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Archives for 2010-2011 Schedule

NFL.com’s Kirwan Believes “Forte Is One of The NFL’s Underrated Backs”

2nd June 2011 by under 2010-2011 Schedule     

Last season, Matt Forte rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the second time in three years, finishing with 1,069 yards and six touchdowns on 237 carries.

Forte averaged 4.5 yards per carry which happened to be the best by a Bears player with at least 200 carries since Neal Anderson averaged 4.7 ypc back in 1989.

Forte also tied for the team lead with 51 receptions with 547 yards and three touchdowns.

He joined Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton as the only other running back in Chicago Bears history to gain 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in the same season.

NFL.com senior analyst Pat Kirwan believes that Bears running back Matt Forte deserves a lot more recognition than he is receiving.

Forte was ranked in NFL.com’s list of best running backs as #13. He fell into group c, the list goes from A-I (1-45).

Here’s what Kirwan had to say about Matt Forte’s value:

“Forte is an all-around back who lives in the shadows of greats like Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson and Michael Turner,” Kirwan writes. “To appreciate Forte, you really have to look at the total yardage picture and not just the rushing totals.”

“Over the past three years, Forte has gained 4,731 total yards with 25 touchdowns. Steven Jackson has 4,783 yards and 18 touchdowns over the same period of time. Turner has 4,102 yards and 39 scores. Jamaal Charles has 3,981 yards and 17 TDs. Darren McFadden only has 3,050 yards and 15 touchdowns.”

“Point being, Forte is every bit the weapon the other backs are around the league. However, for some reason, he isn’t on the tip of anyone’s tongue when the great runners are discussed.”

All quotes from NFL.com

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Why Not? Packers-Bears Week 3 NFL 2010 Highlights

10th May 2011 by under 2010-2011 Schedule, why not     

Since there isn’t much going on. I figured Week 3 highlights of the Bears vs Packers would be enjoyable to watch.

This is for everyone who wants the NFL out of the lockout.

Bear Down!

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Listen In To Jake and Dave In The Afternoon Today At 3 PM ET

28th February 2011 by under 2010-2011 Schedule     

Check out the radio show about anything sports, Jake and Dave In The Afternoon on Monday’s 3-4 ET and Friday’s 4-6 ET. You can listen at 1080 AM in Tampa or wutt.ut.edu, just simply click the icon that reads M3U and you can listen in.

You can call in at 813-257-3656.

Check out our facebook page hereand our website here.

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Super Bowl XLV Preview: Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

6th February 2011 by under 2010-2011 Schedule     

Super Bowl XLV will be a good match-up between to very good defenses. The Green Bay Packers against the Pittsburgh Steelers is the match-up. NFC North against the the AFC North.

The Steelers have the advantage in my mind with Big Ben being here before. I think Aaron Rodgers will be contained by that good Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

My Prediction:

Steelers 27, Packers 20.

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Wild Card Weekend: A Preview Of Saturday’s Games

8th January 2011 by under 2010-2011 Schedule, NFL News     

Wild card weekend showcases four games. Two games Saturday and two games Sunday. Lets get into the games that will take place today.

Game 1:

At 4:30 PM ET, the New Orleans Saints will travel to Seattle to face the NFC West champion Seahawks.

The Seahawks finished the season 7-9 and are the first team to win their division with a below .500 record. The Saints on the other hand finished the season11-5, they beat the Falcons and Bucs in the final two games.

The Saints are the favorite on the road, but the Seahawks will have QB Matt Hasselbeck will be back in the lineup. The Saints will be without RB’s Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory.

The Seahawks stadium is probably toughest place to play, but their just not that good of a team. The Seahawks have to come out fast if they want to have a chance.

I see the Saints winning, they will pull away in the second half.

Final Score: Saints 28, Seahawks 17.

Game 2:

At 8:00 ET, the New York Jets will travel to Lucas Oil Stadium to take on the AFC South champion Colts. This isn’t the same Colts team that we’ve seen in the past. Dallas Clark is injured, Austin Collie is injured and the running game is non-existent. But they still have QB Peyton Manning and that is still a recipe for success.

The Jets have seen Mark Sanchez struggle a bit, but their defense is still pretty good and they have some good players on their team.

If they Jets can contain Peyton Manning the outcome will be good for them. If they can run the ball and control the time of possession, I think they will win.

The Colts against the Jets should be a good matchup, but the Jets are the better team, they have more healthy players and that is very important in the playoffs.

Look for the Jets to pull of the upset in this one. If the Colts pull a win out, they won’t make it past the next round, I promise you that.

Final Score: NY Jets 24, Colts 18

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Week 12 Preview: Eagles @ Bears

27th November 2010 by under 2010-2011 Schedule, Game Preview     

The Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears will meet for the 41st time tomorrow at Soldier Field. The Eagles lead the all-time series 28-11-1. The Eagles defeated the Bears last season 24-20 at Soldier Field.

This time around a lot has changed. The Eagles have Michael Vick as their starting quarterback, LeSean McCoy as their running back and the Bears have Brian Urlacher healthy and Julius Peppers causing havoc on the defensive line.

Both teams are 7-3 and atop their divisions. WR Jeremy Maclin leads the Eagles receivers with 705 yards and seven touchdowns, LeSean McCoy has added six touchdowns rushing and Michael Vick has thrown 11 touchdown passes and rushed in for five touchdowns.

Vick has been almost mistake free this season, in seven games, he has zero interceptions and one fumble loss. The key to this game is shutting down Vick. He is so good on the run, whether running the ball or throwing it, he is just a freak.

For what its worth, the Bears are 3-0 all time against Michael Vick, but this season Vick is more dangerous than ever. DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin have been great weapons for Vick and the Bears need to rattle Vick or he might be able to beat them for some big plays. Tim Jennings against DeSean Jackson is a key match-up that should be watched all day tomorrow.

The Bears defense will have to contain him and make sure they don’t make the big mistake Vick will be waiting for. They just need to play sound defense, so they won’t give up that big play.

The Bears offense might help their defense out if they can have success against the Eagles defense. The Eagles will be without NFL interception leader Asante Samuel. Jay Cutler might want to take advantage of that weakness on the Eagles defense. The running game looked solid against the Dolphins last week in Miami. If they can run the ball like they did last week, that will just open up the pass.

This game is huge for both teams playoff chances. The Bears can’t lose a fourth NFC game because if they do they will find it hard to land a wild card spot in the NFC. The Eagles didn’t look as ridiculous last week against the Giants, but they still put up 27 points against them. Just when you think you have figured them out they come out with some great play on a key play.

Key Match-ups:

Brian Urlacher against Michael Vick

Urlacher will be all over the field tomorrow. He knows how big this game is. Michael Vick has shown how good of a player he is this season and Urlacher knows that. The middle field is Urlacher’s space. If he fails to defend that, he might be in for a long day. Urlacher has to play his best game tomorrow against Michael Vick.

Matt Forte against the Eagles defense

Forte had his most complete in Miami last Thursday since week one against Detroit. He needs to keep the Bears offense on the field to give the Bears defense a break from containing Michael Vick. The Bears have improved their third down offense and Matt Forte has been better since the improvement. Expect the Bears to come out running and Matt Forte will have to run hard if the Bears want to win this one.

Bears receivers against Eagles backup CB Joselio Hanson

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Eagles CB Asante Samuel has been ruled out of this game and Joselio Hanson will get the start in his place. The Bears need to take advantage of Samuel’s absence. Earl Bennett, Devin Aromashodu and Devin Hester will all get time against 5’9″ Hanson and Cutler should pick on him all day long.

Players Who Will Step Up:

1) Devin Hester- He has been great all season on special teams. Expect him to be a beast on special teams and offense tomorrow. If the Eagles choose to kick him the ball, watch out.

Prediction: 4 catches, 45 yards, one touchdown. Good stats on special teams.

2) Lance Briggs- He has been solid all season long. He will be pumped and ready to shut down Michael Vick and the Eagles.

Prediction: 10 tackles, one interception.

3) Jay Cutler- I have never put Jay Cutler in this segment. I feel he will come out and prove his critics wrong and have a great game. A good running game will only help him, as long as he refrains from throws off his back foot.

Prediction: 20/29, 200 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions.

Final Score:

This game is huge for the NFC playoff picture. The game honestly can go either way. If the Bears run the ball on offense and win the time of possession battle that will only help the defense that has to contain Michael Vick. If the Bears defense can’t stop Michael Vick, this game will turn into a shootout quickly. I don’t know if the Bears offense has what it takes to keep up with the Eagles powerful offense.

I have picked the Bears every game this season, but Michael Vick is just to good. If the Bears do pull it out it will be because of QB Jay Cutler, I can promise you that.

Eagles 24, Bears 21.

The weather forecast for tomorrow’s game is 43°F

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Game Recap: Bears Win A Close And Confusing One 19-14 Over Detroit

12th September 2010 by under 2010-2011 Schedule, Bears News, Game Recap     

If you look at the box score, you would think the Bears destroyed Detroit today, but that wasn’t the case.

The Bears out-gained the Lions 463 yards to 168 and the Lions were leading going into the fourth quarter. That is just amazing to me. I watched the game and was still confused on how the Lions were winning. Predictable play-calling and turnovers cost the Bears some easy points.

In the first half the Bears saw Jay Cutler through an awful pass into triple coverage get intercepted, Matt Forte fumble a ball away and Greg Olsen fumble a ball away. The Bears didn’t convert a single red-zone opportunity, a problem that hurt them last season. They had the ball on the one yard line in the second quarter and settled for a field goal.

Then with 10:37 left in the game Lance Briggs stripped Lions backup QB Shaun Hill, who came in for injured starter Matthew Stafford. The Bears took the ball at the one and ran two predictable runs and then tried to get it Devin Aromashodu on third down, but Cutler overthrew him. Then they tried to run it the weak side of the offensive line, the right side and the Lions defense stuffed the Bears.

The play-calling on those two drives that the Bears had the ball at the one yard line were horrendous. It seems like Mike Martz and Ron Turner both have the same predictable playcalls in the redzone.

The game winning touchdown for the Bears came with 1:32 left when Jay Cuter hit Matt Forte for his second receiving touchdown of the day.

Then the big play of the game came with 24 seconds left when Lions backup QB Shaun Hill hit Calvin Johnson on what looked to be a 25 yard TD.

Officials ruled the pass incomplete and called for a booth replay, which seemed to show Johnson making what appeared to clearly be a TD.  Officials upheld the call on the field, and the Bears won the game. A game that seemed like the Bears basically let the Lions crawl back in the game.

Brian Urlacher had eight tackles and a sack, Julius Peppers forced a fumble with a sack and Charles Tillman had an interception. The defense had a solid day besides the last drive of the game. The offense was high flying besides the turnovers and the poor red zone efforts.

My players who must step up segment in my preview for the game were Tommie Harris, Greg Olsen and Charles Tillman. I said Tillman would make six tackles, an INT and force a fumble, he actually made three tackles and did reel in an interception. I said Olsen would make seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, he actually had four catches for 37 yards and lost a key fumble.

Lastly, Tommie Harris had one tackle and a fumble recovery, but I predicted him to make five tackles and two sacks. My Tillman and Olsen projections were close, but Harris was very quiet today against the Lions.

If you don’t understand the rule on the Calvin Johnson touchdown controversy than read this.

The Bears need to get there offensive line in sync for next week because the Cowboys will bring all kinds of pressure in Dallas. Cutler needs to get Knox and Hester more looks because Aromashodu can’t do it all. Urlacher, Briggs and Peppers need to play as well as they did today if not better.

Look for Lovie Smith to make some changes this week, hopefully he fixes up the redzone offense. The playcalling needs to be much better if the Bears want to have a chance against the Cowboys.

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Final Thoughts: Some Slight Changes To The Roster

12th September 2010 by under 2010-2011 Schedule, Bears News, Final Thoughts     

We have been waiting too long time for this day. The Bears will take on the Lions at Soldier Field in about two hours.

The Bears have made a couple of moves in their lineup already. Israel Idonije is now the starter at defensive end opposite Julius Peppers. Mark Anderson was the starter the first two games of preseason, but Idonije played that much better.

Anderson will still see time in the rotation, but he won’t be very excited to be put on the bench more than the field. Look for Anderson to be playing hard out there because he obviously wants more playing time.

The Bears decided to keep four tight ends and they put veteran TE Desmond Clark at the H-back position on the depth chart, but Brandon Manumaleuna has passed him on the depth chart. That means Clark will be used as probably the third tight end.

Both are very good blockers, but Manumaleuna is known as the best blocking tight end and the Bears didn’t give him good money to not be on the field.

Injury Report:

The Bears are lucky to have not been hit by the injury bug this preseason. Three players are slightly banged up and two are going to play for sure, but one reserve will be a game-time decision.

LB, Lance Briggs- He is probable with an ankle injury.

TE, Desmond Clark- He is probable with an ankle injury.

S, Craig Steltz- He is questionable with an ankle injury.

Final Thoughts:

The Bears need to start fast today, if they can’t they might be in real trouble. This Lions team is much improved from last year, but there still the worst team in the NFC North. Hopefully the Bears can play the playoff competitor they are. Analysts might think there a below average team, but when the Bears fly under the radar they usually play better. We can only hope that’s the case for the 2010 season.

Bear Down!

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Week 1: Lions @ Bears Preview

10th September 2010 by under 2010-2011 Schedule, Bears News, Game Preview     

The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions will meet for the 160th time on Sunday. The Bears currently lead the all-time series 90-64-5.

Lovie Smith is 8-4 against the Lions as a head coach. The past two seasons the Bears have swept the season series against the Lions. Last  season they beat them 48-24 at Solider Field in week four and 37-23 at Solider Field in Week 17.

Both teams look drastically different. The Bears brought safety Chris Harris back and added Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers to provide a solid pass rush alongside Tommie Harris and Mark Anderson. The Bears also added a few weapons on offense in veteran RB Chester Taylor and veteran blocking tight end Brandon Manumaleuna.

The Lions have revamped a lot of positions. They added RB Jahvid Best in the draft, acquired TE Tony Scheffler from Denver and WR Nate Burelson in free agency. They added Kyle Vanden Bosch through free agency, SS C.C. Brown through free agency and DT Ndamukong Suh in the draft.

The Lions team will be much better than the 2-14 record they earned last season. This game should be closer than people expect, but if the Bears can contain WR Calvin Johnson and protect Jay Cutler from Vanden Bosch and Suh they should be able to win by a good amount.

Players Who Must Step Up:

1) Greg Olsen- He was involved in trade talks all off-season, experts said Mike Martz’s offense doesn’t utilize the tight end, but Olsen has a good relationship with Jay Cutler and he is a very fast tight end. Look for Olsen to have a big day on Sunday.

Prediction: Seven catches, 65 yards, and one touchdown.

2) Tommie Harris- This was the first off-season that I remember that Harris didn’t have some kind of surgery. He looked like he returned to form in preseason and with Julius Peppers on the line with him that could open Harris up for more pressure on the QB. Expect a solid day from Harris, the defensive as a unit needs and Harris needs for himself.

Prediction: Five tackles, two sacks.

3) Charles Tillman- Now the starting left cornerback, Tillman will cover WR Nate Burelson and probably should have a good day on defense. Look for Tillman to strip balls away from Detroit and reel in some interceptions.

Prediction: Six tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.

Who Will Win?

Prediction: Bears 27, Lions 14.

Weather: It should be a nice and sunny day at Solider Field, temperatures in the low 70′s. It will get hot very fast at Soldier Field and that’s why the Bears chose to wear the white jerseys instead of the navy in their home opener.

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News & Notes: Bears Secondary Issues and SI.com’s Bears Prediction

8th September 2010 by under 2010-2011 Schedule, Bears News, News and Notes     

Third round pick from UF, safety Major Wright is ready to go for week one. Unfortunatly there is no spot for him in the starting lineup as of right now.

Danieal Manning and Chris Harris have locked down the starting safety spots. While D.J. Moore beat out Corey Graham for the starting nickelback spot.

What Major Wright has to hope for is Danieal Manning struggles, so he can come into the starting lineup. Wright reminds alot of Bears fans of former Bears safety Mike Brown because of how he hits.

If Manning struggles expect him to go back to be the starting nickelback like he was last year.

Here’s what Major Wright had to say about the situation:

“I’m ready to play, I’m full-go.”

Bears GM Jerry Angelo said the team plans to take it slow with the rookie.

If Major Wright comes into the lineup and shines and Manning can barely make it at nickelback expect for Manning to be traded or let go at the end of the season. No one really knows how good this defense can be, but the secondary play might be the most vital this season.

In other news, SI.com is not very high on the Bears. In Don Banks most recent article called NFL predictions for division winners in 2010 season, Banks predicts the first place team and last place team in every division.

Banks picks the Green Bay Packers to win the division with a 12-4 record and he picks the Bears to be the last place team with a 5-11 record.

Here’s what Banks had to say in that article on SI.com:

“Often a winless preseason translates not in the slightest to what a team will be come the regular season. But there was something entirely listless and directionless about the 0-4 Bears this summer, and I do believe that bodes for big trouble in Chicago. Lovie Smith‘s guys had better win their opener at home against Detroit, because with Dallas, Green Bay and the Giants waiting in Weeks 2-4, a snowball effect could ensue.”

My Thoughts:

The Bears didn’t want to show much in the preseason because they don’t want teams knowing what there going to do when the regular season starts.

Mr. Banks the preseason means absolutely nothing to teams, look at the Indianapolis Colts, who have always been a bad preseason team. Clearly the Colts are good regular season team.

The Bears schedule is what worries Bears fans and analysts the most. If you start the regular season hot you can usually keep that going for the rest of the season. So, for Banks to pick the Lions to finish ahead of the Bears in the NFC North standings because of schedule and preseason play is ludicrous.

The Lions and Bears schedules are almost identical and again the preseason has no meaning on the regular season.

All quotes from Chicagotribune.com and SI.com

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