of crash dummies that suffer less of a pounding in nine weeks than Cutler has.

So it's the offensive line's fault. This much can't be denied. They're unable to block for the run. They can't protect Cutler.

They also commit senseless penalties, like the one Chris Williams had for unnecessary roughness on the final drive with the game on the line. Center Olin Kreutz makes more than an allowable share of bad shotgun snaps, one of which was probably responsible for one Cutler's interception.

The effect of all this is easy to see for someone who paid attention to Cutler when he played in Denver.

Cutler dropped back, and his feet were set when he threw. He looked through his progression of receivers and didn't rush. Now, when he gets a rare three or four seconds to throw in the pocket, his feet are never set until just as he is supposed to release the ball, because he's getting gun shy.

It happens to anyone who takes a beating.

Watch the running of Matt Forte. He looks a little slow this year, most likely the result of his lack of training in the off-season after a hamstring pull in organized team activities. It set him back when he should have been building strength, and conditioning for the season.

However, he also has altered his running style, because the offensive line has absolutely no push. Forte is more likely to cut back away from the blocking scheme, because he panics, a bit like Cutler does. There is no hole, and he can't follow the scheme. When he cuts back, he cuts right into the back-side pursuit and goes down quickly.

Who can blame him? Who can blame Cutler?

The trouble here is who can really blame the offensive line?

Orlando Pace, obviously, has had it. Chris Williams is basically a rookie at right tackle. Frank Omiyale was brought in with no playing experience, and turned into a starter. You can't assemble a viable offensive line this way.

So now we arrive at the real root of the problem with the Bears' offense.

General manager Jerry Angelo drew praise on all sides after trading for Cutler. Now, though, it's apparent he has failed miserably in other ways.

Angelo has been a complete failure in drafting on Day One. The only first-round picks made by Angelo still on the team are Tommie Harris, Greg Olsen, and Williams.

One of Angelo's biggest failure has been relying on free agency over the years to retool the offensive line, instead of actually drafting good linemen and playing, or training them.

Heading into this weekend's play, the NFL's Top 10 offenses had only one 2009 free agent line acquisition playing. Baltimore is the 10th-ranked offense, and the Ravens got center Matt Birk from Minnesota in free agency. The Top Nine teams have no 2009 free agent acquisitions starting.

In fact, almost all of those lines are entirely comprised of players drafted by their current team, and used immediately as starters—or trained for a few years before becoming a starter.

The failures in the running game occur because the Bears, once again, pieced together an offensive line and thought it would somehow mesh in time for the regular season. Perhaps Omiyale will develop by next year. Maybe Chris Williams will, too. But Pace is done, and they're heading off into 2010 with aging Kreutz at center, and a GM who can‘t draft linemen. And he has no picks to draft them with now, anyway.

A second issue facing the offense is their poor talent at wide receiver.

Devin Hester is still inconsistent, much like any player who is doing on-the-job training at a high level in the wrong position. He should be returning kicks and punts, and perhaps playing as the third receiver, or even playing in the backfield in passing situations.

Hester shouldn't have been paid $40 million to be a No. 1 wide receiver. He fails to complete his pass routes. One of Cutler's interceptions occurred because of this Thursday, and another came due to Hester falling. On the same drive, Hester committed two stupid penalties and then fell, leading to an interception.

Hester had more than 500 yards receiving in the first half of the season, but he gets far too many of those yards with the team trailing badly, or hopelessly out of games. He’s facing loose coverage and catching passes underneath in those situations.

Other Bears' receivers show this same flaw Hester has in route running. When Cutler starts to scramble, or step up into the pocket, they almost always stop and stare for a few seconds before trying to extend their route, or go to a pre-planned point.

You can pin this one on receivers coach Darryl Drake, as well as coordinator Ron Turner.

Turner can take all the blame for the offense being completely unprepared to start games. Defenses know exactly what they're doing, and are ready for it.

The Bears have 20 points in the first quarter in nine games. They have two touchdowns and two field goals. They are the height of predictability, and defenses are ready each week for them.

Turner’s contract is up, as are those of other offensive assistants. The bad part about that is coach Lovie Smith faces a year that could be his last.

If they dispatch Turner, they’re left with trying to find an offensive coordinator, and possibly other offensive assistants who are willing to work on what could be a one-year job. Good look finding anyone of ability willing to accept that possibility.

So let’s summarize:

No offensive line, mediocre wide receivers, a general manager who can’t draft, and has no draft picks, an offensive coordinator who is too predictable, and a head coach who is getting $10 million the next two years, and thus cannot be fired.

Welcome to NFL hell Bears fans.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com

Gridoron Greats Has Done More for Ex-NFL Players than the NFLPA

Steven Resnick — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:28:44 -0500

NFL or college football fans know football is a violent game, a perfect example of this happened not in the NFL, less than a week ago! Jahvid Best reminds us just how dangerous playing football is. Here's a clip of what happened to Best .

There's nothing like watching on TV, and seeing a crowd in such jubilation after watching a great touchdown run by Best, and then the sudden realization that Best hasn't gotten up, or moved. I can't even imagine what it would have been like watching the play happen while in the stands, because after that the crowd went silent.

All thoughts were on that of Best. Oregon State, the team California was playing at the time, went down to their knees, and as a group said a prayer for Best.

Even with that, Best remained on the ground for 13 minutes before being carted off the field and taken to the hospital. Thankfully, Best didn't break any bones and only suffered a concussion. He is currently resting at home, ruled out for the next game, and possibly the season.

Just recently on Sunday, Tennessee Titans receiver Justin Gage suffered some fractures to his back. None of the fractures were too serious, meaning that he wasn't paralyzed, or needing emergency surgery. Just recently, though, he was declared that he may miss the Titans game on Sunday.

Regardless of what sport, there's no player that's going to be 100 percent healthy, we get that these players will play injured. Yet, in the NFL more than any other major sport in the United States, has the most serious injuries.

In the NFL you will find players with concussions, torn muscles, broken bones, sprains, and it could include multiple injuries as well.

I wrote an article on Bleacher Report titled The NFL Where Neglecting Ex-Players Happens , which is essentially about a number of NFL players who have suffered long lasting injuries and side effects all in part to the violence of playing a game they gave their heart and soul for.

It explains further just how badly the NFL Players Association has treated these players. Including the denial of disability claims by certain players, and the actual percentage of disability payments made, which is just three percent.

That means 97 percent of the NFL players that look to get disability because they are not able to work thanks to the injuries suffered while playing, do not get any disability. These players must wait until they are 55 years of age to even get their pension.

Further research shows that NFL players lifespan goes till 55 years, so it's perfect. By the time they can get their pension they are approaching the actual life span of a NFL player.

When I was reading an article, I came across a foundation that was formed to help these players in need. This group is called the Gridiron Greats, and its purpose is to help, financially, these ex-players, because the NFLPA isn't doing anything to help these players.

As the example of Brian DeMarco in the article that I wrote when he was helped by the foundation, he and his wife had only 75 cents to their name, and absolutely no food in the house.

The foundation has a website, Gridiron Greats, where you can learn more about the foundation.

Here's a quote from the website itself, "The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund provides hands-on assistance and financial aid to help retired NFL players deal with some of the hardships they may encounter after football. Many of these players lack funds, disability coverage or pension benefits. Thus the GGAF focuses on the humanitarian side of these players, treating them with dignity, and addressing the post-football related issues in their lives."

I think the quote itself is a shot at the NFL and its lack of any kind of assistance to its former players for the most part.

Also, on the site you will find its mission statement which states "The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund’s mission is to assist retired NFL players, who are in dire health and financial distress by providing a means to regain a semblance of dignity and quality of life that every human being deserves. The Fund will support grant applicants through a series of conventional and non conventional fund raising efforts while calling attention to those in need through partnership programs, licensing efforts and public relations events with the set goal of expanding the Funds assets through partnerships with the National Football League and the National Football League Players Association and Alumni”.

Although, I think it's the stories section on the website that gets me the most, and what this organization does for these individuals.

Here are some examples in which the Gridiron Greats foundation has assisted: The helping of former Chicago Bear William Perry with assistance fighting his Guillan-Barry Syndrome; helped a former Green Bay Packer after losing his wife; a former Jackonsville Jaguar received aid for food, living expenses, medicine, health care, and even arranged from a donor a car for him for basic transportation; and the last example is that of a former Bear and New Orlean Saints player who suffers from diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, hypertension, chronic hypertension, and severe neuropathy. He was only given $88 a month from the NFL as his pension, so the foundation gave him funds for basic needs.

Again, if you want to find more of their stories here's the link to the site . The board of directors is served by big names in NFL history, including the aforementioned Ditka, but also Greg Brown who was not a football player but is the CEO of Motorola, Jimmy Johnson, Marv Levy, Matt Birk, Gayle Sayers, and Kyle Turley.

Again it's just sad how the NFLPA has turned its back on the players that made it great. Thankfully there's a foundation like this for these players that are severely in need.

There are plenty of people who believe that NFL athletes are overpaid, based on a select few players, that don't acknowledge the fact that the contracts of NFL players are not guaranteed, only a certain percentage is.

Let's say a player buys a nice house, a couple cars, and decide to have kids. That money goes pretty fast, and they depend on that contract. If the player gets seriously injured there's no more contract, and then there's no more money coming into afford what they used to have.

Furthermore, there was a recent article about former NFL players going bankrupt. It's easy to understand why if after they retire and they can no longer to afford their lifestyle, and if there's any injuries that are going to be long term, then getting treatment for those injuries is going to take a lot of money as well.

I know if I had the money I'd definitely donate money to Gridiron Greats, and for those who are thinking of purchasing a ticket to see a game why not instead donate some money to this great cause and watch the game on TV?

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Chicago Bears Fans, Dont Give Up on Jay Cutler

Thomas Clark — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:13:08 -0500

After nine weeks no one would have expected the Chicago Bears to be sitting at 4-5 and in third place in the NFC North. I boldly predicted the Bears to be 8-1 through the first nine weeks, maybe 7-2 if Green Bay somehow stole the show in Lambeau.

Never did I stop to think "What if Matt Forte has a sophomore slump" or "What if Jay Cutler leads the league in interceptions." Never did I stop to think "What if the bears are 4-5, halfway through the season." But the truth is the Bears are 4-5 through nine games and watching their playoff hopes slowly diminish week by week.

After the horrible start to the season many Bears fans and NFL analysts are writing Jay Cutler off as a franchise quarterback. But I ask those people to stop and be patient because if you give up on Jay Cutler you're giving up on the Bears.

For one Jay Cutler is only 26-years-old, entering his fourth NFL season (third as a starter). In Brett Favre's third season he threw 24 interceptions with only 19 touchdowns, only to come back the next season with 33 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions.

Secondly, he has no No. 1 receiver and a line that couldn't block Richard Dent if he came out of retirement. In order for Jay Cutler to reach his full potential the Bears need to add a No. 1 receiver either through a trade or through the draft. They also need to bolster their offensive line by benching Orlando Pace and adding a young guy to protect Cutler's blind side. If the Bears can solve their offensive line woes that would also get Matt Forte running strong again which could open up the play action pass for Cutler.

I promise you Bear's nation Jay Cutler will get better. We did not get the short end of the stick in this trade. If the Bears can get the running game going, and the defense to stay stout, Jay Cutler will not have to force the throws that cost the Bears the game in San Francisco.

Although Jay Cutler still has the gunslinger mentality and the confidence that he can get the football through any window on the field, I guarantee as he gets older and becomes a smarter quarterback he will not to try to force those throws.

And although we would have won that game in San Francisco with Kyle Orton under center, I promise you that one day when Jay Cutler is holding up the Lombardi Trophy you will be laughing about the day Jay Cutler threw five interceptions.

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Jay Cutler and The Chicago Bears Offense Is Perplexing

Ian Sheppard — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:16:59 -0500

Back in April, I remember getting a text message from a friend of mine telling me that the Bears had traded for Jay Cutler; I then realized it was an April Fools joke.

Kyle Orton and three draft picks later, the deal was done and Chicago rejoiced;I know I did.

The trade looked really good on paper. You have a premier QB coming to a team that had been quarterback hungry since the departure of Jim McMahon in the mid-1980s. He is young (25) and a Pro Bowl talent with just about all the physical attributes one would want out of their quarterback.

This is what Chicago had been waiting for, right?

Seven months later, we are staring at a Bears team that is 4-5 after an abysmal 10-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The whole team is struggling this season, but Jay Cutler seems to be a perplexing issue.

For one, Cutler commands a Bear offense that is struggling to run the football (ranking 29th in the NFL in rushing offense).

Many are calling out the offensive line and amidst are some struggles, Cutler's protection is also perplexing.

The offensive line is tied for seventh in the NFL for QB hits allowed while tied for 19th with sacks allowed.

This means that while the offensive line has been struggling protecting Cutler, he hasn't taken that many sacks, though the hits are probably starting to take their toll a bit.

So, it's clear that the Bears have some issues with running the football to set up the pass. More issues arise, however, in the passing game.

The turnovers have been given away and often in bunches.

The multiple interceptions (five) against the Niners is a continuing trend, as Cutler also threw multiple interceptions in week one vs. Green Bay (four), week six against Atlanta (two) and week seven against the Bengals (three).

What's interesting about this is, all of these games (including the past game at San Fran) were significant losses on the road. Another point of interest is that 14 of Cutlers 19 total interceptions of the year came out of these four losses and Cutler has only been sacked five times within those four games.

And if that's not enough, a great stat brought up during the national telecast got larger in week 10;Cutler leads the league in interceptions thrown in the redzone.

Evaluation time

Are the Bears struggling? Absolutely. Is the offensive line struggling to open holes for the running game and protect Jay Cutler? You bet.

Is the defense struggling? Not that much last night, but overall this season, they have been.

Who is to blame, then?

While many would like to point fingers at the defense, or the offensive line–and both, there are integral places to focus on. I'm choosing to go in two directions that I feel are connected (and could possibly get me run out of Chicago).

1. Cutler

I know Cutler has young receivers, a struggling offensive line, and no running game to speak of, but it still does not excuse the fact that Cutler is making poor decisions with the football.

Remember, Cutler is considered to be one of the premier QB talents in the NFL.

Do you think the Bears traded two first round draft picks, another draft pick, and Kyle Orton to get a turnover machine?

I sure hope not.

What's more is that we had turnover issues like this in the past with a guy having similar problems.

While Rex Grossman had his own problems and issues, Cutler has his own too. The main issue is that while I enjoy his short memory of past mistakes, I do not enjoy his recklessness with the football.

Cutler is a team captain and therefore, a team leader.

He needs to take better care of the football than what he's been doing, especially since he turns it over so often to put the defense in a bad spots to. Which potentially, leads up to a big play–which leads to falling behind early and often.

2. Fans and Chicago Media

I really disliked how fans and the Chicago Sports media (as well as the national sports media) treated Rex Grossman.

I bring this up only because (and this has been highly debated) Grossman–while he also had issues turning over the football–also played with a struggling offensive line, receivers who struggled with catching the football, and making plays, and not so great running backs in pockets of his career in Chicago (2003-2008).

Furthermore, Kyle Orton, Brian Griese, and Grossman all struggled under the offensive line–particularly in 2007 when all took a collective 42 sacks (Orton, two; Griese, 15; Grossman, 25).

The point is this: the Bears offensive line issues–in terms of pass protection–is nothing new.

In fact, it's been around for quite some time, but a lot fans and media decided to blame it on Rex and cry for a "good" quarterback instead of focusing on the lack of an offensive line, good running backs, and receivers.

Well, now we have the "good" quarterback in Jay Cutler, but the problem is there are additional issues among Cutler's turnovers.

Final thought

Like I mentioned earlier, I was excited about the Jay Cutler deal. However, I also came to a conclusion at the end of last season:

If the Bears do not produce an offensive line that can protect a quarterback for longer than three seconds, it won't matter who's under center calling plays.

Now, given the Jay Cutler's current progress, I have made this conclusion:

While a good offensive line is necessary, turnovers are the quickest mistakes to losing football games.

Cutler needs to take ownership for his mistakes and learn to make better decisions regardless of who his supporting cast is.

If he does that, he could be considered something greater than a premier quarterback and actually be seen as a true leader.

I agree with the guys at NFL Total Access in what the Chicago Bears need: good leadership.

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