Chicago Bears Player Profile…Charles “Peanut” Tillman
I think Peanut Tillman is a wonderful football player and a credit to his team and the franchise. He does so many wonderful things on and off the field that make him a natural leader and true Chicago Bear.
That being said, I have to separate myself from my Peanut Tillman love for a second and take a realistic look at him as he fits into this team next season.
What About Peanut
Tillman has the tools to be a good cornerback. He has good size, strength and intelligence. He covers bigger wide receivers well and tackles guys when he is called upon to do so. He typically struggles with smaller and speedier wide receivers. That being said, he is a tireless worker on the field and certainly does what is asked of him.
In the past few seasons, there has been some strong consideration given to moving him to safety. While it seems to make some sense, the Bears have been resistant to do so. Partially because he understands how to play the Cover 2 defense so well but also because the Bears have a lack of good cornerbacks.
The Verdict…
Tillman will be switching sides with Zach Bowman. This will take the pressure off of Tillman as being the main shutdown cornerback. While he seems to be OK with this move, I am not sure if the Bears are trying to delay the idea of moving Tillman into the safety position. Tillman is a tough guy and a solid hitter, so the move to safety seems like the best idea. I expect Tillman to continue his hard work and hopefully he can adjust to this move and be productive.
Pour Yourself a Draft
Sorry for the visual…it might make some of you thirsty. But lets talk about the draft…
The Chicago Bears brass will be put to the test this draft season. With no picks in the first or second round, it will be a true test of the Bears abilty to rate talent in the later rounds of a draft. It is no secret that the Bears need to get a heck of a lot better in the secondary and on the offensive line. The Bears made a great pick of Chris Harris (6th round) a few years back, but were dumb enough to trade him away. This has left the Bears with a clown college of safeties running around the field. Quite honestly, I think it is safe to say that the Bears have the worst secondary (minus Peanut Tillman) in the NFL. However, finding good safeties in the later rounds of the draft is possible. And with the right scouting, it is something the Bears are going to have to do. If this area does not improve, the Bears will continue to “suck” as the Packers’ fans like to sing.
Now the big problem…the offensive line. The Bears are in need of some major upgrades as well as some new talent to incorporate into a weak offensive line. Usually, the best lineman are found in the higher rounds. The Bears will need to identify some real talent with limited options. Now they can hope for a Roberto Garza type guy to come along in free agency, but that is not normally an option. So hopefully Mike Tice can turn this group around. It is a lot to ask with this group. Not holding my breath…
Five Reasons to Be Pessimistic about the Bears
The Chicago Bears had an extremely disappointing season in 2009 with a 7-9 record and a franchise-type quarterback that threw the ball to the other team as often as he threw touchdown passes. While the Bears defense performed as to be expected in the front seven minus Brian Urlacher, the secondary (except Peanut Tillman) were horrible. Here are five reasons why the Bears may be horrible next season.
1. The Return of Lovie Smith
As the famous saying goes, “coaches are hired to be fired”. Well Lovie certainly tried his best to make this statement a reality last season. If I was not at the famous timeout/challenge/timeout game against the Packers, I would not have believed it. Based on that brilliant move alone, he should have voluntarily resigned. So instead, we are stuck with him for another season. While I do not suggest that Lovie owes us anything, his smug attitude and condescending tone seems really out of line for a coach that turned a Super Bowl team into a mid-level draft pick contender.
2. The Front Office (more…)
Week 5 Predictions: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
The Chicago Bears head to Detroit this week with a depleted receiving corp and beat up secondary. Kyle Orton’s go-to wide out Brandon Lloyd is out, and Marty Booker is a game time decision. As for the secondary, Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman were each injured in last weeks battle against the Eagles, but each practiced Friday and should be ready to go Sunday. Matt Forte will probably carry the load against a poor Lions rush defense. Lets take a look at how others predict the match up between the Bears and Lions this Sunday.
- Four out of the five experts at ESPN.com predict a Chicago Bears victory. The Bears are going to need their starting cornerbacks in order to stop top Lions receivers Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. The Lions had two weeks to prepare for this match up after a bye in week 4.
- At Yahoo.com, the Bears got a clean sweep for victory from all three experts and fan votes. The fan votes at Yahoo! give the Bears a 88% chance of victory.
- The guys at CBSSports.com split the match up between the Bears and Lions at 4-4. Six of those picks were against the spread, Lions +3.5. The Harmon Forcast points to Matt Forte’s running abilities against the lousy Lion’s run defense. Pete Prisco, who picked the Bears to beat the Eagles, picks the Bears to get upset this week. His pick is based on the Lion’s bye week and the beat up Bears.
- At the Chicago Trib, the Bears got a clean sweep. All four predictions went to the Chicago Bears, and none of the scores were that close.
Here at BearsHQ we also predict a Chicago Bears victory. Matt Forte’s presence out of the backfield, both as a runner and receiver, has given opponent defenses a headache during the first month, and shouldn’t change in week 5. The Lions have the worst rush defense and the Bears are short at wide receiver, so look for Forte to get plenty of touches. The Bears take the game 27-17.
Week 4 Ratings: Second Half Defense Leads Bears over Eagles
In week 4, the Chicago Bears looked like a playoff team, at times. At other times, the Bears looked like a last place team. The Bears come out of the gates quick, putting up 7 points in three plays. Taking a 21-14 point lead into half time, the third game the Bears lead going into the half. The third quarter was a mess though, and the Bears offense turned the ball over three times, while gaining just four yards and zero first downs. The defense came through though on a huge goal line stand, forcing a turn over on downs by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears almost blew another fourth quarter lead, but came out on top, 24-20.
Lets take a look at how the Bears did, position by position.
Quarterback- 18/34, 199 yrds, 3 td, 2 int- Rating: 3/5
Kyle Orton started off great. Taking the Bears down the field in three plays, all passing, on their opening drive resulting in a 19-yard pass to Greg Olsen. Orton would finish with three touchdowns, a career high. All three touchdowns came in the first half though. The second half was a different story though. In the third quarter Orton turned the ball over three times, one interception and two fumbles. All three turnovers came on three consecutive possessions. In the end, Orton turned out a pretty good performance, but needs to play like he did the first half more consistently if the Bears are going to make a run at the division.
Running Backs- 26 carries, 78 yrds, 3.0 avg- 6 catches, 43 yards- Rating: 3.5/5
This was not the best rushing performance by the Bears run game, but it did the job. They picked up yards in key situations. Matt Forte carried the ball 19 times for just 43 yards. Kevin Jones spelled him three times for 16 yards. Devin Hester gained 15 yards on an end around, and Marty Booker picked up three yards on what looked to be a wide receiver option. Forte continued to be a reliable receiving option for Orton out of the backfield though, as Orton found him five times when he was getting into trouble. In the end, you would like to see the ground game pick up more yards, but in a game where Orton shined in the first half, the ground game was able to eat away the clock in the fourth quarter. Forte turned in a total 24 touches for 88 yards.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends- 12 catches, 157 yrds, 3 TDs- Rating: 3.5/5
The Chicago Bears reveiving core looked great as a group, but no one stood out alone. Hester, Booker and Olsen all caught touch down passes. Hester also dropped a pass over the middle of the field that would proably have ended in a touchdown. He redemed himself with a 20 yard grab down the sideline for a second quarter touchdown that put Chicago up 21-14. Olsen had three catches, and zero turnovers! Booker also got his first touchdown back with the Bears. Brandon Lloyd, last weeks leading wide out, had two catches for 33 yards before leaving with an injury, which he did not return from. Besides the dropped catch by Hester, the wide outs performed well.
Defensive Line- 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks – Rating: 4/5
The Chicago Bears were without pro-bowl defensive lineman Tommie Harris and did not have to face pro-bowl running back Brian Westbrook or pro-bowl guard Shaun Andrews. They held running back Correll Buckhalter to just 66 yards rushing but he averaged 4.1 yards per carry. The were able to keep Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb on the run though, sacking him 1.5 times. The line made a huge stop in the fourth quarter though. As the eagles drove 75 yards down the field with hopes of tying the, the Chicago Bears stopped them at the one yard line on 3 consecutive plays, yielding a turn over on downs.
Linebackers- 11 tackles, 1 sack- Rating: 3.5/5
The Bears linebackers played a great game Sunday, although not putting up huge numbers. Lance Briggs was continuosly chasing guys around the field, and had two crowed ‘awwing’ hits. Hunter Hillenmeyer sacked McNabb once, and Brain Urlacher was all over the field as usual, picking up 8 tackles.
Defensive Secondary- 22 tackles, .5 sack, 1 int- Rating 4/5
The Chicago Bears secondary played very well Sunday, allowing the least amount of passing yards and touchdowns by McNabb for the season. Danieal Manning got into the back field to assist Ogunleye in a sack. Kevin Payne tied Urlacher for the team lead in sacks with 8 tackles, he also returned an interception for 49 yards, almost scoring a touchdown. The secondary had a touch time trying to cover speedy rookie DeShawn Jackson who scored the only receiving touchdown for the Eagles. Charles Tillman left in the fourth quarter after being in obvious pain after missing a tackle. The Bears secondary was able to prevent any really big plays, something usually tough for the opposing teams to do against the Eagles offense.
Overall Team Rating: 4/5
The Chicago Bears were the clear underdogs against the Eagles, as nobody was really giving them a chance. The Bears showed early that they were a team that should not be looked over. The second half play by the Bears offense, mainly Orton, was clear to why they blew second half leads the last two weeks and are only 2-2. The defense showed its true character with their goal line stand, which was definitely the focal point of the second half.
While it was first half offense that got the Bears going in week 4, it was traditional Chicago Bears defense that finished of the game in the second half.
