Upon further review the Bears do have a chance of winning this week.  It seems the Eagles much like the Bears are winless in Night games this Year.  Something has to give and it looks like the Bears will have the edge playing at Home this week.

Eagle Offense:  This Team starts with Donovan McNabb and get off the bus passing.  He was 35 for 55 last week for 450 Yards and 2 TD's in a losing effort at San Diego.  This week however he is without his partner in crime Brian Westbrook.  The Eagles will have to put their faith in Rookie Running Back LeSean McCoy a late second round pick from Pittsburg.  He is 5' 10' and 200 pounds..  McCoy had a tough one last week with 3 carries for 5 yards.  He also had 3 receptions for 18 yards. 

Hot Receiver:  Jerry Maclin, another Eagles Rookie Wide Receiver has been one of the hottest players in the NFL.  He has scored a Touchdown in each of the last 3 Weeks including a Kick Off Return.  The Eagles also have a nice Tight End in Brent Celek.  Jason Avant and Kevin Curtis round out the Receiving Corps.

Eagles Defense:  They are tough but are beat up.  Key injuries to the Linebacker Corps and some ailing Defensive Backs should help the Bears.  The Eagles overall Defense is ranked 12th in the NFL.  Their Pass Defense in number 10 in the league.  The one stat that stands out to me is they have more interceptions than Touchdowns given up.  They have given up 14 Touchdowns and have 15 Interceptions on the Season.

Keys to Winning:  The Eagles are 9th in the NFL with a scoring Offense of 26.9 points a Game.  How do you stop them?  They average 102 yards rushing a game and are missing their starting Running Back.  In the Eagles 4 losses this Year, they have averaged 66 Yards rushing.  Shut down the Run, shut down the Eagles. 

Bears Offense:  After much debate through the media about Jay Cutler playing at Night I have looked deeper into the problems regarding all the interceptions that cost the Bears Games.  I have to admit I was wrong about Jay having problem with his vision at Night.  The Night is not the problem.  Jay Cutler is the problem.  Jay Cutler is a warrior.  A warrior without an effective Offensive Line or a Run Game.  He is taking it all on his shoulders and trying to win games by himself.  This leads to bad decisions like forcing passes and throwing off his back foot when he is under seige.  The Bears need to take the pressure off of him, especially in the Red Zone.  Safe plays like screens and figuring out how to run inside the 10 Yard line takes the pressure offf of him.  So the failures are on the Coaching staff and not Jay Cutler.  If the Bears remember that 3 points on a Field Goal is better than zero points on a Red Zone turnover we should have a decent chance of winning this game.  I really hope to see more of Devin Aromashodu at Wide Out to get us to the Red Zone this Evening.

Bears Defense.  Outstanding effort last week.  Held San Francisco to 10 points and 1 TD last week on the road.  If the Bears Offense finds a way to minimize turnovers it gives the Defensive unit a chance to win this game.  Holding the Eagles to under 100 Yards rushing and the front four getting pressure on Donovan McNabb are the keys to victory. 

Conclussion:  The Eagles went on the road in week 6 and lost 13 - 9 to the Oakland Raiders.  Jamarcus Russell had a QB rating of 68.2 in that game against the Eagles.  I think the Bears are a much better team than the Raiders.   Although the Eagles are favored by 3 points I say Eagles 20 - Bears 27.  As always, your thoughts?

Sure, the analogy is definitely out of left field, but the general idea stands. When you go to the flea market looking for a particular item you need to get there early, you need to have a really good grasp of what you're looking for, and you have to know what flaws you can fix and which render your prized possession garage fodder. So with all of that in mind, we know that we need a new OG of some kind. Omiyale could possibly pan out as a RT, but he has no future in the guard position from what we've seen. Shaffer hasn't looked fantastic at any point, and while his run blocking history  could spell a move to guard its a complete unknown which is the exact opposite of what we need to get this line in better shape next year. Beekman is probably moving inside to center following this season, and Garza isn't getting any younger. So let's sit down and make a quick assessment of what we have.

Continue reading this post »

The worst thing about the Bears' current woes is that I am no longer able to feign surprise.  Jerry Angelo was brought in specifically because of his success with Tampa Bay.  He has done what he was paid to do.  The Bears are now remarkably similar to Angelo's Buccaneers team(s).  That success came in spite of possibly one of the worst offenses ever for a Super Bowl victor.  Hiring him was a validation of the philosophy that success in the NFL can be had without investing in the offensive side of the ball.  Angelo was so validated that he did not even bother to bring in an offensive mind as good as or better than Gruden this time around, no need to open the door to possible dissent from offensive minded coaches.  The ineptitude of the offense in the wake of JC's arrival and the defenses' inability to stop anybody anymore illustrates how detrimental Angelo's master plan has been to the Bears.

So basically, Jerry Angelo is exactly who everybody knew him to be and the Bears are exactly what he designed them to be.  [can also read : Congratulations! We are now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.]

The Bears 2010 teams have been released, pending the "corresponding finishers."  Using this year as a basis, it's not the worst you've ever seen, but it could be pretty tough, especially if some of those teams that are solid running teams keep running, and we keep not bothering to stop teams from doing what they feel.

 Here's the link, and some thoughts below.

Continue reading this post »

Garrett Wolfe has a lacerated kidney that will sideline him the rest of the year.  So who is out there?  Larry Johnson looks very tantalizing right now but our old nemisis Cincinnatti picked him up.  We are getting really thin at this position.  Can you say Tiki Barber? 

Trade deadline has passed so if Matt Forte gets hurt, we are in deep trouble.  It looks to me like the Bears are going to have to scour the practice squads of every team in the NFL to find some back-ups.  This is due to their reluctance to sign NFL players that become available.  I guess they figure they will never need the help.

UPDATE: Bears officially place Wolfe on IR.  We should see someone replace him soon, so as not to have to reduce the number of players on the practice squad.  Helmet-tip to Brad Biggs!

UPDATE #2: Kahlil Bell upgraded from practice squad to 53 man roster.

                                                                              via hawkfantasysports.files.wordpress.com

Continue reading this post »

Overrated, over paid, washed-up, past his prime. These are a few of the words that have recently been used to describe Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. A 2005 Defensive Player of the Year award, six Pro Bowl appearances, consistently leading the team in tackles every year and providing locker room leadership has never been enough for people searching or hoping for the next Dick Butkus. #54 has played with numerous ailments over the last few years; he was the man in the middle of a defense that has been on the field for far too many plays thanks to an offense that struggles year after year. Yet through it all, Urlacher has never criticized his teammates or coaches. He has never given anything less than 110% in games and in practice. But still, we want him gone. Trade him for Boldin! Trade him for Marshall! Hell, trade him for any receiver west of the Mississippi!

Now, nine games into the 2009 season the Bears defense has been the worst it’s ever been under Lovie Smith. We have had two games where we have given up 31 points by half time. Two games, 31 by half time! This embarrassing feat has only previously been accomplished five times in Bears history, and considering the Bears were a founding NFL franchise, that is a pretty long history. We've tried to fill the void in the middle with veterans and regular starters, Nick Roach and Hunter Hillenmeyer. Though very serviceable and commendable, these two have struggled. Hillenmeyer has the brains, Roach has the athleticism. A hybrid of these two would be perfect....oh wait, we have that standing on the sideline with a cast on his right arm and a scowl on his face. The Bears run a Cover 2 defense; in this defensive scheme you must have a Mike linebacker that has the athleticism of a defensive back and the smarts of a coach (maybe other teams' coaches). NFL football may be the most physically demanding sport there is, but the game is still 95% mental. I feel this is where Urlacher is missed the most. As his physical skills decline, his football knowledge rises.

Urlacher has played hard for our Bears since 2000 and has had a number of great years. Yet, I think this year, his tenth in the league, after only playing one half of football is his most revealing. Leader, unappreciated, needed, important. These are the words that should define Brian Urlacher.

via a.espncdn.com

Continue reading this post »

Where do we start with this Post?  This post needs to start in the Red Zone.  The following suggestions will be scoffed at, poked fun of and laughed at.  I'm okay with that as I have a thick skin.  I will however make a sincere effort to keep the Spell Police at bay.

1. Red Zone Package:

Out: Devin Hester and his 5 foot 11 inch frame.  Replacement:  The biggest TE on the Bears line up Kellen Davis lines up at Wide out.  6 Foot 7' and 262 pounds.

Out: FB Jason Mckie, he has not opened a hole inside the Five Yard line all Year.  Replacement:  Marcus Harrison at Fullback.  6 Foot 3' - 310 pounds to open up a hole for Matt Forte.  Need I remind anyone of one William ' The Fridge' Perry?

Out: WR Earl Bennett, has he even been in the Endzone this Year?  Replacement:  Devin Aromashodu, Jay's favorite receiver.  At 6 foot 2' he is our tallest Receiver.  A team needs their tallest Receiver to be in the game in that situation.

Calling all TIght Ends!  Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, 6 Foot 5' , 262# round out the Red Zone Package.  So we have our biggest Receivers and add a monster in the backfield to get the job done. 

2.  A Ball Hawk:  When is the last time we seen the Bears jump a route?  I seen in in 2006 and have not seen a lot of it since.  We have been mired in the bend but don't break Defense for some time now.  We need to take a chance sometimes is obvious passing situations.  Receivers run slants, outs, ins, post, how about a Bears Defender takes a chance and jumps in front of the stop point?  All I ever see is a zone of Defenders in front of and behind Receivers.  I nominate Nathan Vasher.  Set him free Lovie!  set him free.

3.  Max Protect Package:  What is a Max Protect?  In my mind it's when you have your usual 5 linemen and a Tight End on each end for 7 on the line.  This Leaves 2 Receivers and a Back.  In this formation you could leak out a TE if you desire.  Other NFL teams use this formation but it must be a concept that does not exist in Ron Turners brain.  I stop to wonder what Jay Cutler could do if he had an extra 1 or 2 seconds to throw the ball.  We have had what appeared to be a Max Protect formation at times but Ronny always runs out of it.  Yes, the Bears are predictable again on Offense. 

4.  I saved the best for last:  Devin Hester out as starting Receiver.  Devin needs to remain a third Receiver because that is all the former Defensive back out of college is going to be.  He goes back to where he was a success and is full time Kick Returner.  By making him the third Receiver he has gas in the tank to pull off the big runs just like the good old days.  His replacement, Devin Aromashodu, a player actually drafted as a Wide Receiver out of college.

Conclussion:  There is an old saying, ' if it isn't broke don't fix it'.  Well it's broken and they need to fix it now.  What they have implemented thus far is a FAILURE.  I welcome any other suggestions that help this team get better.  Thank you.

With about a week to go until Thanksgiving I was sitting here taking a moment to reflect on what I'm thankful for. I've got a fantastic son, a wonderful job, and nothing but good things on the horizon on a personal and professional level. With all of these very good things, it brought me back to what has been a very disappointing season for the Chicago Bears at this point in the season.  However, this isn't the time of year for would haves, could haves, bad coaching, bad general managing, and human turn-stiling. This is the time of year where everyone takes a few moments to be thankful for the good things that we have, and the good things we have to look forward to.

There are tons of things to be thankful for even with the embarrassing state of the team at the moment, but I'm going to stick to my top 5. I encourage everyone to post a few things they are thankful for, and if they feel like it a personal thing they are thankful for as well.

Pro tip: If you can't think of anything, you can always be thankful you aren't a cheese head.

Continue reading this post »