Chicago Bears Review

In their first two preseason games this year, the Chicago Bears have not looked their best by a long stretch. There have been a few bright spots thus far such as the play of free agent signing Julius Peppers, rookie safety Major Wright, and wide out Devin Aromashodu. The main stories out of Bears camp, however, have been negative. From an injury scare with Brian Urlacher to offensive tackle Chris Williams’ nightmare game against Oakland last week, the Bears have not instilled confidence in their fan base so far in the preseason. The Bears will face the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday who also struggled in their last preseason game. Cards quarterback Matt Leinart will have a lot to prove after looking poor a week ago against Tennessee. On the offensive side of the ball the Bears faithful are hoping to see their offensive line protect Jay Cutler and consistently move the ball on the ground. Position battles at safety and defensive tackle will be fought Saturday on defense for the Bears. Kick off is at 8:30 PM.

There’ plenty to talk about this week as the Chicago Bears packed up their things in Bourbannais and set up camp at Halas Hall to prepare for the 2010-11 season. Tomorrow night the Bears will play their first preseason game at Solider Field against the Oakland Raiders. The coaching staff saw both good and bad in last weekend’s 25-10 loss to San Diego. Many fans and pundits alike are hoping to the see the first team offense on the field for more than six plays on Saturday. The offensive line looked less then convincing last weekend with the Bears only rushing for 48 yards. San Diego was also able notch six sacks against the Bears last weekend. Offensive line coach Mike Tice might have to be a miracle worker this season if the Bears want to move the ball on the ground. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears have liked what they’ve seen from second year defensive end Harry Mellon. After spending the entire 2009 season out hurt, Mellon has looked like the team’s best pass rusher besides Julius Peppers. Look for Mellon to shine on Saturday night against the Raiders.

Bears fans young and old have an opportunity to go see their hometown NFL team practice tonight at Soldier Field. Family Night kicks off at 4 PM from Soldier Field. There will be live music, free goodies, radio broadcasts, and a full Chicago Bears practice. This will be fans first chance to see players like Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor, Corey Wooten, Brandon Manumaleuna, and Major Right in Bears uniforms at Soldier Field. All the Bears stars will be on display like Jay Cutler, Devin Hester, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Johnny Knox. It will be great to see what new offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s offense looks like in person. The Bears will head back to Bourbonnais for practice on Monday to prepare for their first preseason game on August 14th.

We are only 7 days away from the opening of the Chicago Bears training camp in Bourbonnais, IL! Bears Nation is in full gear as we near the beginning of the 2010-11 journey. The world’s 13th most valuable sports franchise (listed just behind the Tampa Bay Bucs) are hoping their off season signing will solve the many problems the team had last season. Defensively, the Bears will need rookie Major Wright to step up in the secondary, Brian Urlacher to regain his form at linebacker, and Julius Peppers to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Chester Taylor will partner with Matt Forte in the backfield, but the third running back on the squad is still up the air. Garrett Wolfe will have to compete with Kahil Bell, and newly signed supplemental draft pick Harvey Unga. Position battles at running back, safety, offensive line, and defensive line should keep things interesting in Bourbonnais.

The biggest question he Chicago Bears need to answer heading into the 2010 season is can the offensive line protect Jay Cutler. The former All-Pro quarterback was harassed by opposing rushers throughout the 2009 season, preventing the Bears’ offense from ever really getting off the ground. The Bears have addressed other problems the past few years like the quarterback position (signing Jay Cutler) and the defensive line position (signing Julius Peppers), but the offensive line looks to be pretty similar to the one that struggled a year ago. Although, there may be one new name on the offensive line at the left guard position in 2010. In the off season OTA’s, 2009 practice squad linemen Johan Asiata has been getting the most repetitions at left guard. New offensive line coach Mike Tice is hoping to get more out of the likes of Chris Williams, Frank Omiyale, Roberto Garza, and team leader Olin Kreutz. If Asiata can step up to become a solid NFL guard then the Bears have a chance of putting their offensive line woes behind this season. If not, it could be another long season.

In his first year in the NFL, wide reciever Johnny Knox gave Chicago Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler a much-needed big-play option. The Abilene Christian product caught 45 balls with five touchdowns including six reception, 70 yard game in week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Knox finished behind Devin Hester, Earl Bennet, and Greg Olsen in recepetions at season’s end, but only Olsen had much touchdowns. The Bears also found a diamond in the rough with Devin Aromashodo breaking out of his shell in the second to last week of the season. Cutler will head into the pre-season feeling more positive about his recieving core than last year with Hester, Bennet, Aromashodo, and Knox all back with the Bears. Knox’s blazing speed could really help Chicago make up some ground on Minnesota and Green Bay this season.

When offensive coordinator Mike Martz was hired earlier this year many wondered if the veteran NFL coach would clash with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. As the Bears finished their OTAs this week Cutler surprised some by gushing about his new play caller. Cutler is a be fan of Martz’s pass-happy offense, telling the media that thus far in their spring workouts “The ball’s in the air”. Martz is known for his complex pass-specific offense and it will likely take a little bit of time for the team to get a handle of it. Reports have been positive about Cutler’s accuracy in the OTA’s. The Bears’ receiving core improved as the season went on with Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett, Devin Hester, and Devin Aromashodo all having solid years. Cutler and Martz will have a good opportunity to get off to a good start offensivly in week 1 against the Detroit Lions. The Lions’s defense ranked dead last in the NFL in 2009.

The Chicago Bears have long been associated with punishing defenders, but the past few seasons at Soldier Field have ugly on the defensive side of the ball. The 2009 defense finished the regular season ranked 21st overall-far from the 2006 season where the D ranked 3rd in the NFL. Things could be getting better though for Lovie Smith’s defense. The addition of Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, draft pick safety Major Wright, and former Bears’ safety Chris Harris could help the Bears’ D improve. A healthy Brian Urlacher should help after #54 missed the entire 2009 season with a broken wrist. Wright, a fomer Florida Gator, is a big-time hitting strong safety that could give the Bears’ secondary a much needed edge. Newly promoted defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will have to improve upon last year’s defense if the Bears want to make it the playoffs this year.  

Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, and Dan Hampton have all sided with Bears’ great Gale Sayers in his feud with linebacker Brian Urlacher. The back-and-forth between Urlacher and Sayers began after the Hall-of-Fame running back said that he didn’t think the Bears were going to be very good this year. When asked about Sayers’ statements, Urlacher attacked Sayers pointing out that the Bears never won any playoff games when he was with the team. That sparked a chorus of former Bears’ greats to chastise #54 for disrespecting Sayers, calling for Urlacher to have thicker skin. When told of Urlacher’s comments, Sayers responded saying that the linebacker was on the downside of his career. Urlacher, at age 33, is coming off a freak wrist injury that kept him out of the entire 2009 season. Halas Hall have been one of the most active front offices in the NFL, bringing in free agents like Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor. We shall see if Urlacher eats his words this season in Chicago.

Now that the Chicago Bears 2010 schedule has been released we can take a look at which games we should circle on our calendar.

1. Bears vs. Lions at Soldier Field,  September 12th

The Lions aren’t exactly the best team in the league, but the importance of getting off to a good start to the season cannot be underestimated. If the Bears are truly going to win the division this year they need to take care of teams like Lions. The last time the Bears opened at home was in 2004 and who did they lose to? The Detroit Lions.

2. Bears vs. Packers at Solider Field, September 27th

Fans will get to watch the Bears on national television in week 3 with the Packers coming into town for Monday Night Football. For those inside Soldier Field it will be nice to watch a Bears/Packers game when it’s not -10 below zero in January. Aaron Rodgers continues to put up good numbers for the Pack despite not making the playoffs, so the Bears better have their defensive backfield squared away for this one. Perhaps the Bears will use their first pick in the draft on a DB.

3. Bears vs Bills in Toronto, November 7th

The Bears will venture north to the The Great White North to take on the Buffalo Bills in Toronto at the Rogers Centre in week 8. It will be an opportunity to gain some exposure in our country’s northern neighbor. The Bills are becoming more and more popular in Toronto, so we can expect a NFL starved crowd in the Maple Leaf city.

4. Bears vs Vikings in Minnesota, December 20th

What’s a Christmas better present than getting to  watch the Bears play the Vikings on Monday Night Football? If a certain mister Farve decides to give it a go another year than you can up the stakes, not to mention the importance of the game if the Bears and Vikes are locked in a divisional race.

5. Bears vs Packers at Lambeau Field, January 2

We will begin 2011 with what promises to be a frigid game in Green Bay to close the season. If either team is already a lock for the playoffs they will have to decide whether they want to play their starters in the final game of the year before the postseason. Fans in both cities will be outraged if their team doesn’t do anything to win this game regardless of the consequences, so it could get interesting. I like the NFL making the last week of the year all divisional games. Fans aren’t filling stadiums to watch their team field their second team.