Bearstalk

Per Rotoworld: "The Georgia football program is reportedly in "hot water" after Jay Cutler gave four Broncos-Falcons tickets to then-Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Stafford in November of last year. Stafford then distributed three to teammates. If the report is true, Stafford violated NCAA regulations and the Bulldogs risk losing scholarships, or may face other penalties. Dogs FB Shaun Chapas confirmed that he got a ticket, but says he donated $40 to a Boys and Girls Club in exchange. Georgia conveniently didn't report the violation(s) until after Stafford declared for the draft." Nice thing for Cutler to do for a college QB, even if the school shouldn't have let St…

Heistand on his guys. http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=5919

As Sun times pointed out, KC Joyner (ESPN) had a Q & A, and there were a lot of Bears questions he answered. - Cutler - This guy is not a fan, at all. Said Cutler throws a lot of picks, and actually compares him to Rex. While I think most agree he is aggressive, I think there are two key points missing. One. Due to Denver's issues last year, they were forced into being a very pass oriented team. While they may be a passing team anyway, I think they were forced to pass more than they would have liked due to (a) RB injuries and ( awful defense forcing the O to play from behind. When you are playing from behind, and having to pass a ton, you are forced to be m…

Boras talks about Gaines addition on Chicagobears.com What have been your impressions of free-agent addition Michael Gaines? I’ve been impressed with Michael since he’s gotten here. He’s tried to learn the offense as quickly as he can. He gives us some versatility as well because he can line up as a fullback for us as well as an inline blocker. He just has that mass. He’s got size to him. He’s probably the heaviest tight end we have. He could be both an inline blocker as well as a fullback for us.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog?po...;name=dickerson Bears tight end Greg Olsen paid a visit to ESPN's First Take on Friday and hit on several key topics -- the biggest being the team's depth at wide receiver. "I know there are a lot of names there that most people don't recognize, but I really believe that those guys are going to have a good season," Olsen said. "Obviously Devin [Hester], everyone knows about Devin and what he's been able to do. I think he's going to surprise some people. What he was able to do this off-season and the way he looked in OTA's and minicamp, I think he looks like a top-tier receiver. Some of those young guys, Earl [bennett]…

Posted by Aaron Wilson on July 11, 2009 8:35 PM Perhaps no young Pro Bowl quarterback has drawn as much criticism as Chicago Bears newcomer Jay Cutler. Usually, the topic at hand is Cutler's messy breakup from the Denver Broncos. In this case, though, Cutler is under scrutiny for his tendency to take risks on the field. After watching tapes and performing a statistical analysis of Cutler's performance over the past three years, KC Joyner of ESPN.com, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times, has drawn some very negative conclusions about the former Vanderbilt star. "I've said it many times and I'll say it again, Cutler will make Bears fans remember R…

http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/07/19...ball_outsi.html For all you stat guys out there. I like the way these guys look at stats. It has a link within the article for the entire book if anyone is interested. I'm going to start trying to digest it. It looks as though it may be a good FF tool as well. They are going to post more articles on this later.

19 days to Camp: Football Outsiders projects Bears to win NFC By Brad Biggson July 12, 2009 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (37) | TrackBacks (0) The game of baseball lends itself to endless statistical analysis. You could just talk numbers from now until Tuesday's all-star game about the struggles of the Cubs without even mentioning the sideshows that have dominated the season to this point on the North Side. There is a statistical explanation or trend for everything. Football isn't broken down in quite the same way, or at least it has not been in the mainstream. But the good folks at Football Outsiders are doing all they can to introduce some new tools for e…

From the Tribune: Chicago Bears Devin Hester willing to give up punt returns, just not immediately By Vaughn McClure It was interesting to see Jamie Dukes of the NFL Network rank Devin Hester the fifth-best return man in the league. Dukes said Hester would be No. 1 without the title of receiver behind his name. Wonder what Dukes and other NFL observers would say if Hester gave up returns, period? It could happen. The Bears star, who surrendered his kickoff return duties to Danieal Manning last season, said he would be willing to give up punt returns, too ... just not immediately. ``I think a return man simply has to be a return man,’’ Hester …

I have seen some ask this, though I am not sure if it has been talked about on this board. One reason I think it may be worth consideration is, if we put Basanez on the PS, which I am pretty sure he is still eligible for, would any other team really steal him? To steal him, another team would have to give him a spot on their 53 man roster, and I am just not sure anyone would be willing to do that. On the practice squad, he is still ours and would still be in a position to learn and develop, but at the same time, it would free up a roster spot. W/ questions of whether we keep 5 or 6 WRs, 3 or 4 TEs as well as 3 or 4 RBs, we could be in a situation where that extr…

Jamie Dukes: McDaniels can't be trusted Posted by Aaron Wilson on July 16, 2009 10:15 PM ET Former NFL offensive lineman Jamie Dukes came out swinging in his blog today, and he delivered a few uppercuts to Denver Broncos rookie coach Josh McDaniels. The NFL Network analyst hammered McDaniels for having a "problem with honesty," adding that other players besides former Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler have "privately expressed concern." Considering a lot of players, including disgruntled Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, pass through the NFL Network studio in Los Angeles, that's an intriguing comment. Dukes referenced how Cutler said that the reason …

Donald Driver issues thumbs down on Bears' wideouts Posted by Aaron Wilson on July 16, 2009 9:45 PM ET Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver knows what an effective receiving corps is supposed to look like: dangerous, consistent and productive. In a blunt comment that's certain to become bulletin-board material in the Chicago Bears' locker room, Driver gave a candid assessment of the Bears' receivers during an interview with NFL Sirius Radio, per Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "I think Chicago did a great job, and Lovie Smith went out there and got Jay Cutler to lead this team, but one thing they don't have is they don't have the rece…

From ESPN Chicago: Lynch: 'Buyer Beware' with Marshall Former All-Pro safety John Lynch has some advice for the Chicago Bears if they plan on pursuing Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall. "Buyer beware," Lynch said on the "Waddle & Silvy" show on ESPN 1000. Lynch, who retired last year and will be a FOX television analyst this season, was Marshall's teammate in Denver during the 2006 and '07 seasons. Marshall had made some noise about wanting to be traded, but he recently said he will report to training camp on time. "I don't like saying [buyer beware], but you've got to call a spade a spade, and I think it's a dangerous proposition," L…

This article is one of my favorites in a series of articles that the Sun-Times has been running Pro Bowl WR not needed for Super Bowl winners In it there is this quote: It also quotes an article from John Clayton of ESPN where he says he feels JA & LS rank #4 in the NFL as GM/HC Combos: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/stor...&id=4336648

Just wanted to see who you guys think will lead some statistical categories. Here are mine: TD receptions: Olsen (7) Receptions: Hester (71) Receiving Yards: Hester (1123) Tackles: Briggs (149) Sacks: Ogunleye (10.5) Interceptions: Tillman (6) Forced Fumbles: Tillman (7) Biggest surprise: Ogunleye (special mention: Iglesias, Kevin Jones) Biggest letdown: Vasher (special mention: Anderson [at this point, is him struggling even a letdown though?], Bennett) Bears finish 11-5 and win the NFC with a 27-13 win at home vs Atlanta.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/07/10...loser_look.html 10 days to Camp: A closer look at run metrics for Bears' linemen By Brad Biggs We reached out to KC Joyner to go over some of the run blocking metrics he completed after film review of the Bears. The numbers showed that right guard Roberto Garza was not only the Bears' most efficient run blocker last season, he was one of the best guards in the game, ranking ahead of the three Pro Bowlers Joyner has final numbers for--Chris Snee, Leonard Davis and Alan Faneca. "If you ask me about the 22 teams I've run the numbers on so far, he is probably the second most surprising,'' said Joyner, who will p…

http://www.virtualsportsnetwork.com/houshmandzadeh-said-what TJ Houshmanzadeh is upset about his madden rating. Do you think his complaining is warranted or does he need to stfu about it and just play?

Brad Briggs writes in the Sun Times that Marinelli feels Harris is "Ready to Go." BUt Marinelli's statement was: He SEEMS PRETTY healthy?????? Doesn't fill me with alot of confidence. And if Harris is not back we better be looking at another anchor for the DL.

I just saw this linked on another message board, thought I'd repost it here: ProFootballFocus.com They have every single game of the last two seasons broken down snap-by-snap. They'll tell you who was on the field for any given snap in any game, where they lined up, and how they did that game. I'd be lying if I said I understood their player ratings yet, but it's really cool to be able to see what package the Bears put on the field for every snap. A couple of things I noticed immediately: - The Bears flip-flopped their defensive tackles a lot more than I expected. In a lot of games, Tommie Harris was getting nearly equal snaps at the left and right defensiv…

Is there any way around the word code thing when ordering tickets on ticketmaster? Since they've added this feature I've lost out on many events due to getting some of the most illegible crap. Meanwhile knowing that every second I waste trying convince the system I'm real is a second that is lost while others are snagging tickets. If I try by phone won't I be put on hold indefinitely? How exactly does Ticketmaster determine best available does it start at the highest dollar tickets and from there closest to the 50 yard line? Haven't been to a Bears game since 2001. I do know that my best strategy online is to pick one game and focus on that. Also to know which …