Hey everyone.  Sorry I couldn’t get a recap out for the Colts/Bears game.  I was out of town for the game itself, and although I DVR’d it, I didn’t get to watch it until Friday night -what with work, a hockey game, and the continuing summer of storm hell (no major damage to my neighborhood, fortunately).  So I figured I’d just recap both games at once, since I knew I’d be at the game last night.  So without further ado…

 Some thoughts on the last two weeks of Bears football, while waiting for the refs to explain just why, exactly, Berrian got an unsportsmanlike penalty on this touchdown ‘celebration’ of dropping the football….

•  Ah, Grossman.  At times, he can look so damn  good.  At others, well….  The interceptions don’t bother me that much.  The one against the Colts was a QB trying to make a play when there wasn’t a better option.   And the interception (and near-interception) last night were the results of trying to throw to the check-down guy, who wasn’t as open as he looked.  What I can say about the two last night is he didn’t telegraph the throw - he was looking down the middle of the field until right before he threw the ball.  But Harris and the other guy jumped the route anyway.  Which tells me that the offensive coordinator shouldn’t use a short-out as the check-down receiver anymore - or Grossman should throw the ball away.  Either way, although they sucked, and the second non-interception bothered me a lot more than the one that was returned, I was bothered a lot more by the three fumbled snaps.  I don’t want Grossman turning into Kurt Warner, when he forgot how to hold on to the ball. 
• I think the Tribune put it best - Grossman can make throws (and I mean that in a good way) that neither Griese or Orton can.  It’s just a matter of Grossman being more consistent.  The problem with that is - he practically won’t be allowed by ‘fans’ to make even one mistake.  Last night, Grossman threw for 2 TD and had a rating somewhere in the one-teens.  But the fans still boo, because of a fumble and interception.
• And then, of course, there are idiots like the ‘fan’ behind me who was actually rooting *against* Grossman - he was actually cheering when Harris ran the ball back, because he cares (apparantly) more about Grossman failing than the Bears winning.  If Grossman leaves, I think most of these people years from now will be lamenting letting him go when he’s tearing it up for another team - probably someone in the division.
• And as good as Griese and Orton looked in the first two games, they were pretty ordinary last night.  Granted, some of that has to do with playing time, but neither one did a lot with the time they had.  And Orton had a throw just like the one Grossman had picked off last night against Indianapolis, but it was dropped.  But I’m sure the Grossman-haters would have found a way to dismiss that as a problem, while still maintaining Grossman is the worst Bears QB since, I dunno, Kordell Stewart.
• On the RB front, we haven’t seen much out of Benson yet, but I think that makes sense.  CB seems to be a guy who will get stronger as the game goes on - he’s not going to juke you out of your feet, he’s not going to speed around you on the edge, but he’ll keep coming at you and coming at you, and eventually, he’ll break some big ones as the game goes on.  He’s a big punishing back - which are guys who get most of their yards later in games.  That’s something you’ll never really get to in a pre-season game.  Or so I hope - because right now, Peterson is the better looking back.
• Hester - if you going to block someone low, don’t lead with  your head, m’kay?  Your injury scared the crap out of all of us last night.
• Bradley - lets remember that you might be thrown to on any play - don’t get open across the middle and looked shocked when the ball is thrown right in your chest, m’kay?  You did make up for it with a very nice catch later, tho.
• I’m really liking the fact we have a TE duo of Clark and Olson out there.  They could really cause some havoc, with the already potentially good group of WRs.  This really could be an explosive offense.
• Another great game by the O-Line in terms of protecting the QB.  Not sure if they had trouble opening holes for Benson, or if he just wasn’t hitting them.  Or if defenses will just play the run until Grossman can consistently beat them.  Or if, like me on Madden, it’s just harder to run against a 3-4.
• The starting defense was just outstanding last night.  Only first down of the first half seemed to be the muffed punt (which I didn’t think counted for a first down, but that’s the only one I saw upon rewatching the game this morning).  And they seem like they might be even faster than last year.  They definitely seem more aggresive.
• Second/Third string defense - eh.  Not great, but it seemed like the 49ers never got to their third stringers like the Bears did.  And they got a lot of playing time, which when it comes time to picking the backups is more helpful than forcing a bunch of three-and-outs anyway.
• Speaking of backups, I think Payne will make this team.  He’s just making too many plays out there.
• Have I mentioned that Hester is just stupid-good on kick returns?  All the good kick returners of the past always seemed to have that one great year, then start to slide off as the teams adjusted to him.  You know Hester is the most electric kick returner in the NFL right now, and he still has good to great returns.  Just unbelievable.
• And Daniel Manning isn’t that bad a return guy either.  Davis is OK - pretty fast, but not the moves of the other two.  And Vasher was pretty good before Hester came along.  It’s hard to believe the Bears are *this* stacked at kick returners.
• The PA guy started saying ‘Good as Gould’ last night after successful kicks.  That got old, excuse me, Gould pretty quick.  Apparantly, the PA guy agreed, because he stopped after the third instance.
• Also - had no idea his FGA hit the upright and bounced through.  From our angle in our seats, it looked like it sailed through cleanly, since we were watching it more from the side.  Long as it’s good.
• And finally, since my wife is yelling at me to shower so we can go buy food or something, it does look like the Bears have the tools to make another run at the Super Bowl, but it will depend on three things.  In order, 1) Stay healthy, 2) find Bensons running game, to help in 3) Grossman having a more consistent year.  If they can do these things, they should be right there again come January - even with the tough schedule - because I just don’t see anyone else in the division really challanging this year.  Green Bay is, IMO, still rebuilding, the Vikings have a great Defense but haven’t shown much offense yet, and Detroit is, well, Detroit.

I won’t be around for the game this week, so I’ll probably watch it after I get back from the Labor Day weekend, and throw a few thoughts up then.  Just hope the Bears stay healthy so they hit San Diego with all engines running.

GO BEARS!

I was so proud of the Bears last night. I really was. Here’s a recap of the game.

Cedric Benson gained 24 yards on 10 carries, Adrian Peterson added 8 yards on 5 attempts including a 1-yard TD and Garrett Wolfe produced a game-high 28 yards on eight carries.

Even though they created an explosive win last night, the Bears maintain all around that the win was not bent on revenge. YEAH, RIGHT.

Maybe they weren’t after vengeance, but the feeling was probably felt by most real Bears fans around Chicago, myself included. I seriously wanted them to hurt the Colts and possibly sit one of them, any one of them, out for the season. Much to my dismay, however, there weren’t any fatalities.

Chicago now has two main returners, Danieal Manning and Devin Hester. Danieal Manning’s return came immediately after the Colts had taken a 7-0 lead on Joseph Addai’s 4-yard TD run on the first play of the second quarter. Hester, now at WR, laughs at the comparisons the media is making towards him and Manning, realizing that they’ve already found him a replacement.

Manning blasted up the middle through a hole created by a wedge of blockers, dashed up the left sideline and was eventually angled out of bounds.

“I trust the guys that are in front of me blocking,” Manning said. “I knew they would have a block for me. I ran in there no holds barred and just right through there and a hole popped up.

“I thought I was gone at one point. Once I got around the kicker, I peeked back to my right and I saw the guy closing me off. He forced me to the sideline, so there was nothing else I could do except get as much as I could.”

This is something that I like to see the Bears do.  Great offense, great coverage, and great performance.  In the wake of Michael Vick and other crazy football players, it’s great to see a silver lining. Keep it up guys.

Final Score:  27-24

After the win against Houston last week, my faith was restored in the Bears’ goals for the season. Yes, my faith flutters from time to time, but who’s doesn’t?

Grossman looked good (7 of 7-48 yrds), Benson looked good (5 times for 23 yards), most of the new guys played very well, although what’s-his-face (Oh yeah, Griese) threw an interception; that’s where my faith stumbled a little, but hey, nobody’s perfect.  Umm….. where’s Orton??  The rookies did well too, with NIU pick Garret Wolfe carrying seven times for 15 yards total.  I liked seeing the new guys play, they had a fire and desire in them that is only fueled by the possibility of not making the squad.

As long as nobody’s hurt badly, I’m happy.

Things are getting REALLY competitive though.  When teammates start takin’ slugs at one another during practice, you can tell the tension’s high. I hope they let that aggression out on the Colts, in their Super Bowl rematch this Monday.  I wouldn’t miss that game….this time, we may have the upper hand for real. However, it’ll be a tough one, just like last time, so let’s not sing “Bear Down, Chicago Bears” just yet.

It’s time for the series that about three of you out there read, the ‘View From The Couch/Not So Cheap Seats’ game recaps.

 I know, I know, you’re excited.  But try to contain yourself.

First, some ‘housekeeping.’  Welcome, hello, whatever to MegaBears.  While admitting I hadn’t done a whole lot w/ the site since the Super Bowl (well, anything, really), I was still suprised to login one day to see a completely different blog site, along with posts from someone that wasn’t me.  I’ve been told the site is still ‘mine’, but it’s not like I get paid for this or anything, and I’m thrilled that someone else is out there posting a lot of stuff - especially with as busy as this summer as been with the new house, a job that kills me at times, and just a general lack of interest in the offseason.  Still, I enjoy writing game recaps, so I’ll still be doing that, and if MegaBears wants to ‘take over’ the site, more power to him/her.

 Second, some quick hits on the off-season activities

• Thought the draft was OK.  Liked the Olsen pick, the rest, well, we’ll see how they do.
• While I thought the Bears should have waited to see if Tank Johnson was actually guilty of Drunk Driving, I do feel that, with someone on as short a leash as he was on, he shouldn’t have even put himself in that position.  Plus, so long as Harris stays healthy this year, I don’t think he’ll be missed that much, if at all.  I still hope he turns his life around - as he said he’s gonig to - and eventually figures out how to stay out of trouble.
• I thought the Bears did a GREAT job handling the situation with Lance Briggs.  While understanding why he wasn’t happy with the situation, the Bears did nothing wrong, and to turn into a five year old (at the behest, I think, of Drew Rosenhaus - who I maintain is the devil incarnate) threatening to take his ball and go home was just stupid.  Specifically, while I wouldn’t not have been upset had they ended up trading Briggs, the Bears did NOT sell Briggs for 5 cents on the dollar as we’ve seen so often in similar situations.  And it worked out for the Bears in the end - and Briggs ends up a Free Agent a year earlier.  So again, Kudos to the Bears for the handling of the Briggs situation.

OK.  Enough of that.  What about the first pre-season game?  Some thoughts on the start of a season we all hope goes one win farther than last season:

• Just a couple bad throws all game, and not one of them by Grossman.  8-10, 50 yards, and not one bad decision in his 10 throws.  Certainly better than anything we saw out of him last pre-season.
• Griese, on the other hand, had a horrible throw that was intercepted.  To be fair, he was outstanding the rest of the game.
• And who is this Orton kid?  He looked nothing like the QB we saw two seasons ago.  Not that he was horrible then, but his arm strength is a hell of a lot better now.  I’ve heard he worked a lot on that in this offseason, and it shows.
• It scares me to say this, but right now, I feel comfortable with ANY of the three QB’s on the roster leading the offense.  I can’t remember any point in my life as a Bears fan when I could say that.  And that doesn’t even include Chris Leak who - to be honest - I didn’t even realize was on the team (though probably not for long).
• Whatever you think of the Bears 3-headed QB monster, the offense will perform - or not - based on how good Benson plays.  He didn’t see a lot tonight, but he looked OK.  No huge runs, but he wasn’t getting bottled up, either.
• Adrian Peterson has been a great change-of-pace back for years, and I’m happy he’ll be back at (probably) 2nd string.
• Wolfe certainly looked good at times, even if he looks to be half the size of anyone else on the field.
• Hester had one ball thrown his way in his first game as a WR.  And he made a real nice catch on it.  I can’t wait to see him get some more playing time to see what he can do.
• Olsen needs to cut his hair. 
• Defnese - well, a number of people didn’t play.  Still, the defense looks like a typical Bears defense of late - let the other team move relatively freely between the 30’s, and tighten up beyond that.  They did a nice job forcing a lot of FGA given the field position the Texans had.
• Kevin Payne had the best and worst play of the game.  The best was a great rundown of the Texans RB when he had what looked to be a LOT of open field, and caught him for only a six yard game.  The speed with which he closed on the RB was impressive.  However, he also dropped an interception that was thrown right into his gut.
• Tyler Everett also had two real good plays.  The first one he did all but take a pass completion away from a Texans WR, ending in a strip/incompletion.  He also had another real nice pass deflection to get the ball back for the Bears with the good guys still down by 2.  Ditka and whoever the PbP guy on NBC was said Everett was one of the reasons the Bears felt OK letting Chris Harris go, and although it’s only one pre-season game, I can see why.
• Do we need another Ayanbaejo on this team?  I just learned how to pronounce the first one’s name.
• Special teams - kicking was good.  Even on his missed 53 yarder in the 1st, Gould had the distance.  Hard to believe he was (IIRC) in some minimum-wage like job when O’Brian was sucking things up for the Bears.  The kick/punt return teams, however, was pretty damn bad.  Understandably, that team is filled with guys who won’t be here in a month, but still.
• I don’t who returned the last punt for the Bears, and fortunately fumbled the ball out of bounds, but I’m not sure how that guy still has his head.  That was one hell of a hit.
• Finally, in the grand scheme of things, the win doesn’t mean much.  But if you’re going to go play a game, you might as well win it.  And the Bears already, from what I remember, look better than they did in last years first pre-season game.  Still time to change my opinion, but even after this one game, I feel better about the Bears chances to make the playoffs again this year, barring injuries and so forth.

It’s happening.  Finally.  The Bears are here. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for this since the end of January.  Welcome back, football season.

They’re playing the Houston Texans tonight in their first exhibition game. With all the drama these guys have witnessed in the offseason,  I know that the fans just want to see them get out on the field and DOMINATE.  And with all the changes made, there’s a lot to be proven.

First, Grossman has to prove that he an be a consistent starting quarterback in his second full season, and Devin Hester, once the best returner in the league (in my humble opinion) has to prove that he can be just as great as a receiver.  I’m excited to see how both of them have changed, and improved, for this new season.  Cedric Benson has to make sure that he can stay healthy enough to run that ball as well as we all know he can, and I’m sure that this season, he will be able to turn it on.

Tonight, we’re at the Texans, a team who’s coach has received a lot of praise for his team’s work throughout training camp, especially with his new quarterback, one-time backup Matt Schaub.  He and the new, tight offense is ready for the season (so they say) but they have to first be tested against the best defense in the NFL.  I believe this will be one knocked down in the win column for the Bears, and I am trusting that will set the stage for them this season.

Here are the weekly team/player updates:

• Alex Brown is going to be potentially replaced by Mark Anderson for the starting DE spot.  He may be able to still start, if he takes Ogunyele’s place.
• There are talks about Kyle Orton replacing Griese as backup quarterback, since Orton is getting a bit more time with the second team.  Ron Turner maintains, however, that Griese’s status hasn’t changed.
• The NFL Hall of Fame Ceremony will miss Hall of Fame Bears coach Mike Ditka, as he is boycotting the ceremonies until the NFL takes action to improve disability payments for disabled players.

I have, to admit, I was very happy when Lance Briggs finally came to his senses and settled on an agreement with his team. I think the Bears franchise, and especially Jerry Angelo, have been especially gracious in his arrival to training camp, but I’m also glad that no one’s really saying anything to the media. I’d like for all of this to blow over quietly, and for it to disappear in the shadows of the Mike Vick scandal.

The Bears are currently all signed and ready to work in Bourbonnais at the moment. Their trade for Darwin Walker was especially good, in my humble opinion, and will definitely make up for Mr. Tank (although I thought it juuuuuuust a bit disrespectful that he’s already practicing in Johnson’s number 99 jersey). When I saw that, Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” started playing in my head……..

We’ll see how all of this works out in the next few weeks, but football season is upon us, and I couldn’t be more excited. Summertime drama has been squashed, and I think that these Bears are going to have another awesome season, and another stab at the Super Bowl.

With all of the developments going on in Chicago and the city’s new obsession with smoke free restaurants, bars, and the like, there’s one new place that will be going smoke free later this month: Soldier Field.

There’s a rich tradition at this historic stadium that includes the stogies (which are a bit repulsive to me, honestly) and a lot of fans may be upset to know that they will not be allowed from now on. There wasn’t a whole lot of smoking to begin with because there were designated smoking areas and Soldier Field in general was smoke free, but starting August 25, there will be no designated smoking areas either inside or outside the stadium. According to the new regulations, a first time violator will receive what is called a “smoking card”, and have to hand over their ticket. Repeat offenders will be asked to leave and may also lose their season ticket privileges.

The statute was passed at the state level and prohibits smoking at all public venues, including all sports arenas.

Although I think smoking is a terrible habit, I think Chicago may be going just a little bit overboard with this new smoke free statute. Besides, how hard is it going to be to to monitor everyone and all their junk under all that Bears paraphernalia, ESPECIALLY in the winter when it feels like -35F by the lake??? That stogie smoke may be the only thing to keep you warm!!!!