T-Minus One Day Until Chicago Bears Training Camp
Christmas is almost here…or as most like to call it, the start of football season. Today I wanted to follow-up on how the Mike Martz offense works and what people can expect.
The Good…
This offensive style has proved strong results pretty much anywhere it has been. The Rams teams in the ’90s put up huge offensive numbers and “The Greatest Show on Turf” was founded. Martz was considered a genius by pretty much everyone around the game for the ridiculous results produced by the Rams. He turned Kurt Warner from a grocery store clerk into a Hall of Fame quarterback.
He has taken this offense and had results in other places. The Detroit Lions had a strong offensive showing with John Kitna under center. I remember watching that particular Lions team play against the Bears and was really impressed with how the offense worked. While Kitna was always considered a solid QB, he played like an All-Pro with Martz. While he didn’t have the drastic results with the 49ers, they showed improvement. Martz is still considered one of the best offensive minds in the game.
Snippets of his Offense
Martz’s offense requires a quarterback to throw to a spot. Well what does this mean exactly? It means that the quarterback times his throw to where the receiver is supposed to be on the field and does not look for a specific receiver. So passes will be thrown to spots on the field where the receiver is supposed to be as opposed to where the quarterback anticipates he is going to go. Now, this sounds easy but if forces a quarterback to not think as much and just throw where he is supposed to throw. While there is a running aspect to his offense, it is safe to say that the pass is used to set up the run.
What will Jay do (WWJD)…
Cutler seems to be a guy that throws to a receiver. Martz has commented on numerous occasions how Cutler has the best arm of any quarterback he has had in the system. While Cutler found the other team as much as he found the endzone last season, this may be a few more heart attacks for us Bears fans as he throws the ball at defenders. I look at it this way…Ron Turner sucked last season so at least we have a guy that has proven he knows how to coach. Hopefully Cutler sees it that way too.
The Verdict…
The wide receivers and quarterback need to be on the same page. While I think Cutler can do this, I am not quite sure how responsive the Bears receivers will be. If this all works out, now we need to be sure the line can block as this system calls for some longer hold times up front. This was also a challenge for this group last season. Mike Tice certainly is a good line coach, and hopefully he can help with the line’s deficits. I think things will work out, but there will be growing pains.
T-Minus Two Days Until Chicago Bears Training Camp
We are getting so close to the opening of our beloved Chicago Bears beginning the 2010 season, it is amazing. There are so many wonderful things to look forward to with football season, but most of us are concerned with one thing…how will the Bears do this season? I continue with my look at things to look forward to this season by looking at changes in the roster.
Free Agency
It did not take a rocket scientist to notice that the Chicago Bears needed to improve in many areas this season. This included in pressuring the quarterback, running the football and blocking. Jerry Angelo and his staff did a great job addressing these areas in free agency. The additions of Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna all addressed major holes with the Chicago Bears.
Trade
The Chicago Bears had holes in the secondary last season. In order to solve this problem, they brought in a familiar face in Chris Harris. He is a playmaker in the secondary and really will help a part of the Chicago Bears that struggled last season.
The Draft
Very rarely will you hear a GM tell you that they thought the draft was a waste of time, but the Chicago Bears are very happy with Major Wright in the third round. He was considered a strong part of the Florida defense from last season. Not sure why he slipped into the third round, but the feedback on this pick has been good for the most part. As a Northwestern fan, I think getting Corey Wooten was also a solid move. Finally, many local fans are excited about Lisle’s very own Dan LeFevour. He was very productive as a QB at Central Michigan, and many feel he will be a good backup to Jay Cutler.
Other Moves of Interest
In the supplemental draft, the Chicago Bears selected BYU’s running back Harvey Unga. Unga was projected to be one of the nation’s top backs, but issues in his personal life led him to the NFL. The Bears recognized his talent and used a supplemental pick for his talents. He is the short distance running back the Bears have needed for a long time. The Bears also signed Brian Iwuh who is a solid special teams player.
The Verdict
Alex Brown will be missed, but the moves to improve the roster well outweight the loss of Brown. I think the Bears should get credit for building a roster without having many draft picks.
On a final note, I have to give a huge shout out to the Joliet JackHammers of the Northern League. I was at the Schaumburg Flyers game yesterday with my father and son, and two of the players were unbelievable. Brad Correll gave my son a baseball and Jonathan Wyatt gave him a bat. It was probably the best time I ever had at a sporting event. For those of you with children, you understand what I mean. I am still on cloud nine from how wonderful these ballplayers were to my son, and they deserve some kudos for doing the right thing with kids.
Please follow me on Twitter at BearsHQ for updates during training camp.
T-Minus Three Days Until Chicago Bears Training Camp
OK, the story line of today is who will be the biggest surprise for the Chicago Bears this season. There are many players to choose from, so I am going to do this for both sides of the ball.
Offense
Williams showed some signs last season. He was slotted at right tackle when Orlando Pace came to town and moved left tackle when the Bears realized that Pace was toast. Williams played well including a nice game against bigmouth Jared Allen toward the end of the season. If the Bears offensive line finds a way to play better this season, Williams will be the reason why…
Defense
National and local media have written off Urlacher. I am not. He is an amazing football player that has been hurt the last few seasons. Now he is healthy and playing with a lot to prove. He will do so. I am predicting an MVP like season out of Urlacher.
T-Minus Four Days Until Chicago Bears Training Camp
OK, things are starting to get exciting around here. We can almost taste the start of football season. Yesterday, I started highlighting story lines for training camp.
Building to The Chicago Bears Strength
It is fairly easy to find the things the Chicago Bears do not do well. In fact, the pro-White Sox media (OK, had to throw this in here…) seems to find many things wrong that the Bears do. But, this is not the worst football team on Earth. Here are a few areas of strength for the Chicago Bears.
Special Teams
Brad Maynard and Robbie Gould are one of the premier kicking duos in football. Both kick in one of the toughest venues in football and do it at a high level. The Bears also have a strong group of returners. The best of all of these dudes is Devin Hester (will the old Devin Hester please stand up). Johnny Knox and Daniel Manning have both proven valuable in this roll as well. The Bears also cover kicks and block very well. Kudos to this group!
Starting Quarterback
Jay Cutler is a gifted quarterback. He has a cannon for an arm and can move out of the pocket. While he made some bad throws last year, he didn’t get much help. With a new system in place and more experience for his wide receivers, Cutler is due for a strong season.
Tight Ends
Finally the curse of Coach Ditka is gone. The Chicago Bears are blessed with good tight ends. While I am not the biggest Greg Olsen fan, he does bring some things to the table. Desmond Clark is a solid tight end and the most valuable of the group is Brandon Manumaleuna. Having this guy will help with the blocking on the offensive line. And when you are not looking, he will slip out and catch a pass.
Linebacker
You have one Hall-of-Famer (Brian Urlacher), one possible Hall-of-Famer (Lance Briggs), and a really solid player (Pisa Tinoisamoa) starting in this group. In addition, there is one solid backup (Nick Roach) and a veteran (Hunter Hillenmeyer) in this group.
In Closing…
I wanted to give us all some good thoughts for the day. It is easy to be negative, but today, its all about the love.
T-minus 5 Days to Chicago Bears Training Camp
Each day, I will highlight one storyline leading into camp.
Overall Team Health…
Based on what I am hearing, the team is healthy heading into camp. That is something that has not been the case in the past. Even Tommy Harris is ready to roll. The key to any team is healthy players, and the Bears are no exception.
If you look back at last season, there was always injury problems and that was a contributing factor to the 7-9 record.
Lovie Smith understands that football is a grind and doesn’t need to prove a lot in July. However, there is a need for contact and live action. His teams are normally ready to roll.
So let’s keep our fingers crossed for good health.
