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.
Chicago Bears Player Profile…Lance Briggs
Lance Briggs is one of the best players in the NFL, and certainly was the Bears’ best defensive player last season. He makes tackles and understands angles to ball carriers as well as any linebacker in the game today. He has been overshadowed by Brian Urlacher for much of his career, but Briggs proved himself last season.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Briggs has never gotten the respect from Bears’ fans he deserves. This has a lot to do with his contract issues from a few seasons ago. I was one that thought the Bears should let him go, but to the organization’s credit, they found a way to keep Briggs in the picture. If he didn’t have all the contract problems, perhaps Briggs would get his full credit. I know he gets voted into Pro Bowls, but I think that comes as much from other players from around the league more than local fans. I enjoy watching Briggs play. I hope the fans will start giving him the respect he deserves.
The Verdict…
There is no reason to think Briggs will not play at his high level next season. With Urlacher and Pisa Tinoisamoa finally healthy, the Bears will have one of the best linebacking groups in the NFL. Do not be surprised if Briggs leads the group in tackles and is allowed to get after quarterbacks a little more this season.
Chicago Bears OTAs
The Chicago Bears got a taste of the Mike Martz offense during OTAs, or Organized Team Activities to us common folks.
The feedback from Jay Cutler and other Bears was quite positive. “Mike (Martz) does a great job of mixing things up and keeping the defense off balance, putting guys in match-ups where they can win.” Cutler said. “It’s exciting. It’s changing. It’s always different.”
It should be noted that Cutler was picked off twice Friday by Brian Urlacher and Zach Bowman, but he also completed some passes to several players including Greg Olsen. I mention this because it has been reported that the Bears were shopping Olsen in the off-season and Martz has not liked tight ends that do not block well in his past positions.
Much has been made about issues of a working relationship between Martz and Cutler. According the coach Lovie Smith, the relationship is solid. “What I hope to see is exactly how it’s been from Day 1,” Smith said. “They have mutual respect for each other. Of course being in the middle, I knew both of the guys, knew that it would be a good fit.”
I know two things for sure. Jay Cutler is a talented quarterback and Mike Martz is a talented coach. If both can work together, this will be an exciting offense. Both guys have bad reputations, so the opportunity for both to prove critics wrong may be strong motivation. Look, going from Ron Turner to Mike Martz is like going from a ham sandwich to a filet mignon. This will only help the Bear’s offense.
Your thoughts please!!!
War of Words Between Brian Urlacher and Gale Sayers
In recent days, Gale Sayers and Brian Urlacher have said some pretty harsh things about one another in the media. While it makes for some interesting headlines, it leads me to an interesting conversation I had with my father today.
With the recent success of the Chicago Blackhawks (By the way, guess who’s going on Sunday?), the Hawks have decided to make former players a big part of their rebirth. Bobby Hull seems to be at every home game. My dad (who is a longer time Bears fan than most) feels that the Chicago Bears have not treated its alumni as well (the 1985 Bears don’t count because to this day every member of that team is still on a pedestal).
With this being said, it can lead to Sayers being bitter about his former team. Many people that know Sayers indicate that he is a bitter man to begin with, so this adds fuel to the fire. Sayers took a shot at this years’ team and decided to give his opinion on the team at a charity event in Nebraska. To paraphrase, he said Lovie Smith better step up efforts this season or he should be out. He also indicated Brian Urlacher will have trouble returning to form after a season-ending wrist injury. He also did throw in how he is a huge Bears fan and lives and dies with the team.
Urlacher, who also has a big chip on his shoulder said that he is sick of everyone taking shots at the Bears including a former member of the team and pointed out that Sayers has not won anything ever in his career.
OK, here is my two cents. On one hand, Sayers played the game at the highest level and was considered by many people to be the best of all time. He has the right to voice his opinion on the team and didn’t say anything that all of us aren’t thinking. Urlacher needs to be a little less sensitive. However, maybe Urlacher should be commended for acting like a leader and defending his teammates and coach.
In the end, both guys are certainly entitled to speak their collective minds but perhaps these are things that need to be discussed outside the media. It makes Sayers look like a hater and Urlacher look like a jerk. The best thing is that both just drop it and make up.
Player Profile…Brian Urlacher
For a player with as much talent as Urlacher, he has a tendency of rubbing people the wrong way. He has been quite snippy with the media and had some off the field issues that have not helped his image. That being said, he is quite an NFL talent. Losing him last season during the first game did not set a good tone for the season.
The Good…
Urlacher is a freak of nature at linebacker. He covers a lot of ground and will catch guys that most linebackers cannot even think of tackling. He is a play maker. Teams need to scheme for him during games. He is strong both in coverage and around the line of scrimmage.
The Bad…
Urlacher can easily be blocked by a good tight end. He gets caught up in traffic and has a difficult time staying away from interference. He is getting older and his skills are diminishing.
My Thoughts…
Not playing last season may have been what the doctor ordered for Urlacher. It gave him a good year to allow his body to heal and he could concentrate on strengthening his back as well as getting some of his other physical concerns taken care of…While Urlacher is not getting any younger, he is still a very good player and should help the Bears improve in coverage. However, his days of being good in run support are probably behind him.
