Offense

Chris Williams…

Defense

Brian Urlacher…

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

1. Walter Payton

Do I need to say anything else? Best all-around offensive player ever. If there was ever a player that everyone could look up to, it was Sweetness. His untimely death really robbed future generations of a special person and perhaps the greatest Bear of all time. Up until the later part of his career, Payton never ran behind one pro-bowl offensive lineman.

2. Brian Urlacher

While Walter Payton charmed fans with her personality, Urlacher has rubbed many people the wrong way. However, he is an amazing talent that is one of the best all-around linebackers I have ever seen. He has great speed and instincts on the field. While the linebackers from the ’80s get more love, Urlacher wishes he had that supporting cast. Can you imagine Urlacher as an 85 Bear? It would have been something to see.

3. Mike Singletary

He was the leader of the greatest defense ever witnessed by mankind. While he sometimes wasn’t pretty, he was a hard-hitter that made sure his teammates knew what to do. As a coach, he has brought some of that same fire and passion.

4. (Tie) Jay Hilgenberg & Jimbo Covert

Two guy that anchored the Bears offensive line for a good part of the ’80s. Both should be in the Hall of Fame and neither has gotten the call. What the heck is everyone waiting for.

5. Devin Hester (the returner)

Maybe the Bears will get him back to doing what he does best. In his first two seasons when he was actually returning kicks, Hester was the best anyone ever saw. So what did the wonderful people in charge do…take him away from that roll. Please Please Please let Hester return kicks again…

6. Dan Hampton

He was an amazing player. Despite playing on horrible knees, he still anchored the defensive line in ’85 and throughout the decade.

7. Matt Suhey

You are not reading this wrong. Suhey was the best fullback in the league in his prime and since his departure, notice the Bears have not found anyone even close to his skill set. Needed two yards, give the ball to Suhey. Need a big block, let Suhey take someone out. In the playoff game against the Giants, Suhey single handedly made sure Lawrence Taylor did not find the backfield the whole game.

8. Robby Gould

Mr Automatic. Considering he was really not considered a top kicker coming out of college, he has been amazing as a Bear.

9. Jim McMahon

Its hard not to put the “Punky QB” on the list. Despite injury and attitude problems, he got the job done. I just wish he stayed a little healthier.

10. Richard Dent

He was known as “The Sackman”. The name fit him well. Loved watching him get after QBs.

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.