Orton’s go-to guy(s), Lloyd and Forte?
After three weeks, wide receiver Brandon Lloyd appears to be the Bears, or at least Kyle Ortons, go-to wide out. The six foot receive leads all bears receivers in yards and yards per catch with 216 and 16.6. respectively. Lloyd’s ability to adjust to deep passes by not necessarily running by guys has been a great option to Orton, whose deep ball is not always on target. Ron Turner, coach of Lloyd at the University of Illinois, always new he had great talent and was not afraid to bring him to Chicago during the off-season despite a poor 2007 season in which Lloyd caught only two balls and caused several problems within the locker room.
[picappgallerysingle id="1552307"]
After three weeks, rookie running back Matt Forte leads all NFL running backs in carries with 73 touches. Forte has carried the load for Chicago early in the season, which should cause teams to bring more men into the box opening up the passing game. Forte’s 304 rushing yards ranks him fourth in the league, and he ranks second in yards from scrimmage behind Frank Gore with 405 total yards. And Lovie Smith says his work load isn’t going to decrease anytime soon, “He’s young right now with a lot of energy. Whenever Matt isn’t on the field, it isn’t really good for us.”
First round draft pick Chris Williams returned to practice for the first time Wednesday since his surgery. Williams put the pads on and everything, but was limited to individual and conditioning drills. No time table is set for Williams return, and Run Turner believes it will take a while for the rookie to get into full team practice as he had no training camp or pre-season.
In other news around the division, the Detroit Lions have finally let go of general manager Matt Millen. During Millen’s tenure with the Lions, the team finished has more loses than any other team.
Bears release Mark Bradley; Hester gets more snaps?
On Tuesday the Chicago Bears released wide receiver Mark Bradley. Bradley in his third year hadn’t started a game since his rookie season. For his career, Bradley has 38 catches for 583 yards, including four touchdowns.
The releasing of Bradley doesn’t do a whole lot to the roster. The Bears have a long list of receivers, none of whom have stood out (except Brandon Lloyd in week 3).
What this should do though is give Devin Hester extra snaps, when healthy, to improve his receiving skills.
Source: ProFootballTalk.com
Week 4 Preview: Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
The only thing looking positive for the Chicago Bears match up against the Philadelphia Eagles is the injury to Brian Westbrook. The Eagles remain unclear whether Westbrook will play this week, but as of Monday Westbrook was seen limping around with a strained ankle. The Eagles are a different team without Westbrook and it could be a tough test for Donovan McNabb if Westbrook doesn’t play Sunday night.
The last two games have been a big disappointment to Bears fans everywhere. During the last two games against the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bears have managed to let a significant lead disappear late in the game. Week two was gut wrenching in week two, but to have the same outcome in week three was heartbreaking.
If the Bears hope to have any chance this Sunday, Kyle Orton can’t afford to make any careless turnovers and Matt forte will need to average over five yards a carry, as in week one. If Chicago can get the run game going, look for Orton to take some chances deep to his favorite receiver Brandon Lloyd and hopefully find his tight ends Greg Olsen and veteran Desmond Clark.
Bears fans should be nervous this week, but hope for a week four turnaround.
