Dec 18, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Zach Miller (86) is tackled by Chicago Bears strong safety Craig Steltz (20) and defensive tackle Matt Toeaina (75) during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field. The Seahawks won 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

According to Vaughn McClure, the Bears are expected to release Defensive Tackle Matt Toeaina today.  (more…)

Rookie wide receiver Johnny Knox left the Browns in the dust as the Bears rolled to a 26-23 victory

The Bears finished up the preseason with a 3-1 record after edging the Cleveland Browns 26-23.  Check out NFL.com’s highlight package here.  In typical fourth preseason game fashion, the starters broke more of a sweat during warmups than they did in the game.  Many of the regulars played one series, which consisted of one snap for the defense after Zack Bowman’s interception on the first play from scrimmage.  Jay Cutler played a series, but that included handing the ball to Kevin Jones, who left the game in the second series with an ankle injury.  It will be interesting to see the extent of the injury and how that might impact the final 53-man roster. (more…)

• It’s cold out there!  Do not give the Jags a warm welcome!
• Pressure David Garrard.  He needs to spend significant time on his backside today.
• Kevin Jones is inactive for the 4th straighT game.  The end is near, KJ. 
• Also noticed that Matt Toeaina is inactive.  With Dusty Dvorcek OUT and Anthony Adams dinged up, I hope there is no lack of depth at DT position today.
• I’m starting Maurice Jones-Drew today in Round 1 of my fantasy playoffs, so if the Bears let the Jags score at all, let it be Mo-Jo.  I know, Blasphemy!  I can take it if I win.
• David Haugh wrote a nice piece evaluating the Bears’ roster in the Chicago Tribune today.  Maybe David’s jumping the gun, since this is something you really start to think about when the season is over.  The Beloved are still solidly in the playoff picture, so let’s worry about next year after this year is over.  Nevertheless, it’s a good article and I suggest you check it out :http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-081206-chicago-bears-nfc-north-haugh,0,4370382.column
•  I can’t believe that a judge has issued a temporary injunction to allow the Williams boys (and the three Saints) play today.  I hope that judge gets a dose of common sense and the 4 game suspensions are upheld.
• As much as l like to see the Lions suffer and would love to see them go 0-16, I will be rooting for them to beat the Vikes today.  Maybe Ford can use some of that Federal bailout money to fix the Lions!

BEAR DOWN!!!

Happy Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving to all my loyal readers!  Your reward is getting to sit through the epic match-up of the Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans.  What a complete scheduling disaster.  I thought you were supposed to fall asleep on the couch after eating the turkey, not before.  But don’t worry, after enjoying your wonderful feast, you get to return to the television to enjoy the nail-biting drama of the Seattle Seahawks against the Dallas Cowboys.  I hear the Seahawks are 12 point underdogs, which ironically is the same number of people that subscribe to the NFL network and get to see the only decent game of the day.  The Arizona Cardinals taking on the Philadelphia Eagles is a good match up, especially given the recent drama in Philly after the McNabb benching.  It would make for great national television, but it will go into obscurity on the NFL network instead.

Let’s Simmer Down

The Bears beat the St. Louis Rams last weekend to stay tied in first place in the division.  I realize the Bears got spanked the week before by the Packers, but can we all just simmer down?  They beat the Rams, who are I think are tied with the Raiders for the most lost franchise in football.  Despite their record I think the Chiefs are on the upside but that’s for another day.  Of course the Bears were going to beat the Rams, yet after the victory many Bears fans are suddenly talking playoffs again.  I blame it on the ups and downs of Chicago baseball carrying over into football.

The BIG Game

There is no way to understate the importance of this weekend’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.  Both are tied for first place in the division and will duke it out on prime time Sunday night.  Based on the rest of the NFC, there won’t be any Wild Card teams coming out of the NFC North this year.  Getting to the playoffs will likely mean winning the division or go home.  The Bears already beat the Vikings once this year, so the sweep would help lock up the title.  Last time the game turned into a shoot out, this game don’t be surprised if the game turns into a defense battle.  A loss would not count the Bears out, but it will mean the showdown on December 22nd between the Packers and Bears at Soldier Field will be big.

Switcheroo

What has happened to Bears football?  The offense has become explosive and the defense has turned timid.  Kyle Orton and Matt Forte look like a bonafide offense, even without a top receiver to keep defenses busy.  The Bears have managed to utilize a dominant back that can play all fazes of offense and use a receiver by committee approach.  Having a clear number 1 receiving threat is helpful, but the Bears have found having a corps of good receivers is giving offenses more trouble than anything else.  It may be frustrating for fantasy owners, but for real football it has proven effective.  Meanwhile the defense has broken down and become a shell of its former self.  They still play well against the run and can shut down running backs, but the secondary as imploded and given up big days to extremely average receivers.  For years the defense was able to shoulder the pressure of winning games for the offense, no we will have to see if the offense can do the same.

Beaming With Pride

I would like to take a moment to say how proud I am of Matt Forte.  I talked all preseason about how great I thought this kid would be and he has delivered.  He carries himself with humility after a great game and takes it in stride when he has a mediocre game.  Young players have a tendency to get down on themselves and he has managed to stay even tempered through the ups and downs.  He is handling to pressure of being the number one running AND receiving option on the offense with great poise.  I have to pinch myself and remember he is only a rookie.  He is already over 900 yards rushing and could break records by the end of his rookie season that haven’t been touched since guys named Payton and Sayers were wearing Bears jerseys.  After all these years we finally have a running back.

Draft Talk Already?

Is it too soon to talk about how badly the Bears need a talented free safety?  Early draft predictions show a few good prospects in the first round and the Bears secondary looks pitiful.  Rookie Craig Steltz wasn’t a bad gamble, but he turned out to be another strong safety to compliment Mike Brown.  It’s a good move to ensure depth at the position but it means there still isn’t a clear solution for free safety.  The Bears need a smart, speedy player out of college that can terrorize receivers down field and break up passes.  The rest of the defense isn’t suffering that bad, but the inability to prevent big pass plays is making the rest of the defense play tentatively and second guess themselves.  They almost seem to get frustrated and give up on themselves when they start to give up big pass plays.  A good safety out of the draft that can stop big plays could be enough to return this defense to dominance.

Footnote

Even though I just said the Bears defense could drastically improve with a talented free safety, that doesn’t take the front four off the hook.  The Bears couldn’t sack a potato and at the end of the season there will have to be questions answered why they can’t get any pressure.  Tommie Harris is running out of excuses for not looking like the kid the Bears drafted and made a Pro Bowl appearance.  I want a legitimate answer why Mark Anderson went from rookie sensation to bust.  This was supposed to be a highly talented group of kids that were going to terrorize the quarterback all season.  We’ve reached the breaking point.  It’s time to start giving other players a shot to play and see if they can deliver.  Start Anthony Adams and Matt Toeaina at tackle and see what they can do.  The Bears were thin at defensive tackle last year and signed Matt Toeaina in mid-season.  He responded by coming up with some very nice tackles on Adrian Peterson in the backfield.  Maybe he could put up a repeat performance against the Vikings.

]]> http://beargoggleson.com/2008/11/26/un-bear-able-thanksgiving-schedule/feed/ 0 http://beargoggleson.com/2008/06/18/bears-to-watch-in-training-camp/ http://beargoggleson.com/2008/06/18/bears-to-watch-in-training-camp/#comments Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:52:10 +0000 beargogglebob http://beargoggleson.com/?p=239 With Training Camp fast approaching I wanted to put the spotlight on the Bears that will have to step up or prove themselves in their respective position. QB:  Rex Grossman This one goes without saying.  The Bears brought him back with a 1-year deal to try to once-and-for-all slay his demons and show that he [...]

Bears To Watch In Training Camp - Bear Goggles On - Bear Goggles On - A Chicago Bears Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

There will not be any rematch against Reggie Bush for his antics last year at the NFC Championship game.  Interesting enough, his back-up Aaron Stecker now has a sprained toe and may not be able to play.  The start at tailback may go to Pierre Thomas, who grew up in Illinois and played at the University of Illinois before going on to the NFL as an undrafted free agent.  There may be a large home crowed cheering on Thomas to do well in his NFL debut. 

Let me also say that if I were an NFL coach and one of my players told me he didn’t want to play on Sunday because he had a sprained toe, I would heavily consider cutting him from my team. 

After putting up a big game against the Vikings the Bears will have to end the season without Nathan Vasher, who was put on the Injured Reserve.  Bears fans will have to dream in the off season of how this season could have different and how next year’s defense could improve with Vasher back on the field.  He gave us a glimpse of how he can change a game by himself.  I can see why the Bears locked him and fellow corner Charles Tillman up with long contracts.

Lance Briggs has been suffering from a bad hip and sat out practice on Friday.  There is a chance he might play but given the attitude of the press towards Briggs this past week, it sounds like he is as good as gone.  Lovie Smith should just go with Jamar Williams and see what the kid can do on the field.  Having a solid option at linebacker allows the organization to focus on other positions in the off season.

I’ve been trying to bring attention to it the past few weeks so I’ll make another mention.  Mushin Muhammed is only 95 yards away from having 10,000 receiving yards for his career.  In a meaningless game for the Bears, helping Moose reach a great lifetime achievement for a receiver would be a great way to end the season on a high note.

Fred Miller practiced on Friday and is expected to start on Sunday.  Now if someone can just explain to him that we expect him to start playing football on Sunday and not whatever he has been doing this entire season.

In a testament that there are still true football players out there, Tommie Harris will play again on Sunday despite the bad knee he has been dealing with all year.  It would be very easy to sit this out but the kid just won’t quit.  If only we could clone this guy and make a football team out of them, we could take on the Patriots any day. 

I’m excited to see more of Matt Toeaina at defensive tackle.  The guy has a lot of heart and has proved himself worthy of getting the 3 year contract to Bears signed with him.  Lining up a guy like Tommie Harris that has limitless talent, with a guy like Toeaina that’s all heart, could produce big results.  They can feed off each other and create the kind of havoc in the middle that the Bears defense thrives on.

 While I would love to see the Bears end this season with a win, does it really matter that much?  The Saints are in a bind with an inexperienced running back for Sunday but a desire to win.  Without Vasher on the field and the Bears using scraps for the secondary, Drew Brees could have a great day.  He has been on fire late in the season and is most of the reason the Saints have a chance at a playoff spot.  The best the Bears can hope for is more of that blistering cold to hamper Brees, but I doubt we will get so lucky twice. 

The Bears gave fans a glimpse into what this season could have been with a brief reminder of how dominant the Bears defense is on the field.  Nathan Vasher proved to be a key element to creating turnovers and lived up to both his nickname of the “Interceptor” and his long term contract.  If only he was on the field the past couple months, things may have turned out differently.  I was also extremely impressed by the play of rookie Matt Toeaina, who played well enough on Monday night to earn a chance at a roster spot next year. 

All that mixed together won’t be enough on Sunday.  The Packers have a potent offensive attack going into the playoffs and appear ready to make a run at a Super Bowl appearance if they can get past Dallas.  Ryan Grant has become a run threat and Brett Favre has shown all season he can throw the ball as many times as he needs to generate a win.  The Bears were able to get at Minnesota due to concentrating on shutting down the running game and making Tarvaris Jackson throw the ball under pressure.  No much luck here as the Packers will be able to do want they want on the field.  The emergence of deep threat receivers like Greg Jennings will be too much for the Bears safeties to handle. 

Ryan Grant may have a 100+ yard game or Favre may just throw the ball all over the field.  It depends upon conditions at Soldier Field tomorrow and it looks like conditions will be pretty bad.  It could be as cold as 18 degrees with high speed winds whipping off the lake.  The Bears may be forced to attack teh run and see if Favre can battle a defense and mother nature. 

Bears Offense v. Packers Defense

Think the Bears have a chance to get a touchdown on the Packers defense?  I’ll have some of what you’re drinking.  The Packers went on their playoff run in the beginning of the season because of how their defense kept the offense in the game.  Now that the offense has become so explosive, people have a tendency to forget this defense is playing like the Bears defense of last year.  Weather conditions could force the Bears to establish a ground game.  That’s like playing Where’s Waldo for another 15 minutes after you couldn’t find him for 2 hours.  It’s pretty much gone and it’s not going to magically appear. 

I really have no idea what the Bears may accomplish offensively, other than to hope Kyle Orton has some magic stored up in that chin beard.  I doubt Adrian Peterson will get over 40 yards rushing and the Packers will likely be prepared for the screen pass.  Perhaps Garrett Wolfe can surprise us with some of his blazing speed, but that’s just wishful thinking.  Moose Muhammed will be lucky to get any closer to his milestone of 10,000 receiving yards.  He is less than 100 yards away, but has to find a way to get the ball from Kyle Orton to him, which could be a big challenge for the veteran. 

Moral of the story is, this could be ugly and boring.

Special Teams

This is starting to get old.  Yes, the Bears have the best special teams in the NFL thanks to Devin Hester.  No, the Packers will probably not kick to them since the Bears offense can do anything even when they get the ball at the 40 yard line.  Snoozefest.