The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; (Preseason) Week 3

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Aug 27, 2011 10:18 PM CDT

In a much closer game, albeit still a loss, the Bears looked much better in all phases this week. 1st team offense looked spectacular in the 1st half, but there will still performances that were rather bad and downright ugly tonight. Follow me after the jump to see more, and to sound off on who you think was good, bad, and ugly.

To start things off, I will be praying for Desmond Clark tonight, as I hope his injury isn't bad enough to keep him out for a long period of time.

As described before the jump, overall a much better performance by the team in general this week. Effort was there, big plays were made, Cutler looked great again, and our O-Line...outstanding. There is one player, in particular, who will earn the "Good" award by a landslide.

The Good: Earl Bennett

He played like a man possessed tonight, running great routes and catching 6 passes for 89 yards. If anything, either this performance will mean the 3 WR look will be a staple for our offense, and/or Bennett needs to be 1 of the 2 primary starters. Oh, and his recs weren't like they were just dump off passes, rather they were straight up bombs most of the time. And he certainly played better than his fellow WR....

The Bad: Roy Williams

Hey, he did catch a couple passes tonight. But overall, his performance was unacceptable; he should have never allowed that int to happen in the 1st place. And I didn't like his attitude neither, at times he was described as "uninterested" and he definitely dropped a couple of easy ones tonight. You know what thats called Roy? Loafing! But, again he did actually catch some passes tonight, so it wasn't a complete disaster, nor was it near as bad as my "Ugly" nominee...

The Ugly: Caleb Hanie

The only similarity between Hanie (NFFCG) and Hanie (Present) was the pick 6 he threw which resulted in being the game winning TD. He was just bad, missing on easy reads and with great protection, dropped back and threw some ducks. I really am starting to wonder if Hanie will wind up being one of those infamous "1 game wonders". I also wonder if Nate Enderle, who didn't play tonight, will get the nod as the #2 QB. Anyways, Caleb...c'mon man!

Honorable mention: 1st team offense

From start to end, Cutler and company looked sharp tonight. The starting O-Line surrendered 0 sacks tonight (when was the last time we've seen that?), while paving lanes for Matt Forte in the running game. Red Zone offense was a definite improvement, and again with such good protection Jay Cutler managed to attack downfield with authority. Hell even Roy Williams got in the action with 2 recs on 5(?) targets. A real balanced performance, from start to end with this group.

With 1 more preseason game left on the schedule, I throw a challenge to this offense; Get a passing TD! I've been anxious to see Cutler's name pop up on the stats sheet with a TD next to it. I swear hes the 1 notable starting QB without a TD 3 weeks into the preseason. Lets get a TD for #6!

That aside, sound off Bears fans!

This FanPost was written by a Windy City Gridiron member, and does not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of its staff or community.

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Earl Bennett

is. a. BEAST.
He needs to:
receive a much-deserved starting job
be the target of at least 100 passes this year
earn a Pro-bowl nod

by BOBdaBEAR on Aug 27, 2011 10:54 PM CDT reply actions

Well techicaply if the Bears run a lot of 3 WR sets

Then Earl Bennett is a starter at the slot. But, I will agree as to how this isn’t Earl Bennett V. Roy Williams and/or how it’s not Johnny Knox V. Devin Hester on the other side.

Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Aug 27, 2011 11:07 PM CDT up reply actions

You're absolutely right, I think he's the best WR on this team. Makes clutch 3rd down catches and is an underrated blocker as well.

by walterfan34 on Aug 28, 2011 12:12 AM CDT up reply actions

Another somewhat ovelooked aspect of his game is that

it seems like him and Jay have that ideal QB & WR connection. Jay seems to trust him and therefore targets him.

IMO Earl Bennet=Marty Booker 2. Not really flashy or spectacular, but a hard working reliable guy who does a lot of things rite.

"Questioning Cutler's toughness is like questioning whether China has a lot of people"

-Michael Rosenberg, SI

by IndyBearsFan88 on Aug 28, 2011 7:39 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

never understood

why not many people view Bennett as a very good receiver…he gets open, plays well in space, catches everything, and usually gets yards after catch, so he’s not 6’2? he plays better than Roy

Superman wears an Urlacher Jersey under his costume

by BearNecessities on Aug 28, 2011 3:59 AM CDT up reply actions

he isnt as fast

but he is faster and shiftier than he gets credit for. He sheds tackles with power and elusive moves, even if he will never take a ball 90 for a score.

"just as Gary Fencik will go down as the last person to catch a Joe Namath pass, Wootton will be remembered in NFL history as the last player to sack Brett Favre." - John "Moon" Mullin

by Brendan Hess on Aug 28, 2011 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions

I liked Bennett last year, I like him this year, and I hope he gets more touches , maybe a pro-bowl nod too.

by transylvanian bear on Aug 28, 2011 10:02 AM CDT up reply actions

Maybe I'm being cruel but..

I’d make my “bad” the defense as a whole. After the past two weeks, the production has been below average. I know they aren’t installing all of their packages and what not but the lack of pressure on the QB is getting ridiculous. Also, the LBs played pretty poorly and Wright is again getting faked and missing tackles. I expect more out of them. The only sacks have come from Okoye during his time with the 2nd team, something needs to change. Hopefully when Briggs and AA get back, we’ll see a more improved D.

by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Aug 27, 2011 11:32 PM CDT reply actions

I agree with you on this.

I don’t think the first team unit has looked good in any of the 3 games. You have to at least appreciate that they didn’t give up many points last night but there were a lot of 3rd down conversions reminiscent of the first half of last season which were troubling.

Also, I hate to say this about one of my favorite players in the 25 years but, Urlacher actually looks slow to me this pre-season. There have been a few plays where he can’t close on the play and, unlike years past, he has a tough time recovering if he’s out of position. We all get old and it looks like it might be catching up with #54. I hope I’m wrong on that.

by BearFan611 on Aug 28, 2011 8:48 AM CDT up reply actions

Urlacher bowled over the center...

were we watching the same game?

by xshwanger on Aug 29, 2011 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions

Never said anything about him at the point of attack...

my comments were strictly about him losing a step.

by BearFan611 on Aug 29, 2011 8:08 PM CDT up reply actions

That's exactly why I didn't give the Run D the "Ugly" award

Briggs and AA have both been out for extended periods of time. Once those two get back in, I feel we will have a much better unit up front. But somebody has to tell Major Wright to stop beig such a sissy and HIT SOMEBODY!

And like I posted below under SMD, I feel Amobi Okoye has looked like the best DT this preseason. All 4 sacks have been registered by Okoye, and he has improved against the run. Perhaps he could find his way into the starting line-up sooner rather than later.

Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Aug 28, 2011 9:18 AM CDT up reply actions

I thought the 1st team offense played really well, disappointed the 1st team D geve up a TD...but it's pre-season.

by walterfan34 on Aug 28, 2011 12:11 AM CDT reply actions

1st team D

has struggled primarily with big running backs…a natural consequence of “speedier” 4-3 defenses. Brandon Jacobs with the 10+ yard TD run and then Harper (230+)…though Harper was like 2.4 YPC on the night.

The pass defense made some mistakes too, again, but held Hasselbeck at sub 60% passing and kept the receivers out of the endzone. I think our expectations are lofty.

Teams are getting the ball out quick so we aren’t getting sacks…but we are getting lots of hands on balls and holding teams on 3rd downs.

The tackling needs to come up a notch though, too many missed stops again.

"just as Gary Fencik will go down as the last person to catch a Joe Namath pass, Wootton will be remembered in NFL history as the last player to sack Brett Favre." - John "Moon" Mullin

by Brendan Hess on Aug 28, 2011 10:00 AM CDT up reply actions

I think run defense should be "the ugly"

And in all seriousness

I’m pumped for week 1

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 12:16 AM CDT reply actions

Well there is an issue with that assessment

Lance Briggs and Anthony Adams both have been out with injuries for the majority of the preseason. And it’s not like we’re pulling out all the stops in these games, more like just being vanilla especially since again 2 key starters are out.

Also, I thought Amobi Okoye looked great once again, I’m thinking with his improved play against the run and his pass rushing skills (he owns all 4 sacks this preseason) he could find his way into the starting line-up.

Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Aug 28, 2011 9:12 AM CDT up reply actions

Really?

24 carries for 81 yards (3.37 YPC) with the best of that coming from 3 QB scrambles for 21 yards (RBs had 21 carries for 60 yards (2.85 YPC).

Really, there was one play with a missed tackle for a 9 yard TD, and that was the entire running game all night for Tennessee.

"just as Gary Fencik will go down as the last person to catch a Joe Namath pass, Wootton will be remembered in NFL history as the last player to sack Brett Favre." - John "Moon" Mullin

by Brendan Hess on Aug 28, 2011 10:03 AM CDT up reply actions

Yeah they have looked bad all preseason

So that means they are going to suck in the regular season because preseason shows exactly how a team will do in the real games

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions

exactly!

You couldn’t be more right. I mean, look at the Lions!

in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.

by Timothy Hockemeyer on Aug 28, 2011 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions

IIRC

The 06 Lions went 4-0 pre-season before going 0-16 lawl

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 2:02 PM CDT up reply actions

'08 Lions, but yeah.

I believe they have won 13 of their last 15 preseason games starting in ’08.

in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.

by Timothy Hockemeyer on Aug 28, 2011 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Haha yeah...

Proves the point that the preseason champion doesn’t mean regular season success

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 4:07 PM CDT up reply actions

I know why the Lions have been so good in preseason.

They need to take any opportunity they can to give their fans a win.

I hear that their best attendance games are preseason.

in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.

by Timothy Hockemeyer on Aug 28, 2011 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions

No kidding

They even sold out against the Patriots

Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Aug 28, 2011 4:22 PM CDT up reply actions

That Lions team that went 4-0 in the preseason then winless in the regular season....

the starters during that preseason where outplayed.. the 3rd string /4th string units are the ones that won those games… most of which did not even make the team… so even though they won those games it wasn’t because the players they took into the season played well

So when you evaluate the preseason you can’t evalute wins and losts… but you can measure how well a team plays…..starters i mean… You may not see regular season schemes or intensity… but you can note the skill level of players and their play making ability vs equal competition….starters vs starters…. that Lion team starters vs starters looked pretty much like the regular season….

by Shankdiddy on Aug 29, 2011 4:06 PM CDT up reply actions

thought the pass rush was good though, pressure on hasselbeck quite a bit tonight

by walterfan34 on Aug 28, 2011 12:18 AM CDT reply actions

you're right about the run defense, especially against a 3rd string HB

by walterfan34 on Aug 28, 2011 12:20 AM CDT reply actions

I've been boosting Bennett ever since the Bears drafted him.

You don’t become the top receiver in SWC history, in just 3 years, without having the skills needed to make an impact at the pro level. I look for Earl to have a big year. People get all excited with a guy’s 40 time, and if he’s taller than 6’2", but Earl only dropped one pass last season, runs the best routes on the team and fights for the ball. If he was loud and brash the sports media would be calling him a #1 receiver, but he does the job without seeking the acclaim. The people who are finally recognizing that are also some of those who dissed him because he didn’t get to play much his first year because the Bears wanted him to learn all three WR positions.

by BigGeorgeTX on Aug 28, 2011 11:00 AM CDT reply actions

SEC not SWC... Typo

by BigGeorgeTX on Aug 28, 2011 12:15 PM CDT up reply actions

I tink he's the top receiver in Vandy history...

Not SEC….

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions

it's sec history

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/648395-sec-football-the-top-15-wide-receivers-in-sec-history#/articles/648395-sec-football-the-top-15-wide-receivers-in-sec-history/page/13

"I always tell people I want to live to be 150 and they say why would you want to do that. I say, well there's a few people I haven't made mad yet, I want to get them. "
-Mike Ditka

by garyfencikrapping on Aug 28, 2011 12:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Well that's cool

Learn something new each day

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions

Though you did just breakthe 7th commandment

Thou shalt not site bleacher report

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 12:52 PM CDT up reply actions

Ok so i just really looked at that source and

That is a list compiled of someones opinion who the best receivers in SEC history were.

Earl Bennet is in the Top 10 in receiving yards in SEC history, but he isn’t #1

I believe Josh Reed (LSU) , or Terrence Edwards (Georgia) are #1 in the SEc all time

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions

He set the SEC record for career receptions (not sure if he still holds it) and I want to say he set the SEC freshman record for receptions, although I could be wrong there.

"Questioning Cutler's toughness is like questioning whether China has a lot of people"

-Michael Rosenberg, SI

by IndyBearsFan88 on Aug 28, 2011 2:59 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Hey!

>:(

And Earl is the all-time reception leader for the SEC and is the only SEC receiver to ever record 75 receptions in three seasons.

in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.

by Timothy Hockemeyer on Aug 28, 2011 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions

And guess who was throwing him passes at Vandy

Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Aug 28, 2011 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions

For part of his career at Vandy, anyway.

in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.

by Timothy Hockemeyer on Aug 28, 2011 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions

Just his freshman year, if I recall correctly.

by BigGeorgeTX on Aug 29, 2011 10:30 AM CDT up reply actions

I dont think he ever dropped a pass last year

i think he didnt

We Are Guardian Force...READ IT!...BAM!!!

by T.Moore on Aug 28, 2011 1:01 PM CDT up reply actions

he did drop one

. "Most football teams are temperamental. That's 90% temper and 10% mental."
--Doug Plank

by ed_brown on Aug 28, 2011 9:49 PM CDT up reply actions

Make Bennet and Knox the starters

Keep Hester as a return man and Sanzenbacher as back up. Cut Your Boy Roy Williams.

by Gaak on Aug 28, 2011 11:56 AM CDT reply actions

No

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions

I agree with Bennett earning a top spot.

But what exactly did Knox do to put him ahead of Roy last night? Catch less passes?

"You have a young group and if they start feeling too good about themselves, that’s not a good thing. So it’s my job not to let them. So probably they will hate me. But that’s OK too. My wife hates me and she’s still married to me." - Mike Tice

by badsamaritan on Aug 28, 2011 1:38 PM CDT up reply actions

This↑

I’d even go as far as to say that moving Bennett into the top two slots is a bad idea. Right now, he’s getting the third best coverage against him. Moving him up to have to fight the top corners is just negating his ability.

I like Bennett a lot, but I like him most in the slot, where he can create the best mismatches. I think Hester and Williams will be fine.

in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.

by Timothy Hockemeyer on Aug 28, 2011 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah honestly

I think teams are more worried about Hester and Williams than they would be Knox and Bennet. That means that Knox and Bennet will come in and get Nickle Corners, or even Linebackers covering them.

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders

It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!

~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders

At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool

by suckmyditka on Aug 28, 2011 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions

Precisely.

Knox and Bennett will receive less coverage because of the threat that Williams and Hester represent. Even if they don’t entirely live up to their billing, they are still capable of it and teams have to account for that, giving better opportunities to Earl and Johnny.

in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The practice of repeating the same action while expecting different results.

by Timothy Hockemeyer on Aug 28, 2011 3:41 PM CDT up reply actions

we know Hester and Williams are going to catch about 50% of the passes thrown their way

It would be interesting to see how Bennett would do.

. "Most football teams are temperamental. That's 90% temper and 10% mental."
--Doug Plank

by ed_brown on Aug 28, 2011 9:54 PM CDT up reply actions

I just wanna know

If the Bears are going to get an autographed football to that guy who caught the kickoff and was forced to surrender the ball to the “authorities”. >:( that made me grrrr.

Jay Cutler is our quarterback, baby! Please pass the nitroglycerin tablets.

by juperee on Aug 28, 2011 4:49 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

I'm...not sure at all

Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that

by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Aug 28, 2011 5:41 PM CDT up reply actions

weren't they in Nashville?

and, wasn’t it a Titans’ fan?

I don’t know why the Bears would have anything to do with it considering it wasn’t their stadium or their staff that took the ball away.
And don’t they keep all balls that go into the stands at an NFL game? Isn’t that part of the reason of having the net for FG/PAT attempts?

Checking out my sprunjer?

by Chicago Faithful on Aug 29, 2011 8:42 AM CDT up reply actions

I got the impression he was a Bears fan

And I’m not saying the Bears “owe” him a ball, I’m just saying it would be an easy gesture on their part and would out-class the titans stadium staff.

If the net is ineffective and the fan gets a once-in-a-lifetime catch, why take it away?

Jay Cutler is our quarterback, baby! Please pass the nitroglycerin tablets.

by juperee on Aug 29, 2011 8:31 PM CDT up reply actions

I got that impression too

by the Bears jersey he was wearing.

"just as Gary Fencik will go down as the last person to catch a Joe Namath pass, Wootton will be remembered in NFL history as the last player to sack Brett Favre." - John "Moon" Mullin

by Brendan Hess on Aug 29, 2011 9:07 PM CDT up reply actions