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Archives for 2011-2012 Schedule

Free Agent News: Bears Needs and Wants

27th July 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule, Bears News     

The Bears have many things to do now that the lockout is over. Just like the other 31 NFL teams, they want to re-sign their own and get going with the best free agents at the positions of need.

The Bears added 26 undrafted free agents yesterday, two drafted players today, leaving only three drafted players left to sign and free-agents.

Here are the Bears positions of need: OL, WR, LB, DL

The Bears are interested in a lot of free agents according to sources.

Center Olin Kreutz, DT Anthony Adams and LB Nick Roach are just some of their own free agents they’re working hard to bring back. CB Corey Graham and WR Rashied Davis are a couple other of their own their still interested in.

WR: Mike-Sims Walker, Brad Smith and Steve Smith have all been possible receivers linked with the Bears during this hectic free agency. Mike-Sims Walker wants to come to the windy city, while the Bears want WR/KR Brad Smith to come to town.

OL: T Jerome Bushrod, T Willie Colon, G Justin Blaylock and G Harvery Dahl are just a couple offensive linemen the Bears have their eyes on.

DL: DE Jason Babin, DE Cullen Jenkins are a couple of pass rushing ends the Bears are looking at.

LB: Justin Durant is being looked at as a starter and the Bears really want to add him alongside Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Nick Roach will likely be brought back as a backup.

S: Not much talk about a veteran coming into the mix, but the Bears might want to start looking considering Chris Harris will play strong safety alongside Major Wright at free safety. A veteran backup will be needed.

P: Steve Weatherford. With veteran Brad Maynard gone, the Bears will look at bringing him in as his replacement.

Keep reading Bearsbacker.com for more info on each Bears signing.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Bears Come To Terms With Two Of Their Own Draft Picks

27th July 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule, Bears News     

Sixth-round pick, LB J.T Thomas and fifth-round pick, QB Nathan Enderle reportedly signed four-year deals with the Bears this afternoon. Thomas inked his contract early this morning, while Enderle waited a little later.

Enderle’s deal is for $2.2 million over four years and also includes a nice signing bonus of $170,000. Thomas’s contract info hasn’t been released.

Both players are eager to get to practice and show the Bears what they can do. The Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz loves developing quarterbacks and Enderle could be a nice prospect sometime soon.

Thomas has a chance to contribute right away for the Bears. Considering only two linebackers are signed on for next season, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, Thomas will get a shot at the roster. His shot will likely come on special teams, but that’s usually where late round draft picks start.

Only three draft picks are left for the Bears to sign: 1st-round pick, T, Gabe Carimi, 2nd-round pick, DT, Stephen Paea, and 3rd-round pick, S, Chris Conte.

Keep reading Bearsbacker.com for more info on each Bears signing.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Free Agent Frenzy: Bears Sign A Good Number Of Undrafted Free Agents

26th July 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule     

The Bears and the other 31 teams in the NFL were able to start negotiating with undrafted and their own drafted players at 7 PM ET yesterday. But they weren’t allowed to sign them until 10 AM ET today.

With that being said the Bears made some splashes in the undrafted free agent pool this morning adding some real potential.

A lot of people might consider these players just camp bodies right now, but some of the best NFL players have gone undrafted.

QB’s Kurt Warner and Warren Moon, TE Antonio Gates and WR Rod Smith are just a couple players that have made it big.

Here’s the list of undrafted free agents the Bears have signed so far:

Name Position College
Dane Sanzenbacher WR Ohio State
Deron Minor LB McNeese State
Corbin Bryant DT Northwestern
Dom DeCicco LB Pitt
Alex Linnenkohl C OSU
Andre Smith TE Virginia Tech
Kyle Adams TE Purdue
Tressor Baptiste LB Texas A&M
Travis Cobb WR Arizona
Jimmy Young WR TCU
J.C. Brignone C Mississippi State
Mike Holmes DB/PR Syracuse
Anthony Walters DB Delaware
Winston Venable DB Boise State
Ryan Jones CB NW Missouri State
Ricky Henry G Nebraska
Josh Davis T Georgia
Antareis Bryan CB Baylor

Not all of these players will make an impact, but some of them have some real promise. WR Dane Sanzenbacher from Ohio State was contacted by 25 of the 32 NFL teams and ultimately settled for less because he liked Mike Martz’s offense. DT Corbin Bryant from Northwestern has a lot of potential and could fit perfectly in the Bears defensive scheme.

Other undrafted free agents added were: Kris Adams, WR, UTEP, Mario Addison, DE, Troy, Tanner Antle, LB, Tulsa, Spencer Lanning, P, South Carolina, Robert Hughes, Notre Dame, RB, Sean Murnane, Central Michigan, DT, Jordan Miller, Southern, DT, and Trevor Vittatoe, QB, UTEP.

The Bears added 26 undrafted free agents to the mix today.

Be sure to pay attention to these guys because some of them will be noticed sooner or later.

Bear Down!

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

 

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Re-Signing Rashied Davis Should Be A Priority Once The Lockout Is Lifted

24th July 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule, Bears News     

WR Rashied Davis has been a very solid contributor since coming to the Bears in 2005. That season he was used as a reserve cornerback, but once the Bears realized his value they moved him to wide receiver.

Since then, Davis has reeled in 88 passes for 1032 yards and five touchdowns in 92 games. Davis has made 15 starts in those six seasons. Even though Davis hasn’t made a start since 2008, he is very valuable on special teams where he has proven to be very steady.

Davis has been a solid contributor on Dave Toub’s special teams since landing with the Bears. He makes key tackles on punts and kicks and is valuable as a return man when his name is called.

In the season finale last season against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Packers, he reeled in seven passes for 63 yards. He showed how he fits in Mike Martz’s offense with his performance.

With Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester all ahead of him in the depth chart, Davis has to show his value at the receiver position. The Bears should bring him back not only for special teams, but also for offense.

Considering safety/kick returner Danieal Manning, might not be returning this upcoming season, Devin Hester will likely take over the kick returner role alongside his punt returner role. This could open up some time on offense for the speedy, 5’9″ Davis.

Once the lockout is finally over, the Bears will have a lot of tough decisions to make, but one easy one should be bringing Rashied Davis back. Davis will not only be a cheap veteran, but he brings a lot to the game playing well on offense and special teams.

By the way, happy 32nd birthday Rashied, hope you had a good one.

Bear Down!

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

 

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Speak Up: Lovie Smith On The Bears Lockout Situation

6th June 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule, Speak Up     

Bears head coach Lovie Smith spoke up about his off-season yesterday.

He touched on what the coaches have been doing and what he has been doing to keep busy during the tough lockout.

Here is what he had to say:

“We would like to have the players out here, but it’s not like we don’t have anything to do,” he said. “I can’t say I’m getting bored. It’s the opposite. There is learning every day. It has been awesome.”

Today, former Buccaneers and Colts coach Tony Dungy, will visit Halas Hall to talk over some ideas for the upcoming season.

“We’re just going to talk football for a day,” Smith said. “There aren’t a whole lot of us still in our system who believe in it the way we do. We’re pumped up about him coming.”

“Everything has to be about beating our rival, as it is every year,” Smith said of the Packers. “And there is a little bit of added emphasis on it this year. They are at the top of the hill.”

Smith believes there is not a lot separating the Super Bowl champion Packers and the Bears.

“We match up pretty good with them,” he said. “Your gauge has to be the Super Bowl champion. We beat them here. They beat us there (and at Soldier Field in the playoffs). All three games could have gone either way. There should be some more classic matchups between the two of us. We can’t wait.”

“It’s a good thing whenever teammates can get together and work out, but as far as really getting ready for the season, it doesn’t do it,” Smith said. “Why would you go through OTAs if that was the case? When our players get here, we’re saying we’re starting from scratch.”

“No matter what guys say, it’s one thing to have a personal trainer and be working out on your own; it’s different when you are working out in this environment,” Smith said. “You can’t condition for football stuff without football.”

Smith says he will be open to allowing extra conditioning time early in camp if need be. But he isn’t interested in scheduling more two-a-days.

“I don’t think that’s the answer,” he said. “You can’t say, OK, we missed time, we have to make up for it. I don’t think you get a lot out of two-a-days. You can get the same amount of work with one good practice and have walk-throughs, lifting, meetings. We’ll be fine.”

“When you have a group like this, to validate it you have to be able to hold up the Lombardi Trophy,” Smith said. “We’re close. If you’re close, you’re a pretty good football team. You need a couple of things to go your way, make a couple of changes, tighten up a few things. That’s where we are.”

All quotes from Chicagotribune.com.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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2011, A Rough Year For Chicago Sports Fans

27th May 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule     

2011 has certainly been a rough year for Chicago sports fans.

The Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls all made the playoffs which is clearly a good thing, but the way they went out wasn’t pretty.

The Cubs are Chicago sports fans only hope now to win a championship. It’s been 103 years since they brought home a World Series title, so not a lot of hope is instilled in them.

Bears: 11-5, NFC North Division Champions

Lets start with the Bears, since this is a Bears blog. They finished the 2010-11 season with an 11-5 record. They clinched the NFC North crown in Week 15 in a win over the Vikings, where Devin Hester broke the all-time kick return touchdown record.

The Bears defense was back ranking ninth in the NFL, second at stopping the run and 20th at stopping the pass. The offense started the year struggling, but finished strong with the help of Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.

They took down the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional round 35-24. But fell to their biggest rival, Green Bay the next week in the NFC Championship.

The Bears had their chances. They failed to beat the Packers in the Week 17 at Lambeau. If the Bears came away with the win, the Packers wouldn’t have made the playoffs.

The NFC Championship was a home game for the Bears at Soldier Field, but the Packers came away with the 21-14 victory. It was tough for a lot of Bears to fathom considering how great the team played all season, but a knee injury to QB Jay Cutler ended almost any possibility of a victory.

Third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie replaced the ineffective veteran Todd Collins, who came in for Cutler after he went to the bench. Hanie looked solid at times, but couldn’t take the Bears to the promise land. You can’t blame the young Hanie, but the Bears were in that game even with him until the end.

The Bears are not pleased by the way the season ended especially since they fell to their divisional rival in such a big game, but they will be back this upcoming season focused and ready.

The loss to the Packers may go down as the most painful in Chicago Bears history ranking on the same level as the Super Bowl XLI loss to the Colts and the 1988 NFC Championship loss to the 49ers.

Blackhawks: 44-29-9, 8th seed

Moving on to the Blackhawks of the NHL. This was the easiest to get over because they barely even made it into the playoffs. The defending Stanley Cup Champions hung around the Western Conference as the eighth seed because the Dallas Stars fell to the Minnesota Wild on the final day of the season.

The Blackhawks moved on to the playoffs, as a way different team as last year and found themselves in a similar spot, playing against the Vancouver Canucks. They quickly found out that the Canucks were much more physical and they fell down three to nothing in the series.

But they Hawks came firing back tying the series up at three apiece and forcing a game seven in Vancouver. They fought hard and sent the game to overtime. They even had a power play early in the overtime, but Patrick Sharp failed to cash in on a prime opportunity.

Minutes later defenseman Chris Campoli turned the puck over in the Hawks zone and the Canucks finished them for good. The series was tough for any die hard fan of Chicago sports, but the Hawks were lucky to make the playoffs, so forcing a game seven after being down three games to zero in the series was pretty impressive.

The Blackhawks will be a good team next season, they re-signed rookie goalie Corey Crawford to a three-year deal and may have found a gem in rookie forward Ben Smith. Plus most of them star players are intact.

Too many changes after a championship season doesn’t usually translate in another championship the following year and the Blackhawks saw that happen to them.

Bulls: 62-20, 1st seed in Eastern Conference

Maybe the toughest of them all for Chicago fans was the Bulls. The Bulls series ended last night as the Miami Heat won four games to one. The Bulls finished the season with 62 wins, an MVP in Derrick Rose and a coach of the year in Tom Thibodeau.

They beat the under .500 Indiana Pacers in the first round and the athletic Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the playoffs. They then hosted the Miami Heat, a team that they swept during the regular season.

Miami, who we all know has “the big three” in Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh came in beating Philadelphia and Boston in the first two rounds. The Bulls started the series looking real good by beating the Heat 103-82, but quickly fell apart. They dropped the next three games and it marked the first time all season that occurred.

They were controlling last night’s game holding a 77-63 lead with about three minutes left, but suffered a collapse, one that may carry over to the summer and beyond. It also marked the first time all season that the Bulls lost a game after winning by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter.

Derrick Rose was contained by the Heat and not many other Bulls players stepped up to help the MVP. Carlos Boozer struggled at times, Joakim Noah was consistently in foul trouble and Kyle Korver was just plain bad.

The Bulls need a shooter other than Derrick Rose, Luol Deng is a good player, but he would be even better as the third option. The Bulls have a young solid bench, who will only get better with time, but this team will never win without another star next to Rose.

It’s a shame to see the Heat move on considering how LeBron handled himself on national television with the “Decision” before the season. Also because LeBron controls outcomes of games with his flopping and complaining. I’m not going to say the referees controled all of the five games, but at times they made some flat out bad calls.

The last shot of the game by Rose, a three-pointer was an airball, it looked like it was blocked by LeBron, but I think Udonis Haslem hit Rose in the hand before the shot.

It’s too late to look back at all of the mistakes the referees or the Bulls players made. It’s simple they fell apart after surprisingly winning 62 games.

Overall, 2011 was a good year in Chicago sports, but it was a rough year the way the teams fell in the playoffs. The Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks should all be strong once again next season, but they will likely never forget the way they got bounced from their respective playoffs.

Next year could be the year or was this the year? That remains to be seen, maybe the anger and determination they went through will help all these teams reach the promise land.

The Cubs always have a chance, right?

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

 

 

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Ex-Bear Grossman Believes He Will Be The Redskins Starter Next Season

18th May 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule     

Ex-Bear Rex Grossman has started only three games since leaving the Bears in 2008 and only 11 games since leading the Bears to Super Bowl XLI.

Grossman signed on with the Houston Texans in 2009 and backed up Pro Bowl QB Matt Schaub all season. Last season, Grossman backed up Donovan McNabb with the Redskins. He started the last three games of the season and played pretty well.

He put together a QB rating of 81. 2, completed 74 0f 133 passes for 884 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He lost four fumbles, but that could of had to do with the Redskins banged up offense.

He is a free-agent this off-season, but believes he will be back with the Redskins as their starter. Veteran Donovan McNab clearly won’t be back, but last years third-stringer John Beck believes he will get his shot as their starter.

Grossman talked about his current situation on ESPN-980 AM in Washington. Here’s what he had to say:

“I definitely feel I’m the starter, but I’m not even signed yet,” Grossman said. “The coaches have to set the playing field and let us know what the situation is.”

On John Beck possibly taking over as the Redskins starter:

“I’m not going to say John Beck. I’m going to say me if I’m going to pick somebody. I would like this to be answered by the coaches and decided by competition,” Grossman said.

On if he still has what it takes to be an NFL starter:

“I feel I’m coming into the prime of my experience and I know what I can do well and what my weaknesses and strengths are and how it relates to this offense,” he said.

“I’ve been in crucial situations. I’ve been in the Super Bowl. I feel I’m so much better than I was then that I’d love to have the opportunity to have a full season with this offense and have a whole season to feel like this is my team. That’s what I want to happen.”

All quotes from USAToday.com

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Brian Urlacher Believes Bears Are The Best Team In The NFC

17th May 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule, Bears News     

Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher has never been afraid to say what’s on his mind.

Urlacher, who turns 33 next Wednesday has been reportedly working out regularly on his own and is in great shape.

He participated in NFL “Fuel Up To Play 60″ event at an Albuquerque, New Mexico elementary school last week.

Here’s what he had to say about the Bears:

I think we’re the best team in our conference,” Urlacher told the Albuquerque Journal. “I know we’re not the Super Bowl champs like the Green Bay Packers.

“We want to be the best in our conference and to be there, we’ve got to go through Green Bay.”

“I want to play football. I know everyone else wants to play football. Hopefully we can make that happen soon.”

Urlacher appeared in all 16 games last season making 125 tackles, four sacks, one interception and forcing two fumbles.

He helped the Bears win their first NFC North title since 2006 with an 11-5 season. But the Bears fell to the sixth seeded Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. The Packers went on to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers and become the Super Bowl Champions.

Urlacher has always been confident, it’s clear that these quotes are inspired by his motivation and passion towards the game of football. He wants the season to start as soon as possible just like all the fans out there.

Urlacher will be a leader once again on the Bears defense and the Bears will need him to have a big season.

Bear Down!

All quotes from USAToday.com

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Hanie: We Want Workouts To Be Beneficial, We Don’t Want To Waste Our Time

13th May 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule, Bears News     

The Chicago Bears haven’t been able to practice at their training facilities, but they could still try to organize some kind of practice sometime soon. The Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and a couple other NFL teams have gotten together during this lockout and got some practices together.

The Bears on the other hand haven’t. Safety Chris Harris and tight end Greg Olsen are two Bears players that have practiced with on high school fields. Harris practiced in North Carolina recently, while Olsen stayed local in the Chicago area about a month ago.

Bears players are training and staying in shape, but no one really knows how much they’re really practicing game-like situations.

A team that didn’t have such great success on offense, until the end of the season should probably be worried about how they will play this upcoming season (if the lockout ever ends).

Bears fans want to see QB Jay Cutler make more strides as a player because the way his season ended last year wasn’t pretty. Backup QB Caleb Hanie spoke up about the possible workouts that the Bears haven’t had yet on ESPN 1000 yesterday. Here’s what Hanie had to say:

We’ve exchanged emails with numerous guys, just back and forth, talking about it,” back-up quarterback Caleb Hanie said Thursday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “But we really just want to make sure that if we do have something — or when we do have something — that it’s very beneficial and not just a waste of time.

“You don’t want to get everybody together and just goof around. Everything is just in flux. We’re just trying to wait it out and see what happens [with the labor negotiations], but it’s not looking to good for the next month or so, so we’ll see here in the near future.”

“I’ve talked to Jay a few times this offseason, and I haven’t heard anything from him on that front, so far,” Hanie said. “I don’t know if he has something planned or whatever, but not yet.”

After thoughts:

Does this concern you about next season?

Should the Bears organize practices or would it be a waste of time?

What is Jay Cutler doing, is he distracted by his upcoming wedding?

Who should be in charge of these workouts? Whoever is in charge, should they credit from the media?

All quotes from ESPNChicago.com

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Falcons WR Julio Jones Respects The Bears Defense

10th May 2011 by under 2011-2012 Schedule     

The Falcons traded their first, second and fourth-round picks in 2011 and a first and fourth in 2012 to Cleveland to move up from the #27 pick to the #6 pick to select Georgia WR Julio Jones.

“I know they have great defense with (Brian) Urlacher and everybody,’’ Jones said during Game 3 of the Bulls-Hawks series in Atlanta. “It’s going to be great task for me and my teammates to see what kind of team we’re going to have.

“Growing up, that was a defense I always looked up to. Even when I was little, the Chicago Bears always had a strong defense.’’

“No, I don’t feel pressure at all,’’ Jones said. “I’m just going to come out and contribute to the team to the best of my ability. It’s football. I can’t go out there and be no superhuman. All I can do is go out there and play ball, like I’ve been doing.’’

Jones is scheduled to make his debut against the Bears at Soldier Field on Sept. 11 if the lockout is resolved in time.

All quotes from Chicagotribune.com

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