The Inside Scoop: Round 4 With Bears Beat Writer Sean Jensen

I know Hanie looked better than Collins this past Sunday. But the Bears really like Collins’ experience, especially with this game on the road.

I do know one thing: the Bears will run the ball, and Collins will do a better job than Jay of making quick decisions. Collins doesn’t have Jay’s athleticism, so he knows he can’t hold the ball very long.

He’ll manage the game and make sound decisions, overall.

Squats, and lots of basketball!

Geez, that is a tough slate. Aside from sexiness of those teams, what stands out is how physical those teams are.

With that finish, that makes the start of this season all the more important. It’s too hard to say now who they can beat. injuries and numerous of factors can’t be accounted for at this time. It’s pure guesswork right now to predict anything because things could change for any — and most likely all — of those teams.

Here’s a scoop just for you guys: Charles Grant wasn’t cut by the UFL’s Omaha franchise because he was a bad player. The Nighthawks cut him because Grant was getting interest from a couple of NFL teams, and they allowed a man to pursue that. I know there’s some buyout fee (I believe $150,000), but the Nighthawks didn’t let it get to that point, giving Grant the freedom he desired. And while I couldn’t track down specific stats, I did see that Grant had a safety and a forced fumble for that team.

Read Grant’s quotes from earlier in the week. He’s thrilled to be back in the NFL. It’s where he wanted to be all along. I was told he had a good training camp in Miami.

Surgery, his age, StarCaps and the nightclub incident all factored into why teams may have steered away from him. But, the Bears and at least one other club were interested this week.

We make decisions all the time. Do you always make the right ones? Well, Martz didn’t make the right adjustments this past game. In addition, as he mentioned on Wednesday, he overwhelmed his players with too much information on a short week. And when you watch the game back, it’s almost as if the Bears linemen — and even running backs and tight ends — took turns whiffing on blocks.

Look, this unit isn’t the league’s best. But they’re also not as bad as they looked Sunday.

Momentum is a powerful thing, and the Giants had it going on Sunday. The potential was always there with that group — just look at their resumes! — but they hadn’t done much at the beginning of the season. Then, the floodgates opened against the Bears.

The Bears need to eat their humble pie, man up and start moving in the right direction again.

No.

The obvious answer is yes. But, I remember in 1999, when Randall Cunningham was just garbage after an MVP caliber season. The season looked lost, as they trailed big in Detroit, but then Jeff George came in and started flinging the ball to Moss and Cris Carter like a madman. He finished 8-2 and even led the team to a playoff victory.

My point is, in this crazy league, I wouldn’t be totally surprised if Tarvaris Jackson was pressed into action and somehow performed well. Crazier things have happened.

So no, I don’t think the Vikings chances are tied exclusively to Favre. They have too many other premium players, most notably Moss and running back Adrian Peterson.

I’ve been told by several scouts and observers that Lance Louis has looked solid. In fact, he’s played better and more consistently than other linemen. Let’s put it this way: He’s not the problem.

I won’t be done by 5, and I have a lot left to do (and this ain’t helping! LOL), but I am having a blast with the stuff I’m working on. Make sure to check out my story in tomorrow’s paper and my Sunday notes column on Sunday. Also, I’m not sure if you guys have seen it, but you have to buy the paper and see the stuff I’m doing with STATS LLC. It’s only in the paper, and we’ve got some really good ones related to Jay Cutler and the Bears defense…

I absolutely think Martz has to start evening that out. As I pointed out in Thursday’s paper, the Bears aren’t even trying to run the ball. Bears keep saying that they’re taking what the defense gives them. But the great offenses take whatever the hell they want. They will run when they want to run.

Everyone knows the Atlanta Falcons are going to run the ball yet they continue to crank out yardage and average a fair amount per carry.

Webb is Tice’s pet project right now. A young, raw athlete who learns well. They see potential in him, and they obviously think they can tap that sooner than later.

I’m not sure if he’s playing better than Shaffer RIGHT NOW but they obviously feel he’s got far great upside.

Yes, I think it’s a given that Chris Williams goes back to left tackle. The Bears were insistent during the offseason that he’s best-suited for that spot.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. But I don’t see the Competition Committee reversing this. They’ve put a lot of thought into it already.

I think Tommie Harris will make an impact, at some point this season. Not sure when, but I feel that’s going to happen. Toeaina and Adams are solid, high-effort players. But neither of them has the athleticism of Harris. I’m not sure what Harris needs to light the fire, but I think something eventually will.

You can tell I’m not at work today.

I said on a Carolina radio show today that I think Chester Taylor may get some more carries this week. Forte has been solid as a receiver. But, with the line struggling, I think Chester is the more resourceful and decisive running back. That doesn’t mean Forte is being benched. I just think we’ll see Chester get some more reps than he has the first few games.

I think it was obvious to everyone that Dez Clark should have been active last Sunday. For all the issues they had, I think Clark is the sort of veteran who might not have made the sort of glaring mistakes we saw from his counterparts.

Brandon has had flashes, but he looked pretty awful on a couple of plays Sunday against the Giants.

What is this Draft that you speak of? It’s October; enjoy the football season!

If they have issues with the Panthers passing attack this Sunday — sans Steve Smith — then this franchise may look like the Bad News Bears the rest of the season. It is terrible. The key will be to stop those two ridiculously good running backs, Stewart and Williams.

All right, guys, I’m outta here. I gave you my time, so give me your dimes (seven of them)… and a nickel (cost of a paper)!