Bear Goggles On » 2010 » March

Holy Thursday and Lovie’s Last Supper

Boomer — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:37:25 +0000

I saw this on Windy City Gridiron’s fun new graphics section One Stop Shop and thought it was appropriate to … [visit site to read more]

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Safety First? Bears mulling move up to draft Safety

Boomer — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:03:56 +0000

Brad Biggs reported that Jerry Angelo and the Bears are considering a move up in the draft to try to grab one of the top safeties.

Nolan Nawrocki, the draft analyst for Pro Football Weekly, said on a teleconference Wednesday that four safeties could go in the first round. Tennessee’s Eric Berry projects to be gone sometime between No. 5 and No. 10 overall. Georgia Tech’s Morgan Burnett is climbing draft boards quickly and USC’s Taylor Mays and Texas’ Earl Thomas also are in the mix. Nawrocki also wouldn’t rule out Allen as a possibility to sneak into the end of the first round, which likely would put him out of reach for the Bears, who lack first- and second-round picks and don’t have a selection until No. 75 in the third round.

For the Bears to trade up into the second round, it likely would take their second-round pick in 2011 and more.

“There is more elite talent at the safety position overall this year than there has been in past years with talk about four potentially fitting into the first round and Nate Allen is a guy who could potentially sneak in there,” Nawrocki said. “I think (the Bears) have to fill that need, they’re looking hard at it and I think there is a chance they could potentially move up to the second round, trade up, and I know I have heard some discussion around the league about that possibility. They should be able to address the needs with the players that are in this draft.”

Nawrocki noted a couple players who might be available at No. 75 if the Bears stay put. The only previous time Angelo has traded up was in 2003 when he made a trade to move up in the fifth round to draft wide receiver Justin Gage. We’re talking about a minor trade at that point in the draft.

Nawrocki’s three other options with free-safety skills are Major Wright of Florida, T.J. Ward of Oregon and Chad Jones of LSU.

… [visit site to read more]

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Bears’ Preseason Schedule Released

Boomer — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:28:08 +0000

Mark your calendars Bears fans – the Preseason schedule has been released. While the exact dates aren’t finalized, but we know who, where and approximately when the games will be played. Check it out:

August 12-15 @ … [visit site to read more]

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Alex Brown: Classy ’til the End

Boomer — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:18:19 +0000

Alex Brown will take his Gator chomp elsewhere next season. (Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune)
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Alex Brown on the Trading Block?

DeCon — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:42:54 +0000

No…that wasn’t a typo…this tweet just came through and I nearly fell off my chair…Alex Brown, yes, that Alex Brown, #96 for the Bears is on the trading block…

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Cover Stew: Bears News and Notes

Boomer — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:43:53 +0000

I’m trying out a new segment to help me get caught up on Bears news called Cover Stew. It’s a nod to Lovie’s Cover-2 defense with a little Bears news chopped up into little bits of goodness – just like Mom used to make. Have a taste:

Breakfast with Lovie

Lovie Smith chatted up the media at the NFL Owner’s Meeting and touched on a variety of topics including how he envisions Devin Hester’s role on the offense. There’s only one little problem – it’s Mike Martz’s offense and what Lovie said conflicts directly with what Martz said when he rolled into town. I know, I know – Lovie is still the head coach. Fine. Here’s my suggestion – fix your defense and let Mad Martz do his thing. Keep an eye on this relationship Bears fans. It could be very interesting.

Smith also sees the Bears using four tight end next season. This from Sean Jensen’s piece in the Sun Times:

He said his top four tight ends — Olsen, Manumaleuna, Kellen Davis and Desmond Clark — will all have roles.

”We need ‘em all,” he said. ”They all have a strength.”

What else is he supposed to say? We would really like to trade Greg Olsen for another draft pick? I don’t expect four tight ends make the final 53-man roster.

Lovie Knows a thing or three about Defense Too

Lovie is excited to get Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris back next season to help bring the defense back and called out #91:

Smith conceded that “production hasn’t been there as much as we want with Tommie. He has dealt with injuries, and I’m going to say that’s been a big part of it. We still see special plays, but not enough of them.

“Part of us getting back as a defense is Tommie getting back. He went into the offseason as healthy as he’s been in a long time. Tommie has been working out almost daily up there since the end of the season. You get in position to have a great year. And we need him to. He’s been disappointed in his play and I think he’s ready to do something about it.”

Ball is in your court, Tommie. … [visit site to read more]

Cover Stew: Bears News and Notes - Bear Goggles On - Bear Goggles On - A Chicago Bears Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

Alternatives to the NFL’s Boring OT Rule Change

Boomer — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:52:21 +0000

You won't see this in overtime of playoff games any more.

So the NFL owners passed a change to the sudden death overtime for 2010 playoff games so each team gets a possession if the team winning the toss kicks a field goal on the first possession. BO-RING!!! Let’s kick around some alternatives that would really spice things up:

Line ‘em up

Tired of OT being decided by a coin toss? Then change it! To open OT, set the ball at the 50 yard line and allow one person from each team to sprint to retrieve the ball. Whoever gets it claims the ball for their team at the spot of the recovery. It’s a bit of a spinoff from the old XFL opening scramble rule. Somewhere Vince McMahon is laughing.

Imagine the Bears and Vikings tied at 17 with a division title on the line. Devin Hester on one goal line, Percy Harvin on the other. It’s a mad dash for the ball to establish possession. Who wouldn’t be on the edge of their seat for that???

Better yet, line up your best 11 against my best 11 at opposing goal lines and let them go ape-shit charging for the ball Braveheart-style.

… [visit site to read more]

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Bears Among Uncommitted on New Overtime Vote

Boomer — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:23:15 +0000

Photo via Fanway

The NFL owners are meeting in Orlando this week and among the agenda items are the rules that govern overtime. We’ve heard about this for years, how it’s so unfair to basically have a coin toss decide the winner of a hard-fought and hotly contested game. This issue came front and center during the NFC Championship game when the New Orleans Saints bested Brett Favre and the Mnnesota Vikings to advance to the Super Bowl. The Saints won the OT toss and promptly marched down the field to kick a field goal and punch their tickets to Miami.

The numbers back up the notion that the current overtime system needs some fixing. From 1974 (when the league implemented sudden death) until 1993, OT winners were a 50-50 split between who won and who lost the toss. After the ’93 season, when kickoffs were pushed back 5 yards, the percentages took a a sharp turn. Now teams the lose the toss win less than 40% of the time. … [visit site to read more]

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Let’s Talk Some Bears

Gavin Tugana — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:09:45 +0000

I know, I haven’t been around in a while. I’ve been a little busy with my real-life job, school, and life happening. But, since I’m back, let’s talk about some of the Bears’ moves:

- Why on God’s green Earth did the Bears sign Tim Jennings? He’s … [visit site to read more]

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Bears Sign Jennings, Cut Nathan Vasher

Boomer — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:57:06 +0000

The revolving door in the Chicago Bears secondary continues as the Bears ushered in Tim Jennings and cut loose Nathan Vasher. Here’s my favorite Vasher Chicago Bears moment, his 108-yard missed FG return against the 49ers on a ridiculously windy game at Soldier Field back in 2006. Take special note of the escort that Brian Urlacher provides. How many guys does he block on this return? Awesome play!

Once last quick little aside. When the Bears signed Jennings, they released Jason McKie, who didn’t figure into the plans for Mike Martz’s offense. McKie was a stand up guy and a class act with the Bears. If you’re on Twitter, show him some love @jmack37. … [visit site to read more]

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