Grizzly Men :: A Chicago Bears Blog: Super Bear Super Bowl!

Yeah yeah, we pulled this one out of our 'you know where' but this is what super bowl teams do

2006-10-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

Zero offensive points in the first half. Down twenty points in the second half. Two more turnovers in the second half for a total of six. Zero offensive touchdowns in the second half and three points generated by Rex Grossman and Crew all game long. So what do the Bears do? You know, just spot the Cardinals three more points in the second half and somehow go out and erase a twenty point deficit with frightening defense and well executed special teams.

This team defies the laws of football. When you lead the league in scoring, take the field and put up three offensive points and somehow the other two facets of your game are that good that they can erase a twenty point deficit then they must be putting something in the water back at Halas Hall.

As exciting as this win is though, the offense looked absolutely putrid. They looked out of sync, everyone's timing was off from the first play of the game on after Grossman missed a sure touchdown to Bernard Berrian down the seam. The running game went nowhere, however, thats probably more due to the fact that we were forced into a lot of passing situations down so many points. A bye week though, could not have come at a better time for Rex Grossman, Ron Turner and the rest of the offense. Even the O-line had an off game. Hopefully everyone just needs a little rest.

On the positive, this website has been talking about him basically every week since the preseason and I guess I just cannot get over the whole, "I told you so," thing. MARK ANDERSON BABY! Wow. The backup right end, who somehow led the team in sacks going into this week saved this game for us. I put almost all the credit on his shoulders. After the Bears failed to score on their final drive of the third quarter, Mark Anderson's sack and strip of Matt Leinart for a touchdown picked up by none other than the playmaker Mike Brown (does this guy ever stop scoring touchdowns!?) changed the momentum of the game. All of a sudden now the Bears had life, being down only two scores going into the fourth quarter. Anderson is now second in the league in sacks with 6.5 and really goes to show why this Bears team is so good: because they have unsurpassed depth.

As bad as we looked on offense, the Bears now know that the defense can pick them up if needed. While the team on the field last night will not win a Super Bowl, it just goes to show you that to win a game in the NFL you just need to win two of the three facets of the game; special teams, offense and defense. The Bears left the ofense back at Soldier Field but hats off to the ball hawking defense and a hard working Special Teams that just never quit.

The game ball though, goes to Brian Urlacher. Ten solo tackles, a total of 18 tackles on the day and the crucial strip of Edge make this a no-brainer. This is why he is THE reigning Defensive Player of the Year, he simply makes this defense go. Well, the dream continues...could the Bears possibly be the first team in NFL history to go 16-0? Probably not, but that doesn't mean we can't keep hope alive!

Jerry Angelo is a Genius

2006-10-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

Honestly, the Bears have the most fearsome defense in the National Football League last year, yet Angelo drafts defensive players in the first five rounds of the draft. Some fans were not happy with this aproach, thinking Angelo missed out on opportunities to draft a tight end, or possibly a receiver. Instead Angelo drafted two defensive backs with his first two picks and then, even more inexplicably he drafted two defensive linemen in the 3rd and 5th rounds--this with the knowledge that D-Line was probably the Bears deepest position.

Daniel Manning, the safety out of Abiliene Christian immediately became the starter and Mark Anderson, slyly selected in the 5th round somehow leads the team in sacks and is a half a sack off the league lead.

On another note, Rex Grossman is sickening. The touchdown pass to Rashied Davis was one of the most unbelievable passes I have ever witnessed live. If you have a chance to see a replay of this on Primetime tonight or elsewhere please, take another long look at this pass. Grossman not only is throwing off his back foot, but he is throwing the ball while backpedeling, 30 yards down the field and has to fit it into a window about three feet wide between two defenders. Every time I see this pass it boggles my mind.

Chew on this stat: Rex Grossman has only appeared in 13 games in his career so far. Thirteen. Three less than an entire season. He is playing this weel and does not even have a full season under his belt, Sexy Rexy is going to get better and that is scary for opponents right now.

Injury Report

2006-10-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

Again, the Bears are fortunate enough to have a limited injury report, although the new addition this week is Adewale Ogunleye who is Questionable with a hamstring injury. Mark Anderson as we have seen and read about is playing well and looks as though he can slot in admirably for Goony if he is not able to play. Mark Bradley is still on the report with an ankle injury that makes him Questionable as well. This is really unfortunate because Bradley is an exciting player who can make this offense even better. He was showing us some of that excitement with 4 catches for 85 yards in only the first half of the Bears first game against the Lions last year when he tore his ACL. Hopefully he will be able to come back soon and contribute. Des Clark is also still on the list but he showed us last week that he is still able to play. With a mostly healthy team the Bears are set for another home game with the Bills this weekend. Anything short of a shut out will be slightly disapointing.

Words Cannot Describe...

2006-10-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

...how unbelievable one had to feel around midnight EST last night. The best way to describe it is the huge smiles Bears fans across the country must have been wearing all day today. It is not even an "I told you so" kind of feeling. I could not have predicted this. You could not have predicted this. The Bears could not have predicted this. A 37-6 BEATDOWN of the reigning NFC champions? Not even in my wildest dreams could I have thought this one up. I thought we would win the game. I thought we would cover the spread even (though I NEVER bet on my own team, any loss is pain enough, I cannot imagine losing money on top of that).

What the Bears did on Sunday is reminscent of the home game against Carolina last year. People were still not convinced that the Bears were for real but viewed the Panthers as possibly the toast of the NFC. We stomped them something like 19-3. That win felt big. This win feels astronomical.

However, let us not get ahead of ourselves, this is just week 4. While we should without a doubt be 5-0 after next week, this is the NFL, any given Sunday...

The real test will come weeks 10, 11 and 12 when we will have to go up against both New York teams and then New England on the road. I am fairly confident we will beat both New York teams--New England on the road is another story, especially after what they did to Cincinnati this weekend.

I won't lie, I am dreaming of a 16-0 season, but in reality those thoughts cannot start until the Bears are 9-0 heading into that vicious three week long road trip. For now though, we deserve to revel in this victory.

The spotlight of this game obviously goes to Tommie Harris. A verocious beast set loose the micro-second after the center releases the ball, Harris has five sacks already in four games--he had three all of last year and still made the Pro Bowl. This was really his coming out party, as he had Hasselback nearly sacked on multiple other occasions only to watch the Seahawk QB manage to throw some lame-duck passes to the sidelines.

After one notices Tommie though, we also have seen more productive play out of Mark Anderson, a player this site highlighted a couple weeks ago. This 5th rounder has been the Bears rookie of the year so far already posting 3.5 sacks--2 more sacks than the first overall pick in the draft Mario Williams. For now he is a great guy to be in the rotation, for the future he should be an excelent replacement for Adewale once his contract expires. Or, if the Bears get really creative they could easily move the fleet-footed Anderson to linebacker as his 6' 4" 255 pound frame is almost exactly the same size as Urlacher, who only has 3 extra pounds on the rookie out of Alabama.

Good things to come for the Bears folks. Wow, a Super Bowl may actually be a reality.

Showdown with the Seahawks

2006-09-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

Are you nervous? I'm not. I really believe this Bears team is for real, sure this game will be a struggle but I fully expect to be dreaming of a perfect 16-0 season when I go to bed on Sunday night.

Rex Grossman faced a strong secondary on the road in Minnesota and came out with mixed results, however, after faltering with his second interception Grossman showed the maturity to put the mistake behind him and find Rashied Davis for the game winning touchdown with less than 2 minutes to play.

This Sunday the Bears may face a better defense, but I believe that the Minnesota secondary is superior to that of the Seahawks. This combined with the fact that the Bears will be at home and not in a hostile environment as they were last week has me believing that Grossman will have a good game against the Seahawks.

As far as our defense goes I expect another punishing performance as well. Hey, if the punchless Lions can hold the Seahawks to less than ten points I would hope we could as well. In that week one game against the lions Hasselback did complete about 25 passes, however, he was never able to get the big play into the endzone. Similarly, the Bears have allowed Jon Kitna and Brad Johnson to complete a high percentage of passes but it is our bend and not break philosophy that will allow the Bears to be victorious once again in week four.

As far as injuries go Mark Bradley is Questionable again, but we have not seen any of him at all this year, save one five yard reception from Brian Griese. Des Clark is also Questionable and that may hurt us. John Gilmore has shown the ability to find open areas in the endzone but I doubt he can stretch the field as Clark can. Hopefully Clark will play, if not Grossman will have to find another weapon to use--maybe a higher dosage of Rashied Davis.

In the end I expect some scoring in this game but not a ton, in the end my final score prediction is a 20-16 Bears victory.

A Closer Look at Thomas Jones

2006-09-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

After getting a little frustrated with the Bears veteran Thomas Jones, the same Thomas Jones who's 1350 yards last year were the most ever since Walter Payton, I took a closer look at Jones' stats and I am beginning to change my tune. For a running back to gain 100 yards in a game usually he will need about 25 carries a game. When a team relies heavily on their running game as the Bears did last year a running back can expect to see close to 30 or more carries. However, in the case of Thomas Jones the most carries he has been given this year is 21 in both weeks one and two. Against the Vikings Jones was given only 18 carries. While his average yards-per-gain is only 3.0, a running back will generally need a healthy dose of carries in order to bust out a couple of big runs that allow their averages to be over 4 yards-per-carry. In all three games this year Jones has had runs of 17, 15 and 17 yards and with 5-10 more carries Jones could easily bust out a couple more of those as defenses wear down towards the end of a game. Another reason to cut TJ some slack is the play of Cedric Benson. Benson has averaged only 2.7 yards-per-carry this year and his longest run is just 7 yards. With Rex Grossman playing at a higher level this year the Bears have been gaining yards more and more through the air and have not had to rely on the power running game that they have preached for the last three decades. As Grossman continues to develop and gain more respect throughout the league I would expect more holes will open up in the running game and that Thomas Jones will put together a nice string of 100 yard games. With a very difficult Sunday night game against the Seahawks I expect that the Bears will have to turn to Jones to carry a significant portion of the load and he will have to produce for the Bears offense to get the play-action to work and allow Berrian to break free down the field. With three more games before the bye week I give Jones till the Monday night game at Arizona before I would turn to Cedric Benson.

Gosh I hate the Vikings

2006-09-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

And that only made yesterday's win so much sweeter. I hate the Metrodome, I hate the way the Vikings play against us, Brad Johnson makes me want to puke, the list is endless. I somehow have always disliked the Vikings even more than the Packers if one can believe that. The Packers are just a team I have always at least had respect for. They are our bitter rivals, however, there is some nobility in the rivalry that one simply does not see in a Vikings-Bears game. Tempers always seem to flare up against the Vikings, whether its Olin Kreutz and GIGANTIC Pat Williams jawing at the line of scrimage or Daren Sharper talking smack about Rex Grossman, it always seems as if every player is inches or seconds away from getting into a brawl on the field.

This game was a success for the most part. We did a good job of shutting down their running game and did not allow any big plays through the air which is the purpose of the cover two defense the Bears use. However, we got minimal pressure on Brad Johnson and that is not very characteristic of this Bears defense. To the Vikings credit they have a massive offensive line, anchored by Matt Birk at center, the entire left side of the line and Birk are all legitimate pro bowlers and LG Steve Huchinson and LT Bryant McKinie are two of the largest O-lineman in the game. When Hutchinson had to come out of the game the Bears did a good job of gaining penetration as Tommie Harris was lined up on that side of the field. His forced fumble made up for the limited pressure in the early part of the game and this turnover was probably the main reason we won.

Another area of concern is the running game. For the third straight game Thomas Jones failed to reach 70 yards and averaged only 3 yards a carry--this is a concern. After the first two weeks of the season without a solid game under his belt, one could have chalked up Jones' lack of production to more 8-man-fronts by the defense and teams playing the run while not respecting Rex Grossman. However, after Grossman's stellar first two outings of the season, Jones really had no excuse not to create some plays against the Vikings. While he did look good at times, in the end TJ averaged 3 yards-per-carry for the third straight game and that is just not productive enough for a starting running back on a team looking to go to the Super Bowl.

Injury Update

2006-09-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Both WR Marcus Robinson and Troy Williamson are Questionable for the Vikings heading into Sundays game. Both recievers have sore shoulders and while they may still play in the game, it may be easier for the bears corners to press them at the line. Also, both players--especially Williamson--may be a little hesitant to go over the middle for a pass and may be wary of jumping into traffic to try and snag a jump ball. For the Bears only Israel Idonoje is Questionable as he has been for the previous two games. Luckily for us the Bears probably have the best defensive line depth in the league and this should not be a problem, especially with the way Mark Anderson has stepped into the backup end position.

Start Tying your Shufflin Shoelaces

2006-09-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe this is a tad bit premature, but I am getting excited to watch that little game that takes place in Miami this coming Februrary. You know the one, big rediculous opening acts before the game and extravagent Halftime shows. It's kind of a big deal, theres all sorts of funny commericals that go along with it too. Yes, it is too early to start talking Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean that I can't dream about it.

Entering this Bears season I heard the Super Bowl talk and thought, "wow, this is great, the team needs to be positive and focused like this, I'm excited," but then it just became too much. Experts were pointing out that we still didn't have enough offense to be true Super Bowl contenders and you know what? I actually believed them.

I am not going to lie, I was scared to watch that first game in Green Bay. I was afraid of what might happen if we, gasp...actually lost.

Well my fellow Shufflers, those days are over. I was confident leading up to the Lions game, even though I thought it may be more of a fight than it actually was and I am confident headed into the Vikings game.

If we are truly Super Bowl contenders, then we will march into Minnesota and claim our rightful spot at the head of the division. If this Bears team really is ready to step it up and flex its muscles then beating a Minnesota team with the oldest quarterback in the NFL and a team that has never been able to run the ball should not be difficult. Minnesota has one true deep threat, last years 11th overal pick Troy Williamson, who, if anyone was watching that first Monday night game two weeks ago, has no idea how to catch a ball. Marcus Robinson...yes the ex-Bear ageless wonder...is a nice posession receiver but should never beat this team deep.

If I am Lovie Smith I would shake things up on the defense a little bit this Sunday. I know, dont fix it if it 'aint broke but I would much rather see number one corner Peanut Tillman line up across from the bigger Marcus Robinson and jam his aging butt at that line of scrimage. Tillman is a big guy, with ok speed, but as we saw against Carolina in the playoffs, he is no match for a true speed reciever like Williamson is. I would line up Ricky Manning across from Williamson because he is the quickest of our corner backs, not counting the Windy City Flyer Devin Hester.

Other than that, there are two players I would really like to see more of this game: Tank Johnson #99 and Mark Anderson #97 (no, that is not a much slimmer Michael Haynes out there, Haynes got cut and Mark stole his number). Tank recorded five sacks in limited playing time last year, that really is an amazing stat. He also forced the John Kitna fumble at the Lion's three yard line last week and is a force to be reconned with coming through that line. I would love to see him put some pressure on the old and slow Brad Johnson and see how he reacts. Mark Anderson is a our fifth round pick out of Arkansas and was really the steal of the draft so far for us. He was ranked a lot higher than a fifth rounder and they say he was still left on the board because he was kind of a tweener, as in, he did not have a true position coming into the NFL. At 6' 5" 250 lbs he was a little large for a linebacker but a little small for a defensive end. However, knowing Lovie Smith he is the perfect fit in this Bears defensive scheme because Lovie loves those quick pash rushers off the end. Mark has fit in beautifully, spelling Alex Brown from time to time and has two sacks in two games to show for it.

I think this game will come down to one thing, our defensive line play, and that has me excited. If the D-Line can stop Chester Taylor and shut down the running game early then Brad Johnson is going to be forced to pass and will be a sitting duck in the pocket. If the line can get the kind of pressure it did last week then Johnson will not have much time to throw the ball deep and his lack of mobility will hopefully force him into some difficult throws. If the Vikings can run the ball this could be a long hard fought game because with a balanced offense Brad Johnson is a good quarterback. The Viking defense is not bad, with a decent secondary and a couple playmakers in the front seven in Udezi the end and at linebacker. Normally one would say the Bears need to have a good running game but they really havent had to the last two games. If our defense is not as stout though as the last two weeks, running the ball will become key to take some pressure off Grossman and give him time to make those crisp throws. The O-Line has been amazing so far and if they continue there strong play I expect at least a six point Bears win. I'll say final score Bears 17 Vikings 10.

FOOTBALL!

2006-08-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Ha, ok sorry this site is a little weak. I'm not sure if anyone has visited it but if you have I appologize for setting it up and then not posting at all. I was all gung-ho about the Bears though because the Cubs have been so putrid lately but then I went on vacation, the Cubs started to do better and yada-yada-yada. I will for sure start posting on here soon, I just need to gather my thoughts on the Bears and I will do so after the second pre-season game. Nine days till the new Madden is out, who's pumped up!?

Bear Down, Training Camp is Here

2006-07-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Oh gosh. The season starts today and I cannot wait for a full training camp report once I get off work. Before that though I'd like to go through what I think will be the most important and exciting position battles that our Bears will be waging for the next five weeks. What I am really interested in are those battles that don't seem very important right now, but if an underdog wins, could be an exciting story by the time opening day is here. Wide reciever, running back eh, who cares, they will be fun to keep an eye on but in the end; Thomas Jones or Cedric Benson? Bernard Berrian or Mark Bradley? Either way we will have a stud starting at the position and a consolation winner who will still garner substantial playing time. Starting with, in my opinion, easily our strongest position we have a very intriguing battle ahead of us in the trenches:

Defensive Line: Ian Scott vs. Dusty Dvoracek
A steal in the third round, Jerry Angelo and crew were able to land a stud of a defensive tackle in Dusty Dvoracek. Dropping in the draft for possible character issues, or more simply, for abusing alcohol and getting caught too many times (who really cares about that anyways?) this Oklahoma Sooner took to the D-Line with his long blonde hair and a mean-streak in his eyes every Saturday afternoon and struck fear into the hearts of the quarterbacks across the line of scrimage because of his quickness and explosiveness off of the snap. Described in one scouting report, Dusty (oh goodness, I really hope I'm not reminded of Baker every time I see this name) truly looks like a classic Chicago Bear-type player: "This is a blue collar, lunch pail type working defensive lineman inside the rugged interior line, that is more of self made player that plays on guts and intensity more than athletic ability." Not the most enthusiastic scouting report but these atributes can work very well with the rest of the personel on the Bears D-Line. Continue reading: "I like him at the nose guard position, because his gifts and mentality as a player suit him there best, he is a player with his hustle, aggression and intensity that requires a double team to block him, and that is the characteristics it takes to play the nose guard spot ." When I see it takes a "double team to block him" immediately I think of how Tommie Harris can shoot right through his gap to the football the second a second O-lineman slots over to guard Dvoracek.

Then there is Ian Scott. A similar player who's pure guts and intensity make him a good football player moreso than his physical abilities...

Daaa BEARS!

2006-07-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

Finally. I can taste it, just barely, but it's there. The sweet taste of anticiapation for the 2006 Chicago Bears to finally strap those pads on and kick some ass! Ok, I know I am getting a tad bit carried away but with how the baseball team twenty minutes north of Soldier Field has been doing this year, football could not come a second sooner. And it's not even here yet, however, after enduring the last three months of the Cubs, I think I can wait one day before our Grizzly Men strap on their helmets and start knocking the snot out of each other. Training Camp officially starts tomorrow and we as Bears fans have a hell-of-a-lot to get excited over. Position battles baby! It's getting late tonight so I'll have to do my position battle rundown tomorrow, but off the top of my head the most exciting battles will be first and foremost at the wide reciever position; Mark Bradley or Bernard Berrian, ha I know, tought choice there, I love both those little speedsters. Then at safety I love the battle that will ensue between last year's 6th round sensation Chris Harris and this year's top pick out of a Division 1-AA school, Daniel Manning. Finally, I like the cornerback battle that may take place between Charles "I'm slower than Tommie Harris" Tillman and free-agent acquisition Ricky Manning, Jr. All I know is I might have to drug myself to fall asleep tonight with dreams of training camp dancing through my ADD-riddled brain. Bear down baby!