May 14, 2013; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) during organized team activities at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

In an age of football that favors and features aerial attacks, the Bears are poised to supplement their passing game by a dominating ground game.  Bears Running Backs that will be the benefactor of a new, West-Coast style offense.  Both Matt Forte and Michael Bush are polished and accomplished receivers, however they are running backs first and receivers second.  I have visions of Roger Craig running, catching and dominating out of the San Francisco backfield for years it seems.  Can Forte and Bush have similar success?  My bet is that they will enjoy the new high-octane offense that Trestman will unveil this season.  (more…)

Dec 2, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Michael Bush (29) with the ball during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The 2012 season appears to be over for Michael Bush, latest in a long line of second running backs that the Bears have brought in to pair with Matt Forte which have failed to live up to expectations.  Bush suffered a rib injury a couple of weeks back and appears he won’t be able to continue.

I wrote about it last night when I put Michael Bush on the Bears Week 15 Milk Carton for pulling a disappearing act in the biggest game of the season, a 21-13 loss to the Packers in which the Bears had a goal to go situation from the 1 yard line and couldn’t punch it in with Matt Forte while Bush stood on the sidelines.  Apparently he was too hurt to play, but had to dress because the  Bears inactive list was already full of guys who were more injured than Bush.  (more…)

After another heartbreaking loss at the hands of their hated rivals, it’s easy to come up with candidates for the Chicago Bears Week 15 Milk Carton.  In case you’re new to the site, the Milk Carton is the weekly distinction for the member of the team who disappeared and went missing during the game.

Following a loss, these always seem easier to do; there are so many choices.  This week, I’ve chosen running back Michael Bush, who almost literally disappeared in the Bears’ 21-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.   (more…)

Nov.25, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws a pass during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Seattle Seahawks come to town to face the Bears for the 8th time in the Lovie Smith era, including two playoff appearances.  It’s like they’re honorary members of the NFC North.  Last season the Seahawks stomped the Bears 38-14 as Caleb Hanie steered the Bears ship into the rocks.  It signified the end of the Bears’ playoff hopes while Jay Cutler recovered from a broken thumb and may have been the last time we saw Johnny Knox in a Bears uniform as he suffered a serious back injury that’s kept him sidelined all season.

Don’t think that the Seahawks’ 2-1 record over their last three meetings has slipped past Lovie Smith.  He’ll have his guys ready to go against Pete Carroll and the visiting Seahawks.  How can the Bears shut down Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and the Adderall twins?  Check out my keys to a Chicago Bears victory. (more…)

The Chicago Bears face an uphill battle on Monday night as they face the 6-2-1 San Francisco 49ers in prime time.  They’ll do it without starting quarterback Jay Cutler, who’s recovering from a concussion suffered last week in the first half of the Bears’ loss to the Houston Texans.

Can  the Bears pull off a win under the lights to fend off the hard-charging Green Bay Packers and maintain control of the NFC North?  Well of course they can.  What are my keys to a Chicago Bears victory?  Let’s see.

(more…)

The Bears and Cowboys take center stage on Monday Night Football in Jerry Jones’ football megamall.  Both teams come in with 2-1 records, but neither is really happy about their team.  The Cowboys had an impressive Week 1 win over the Giants to kick off the season but followed it up with a clunker against the Seahawks.  They managed to edge the Bucs in a another offensive struggle.

The Bears came out guns blazing in Week 1 over the Colts, but have struggled to get their offense going ever since vs the Packers and the Rams.  While the offenses for both the Bears and the Cowboys have struggled but the defenses have more than made up for it.  The Cowboys are ranked #1 overall defensively while the Bears come is ranked #6 overall.  Expect both enigmatic quarterbacks Tony Romo and Jay Cutler to have challenging nights as their offensive lines have underachieved while the opposing pass rushes have flourished.

Not His First Rodeo

It seems like every week, we’re highlighting the matchup that Bears offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb will face and this week is no difference.  DeMarcus Ware is a flat-out beast and should give Webb, Carimi and the Bears offense all that they can handle.  In order to prevent another Primetime meltdown by Cutler, the Bears need to be aware of where Ware is (say that 5 times really fast) at all times.  They need to run some screens at him and roll Cutler away from him to keep his ferocious pass rush at bay.

 OK Corral

The Bears defensive line has exceeded expectations so far this season, helping the Bears to a league-leading 14 sacks.  Cowboys quarterabck Tony Romo is elusive and can extend plays by sliding around in the pocket.  The Bears need to corral that Cowpoke and keep him uncomfortably in the pocket.

Play it Close to the Vest

This game is going to be about defenses.  The Cowboys’ defense enters Week 4 ranked #1 overall while the Bears are #6.  It’s up to the Bears to play this one close to the vest.  Do the little things – limit penalties, secure the ball, avoid mental errors – and they could hang around in a close defensively oriented game to come out of Big D with a W.

Stampede

There’s no better way to slow down a pass rush than by running the ball.   It’s still unclear which Bears running back(s) will be healthy enough to go against the Cowboys.  Matt Forte seems like he’s ready to go after missing a week with a bum ankle while reports indicate Michael Bush is going to try to give it a go with a bum shoulder.  Who knows, it could end up being Kahlil Bell getting some carries.  Regardless of who’s in, the Bears running backs need to get it going to take some heat off Jay Cutler and the passing game.

What do you think?  What do the Bears need to do to come out of Dallas with a win?  Share your thought in the Comments.

BEAR DOWN!!!

Sep 13, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) carries the football during the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Matt Forte returned to practice for the Chicago Bears on Wednesday, a much needed boost for the battered Bears backfield.

“I just did individual [drills]” Forte said. “It wasn’t a very long practice, so I just wanted to see how I felt today. I went through all the routes and everything. I can sprint, so I think I’ll be good to go.”

Forte injured his ankle back on September 13th on Thursday night football vs the Packers and then Bush missed most of the fourth quarter vs the Rams but the injury was not very clear.

Lovie Smith did his best to try to deflect questions about Forte’s return:

“My glass is always half full,” Smith. “We’ve said he’s making progress, which he is, no more than that. I would hold off on … he has a long ways to go still, but he is making progress and hopefully we can get him out there.”

With Michael Bush allegedly limited with a bum shoulder and Evan Rodriguez nursing a knee injury the Bears could use all the help they could get in the backfield with a tough road date in Dallas vs the Cowboys.

Fantasy Impact

If you’ve got Matt Forte on your fantasy team, you might be itching to get him back into your lineup.  Not so fast.  The Cowboys are an enticing option, with their defense allowing 113 yards per game and an average of 4 yards per carry.  With a fierce pass rush and an overmatched J’Marcus Webb, the Bears should expect to try to run the ball.

With the Bears and Cowboys playing on Monday night, your options could be limited if there are any last minute changes to Forte’s status.  Maybe you thought you were being smart and handcuffed Forte with Michael Bush.  First off, congrats for picking him up, he’s paid early dividends.  Second, while he’s injured, you could really get stuck if Bush and Forte both miss time.  If you’ve got an endless roster, you could go pick up Kahlil Bell, but chances are your roster would be locked except for players that haven’t played yet, limiting your maneuvering options.

It’s only Thursday, so stay tuned for more updates on Forte and Bush’s status but if you’re deciding between Forte and someone playing on Thursday night’s game between the Ravens and the Browns, you might be better off going with the sure thing.

The Bears have been all hush hush (shocking, I know) about the status of their running backs for next Monday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.  Matt Forte’s status is still up in the air and Michael Bush seems to be a little dinged up.  Fullback/H-back Evan Rodriguez is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks with a sprained MCL that he suffered vs the Rams.

Tuesday was an off day for the Bears players, but the front office was busy, bringing in running backs Ryan Grant and Jacob Hester a week after working out Steve Slaton and signing back Kahlil Bell.  Early reports indicate that Matt Forte will miss Week 4 vs Dallas and as I’ve said all along, it makes the most sense for him to sit through the Week 6 bye and be ready for the push in the second half of the season.

While I was at the game last Sunday, I noticed that Bush was conspicuously missing in the final 10 minutes of a tight ballgame while reputed fumbler Kahlil Bell was given the bulk of the work and thought that something must be wrong with Bush.  Here was head coach Lovie Smith’s assessment of Bush:

“We have a lot of guys that got a little banged up (Sunday) from the physical play of the game,” Smith said. “No, we were playing Kahlil Bell before that. Mike took some good shots. You know, he came out one play on a hard hit but it was that type of game.”

I looked back through the film and checked Bush’s last carry early in the 4th quarter and couldn’t see anything that would have caused him to leave the game.  There’s been some speculation that he could have suffered a mild concussion, but again, nothing is substantiated.  If Bush is indeed banged up and misses the Cowboys game and Forte also sits out while healing up his bum ankle, the Bears and the ground game could be in for a rough game against the Cowboys and puts that much more pressure on Jay Cutler and the passing game.  Just in time for DeMarcus Ware. Gulp.