Chicago Bears Report Card: Grading Every Bear Starter Thus Far

Two weeks into the season and the Bears look like last season never ended.

The Matadors of the Midway made an encore performance Sunday afternoon, allowing six sacks and allowing the Saints defense to perform more hits than a Beatles reunion tour.

Mike Martz forgot that Matt Forte is a running back after the first quarter and the play of the tight ends—especially in pass protection—left us wondering why Greg Olsen is a Carolina Panther.

One thing that didn't bring back memories of 2010 was watching Bears fall to injury.  Marion Barber missed his second game while Roy Williams, Chris Harris and Lance Louis all sat out their first in Sunday's contest.  Exiting mid-game were Gabe Carimi, Major Wright and Earl Bennett.  

For those keeping tabs, that's seven starters the Bears were without by the time the game got out of hand.

Add to all of that some atrocious refereeing that saw both teams getting questionable calls and even more questionable no-calls and gave the Saints the touchdown that opened up the game and what you get is a recipe for a 30-13 loss by the Chicago Bears to the New Orleans Saints.

But how have the Bears players performed so far?  Well today we're going to answer that question as we grade the Bears' starters and some major contributors on their performance thus far in the season.

So follow me as hand out report cards, ladies and gentlemen, and we'll let the chips fall as they may.

Special Teams Unit

The Bears typically have one of the best special teams nits in the league.  As long as Dave Toub is the special teams coordinator, this is a trend that will likely continue.

Kicker Robbie Gould: 

After some concern over preseason misses with a new holder, Gould is Golden, making all five field goal attempts and all four extra points attempts that he has line up for and he's kicking the ball through the back of the end zone with regularity on kickoffs. Grade: A

Punter Adam Podlesh:  

Adam has averaged 45.6 yards per punt and has done a good job of pinning opponents deep.  He's also done a fine job in his duties as Robbie Gould's holder.  Grade: B

Long snapper Patrick Mannelly:  

One of the longest tenured long snappers int he league and generally costarred to be one of the best around.  Not hearing his name is always a good thing.  Mannelly has been perfect so far.  Grade: A

Kick and Punt Returner Devin Hester:  

Devin has had some fumbling issues again early, letting three kicks hit the ground but has recovered all three.  

He has mostly been nullified by teams kicking out of bounds and out of the end zone in order to keep the ball away from him.  At least in the punting game, though, that translates into better field position. Grade: C

Gunner Corey Graham:  

Gunners rarely get the credit they deserve, but we don't forget them here.  Graham has been spectacular thus far, especially against the Falcons where he made Eric Weems look below average. Looks like Graham is heading to another Pro Bowl snub.  Grade A

Defensive Secondary

The Bears' secondary is a mixed bag and injuries are taking their toll on and already questionable safety unit.

Cornerback Charles Tillman:  

If there is a star in the secondary, it is surely this man.  Tillman has forced two fumbles, recovering one himself and is currently the third-ranked corner in the league by Pro Football Focus.  Grade: A

Cornerback Tim Jennings:  

Jennings continues to be a solid an under-rated corner for the Bears, allowing just 8.0 yards per catch on receptions made to his assignments.  He needs to step up a bit in the running game, though. Grade: B-

Nickel Corner D.J. Moore:  

Moore picked up where he left off last season and filling the nickel role admirably.  

Allowing only a 59.0 quarterback rating on targets thrown to his receiver, as well as allowing only 50 percent completion rating to his receivers and only 7.3 yards per reception, Moore has been very good in coverage.  

He's also posted 3 QB pressures and a QB hit.  Moore is proving the Bears with quality play at the nickel.  Grade: B+

Strong Safety Chris Harris:  

Harris is as reliable as always and his loss this week was certainly a factor in the game.  Did anyone else get the feeling that if Harris had been in the Game, the 79 yard Devery Henderson touchdown would have instead been a nice catch followed by a big hit?  Grade: B

Free Safety Major Wright:

The Bears bet the farm on this kid when they let Danieal Manning get away in free agency.  So far it looks like yet another in a string of poor decisions this offseason by the Bears' front office.  

So far Wright has allowed a perfect 156.3 quarterback rating on throws targeting his assignment and has taken poor angles in attacking the run.  Grade: F

Safety Brandon Meriweather:

The late acquisition of Meriweather has him scrambling to get up to speed in a short time.  So far, Meriweather has not impressed, but he will still be an improvement over Major Wright every time he takes the field.  Grade: a tentative C-

Linebackers

Not a whole lot of questions here as long as the starters stay healthy.  You have one reliable starter and two pro-bowlers.  What more can you realistically ask?

Middle Linebacker Brian Urlacher:  

The Prototype is what he is.  He's been lights out in coverage and has recorded a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception.  The fact that he's currently the Bears best player in coverage, allowing just a 54.9 quarterback rating, is impressive.  Grade: A

Outside Linebacker Lance Briggs:  

Briggs continues to be one of the best 4-3 OLBs in the game.  He's money in coverage and he's a beast against the run.  When the Bears send him on a blitz, though, he needs to step it up.  Grade: B+

Outside Linebacker Nick Roach:  

Roach is a solid run-defender, but he needs work on his coverage skills as well as his pass rush.  It's easy to be overshadowed when you have Briggs and Urlacher on your team, but Roach isn't doing himself any favors when he makes himself a liability in coverage.  Grade C-

Defensive Line

The defensive line has been exciting at times and nonexistent at others.  The Bears need this unit to find some consistency if they are to succeed.

Defensive End Julius Peppers:  

Peppers is a difference maker and the star of this unit.  But he can't do it all alone.  When he has help he's dominant (two sacks and a forced fumble against Atlanta) and when he doesn't he can be nullified (1 tackle against New Orleans).  Grade: B

Defensive End Israel Idonije:

Izzy is a fan favorite and is known for his hard work and versatility, but he hasn't been much of a factor this year.  He has recorded one sack, but little else.  The Bears need more out of Idonije.  Grade: C-

Defensive Tackle Anthony Adams:  

The Bears missed Adams in the opening week and the nose tackle continues to be one of the league's best against the run.  Grade: B

Defensive Tackle Henry Melton:   

Melton had a fantastic day in Week 1 in Atlanta, creating opportunities for his fellow linemen by getting deep penetration, but then virtually disappeared against the Saints in Week 2.  This has to change.  Grade C-

Quarterback Jay Cutler

Cutler has improved over last season and his decision making is markedly better, but he still needs to learn when let a play go and live to fight another day.  

Some of the problem is obviously the play-calling, which seems to rely too often on complex routes that take a considerable amount of time to develop.

But Cutler needs to learn to let the ball go on those plays.  If he does so, the blame shifts back to Martz for not adjusting.  If he continues to try to make something out of nothing, he'll just continue to be Mike Martz's fall guy. 

Grade: B-

Running Backs

The rushers have been doing their part, when they've been allowed to.  Mike Martz has to utilize this group as something more than an extension of the passing game.

Halfback Matt Forte:  

Pro Football Focus currently has Forte listed as the top-ranked running back in the league.  He's third in the league in total offensive yards.  

A fantastic receiver out of the backfield as well as a good runner and a solid blocker, is there a better all-purpose back in the league than Matt Forte?

Pay the man.  Grade: A+

Halfback Kahlil Bell:  

For a guy many though would be cut before the season started, Bell has done surprisingly well in Marion Barber's absence as Forte's spell and short yardage compliment.  Grade: B

Fullback Tyler Clutts:  

A surprise late addition, Clutts has been decent in blocking, which is his primary responsibility.  He also caught the only target thrown his way.  Grade: C

Wide Receivers

The wide receiving corps are difficult to judge because we, as observers, aren't privy to what their routes were supposed to be, and Martz's system forces receivers to be a slave to play-calling.

Wide Receiver Roy Williams:  

Williams was very good in his debut in Chicago, but exited the game with a groin injury and missed Week 2's contest as a consequence.  

The big deal here is the difference in the other receivers with Williams on the field.  The longer Williams roams the sidelines the more trouble Chicago could be in.  Grade: B

Wide Receiver Devin Hester:  

What we learned this week is that Devin Hester is not nearly as effective if he has to face the top coverage back.  Without Roy Williams on the field, Devin was virtually erased from the game.  Grade: D+

Wide Receiver Johnny Knox:  Johnny still continues to make head scratching route mistakes and then follow them up with plays that make you wonder why the Bears' 2010 yardage leader isn't still a starter.  Grade: D+

Wide Receiver Earl Bennett:  Bennett continues to be the Bears most reliable receiver behind Williams and the Bears could suffer if Bennett is out for an extended period.  Grade: C+

Wide Receiver Dane Sanzenbacher:  

The young undrafted rookie has a long way to go, but showed the Bears some good thing and some bad things this past Sunday.  Two drops against the Saints won't get him in the doghouse, but he'd better tighten up the ship if he expects to be given the opportunity to contribute.   Grade: C-

Tight End Kellen Davis:  The young TE's performance has been a big disappointment.  I thought the Bears let Olsen go via trade because of blocking issues.  This is better?  Grade: F

Truly Offensive Line

This unit is in serious trouble.  It was serviceable in week 1, but with the loss of two of it's starters, it quickly went downhill against the Saints.

Left Tackle J'Marcus Webb:  

Webb is still growing into his position so some growing pains are expected, but he has to batten down the hatches when it comes to pass protection.  He cannot continue to allow edge-rushers to get to Jay Cutler with the frequency he has so far.  Grade: F

Left Guard Chris Williams:  

Surprisingly, Williams has for the most part settled in well at the left guard spot and is really the only decent pass-blocker on the line right now.  He still needs to develop a mean streak in his run-blocking. Grade: B-

Center Roberto Garza:  

Garza has done a serviceable job in replacing Olin Kreutz, but one has to wonder after watching Sunday's game if Jerry Angelo doesn't regret that decision.  Olin looked a lot better out there than any of the Bears linemen did on Sunday.  Grade: C-

Right Guard Lance Louis:

Louis really looked like he was taking the next step before being sidelined.  His pass protection was actually pretty solid against the Falcons.  Grade: C+

Right Guard Chris Spencer:  

Spencer has been pretty filling in as a run-blocker while Louis heals.  Now if he could only stop somebody in pass protection.  Grade: D-

Right Tackle Gabe Carimi:  

Carimi has done exceptionally well considering his rookie status.  A dislocated knee could keep him out for quite a while, though.  Grade: C

Right Tackle Frank Omiyale:  

Last year, Omiyale led the league in sacks allowed by a tackle.  He came into Sundays contest with the Saints and played as if he was afraid of losing that title.  

I half-expected to see him do that Aaron Rodgers title belt pose after each time Cutler was hit.  God help Jay Cutler if the Bears have to stick with Gate 68.  Grade: F

And now it's your turn, ladies and gentlemen.  Step up to the soapbox below and let your voice be heard!