Thread: Wednesday cut and paste articles

Originally Posted by grabowski85

Damn Right!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's even funnier is how the Vikes went "all in" this year way overpaying for Favre and now Moss, Screwing AP and Rice on contracts this year to sign the old guys, and now having it blow up in face and left with a bad record and no future Qb and likely to lose either Ap or Rice to F/A... Not a fun future

Favorable stretch of sked could put Bears in control
by john mullin




4-1 start has made the Bears a team to catch in the NFC and a stretch of winnable games could put them firmly in control of the NFC North before the tough closing slate.

W Sept. 12 vs. Detroit Lions (1-4) 19-14

Bears survive four turnovers and red-zone failures to escape with a “W” after officials rule Calvin Johnson did not complete a potential winning TD catch. Jay Cutler passes for 372 yards, Matt Forte nets 201 yards on 24 touches.

W Sept. 19 At Dallas Cowboys (1-3) 27-20

Cutler’s 0 INT’s plus in-game adjustments to Dallas pressure produced TD passes to Devin Hester, Greg Olsen and Matt Forte. Physical defense forced three Cowboys turnovers, all involving nickel back D.J. Moore who gets his first two career picks.

W Sept. 27 (Mon.) Green Bay Packers (3-2) 20-17

Nothing like a truly “pivotal game” just three weeks into a season. The winner gets the first tiebreak edge and the Bears have a chance to go 3-0 in the NFC. All games are statement games – this one comes with an exclamation point.

L Oct. 3 At New York Giants (3-2) 17-3

The missing pass rush returned to get Jay Cutler and vault the Giants squarely back in the midst of a very tight NFC East race among non-exceptional teams. Jay Cutler was sacked nine times and left at halftime with a concussion that ruled out realistic chances for a comeback.

W Oct. 10 At Carolina Panthers (0-5) 23-6

A horrendous, four-interception performance by Todd Collins was offset by 218 rushing yards, 166 by Matt Forte who scored twice, and the defense shutting down the Panthers with 147 yards. Bears finally exploded in a first quarter and stayed with a run commitment with changes in the OL.

Oct. 17 Seattle Seahawks (2-2) Next: at Bears

Seattle bumbled to 3 points in a loss to St. Louis but has done some positive things in something of a turnaround under Pete Carroll. Still, the Seahawks do not run or pass particularly well. Justin Forsett is the leading rusher but has 65 or fewer yards in all four games. WR Deion Branch was traded this week back to New England; focus, anyone?

Oct. 24 Washington Redskins (3-2) Next: vs. Indianapolis

An overtime win over Green Bay, without Albert Haynesworth, was an exclamation point after the Redskins’ win over Philadelphia last week. Washington is not scoring (17.8 ppg.) but isn’t giving up much either.

Oct. 31 Off week

Nov.7 At Buffalo Bills (0-5), Toronto Next: off

Buffalo couldn’t hold two 10-point leads in come-from-ahead loss to the Jags. Bills defense has allowed 30 or more points in four straight for the first time in franchise history. The Bills will beat someone this season but it’s hard to see who.

Nov. 14 Minnesota Vikings (1-3) Next: vs. Dallas

Brett Favre apologized before the NY Jets game for being a distraction off the field. He needed to apologize for some of his play on it. Dallas is reeling badly and this will be the virtual end for the Sunday loser

Nov. 18 At Miami Dolphins (2-2) Next: at Green Bay

The Dolphins, off this weekend, did not take care of home-field advantage in a game vs. New England that could come back to hurt them in playoff considerations. Poor play on special teams broke open the loss to the Patriots and got the ‘teams coach fired. Packers are hurting in lots of places.

Nov. 28 Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) Next: vs. Atlanta

Kevin Kolb’s return was more than enough for the Eagles to take care of Mike Singletary’s stumbling, winless 49ers, who got embarrassing plays out of QB Alex Smith. Eagles are 3-0 on the road. If San Francisco doesn’t begin a turnaround soon, Singletary will be on it.

Dec. 5 at Detroit Lions (1-4) Next: at New York Giants

The Lions are starting to show teeth. They played the Vikings close for a half, nearly upset Green Bay and then crushed St. Louis. The Giants in the Meadowlands are gathering momentum and will be a severe test for Detroit.

Dec. 12 New England Patriots (3-1) Next: vs. Baltimore

The post-Randy Moss era begins against a very difficult defense and a Ravens team that can cement control of the AFC Central and is 2-1 on the road this year.

Dec. 20 At Minnesota Vikings (1-3) Next: vs. Dallas

Dec. 26 New York Jets (4-1) Next: at Denver

One of the developing powers in the AFC, the Jets got after Brett Favre and showed a defense that just keeps getting better and finds new ways to attack. Jets have won four straight and is feeling it behind Mark Sanchez.

Jan. 2 at Green Bay Packers (3-2) Next: vs. Miami

Injuries are in danger of unraveling the Green Bay season. Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion in the OT loss to Washington on top of Ryan Grant and Nick Barnett already gone. Green Bay needs a turnaround win after losing two of last three and seeing its defense slipping.

Hope we get williams back this week- should know at Practice today if he's ready to go. Lovie been pretty strict about practicing wed/thurs to Start on sunday, unless a star player. Will say williams last week had no limp and looked fin wlking round the hotel- so while maybe not ready to Start, def has made progress.

The Briggs injury a bigger concern, but as lovie sid, probably just rest him until later in week before deciding( he's the star exception to the practice rules).

Major Wright also should be ready soon, but think with Manning/harris/moore/jenning.. all making plays nd playing well the last few weeks, and still needing a roster Spot for an extra lineman, until decide on the rotation, he's probably at least another week from being activted

Left tackle Chris Williams appears ready to return from a hamstring injury he suffered Week 2 in Dallas. Williams spent last week testing out his hamstring by working on the side with a member of the team’s training staff, a strong sign the former first-round pick is close to being able to practice.

When Williams jumps back into the mix, the Bears will be forced to decide between Frank Omiyale and rookie J'Marcus Webb at right tackle, assuming Williams settles back into his old job on the left side. The Bears paid Williams to be their left tackle of the future, so moving him again to right tackle might be counterproductive. Without question, Williams struggled in the preseason and in training camp when matched up against Julius Peppers, but it may be premature to assume the Bears are ready to pull the plug on the idea of Williams as the team’s left tackle.

The choice between Omiyale and Webb, however, may be more difficult.

It's obvious the Bears are very high on Webb -- a 2010 seventh-round draft choice -- and envision the rookie as a future full-time starter. The Bears love his size and aggressiveness, but like most first-year players, Webb occasionally isn't sure where he's supposed to be.

i'd like to keep Webb at RT, and use Omiyale as the "swing tackle" in case of an injury as he can play both.

Williams/garza/kreutz/louis-edwin/Webb

With shaffer/omiyale the reserves.

I was pleasantly suprised by edwin in the Carolina game, he really got a nice push in the Run game, though did struggle at times in pass bloking specifically allowing 2 blitzes by his left shoulder, needs to tighten that up, but didn't look out of plce all day, which is always good for an O-lineman.

Just think its real important to decide on a unit to keep working together, so they can get each other's tendncies and habits down- if tht happens should be alot better in 4-6 games of playing as a unit

So, unless they trip over their own feet, the Bears are looking at a 7-1 record at the halfway point; 6-2 at worst.

They will be favored to win each of the next three games, probably by more than a touchdown in two of them. That is, as long as Cutler plays, which is expected once he is cleared for a full return to activity after practicing Wednesday.

The 3-2 Packers face a brutal four weeks with quarterback Aaron Rodgers questionable this week with a concussion. And that's the least of the Packers' injuries.

On top of all that, the Packers face, in order: the Dolphins, Vikings, Jets and Cowboys. The lone bright spot is that only the Jets game is on the road, but the Packers have lost two of their last three with their only victory coming against the Lions by 2 points.

my guess after the 1/2 way point will be:

Bears 7-1 or 6-2

greenbay 4-4

Vikings 3-5

Lions 2-6

good news on briggs:

Star linebacker Lance Briggs, who sprained his right ankle in the preseason, left after injuring the other one in the second half Sunday. The coach said Briggs is "doing better" and could return to practice Wednesday.

http://www.rrstar.com/sports/bears/x...ainst-Seahawks

In Game 4, Bears finally turn to Taylor

Along with Forte, he provides offense with sound running game

By Vaughn McClure, Tribune Reporter
8:17 p.m. CDT, October 12, 2010

Maybe it wasn't the role Chester Taylor envisioned when he signed a four-year, $12 million contract with the Bears that included $7 million this season, but Taylor appreciated the increased opportunities regardless.

Last week, the Bears decided to designate Taylor as their short-yardage back, alleviating some of the burden off starter Matt Forte. While Forte sprinted to a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 23-6 victory over the Panthers, Taylor converted both of his third-and-1 opportunities.

And the Bears probably should have used him on third-and-goal from the 1 rather than have Todd Collins throw one of his four interceptions.

So what's the significance behind Taylor's pair of third-down conversions? Well, Forte entered Sunday's game 1 of 6 on third-and-1, part of the reason the Bears sit last in the league in third-down efficiency. They have converted just 21 percent (13 of 62) on third down.

As a team, we have to work better on third down, period, not just third-and-short,'' Taylor said.

Taylor was happy to see more touches, period, though with quarterback Jay Cutler expected back Sunday the running game likely will be scaled back. He had a season-high 18 carries against the Panthers, combining with Forte (22 carries) for 40 attempts. Taylor, who averaged just 2.4 yards per carry while gaining 43 yards, also had two receptions for 11 yards.

He entered the game with 24 touches total.

"Of course I wanted to play,'' Taylor said of his limit role through the first four games. "Everybody wants to play. But as long as you're winning ball games, that's all that matters.''

The Bears understand Taylor's value. He has a career average of 7.7 yard per carry and has been known as a reliable receiver out of the backfield. NFL analysts continue to point out how sorely the 1-3 Vikings miss him as a third-down back and blocker.

"I feel like I can play any down, honestly,'' Taylor said.

His new teammates feel the same way.

"First of all, Chester is a hell of a leader,'' center Olin Kreutz said. "He brings toughness to our offense. And he gets the tough yards. He's just a hell of a back to have.

"For a backup, you can't ask for anything more in the NFL. We view him as a starter, really.''

Taylor would be the first to admit he didn't gain all the yards he needed Sunday. On first down from the Carolina 9, he nearly scored but a replay confirmed he fell a yard short. On second-and-1, right before Collins' interception, Taylor was held for no gain and nearly fumbled on a play that was reviewed and upheld.

Taylor still was effective. He was the decoy on a Collins pitch to Forte that resulted in Forte's game-opening 18-yard touchdown run. Taylor, who picked up three of the team's 13 first downs, showed his burst on a 10-yard run before halftime, then nearly broke free one the very next play.

"There was that play there to him at the end of the half where I missed my block,'' Kreutz said. "If I hit that block, he breaks out.

"I mean, Chester has the same capabilities (as Forte). We just didn't block as well with him in there.''

Taylor would disagree.

"Luckily the offensive line did a good job getting me that little bit of crease to get first downs,'' he said. "That's what we've been trying to work on.''

vxmcclure@tribune.com

Last week, the Bears decided to designate Taylor as their short-yardage back, alleviating some of the burden off starter Matt Forte. While Forte sprinted to a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 23-6 victory over the Panthers, Taylor converted both of his third-and-1 opportunities.

This is something that got hidden in the game sunday. Nice to see taylor convert these, and if he can do this consistently a huge deal.. Also because of his good pass catchign skills , also opens up the play action off this play and even a nice dump off to him out of thebackfield, where because the "D" lined up tight probably a 1-1 battle for a long gain.

Taylor's Value has always been the "little things" and when Forte needs a breather not losing a thing in not only the run game, but also the blocking/pass game. While he probably will not put up dazzling stats this year, he has been worth the contract and value each week- and of course the 'insurance" against a forte injury that hopefully never see.

Cutler might have heard fans wondering why the Bears traded for him now that Kyle Orton is regularly putting up 300-yard passing games. If Cutler has, it will serve as even more motivation, just as he's fueled by the criticism he received last season.

''You can't let it bring you down,'' he said. ''It is going to be out there. You are going to hear it at some point. You can either let it bring you down or you can use it. Last year is one of those examples that I am going to look back on and use as motivation.''

I'll take jay over day of the week and twice on sunday over Orton. Its a huge difference from Orton to Cutler, orton doing well in the "system" of teh bronco's, but not going to put team on shoulder's or 'fear" from another team esp in the playoff's.. But Cutler will always have that, and teams will always Fear and respect the arm, and when he's going well arguably a top 3 Qb, just hs to get more consistent, which happens as he matures. People forget how bad aikman was to start career, How even peyton manning avg 20 INT's his first 4 years( more than cutler), in this 'what ahve you done for me TODAY" world, IMO much harder to develop and have people understand will hve growing pains- than was even 10 years ago.

let them doubt all year, Esp. if it keeps the teams and players like cutler motivated