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.

There is no question that Hester has some great talent. He has blazing speed, great moves and is an amazing athlete. However, the move from defensive back to wide receiver has not gone as smoothly as many fans would have liked. Hester at times has made some nice catches, but he also drops passes and does not always seem to know his assignment. While getting the ball in Devin Hester’s hands seems to be important to the Chicago Bears, his play has dipped due to this move from returner to full-time wide receiver.

The Verdict

This whole Devin Hester situation is like ordering a steak, feeling that it is great, but sending it back for something else. I am still pondering why the Chicago Bears would take a weapon like Hester and turn him into a mediocre wide receiver. This will be a huge season for Hester and he will have a lot to prove. The talent is still there, but is all of this transition too far in his head? I think that we may be surprised by his production but still long for the human highlight film.

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.

The Eagles on the other hand weren’t the same without Westbrook and I’m sure they would contribute his absence to their loss. The starting running back, Correll Buckhalter, had 16 carries for 66 yards and two catches for 24 yards. McNabb threw for 262 yards with one touchdown and one interception. McNabb’s only touchdown went to rookie DeShawn Jackson in the first quarter.

The Bears went into the fourth quarter with the lead and finally managed to hold it. After two huge defensive stops at the goal line, the Bears walked away with a 24 to 20 win. It was a lot closer than many fans would like to have seen, but a win is a win.

The Bears will travel next week to Detroit to face the Millenless Lions.

The releasing of Bradley doesn’t do a whole lot to the roster. The Bears have a long list of receivers, none of whom have stood out (except Brandon Lloyd in week 3).

What this should do though is give Devin Hester extra snaps, when healthy, to improve his receiving skills.

Source: ProFootballTalk.com