Whenever I get a little bit behind on posts, I try to sum up the news of the day on Bear Dawn.  Here we go:

Gabe Carimi is Betting Big on Himself

We’ve all been ragging on Carimi for staying away from Halas Hall but someone out there thinks he’s doing the right thing and betting big on himself.

“Now, where it gets a little sketchy, you can’t go back and be OK. You can’t go back and be good. You’ve got to go back and be damn good. That’s where the pressure falls back onto the player and, to be quite frank, that is where it belongs. Let these guys stand up and man up for themselves. These are their careers. If Gabe Carimi is going to be labeled as a bust, let this man do it on his own terms.”

Preach on!  If he’s going to be a bust, better he stay away from Halas Hall so as to not spread around whatever he’s got in case it’s contagious.

 Robbie Expects to Return as Good as Gould

Robbie Gould expects to be cleared to return by the Dallas surgeon who worked on his injured calf on Tuesday and the Bears to clear him by Wednesday so he can re-join his teammates in workouts by Thursday.

“I’ll be just as good. I have busted my butt to get healthy and I can’t wait to get out there and show everyone.”

Can’t wait to see Robbie back in action.

Draft Move

The NFL draft could be on the move in 2014. Thanks to a Rockettes show scheduled for Radio City Music Hall, the draft is getting pushed back, likely to May 15th on a 1-year trial basis.   No other changes are confirmed at this time, but there’s been some talk about moving free agency and the start of the league year up to the end of February and the scouting combine to mid-March.

And all the NFL bloggers out there let out a big cheer!

Bears Player Tweet of the Day

Yesterday’s tweet of the day, from Kyle Long:

It’s amazing what we are able to do thanks to technology

— Kyle Long (@Ky1eLong) May 21, 2013

So long…

Defensive tackle Andre Fluellen.  We hardly knew ye.

Hello…

Undrafted rookie cornerback Maurice Jones out of Temple.

And Finally…

If you’d like to help the folks in Oklahoma, donate to the Red Cross or other reputable charities, watch out for scams and for God’s sake, go hug your kids and loved ones.

Dec 2, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould (9) celebrates kicking a field goal to tie the game against the Seattle Seahawks at the end of regulation time at Soldier Field. The Seahawks beat the Bears 23-17 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

When word came out last week that the Bears signed tryout kicker Austin Signor to a three-year deal, I knew something was up.  Yesterday, word from ESPN Chicago that the Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould was still recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured calf tendon, an injury which he suffered during warmups of the December 9th game at Minnesota that cut short his season.  (more…)

Oct 28, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould (9) kicks a game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter to beat the Carolina Panthers 23-22 at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears signed kicker Austin Signor, who was at Halas Hall for the voluntary minicamp on a tryout basis, to a three year deal.  I understand signing a kicker to be a “camp leg” especially since Gould is still recovering from a calf injury that cut his 2012 season short, but signing Signor to a three year deal raises this Bears fans eyebrows a bit.  Why sign a three year deal?  What does this mean for Robbie Gould?  Let’s explore.

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Robbie Gould was injured before the game on Sunday warming up in Minneapolis, and the injury ended up putting him on  injury reserve and ending his season.  The Bears will miss the third most accurate kicker in NFL history for the rest of the 2012 campaign.

The Bears had try outs at Halas Hall and the winner was the 39 year old Olindo Mare.  Mare played most of his career with the Dolphins, but I remember him most missing kicks the last time the Bears played in Seattle in 09.

The automatic Gould will be missed, and every field goal attempt will make every Bears fan anxious the rest of the season on, if the past few weeks losing games and players wasn’t bad enough now one of the real strengths of the Bears on special teams will also be on the sidelines for the rest of the season.

How much will the loss of Gould hurt the Bears playoff chances if any?

Gould will be replaced on the roster by 39-year-old kicker Olindo Mare. According to the Chicago Tribune, Mare beat out Neil Rackers and Billy Cundiff for the job.

To make matters worse, the Bears also placed special team contributors Craig Steltz and Sherrick McManis on IR with chest and knee injuries, respectively. Steltz has also seen time at safety in the past few weeks due to minor injuries to starters Major Wright and Chris Conte.

Oh wait, there’s more. The team also waived former Pro Bowl center/guard Andre Gurode and signed wide receiver Joe Anderson from the practice squad.

The most important news of all, obviously, is Gould’s season-ending injury. Gould has been one of the most important players on the Bears’ roster and one of the most successful kickers in league history. Can the team really make the playoffs without him? Let’s hear your thoughts, Bears fans.

When I heard the Bears were bringing some kickers to try out at Halas Hall, I thought it was just for kicks (yuck yuck), but it turns out Robbie Gould’s strained left calf was a lot more serious than I thought.  The Bears sent Gould to Injured Reserve, ending his season and signed journeyman kicker Olindo Mare to replace him.  (more…)

The Chicago Bears (6-1) didn’t make it easy on the fans when they beat the Carolina Panthers (1-6) by a score of 23-22 on Sunday.  The game was ugly from the start.  Bears QB Jay Cutler was sacked on the first offensive play and ended the drive with an interception.  He couldn’t get anything going until the fourth quarter, but it was just enough to pull off the victory.

The Panthers and WR Steve Smith racked up over 400 yards of offensive but only found the end zone once, settling for five field goals.  The Bears defense scored, yet again, courtesy of a CB Tim Jennings pick-six late in the game.  There was even a Kellen Davis sighting in the end zone in the fourth quarter.  But it all came down to kicker Robbie Gould’s leg on a windy day on the lakefront.  He was as good as his name, stealing the victory from the Panthers.

It would be easy to give everyone failing grades, but playing a near perfect fourth quarter gives a little extra positive weight.  Let’s check out how everyone did.

Quarterback – C+
Through the first 43 minutes and 30 seconds of the game, Cutler looked miserable.  He was sacked six times, threw one interception, fumbled twice, had a QB rating of 17.7 and was even booed off the field.  Then, fan-friendly Jay took over.  He finished the game 14 of 16 for 141 yards and threw one touchdown pass.  It seems like drama just finds him no matter where he goes.  If anyone lives up to the old adage “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Cutler does.  His 132.0 QB rating in the fourth quarter leads the league.  No Tebowing needed.

Wide Receivers – C-
Some people might think that Brandon Marshall deserves a lot of the credit for the fourth quarter comeback, but all he really did was make sure to hold onto the ball.  The Panthers defense refused to change coverage, and the Bears took advantage.  Marshall’s nine catches for 98 yards were impressive, but he and Cutler need to find their chemistry earlier in games.

Earl Bennett had three nice catches late in the game, but it seemed like offensive coordinator Mike Tice was reluctant to give him opportunities.  According to ESPN’s Michael Wright, he was on the field for less than two-thirds of the offensive snaps (35 of 56).  Devin Hester, who played 44 snaps, had only one catch for five yards and dropped a ball that would have given the Bears a first down.  That drop may cost him some playing time moving forward.  Tice has been known to make adjustments when something isn’t working.

Running Backs – B+
Forte’s first four rushes went for a total of 44 yards.  Then Bush came in to start the second quarter.  I don’t see why you would go away from the hot hand.  Forte looked primed for another 200+ yard game. He finished the first half with eight rushes for 61 yards, but then only ran seven times for nine yards in the second half.  Bush finished the game with three rushes for five yards.  In a game this close, you would like to see more run plays called.  Forte and Bush can’t make plays if they don’t have the ball in their hands.

Tight Ends/Fullback – D
Matt Spaeth proved once again that he can’t catch the ball, but also missed a block that led to a sack on the first play of the game.  Kellen Davis caught a big touchdown pass late in the game (his only catch), but a guy of his size needs to get involved in the game early and often.  Rookie FB Evan Rodriguez was active again but did not see the field.  Hopefully he is fully healthy soon, so that Spaeth and Davis can stick to what they are best at…cheerleading from the sidelines.

Offensive Line – D+
They proved once again that their strength is run blocking.  Forte was on pace for a monster day, but the Panthers controlled the ball, and Cutler couldn’t hit the broad side of William “The Refridgerator” Perry.  Everyone on the line except Louis gave up a sack, Roberto Garza had a false start, Chilo Rachal had a holding penalty, and Cutler had no pocket to even try to escape from.  The line did tighten up late in the game and allowed the Bears to come back and win.  That being said, they have yet to play solid for 60 consecutive minutes.  They play just well enough to win.

Defensive Line – B+
Someone always steps up and has a big game for this line.  Julius Peppers had two sacks and a forced fumble, while the rest of the line did a nice job putting pressure on Cam Newton.  Despite giving up 119 yards rushing, the Panthers only averaged 3.3 yards per carry.  The line didn’t allow a rushing touchdown for the sixth consecutive game.  Yes, Newton made it to the one yard line, but when his fumble was recovered in the end zone, it wasn’t officially a rushing score.  Nonetheless, the line has consistently been the strength of the defense.

Linebackers – B
We are starting to see a pattern in what the Bears linebackers are going to give us each week.  It’s not going to be pretty, but they are going to get the job done.  Lance Briggs had a ho-hum seven tackles and Brian Urlacher had the same to go along with a tackle for a loss and a pass deflection.  Even though the Panthers put up big yardage numbers (433 total yards), they were stopped short of the end zone often and had to settle for five field goals and three punts.

Secondary – B-
After Charles Tillman shut down Lions WR Calvin Johnson last week, the Panthers wanted no part of him for most of the day.  Instead, they chose to pick on Jennings and his matchup with Steve Smith.  Smith was targeted 16 times and caught seven passes for 118 yards and no touchdowns.  After the game, he had some overconfident words for Jennings, who had two interceptions and brought one back for a touchdown (when Smith fell down).  In my book, points are what matter.  Tim Jennings 6, Steve Smith 0.

Safeties Chris Conte and Major Wright didn’t have their best games (gave up the two longest passing plays of the season, 47 yards and 62 yards), but kept Newton from throwing a touchdown.  Wright also had a tackle for a loss and forced a fumble that, unfortunately, was recovered by the Panthers in the end zone.  Overall, an above average game against a rejuvenated Panthers offense.

Special Teams – C
The Panthers did everything they could to keep the ball as far away from Hester as humanly possible by squibbing every kickoff.  Hester did get two punt returns but only managed 11 total yards.  The fact that Hester was on the field for kickoffs gave the Bears an average starting position of the 32 yard line.  It’s too bad the offense couldn’t take advantage.

The Bears coverage team allowed zero return yards on three downed punts and four touchbacks on kickoffs.  The windy conditions played a factor in Robbie Gould missing his first field goal attempt.  I think he out-thought himself when compensating for the wind.  He redeemed himself by nailing a game-winning 41-yard field goal as time expired.  It was his 10^th game winner in the fourth quarter or overtime in his career.  He has only missed two field goals in a game once in his career.

Coaching – C-
Tice is still learning.  That’s the only explanation there is.  He went away from the run when it was working, and the plays he was calling weren’t being executed.  On ESPN’s “The Cutler Show”, Cutler said that he didn’t call many audible, so something about the play calling just wasn’t right.  The last drive of the game was pure genius though, calling the same play over and over to get into field goal position.  The Panthers didn’t adjust, so the Bears kept doing the same thing.  Obviously, Tice and Cutler remembered what Tim Tebow did to them last year.

Lovie Smith deserves credit too.  Another game without dumb challenges.  And whatever the score may be, he keeps this team motivated.  All that matters is how you finish the game and what the scoreboard says.

Overall – C-

Note:  I apologize for mentioning Tebow twice in this article (damn…three times).  I promise it will never happen again.

Lovie Smith and the Bears celebrate as Robbie Gould’s 41-yard field goal goes through the goal posts for a 23-22 victory over the Carolina Panthers. (Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune)

Talk about winning ugly.  As one of the 60,000+ faithful in attendance of Sunday’s 23-22 victory over the Panthers, I have to admit, it looked pretty bleak on a cold but sunny day.  I also have to say that it didn’t feel nearly as cold the second half of the fourth quarter as the Bears were mounting their comeback.

In case you missed it, I did my weekly Q&A with the Panthers site leading up to this game.  If you’re a frequent visitor to the site, you know I like block quoting myself, so here goes my prediction:

You didn’t ask, but I’ll give you a quick prediction. The Bears and Panthers play each other so often, it almost seems like they’re in the same division. There’s a lot of familiarity between the two teams, so there shouldn’t be a lot of surprises. The Panthers were shaken up with the firing of their GM, so the players will be playing with some added intensity. Besides that, the Bears are coming off a short week with an emotional win over the division rival Lions. The Bears could be set up for a letdown game, but they rally to keep rolling. Bears 23, Panthers 19

Not too shabby, eh?   (more…)