I keep trying to remind myself of Allen Iverson’s preseason philosophy:

That YouTube clip is playing on a loop in Lovie Smith’s office.  There have been gaping holes on both sides of the ball yet despite that, don’t expect to see much from the guys you’ll actually see playing on Sundays.

Jay Cutler has already been ruled out.  I guess 10 sacks in less than a full game’s worth of action was enough to convince Lovie that Jay knows how to take a fall.   So you’ll get a steady dose of Todd Collins (if he survives).  Lance Briggs won’t play and don’t expect to see Urlacher either.  If you blink you’ll probably miss your other favorites, unless Jarron Gilbert is a favorite.

Speaking of Gilbert, rhe coaches will focus their attention on the bubble guys.  Fans should focus on reruns of The Office because you ain’t gonna learn anything about this Bears team that you don’t already know.  See you after practice!

BEAR DOWN!!!

Al Afalava

How quickly things change.  The second year safety fell out of favor after playing in 13 games for the Bears last season and now he’s struggling to make the roster.  The bad news? It’s not because they’re so much deeper at safety.

By my count, Sam is 2-1 in the preseason, which is more than I can say for the 0-3 Bears.   Oh wait, I forgot, these don’t count so I guess our record is still 0-0.  Lovie’s starting to get to me too I guess!

*Note, the sim was run before Brian Urlacher and Jay Cutler were officially ruled out of Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Browns.

We all know that the most meaningless of the meaningless preseason games is the last preseason game.  The starters will play a series (if at all) and the biggest focus is getting out injury free.  There’s been a lot of hand wringing about the 0-3 start and Bears fans are desperate for any kind of win to get even a smidge of confidence before the Detroit game in Week 1.  I’m afraid our Madden sim prediction doesn’t show that to be the case.

It didn’t start off well for the Bears with the Browns opening up a 17-0 halftime lead behind a pair of short TD runs and a Phil Dawson FG.  I guess the Bears can’t fool the Madden simulator.

But there were big plays to be had for the Beloved.  In the 4th quarter Chester Taylor popped for a short 7 yard TD run:

But the biggest surprise of the night came on a Dan LeFevour to Rashied Davis 77-yard bomb:

I know it’s just a simulator, but Rashied Davis isn’t running away from anybody!

Even with those big plays, it’s just not enough for the Bears to get past the Browns 24-14.   It’s not looking good for the Bears on the simulator or in real life.  But the real action starts in just over a week when they start keeping score for real.  Here’s a breakdown of the game and the preseason.

Bears 14 Browns 24

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

(CLE) P. Dawson 43 yd FG

2nd Quarter

(CLE) M. Hardesty 2 yd run (Dawson Kick)
(CLE) J. Harrison 4 yd run (Dawson Kick)

4th Quarter

(CHI) C. Taylor 7 yd run (Gould Kick)
(CHI) R. Davis 77yd pass from LeFevour (Gould Kick)
(CLE) M. Hardesty 84 yd run (Dawson Kick)

Passing

Bears
D. LeFevour 9-15 147yds 9.8avg 1 TD 0 INT Rating 115.1
J.Cutler 6-9 24yds 2.6 avg 0 TD 0 INT Rating 70.1

Browns
J.Delhomme 7-11 104 Yds 9.4 avg 0 TD 0 INT Rating 94.5
S. Wallace 6- 8 63yds 7.8 avg 0 TD 1 INT Rating 57.8

Rushing

Bears
M.Forte 8 carries 31 yds 3.8 avg 0 TD
C.Taylor 8 carries 34 yds 4.2 avg 1 TD

Browns
M. Hardesty 11 carries 131 yds 11.9 avg 2 TD
J.Harrison 9 carries 55 yds 6.1 avg 1 TD

Receiving

Bears
R.Davis 3 rec 95 yds 31.6 avg 1 TD
M Forte 3 rec 9 yds 3.0 avg 0 TD
B. Manumaleuna 2 rec 22 yds 11.0 avg 0 TD

Browns
B. Robiskie 4 rec 56 yds 14.0 avg 0 TD
M. Massaquoi 2 rec 31 yds 15.5 avg 0 TD
B.Watson 2 rec 21 yds 10.5 avg 0 TD

Bears Defensive MVP

B.Urlacher 7 solo tackles 2 assists 2 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack

Browns Defensive MVP

K. Coleman 2 solo tackles 2 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks

Final NFC North Preseaon Standings

Vikings 2-2-0 101 PF 105 PA
Packers 2-2-0 79 PF 71 PA
Bears 1-3-0 75 PF 85 PA
Lions 0-3-1 60 PF 91 PA

I can’t thank my new buddy Sam for his help with the Madde sims.   Follow Sam on Twitter @samgoody14 and tell him if you can do better.

BEAR DOWN!!!

It’s not too late Fantasy Football players.  Join the best fantasy league around and thanks to our exclusive FanSided discount, get 50% off your new CBS Sports Commissioner League.  Sign up today!

Be sure to keep up with Bear Goggles On wherever you go, with our iPhone and Droid apps.   They’re FREE!  Check em out!

A case for the offense

Jay Cutler has spent a significant amount of time getting a close look at the horrible Soldier Field turf.

I think we all realized that there would be some bumps in the road installing Mike Martz’s new offense but we didn’t realize that one of the bumps would be Jay Cutler playing the role of a speed bump for opposing defensive lineman.

One thing we thought we knew about the offensive line was Chris Williams.  He had a nice dress rehearsal late last season after the Bears put Orlando Pace out to pasture, but so far this preseason Williams has looked pretty clueless.  After a 5 sack performance by the Raiders in Week 2, the Cardinals sacked Jay Cutler another 4 times.  The Cardinals who had 2 sacks in 2 games so far heading into their game with the Bears.

Jay Cutler hasn’t dealt with the pressure too well.  If he didn’t have the past history of interceptions, I might not be too concerned.   The fact is, it’s been hard to evaluate Cutler and the receivers while the offense has been so out of sync.

Mike Martz makes offenses better everywhere he goes.  It’s a fact.   In general, the offense is young, particularly at the skill positions, so there’s some upside there if the offense starts to click and Mike Tice can get his offensive line troubles worked out.

A case for the defense

The secondary has been clueless all preseason.

Lovie Smith’s defense has been in steady decline ever since the Super Bowl and last year the bottom fell out.  Yet somehow, Lovie has been able to save his ass by re-shuffling defensive coordinators the last three years.  The biggest void in the Bears defense has been on third downs.  They finished the 2009 campaign ranked 28th in third down conversions allowed and they appear in midseason form this preseason.

The Bears spent big free agent bucks on Julius Peppers to fill the void at defensive end and get the pass rush that’s been missing since Richard Dent was holding down the DE spot years ago.  So far, teams have neutralized Peppers by using short drops and running screens to his side.  Pep has been impressive, but it hasn’t been enough to lift the D.

Another thing that has really come out in the preseason has been the poor tackling.  That is inexcusable for a veteran group like the one they have.  Aside from Major Wright, the guys on that side of the ball are experienced and should be getting the job done.  That’s really the biggest concern for the defense – they are the experienced bunch and should be light years ahead of the offense.

This is a well-established scheme that’s installed on the defensive side and the only real addition is Peppers.  (Chris Harris is back after a brief hiatus to Carolina, but he himself said that the playbook hasn’t been changed much since he left.)  There is no excuse to have guys constantly out of position.  The safeties never know where they’re supposed to be and are constantly out of position, leaving giant holes that have been picked apart.  I am sick of hearing about “a lack of execution” and “poor technique” as reasons the defense isn’t where it needs to be.

So which has you more concerned, the offense or the defense?  Can they fix this in time before the regular season starts?  Vote in our poll (along the right margin) and let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

BEAR DOWN!!!

@Lfitzgerald11 layin' the smackdown on Tommie Harris. (Photo courtesy of @cdrobinson83)

I wonder if Fitz was getting revenge on Tommie for the Deuce Lutui fight from last season.

If you come across a cool picture like this, e-mail me at beargoggles.boomer@gmail.com.

BEAR DOWN!!!

Only after the second preseaon mess game, did the Bears realize that they needed a more credible backup and ponied up to get Todd Collins.  Gutierrez never appeared in a game.

Other players cut were former Northwestern wide receiver Zeke Markshausen and defensive lineman Maurice Evans.  Two more players will need to be dispatched between now and Tuesday afternoon.  Any chance the could cut Lovie and Jerry?  You can’t blame a guy for asking, can you?

This was my father, watching a small black and white TV, yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs. I was 7 or 8 years old, and you have to understand that my father NEVER yelled about anything. He was very consistent, very calm, and generally in complete control. To hear him losing his mind over something on the TV could only mean that whatever it was, it was important.

This was the beginning of my education about football. Love and hate mixed up into one emotion. I sat cross-legged on the floor, trying to figure out who was who, and slowly, over time, with him leaning down to explain a rule or a penalty, I began to understand the game.

I don’t think I’ll ever truly understand how he taught me to love a team he hated so much! LOL!

I am that crazy father now. I have 3 sons who sneak cautiously into the basement when the game is on, and cheer like crazy when they win, and growl at the tv (with their old man) when they screw up or lose.

I am not a sportscaster. I am not a professional blogger (are there professional bloggers?). I am probably not more knowledgeable on the Bears than any of you. But I am probably just as passionate, just as hopeful that this season (please let it be this season) is the one where they make the playoffs and maybe the Super Bowl. But, after decades of futility, don’t think for a second that I allow myself to be deceived into believing the hype or illusion of training camp.

The brain has a very thin gap between the section for love and the section for hate. Here’s hoping that my blog posts fit somewhere in between!

Just to show you that my sons love the game; here’s a very special video of my son as a running back on his little league team. (He has to love this game to put up with what is about to happen to him!). And yes I note the irony of the fact that the team he’s playing against wears Chicago Bears replica uniforms!

City

Steve Breaston dives into the endzone to make it 14-0. The Cardinals would go on to beat the Bears 14-9. (Photo courtesy of AP via NFL.com)

Things could not have gone much worse for the Bears in their 14-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals to drop to 0-3 in the preseason.  In the setup of the Open Thread, I outlined three main points for the Bears to follow for me to deem this game a success, regardless of the final score.  None of them went according to plan:

Protect Cutler: FAIL

Cutler and the offense were out of sync all day.  Cutty was dropped 4 more times and picked off twice for good measure.  This O-line is brutal!!!  Do you think Jay misses Josh McDaniels yet?  I bet he would have gladly swallowed his pride and stayed in Denver if he had known he’d be protected by this revolving door of a offensive line.

Defense must get off the field: FAIL

The first string defense was bad.  They allowed Arizona to convert 57% of their 3rd downs and most concerning were more 3rd and longs that were converted.  And this was with Cardinals All-World receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the sidelines and Kurt Warner comfortably in a rocking chair enjoying retirement.  This was Derek Anderson and Matt Leinart carving up your defense.

Get out healthy: FAIL

Lance Briggs left the game with an ankle injury.  I even pointed to the linebacker position as getting thin.  I think I put some bad mojo on them!  I’m not overly concerned about the Briggs injury, but it’s these little sprains that can drag on and impair performance for weeks.

Now it wasn’t all bad.  There were a few peanuts to be found in the turds.

• Julius Peppers is an absolute BEAST.  That guy is just a man among boys.  I’m not saying anyone is worth the $90+ million that he got, but this guy makes me think again.
• Johnny Knox is a baller.  He had a few nice catches hooking up with Cutler.
• Chester Taylor had a couple of nice plays and dare I say that the Bears might have finally figured out how to run a screen pass?  The way the line has been protecting, this could be the secret weapon to slow that rush down.  If we get nothing else out of the Mike Martz experience, if we FINALLY learn how to properly execute a screen pass, it will have all been worthwhile.

Don’t count on seeing too much from the starting units on Thursday night in Cleveland, so what you’ve seen so far from the starters is what you’ll get for the preseason.

BEAR DOWN!!!

We had a lot of fun talking about the game tonight against Arizona as well as discussing the business of the Bears, based on a Forbes article about how the Bears are missing lots of opportunities to maximize their revenue and a post I wrote about it on my ChicagoNow blog, FIRE LOVIE SMITH.

Have a listen:

BEAR DOWN!!!

In case you haven't noticed, I am trying to force feed this Open Thread thing. Try it, you might like it. (If you are the creator of this image, e-mail me at bearoggles.boomer@gmail.com)

The Bears face off with the Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field tonight in the always important third preseason game.  I mean as important as preseason games go.

The Cardinals look like a team in disarray.  With Kurt Warner retiring, it looked like it was going to be Matt Leinart’s turn to take the reigns, but he’s struggled in the preseason, so Ken Wisenhunt will turn to veteran Derek Anderson to see if he can lead this Cardinals offense.

For the Bears, there are three key things that I’ll be watching:

1. Protect Cutler – the offensive line has been facing a media blitz after two disappointing preseason games.  They need to improve, period!  It’s hard to evaluate Cutler and the receivers and see how they’re coming together when the quarterback is running for his life.
2. Defense must get off the field – and by that I mean that they must stop the Cardinals on third down.  The Bears were awful last year and if they don’t improve, it won’t matter what Cutler and the offense do.
3. Get out healthy – the Bears’ depth scares the heck out of me.  Even the linebacker position, which at one time seemed endlessly deep is getting awfully thin.  You add a glut of injuries to the safety position and concerns to the depth at cornerback and you’ve got a recipe for disaster if they don’t come out of this game healthy.

As you’re watching the game, or after the game, feel free to post your thoughts in the Comments.  I’ll try to address what I can and who knows, if you make a great point, I could turn it into a post!

BEAR DOWN!!!