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.

Ten Most Underrated Bears of my Lifetime

I enjoyed writing the first two articles on former Chicago Bears, so lets cap it off with the ten most underrated Bears.

1. Neil Anderson

Following up a legend is hard to do. Neil Anderson was a great running back and the second best one I saw in a Bears uniform. He had great speed and was a tough runner on the inside. It is too bad his career got cut short by personal issues off the field.

2. Lance Briggs

Brian Urlacher steals all the headlines and Briggs did himself no favors by complaining about his contract, but Briggs is a great linebacker who has never gotten the credit he has deserved around the league. Sure he has made a few Pro Bowls, but this guy deserves stronger praise.

3. Matt Suhey

Guys are crossing my lists, but Suhey was an awesome football player. Notice people do not often mention the drought of fullbacks in Chicago, but the Bears have not had one since number 26.

4. Brendon Ayanbadejo

Lovie loves talking about the four phases of the game, and Special Teams are on of these. So why did the Bears let this guy go. He was one of the best in football and the Bears rewarded him by not paying him what he deserved.

5. Jeff Graham

Erik Kramer had an awesome year with the Bears, and Graham was a huge part of it. He was a good receiver that was not afraid to go over the middle and make plays. For some reason, the Bears did not see his value and let him go.

6. Peanut Tillman

For some unknown reason many Bears fans seem to take issue with Tillman. He is a great cornerback and has proven his talents with the team. I just wish people would cut him some slack.

7. Brad Maynard

He is unspectacular but amazing. He always seems to come up with big punts and puts the opposing teams in poor field position.

8. Leslie Frazier

Its too bad he got hurt on a trick play in the Super Bowl because he was getting to be a really good player for the Bears. Still not sure why Ditka decided to risk his top corner on a punt return with a big lead.

9. Bernard Berrian

I really liked Berrian as a Bear and was upset the team let him go. I am not sure why a team that is so far under the cap would not match the Vikings offer. He was a really nice football player.

10. Jim Morrissey

A last round pick with the Bears in 1985 and played several productive seasons with the Bears, a guy that never really got credit for being a good football player.

Your thoughts???