With that being said, would it serve the Chicago Bears to franchise tag Manning? I believe it is the right move. While he’s not a ball-hawk, he does make tackles and does a solid job in coverage.

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While Devin Hester isn’t the only Chicago Bear that returns kickoffs, Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox also return kicks as well. Both have shown explosivness in that area as well.

With the current lockout and bad blood brewing between the NFL, players and fans, why make things even less exciting? I really believe owners are their own worst enemies.

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While these two don’t quite have the numbers of Hester, Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox were two of the best return men in football on kickoffs. However, Hester is one of those guys you drop everything you’re doing to see with the football in his hands.

Robbie Gould has been one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL. While he didn’t have his best season, he’s been a stabalizing force in that position for the Chicago Bears. For us Bears fans, we’ve lived through some horrific kickers and Gould really is one of the best. Brad Maynard is a solid punter who’s specialty is kicking it within the 20-yard line. However, it looks as if Maynard’s days with the Chicago Bears are coming to an end.

Patrick Mannelly deserves a shout-out as well. He’s been one of the league’s best long-snappers for many years now.

I give this unit an A. It would have been an A+ except there were times where they gave up returns and failed to create open holes.

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What a difference a year makes?!? The Chicago Bears traded for their old friend Chris Harris and moved Manning in as the starting strong safety. DJ Moore had a great year as the nickel safety. Rookie Major Wright proved to be a big hitter when he could stay healthy. Craig Steltz exploded out of camp as a potential starter but disappeared thanks to an injury during the preseason.

Charles Tillman is a favorite target of fans. He can be terrible against the slant pattern. However, he’s an excellent tackler and causes many fumbles. He’s a poor man’s Charles Woodson. Zachary Bowman was productive last season and struggled this year. He was replaced by one of the more underrated Bears this season in Tim Jennings. Josh Bullocks and Corey Graham are also cornerbacks, but their contributions come on special teams where Graham is a stud.

Obviously things were going right from a coaching standpoint. Jon Hoke was interviewed by the Philadelphia Eagles for their vacant defensive coordinator position. He didn’t get the job but it’s a nice pat-on-the-back for his career.

Overall, I give this unit a B+. While I think Harris was overrated and missed many tackles, he did get interceptions. Manning had a strong season. The cornerbacks played well and the coaches pulled the plug on Bowman quickly. Moore had a great season for a nickelback.

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Chicago Bears 24 Detroit Lions 0

Why am I so confident? Is it possible the Chicago Bears will look past the Lions? Nope…this team is hungry to prove that they are the better football team especially after the events of the opening game. To refresh your memory, Calvin Johnson caught what appeared to be the go-ahead touchdown late into the fourth quarter but it was overturned on a ridiculous rule about controlling the ball through the catch. Since that time, many have speculated that had it of gone the Lions way, it would have been a totally different season for the Chicago Bears.

[picappgallerysingle id="9748268"]While the Lions have played respectably this season, their record is still 2-9. Close doesn’t count for much. Plus, the Lions are down to third string quarterback Drew Stanton and without defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch. Against a team like the Chicago Bears, the Lions would need to play a perfect game and I do not see the Lions being able to do so without key players.

On the other hand, the Chicago Bears are flying high. Julius Peppers is playing like the NFC Defensive Player of the Year and Devin Hester is scary again. When Hester isn’t returning kicks, Danieal Manning is almost as strong. Offensively, the offensive line has been improving and Jay Cutler has been making less mistakes. I’m guessing the gameplan will be similar to the Miami game two weeks earlier.

[picappgallerysingle id="10291476"]I’m going on a limb now, and will tell you the Green Bay Packers will have issues with the San Francisco 49ers. You heard it hear first…

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How effing hard is it to pick up a corner blitz? How about the Bears pass rush and run stopping abilities? Again, how effing hard is it to pick up a corner blitz?

Mike Martz’s offense doesn’t allow for audibles. So basically yesterday, Jay Cutler was a sitting duck. I mean, Matt Forte and the idiots playing tackle couldn’t get even a hand on a defensive back? Jay Cutler was a sitting duck yesterday. If you’re not going to protect Cutler, why have a quarterback with his ability here?

On defense, the Bears finally adjusted to the slant pattern after three quarters. But missed tackles and an inconsistent pass rush also did the Chicago Bears in yesterday. We’ve all learned how valuable Lance Briggs really is to this team. While Brian Iwuh led the team in tackles, most came downfield.

The one positive obviously was the returners. Devin Hester and Danieal Manning continue to show huge playmaking abilities. Earl Bennett should also get some kudos for his block of Jon Ryan. It was an amazing hit. Manning appeared to return a kick for a TD until it was called back for a hold. Devin Hester is back to his old form.

Let’s look at the bigger picture. Green Bay also lost yesterday. The Bears are one game ahead of the Packers. Next week, the Chicago Bears are home against the Washington Redskins and the Packers host the Minnesota Vikings. This is now a must win for the Chicago Bears if they’re contenders. If the Vikings win and the Bears lose, this division just got a lot more interesting. The Chicago Bears have no one but themselves to blame for this mess. A win Sunday for the Chicago Bears would make life much better going into the bye week. As of now, I’m not sure if the Chicago Bears can do that.

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Jonathan: What type of greeting will Peppers receive from the fans?

Eric: “I think Peppers will receive a mixed greeting. Personally, his return will be met with a hearty “boo” in my house. Pep’s latest incident on not being coddled by the front office upon his departure is just the latest in a long line of reasons to boo the man.”

Jonathan: Hows does Carolina win this football game?

Eric: “Carolina can win this game if they play 60 minutes of solid football. This is asking a lot of the team at this point, given the immaturity at certain positions. That being said, the team has made improvements on a weekly basis, and rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen continues to develop in almost seamless fashion. Against the Saints, Clausen did not throw a single pick, nor did he fumble the ball. In order to win this, the Panthers must score on offense, and keep playing the style of defense it showed at New Orleans.”

Jonathan: How does Chicago win this game?

Eric: “Devin Hester. On special teams, the guy is still a nightmare. It impresses me that technically, a team has to kick away from Hester on kickoffs, but even that can get a team in trouble if the kick goes out of bounds.”

Jonathan: Will John Fox finish the year in Carolina?

Eric: “I think he will. In 2001, George Seifert went 1-15, and kept his job until the end of the season. Jerry Richardson (to date) is not a believer in making a coaching change mid-season. I don’t necessarily agree with it; if it was my decision to be made, I’d make a change going into the Bye Week, and turn the reins over to defensive coordinator Ron Meeks as a trial period in finding the team’s new head coach.”

Jonathan: Game prediction???

Eric: “I’m going with Chicago in this one. Carolina stands a decent shot at beating the Bears, but I’m going to be cautious, and stick with my “no wins until after the Bye” mantra…Chicago 24 Carolina 17.”

Thanks Eric!!! Here are my answers to his questions…

Eric: How confident are you in the Bears starting quarterback Todd Collins?

Jonathan: “Not at all…But Mike Martz has proven he can get things out of quarterbacks people have little faith in…Caleb Hanie may still play if Collins is ineffective, but as of now, I’m not very confident. Chicago Bears GM last season failed to address the back-up running back position, and the results were a disaster. An issue I have with Lovie Smith and company was they allowed rookie Dan LeFevour to take most of the snaps during the preseason, and released him at the end of training camp. While Hanie got hurt in the first game, the Chicago Bears needed to get a quarterback ready and not spend the whole preseason getting LeFevour ready for the Bengals.”

Eric: After allowing nine sacks to the New York Giants, how effective can the Bears offensive line be at protecting Collins?

Jonathan: “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I am not as concerned about the Panters defensive line. I think there were two factors going against the Chicago Bears last Sunday evening. One was that Cutler did have time on at least two of those sacks, but I believe he may have suffered the concussion earlier in the game based on some reports that are coming out. The other is that the Giants were playing so poorly that something had to give. It was the Chicago Bears. So, with that being said, the Panthers will probably have 15 sacks. The Bears are going to keep it simple with short passes and attempt to run the ball…get ready for some extremely boring football.”

Eric: Which tackle do you think the Bears will line Julius Peppers up against, RT Geoff Schwartz or LT Jordan Gross? How effective will Pep be against either?

Jonathan: “Peppers is a manchild. As you know, he can dominate anywhere on the field. Peppers as usually on the right side, but they have been moving him around to create more opportunities.”

Eric: How dominating will the Bears special teams — specifically return game — be?

Jonathan: “Devin Hester finally showed us his old form. Danieal Manning may suck suck suck as a safety, but he is a good return man. Johnny Knox reminds me of a young Steve Smith. So the Chicago Bears have three really strong returners. If Carolina kicks to Hester, the Chicago Bears may find a way to get something out of that situation.”

Eric: What is one area of concern about the Panthers that the Bears need to focus on?

Jonathan: “The obvious answer is your pass rush. Based on last Sunday, the Chicago Bears couldn’t block anyone. The Panthers have two good running backs. If Carolina can run the ball, this will be ugly for Chicago. But I am guessing there will be Bears in the backfield all game especially with Jimmy Clausen at QB.”

Eric: Anything else you would like to add?

Jonathan: “Many of us in Chicago were nervous about the news before Cutler was ruled out, and now panic has reached the streets. Based on last Sunday and no Cutler, the Chicago Bears may play with a little something to prove. But with this team, anything can happen.”

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Remember that Simpsons episode when Marge found the Chanel dress on discount and got an invite to the Springfield Country Club?  And to keep up appearances, she kept using her sewing machine to reform that dress so that it looked like she owned five or six of them?

Well, that’s the Bears offensive line right now. And thought the purveyor of this site would have you think that Mike Martz and Mike Tice are miracle workers on the level of Ghandi or Samantha, it’s not the case.  You can put whipped cream and a cherry on a pile of dog poop, but it’s still dog poop, and this offensive lien is dog poop.  And that’s the quandary the Bears find themselves in this week…and the rest of the weeks this year.  They can’t pass block long enough to fully run what Martz wants to run, so their offense is starting to look not that much more dramatically different than what we saw the last couple of years…screen passes and quick slants because that’s all for which they will have time.  And as for the run blocking, well, I realize that Martz wants to get off the bus passing, but so far this year they have not shown that they can even run to set up the pass or keep the defenses hones

Maybe Tice is a miracle worker in that he got the team to block sufficiently the first three weeks, but the book is out: Throw everything at the Bears offensive line because they can’t handle it, and Todd Collins, now officially anointed the starter, certainly isn’t going to beat you downfield.  So, again, look for the Bears to try to establish a run game – I assume Tice has worked heavily on run blocking schemes, and keep it simpler than Martz usually does.  Martz already admitted to the media this week that last Sunday was his fault and that he needs to keep the playbook simpler as these guys learn their system – and as he realizes that the journeyman backup with a sufficient lack of reps and a purple Chanel dress of an offensive line is what he has to work with.

 Defensively, well, there’s no secret of what Carolina’s going to do.  Their best receiver, Steve Smith, is hurt.  Their second best receiver, Dwayne Jarrett, was cut after getting a DUI earlier this week – and by the way, if you any of you kids reading this blog ever become an NFL player – look at your bank account, and then call a bleeping cab or a bleeping limo.  You can afford it.  Sorry about getting off track there.  They signed a Jets castoff earlier this week, but that’s not the answer.  And Angus is not going to say anything nice about a Notre Dame quarterback unless it’s reflecting back on Joe Montana’s hosting SNL and the skit when he says he’s going upstairs to masturbate.

So, of course, Carolina’s going to run, and run, and run.  It’s going to be the Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams and DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart just pounding it into the Bears defense.  The Bears run defense could be better than last week because they’re going to be focused on this rushing offense (say what you will about Eli Manning, but at this point, he’s still a bigger threat than Jimmy Claussen, especially if, well, Claussen has no wide receivers), but that gain could be wiped out by the fact that Stewart and Williams are a much better tandem than what the Giants through out there.  My guess is the Bears defense will bend but not break…Carolina will be able to move the ball but get held up in the red zone, with the convenient Bears takeaway coming into play once or twice.  Look for the sack count to stay low (I bet they go sackless, or one…tops) as Carolina sticks with short passing plays and the run game.

What does it all add up to?  Not much.  First graders can do this arithmetic.  I’d say someone is going to score just because they have to, but this is going to be one of those games that, if you have Sunday Ticket, you’re going to find yourself wandering away from as both teams run a ball control offense against opposing defenses which are too far ahead of them.

 Prediction – Carolina 9, Bears 7.  Three field goals for Kasay and a KO return for Danieal Manning.  And Marge realizes how good she has it at home.  Mmmmm, open faced club sandwich.

Angus Out.

[picappgallerysingle id="7436787"]When Chris Harris and Danieal Manning take the field later today, it will be the 42nd and 43rd different safety to start under Lovie Smith (keep in mind that Harris played strong safety in the past and will start at free safety and the reverse also applies to Manning).

Manning is one of the most frustrating Chicago Bears. He has tremendous talent but doesn’t ever seem to quite “get it”. He is out of position on many plays and seems lost. Then he will turn around and make an unbelievable play. Plus, he has proven to be an excellent kick-off returner. This is a big year for Manning, and hopefully he can rise to the occasion.

[picappgallerysingle id="9715528"]Going into the preseason, Harris was a lock at safety. Based on his play in the preseason, his job isn’t quite as secure. With Major Wright and Craig Steltz breathing down his neck, Harris will have to step up his game. I would hope Harris has something to prove to the Chicago Bears upon his return, but perhaps there was a reason why he was traded to the Chicago Bears from the Carolina Panthers. I really hope we don’t have another Adam Archuleta on our hands. Man did he suck!

[picappgallerysingle id="9563205"]After being injured in the first preseason game, Wright is ready to roll. All indications are that he is a solid all-around safety. With the secondary being a huge question with this team, and frankly, the lack of solid play out of the current starters (well at least in the preseason…both had moments but overall didn’t play at a high level), Wright may give these guys a little push to perform. Additionally, Steltz was also playing well in training camp until injuring his ankle.

[picappgallerysingle id="2690351"]Follow me on Twitter at bearshq for regular updates during the game. Go Bears!!!

[picappgallerysingle id="1839604"]On offense, three players included Olin Kruetz, Bernard Berrian and Rex Grossman. Cedric Benson, as much as people hated him, also gave the team some solid work as well.

[picappgallerysingle id="1542340"]On the defensive side of the ball, ten of the twelve starters included Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Alex Brown, Tommie Harris, Tank Johnson, Peanut Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Mike Brown (until he was injured and Danieal Manning filled in…another guy that hasn’t developed as a safety but a nice kick returner) and Chris Harris. Mark Anderson should also get credit for his twelve sacks as well.

[picappgallerysingle id="1839777"]One cannot look at this team without also mentioning a second-round draft pick out of Miami. When he was drafted, many felt he was the best athlete in the draft but with raw talent. You might remember his unbelievable kick-off and punt returns including the opening kickoff in the Super Bowl for a touchdown…you guessed it…Devin Hester.

So why the stroll down memory lane? Because the success of this team really puts into perspective how much the organization has failed since Super Bowl XLI. One player in particular that stands out to me is the above-mentioned Hester.

The Hester that everyone loves was the guy that could return a kick for a touchdown every time he touched the ball. Teams were scared to kick to him and he was able to secure the Chicago Bears with excellent field position even when he didn’t touch the ball. So what did the Chicago Bears do? They decided to move him to wide receiver and feature him in the offense. At first, it seemed like a good idea…I mean here’s a guy with unbelievable talent that might be able to make the offense better. However, in the process of making this transition, Hester’s return abilities began to suffer. In fact, he became just another returner.

[picappgallerysingle id="2999848"]Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears had a good receiver in Bernard Berrian. He had great speed and good hands. Since they decided to move Hester up to offense (and Hester got a huge contract), they let Berrian go. While the Chicago Bears claim Berrian wanted too much money, they were way under the salary cap every season (that eats me up inside). Meanwhile, Berrian went to rival Minnesota and the Chicago Bears haven’t been as good since he was a member of the team.

So in two moves, the Chicago Bears (unless he makes a huge turn-around this season), have actually hurt the development of a Hall-of-Fame caliber player (and Hester was that type of returner) while letting a good player leave to a rival.

[picappgallerysingle id="1537793"]Other brilliant personnel decisions from the Super Bowl team include releasing Cedric Benson (I am aware of his off-the-field problems but to not even get anything in return for a first-round pick is inexcusable, especially when he is now one of the best running backs in football), and Tank Johnson (another guy with character issues but he comes to play every week).

[picappgallerysingle id="1839468"]The organization also traded Chris Harris (he’s back but should never have been let go by the team) and Thomas Jones (trading him away when you were aware of Benson’s off-the-field issues was also bone-headed).

[picappgallerysingle id="2154973"]Meanwhile, a huge contract was rewarded to Nathan Vasher. While Vasher had some good years, he was made one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the league. Once again, the organization lets Bernard Berrian walk over money while signing a mediocre cornerback to a big-money contract.

Today’s Chicago Bears

Since the Super Bowl, the Chicago Bears talent development has been poor. The only two players since the Super Bowl that the Chicago Bears have drafted and developed are Zach Bowman and Johnny Knox. Greg Olsen frankly has been a disappointment. Matt Forte has showed some signs but needs to do it more on a consistent basis, and having a crappy second season isn’t a ringing endorsement for player development. The jury is still out on Chris Williams, but based on some of his preseason play, it may be a short trial.

[picappgallerysingle id="9580310"]The Chicago Bears did trade two first-round and a third-round pick for Jay Cutler (the Chicago Bears did get a fifth-round pick in that trade that ended up being Johnny Knox). In addition, they gave up a second-round pick for Gaines Adams. In many people’s opinions, Cutler hasn’t lived up to the value of three picks and Adams tragically died last off-season.

[picappgallerysingle id="9580658"]Last years’ top picks (third-round) Jarron Gilbert and Juaquin Iglasius were released yesterday. So was sixth-round pick Al Afalava. This is not exactly a ringing endorsement to an organization’s scouting and player development. In fairness, Johnny Knox was a steal as a fifth-round pick, and starting left guard Lance Louis came out of this draft.

This year’s draft features Major Wright. Based on a half of a preseason game, he played well. But, let’s see what happens when it really matters.

[picappgallerysingle id="3170387"]Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith have taken a Super Bowl team and really screwed it up quickly. To go from the top game to not even making the playoffs is a joke. It is not like there isn’t any talent left on this team, it is just getting older and the younger guys just aren’t developing.