Chicago SportsZone

Bears-Lions Preview

2007-09-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

The inactives are in, and it doesn't look good. The entire opening day secondary will be out today, as SS Adam Archuleta and CBs Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher will all sit. LB Lance Briggs is also out. DT Tommie Harris is apparently active, but it's not known how much he will play, if any. The Bears get a break with Lions WR Calvin Johnson also being inactive, but the kids in the secondary (Kevin Payne, Corey Graham, Trumaine McBride) will definitely have their hands full today. Chicago's front seven must get consistent pressure on Lions QB Jon Kitna, or this could get ugly in a hurry. On offense, expect more even ball distribution from new starting QB Brian Griese. Rex Grossman had his radar locked onto Bernard Berrian, but now Muhsin Muhammad and TEs Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen should get more looks. Cedric Benson must come up big and hold on to the football, because the Bears have to control the clock and keep the high-flying Lions off the field. This is a virtual must-win game for the Bears, and I think they'll pull it off, but not by much.

Bears 27, Lions 24

Bears-Cowboys Preview

2007-09-23T18:23:00.000-05:00

In a game that may eventually decide home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, the Bears host the Cowboys tonight on Sunday Night Football. All the talk has been about the high-octane Cowboys offense and the Bears' inability to score, but the Bears thrive on being doubted, and I expect a strong showing from the home team tonight under the lights. The offense finally gets rookie TE Greg Olsen in the lineup, and his size and speed should help draw defensive attention away from Bernard Berrian. Also look for Devin Hester to finally get his first touches on offense. Cedric Benson doesn't have to be spectacular, but he has to move the chains. I think this could be the game that defines Rex Grossman's career, his career in Chicago anyway. If he plays well and leads the Bears to victory, he might finally be on the right track. If he struggles again and the Bears lose, I think a move to Brian Griese might only be a week or two away. With all of his weapons available and a Cowboys secondary that has given up more TD passes than all but two teams, there is no reason for him not to succeed tonight as long as the offensive line and backs can pick up blitzes against the Cowboys' 3-4 front. The media can't wait to put Tony Romo in the Hall of Fame (some already have), but he hasn't seen a defense like this yet. The linebackers have joined the sack party now, with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs each recording one last week against the Chiefs, and new defensive coordinator Bob Babich has this unit playing more aggressively than it ever has. Charles Tillman, a corner with above-average size, may be matched up one-on-one with Terrell Owens. The Bears also must keep an eye on TE Jason Witten, who is basically Romo's #2 target. People conveniently forget that Romo fumbled more times than Grossman did in fewer games last season, and if Romo starts running around too much, he may get hit and cough the ball up once or twice.

Bears 27, Cowboys 16

Bears-Chiefs Preview

2007-09-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

I saw a lot of overreacting after last week's loss to the Chargers. The biggest loss for the Bears wasn't the game itself, it was losing free safety Mike Brown for the season yet again, this time with a torn ACL. That defense just isn't the same without him, no matter how much Danieal Manning may have improved in the offseason. The defense really can't afford to lose any more of its star players. Rex Grossman was expected to struggle last week, and he wound up with a so-so game. The notion that he wasn't capable of rallying the team to victory is ridiculous, because the Bears had only one offensive possession in the second half where they didn't turn the ball over (Grossman had nothing to do with any of those turnovers). Today, he is expected to light up the Chiefs like he lit up many opponents in the first half of last season. If he doesn't, the Bears might have a problem. Cedric Benson should be running harder than ever after Shaun Phillips' diss a few days ago. Look for him to do his best Larry Johnson impression. Speaking of LJ, the Bears must make sure to wrap up when tackling him. With Eddie Kennison out, Johnson and Tony Gonzalez are the two players that the Bears can't let beat them. I think that Grossman looks better today and hooks up with Bernard Berrian for a TD or two. Benson scores at least once too. And Damon Huard will run for his life.

Bears 27, Chiefs 6

Bears-Chargers Preview

2007-09-09T14:49:00.001-05:00

The big offensive key to this game will be protecting Rex Grossman. Most of the Chargers' defensive stars are in their front seven. Give Grossman time to look downfield, and he can hit Bernard Berrian deep and Desmond Clark over the middle. If Grossman sees Shawne Merriman and Co. in his face too many times, it could be a long day. I don't expect Cedric Benson to have a big day, but he has to get what he can against that tough Charger front and make sure he picks up blitzes. On defense, the key will be focusing on limiting LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates. Those are the two players on that offense that you can't let beat you. Make Philip Rivers, who also had a shaky finish to last season, beat you. Bring constant pressure on him and force him into quick decisions. I think the Bears' defense can hold the Chargers' offense down; it's a matter of whether the Bears can score enough on the Chargers. Not having rookie TE Greg Olsen will hurt, but I think the Bears can pull this out if they can win the turnover battle.

Bears 17, Chargers 16

2008 Season Preview

2007-09-09T14:18:00.000-05:00

Here we go, another new season. A season of the highest expectations for the Bears since, well, maybe 1986. Going into last season, some people thought the Bears might be able to go to the Super Bowl. This year, anything less than a return trip would be a big disappointment. The defense is there, and looks even better than last year's unit. The special teams lost good contributors like Todd Johnson and Cameron Worrell, but the main key players (Devin Hester, Robbie Gould, and Brad Maynard) are still there. Going into training camp, I said that this season hinged on one player: Cedric Benson. After Rex Grossman's occasional preseason misadventures, I'm more concerned about Grossman than I was a few weeks ago, but I still think he will show improvement. Even if Grossman regresses, Brian Griese is waiting in the wings. If Benson doesn't have a great year or gets injured again, the Bears would be in big trouble. Questions about Adrian Peterson's ability to carry a full load and rookie Garrett Wolfe's size make runningback the Bears' most vulnerable position. Media types around the country are looking for reasons why the Bears won't make it back to the Super Bowl, but if key players on both sides of the ball stay healthy and Grossman and Benson play to their capabilities, the Bears will be playing in Glendale, AZ on February 3rd, 2008.

Super Bowl XLI Preview: Bears vs. Colts

2007-02-04T16:53:00.000-06:00

Here we go, the last day of the season. Which Rex Grossman will show up? Is it Peyton Manning's time? If the Colts win this game, it would be because they played better for 60+ minutes, not because it's Manning's time or because the AFC is "superior". If the Bears win this game, it would be because they were able to dominate the line of scrimmage with their offensive and defensive lines. As usual, the "experts" are mostly against the Bears, and many fans want this to be Manning's coronation. After all the hype and the hoopla, we're down to one game, one dream. Without further ado, here is my in-depth preview of Super Bowl XLI:

Offense
Bears Gameplan
The single biggest factor in this game will be the Bears' running game. Can the Bears run the ball successfully against a much-improved Colts run defense? They'll have to if they want to have any chance of winning this game. The Bears will come out trying to pound the ball down the Colts' throats. We'll see Thomas Jones to start the game, but Cedric Benson, who usually comes in for the game's third series, may come in as early as the second series in an effort to start wearing down the Colts' defense. The Colts' run defense has obviously improved in the playoffs, allowing only 73 yards per game (as opposed to 173 per game during the regular season). Part of this is because of the return of free safety Bob Sanders, and part of it is simply better execution (tackling, positioning, etc.). However, this doesn't change the fact that their defensive line is undersized and can be overpowered like it was at times late in the regular season. Even if the Bears don't have success running early on, they must stick with it as long as they can. The Chiefs, Ravens, and Patriots all gave up on the run too early. Chiefs RBs only ran the ball 14 times, Ravens RBs only 19 times, and Pats RBs only 20 times. The target for the Bears should be at least 35 carries, preferably at least 40. Another reason to run the ball early and often is to try to wear down Colts DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis so they're not as effective in their pass rush. If/when the Colts sell out to stop the run by stacking the line and bringing Sanders as the eighth man in the box, it will be time for Rex Grossman to go to the air via play action and find Bernard Berrian deep. TE Desmond Clark has done a stellar job blocking during the postseason, but he'll likely have to become more of a pass-catching presence for Grossman to be successful. As I've said all season, this offense is at its best when Grossman is finding Clark over the middle and down the seam. There should be opportunities down the seam against the Colts' Cover-2 scheme. WR Muhsin Muhammad, one of the few Bears who have Super Bowl experience, also needs to become more of a factor in the passing game. Moose has just four catches in the Bears' two playoff games. As crazy as it sounds, I think the Bears should not limit Grossman in terms of playcalling. When Rex is repeatedly told to not make mistakes and just manage the game, he tries to be too cautious and doesn't make his throws accurately, often underthrowing or overthrowing his receivers. That's partially why he was only 3-12 in the first half against the Saints. When he has full confidence, he bounces around and zips the ball where it needs to go without hesitation. He also checks down to his RB and FB when there's nothing downfield. That's the Rex you saw in the first half of the season, and that's the Rex that would give the Bears a good chance to win this game.

Watch out for...
The Bears to try double moves off common routes, like the slant and go or out and up. Don't be surprised to see Devin Hester in some kind of trick play on offense, like a reverse. WR Rashied Davis has made clutch catches all season, and WR Mark Bradley (who missed the NFC Championship Game with a sprained ankle) has the best run-after-catch skills of any Bears WR. One or both of them could make a game-changing play. Their offensive line must come up big. The Bears could try to go after rookie safety Antoine Bethea and gimpy CB Nick Harper.

Colts Gameplan
The Colts will also likely try to establish the run with Joseph Addai early. If they have success, it would open up play action for Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark, and that would not be good for the Bears. If Addai does not have success early, the Colts would likely turn to Dominic Rhodes, who is more of a power back. One constant about the Colts' offense over the past several years is the stretch play, a play where Peyton Manning makes a long handoff to the RB while the entire offensive line slants in one direction. I don't think this play will be as effective against the Bears, whose linebackers like Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs can run sideline-to-sideline with the best of them. If the Colts are to have success running the ball against the Bears, I think they will have to run right at Urlacher to minimize his speed and force him to take on a blocker head-on. In the passing game, Manning will do what he always does: bring his team to the line quickly, make his pre-snap reads, change the play/protection (by yelling and making a series of funny hand/arm/leg movements) depending on what he sees, and then finally snap the ball. If Harrison is double-covered, he will gladly throw to Wayne or Clark. If no one is double-covered, he'll just throw it to the WR he thinks is open. Much has been made of Harrison's lack of success in his postseason career, but Manning will not force the ball to him just to make him happy. The Colts may use Wayne in the slot to try to create a mismatch. Clark has more speed and athletic ability than most TEs, and he could be a factor down the seam.

Watch out for...
The Colts' no-huddle offense. If the Bears' defense can't make plays to get off the field, it could wilt in the Miami heat in the second half. Also look for Manning to try to attack the Bears' safeties, particularly rookie Danieal Manning.

Edge
The Colts have the better QB. The RBs are about even. The offensive lines are about even. The Colts have the better receivers. The edge goes to the Colts here.

Defense
Bears Gameplan
The first thing the Bears must do to stop the Colts is stop their running game, particularly with their front seven. If the Colts are able to run on the Bears, that would open up play action for them, and the Colts' offense is at its deadliest when Manning is hitting Harrison, Wayne, and Clark downfield for big gains. The next thing the Bears must do is get pressure on Manning with their front four. Defensive ends Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown must not only continue their improved play in the playoffs, they must take it up a notch. If they can't, and they are forced to blitz, that would increase the likelihood of Manning finding someone for a big gain. Penetration, especially up the middle from Tank Johnson and Ian Scott, will be important in disrupting both the running game and Manning. The third thing the Bears must do on defense is stay disciplined. Manning will do his best to confuse the Bears with all of his various gestures. If the Bears start to panic and get out of their gaps/zones, that would leave some area(s) of the field open, and Manning would find those areas. The Bears must be careful to stay home and not get caught out of position, or it could be a long day for them. Another key will be trying to confuse Manning. You're not going to consistently confuse him, but all it takes is one bad read, and he might throw one to you. He's thrown six picks this postseason. Show zone, play man. Show man, play zone. Show blitz, back out. The Bears should also try their best to be physical with the Colts' WRs. The Bears, known as a Cover-2 defense, have played almost 50% man-to-man coverage in the past few games. Letting Harrison, Wayne, and Clark have a free release off the line would be asking for trouble. Getting at least a piece of them at the line could throw off the timing of some of their routes and give the Bears' pass rush the extra second or two it needs to get to Manning. Finally, perhaps the most important key of all: takeaways. Make sure to wrap up when tackling, but try to rip that ball out whenever possible. This defense found another level against the Saints. They'll have to find an even higher one today.

Watch out for...
Bears rookie DE Mark Anderson, who had 12 sacks in the regular season and had a big sack that forced a Drew Brees fumble in the NFC Championship Game. Anderson has the speed to get around any left tackle, though he may be slowed down a bit if the field is wet. Also watch for CB Ricky Manning Jr. to show man coverage, then switch to zone and jump routes. This is how he got some of his interceptions during the season. It has been proven that, if you can limit Manning's possessions, he sometimes gets impatient and makes mistakes.

Colts Gameplan
The Colts' first priority on defense should be trying to stop the Bears' running game. If they can't stop the Bears from running, this game could get ugly pretty quickly. When the Saints had success against the Bears' running game in the third quarter of the NFC Championship Game, most of it was due to penetration. Inside penetration will also be the key for the Colts to disrupt the Bears' running game. Without it, there's a good chance that the Bears' veteran offensive line will be able to overpower the Colts' undersized defensive line. The Colts' main priority on defense will likely be putting pressure on Grossman. Everyone knows how fast Dwight Freeney is. Robert Mathis is fast too. Bears LT John Tait and RT Fred Miller will have their hands full with those two speed rushers. The Bears may have to leave a TE or a back in to help them out.

Watch out for...
The effects of a grass, and possibly wet field on the Colts' defensive ends. Freeney and Mathis, including the playoffs, have combined for only 5.5 sacks on grass this season, as opposed to 13 on artificial turf. The Colts will also likely try defensive line stunts and twists to try to get penetration. Also watch for Bob Sanders to possibly be deployed as a blitzer. He is like a little heat-seeking missile, though his aggressiveness could help or hurt him.

Edge
The defensive lines are comparable. The Bears have the better LBs, including two of the best in the league in Urlacher and Briggs. The Bears are a little better and have more quality depth at CB. The Colts, with Sanders, have the edge at safety, but the Bears have the edge overall.

Special Teams
Bears
The Bears have the top special teams unit in the NFL. Their kickoff and punt coverage teams, led by special teams aces Brendon Ayanbadejo and Adrian Peterson, have done a very good job all year (though they had the occasional problem with returns along the sideline). Punter Brad Maynard has done a solid job as usual, especially in the playoffs, including the key punt that set up the Bears' safety on Drew Brees against the Saints. Kicker Robbie Gould has been exceptional this season, becoming the most accurate kicker in Bears history and earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. And what else can you say about rookie return man Devin Hester, who had six return TDs in the regular season. If Hester can break a big play, especially for a TD, it would greatly increase the Bears' chances of winning. Even if the Colts kick away from him, they would still be giving away field position by squib kicking on kickoffs or punting the ball short and out of bounds.

Colts
The Colts' kickoff and punt coverage teams ranked near the bottom of the league in the regular season, and the Patriots' Ellis Hobbs had a lot of success returning kickoffs against them in the AFC Championship Game. I'm sure that this has been a point of emphasis for them the past two weeks, but I doubt that they can fix all of their coverage problems in two weeks. Punter Hunter Smith was tied for last in the NFL in net punting average in the regular season (34.5 yards) and was third to last in number of punts downed inside the 20 (14). Kicker Adam Vinatieri is simply the best clutch kicker in NFL history, not much else needs to be said about him. A lot of attention has been paid to Hester, with good reason, but Colts return man Terrence Wilkins is no slouch. He averaged 24.5 yards per kickoff return and 9.2 per punt return (with one TD) in the regular season.

Edge
Gould is no slouch, but Vinatieri is the best. The Bears have much better coverage units, the better punter, and the slightly better return man, so they get the edge here, but it's closer than some think.

Coaching
Bears
Coach Lovie Smith and his staff have done a tremendous job all season. Smith will still make the occasional curious decision, but most of the time, he makes the right one. He stayed the course with Grossman, and his team is now in the Super Bowl. He has also been a master motivator who almost always has his team ready to play. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner sometimes gets a little too repetitive with his playcalling, but has otherwise done a good job of balancing the pass with the run. Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera has shown a willingness to adapt the team's defensive scheme to different opponents (something he didn't do against Carolina in last year's playoffs), and that has definitely helped the Bears' defense adapt to the losses of DT Tommie Harris and SS Mike Brown. Special teams coach Dave Toub leads the league's top-ranked special teams unit.

Colts
Coach Tony Dungy and his staff have also done a great job this season. Dungy and Smith have shown that you don't have to scream and yell to be a great coach. Many coaches would've been out of it mentally if they were down 21-6 to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, but he told his players to hang in there, and they obviously responded with one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history. Offensive coordinator Tom Moore has been working with Manning for years and knows him inside out. Defensive coordinator Ron Meeks has done a great job of getting the Colts to buckle down on run defense in the postseason.

Edge
The two head coaches in this game are the epitome of class. Dungy and his staff have more experience, but Smith and his staff have led the Bears to a quick rise to the top of the NFC. I'll call it even here.

Intangibles
Bears
Will the contract status of Lovie Smith and Ron Rivera affect this game? I don't think so, that's for the media to blow up. How is Rex Grossman's mindset right now? I think he has a chip on his shoulder the size of the state of Florida. How do the Bears feel about being the underdog? They love it, and Smith has played that card very well in the playoffs. Rain may help the Bears' running game.

Colts
Can Peyton win the big one? I don't know, tune in tonight to find out. What is his mindset right now? It should be fine, unless he's thinking about the recently released video of his much-publicized tango. Rain may affect the Colts' ability to run precise routes.

Edge
Both teams feel like it's their time. Even.

Prediction
The Bears will come out and have moderate success running the ball, and Grossman will make at least a couple of throws to move the Bears into scoring range. They'll jump out to an early lead, and the Colts will struggle a little to move the ball in the first quarter. The Bears will run the ball increasingly better and add on to their lead, but the Colts' offense will start to move in the second quarter. At halftime, the Bears will be leading, but not by much, about 17-10. In the third quarter, a big defensive takeaway and a big special teams play from Devin Hester will help the Bears start to pull away. With the Bears running well and Grossman throwing well, Manning's possessions will be limited, and he will make a mistake or two. The fourth quarter will feature more running by the Bears and a big play from Grossman. Manning and Co. will mount a late comeback, but it will come up just short. Grossman will throw for 220 yards and 2 TDs (one to Clark, one to Berrian), and Jones and Benson will each run for one and combine for at least 140 yards rushing. The Bears' defense will get at least two takeaways. The Bears have been underestimated for much of the season, but they have found ways to win. Never underestimate the heart of a champion. Bears 34, Colts 23. MVP: Rex Grossman

Inside the Super Bowl

2007-02-03T22:56:00.000-06:00

Three issues have been heavily discussed since Conference Championship weekend: 1) the Bears being disrespected, 2) the Bears being the underdog, and 3) Rex. These three issues actually tie into one another, but we'll take them one at a time here:

What is disrespect?
After the Bears beat the Cinderella Saints 39-14 in the NFC Championship Game, many Bears players like Adewale Ogunleye said that their team had been disrespected because most of the "experts" felt that the Saints would win (and many had predicted a blowout). Some people in the media, angry at being proven wrong, lashed back at the Bears, saying that they've been given due respect all season. This is simply not the case. The fact is, the national media does not like to give the Bears credit, and even when they do, they do it grudgingly and briefly.

I heard on one radio station that the Bears were expected by most people to win their division and get to this point. That's only half-true. The Bears were indeed favored by most to win the NFC North, but a number of people also picked the Vikings. A couple even picked the Packers. On the ESPN preseason predictions page, of all the "experts" at ESPN, not one had the Bears even getting to the NFC Championship Game, let alone the Super Bowl. Not one. All everyone could talk about was Carolina, a team I thought was overrated from the start. Not to toot my own horn, but I was one of the very few people who labeled this team a Super Bowl contender before the season started, as you can see here: http://www.profantasysports.com/easycite/ros.php?PID=3464&cid=7. What was so hard for other people to see was just common sense to me. If an 11-5 team with an improved defense and vastly improved special teams could get better QB play than Kyle Orton had provided the year before, it could go a long way.

When Rex Grossman and the Bears hit a rough patch in the middle of the season, all the national media wanted to do was dismiss the Bears and find the team that would replace them as a contender. The Giants, the Cowboys, the Eagles, you name it. Despite the fact that the Bears kept winning, people kept looking for excuses for why the Bears were winning. The easy schedule. The terrible division. The terrible conference. No one gave the Bears credit for just winning, even as contenders like the Colts lost to teams like the Titans and Texans. But the biggest signs of disrespect came before the NFC Championship Game. The "experts" fell so much in love with the Saints' high-octane offense that they forgot that you win with three phases, not just one. The Bears clearly had the better defense and special teams, along with home field advantage and a higher scoring average than the Saints in the regular season, yet most of the "experts" predicted a Saints win by double digits. The ultimate sign of disrespect came when ESPN's Sean Salisbury said during SportsCenter that he thought the Saints were the better football team. I laughed out loud at that. He ate his crow after the game, as did Gene Wojciehowski, who called the Bears "soft" during his postseason anti-Bears vendetta. As evidenced by the Bears winning the "Just Shut Up" poll on "Mike and Mike in the Morning", there was a lot of crow left on the table. The truth hurts, I guess.

The mistake that the "experts" make is that they only go on what they've seen lately (and often concentrate only on the negative), without considering the entire body of work and intangibles. Everyone knows that the Bears' defense isn't the same without Mike Brown and Tommie Harris, but people who really know this team also knew that the defense was better than it had played late in the season when many of those games did not matter and some players were injured. There's also a matter of pride. As if they needed any extra motivation, the "expert" picks made a group of angry Bears angrier. After the painful loss to Carolina last year, the Bears had a feeling of unfinished business. They came to training camp with one main goal in mind: to win the Super Bowl. Now they're one game away.

Underdog or Not?
Ever since this column by the Chicago Tribune's John Mullin, some of the usual cynics have hopped on the bandwagon and said that the Bears' underdog mentality is baseless. However, with all due respect to Moon, his column simply misses the point. When Lovie and his players talk about being the underdog, he doesn't mean whether they're technically favored in individual games. It's true that the Bears have been technically favored (based on the line) in almost every game this season. But as they often say, perception is reality, and the national media's perception of this team ever since the Miami loss was that it wasn't a Super Bowl contender. Some other NFC team(s) would rise up and take the Bears' place. This was also the perception amongst many in the local media. The Bears couldn't keep winning, could they? Even when they did, they often got only a passing mention. Cowboys this, Giants that, Saints this, Eagles that, and oh, by the way, the Bears won. Case in point: the day after the Bears shocked the world by winning the NFC Championship Game, it was Bill Parcells this, Peyton Manning that, Tom Brady this, and oh, by the way, the Bears won. Going into that game against the Saints, the Bears might've been 2 1/2 point favorites, but did it really feel like that to anyone? The great majority of the "experts" picked the Saints to blow away the Bears. Fan sentiment around the country was also on the side of Cinderella. It was like no one outside of Chicago picked or wanted the Bears to win. Now, the Bears are the underdogs in Vegas, few experts are picking them, and fan sentiment is on the side of Peyton Manning. There's no disputing that.

Lay off Rex
The criticism of Rex Grossman has gone past ridiculous and become a farce. The Mariottis of the world will tell you that it's fair and well-deserved, but if you're not biased against Rex and/or this team, it's easy to see that Rex does not deserve this. Bashing Rex has become the fashionable thing to do, and the media has just piled on to the point where some media types have become confrontational with him. It's like they expect him to say that he's terrible, and they get some kind of joy out of it.

Obviously, Rex has had his ups and downs this season. He is capable of being really good (seven games with a passer rating over 100, tied with Peyton Manning) or really bad (five games with a rating under 40). Most Bears fans can tell you that. The thing is, some of the media types here in Chicago and many of them around the country think that Bears fans don't know this. They think that Bears fans are dummies. They keep saying that they're just telling the truth, debunking myths, etc., but they're not telling us anything that we don't already know. We know that Rex is not going to be confused with Manning or Tom Brady anytime soon. We know that Good Rex or Bad Rex could show up on any given day. We already know these things, so we really don't need to hear them again, it got really old a long time ago. When Rex called some people (not all, just some) in the media "ignorant" late in the week, he probably shouldn't have used that word, but he was right. Oftentimes, people outside of Chicago (and some in Chicago) don't really know about the inner workings of the Bears' offense, and they just go off the fans' reaction or pile on just for kicks.

NFC Championship Game Preview

2007-01-20T18:39:00.000-06:00

Here's my in-depth look at Sunday's NFC Championship Game between the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints:

From what the national "experts" have been saying, you would think that the Saints' offense will be lining up with no defense on the field. Contrary to popular opinion, there will also be 11 guys lining up across from them in navy blue jerseys, and some of them are pretty good. What everyone (including the "experts") seems to be forgetting is that you win football games with three phases, not just one. Somewhere along the way, the Saints offense has become almost mythical to many people, like they're the '99 Rams or something. But you win with offense, defense, and special teams. For all the talk about the "best offense in NFL history" (the Saints) and the inconsistent, terrible Bears offense, the Bears scored more points per game than the Saints did in the regular season. Shocked? The Saints offense is "#1" because they had more yards per game than any other offense, but the Bears scored 26.7 points per game this year, and the Saints had 25.8 per game. Not a huge difference, but clearly indicative that the Bears should at least be able to stay close on offense. I'll take points over yards any day. It'll be Cinderella against the Big Bad Bears, here we go:

Offense
Bears Gameplan
The Bears will likely try to establish the run with Thomas Jones and start Rex Grossman off with easy short-to-intermediate throws to get him into a rhythm. Because the Saints' defensive ends will be trying to get upfield quickly to get after Grossman, the Bears may try to run right at them and throw screen passes to keep them off balance. It will be important for Grossman to find TE Desmond Clark, who he found only once in the divisional playoff win over Seattle. As I've repeatedly said this season, this offense is at its best when Grossman throws to Clark, especially in the red zone. If Grossman starts well, then offensive coordinator Ron Turner will likely have him test the Saints' cornerbacks deep via play action, particularly #2 CB Fred Thomas. The Saints like to play press man-to-man coverage on the outside. Some "experts" have said that this will mean disaster for Grossman, but has anyone thought that maybe, just maybe, the reason why the Saints allowed the second-most TD passes of any team during the regular season (26) is because they play man coverage with an average secondary? If the Bears have the lead late, they will likely pound away with a heavy dose of Cedric Benson.

Key Matchups
Bears WR Bernard Berrian vs. Saints CB Fred Thomas: Thomas got burned on a long TD pass to Donte Stallworth against the Eagles last week and is susceptible to double moves like the stop and go that Stallworth put on him. The Bears will likely try to match Berrian on Thomas and toast him at least a couple of times. With his speed, Berrian shouldn't even need a double move to run by Thomas.

Bears LT John Tait vs. Saints RE Will Smith: Tait has had some trouble with speed rushers this season, and Smith fits that bill. Tait will need to play extremely well in protecting Grossman's blind side, especially considering Grossman's propensity to fumble the ball after getting hit.

Saints Gameplan
The Saints will also likely try to establish the run by pounding Deuce McAllister into the middle of the Bears' defensive line, which struggled at times last week against Shaun Alexander. One thing the Saints are likely to try is to spread the Bears' defense out with a three-WR, one-back set, then pound McAllister against the Bears' nickel package. The Seahawks had a lot of success doing that last week. Drew Brees will try to execute short precision passes, especially to his favorite target, rookie Marques Colston. If the Saints have success with the running game, that might open up deep play action shots to speedster Devery Henderson. WR Joe Horn will not play, so Terrance Copper will serve as the third WR. The Saints will also try to line Reggie Bush up all over the field and look for mismatches. Bush may not be able to cut quite as well on grass, but he would still be faster than most players on that surface. If the Saints get a lead, expect to see a lot of McAllister.

Key Matchups
Saints RB Reggie Bush vs. Bears LBs: It'll be interesting to see how the Bears plan to cover Bush. Brian Urlacher is one of the few LBs in the league who could give Bush a run for his money. Lance Briggs isn't quite as fast, and Bush on Hunter Hillenmeyer would not be a good matchup for the Bears. Another thing the Saints may do is put Bush and McAllister in the same backfield, then split Bush out as a WR. In this case, he might have to be covered by a DB. The Saints could also choose to run McAllister out of this formation. Bears defenders must not hesitate when attempting to tackle Bush, or they would likely get juked.

Saints WR Marques Colston vs. Bears CB Charles Tillman: The Bears usually play a "Tampa Two" (a variation of the Cover-2 scheme in which the MLB drops back into the deep middle), but when they faced the Giants earlier this season, they often put Tillman in man-to-man coverage with trash-talking WR Plaxico Burress. Burress was held to four catches for 48 yards. The Bears may try to do the same thing today against Colston, who has great size (6-4) and deceptive speed. Tillman is the Bears' biggest, most physical CB at 6-1, so he is best-suited to cover Colston. Tillman has always struggled with fast WRs, so the Saints may try to match up Henderson on him and take a deep shot.

The Edge
The RBs and WRs for these teams are fairly even, so the slight edge goes to the team that has the more consistent QB, which is the Saints.

Defense
Bears Gameplan
The Bears must focus on three main things: 1) stopping the run, especially up the middle, 2) getting pressure on Brees, and 3) forcing turnovers. Shaun Alexander repeatedly gashed the Bears' D-line up the middle last Sunday, and it would be a long day for them if they let McAllister do the same thing. Brees can pick a defense apart with a surgeon's precision if given time to throw, so DEs Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye, and Mark Anderson need to get to Brees early and often. Pressure up the middle from DTs Tank Johnson and Ian Scott would also greatly help, because Brees is even shorter than Grossman and could have trouble throwing over traffic if he has pressure in his face. After averaging around three takeaways per game in the first half of the season, the Bears' takeaway rate has dwindled to about one per game in the past several games. In what is likely to be a very close game, a takeaway (or better yet, a defensive TD) could turn the tide and be the difference in the game.

Saints Gameplan
The major part of the Saints' defensive gameplan will be getting pressure on Grossman in any way possible. Rushing with their front four, blitzing LBs, blitzing DBs, any possible way to rattle Rex. Grossman has shown that, if given time to throw, he can be very accurate and make good decisions. If the Saints can't get pressure on him, it could be a long day for them, especially with an average LB corps and secondary. They'll also try hard to get pressure up the middle to block Grossman's vision. The Saints' second defensive priority will be stopping Jones and Benson. DT Hollis Thomas, suspended for the final four games of the regular season for violating the NFL's drug policy, returned against the Eagles and helped the Saints' run defense. He can be very difficult to move, and the Bears will need to find a way to handle him if they want to have success running the ball.

The Edge
The defensive lines are comparable. With a much better LB corps (featuring two of the best LBs in the league) and a better, deeper secondary, the Bears have the clear edge here.

Special Teams
Bears
Devin Hester is the best return man in the league... when he catches the ball. He had more ball security issues against Seattle, and he simply cannot afford to have any more of them against New Orleans. Catch the ball, secure it, then run. You could make a strong case for kicker Robbie Gould being the MVP of this team, especially after his game-winning 49-yarder in overtime last week. Punter Brad Maynard is solid as usual, and had the additional honor of being voted "sexiest Bear" in a recent newspaper poll. No comment.

Saints
Kickoff returner Michael Lewis isn't as dynamic as he used to be, but the former beer man can still break a long return on occasion. Punt returner Bush is comparable to Hester in ability, but wasn't nearly as productive, with a 7.7 average and one TD (Hester had a 12.8 average and three TDs). Veteran kicker John Carney is up there in age but as accurate as ever, with only two misses in the regular season. His range isn't what it used to be, which is part of the reason why the team signed Billy Cundiff late in the season. Punter Steve Weatherford had a good rookie season, with a 43.8 average and 19 punts downed inside the 20.

The Edge
With the most dangerous return man in the game and a Pro Bowl kicker, the Bears have the edge here as well. Their kickoff coverage team needs to play better than it did against Seattle though.

Coaching
Bears
Bears coach Lovie Smith is in his third season, and the team has gotten better each year under his direction. He will make the occasional questionable decision or mistake (like the much-ballyhooed decison to call timeout with two seconds left in regulation against Seattle), but for the most part they don't hurt the team. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner's playcalling can get a little pass-happy and predictable at times (i.e. using routes like the quick slant repeatedly), but he has done a pretty good job this season. Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will have his hands full with the Saints' offense, but word is that he'll have some new pressure packages ready for this game. He'll also have to be willing to change his gameplan if necessary. His refusal to give special attention to Steve Smith and make adjustments during the game was a big reason why the Bears lost to the Panthers last season.

Saints
Saints coach Sean Payton has done a remarkable job of changing the losing culture in New Orleans. He has also been a master playcaller, leading the Saints to the #1 offense (in terms of yardage) in the NFL. Defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs has done a pretty good job of getting the most out of an average defense by bringing pressure.

The Edge
The Bears get the slight edge here because Lovie Smith and his staff have been in place for two years (Turner came on board in Smith's second season) and have more experience than Payton. The Bears have also been stellar in games decided by three points or less since Smith took over.

Intangibles
Bears
What kind of effect will the weather have? It'll be around 30 degrees with possible snow flurries at game time, which might give a slight edge to the Bears, who are more used to this weather. A huge weight was lifted off this team's shoulders after their win over Seattle, their first home playoff win in 16 years. How will the Bears react to their biggest game since 1989? And how will they perform after being viewed as the underdog by most of the "experts"? I think this team will play looser and has a good idea of what kind of intensity level they'll need to play at now.

Saints
This football team has lifted the spirits of a city still trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina. The Saints have never been to a Super Bowl. Some feel that this is a team of destiny. The majority of the country (outside of Illinois) will be rooting for them. Win or lose, they've been a great story. It'll be interesting to see how they handle the weather after practicing indoors all week.

The Edge
I'll call it even here. Each team has everything to play for.

Prediction
The Bears' defense, disrespected all week, comes out firing, and the Bears jump out to an early lead. The game will be fairly even after that, but the Bears will do a good job of holding the Saints to field goals, and either the Bears' defense or special teams (or both) will make a big play that directly leads to a score. Grossman will play well, and the Bears will run the ball well. Devin Hester and clutch WR Rashied Davis will also be key factors, but it will be the much-maligned defense that makes the biggest difference today. The Bears have felt a lack of respect all season, now is the time to show everyone how good they really are. Bears 27, Saints 20

NFC Divisional Playoffs: Bears-Seahawks Preview

2007-01-14T00:52:00.000-06:00

It's crunch time now. Here's my preview of Sunday afternoon's Divisional Playoff game between the Bears and Seahawks:

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
The Bears will likely start off establishing the run with Thomas Jones and limiting Rex Grossman to short and intermediate routes to the RBs and TE Desmond Clark. If Grossman has success, then the coaches may allow him to take some deep shots against the patchwork Seattle secondary. The game plan will also depend on the weather, which is expected to be a "wintry mix" of snow, sleet, etc. If Grossman throws one pick, he'll probably be given one last chance. One more pick, and it'll be time for the fans' savior, Brian Griese. Grossman just has to trust his reads, throw to the open man, and not forget about Clark. This offense is at its best when Clark is involved. Seattle will likely try to pound the ball with Shaun Alexander, who missed the Bears' 37-6 beating of the Seahawks in October. Alexander hasn't fully looked like himself (or at least the 2005 version, anyway) at any point this season, but he is still a dangerous RB. With WRs Darrell Jackson and D.J. Hackett being game-time decisions and not likely to play, Deion Branch and former Bear Bobby Engram should be Matt Hasselbeck's main targets. TE Jerramy Stevens had a big game against Dallas last week, but is inconsistent (and has a big mouth). If the Bears can fluster him early, they can greatly reduce his effectiveness. Edge: Bears

Defense
The Bears' defense is as healthy as it's been for a long time. Mike Brown and Tommie Harris are on IR, but virtually everyone else is mostly healthy now. CB Charles Tillman returns from a bad back and will help restore order in the secondary, allowing Ricky Manning Jr. to return to his nickel back position. Todd Johnson will likely see some time at strong safety, but it looks like Chris Harris will keep his starting job at the position for now. DTs Tank Johnson and Ian Scott must generate some pressure up the middle to help the defensive ends and reduce the Bears' need to blitz. Mark Anderson introduced himself to Walter Jones in the Bears' blowout win, it'll be interesting to see how Jones handles him this time around. Hitting Alexander before he can get a full head of steam will be very important, as will getting a consistent pass rush on Hasselbeck. Seattle's secondary is extremely banged up, with CBs Marcus Trufant, Kelly Herndon, and Jimmy Williams out. Safety-turned-cornerback Jordan Babineaux will likely be covering Muhsin Muhammad, and rookie Kelly Jennings will likely draw Bernard Berrian, with nickel back and former loan officer Pete Hunter drawing Rashied Davis/Mark Bradley. Davis or Bradley could come up with a big play here. The Seahawks will have to generate pressure on Grossman in any way they can, with or without blitzing, because he will pick them apart if he has time and space in the pocket. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
With Tillman back in the fold and Ricky Manning Jr. back in his nickel position, Devin Hester can now just focus on returns, so maybe that will get him out of his recent slump. He must make sure to secure the ball in what are likely to be adverse weather conditions. Robbie Gould needs to stay consistent, and we've seen the importance of getting the snap and the hold right. Nate Burleson has been pretty dangerous for the Seahawks as a return man, with one punt returned for a TD in the regular season and a 24.7 average on kickoff returns. Kicker Josh Brown is as clutch as they come, having already made a few game-winning field goals this season. Edge: Bears

Coaching
Mike Holmgren has had his share of success against the Bears (thanks mostly to Brett Favre), but whatever edge he has in experience over Lovie Smith may be offset by the lack of players he can put on the field on Sunday. Holmgren will have to do one hell of a coaching job to have his team in position to win. If Smith doesn't make any big mistakes, his team should come out on top. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner needs to watch his playcalling, which has become predictable and too pass-happy at times this season. Throw too many quick slants and skinny posts, and teams will start jumping those routes. Edge: Even

Intangibles
History and the weather look to be the biggest intangibles here. The Bears haven't won a home playoff game since 1991, and a playoff game anywhere since 1995. They have lost two home playoff games in a row after having first round byes. If they fall behind early, will the players think "here we go again"? Or will their bitter memories of last year's divisional playoff loss to the Panthers spur them on to victory? If the weather is very sloppy, it may limit the passing game for both teams and make turnovers more likely. After winning a game they probably should've lost, the Seahawks are playing with house money. Will they come out fired up and looking for revenge? Edge: Even

Prediction
With the weight of history and an entire city on their shoulders, the Bears finally rise to the occasion and win their first home playoff game in 16 years. The defense, now healthy as they'll get, steps up with its best effort since November. Grossman will play reasonably well, and Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson will help chew up the clock, especially if the field is sloppy. Bears 27, Seahawks 13

Bears-Packers Preview

2006-12-31T17:53:00.000-06:00

First off, Happy New Year to everyone! Now, here's my preview of tonight's Bears-Packers regular season finale:

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
Expect the Bears starters to play into the third quarter and for Lovie Smith to try to get them out on a good note (i.e. after a scoring drive). The game plan again is simple: run the ball well, remember the intermediate routes to Clark and Muhammad, and take the occasional deep shot to Berrian, etc. with play action. The Packers will likely try to establish Ahman Green, but you can also expect a good amount of throwing from Brett Favre. You'd have a hard time finding someone who thinks that this will be Favre's last game, most people (including yours truly) think he will come back. Edge: Bears

Defense
Again, expect Bears starters to play into the third quarter and for Smith to try to get them out on a high note. The Bears need to work on their pass defense after getting gashed through the air the past few weeks. Tank Johnson will make his return to the lineup, but is not guaranteed to start. Also look for Todd Johnson to be worked into the rotation some more at safety. The Packers will try to slow the Bears running game and get pressure on Grossman. DE Aaron Kampman is a Pro Bowler with 15.5 sacks this season. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
For the Bears, Robbie Gould needs to continue to solidify his kicking stroke, and Devin Hester needs to get his groove back on returns after a shaky outing against Detroit last week. Packers kicker Dave Rayner has had an average year, going 24 for 32 on field goals. Vernand Morency and Charles Woodson have been average on kickoff and punt returns, with no TDs. Edge: Bears

Coaching
Bears coaches face the question of when to rest their starters, that is the main issue for them tonight. Packer coaches will just try to get their team to play hard and beat a division rival with the playoffs out of reach. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
There are a whole bunch of intangibles for this game. How long will the Bears' starters play? Will there be a higher premium placed on resting the starters or winning the game? Will the Bears play down to their competition again? How hard will the Packers play now that they've been eliminated from playoff contention? How will the full moon affect the game? Ok, forget the last one. I expect the Packers to come out with energy, whether they'll be able to sustain it is another question. Edge: Even

Prediction
Even though it's the hated Cheeseheads, it'll be hard for the Bears to get up for this one with home field advantage already wrapped up. A close, ugly victory... Bears 23, Packers 17

Bears-Lions Preview

2006-12-24T11:29:00.000-06:00

Here's my preview of today's Bears-Lions game:

Games like this where one team has already clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and the other has basically mailed it in for the season are somewhat hard to predict, but I'll give it a shot. I expect the main Bears starters to play until about halfway through the third quarter.

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
For the Bears, the game plan is simple: do what you've been doing the past two games. Run the ball well with Jones and Benson, and make sure to remember the intermediate routes to TE Clark and WR Muhammad. Once you've established the run, take a deep shot or two with play action. The plan may be altered slightly today though, with starters like Grossman, Jones, and Muhammad expected to sit out some or all of the second half. Expect to see a shot of Vitamin B3: Benson, Berrian, and Bradley. The Lions will probably do what they've been doing since star RB Kevin Jones got hurt: throw, throw, and throw some more (without much success). QB Jon Kitna hasn't thrown more than one TD pass in a game since Week 7. WR Roy Williams is the Lions' only legitimate offensive threat now. Edge: Bears

Defense
The banged-up Bears D gets CB Nathan Vasher and SS Todd Johnson back today, but CB Charles Tillman and his bad back are inactive. Ricky Manning Jr. will start for Tillman, with Devin Hester likely playing the nickel again. Embattled DT Tank Johnson has been suspended for this game, so Ian Scott and Alfonso Boone will start at DT again. Scott and Boone need to do a better job of generating some pressure up the middle so that the Bears don't have to blitz so much. Todd Johnson's return should help in coverage, where Chris Harris tends to get caught out of position at times. With the Lions' running game (Arlen Harris and Aveion Cason) not much of a threat, the Bears should concentrate on pressuring Kitna into turnovers. With star DT Shaun Rogers on IR, the Lions D does not present much of a challenge. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
After his fumbling problems resurfaced last week, Devin Hester must concentrate on securing the ball as he avoids defenders. Robbie Gould also must work out his problems after missing a potential game-winning FG in overtime against the Bucs. Eddie Drummond has been one of the best return men in the league for a few years now, though he doesn't have a TD this season. Jason Hanson has three misses from 50+ yards, but has been otherwise accurate. Edge: Even

Coaching
Lovie Smith and Co. have taken a beating from some fans and media for their handling of the Tank Johnson situation. There is no right or wrong, clear-cut answer, but they'll have to deal with the consequences. Rod Marinelli and Mike Martz might be a good combo in a couple years or so, but they just don't have the players right now, especially with Kevin Jones' career in question. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
With Tank Johnson having been punished, I think the players have moved past it for now. How much the Bears will play their starters is probably the biggest question for them. Some Lions fans are apparently planning another walkout during this game... Edge: Bears

Prediction
Should be a fairly uneventful game... just hope that nobody gets hurt. Bears 27, Lions 13

Bears-Bucs Preview

2006-12-17T11:42:00.000-06:00

Here's my preview of this afternoon's Bears-Bucs tilt:

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
After saving his job last week, Rex Grossman can relax just a little bit more today. It will still be important to follow the keys to last week's game plan: run the ball well with Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, and remember the intermediate routes to Muhsin Muhammad and TE Desmond Clark. Once the Bears establish the run, then hit the Bucs with play action. It's not so hard, it it? The Bucs will try to pound the Bears' depleted D-line with Cadillac Williams and the ageless Mike Alstott, then try to hit WR Joey Galloway deep. Even though Galloway is up there in age, he still has the elite speed that can easily toast Bears CBs Charles Tillman and Ricky Manning Jr. Edge: Bears

Defense
Thanks to the Tank Johnson fiasco, the Bears are now down to just three true defensive tackles: Ian Scott, Alfonso Boone, and Antonio Garay. Israel Idonije can play both tackle and end. With Nathan Vasher due to miss another game and Todd Johnson questionable, the secondary also remains depleted. The pass rush will take a hit, but the run defense may actually improve slightly because Scott and Boone are better run stuffers than pass rushers. The key for the Bear defense will be to stall the Cadillac and rattle Bruce Gradkowski/Tim Rattay/anyone else that Chucky decides to throw out there at QB. They'll also need to make sure that whoever happens to be covering Galloway has safety help, because Galloway can still burn anyone. The Bucs D has improved against the run in the past few games, but they still haven't done well against the pass. With Simeon Rice out for the season and players like Derrick Brooks up there in age, this unit just isn't quite what it used to be, but it can still be effective. The key for them will be to limit the Bears' running game and try to force Grossman into turnovers. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
There aren't enough superlatives to describe what Devin Hester has done this season, but Robbie Gould uncharacteristically missed both of his field goal attempts against the Rams last week, so he needs to rebound today. The Bucs have still never returned a kickoff for a TD in franchise history, while kicker Matt Bryant has four misses from 40+ yards but has that 62-yard game-winner to brag about. Edge: Bears

Coaching
Lovie Smith needs to keep his team together after the Tank Johnson fiasco, and did the right thing in deactivating Johnson for this game. Johnson likely has played his final snap as a Bear. He has had multiple chances already to stay out of trouble, but he just can't seem to do it. Jon Gruden's job may be in jeopardy in Tampa, where it has been almost all downhill since their Super Bowl win in the 2002 season. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
How will the Bears players react to the Tank Johnson situation? The bigger question might be how the defense will hold up with so many starters out. Edge: Even

Prediction
Even with all the turmoil surrounding the Bears right now... the Bucs just aren't very good. Bears 24, Bucs 3

Bears-Rams Preview

2006-12-11T18:20:00.000-06:00

Here's my preview of tonight's Bears-Rams Monday Night Football matchup:

For the record, I think that Rex Grossman should start tonight's game, but if he looks like he did last week against Minnesota, he should be pulled at halftime or possibly sooner. The hope is that Grossman can get out of his slump and play well for the rest of the season, but even I realize that at some point winning becomes more important than developing a young QB. However, if you're a Bears fan, you should be rooting for Grossman to succeed. After years and years of mediocre backup-type QBs, don't you want a franchise QB? There are a lot of knee-jerk fans in this city who want results now and don't want to look at the big picture. Between the fans and the media, it has become a witch-hunt of sorts to bench Grossman, who is getting the full Cade McNown treatment now after being treated like the best Bears QB since Sid Luckman early in the season. This is not helping him.

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
Tonight, the Bears need to do some of the things that they should've done last week, namely get the intermediate routes back in the offense. Get TE Desmond Clark off the side of the milk carton and throw to him. Do the same thing with Muhsin Muhammad. The Rams are also among the worst in the NFL against the run, so the Bears need to pound the ball with Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. They should combine for around 150 yards rushing tonight. Grossman needs to have better ball placement, better decision making, and better footwork, but above all else, he just needs to read and react and not think too much. Just do it. The Rams will likely try to pound the ball with RB Steven Jackson, especially with Bears star DT Tommie Harris out for this game and possibly the season. Jackson is also a very good pass catcher out of the backfield, with 72 catches going into tonight's game. If they have success running the ball, then they'll try to go deep via play action to Torry Holt. Holt on Charles Tillman is not a good matchup for Tillman, who lacks top-end speed. Another interesting matchup could come when the Bears go to their nickel package. Rookie Devin Hester could move to the #2 CB spot with Ricky Manning Jr. moving to his usual nickel CB position, putting Hester on wily veteran Issac Bruce. If Hester plays the nickel CB position, he'd be facing quick slot WR Kevin Curtis. The Rams may very well try to take advantage of these matchups. Edge: Even

Defense
The Bears defense continues to get more depleted by the week. Star DT Harris is out for the season with a severe hamstring injury, and CB Nathan Vasher and S Todd Johnson won't start tonight. Harris drew double-teams on a very high percentage of plays, so the other D-linemen will have to step up big-time. Ian Scott and Alfonso Boone will platoon at DT in Harris' place. The main goal will be to stop Steven Jackson and limit big plays in the passing game. The Rams defense will try to do the same thing every team tries to do against the Bears: send everything and the kitchen sink at Grossman and hope that he cracks. If their defense has success stopping the Bears' running game, it could be a long night for the road team. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
With Devin Hester, Robbie Gould, and Brad Maynard (along with special teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo and Co.), the Bears have the edge on just about every team in this category. The Rams' return game is average, and Jeff Wilkins is a solid veteran whose only trouble this season has been between 40-49 yards, where he has three misses this season. Edge: Bears

Coaching
Lovie Smith faces potentially the toughest choice of his Bears career tonight: whether or not to pull Grossman. The decision he makes could drastically alter the course of this season, a season expected to end in a Super Bowl run. Rams coach Scott Linehan needs to get his team going again, especially after QB Marc Bulger called out his teammates after last week's loss. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
Rex Grossman's season - and career - hang in the balance tonight. How he responds will likely determine whether the Bears will go to Miami in February for the Super Bowl. How will Bulger's comments affect the Rams? Will they come together or come apart at the seams? Edge: Even

Prediction
Grossman is efficient, if not great, and the Bears' defense steps up without three of their starters. Hester may even take an interception back for a TD. Bears 23, Rams 13

Inside the NFL

2006-12-11T17:57:00.000-06:00

Some NFL thoughts:

The way people on ESPN, etc. have been talking about Tony Romo, you might as well start preparing his Hall of Fame bust right now. The league will adjust to him once they get enough film on him, just like the league adjusted to Grossman. I think you saw a little bit of that last night. He is not Troy Aikman just yet. As you also saw last night, the Cowboys' D can be beat deep. Don't crown them as NFC champions just yet.

Jay Cutler isn't quite John Elway yet either, though people made it seem as though he was already Elway before he made his first start last week. He has a great arm, but expecting him to walk right into the league and lead the Broncos to the playoffs might have been asking for too much.

Nothing personal (ok, maybe it is a little personal after last year's playoffs), but I've felt since before the season started that Carolina was overrated. Their supposedly impenetrable defense has blown a lot of fourth quarter leads this year. On offense, there is little or no running game (because they insist on keeping DeShaun Foster as the starter), and it really just comes down to stopping Steve Smith. And yes, Smith can be stopped (remember what Seattle did to him in last year's NFC Championship Game). It amuses me how people like Sean Salisbury keep making excuses for the Panthers, I wonder what he'll say now after another loss.

If Indy doesn't do something about that run defense, wow. I watched that game yesterday and saw the Jaguars pile up an astounding 375 yards rushing. The Colts' defensive line is quick but undersized, and the defense is also missing defensive tackles Montae Reagor and Corey Simon, along with safeties Mike Doss and Bob Sanders. The tackling also was atrocious. I shudder at the thought of what LT would do to this Colts defense.

The Patriots... I'm not quite sure how to explain what happened to them Sunday. I know that the Dolphins have been playing pretty good defense lately, but wow. Not having Maroney hurt, and Ben Watson got hurt during the game, but from what I heard, Brady was taking a beating and they took him out to prevent him from getting knocked around even more.

I've been impressed by the Eagles the past two weeks. Like most people, I wrote them off once McNabb got hurt, but Jeff Garcia has shocked me with efficient performances (not even one interception since he took over), and he's even completing the occasional deep ball to Stallworth and Brown. The defense has to improve, though.

The Saints have obviously been very explosive, and they've done a pretty good job on defense the past three games, but I still have my doubts about their defense.

Bears-Vikings Preview

2006-12-03T12:02:00.000-06:00

Here's my preview of today's Bears-Vikes game at frosty Soldier Field in Chicago:

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
In a season of "biggest games", this will again be Rex Grossman's biggest game of the season as he tries to bounce back from another poor performance. Just as importantly, offensive coordinator Ron Turner must rein in and change up his playcalling. As everyone has duly noted, Grossman must make better decisions and throws, but Turner needs to temper his desire to go deep and focus more on the intermediate routes to Muhsin Muhammad and TE Desmond Clark that the team had success with early in the season. Turner also needs to change some of the routes that the receivers run. As evidenced by last week's game against the Patriots, opposing teams know that the quick slant and skinny post are coming now, to the point where cornerbacks like Asante Samuel are jumping those routes and getting interceptions. This offense was at its best earlier in the season when TE Clark was heavily involved. In the first seven games, Clark averaged almost four catches per game and was among the league leaders in receiving yards for tight ends. In the past four games, Clark has a total of seven catches and one TD. The Bears must also continue to run the ball effectively, even though it will be difficult to run on the NFL's #1 run defense. The Vikings will try to run, run, and run some more with Chester Taylor, especially with deep threat WR Troy Williamson inactive due to inconsistency. Runs and short passes will be the order of the day for them. Edge: Even

Defense
Another game, another injured strong safety for the Bears. Chris Harris will replace Todd Johnson (sprained ankle) today, and he will have to be solid in run support. With Marcus Robinson the only real deep threat active for Minnesota today, Harris shouldn't be tested in coverage too much, which is a good thing. Stopping Chester Taylor and getting an improved pass rush from the recently much-maligned defensive line will be the main goals for the Bears defense today. The Vikings, like every other Bears opponent, will try to get after Grossman every chance they get. Their #1 run defense will also try to stuff the Bears' running game, though DT Pat Williams (questionable) may be somewhat limited. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
The Bears' special teams unit will have to clean up their mistakes from last week's game against New England, the first game where the unit has had multiple notable breakdowns. Former Patriot Bethel Johnson has been average on kickoff returns, while Mewelde Moore has been better on punt returns, with a 71-yard TD return to his credit. Edge: Bears

Coaching
Either Turner needs to rein in his game plan, or Lovie Smith needs to do it for him. The Vikings were the first team to successfully rattle Grossman with pressure, now they'll have to do it again. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
It was an interesting week leading up to this game, with a little war of words between Vikes safety Darren Sharper and Grossman, as well as more controversy stirred up by Bears backup RB Cedric Benson. Sharper acted as though he'd never said a bad word in his life when he talked about what Grossman said to the Vikings after Grossman threw the game-winning TD pass in their meeting earlier this season. Meanwhile, Benson continues to try to create conflict when he should just shut his mouth and take advantage of the carries that he does get. The Bears' defensive line also took offense to newspaper articles that questioned their lack of a pass rush in the past few games, it'll be interesting to see how they respond in this game. Edge: Bears

Prediction
The Bears will win... ugly. Bears 20, Vikings 9

Bears-Pats Preview

2006-11-26T15:54:00.000-06:00

Here's my preview of today's big Bears-Pats spectacular:

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
This will be the biggest test yet for Rex Grossman and the Bears' offense. It will be hard to establish the run against the NFL's #2 rush defense. If given time, Grossman should be able to have success against a banged-up secondary. If he doesn't have time to throw, and the running game gets stifled, it could be a long day for the Bears. One of the most interesting factors in this game will be how the Pats try to attack the Bears' defense. The Bears have been vulverable to the run in recent weeks, so the Pats will likely try to pound their defense with Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney. On the other hand, with nickel CB Ricky Manning Jr. suspended for this game, the Pats may go 5-wide and try to attack the Bears through the air. It's still more likely that the Pats will mostly run though, because the Bears' pass defense is #1 in the NFL. Edge: Patriots

Defense
The loss of nickel back Ricky Manning Jr. will definitely hurt the Bears, who may be forced to shift Chris Harris to strong safety and move Todd Johnson to the nickel back position, a position that Johnson usually only plays in the "heavy" run defense package. The main job for this unit will be stopping Dillon and Maroney and getting pressure on Tom Brady. The Pats defense will try to stuff the run and blitz from every direction in an effort to rattle Grossman. The secondary is banged up and just not very good though, so if Grossman has time, he can have some success deep. Edge: Even

Special Teams
Robbie Gould can't do much better than he's been doing, and Devin Hester has been big-time at key moments for the Bears. Pats kicker Stephen Gostkowski has been average, hitting 10 of 14 field goals this season. Laurence Maroney is a dynamic kickoff returner, averaging 29.7 yards per return. Kevin Faulk has been pretty good on punt returns, averaging 11.4 yards per return. Edge: Bears

Coaching
How the Bears adjust to New England's blitz pressure and offensive attack plan will be among the biggest factors in this game. Lovie Smith and his staff have done a very good job for the Bears, but Bill Belichick has a bunch of rings to his credit. Edge: Patriots

Intangibles
The Pats had FieldTurf installed just in time for this game. How will a brand-new field affect each team? It may speed up both teams, it may help one team and not the other, it's hard to tell. It's still the Pats' stadium though. Edge: Patriots

Prediction
The Bears put up a good effort, but fall just a bit short. Patriots 16, Bears 9

Bears-Jets Preview

2006-11-19T10:49:00.000-06:00

Here's my preview of today's Bears-Jets game:

Who Has the Edge?
Offense
After a rough first half in which almost nothing went right until the 3rd and 22 draw play, the Bears' offense rebounded with a big second half, scoring three TDs en route to a 38-20 win over the G-Men. So much for being "Teddy Bears", which the New York Daily News foolishly accused the Bears of being before last week's game. However, a similar start against an upstart Jets team could mean big trouble. Against what will likely be a very aggressive Jets defense, the Bears should stay on the ground again and pound the league's fifth-worst run defense. Thomas Jones should carry the ball at least 20-25 times again and pass the century mark in yardage. Rex Grossman must be careful to avoid turnovers against a unit that beat up Tom Brady in a huge upset over the Patriots last week. The Jets will likely try to pound the ball with Leon Washington on early downs and Kevan Barlow in short yardage and goal line situations. Chad Pennington will likely throw the short passes that the Bears sometimes have trouble with. Edge: Bears

Defense
The Bears really do need to get better at defending the run. The rushing yardage stats from the past three weeks are a little skewed because of some long runs by Frank Gore, Ronnie Brown, and Tiki Barber, but you don't want to give up those long runs either. It was a little unsettling to hear star middle linebacker Brian Urlacher say earlier this week that it's ok to give up rushing yards as long as you win the game. It was almost like Grossman saying after the Arizona game that he now knew the Bears could still win despite six turnovers (of course, they couldn't do it against Miami). They also need to adjust quicker to short passes by bringing their cornerbacks up and using press coverage more often. The Jets knocked Tom Brady around last Sunday to the tune of four sacks and a 17-14 victory. With their run defense having issues, look for the Jets to blitz Grossman from all angles in their 3-4 scheme in an effort to force turnovers. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
The Bears' special teams have been nothing short of spectacular this season, with Devin Hester scoring his third return TD and Robbie Gould hitting a 49-yard field goal last Sunday night. The Jets have a dynamic kickoff return man of their own in Justin Miller, who has taken two kickoffs back for TDs this season. Tim Dwight has been average on punt returns. Kicker Mike Nugent is 8-11 on field goals this year, with two misses from 30-39 yards. Edge: Bears

Coaching
Lovie Smith and the Bears' coaching staff has done a very good job in most areas this year. Jets rookie coach Eric Mangini, a Bill Belichick disciple, has taken what was expected to be one of the worst teams in football to a 5-4 record. Edge: Even

Intangibles
The Bears will be playing in the same stadium they played in last week, which might give them a little bit of an advantage. Edge: Bears

Prediction
This will likely be a close game, but the Bears pull it out again. Bears 23, Jets 13

Bears-Giants Preview

2006-11-12T18:52:00.000-06:00

Here's my preview of tonight's huge Bears-Giants matchup:

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
The Bears simply must get back to the running game tonight. They have won their last 12 games in which Thomas Jones got 20 or more carries. They need to have game plans similar to last year's, but with a little more passing. As horrifying as last year's "run all the time" game plans may sound to Bears fans who have been spoiled by Rex Grossman's good games this year, they're a lot better than trying to be "The Greatest Show on Turf" and possibly giving the ball away 5 or 6 times. Grossman will be making his 16th NFL start tomorrow night. He isn't at the level yet where they can throw him out there and expect him to throw the ball around like a veteran, especially against tougher defenses. The Giants will be looking to do the same thing: establish the run with Tiki Barber. They will especially look to exploit the Bears with outside runs, which the Bears had a lot of trouble stopping last week against Ronnie Brown and the Dolphins. Chicago has been very effective against tight ends this year, but they'll have their toughest matchup yet against Jeremy Shockey. It will be critical to limit him. As for Plaxico Burress, I think the Bears have a little something special lying in wait for him. Edge: Giants

Defense
The Bears need to rebound on defense as well, keeping contain on outside runs and filling their gaps properly. This unit, especially the secondary, should come out pissed off and ready to pound the Giants. It'll be easier said than done though. If they can limit Barber, they should be able to force Eli Manning into a mistake or two. The Giants will come out looking for Rex Grossman's head, but that'll be a little harder to do without defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. The Giants' run defense isn't too bad either, ranked 8th in the NFL. If Grossman has time to throw though, New York could be in for a long night. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
For the Bears, Robbie Gould is still as solid as ever. Devin Hester must rebound from another critical mistake against the Dolphins, I think he will be a key figure in tonight's game. For the Giants, kicker Jay Feely has been accurate from in close, but is 2-4 from 40+ yards. Return man Chad Morton has been average on kickoffs and punts. Edge: Bears

Coaching
Bears coach Lovie Smith must get it into his players' heads that they just can't give the ball away. Offensive coordinator must stop his "Air Coryell" playcalling and run the ball more, even if it doesn't succeed early in the game. It will be interesting to see how Giants coach Tom Coughlin adjusts to all of his injuries on offense. The team is coming off a close game against Houston. Edge: Even

Intangibles
The Bears will come out either pissed off and ready to play or lacking some confidence after getting beaten up at home last week. How they respond will determine how this game, and the rest of the season, goes. The Giants and the New York media have been trash talking all week, and the Bears tend to play better when people doubt them. Edge: Bears

Prediction
The Bears will finally have a close game, and they'll come out and show the doubters that they're not overrated. Bears 20, Giants 13

Bears-Dolphins Preview

2006-11-05T10:59:00.000-06:00

Here's my preview of today's Bears-Dolphins tilt.

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
The Bears' offense got back on track last Sunday against the 49ers, racking up 41 points by halftime before cruising the rest of the way. RB Thomas Jones ran as well as he had all season, Muhsin Muhammad got back into the game plan with a TD, and TE Desmond Clark had a huge game with two TDs. The running game will likely be the key today, as the Dolphins bring the 5th-ranked defense in the NFL (and 4th-ranked pass defense). Establish the run with Jones and a sprinkle of Cedric Benson, and that may open the door for play action and a bomb to Bernard Berrian later. Meanwhile, Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey has not done a good job of calling plays to get the ball in the hands of his two best offensive players, RB Ronnie Brown and WR Chris Chambers. Brown hasn't been used nearly as much as he should be, and Chambers has largely been ignored in the offense this season. It's hard to blame them though, especially Chambers, because the ineptitude of his QBs (Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington) has also been a big factor in his struggles. Many times, they don't even look Chambers' way, instead deciding to throw short to Wes Welker or TE Randy McMichael. Joey should be good for at least two interceptions today, if not four or five. Edge: Bears

Defense
The Bears' defense also got back on track against San Fran, though they do have a tendency to relax a bit after jumping out to a big lead. Thanks to a 50+ yard run, Niners RB Frank Gore still managed to run for over 100 yards last Sunday, which is irritating at the very least. This unit will give up some rushing yards, but usually not enough to make a big difference. Packers RB Ahman Green ran for over 100 yards in Week 1, but the Bears still shut the Packers out. Also, opposing teams' #1 WRs continue to have some success against the Bears, as San Fran's Antonio Bryant notched a TD last week. Today, this unit should have a field day against Joey Harrington, who threw five picks the last time he faced the Bears last season. The Dolphins bring in the #5-ranked defense in the NFL and pass-rush specialist Jason Taylor, but their run defense is average. They will likely base their game plan around putting big pressure on Rex Grossman, but Grossman has been nearly perfect at home this season, with 11 TD passes and no interceptions. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
Bears kicker Robbie Gould was named Special Teams Player of the Month for October, but rookie sensation Devin Hester popped up on the injury report late in the week with a tight hamstring. Hester is still expected to play today, but the team may be wise to rest him if he isn't needed. Dolphins kicker Olindo Mare has struggled some this season, especially from long-range; he is just 1-5 from 50+ yards out. Special teams ace and slot WR Wes Welker has been average on kickoff and punt returns this year. Edge: Bears

Coaching
After struggling some against Arizona, Bears coach Lovie Smith and his staff had a good game against the Niners. Smith will likely be getting a big raise soon. As coach of one of the NFL's most disappointing teams, Dolphins coach Nick Saban has been the target of a lot of criticism. Offensive coordinator Mularkey has not done a good job of getting the ball into the hands of his best playmakers. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
On a dark Monday Night 21 years ago, Dan Marino and the Dolphins ruined the Bears' perfect season with a 38-24 victory. Today, whether anyone admits it or not, the Bears and their fans will be looking for some measure of revenge. Edge: Bears

Prediction
Even having the entire '72 team on the Miami sideline today won't help the Dolphins beat the Bears. Bears 27, Dolphins 6

Bears-49ers Preview

2006-10-29T12:08:00.000-06:00

Here's my preview of the Bears-49ers matchup this afternoon:

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
Rex Grossman and the Bears' offense will be looking to rebound from a very poor showing in the Monday Night Miracle against the Cards. Look for the Bears to come out running the ball with Thomas Jones. Cedric Benson also is likely to receive more carries and possibly play on every third series. Also look for shorter to medium-range pass plays to be called for Grossman early on so that he can build some confidence, then offensive coordinator Ron Turner may allow Grossman to take some deep shots to Bernard Berian later. Expect the Niners to use QB Alex Smith on a lot of rollouts, bootlegs, waggles, etc. to get him away from the Bears' pass rush. If Smith has enough time, he'll try to look for Antonio Bryant deep, Arnaz Battle short, or dump it off to RB Frank Gore. Gore is the Niners' do-everything RB, but he's likely to have a rough time today against a very tough Bears front. Bryant has the speed to beat CB Charles Tillman deep, as he toasted the Bears for two late TDs as a Cleveland Brown last season, but Smith will need time for deep routes to develop, and he isn't likely to get it. Edge: Bears

Defense
For the Bears, bad tackling and a general sense of overconfidence and not being ready to play made the game against the Cards much more difficult than it should've been. This unit should come out firing against San Francisco on Sunday. One interesting thing to watch will be how Todd Johnson plays as the new starting strong safety with Mike Brown out for the season. Johnson is a smart player and big hitter who has a reputation for not always wrapping up on tackles. The loss of Brown will hurt, but Johnson has a pretty good amount of experience, having taken over for Brown after Brown tore his Achilles in 2004. The Niners... don't have much on defense, they're not very good at defending the pass or the run. I don't think they'll have much success stopping the Bears' offense. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
Bears kicker Robbie Gould has still been solid gold, and Devin Hester proved what a game-changing player he can be in the Monday Night Miracle. 49ers kicker Joe Nedney is having an average season, and returners Maurice Hicks and Brandon Williams are good but not great. Edge: Bears

Coaching
The Bears' coaching staff also needs to rebound from the Cardinals game, especially offensive coordinator Turner, who did not do a good job of playcalling in that game. Mike Nolan and his Niners staff have done a decent job with a young team. Niners offensive coordinator Norv Turner, Ron's brother, has done a good job of helping QB Alex Smith develop into a pretty good player this season. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
Some uninformed people called the Bears' early-season success a fluke after the Arizona game. The team will be very eager to prove all the haters wrong again. They'll also be wearing their orange alternate jerseys, the same ones that they beat the Niners in last season. Starting with the Bears' miracle victory against the Niners in 2001, San Francisco has gone winless against Chicago. Edge: Bears

Prediction
What should've happened to the Cards two Monday nights ago will happen to the Niners today. Bears 30, 49ers 6

Bears-Cards Postgame Thoughts

2006-10-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

That might've been the most ridiculous comeback in NFL history, wow. Many Bears fans likely changed the channel or turned off their TVs during the second half, but I kept watching until the end, because I just had this weird feeling. A weird feeling that, if they could keep the deficit at 20 or less, they could still come back and win the game. The same feeling I had during the Notre Dame-Michigan State football game a few weeks ago. The same feeling I had when Illinois beat... Arizona (coincidence?) to advance to the Final Four in 2005.
Despite what you may hear from any of the team's players or coaches, the Bears started to believe the hype and took the Cards lightly. If the Bears had come out and played like they are capable of from the start, they might not have blown out the Cards, but they likely would've won by double digits.
Let's not go overboard here with the criticism of Rex Grossman. I heard some people, including Super Bowl XX MVP Richard Dent, say that the Bears should've thought about replacing Grossman with backup Brian Griese at halftime during the second half. Nothing against the Sackman, but I think the team did the right thing by sticking with Grossman. Even at the risk of losing the game. Yes, Grossman often refused to take what the defense gave him and forced some balls, but he played better than anyone could've imagined in the first five games. Then, at the first sign of adversity, you want to pull him? How else is he going to learn? This is your franchise QB, the one you've been waiting for for decades. He is going to have good games and bad games, but he is not going to learn how to fight through adversity if he doesn't get a chance to do so. Sometimes he will make the brilliant throw, sometimes he'll make the "what was he thinking?" throw. It's a simple issue of higher risk, higher reward. You have to take some risks if you want to score a good number of points. As bad as he looked Monday night, this experience will help him down the line.
Another thing people are overlooking is that the team's offensive struggles weren't all Grossman's fault. First of all, there were at least three (if not four or five) dropped passes by the WRs. I know that hard hits jarred a couple of those balls loose, but that is no excuse. Secondly, the offensive line was terrible in the first half, allowing constant penetration that led to both of Grossman's fumbles. Third, offensive coordinator Ron Turner turned in his worst game of the season. He has looked like a genius for most of the season, but he does have a tendency to get too pass-happy and get away from what has worked. It also happened in the Minnesota game earlier this year, but Grossman was able to recover and throw the game-winning TD pass. I have no problem with the bomb Turner called on the first offensive play, but a hyper Grossman (he often is hyper at the start of games) overthrew Berrian on what would've been an easy TD. After that happened, Turner should've tried to establish the run with Thomas Jones and give Grossman easier, more basic pass plays. Instead, two of the first 14 plays that Turner called were passes, and Grossman quickly got flustered. For the entire game, Jones got 11 carries. Cedric Benson got one. Fullback Jason McKie inexplicably got one on first and goal from the three, the worst play call of the night. Also, the quick slants that Turner repeatedly called were getting their WRs lit up. When your offense is struggling, go back to the basics and stick with what has worked in the past.
ESPN analyst Joe Theismann was really starting to get on my nerves as the game went on, but at least he jinxed Neil Rackers before he attempted the potential game-winning 40-yard field goal. Just before the ball was snapped, I believe Theismann said, "Rackers has not missed inside 50 yards this year." Perfect.
I also heard Dan Jiggetts on Comcast SportsNet Bears Postgame Live say that the Bears' defense did its job in the first quarter. That is simply not true, they did not show up in the first quarter. He tried to blame the defense's struggles on bad field position due to the offense, but the Cards drove 12 plays, 77 yards on their first offensive possession of the game. Just marched right down the field. The Cards' other TD drive, on their next offensive possession, was aided by a short field after a Grossman interception, but the defense has to pick up the offense sometimes. Make a play, tackle somebody, get off the field. Instead, Brian Urlacher missed Anquan Boldin (who runs like a RB after the catch), and there was no one behind Urlacher to make the tackle before Boldin scored. Missed tackles were a big problem until the fourth quarter and have been a problem at times this season. There is always a desire to go for the killshot, but you have to wrap up. The defense started to wake up in the second quarter, started to play in the third quarter, and then started to look like the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter.
Even though I've been a lifelong Bears fan, I have never been the biggest fan of Urlacher. Part of it is because of the off-the-field personal issues that he struggled with in the past, and part of it is because I sometimes felt that he didn't hit hard enough and got blocked too often. In the fourth quarter on Monday night, I gained a new appreciation for Urlacher. It seemed as though he made every single tackle, like there were two or three of him out there. He took over the game and seemingly willed the defense to go to another level. His strip of Edgerrin James was so vicious that I don't think any RB in the league would've held on to the ball. It was one of the best individual defensive performances I have ever seen.
What makes the Bears' comeback even more amazing and improbable was that they had backup strong safety Todd Johnson playing nickel back for much of the second half after starter Ricky Manning Jr. got hurt, and they had third-stringer Cameron Worrell playing at strong safety for most of the fourth quarter after starter Mike Brown got hurt. Johnson usually only plays nickel back in the team's "heavy" (run defense) package.
Devin Hester... wow. I thought that Glyn Milburn was a pretty good punt returner for the Bears several years back, but Hester is already arguably the team's best punt returner since Gale Sayers. He has the blazing speed that returners need and the strength to break arm tackles like the one the Arizona punter tried to use on Hester's 83-yard TD return. What a great weapon to have.
Despite what some people may say, losing is not the best learning experience. The best learning experience is almost losing, then coming back to win in dramatic fashion. You know that you played badly, should've lost the game, and have a lot of work to do, but you still won the game.

Bears-Cards Preview

2006-10-16T18:38:00.000-05:00

Here is my preview of tonight's Bears-Cards matchup:

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
The Bears will likely do what they've been doing all season: throw intermediate routes, take deep shots, and run the ball. It's just a real NFL offense, which this city hasn't had for at least a decade. I feel that the 1995 team had the best, most balanced offensive season in team history, and people are starting to pick up on that now, because Ron Turner was also the offensive coordinator for that team. Word is that the Bears have added 10 more plays to the playbook for tonight's game, so an aerial show worthy of Monday night could be in store for us. The Cardinals will likely attempt to run the ball with Edgerrin James and have rookie QB Matt Leinart throw short, quick passes so he doesn't get sacked too often. However, the Cards' offensive line is so bad that they likely won't be able to run the ball very well at all, and pass protection will be a problem. With star WR Larry Fitzgerald out, Leinart may develop tunnel vision for Anquan Boldin, leading to at least an interception or two. Edge: Bears

Defense
ESPN has reported that Bears DE Adewale Ogunleye won't play tonight, and that will hurt some, but the combo of Israel Idonije and Mark Anderson should be able to step in and do well. The game plan will basically be to put a lot of pressure on Leinart and hit him every chance they can get, forcing turnovers in the process. The Cards will likely try to blitz Grossman a lot and try to confuse him, but if they blitz, the WRs will likely be in single coverage, and we know what Bernard Berrian has done to single coverage this season. If they decide to cover Berrian deep, Grossman will be glad to throw intermediate passes to the Moose. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
Bears kicker Robbie Gould has been solid gold this season. Returners Rashied Davis and Devin Hester have done a good job and are a threat to break one every time. Cards kicker Neil Rackers, who was almost perfect last season, has struggled this year, missing all three of his 50+ yard attempts. J.J. Arrington and Troy Walters are average return men. Edge: Bears

Coaching
Lovie Smith and his staff have done an excellent job this year. Dennis Green is a pretty good coach, but he is at the mercy of his rookie QB after Kurt Warner coughed up the QB job. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
This will be the Bears' first game on the Monday night stage in three years. The Bears have historically been pretty bad on Monday Night Football, but in what could be a Super season, the team should be up to the challenge tonight. Edge: Bears

Prediction
Leinart looks like he'll be a pretty good one, but he's still a rookie. Tonight, the Bears take him back to school. Bears 34, Cardinals 9

Inside the Bears/NFL

2006-10-16T18:15:00.000-05:00

Anyone still think that the Ravens' defense is better than the Bears' defense? Baltimore got the Steve Smith treatment yesterday afternoon. Haven't teams learned from what Seattle did to the Panthers in the playoffs last season? You have to at least double-cover Smith, if not triple or quadruple him, in order to stop him. Beating the Panthers is really just about stopping Smith. They lost their first two games of the season without him, they've won their last four with him. I know that Keyshawn Johnson has had a pretty good season so far, but if I'm an NFL defensive coordinator, I double or triple Smith and leave Keyshawn in single coverage. Why? If Keyshawn goes off, you still can win the game. If Smith goes off, you have almost no chance.
What a wild Rams-Seahawks game that was. Josh Brown hit both goalposts with a field goal (and it stayed out). That catch by Torry Holt (you know which one), just amazing. And that call at the end of the game, even I thought there was supposed to be a ten-second runoff.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Cedric Benson ran for two TDs against Buffalo last week, Thomas Jones is in no danger of losing his starting job or goal-line carries. Benson just happened to be inserted for a second-quarter series, and he finished it with a TD. Jones ran well against Buffalo, notching his first 100-yard game of the season, and he likely won't lose his starting job unless he gets hurt or suddenly struggles big-time.
That said, you can see the difference between the two RBs pretty easily. Benson shows good burst and runs over tacklers, while Jones is more of a dance around, hop-step kind of back. You can see why people thought that Benson was a better fit for the offense with his power running, but it's nice to have both of them as options. Jones has become a widely respected team leader with his great work ethic and low-key attitude.
Bernard Berrian is for real. So is Rex Grossman. In case you didn't know by now. Berrian is likely to attract more defensive coverage now, leaving Muhsin Muhammad open more often for intermediate routes.

Bears-Bills Preview

2006-10-08T00:09:00.000-05:00

Here is my preview of Sunday's Bears-Bills matchup at Soldier Field:

Who Has The Edge?

Offense
Bears QB Rex Grossman has been lights out this season, averaging over 250 yards and 2 TDs per game. RB Thomas Jones started to get rolling last Sunday night against Seattle, rushing for 98 yards and 2 TDs. WRs Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian have been very consistent, and TE Desmond Clark (questionable, foot) is expected to start. The Bears will likely come out and try to establish the run first, then go deep on play action to either Berrian or Moose. Buffalo QB J.P. Losman has actually been playing pretty well lately, leading the Bills to a win over Minnesota last Sunday. He is also a threat to run as well as throw. However, the third-year QB will also make his share of questionable decisions. Star RB Willis McGahee currently leads the NFL in rushing with 389 yards, though he has scored only once. Lee Evans leads an average WR corps, and TE Robert Royal is not a big part of the offense (4 catches this season). The Bills will likely try to run McGahee almost nonstop, then take the occasional deep shot to Evans. Edge: Bears

Defense
Technically, the Bears are not the #1 defense in the NFL (because the defensive rankings are determined by yards allowed), but there is not a more intimidating, balanced defensive unit in the league. DT Tommie Harris has been virtually unblockable this season, and even rookie DE Mark Anderson has 3.5 sacks in limited action. The defense has been especially impenetrable at home, where the Bears have allowed less than ten points in eight consecutive regular season games. The basic game plan will be to shut down McGahee and pressure Losman into making mistakes. Buffalo's defense is in the top half of the league, the Bills have been a little better at stopping the pass than stopping the run. They will likely try to blitz Grossman early and often as they did with Dolphins QB Daunte Culpepper in Week 2 (they sacked him five times in the first 15 plays of the game). However, Culpepper has been terrible this season; Grossman should handle the pressure better. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
The Bears hope that punter Brad Maynard will be able to play on Sunday, he's been under the weather. Kicker Robbie Gould has been spot on this season. Rookie punt returner Devin Hester has to catch the ball better and run north-south more often instead of east-west. The Bears shouldn't take away too much of Hester's creativity though, because sometimes you need to go a little east-west to be able to go north-south (did that make any sense?). The Bills' special teams rank up there with the best in the league. Kicker Rian Lindell has been solid this season, missing just one FG attempt. Kick returner Terrence McGee and punt returner Roscoe Parrish are both fast, dynamic return men with the ability to take it to the house at any time. Edge: Even

Coaching
It certainly helps to have great players, but Bears head coach Lovie Smith and his staff have done a great job of keeping the team on an even keel and playing at a very high level. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner deserves much praise for his playcalling, though he needs to remember to stick with the running game even if it isn't going well (i.e. the Minnesota game). Bills coach Dick Jauron has done a pretty good job with his defensive philosophy, but the team will need to score more in order to win games. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
Bears left guard Ruben Brown will be facing his former team, a team he doesn't like too much. Jauron will be facing his former team, and several Bills players also used to play for the Bears (Mike Gandy, Anthony Thomas, Daimon Shelton, etc.). After last Sunday night's beatdown of Seattle, this game could bring a letdown for the Bears, but a loud Soldier Field crowd (and memories of the playoff loss to Carolina) should remind the team of the task at hand. Edge: Bears

Prediction
Unless the Bears have a big-time letdown and turn the ball over multiple times, the Bills don't have much of a chance in this game. Thomas Jones runs for one TD, Grossman throws for another one, and the Bears cruise. Bears 23, Bills 6

Inside the Bears

2006-10-07T22:58:00.000-05:00

Despite the Bears' early-season success, last Sunday night's 37-6 beating of the Seahawks was the game that the team needed to win in order to finally gain some of the respect that they deserve from the national media. Yeah, Seattle didn't have star RB Shaun Alexander, but would he have made a 31-point difference? I don't think so. Before the season started, I didn't see any "expert", not even one, say that the Bears would even make it to the NFC Championship Game. Any thoughts of the Super Bowl likely would've been laughed at. Oh wait, there was at least one person who said that the Bears were Super Bowl contenders... that would be yours truly, in this team preview that I wrote for Pro Fantasy Sports.
If you look at all three phases of the game, the Bears are the best team in the NFL right now. ESPN's Sean Salisbury and Steve Young admitted as much after the Seahawks game. Some media types are still skeptical about this team because of their perceptions of how they thought the team would be (good defense, bad offense). But if you put your prejudices aside, the Bears are the best, most balanced team in the league at the moment. They have arguably their best, most balanced offense since 1995 thanks to the emergence of Rex Grossman and Bernard Berrian, they have a dominant defense, and their special teams have been special. Sure, the Colts have Peyton Manning, but their defense doesn't hold a candle to the Bears' defense. The Ravens' defense is playing at a very high level, but Steve McNair and Jamal Lewis have both been very average players on an average offense. Baltimore almost lost to Cleveland and probably should've lost to San Diego last Sunday.
The Seahawks' game plan to spread the Bears' defense out with four WRs obviously didn't work too well. Four WRs means fewer blockers, and with the Bears' front four, that's a recipe for disaster. Seattle backup RB Maurice Morris is a pretty good player, but he's no Alexander, and the Bears knew to focus more on Seattle's passing game than their running game. The Bears kept weak-side LB Lance Briggs on the field with the Nickel package because they don't have a Dime package, and Briggs wound up having a very good game.
Did I think that Grossman was going to be this good? No, but I did think that he could average about 200 passing yards and 1-2 TDs per game. Through four games, he's averaging 250+ yards and 2 TDs per game. Can he sustain these lofty numbers? I don't think so, not because Grossman will regress, but because the running game started to get going against Seattle and should be a bigger part of the offense as the season goes on. I still think that Grossman should be able to average at least 215 yards and 1-2 TDs per game for the rest of the season, if he stays healthy.
Speaking of the running game, it was good to see Thomas Jones finally make some nice runs against Seattle, which came into the game ranked #2 in the league in rushing defense. Cedric Benson also got his share of carries, and I think that coach Lovie Smith would ideally like Jones to carry 20-25 times per game while Benson carries about 10-12 times per game.
What else can you say about Bernard Berrian? He has proved his critics wrong, consistently running by coverages and catching bomb after bomb. Even I was skeptical about whether he could do this on a consistent basis, but he's done it so far, and I certainly hope that he can keep this up. Muhsin Muhammad has been rock-solid at the other WR spot, catching virtually everything that's been thrown to him. You can see the chemistry that he and Grossman have.

Bears-Seahawks Preview

2006-10-01T18:13:00.000-05:00

Here's my preview of tonight's big NFC showdown between the Bears and the Seahawks at Soldier Field.

Who Has The Edge?

Offense
After offensive coordinator Ron Turner went a little overboard with the passing game last week against Minnesota, the Bears will likely do their best to establish the run against Seattle. Thomas Jones needs to start finding the holes more often or Cedric Benson may start to get more carries. It won't be easy though; the Seahawks are second in the NFL in run defense, allowing just under 59 yards per game on the ground. Rex Grossman has been everything a Bears fan could want (and more), but he must do his best to not turn the ball over, or Seattle's offense may make him pay. If TE Desmond Clark doesn't play, Grossman will have to mainly rely on WRs Muhsin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian, and Rashied Davis. Seattle will likely try to spread the Bears' defense out by using 4-WR sets, then either throwing out of them or running draw-type plays to backup RB Maurice Morris. Even without star RB Shaun Alexander, the Seahawks' WR corps makes this a dynamic offense that can score at any time. Edge: Slight edge to Seattle.

Defense
The Bears have arguably the best defense in the NFL, but they'll be facing their stiffest challenge yet in the Seahawks. With the Seahawks deploying so many quality WRs, the Bears must get a good pass rush on QB Matt Hasselbeck, or it could be a long night for the Monsters of the Midway. If there's a current version of the No Name Defense, it could be Seattle. There aren't exactly any household names on this unit, but they do a pretty good job of stopping opposing offenses. Second-year middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu is one of the more recognizable names on this defense. Edge: Chicago

Special Teams
For the Bears, Rashied Davis has done a good job returning kickoffs, and punt returner Devin Hester still makes the occasional rookie mistake but is a threat to take it to the house on any return. Kicker Robbie Gould has been excellent this season, showing great accuracy and improving range. For the Seahawks, Willie Ponder and Jimmy Williams have both done a good job of returning kickoffs and punts, respectively. However, kicker Josh Brown has been a little shaky this season, already having missed three FG attempts. Edge: Chicago

Coaching
Lovie Smith and his staff have done a great job so far, but Smith still makes questionable challenge calls at times, and offensive coordinator Turner needs to get back to the running game. Seattle's Mike Holmgren has been near-perfect against the Bears, but that was at a different time with a different team. He is still a solid veteran coach, though. Edge: Even

Intangibles
The game will be played on national television in front of a raucous Soldier Field crowd. The Bears will also look at this game as a chance to finally get the respect that they deserve from the national media, giving the Bears the advantage here. Edge: Chicago

Prediction
Bears 23, Seahawks 16

Inside the Bears

2006-09-29T23:50:00.000-05:00

Some observations from last Sunday's 19-16 Bears victory over the Vikings:

Thomas Jones' vision has not been as good as it was last year. Against the Vikings, he seemed to either miss holes or go the wrong way on a few runs. Part of this could be due to Jones missing most of training camp with a pulled hamstring and not being able to get into a rhythm with his offensive line. It also is partially due to the offensive line not exploding off the line and not creating a lot of holes. Last season, Jones ran for 1,335 yards despite constantly running into 8 and 9-man fronts designed to stuff the run and make rookie QB Kyle Orton beat the defense. This season, opposing teams are still stacking the box, but not as often because of the emergence of Rex Grossman. Jones should have more success than he's been having. The running game has been a problem since the preseason, and it must be fixed soon. More often than not, if Grossman has to throw the ball 40+ times (as he did against the Vikings), the Bears will lose.
Rex Grossman had to deal with consistent adversity for the first time against Minnesota, facing constant blitzes and deafening crowd noise. He didn't always make the right decision, but he came up big when the team needed him most. Most Bears QBs would've collapsed after throwing such a critical interception and having it returned for a TD, but Grossman has shown an ability to put those mistakes out of his mind and respond well on the next drive. Let's look at his interceptions this year. After throwing a terrible 1st quarter interception into double coverage in the end zone against the Packers, he led the Bears to a field goal on their next drive. After throwing a bad 3rd quarter pick against the Lions that was returned for a TD (the TD was nullified by penalty), Grossman led the team down the field and threw a TD pass to TE John Gilmore. After throwing a 2nd quarter pick against the Vikings, he led the team into field goal range before the team ran out of time. And after throwing the horrible 4th quarter interception that was returned for a TD by Antoine Winfield, Grossman led the team to a field goal on their next possession and eventually threw the game-winning TD pass to Rashied Davis.
Through 3 games, we have seen that Grossman will occasionally make the "what are you thinking?" throw. This is something that Bears fans will simply have to live with. This is a higher-risk, higher-reward offense now, and the good far outweighs the bad here. I'd much rather have a consistent vertical passing game with a few occasional mistakes instead of a conservative, mistake-free game plan like that of last year. It's about going for above-average (Grossman) instead of settling for average (Brian Griese), as long as it doesn't hurt the team.
WR Bernard Berrian had his first big drop of the season against Minnesota, but his emergence has been as big a factor as any in the Bears' passing game this season. Berrian has always been known as a speed-burner but desperately wants to get rid of the "soft" label that he's had in his first two seasons. Some scouts have said in the past that Berrian was brittle and afraid to go over the middle to make the tough catch, but he has managed to stay healthy after some minor training camp injuries and he made a very tough catch over the middle against the Lions. If he can continue to be a deep threat and make the big catch to move the chains, it would take some pressure (and defensive coverage) off Muhsin Muhammad.
I'll be the first to admit that I was not a believer in TE Desmond Clark going into this season, but he has been very impressive so far. The Bears haven't consistently thrown to their TEs in years (maybe decades), and Clark had some problems with drops in his Bears career, so there wasn't much of a reason to think he would break out this season. However, offensive coordinator Ron Turner has placed a new emphasis on getting the TE involved in the offense, and Clark lost some weight in the offseason to increase his quickness. As a result, Clark has been a very viable threat this season, both short and downfield. He sprained his foot in the Minnesota game and is listed as questionable for the big Sunday night showdown against the defending NFC champion Seahawks. If he can't play, John Gilmore would start in his place. Gilmore is considered to be a better blocker than receiver, and Clark is definitely quicker, so there would be a notable dropoff if Gilmore started.
It was a little odd to see Cedric Benson not get a single carry against the Vikings, but I guess the team didn't want an inexperienced player in the lineup in such a hostile environment as the Metrodome. They may have been concerned about his ability to pick up blitzes (even though he worked on that in the offseason) because it's hard to hear the protection schemes on the line in such a noisy stadium. I wouldn't have minded seeing him get a series to try to give the running game a spark. He should see some time against Seattle.
The shoddy tackling needs to stop, and fast. It was a problem during the preseason (Chris Harris being one of the culprits), and it reared its ugly head again against Minnesota, particularly on the run where Mewelde Moore picked up a critical late first down. I know that this defense is based on running to the ball and creating turnovers, but remember to actually tackle the ballcarrier too, guys.
It was a risky move by coach Lovie Smith to put rookie Danieal Manning into the starting lineup at free safety before the game. At the same time, Minnesota's offense has only one explosive WR (Troy Williamson), so it might not have been a bad move, and the experience should help Manning in the long run. Manning brings the speed and range that Chris Harris doesn't have, and Harris was starting to get caught out of position in coverage too much for the team's liking.
Defensive tackle Tommie Harris is some kind of player, wow. His amazing quickness enabled him to force the Chester Taylor fumble that Adewale Ogunleye recovered, leading to Grossman's game-winning TD pass.
Speaking of that TD pass, the play was designed very well, and Rashied Davis ran just about a perfect route. Muhsin Muhammad ran a shorter route to the outside designed to draw the defensive coverage to him, and Davis faked a corner route and went to the post, completely turning around the cornerback that was covering him. Great execution.

Bears-Vikings Preview

2006-09-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that the Bears have been dominant in wins over the Packers and Lions, many people in the national media still don't give the team much respect. The lack of respect for what the Bears have done is pretty amusing. It's true that they have played two teams that aren't very good, but you can only play whoever is on the schedule. They've done what they were supposed to do. Most people thought the season opener in Green Bay would be tough. The Bears wound up shutting out their hated rival, 26-0. Then the "experts" said that the game against the Lions would be tough because of how the Lions' defense harrassed Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck in a 9-6 Seahawks victory. Detroit WR Roy Williams even guaranteed a victory. He was still defiant after a 34-7 whooping at the hands of the Bears. Bears QB Rex Grossman threw four TD passes and wasn't sacked in the game. Not even once. So much for that Detroit defense.

It seems as though most of the "experts" are still picking the Vikings to beat the Bears today. They laud the Vikings for playing solid defense and having a QB (Brad Johnson) who doesn't turn the ball over. Sounds eerily similar to last year's Bears team, doesn't it? The one that lost to Carolina in the playoffs. ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth has picked against the Bears in every game, including today's. It is true that the Vikings do a variety of things pretty well, and they do have a pretty dominant left side of the offensive line with left tackle Bryant McKinnie and left guard Steve Hutchinson. However, the Bears are simply better on defense, better on special teams, and just as good (if not better) on offense, thanks to the emergence of Grossman. If the Bears don't commit multiple turnovers, they should win this game. The big key is going to be stopping Vikings RB Chester Taylor from running the ball over that dominant left side of the line. Running the ball, playing solid defense, and having a QB who doesn't turn the ball over can only get you so far, just look at last year's Bears. Last week, Chicago exposed a Detroit defense that wasn't as good as it looked against Seattle. Today, I think the Bears expose a Vikings team that is pretty good at everything, but not great at anything.

Welcome!

2006-09-24T10:57:00.000-05:00

I'd like to welcome everyone to Chicago SportsZone, a place where I will post my thoughts on the Chicago sports scene as well as national sports stories. See local and national sports through the eyes of a lifelong Chicagoan and aspiring sportswriter. A particular emphasis will be placed on the Chicago Bears and the NFL, as I will provide game previews, Bears/NFL thoughts, etc. I will also cover college sports, especially college football and basketball. We'll get things rolling with a quick preview of this afternoon's big Bears-Vikings matchup.