The Bears Preseason: What do these games mean?

The Chicago Bears have played another preseason game and as fans and coaches watch these games they wonder just how well the Bears will do in 2010. We have seen starters play poorly, backups make critical mistakes and the coaching staff not be able to adjust so far in the preseason games that the Bears have played and this has their fans nervous going into the 2010 season.

The Chicago Bears came into the preseason with several issues they had to resolve. One of those issues was to make sure that they could protect their quarterbacks and so far that hasn’t happened this preseason. Quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked five times against the Raiders and second string quarterback Caleb Hanie was injured during the San Diego Chargers game. If the Bears can’t figure out how to protect their quarterbacks they won’t have any quarterbacks to protect as the season goes on.

Last season, the Bears had problems protecting Jay Cutler and this helped lead to some of the interceptions that he threw during the season. This year, with a new offense that is predicated on timing, deep drops and precise routes everything has to be working in good condition for them to be successful. If it’s not then this offense will fail. Leaving Cutler unprotected and having to run for his life on a regular basis isn’t going to cut it against anyone this year.

Having such new players (and some in new places) on the offensive line has come back to haunt the Bears. And not paying much attention to the offensive line through the draft and through free agency has also come back to haunt them. General Manager Jerry Angelo has failed on almost every occasion to bring in new and quality talent on the offensive line which has lead to the Bears “downfall” on that unit. Had he been able to keep things up on the offensive line they would be in a much better position than they are right now.

The Bears, since head coach Lovie Smith arrived, have taken a lot of pride in their defense and perhaps they have worked harder on building a better defense than they have at working on their offense. The efforts on defense have seen some success but lately, especially in 2009, the team hasn’t had that much going for them on defense. They have done a lot to try to get their defense back to respectability.

Some of what they have done to fix their defense (this season) include moving Rod Marinelli from assistant defensive coordinator/defensive line coach to full time defensive coordinator. What this does is take some of the pressure off of Smith who called the plays on defense exclusively last season and the defense clearly suffered. Hopefully Marinelli will be able to have some success calling the plays and making the Bear’s defense much better than it was in 2009.

So now, with just one more game left to go (and a game in which the starters will hardly play) the Bears have a ton of work to do to prepare for the season. Can they get it done? Anything is possible but there would have to be some significant changes before they can consider themselves to be completely ready for the season.

Let’s see how they do to start the season. You never know if they may decide to make a few changes such as grab someone from another team through a trade or get someone off of the waiver wire that they feel may help their team.

They have to do something or this season will be a loss.

Bills coach to hecklers: 'No autographs for you.' | NFL (AP) | Latest news and video on the D...

I thought to myself when I read Bills coach to hecklers: 'No autographs for you.' NFL (AP) Latest news and video on the D... that this is too ironic that these fans don't realize how lucky they are at camp. They should go visit a few other camps and get treated like unwelcome guests to fully appreciate the close access to the players they get from the Bills. If they did they would never consider coming to camp and heckle a new regime. Give them a few years of letting you down before they turn on them. With that said really Chan yelling at teenagers? Who are you Mr. Wilson? oh wait that job is already filled in Buffalo. Here's hoping for a good year in Buffalo...not likely but you never know.

Philly the City of brotherly love?

Even though this isn't a football story, I had to share it as it involves the wife of one of the writers for this blog. Check out ‘Cupcake Lady’ Back in Business After Truck Impounding « KYW Newsradio 1060 and see what the city of Philadelphia is worried about instead of catching actual crooks and drug dealers. If you ever get the chance stop by the Cupcake lady and be careful where you park if you stop in Philly.

ALS in the NFL concerns

A story that truly needs to be examined by the NFL and not ignored is discussed on PFT. Another former player comes down with ALS, or something just like it | ProFootballTalk.com

I don't know about you but I really hope the new CBA has teeth and looks out after the players and the future of our modern day heroes. It probably won't but here is hoping.

Chicago Bears Training Camp Tidbits

Like every other team in the NFL, the Chicago Bears have began to start preparing for the 2010 season in training camp. And just like every other team in the NFL the Bears have a ton of questions to answer as they move through training camp and on towards the regular season. Here is a look at a few of those questions and where they stand on answering these questions, so far, in training camp.

Can the offensive line get better?

The offensive line was a big question mark heading into training camp this summer and still remains that way with a lot of shuffling going on to try to find the right mix. There are two starting positions solidified in the line. One is at center with long time Bear Olin Kreutz staying in place and the other is at left tackle where third year pro Chris Williams hangs on to the starting job there.

Guard Roberto Garza does have a strong chance to remain a starter but he may be seeing a position switch thanks to the surge that second year player Lance Louis has been having so far in camp. That leaves the right tackle position and another guard position open for competition. If Louis moves into Garza’s old spot then Garza could slide over into the other guard spot. That would leave the right tackle spot open and Frank Omiyale should be able to lock that down.

Will this combination work for the Bears during the season? We will soon find out as this unit begins to gel during practice and preseason games.

Challenge at Safety

The Bears thought that things were all set at the safety position as they started training camp but shortly after they started practice, both Chris Harris and Major Wright went down with injuries that are keeping them out of action still (as of this writing). It was pretty much set in stone that Harris would start at one safety position and it appeared that Wright was going to start at the other but thanks to the injuries they status for the season remains unclear.

Harris should be able to keep a starting spot at the safety position even though he’s missed a lot of practice time. Wright, on the other hand, may have some difficulty cracking the starting lineup right away after missing so much time may be difficult. He’s definitely a player to keep your eye on as he makes his way back and training camp progresses.

Cutler Watch

Everyone seems to be watching Cutler and the wide receivers during this training camp and for good reason. The Bears have staked a lot of hope in the passing game and fans wonder just how well the Bears will do there this season. Once the real bullets start flying, hopefully everyone will be able to be on the same page in this offense which relies heavily on timing. Receivers need to run the right routes, running backs need to either get out to catch passes or stay in and block and the tight ends need to do the same.

If the offense can get on the same page this season then they could put up a lot of yards and a lot of points. It’s going to be an interesting season for the Bears.

Defensive Musings

Aside from the problems that the Bears appear to have at the safety position (in terms of health) the Bears defense has been looking good and there should be a lot of reason to get excited next season. Julius Peppers has been everything that he was made out to be, at least in training camp but has helped elevate the players around him especially Tommie Harris.

Harris has been looking pretty good in training camp so far after spending the past few seasons either in the doghouse or hurt and has missed a lot of training camp in the past because he has been hurt. But this has been a different training camp for Harris. He’s healthy and has been pretty quiet. Could this be a comeback year for Harris? Stay tuned.

Stay tuned for more about the Bears preseason as well as their preseason games coming up later in this blog.

Stupar makes his move in tight race - The Buffalo News

Isn't this the case with most UVA players. Stupar makes his move in tight race - The Buffalo News How often I've read comments like "very solid, consistent football player, well-rounded in terms of blocking and receiving" when it comes to UVA players.

That could have been written about Heath Miller several years ago, John Phillips or Kevin Ogletree last season or Jonathan Stupar this summer just to name a few UVA prospects that hit the ground running in the NFL. The bigger shame is Al Groh didn't get hired in the NFL to continue training these players to become fundamentally sound players who will maximize their talents.

Now only if a player like Martellus Bennett, Dwayne Jarrett, Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, JaMarcus Russell, Ted Ginn Jr., Adam Carriker, Bobby Carpenter, John McCargo, or A.J. Hawk went to to UVA.

Tennessee Titans' LeGarrette Blount apologizes for punching teammate | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

The phrase fool me once shame on you...fool me twice shame on me come to mind. Tennessee Titans' LeGarrette Blount apologizes for punching teammate | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

Seriously LeGarrette you threw a punch at a teammate. Anger management classes should be in your immediate future.

Talented from the neck down.

Two Cents on Week One

With one more game to go before wrapping up Week One of Preseason I thought I’d share a few thoughts.

From my camp visits:

Looks like Philadelphia did a great job grabbing Mike Kakfa in round 4 on the draft as he will be a starter in this league someday and the #2 QB for Philadelphia next season (assuming there is a next season).  Kafka threw some tight spirals at the end of practice working with Alex Hall (which obviously paid off Friday when he connected on a  57 yard pass to Hall to set up Akers' go-ahead kick.)   Good luck to Andy Reid making his cuts as they are stacked at wide out and a few other slots so teams like Buffalo should pay attention to who gets cut…speaking of the Bills looks like they got a solid contributor in free agent and  former Auburn Tiger, Antonio Coleman, who will get some playing time this season for the roster challenged Buffalo Bills.    Another player who showed flashes in camp but went down with an injury was 4^th round pick, Marcus Easley who caught some bombs when I was at practice but looks like he’ll be lost for the 2010 season.

Thanks to the NFL Network and NBC

Since you can watch all the games live I did my best to catch as much of every pre-season game as I could and while I didn’t see all the action here are the highlights of the guys I did see so far.   Another guy lost for the season that looked poised to take the #2 TE position this season was John Phillips.  Phillips is fundamentally sound doing exactly what you want from a number two tight end, let’s just hope he recovers and is back playing in 2011 (hopefully everyone is playing in 2011).   Jimmy Clausen, certainly showed he is not about to go the way of Rick Mirer and Brady Quinn, and looks to push for a starting job by the end of 2010 if not earlier.  Also Dwayne Jarrett, showed some nice moves in the game against Carolina and hopefully continues that course for the Panthers.  Everyone knows he has the God given size and talent just needs to put it all together.   The Oakland defense looks like they will keep games close now they just need the offense to catch up.  The defensive line certainly showed they are going to bring the heat.  Doug Free showed why the Hotel went out of business.  Looked strong and balanced.  Early on the Cowboys certainly appear to have made the right selection by letting Adams walk.  Rex Grossman appears to have the #2 QB slot locked in D.C.  While never a true starter Grossman certainly is their best option behind McNabb.   Tim Tebow looks to have passed Brady Quinn by which likely mean Quinn will be a late camp cut as he has only taken steps back in his development. 

Last second shot

Glad Theismann isn’t on a major network anymore.  He was carrying on about the Redskins as if they just won the Super Bowl.  I want to scream Joe it’s the first game of the preseason and you just beat Buffalo, a team in contention for the #1 pick of the 2011 draft.   He sounded like McNabb is the second coming and that the team had no weakness.   Really a team with the record they had last season suddenly should be looked at as Super Bowl contenders. Wow!!.   It’s was really bad when Danny “I try to act cool but I’m not” Snyder came in the booth and I thought Theismann was like a 14 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert. 

Did I miss anyone? Send me an email.

Shots from Eagles and Bills Training Camp

Here are a few of the shots from the past two weekends.  

Tim Ruddy, former NFL lineman, shares his thoughts on Preseason Football

I made the horrible mistake of tuning in too late to catch the beginning of the Dallas-Cincinnati game (Curse you Mountain Time Zone), and missed the 8 minutes the starters played. As I struggle to watch the rest of the game, which closely resembles NCAA Division II football, my mind wanders and I think “What is the best analogy or marketing slogan for Preseason football?” Of course the standard is “It’s like kissing your sister,” but most of us don’t live in Alabama, so it may be hard to relate.

I believe it’s much more like the guy who operates the convenience store on the “other side” of the desert. He knows that your so deprived of essentials by the time you get there, that you’ll be happy to get anything, even a $5 bottle of water and a $3 stale Twinkie. Memories of my time in South Florida also pop up, remembering the trucks that would show up after a major hurricane loaded with $10 gallon water jugs and $20 packages of 2 “D” batteries. If we didn’t get pre-season football for free (kind of) I would claim price-gouging. Maybe “NFL Preseason: You get what you pay for!”

I also find it highly ironic and disappointing that the game is the culmination of the Hall of Fame Weekend ceremonies. You spend the previously hours watching all these clips of great players doing amazing things on the field, only to tune in and see the rookie from Southwest New Mexico State fumble a simple handoff and kick the ball down the field. Maybe the NFL could advertise like a going out of business sale “NFL Preseason: Get a chance to see these guys before they’re all gone!” I’d be much more excited about seeing inductees Russ Grimm and John Randle having a one-on-one drill at midfield wearing their new yellow jackets.

Of the course the media coverage doesn’t help. We get the usual sideline interview with Tony Romo, who’s smiling and looks like he just finished a hot dog, and of course instead of focusing on the current game, they’re asking him about Brett Favre and the likelihood of his fourteenth un-retirement. C’mon, at least act like we’re supposed to be interested in this game. The good thing is that Fawcett Stadium is only slightly larger than a large high school stadium, so they can usually scare up enough people to fill it, although I heard this year they were telling people it was a Lady Gaga concert and selling them non-refundable tickets. How about “NFL Preseason: We don’t care either!”

All in all, I think the NFL should simply be honest with the fans and call it the NFL Preseason “Lame of the Week”.

By Tim Ruddy, who played at the University of Notre Dame from 1990-1994 and also played center for the NFL's Miami Dolphins from 1994-2003.   Read more about Tim here

Surprise, surprise.....Not!!!

It's like I wrote the Eagles seem consumed with the idea to make sure that people who give up their time to come and watch the team have a bad experience. Fan told to remove his McNabb jersey - NFC East Blog - ESPN

I mean honestly that's what Andy Reid is worried about these days. It would be one thing if the security force stopped him at the gate but instead Reid is busy watching the crowd at practice. Nice! Remember what that other Philly icon said "we're talking about practice here."

Derrick Brooks, one of the good guys

After seeing this news today, Ex-Buc Derrick Brooks officially retires from NFL | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal, my first thought was that the NFL is losing a great role model and his likes won't be easily replaced.

My next thought was I really hope some team, or maybe the league or the players union keeps him involved with football beyond the broadcasting sides of things. Derrick's football IQ is outstanding and the game is certainly better served with him involved in it. Just like Mike Singletary in San Fran, Derrick has the making of a great teacher and coach for the next generation of players.

Let's hope someone looks to Derrick to pay it forward.

Bills or Eagles Camp...No Contest Go Buffalo!!!

Over the past few weekends, I've had the opportunity to go to two training camps that were within a car ride from my residency in Northeastern, PA and let me say it was two different worlds. 

My first visit was to St. John’s Fisher College in Rochester, NY to see the Buffalo Bills camp and what a welcoming place that was for my entire family.   They have giveaways from corporate sponsors like M&T Bank, Verizon, Moe’s, Visa, and on and on.  They encouraged fans to stand by the fence, to cheer on the team and wait for players to come sign autographs after practice.   The Bills had a tent set up for fans under 14 accompanied with a parent the chance to get autographs from various positions depending on the day.   Other players walk along signing autographs for 15 to 20 minutes.   You felt like you were part of the action and that the players where as happy to see you as you were them.

This past weekend, I went to Lehigh University to see the Philadelphia Eagles training camp and to say I felt like an unwelcome guest would be an understatement.    You get there and they usher you along like a prisoner to the field area and have security poised to make sure you don’t lean on the “fence” or take a video or too many pictures.    If you decide you want to sit and watch the player’s practice your only option is to sit in bleachers and you better take that seat immediately or you’ll have some security guard screaming at you that you aren’t allowed to stand on the landing.   It was so bad a security guard was signaling out a man with a red hat who remained standing.  Calling him out in front of everyone only when she decided to take the time to approach him did she learn he was deaf and could not hear anything behind him.   As soon as practice ended the security force ushered the players towards the locker room with a few rare player such as third string QB, Mike Kafka, taking time to sign some autographs. 

Overall, unless you are a Eagles fan if you have the ability to pick between Lehigh and St. John’s Fisher there is really no doubt what your choice should be.  While the Bills might have trouble beating the Eagles this year on the field they humiliate them when it comes to fan experience at training camp.  Go Bills!!!