Jul

2

Bears lost in the shuffle on a busy day

Posted by bearsfan

July 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Yesterday was a busy day for Chicago sports, and none of it involved the Chicago Bears.

The Blackhawks signed Detroit star forward Marian Hossa and center John Madden from the New Jersey Devils. Both players should be great additions to a young team on the rise. Meanwhile, the Bulls got worse, losing Ben Gordon to the Detroit Pistons. I know Gordon had some serious shortcomings on defense, but who, exactly, is going to score for the Bulls now?

On the baseball beat, my White Sox continued their recent hot play, beating the Indians 6-2 to take their fourth series in a row. It was also the sixth straight win for the Sox. I’m sure the Cubs did something, too, but I’m not interested in whatever it was.

It was interesting to see a day where the Bears didn’t at least merit a semi-big story. It’s been a busy offseason for the Bears. And besides the fact that it looks like there’ll be no Plaxico Burress on the way, there wasn’t much else to report from Halas Hall.

Jul

1

When did you become a Bears fan for life?

Posted by bearsfan

July 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment

When I was younger, I didn’t much care for football. My dad would hog the TV for what seemed like hours. And all those football games screwed up the Sunday evening TV schedule; The games always ran late.

But then came 1984, and the Bears were actually a pretty good team. They had a ferocious defense, a great running back and a cocky young quarterback.

Still, halfway through the season they hadn’t really proven themselves to the rest of the league. Then they took on the Oakland Raiders.

If you remember that 1984 game at Soldier Field, you’ll remember that defense ruled. The Raiders knocked quarterback Jim McMahon out of the game with a serious injury, more or less derailing his career. But the Bears, led by that punishing defense and running game, ruled 17-9. I’d never seen two teams hit each other so hard.

From that moment on, I was a Bears game. I was rewarded in 1984 with the Bears’ surprising playoff victory on the road against a tough Washington Redskins team. Of course, one week later, in the NFC championship game, the 49ers stifled the Bears 23-0.

I knew a team on the rise when I saw one, though, and I was hooked.

I still am, even when watching the Bears is as exciting as watching grass grow. They’re still my team.

Jun

30

Do the Bears need a backup running back?

Posted by bearsfan

June 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment

The Bears had a lot of needs to fill this offseason. Credit Jerry Angelo will addressing many of them: He found a potential franchise quarterback. He added Orlando Pace to the offensive line. He added depth to the linebacking corps.

Of course, that leaves a few needs left unfilled, wide receiver being the most glaring. But there’s still time, and some hope, that Angelo will find a veteran free agent to play receiver.

But what about backup running back?

This may not seem like a huge need. But consider that starter Matt Forte is only entering his second season. Who knows if he’ll be as good this year as he was last season? Remember, too, that Forte wore down significantly as the season went on. He had some non-productive games during the year.

And just who is the backup to Forte? Do we trust the Bears’ Adrian Petersen or Garret Wolfe? I know I don’t.

New quarterback Jay Cutler will want a strong a running game. It’ll only increase his ability to be a game-changer. But if Forte goes down with injury, or isn’t as effective this season as he was in his rookie campaign, that running game isn’t going to be offering a lot of help.

Jun

29

USA Today takes a whack at the Bears

Posted by bearsfan

June 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Few teams have had as eventful an offseason as have the Chicago Bears. The Jay Cutler signing alone guaranteed that.

Now the USA Today has devoted a signficant amount of space to previewing the Bears’ upcoming season, largely because of the Cutler trade. The big surprise is that the paper actually does a good job of analyzing the Bears.

For instance, the USA Today story rightly skewers the Bears’ once proud defense. The story even points to the defense as the main reason why the Bears missed the playoffs for a second straight season last year.

However, the paper is a bit too kind to Kyle Orton and his play. Let’s not forget that in two of the Bears’ late-season wins — against the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints — Orton played like garbage. The Bears, in fact, should have lost both of those games, which would have left the team with a 7-9 record. That record would have been more appropriate for how the Bears played throughout the season.

Jun

26

Is it up to the tight ends to provide the passing offense this season?

Posted by bearsfan

June 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Jay Cutler may wish he was back in Denver by the time this season ends. Of course, if the Bears do find a veteran wide receiver somewhere, than Cutler will probably have a fine time this year.

Will that happen? Who knows? For now, though, the Bears organization continues to insist that Devin Hester, who led the team with 51 catches for 665 yards, is a number-one receiver. I guess that makes dropsy-plagued Rashied Davis a number-two. Shudder.

The best receivers on the team are actually Gregg Olsen and Desmond Clark. Too bad they’re tight ends. The third best receiver is probably Matt Forte. Too bad he’s a running back.

That makes Hester the fourth best receiver on this squad.

Cutler can throw deep. That might help Hester. Or it might just frustrate Cutler when he finds out that no other Bears receiver can get open deep on a consistent basis.

My hope is that this post will soon become moot. There’s always hope that the Bears actually will pick up a real live NFL receiver.

Stranger things have happened. I mean, look at what the Bears did in April. They actually found a quarterback. Who would have predicted that?

Jun

25

Former Bear Brown signs with Chiefs

Posted by bearsfan

June 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Mike Brown, one of the Bears’ biggest impact players before injuries and age robbed him of his speed, signed today with the Kansas City Chiefs.

It’s a shame, really, because Brown was one of the few Bears of recent vintage who knew how to make the big play. In fact, the 31-year-old safety is the Bears’ all-time leading defensive scorer, with seven touchdowns to his credit.

Who could forget his interception in overtime that beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Bears’ magical 13-3 season in 2001?

It’s unfortunate that Brown and the Bears had to part company. I’m not so sure, personally, that this is a decision that the Bears had to make. You can’t tell me that an older Brown still isn’t better than most of the safeties on the Bears’ roster today.

Jun

24

Which Chicago sports team will win a title next?

Posted by bearsfan

June 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Sports fans love to make predictions: the White Sox will trade Paul Konerko. The Cubs will fall short in the NL Central this year. The Bulls will make a terrible pick in the NBA draft.

One of the more intriguing guessing games today, though, centers on the Bears. The question is: Which Chicago team will next win its league champsionship? Most fans usually pick either the Bears, bolstered by this summer’s signing of quarterback Jay Cutler, or the Blackhawks, fueled by all that young talent.

If I had to wager a guess? I’d go with the Blackhawks.

Here’s what fans forget about Cutler and the Bears: The Denver Broncos didn’t win the SuperBowl with Jay Cutler as their quarterback, and the Broncos have a supporting cast that’s every bit as strong as — or maybe stronger — than the Bears have.

Don’t get me wrong; Cutler is a huge upgrade at quarterback. He had a great season last year. But to believe that Cutler will lead the Bears to the SuperBowl, you have to think that the Bears were just a quality quarterback away from making it back to the title game. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look to be true.

The Bears’ defense, despite its reputation, is weak. The receives are terrible. The running game is thin. And the offensive line doesn’t rank as one of the game’s elite. The Bears have above-average tight ends and a darn good punter. Is that, combined with a ProBowl-caliber quarterback, enough for a championship?

I don’t think so.

Jun

22

Why the Vikings are still the favorites in the NFC North

Posted by bearsfan

June 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I really want to believe that the Bears, powered by the strong arm of Jay Cutler, will win the NFC North this year.

It’s hard to force myself to believe this, though. Yes, it’s a fairly weak division. But I still think the Vikings, though they’re certainly not Super Bowl contenders, are still the smarter choice to win the division.

Here’s why: The Vikings have a good, tough defense. They have arguably the game’s most explosive running back. And if Brett Favre plays for them this year, they’ll have a quarterback who is just good enough.

The Bears meanwhile, still have a lot of question marks. Yes, Jerry Angelo did fill some holes, most notably with Cutler, finally acquiring a quarterback that defensive backs will fear. But remember, that Bears defense has been lousy since the SuperBowl year. Brian Urlacher appears to be winding down. Mike Brown is gone, with not much talent to replace him.

I’m still not sold on Matt Forte, either. Yes, he had a solid rookie season. But he wore down terribly as the season went on. And he’s more of a solid back when he’s on. He’s not a gamebreaker.

Then there are the receivers. Simply put, this is a terrible group. Devin Hester is not a number-one receiver, no matter how many times Lovie Smith says he is. And we’re relying on Earl Bennett? The same Earl Bennett who caught exactly zero passes last season?

I’m sorry, but there are too many holes on these Bears.

Jun

19

Which Bear has the most to prove this year? Urlacher

Posted by bearsfan

June 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment

There are a lot of Bears that have something to prove this year.

Devin Hester has to prove he’s a number-one receiver. Jay Cutler has to prove he’s ready to be a leader. Rashied Davis has to prove he can actually catch the ball.

And then there’s Brian Urlacher. Remember when he was one of the most feared defensive players in the league? Well, those days are gone. Injuries have made sure that Urlacher will never again be that dynamo that caused opposing offensive coordinators so many headaches. But that doesn’t mean that Urlacher can’t still be a force on the field.

He’ll just have to do it in a different way.

Urlacher has always had trouble shedding blockers. Hopefully, Lovie Smith will use Urlacher’s speed. He sitll has that. And he can still use that to disrupt passing plays and chase down running backs, if Smith figures out a way to get him away from big, meaty blockers.

If Urlacher has an outstanding season, so will the Bears’ defense. If he struggles again, expect the defense to give up its share of long drives and points this season.

Jun

17

Why don’t people care when football players take steroids?

Posted by bearsfan

June 17, 2009 | 2 Comments

Sammy Sosa is making news again in Chicago today. Seems he tested positive for steroids back in 2003. Not much of a surprise there. I mean, the guy looked like a toothpick when he played for the White Sox. With the Cubs he’d magically transformed into a walking mountain.

Even though no one’s really surprised by this — It’s not like Sosa and his bat falled with rubber balls hasn’t been found guilty of cheating before — many Cubs fans seemed a bit disappointed in the news.

Here’s my question, though: Why isn’t anyone ever that upset when a football player is found to be taking steroids? When a football player is caught with steroids, people tend to shrug and move on.

But with baseball? It’s a national tragedy. The way the media covered the Alex Rodriguez steroid scandal, you’d have thought that we finally did find those weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

So what gives? Is it because baseball is so dependant on numbers and records? This might have something to do with it. The homerun marks of Ruth and Maris have been shattered. But now all the people who shattered these marks have been found guilty of taking steriods. How do you account for that?

I have no idea. I’m a White Sox fan; Most White Sox players don’t set any records, so I haven’t had to worry about it. Besides, like so many other Chicago sports fans, I’m waiting for the Bears’ season to start.


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