Bearstalk

Heading into the season, I think even Orton supporters had fairly low expectations. Well, a look at the numbers is a bit surprising. Orton has 198 passes, which ranks him 6th in the league. Far higher than I think most would have expected. Orton has a completion % of 61.6%, which is not great, but very solid. Even better, IMHO, is that he has been over 60% in 4 of his 6 games, and a 5th was 59.4%. He has 1,386 yards passing, which ranks him 8th in the league. His YPA stands at an even 7, which is not bad at all, particularly for a "game manager" which you would expect to be under 7. He has 8 TDs passes, which ties him for 8th in the league. An…

I find it very interesting that this ENTIRE board is mum on Kyles performance yesterday. I find it admirable that he played, dont get me wrong, but his lack of mobilty restricted play action calls and roll outs. If he couldnt play at an highlevel and he knew they would have to restrict the playbook due to his injury, he should not have played. We can debate all we want about the coaches and defense, but he was simply bad yesterday. He locked on receivers, he missed open guys downfield, he threw into coverage, he had 3 ball batted down at the LOS. He produced the fewest points, yards and first downs of any Bears game this year. Although I do believe he is bet…

both from espn.com GO GET MARINELLI, ANGELO!

Article on ESPN.. Angelo looking for QB

Please take Bob Babich and Darryl Drake with you!!!! http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/01/br...u_coach_ex.html Peace

For those potentially interested in him as a FA... Furrey is out there. They released a few other guys, but no other name seemed of interest or was recognizable to me. There was mention of a safety, but I couldn't remember the name.

Two sources said offensive tackle John Tait is seriously considering retirement, and a third source close to the team called it a fait accompli that Tait will not return for 2009 despite having one year left on his contract. Mike Brown, the heart and soul of the Bears for the last nine seasons, was informed Friday that the team will not make him a contract offer. The Bears also cut ties with Marty Booker, one of the top wide receivers in team history, but the biggest story is the Bears seem set to lose a player they want to have back. http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/index.html

I thought it would be fun to do a weekly or bi-weekly draft poll. I used Walterfootball.com to give us a choice of where they have them ranked. Walterfootball has decent rankings and they update every Thursday. Tomorrows version should be interesting to see where players shift to since the combine. I might post Talk Bears Mock version II over the weekend once the mock draft web pages all get updated. My votes as of today: Michael Johnson DE, Brian Robiskie WR, Donald Brown RB b/c they all were awesome at the combine. (Jarius Byrd was very close, but I hope David Bruton FS Notre Dame is there w/ the BB comp pick)

What have the reactions from the player been like?

Sometimes, teams make moves and you get the sense that the team is genuinely, enthusiasticlaly behind the move. When the Bulls got Derrick Rose, everyone, no matter who you talked to on the team, was visibly thrilled and he had respect from day one. Every Bear I have heard speak about the trade has brought up, even when not prompted, that they really believed in Kyle Orton as QB and are sorry to see him go. Cutler's not going to be handed anything by this team. One hopes that changes the moment he throws a 60 yard bomb on the money, but if he thinks that making the Pro Bowl and moving to a city which has been plagued with questionable to bad QB play for most of the past …

Angelo basically said he was pissed about our running game. He said you expect your featured back to break off a couple 20+ yard runs per game, and we didn't do that. He didn't blame the coaches or the o-line, he put it on the running backs. Considering since Angelo has been with the Bears, he's had pretty good luck with FA running backs (Thomas Jones), and pretty bad luck with FA draft picks (Cedric Benson, and probably Garrett Wolfe). Here's a list of some of the running backs available (as per the Peoria Journal Star). I was just wondering who you guys want or think JA will target. #1. Michael Turner, San Diego--(I know he's a favorite here, but I don't…

If I was JA, this is how I would fix the team: Free agency: 1. Sign either Travelle Wharton or Jordan Gross, whomever Carolina lets go.-this is priority #1. You have to go all out for these guys. Either of them can play LT, so you can move Tait to RT. If that fails, go after Max Starks if Pittsburgh lets him go. If we don't sign a LT, then Otah or Clady has to be the #1 pick. 2. Re-sign Berrian if he comes at a decent price or sign Bryant Johnson. After Berrian we have no talent at WR. If Berrian leaves, what good will upgrading at QB do if nobody can catch the ball? A QB has to have weapons to be successful. 3. Sign G Ryan Lilja if he does not re-sign with In…

This video is near proof that the Bears need to draft OL in the first round, and maybe several others. When Cedric Benson is given a chance to build up steam, he's shown glimpses of dominating running. He's shown a little wiggle, a good deal of power, and an ability to see the whole/cutback lane. The Bears simply have to draft OL first, and all this Mendenhall talk is just plain crazy.

Broncos to open with Raiders By Mike Klis The Denver Post Article Last Updated: 03/31/2008 11:12:38 AM MDT Palm Beach, Fla. — For starters, the Broncos will be the last to kick off. The Broncos will open their season with the late Monday night game Sept. 8 against their AFC West Division rival Oakland Raiders in the Black Hole. The NFL season will open Thursday, Sept. 4 with the Washington Redskins playing at the defending Super Bowl-champion New York Giants. The Sunday night game in week 1 will feature the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts. The first Monday night game will pit the Minnesota Vikings at the Green Bay Packers. The Bron…

There are fewer questions on defense, but Smith said he expects Mike Brown to move to free safety after playing strong safety last season. Brown has played free in the past. The move could have ramifications for Manning, who is considered a better free safety than strong. Smith said he expects Manning to compete at strong safety with Brandon McGowan, Kevin Payne and Adam Archuleta. He also left open the possibility the Bears could add a safety in the coming months. Unless Payne or McGowan are better Strong Safeties then Manning is Free safety this move makes no sense. They again are moving him to a new position as he starts to show improvement and get comfor…

Here are some second round reasons why the Bears shouldn't pick Rashard Mendenhall in the first round. (In no particular order) Ray rice Felix Jones Matt Forte There are quite a few RB that look like they will be able to improve the run game. I personally want Chris Johnson because I still believe speed kills (4.24). But there is a strong possiblity Jonathan Stewart will fall to the Bears because of his injury.

I really think this is something the team should consider for next yr. I believe he could be an all pro safety and allow us to cut strings with Mike Brown. The only issue may be his salary as he is being paid as a corner. Thoughts? Peace

1 more game NE to get 16-0. I say NE wins it 31-10.

That is the question. I have gone back and forth. On one hand, I do not want to tie up a ton of money into a player who I question will ever be a #1. On the other hand, can we really afford to lose him? So some talk about the tag, as have I at times, and I just got to thinking about the numbers. What sort of deal do we expect Berrian to seek? He turned down, I think, something in the $20m range w/ $8m guaranteed, which is about what we offered Randle El a couple years ago. So what is he looking at. Last year, I don't think there were any deals for WRs that Berrian would use. Stallworth signed basically a one year gimick deal. Moss, Welker and the rest …

He seems to be the consensus pick by all the draft gurus. I just cant get jacked for him. Anybody have anything to fire me up about him. About the most exciting thing I have seen is Mayock calling him a brawler. http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingr...t/jeffotah.html