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Chicago Bears ’09: In Cutler They Trust

Published: September 7, 2009

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Chicago Bears training camp and preseason have passed but nothing has changed.

With the regular season starting Sunday in Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, the Bears have neither calmed fears nor definitively proven any perceived strengths.

Such is the nature of playing without game plans, or looking at personnel rather than trying all-out to win.

Certainly flashes of quarterback Jay Cutler’s brilliance surfaced against the New York Giants in Week 2 of preseason.

Beyond that, the Bears enter the regular season with potential for a division title or a third-place finish.

But we already knew that.

Here is how the 2009 season shakes down as we brace for a battle with the Cheeseheads.

Passing game
The Bears’ lack of proven receivers didn’t get solved by Juaquin Iglesias making five catches in the fourth preseason game, Johnny Knox hauling in a 43-yard pass, or even Devin Aromashodu earning Cutler’s support for a roster spot.

Devin Hester’s inexperience at wide receiver surfaced almost immediately in preseason. Earl Bennett made a few catches, but did to indicate he has a special connection with Cutler just because the two played together at Vanderbilt.

Aromashodu is only potential in a 6’3″ frame at this point.

Cutler did put his arm and athletic ability on display in wins over Denver and the Giants, which provides some hope.

The Bears’ stated philosophy is the good quarterback can make the receivers. The good receivers rarely make the good quarterback.

In Cutler they trust. It’s too late to backtrack on this now.

At least Cutler knows he has tight ends. The Bears are going to be able to attack with double tight end formations using proven threats Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark.

They’re blessed with depth at a position where most teams struggle to find just one threat.

Running game
It’s the supposed strength of the offense, but is it really?

The depth the Bears boasted completely vanished with Kevin Jones’ season-ending knee injury last week.

Contrary to expectations, they failed to add a back who had been cut by other teams. It’s up to Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolf to give Matt Forte a rest now and again.

Even with Forte last year, the Bears averaged only 3.9 yards per carry on the ground, 26th in the league. The hope is Cutler’s arm will force defenses off the line of scrimmage and allow Forte more running room.

There’s an awful lot being pinned on Cutler’s right arm and it goes beyond the passing game.

Line play
A few plays in preseason—particularly during the road games at Denver and Buffalo—left tackle Orlando Pace looking like the aging veteran ready for retirement that St. Louis saw last year. Then he would go for several series looking like a rejuvenated force protecting Cutler’s blind side.

The Bears on the road likely will need to give him protection with tight ends and backs against defenses that extensively utilize blitzes or who have standout pass rushers.

However, as camp went on, it became apparent Pace still has a lot left, and new starting left guard Frank Omiyale can be both a devastating run blocker and effective pass blocker.

Better yet, second-year right tackle Chris Williams quietly went through preseason getting his job done without much fanfare—always a good thing for linemen.
The line does look bigger and definitely has more talent. Meshing as a unit will be the goal early in the season.

Pass defense
It all rests on the pass rush from their front four and defensive tackle Tommie Harris’ health.

In fact, the entire fate of the Bears defense rides on Harris’ ability to be aggressive and demand double teams.

Defensive ends Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown, and Mark Anderson can then work one-on-one for the most part, and with pass rush pressure the inexperienced secondary can stay in cover-2 and make plays on the ball.

On the positive side, Harris has appeared to have explosion and stamina in limited preseason play. On the negative side, he only played in tiny bits and pieces. The Bears can’t be sure of his recovery time until after he has to go a full game.

Danieal Manning, Al Afalava, Kevin Payne, and Zack Bowman will scare no one on their own. They must have the support of constant pressure on the passer.

Run defense
One positive that came out of preseason is the continued growth of Marcus Harrison. Of course, he had continued growth of a different kind prior to training camp, but once he lost the weight he showed he can become a real force on the defensive line at either nose tackle or the “three-technique” spot.

Harrison, Anthony Adams, and Harris should help keep runners from getting beyond the line before they have to make a cut.

Linebacker Brian Urlacher looks noticeably larger in the neck and shoulders this year with a full season to work on weights, and he, Lance Briggs, and Pisa Tinoisamoa give the Bears their best group of linebackers in Lovie Smith’s tenure. It’s the deepest group of linebackers, as well.

The Bears’ defensive front won’t prove its worth until shutting down Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, which they’ve never been able to do.

The schedule
Based on last year’s records, this was the easiest schedule in the league.

Of course, that didn’t take into account the drastic improvement within the NFC North that is already apparent. Six games in a tougher division takes care of much of that schedule weakness. The start of their schedule—going to Green Bay, facing the world champions at home, then going out to Seattle, where they never seem to play well—could make for a possible 1-2 or 0-3 start.

Then the easier portion of the schedule should let them catch their breath until they get to the vital division opponents late in the season.

Still, they’re playing Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Atlanta, Arizona, and both Minnesota and Green Bay twice.

The prediction
This looks like a 10-6 team assuming the continued good health of Cutler, Forte, and Harris.

In another division in another season, this might be a 12-4 or 11-5 team.

The NFC North looks greatly improved and it could wind up being a case where they inflict so much damage on each other, that only one or possibly none of the non-division winners will earn a wild card.

Yet the two other NFC North teams have their problems. The Vikings have the Brett Favre rift to worry about, in addition to the potential loss of the Williamses when the Minnesota court system inevitably is prevented by higher courts from blocking their suspensions. The Packers may have Dom Capers and a 3-4 defense, but all the pieces are not perfect fits and they’ll have a while early when the defense struggles.

Put the Bears down for a 10-6 wild card spot, with an outside shot at getting into the NFC championship game.

In Cutler they trust.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

No Quick Resolution in Order For Chicago Bears Wide Receiver Situation

Published: August 30, 2009

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Remember Kenny Christian?

In 2002, the Bears had this former Raiders receiver in training camp and preseason making a lot of plays—so many that it was reported Christian had “all but made the team” with his performance.

Then came roster cuts and the only thing Christian had made was the waiver wire.
Keep that little bit of history in mind when assessing the Bears’ wide receiver battle, which will rage on even after the dress rehearsal in Denver.

The first roster cuts aren’t due until Tuesday, but even then, teams only need to reduce their 80-man roster to 75. Saturday, Sept. 5 is the main cutdown date. That promises to be when the Bears’ wide receiver issue is finally resolved.

Coaches do not always assess a player the way a fan does. For instance, a coach will assess a wide receiver by how well he runs a route even when the ball doesn’t come his way, or by how willing he is to block on running plays.

The Bears aren’t certain of a third receiver yet, although Brandon Rideau has been listed as such throughout camp. They haven’t even settled who gets the other receiver roster spots, and won’t until final cuts.

Devin Aromashodu is on Rideau’s heels. Veteran Rashied Davis hasn’t done anything to reduce his status in the eyes of coaches as a versatile, experienced threat and special teams player.

It would be difficult to see the Bears cutting third-round draft pick Juaquin Iglesias. If they cut fifth-round pick Johnny Knox with the idea of putting him on the practice squad, they can expect him to be claimed by someone because of his 4.3-second, 40-yard dash time.

Six receivers?

No way. The Bears will not keep six receivers on the active roster. In fact, this past week offensive coordinator Ron Turner made it clear he’s not even considering something like this.

“It’s pretty competitive right now, it really is,” Turner said. “Both starters (Devin Hester and Earl Bennett) are doing a really good job, and we’re going to be a team that’s going to play four and five receivers—not just have them on the team, they’re going to play.

“We’re going to roll a lot of guys in there and right now it’s very competitive.”

So if the Bears won’t keep a fourth and fifth receiver for the sake of having them on a roster, why would they keep a sixth receiver to do that?

They won’t. In fact, they could probably get by with four because Greg Olsen can line up in the slot or even at wide receiver.

Tough cuts are coming. Even the fourth preseason game, which is completely meaningless to most players, will be a job interview for three or four players at wide receiver.

QB Jay Cutler loves Aromashodu and Rideau because they are tall and vertical. Davis knows the offense, and the rookies have shown flashes. It once looked like versatility would be huge and the player who could learn the slot positions fastest would have great in-roads. This would have made Davis all the more likely to stay.

However, wide receivers coach Darryl Drake started laying his cards out this week, so to speak, and it seems the ability to play slot isn’t as pressing a need. “Those two guys (Davis and Bennett) have been playing it. Rideau has been playing it some,” Drake said. “We kind of have worked him in there a little ebit. Aromashodu hasn’t been doing it. It’s not that he couldn’t. We just haven’t put him in that position.”

“Right now we’re trying to let them soak in the position where they’re at.”
The Bears try to teach all their receivers each position.

“In this offense, the beauty of the offense is that everybody has to do it eventually,” Drake said. “All of those guys will be in the slot. They all have to know every position. So there is a lot more learning to it because formationally they may be put in that situation.”

“Some guys are not natural guys there. You put them there from time to time and allow them to do certain things. Some guys naturally are in there, but that’s our offense. Our offense is very interchangeable and it doesn’t matter who is where.”

It’s as clear as mud, and special teams performance from them should decide the actual fourth and fifth receiver roster spots. Even there, nothing is certain because special teams coordinator Dave Toub has been working both Aromashodu and Rideau in, when once it seemed both were nothing more than tall guys who could catch passes.

Turner came into the Denver game planning to give several different players chances to prove they can make big plays with Cutler and the first team.

“I think there are individuals maybe that you look at and say, ‘all right, we’ve got to make sure we get a good look at this guy early in the game under fire,’ and I would say probably the receivers more than anything,” Turner said. “We want to take a look at some of these guys that have done a good job for us.”

However, Kenny Christian has taught us not to read too much into those big plays until the final preseason battle is done and the cuts have been made.

And when those cuts come, things should be very interesting at the wide receiver position.

Cutler, Orton Refuse to Buy into The Drama Of Matchup

Published: August 26, 2009

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If NBC left it to Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton to hype Sunday night’s preseason showdown in Denver of traded quarterbacks, Sunday Night Football might face instant cancellation.

Fortunately for the network, they’ve got more than enough people hyping the game to make it seem like an August version of the Super Bowl.

The two quarterbacks spent Wednesday downplaying the matchup against their former teams.

“It’s a preseason game,” the Bears’ Cutler said. “We can’t make it more than it is, we just have to prepare ourselves and get ready for a tough team. They’ve got a lot of talent, offensively and defensively, so its going to be a challenge.”

Orton probably went further toward revealing some of his emotions heading into the game in a conference call with Halas Hall reporters when he said the trade took him by complete surprise when it occurred.

“I certainly didn’t expect it,” he said. “I wasn’t paying attention to the whole matter and certainly didn’t expect it. But I didn’t feel sorry for myself or anything really.
“It looked like an opportunity that I certainly could take advantage of.”

Both quarterbacks are coming off strong second preseason game showings on the heels of poor openers. After going 5-of-10 for 64 yards with an interception in the opener, Cutler came back with 8-for-13 for 121 yards and a touchdown. Orton bounced back from a horrendous three-interception, 9-of-16 effort with 89 yards to complete 18-of-26 for a touchdown and interception and 182 yards.

As much as they downplayed it, there will be a lot of emotions. Orton was particularly popular with Bears players while in Chicago because of his loyalty and toughness.
“It’s going to be different because he’s not in this orange and blue,” tight end Desmond Clark said. “It will be good to see him out there.

“I hope him well in every game besides this one, but in this game I hope he gets sacked five times,” he added.

The real emotion will probably be spent by Denver fans. Cutler has taken note of fansburning their Cutler No. 6 Bronco jerseys over the past month.

Asked how he thinks he’ll be received in Denver, “Probably poorly would be my first guess,” he said. “I’m not the first player to get traded to a different team—I’m not going to be the last. So that’s their business. That doesn’t concern me.”

Cutler said he hasn’t sought out a conversation with Broncos management after forcing the trade by refusing to play for new coach Josh McDaniels. He doubts if he’ll be talking to Broncos management members at the game.

“I don’t think they want to talk to me,” he said.

Orton got booed loudly by Denver fans at a scrimmage and then at a preseason game.
“It’s tough,” Cutler said. “I feel bad for Kyle, I think he’s going to pull through in the long run.

“Offensively they’ve got a lot of good players, they’ve got a great offensive line, they’ve got good receivers, and Josh McDaniels, you know, he’s an offensive mind. He puts guys in spots to make plays, so I think they’re going to be fine.”

The number of times a Pro Bowl quarterback has forced a trade in NFL history can be counted on one hand, but Cutler wouldn’t be surprised if similar situations occur in coming seasons.

“Whenever you get a different coach in there, different scheme, different personnel guys, they want their type of guys,” he said. “I can see it happening in the future again.”

Jay Cutler Is a Man in Motion Leading Chicago Bears to Victory

Published: August 23, 2009

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Ever since Jay Cutler arrived in Chicago, the promise of a quarterback who could move around in the pocket or outside the pocket and throw (and even run with the ball occasionally) seemed enticing for the Bears.

On Saturday night, they finally got a taste of their first mobile quarterback who can also throw since Jim Harbaugh. However, it was never like that with Harbaugh or any other Bears quarterback for that matter.

Cutler looked vintage Brett Favre in the Bears’ 17-3 victory over the New York Giants.
“He’s an athlete,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “We’re banking on him being able to make plays like that. It was good to see him take another step.”

Cutler took a lot of steps, then threw the ball or took some more steps and just ran it.
On a planned rollout, he hit Earl Bennett. He found Matt Forte and Greg Olsen by moving around in the pocket first.

He very nearly found Devin Hester by scrambling right and heaving it 60 yards, but Hester took a wrong turn when he had to adjust his pattern. Finally, Cutler ran 12 yards for a first down.

“He does some plays and does some things out there that I’ve never seen,” Forte said. “I’ve never had a quarterback like that. I’m just glad he’s here.”

Wide receiver Devin Aromashodu might as well have been describing a young Favre.

“He’ll throw it across the field, anywhere, with his arm strength and his mobility,” Aromashodu said “You never know where the ball is coming from. So he could throw it from anywhere.”

The Bears haven’t shown a lot of rollout in practices at training camp, and in practice the quarterback can’t be touched so he’s rarely going to be flushed out of the pocket to set up playground-style football.

The Bears have worked into their scheme what to do if Cutler is roaming with the ball, looking to throw.

“We kind of have a scheme that we have: If he rolls out to a certain side, certain receivers will do certain things,” Aromashodu said. “So we’re ready for it if he does go out of the pocket.

“It’s really set up. It’s really part of the scheme.”

There’s only so much you can scheme, though.

“We can call designed movement things and move the pocket with him,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “But a lot of it he does on his own, he creates things.

“If the coverage isn’t exactly what we want or if the protection breaks down, he can create a play, which if you look at his film he’s done his whole career, and he did that some tonight.”

Cutler also threw from the pocket, making an impressive 38-yarder on the fingertips to Aromashodu to set up a touchdown, and tossed a play-action TD to the back of the end zone to Desmond Clark en route to his 8-of-13, 121-yard passing effort.

“The offensive line did a great job,” Cutler said. “We’re kind of coming together, myself and the line, you know, with how I can move in the pocket, and when I can step up, when I can take off. It doesn’t happen overnight.

“We’ve got some new linemen, new receivers, a new quarterback, we’re all trying to figure it out.”

Cutler didn’t even mind taking a hit on his 12-yard scramble when he failed to slide soon enough to avoid it.

“It feels good to get hit out there a little bit,” he said. “It’s been eight, nine months since I’ve got some contact,” Cutler said. “Once you get hit, you kind of get a feel for the game.

“You start feeling more comfortable.”

After the potential for their offense that the Bears saw with Cutler Saturday, they probably would feel more comfortable if Cutler avoids feeling too comfortable by taking those hits in the future.

Cutler, Other Chicago Bears On The Spot Vs. New York Giants

Published: August 22, 2009

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It sounds like Bears coach Lovie Smith is planning anything but a vanilla run-of-the-mill preseason game for his players when they play Saturday night at Soldier Field against the New York Giants.
“We want to eliminate some of the mistakes we made, which you normally do,” Smith said at the close of Bourbonnais training camp. “We want to see the guys play with more energy.
“As much as anything we need to make more plays. We’re going to put the guys in some different situations, with some of the things that we’ll call to let them have an opportunity to prove what they can do.”
The team ran through a handful of trick offensive plays — reverses and wildcat formations — as well as a lot of deep passing off-play action this past week in practice.
On defense they could be looking to blitz more and play more man to man or else zone blitz instead of straight cover-2.
Everyone’s obvious concern, after quarterback Jay Cutler struggled in the first game, is whether he can get the passing game untracked this time just for confidence’s sake.
“Everyone’s saying, ‘Hey Jay Cutler’s here, all of a sudden we’re going to be the greatest offense in the history of football — let’s just roll the ball out and go play,’ ” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “And when we went three-and-out, everyone’s like, ‘Whoa, what happened?’
“I told (Cutler) that’s part of football. We’re going to have games where you’re going to struggle a little bit early and it takes a little while to get in rhythm and get in sync.”
Personnel-wise, the Bears will show off some starters for the first time, including tight end Greg Olsen, defensive tackle Tommie Harris and running back Matt Forte. How Harris’ knee and hamstring hold up under fire will be of particular concern.
“We’re excited about playing the Giants coming up,” Smith said. “They’re a great football team, good running game, they play hard-nosed defense. So it will be a good test for us.”
How tackles Chris Williams and Orlando Pace hold up against the Giants’ standout pass rushing ends will be interesting.
Cornerback Nate Vasher seemed to climb out of Smith’s doghouse by week’s end, but needs a good game to ensure he can keep the starting right cornerback spot when challenger Zack Bowman heals from a hamstring pull.
The starting nose tackle battle continues to rage with Anthony Adams still leading but not by much as both Dusty Dvoracek and Marcus Harrison had excellent weeks of practice.
The more pressing issues, however, involve backups looking for roster spots.
Coaches have a handful of questions about some players and in the third preseason game they’re unlikely to get those answered because that game is devoted to starters for three quarters.
So this game shapes up as the biggest preseason game for a handful of younger players trying to earn roster spots because some of them will be gone from the roster before the fourth preseason game and obviously won’t get much playing time in the third preseason game.
Here are a few players who might get challenged:

—Wide receivers Brandon Rideau and Devin Aromashodu. Neither of these players impressed in the first preseason game, although both have continued to make the most of chances in practice.
Rideau had a much better week of practice than Aromashodu and remains ahead of him on the depth chart. Both rookies Johnny Knox and Juaquin Iglesias have begun showing glimpses of the talent that made them draft picks. It’s time for Rideau and Aromashodu to show up when the pressure is on in game conditions this week.
—Third team quarterback Brett Basanez. The Bears have to decide whether they want to retain three quarterbacks or two for the roster. Basanez had a nightmare first game and Caleb Hanie put a stranglehold on the backup position with a strong game. Basanez cannot afford another stinker.
—Tight end Michael Gaines needs to make some gains on Kellen Davis. Each practice Davis has seemed to stand out more and more and almost seems capable of doing more than serving as a third tight end. Gaines has to prove he can help the offense and special teams to make the roster.
—Cornerback D.J. Moore needs to start showing play-making ability. He may be a fourth-round draft pick, but undrafted Woodny Turenne from Louisville has outplayed him throughout camp. Moore showed some nice moves on a punt return last week but has yet to stand out in pass defense. With Tillman, Bowman, Corey Graham, Trumaine McBride and Vasher all ahead of Turenne and Moore, the question is whether the Bears want to keep six or seven corners. Seven is a lot to retain.
—Safety Josh Bullocks needs to make some plays if he hopes to remain on the roster. Dumped from starter to second team and then third team, Craig Steltz responded last week with an interception and forced fumble. Bullocks was a free agent pickup with experience in New Orleans but can’t live on a past that didn’t include a lot of big plays.

Omiyale-Beekman Guard Battle All but over in Chicago Bears’ Camp

Published: August 19, 2009

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Neither Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner nor guard Frank Omiyale would confirm it, but there was no need.

Josh Beekman’s actions did the confirming Wednesday morning after practice in Bourbonnais when he stayed several minutes longer repeating his shotgun snaps. Omiyale will be the Bears’ starting left guard this year and Beekman will be backup center and backup guard.

“We’re still looking,” Turner said. “We’re trying to sort everything out, but still looking.”
The battle between Omiyale and Beekman for left guard will go on in name only for the remainder of camp, but it probably really ended when Omiyale started last Saturday’s preseason game in Buffalo after Beekman had been announced as the starter. Since then, Omiyale has taken the majority of the snaps.

“I’m still competing,” Omiyale said. “That’s how I’m going about it every week. Until the regular season starts, I know it’s up in the air. I know Beeks is still doing everything they need him to do, and I’m just trying to keep doing what I do best.”

Unless Omiyale falls flat on his face, he’ll head into the third preseason game—the most important one—with two preseason starts. The Bears are not going to give the starting spot to Beekman after Omiyale gets the preseason starts.

Omiyale is a 6-foot-4, 315-pound guard who used to play tackle and at least for one day during minicamp last spring thought he was going to be a tackle. Then the Bears signed Orlando Pace.

“I thought of myself as a tackle and I knew one of the tackle’s spots was possibly open and that’s what I was shooting for,” Omiyale said. “But my biggest goal when I came here was to get on the field and this (guard) is my opportunity.”

Omiyale has started one NFL game, for Atlanta in 2006, while Beekman has 16 career starts, all last year for the Bears. The Bears signed the 26-year-old Omiyale for $14 million over four years shortly into free agency following tackle John Tait’s retirement, which is another reason he was always destined to start.

They think Omiyale’s tackle background confirmed his overall blocking talent. Tackles play the toughest NFL position since they are on an island against pass rushers.

“I think the best thing going for me inside is just my arms are longer than the average guard, so I think that’s helped me a lot, especially with my punch,” Omiyale said.

Turner confirmed that’s part of why the team likes Omiyale.

“He’s powerful, got excellent strength and excellent explosion and quickness off the ball,” Turner said. “He’s gotten better every day as far as the adjustment. This is a new offense for him so it takes time.

“He’s got the natural talent. Now he’s getting comfortable in the system.”

Omiyale would seem a better fit for a team with a run-first offense like the Bears.

“I don’t know if I’d say that, but he is more powerful,” Turner said. “He is stronger.” Omiyale, who played last year for Carolina, initially lagged behind Beekman while picking up the offense.

“I was frustrated at first because I’m the type of guy, I want to get it right, right now,” Omiyale said. “But I know that it’s a progression. just like coach was telling me.”

“And I’m happy where I’m at right now.”

The other thing Omiyale had to get used to was having so many defenders in on top of him. At tackle, even though he had less help, there’s more space and a split second more time before contact.

“You have to get in there right now because you have that nose guard sitting right on your shoulder,” Omiyale said. “But I think I’m starting to develop pretty good with it.”

Beekman is accepting his role as a backup after a year starting.

“Luckily last year I had Terrence Metcalf (at guard); he basically helped coach me up every step of the way,” Beekman said. “He was slotted in there to be a starter and he got injured and stuff and they put me in there. He showed me how to be a vet.”

“You help your teammates. You see what they’re doing to help back them better because it’s a team sport.”

Beekman’s long term future projects as Olin Kreutz’s eventual replacement at center. The extra shotgun snaps in practice should help Beekman in this regard. Kreutz, a 12-year veteran, doesn’t look like he’s retiring anytime soon, though.

“I’m very comfortable,” Beekman said about playing center. “Last year I took the first two weeks with the Ones when Olin had his (heel) surgery.”

“That gave me a lot of experience, and then playing last year with those guys and getting a feel for how to play and how to be in there at center helps out.”

Beekman once played both guard and center for Boston College.

“I think you always have responsibility, if you’re a starter or a backup,” Beekman said. “I’ve got to be ready. I’ve got to know what everyone’s doing. I’ve got to get ready just in case something bad (injury) does happen.”

Considering Beekman has 16 starts, reserve tackle Kevin Shaffer 86 starts, and backup guard Dan Buenning 23 starts, the Bears have the potential to field their deepest offensive line since coach Mike Ditka’s era.

Last year they got away with starting the same line through every game. That’s not common in the NFL.

It’s not just the number of starts, but the versatility that also makes for a deep line.

With Beekman capable of playing both center and guard, Shaffer capable of playing both tackle spots and Omiyale a tackle playing guard, the Bears appear to have all positions covered in case of an injury.

“I think you’ve just got to be versatile,” Beekman said. “You’ve got to show a club that you can do multiple things.”

“John St. Clair last year was the starting left tackle, but he played left guard, I think he played right tackle and I think he’s played right guard too.”

Quick Guide To What to Watch In Chicago Bears’ Preseason Opener

Published: August 14, 2009

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Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner and coach Lovie Smith did a fairly good job of spelling out how important Saturday night’s game in Buffalo is to a lot of players on their team.

“OTAs are one thing, training camp is another thing and games are a completely different thing,” Turner offered.

Smith got a little more detailed.

“As much as anything, we want to see the guys play hard and tackle,” Smith said.

“We’ve played hard but we haven’t had a chance to tackle.

“We want to see how some of our players finish the job and it won’t be a success defensively unless we are able to get a takeaway.”

On both sides of the football, the Bears have basically been going through the motions.

All the training camp media accounts of players getting situated in position battles mean little right now because players have not been tackling and really hitting.

Training camp is like what fishermen call “catch and release.” There is no tackling to the ground. The blockers aren’t taking out guys’ knees. The defensive backs don’t head hunt.

Everything goes live Saturday against Buffalo and the receivers who have excelled in camp might do a complete reversal of fortunes when they have to worry about a safety taking them out if they reach for a ball while going over the middle.

Quite frequently, players who haven’t done a thing to excite anyone in training camp will stand out in the real game circumstance preseason offers.

“The depth chart, as I have said, doesn’t mean a whole lot until you’ve played your first game,” Smith said. “We’ll get that first game under our belt and go from there.”

All that being understood, watch the preseason game with these position battles in mind.

So when you’re done ooohing and ahhhing over Jay Cutler’s first arm in his first appearance as a Bear, watch for the following things as the coaches try to shape their team.

Wide receiver

Who among Juaquin Iglesias, Rashied Davis, Johnny Knox, Derek Kinder, Devin Aromashodu, Brandon Rideau, Eric Peterman and John Broussard will step up to take one of three spots, possibly four?

So far Rideau and Aromashodu have made a move, and Rideau is working as the third receiver in three-receiver sets. However, they’ve accomplished this without the pressure of being tackled or even hit hard in the secondary. Can they hold onto the ball when the hitting starts? A receiver who can’t is useless.

When the lights come on, someone who hasn’t even shown up can suddenly make an impact. So it wouldn’t be surprising if even Kinder, Broussard or Peterman stepped up after doing little to catch attention in camp to this point.

Safety

Al Afalava is expected to start at strong safety and Kevin Payne at free safety due to free safety/nickel back Danieal Manning’s hamstring pull. Afalava is loved by coaches because he’s always talking, always trying to keep the line of communication open in the secondary—a rarity for an inexperienced player. Also, he’s supposed to be a big hitter, but no one can be sure until it actually happens in a game.

Craig Steltz has played himself into third team position at safety and needs a big game to regain some status, not to mention confidence.

Cornerback

Coaches want to continue seeing the Nate Vasher who has produced turnovers the last two practices rather than the one who is slipping and watching receivers run past him. They want to see cornerback Trumaine McBride show he can be far more consistent at preventing big gains.

Corey Graham is back at the corner now but still behind McBride in the last few practices. He could steal back the first-team spot back until Charles Tillman and Zak Bowman come back from injuries.

Offensive line

The focus is on left guard where Josh Beekman has been able to hold off Frank Omiyale so far, but they’re close and offensive line play in training camp is never like in games. You know pass rushers won’t be able to clobber quarterback Jay Cutler or Caleb Hanie in camp, but in a preseason game anything goes.

Defenses don’t usually blitz much in early preseason games, but that possibility makes this game interesting from the line standpoint.

At right tackle, it’s Chris Williams’ first test as a Bear.

Keep an eye on Lance Louis when the second team is on the field. Despite distractions from revelations about the beating he allegedly put on a former college teammate and possible charges he could face, Louis has fought his way into a second-team tackle spot even though he’d been regarded as a guard or even tight end on draft day.

Defensive line

Dusty Dvoracek needs to start producing and stay healthy to ensure he can stay in a battle at nose tackle, although if Tommie Harris’ health remains a question then Dvoracek will never have to worry about job security. Marcus Harrison can simply shift over to the 3-technique for Harris and Dvoracek can continue at his nose spot.

Backup quarterback

Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez might be the worst option at backup quarterback in the NFL.

Neither can afford to struggle much in preseason because a handful of veterans with questionable abilities waits for the call from teams like the Bears.

“I feel good that they haven’t moved in that direction so far,” Hanie said. “It shows that they have confidence in who’s here now. Obviously if you go out and show them something different in the preseason—play worse or something like that—then it can change like that. That’s why the preseason games will be so important.”

Cutler Ready To Put His Stamp On Chicago Bears Against Buffalo Bills

Published: August 12, 2009

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Normally starting quarterbacks play a few series of the first preseason game, then joke around on the sidelines the rest of the night.

However, coach Lovie Smith seems to have something different in mind for new starting quarterback Jay Cutler.

Actually, that applies to all of his starters when the Bears play at Buffalo Saturday night at six.

“They’ll play into the second quarter and we’ll just see how it goes really,” Smith said about his starters. “There are a certain amount of plays we would like for them to get. We use that (performance) of course to tell us a lot.

“They’ll probably play a little bit more than you probably think they will.”
But Jay Cutler too?

“Our team will play a little bit more than you probably think they will,” Smith added with emphasis.

Cutler’s idea of an ideal preseason opener might be somewhat less elongated.

“Preseason is preseason,” Cutler said. “You kind of want to get in there and get your work done and get out as fast as possible without getting anybody hurt.

“We’re going to get some quality work in, but we don’t want to overdo it.”

Cutler is concerned with finding receivers to work with besides starters Devin Hester and Earl Bennett. So far in practices, Brandon Rideau and Devin Aromashodu are the receivers he has thrown to most besides Bennett, Hester and tight ends Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark.

“We’ve got to have guys that can step in there whenever we want to go four-wide,” Cutler said “When Earl and Devin get banged up, a little bit in need of a break, we’ve got to have some quality guys to step in there and they can take some of the weight off their shoulders.”

Cutler made no bones about liking his two tallest receivers, Rideau (6-foot-3) and Aromashodu (6-2). He had a close working relationship with another tall receiver in Denver, Brandon Marshall (6-4).

“Every time we’ve went at them, they’ve made big plays for us,” Cutler said. “As long as they keep doing that and showing up on film and getting to the right spots, they’re going to be fine.”

Rideau is listed second team behind Bennett at one receiver spot on the first depth chart. Aromashodu is listed third behind Rideau. At the other receiver spot, Rashied
Davis is listed second team behind Hester with Juaquin Iglesias third.

Having Cutler’s stamp approval is big. He said he plans to offer an opinion to coaches about who to keep.

“I think they’re definitely going to ask me,” Cutler said. “If they don’t ask me, I’m going to tell them what I think because I’ve got to be the one throwing to them on game day and I’ve got to trust them.

“But (offensive coordinator) Ron (Turner) and I have been on the same page since the start of training camp in what guys we wanted to see working in with me and what guys have stepped up and what direction we want to go with this group.”

Coach Lovie Smith confirmed Cutler’s input in this matter.

“Of course we’ll listen to the quarterback, and not only the quarterback but the rest of our team, too,” he said. “We want to know how a player fits into the rest of the group. Quarterback has to feel comfortable with the receivers, so we listen to them but in the end we’ll (coaches) make the decision.”

So far it’s been difficult to judge how well the Bears’ offense has played. They’ve excelled in the passing game, but it’s difficult to say how much is because the secondary is down two of its best cornerbacks and how much is because of Cutler’s arm and the timing with receivers.

This game should offer a better idea.

“I think the guys are kind of tired of going against ourselves,” Cutler said. “This will be a good change of pace to go against somebody else; go against a different defense and offense and just see what we’ve got going on out there.”

A handful of injured players probably won’t play in the game, including defensive tackle Tommie Harris. Smith said the artificial surface in Buffalo probably makes it a good place to avoid for those with minor soreness. Clark and safety Danieal Manning might be in the same category.

Afalava, ‘the Other’ Devin Make Impact For Chicago Bears

Published: August 10, 2009

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The Chicago Bears’ second week of practice has already produced more than a few surprises with more likely to come Saturday in Buffalo against the Bills in the preseason opener.

For one, rookie safety Al Afalava has received more and more repetitions with the first team ahead of safety Craig Steltz in nickel situations when starting free safety Danieal Manning moves into the nickel back position.

Afalava, playing strong safety when Kevin Payne moved to free safety, broke up a couple passes in Monday’s scrimmage and also made a few mistakes that earned him attention from defensive backs coach Jon Hoke. Usually though, it’s Afalava doing the talking in a brash tone that has even veterans taking note during scrimmage.

“A lot of time when rookies come in, especially in the secondary, they’re quiet,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “But he has a little bit of confidence, he talks a lot because he knows what’s going on.

“(He) has good skills, good size, good quickness, a good 40—good, raw speed. And his strong suit is hitting. That’s one part we haven’t gotten a chance to see, but hopefully in the game this week we’ll be able to see some of our DBs tackle.”

Afalava, a 5’11”, 212-pounder, was taken with the 190th pick in this year’s draft after starting 39 games in a four-year career at Oregon State.

Graham with starters

In another surprise on defense Monday, Corey Graham moved into the injury-plagued left cornerback spot. Normally that would have surprised no one with starter Charles Tillman (back) and backup Zack Bowman (hamstring) out. However, Graham had played cornerback last year, was moved to safety in the off-season, then to nickel back and now back to cornerback.

On Monday, Trumaine McBride continued playing with starters at left corner until wide receiver Devin Aromashodu beat him on a go route down the sidelines for a touchdown bomb from quarterback Jay Cutler.

When the first team returned to the field for its next set of downs after the backups had performed, McBride had been replaced by Graham on the first team.

Even veteran Nate Vasher hasn’t escaped scrutiny.

“We harp on getting takeaways on the defensive side,” Smith said. “Interceptions are a big part of that. Nate has done that in the past. We’d like to see (that from) not only Nate but others.

“That’s one part of our training camp practices so far that I would like to see improve, is the amount of takeaways we’ve gotten. But that’s a tribute to what the offense is doing, too. On the other side it’s about ball security and they’ve done a pretty good job with that.”

Another Devin

Because the Bears’ secondary has been so bad and in such a state of flux, it has been difficult to judge how good Bears receivers really are. They have looked excellent — or at least Cutler has looked excellent putting the ball where they need it and most of the time they’ve caught it.

What’s surprising is the number of big plays being made by little known players as opposed to draft picks Johnny Knox, Juaquin Iglesias and Derek Kinder.

Throughout the first week, former practice squad player Brandon Rideau made big catches and earned first-team snaps in Saturday’s workout.

However, on Monday and toward the end of Saturday’s practice it was former Redskins practice squad player Aromashodu who made a handful of catches, including the one to beat McBride with a finger-tip, reaching catch in stride.

Aromashodu is no mystery to the Bears, who plucked him off the Redskins’ practice squad late last season. Practice squad players are essentially free agents for anyone to sign, provided they are immediately put on the 53-man roster and the Bears liked Aromashodu enough last year to do this.

Not much has changed in how they feel about the 6’2″, 201-pounder who was also with Miami, and with the Colts’ and Texans’ practice squads.

“He’s a big target, he’s long,” Cutler said about the Bears‘ “other“ Devin. “He’s got some good top-end speed.

“I think D.A.’s coming along really well. He’s making some flashes out there. We’re working him in with the ones a little bit.”

Smith pointed out that Cutler says good things about all the receivers, but lately Aromashodu gets more attention behind Hester and Earl Bennett.

“Both of those guys (Aromashodu, Rideau) have great size, speed and they’re making plays each day,” Smith said. “Going into camp we were going to give some of our younger receivers an opportunity to prove what they can do. Some of the guys like Devin are taking advantage of the situation.”

Teammates are calling Aromashodu “D.A.” to avoid confusion with Hester, but there’s no confusion in Cutler’s mind who Aromashodu is. He noticed this effective target right away and went to offensive coordinator Ron Turner to see if he could get more opportunities with the first team.

“We already knew about him, but to have (Cutler) say that, if you’re a receiver, the best thing you can have is your quarterback asking the coordinator about you,” Turner said. “It doesn’t get any better than that if you’re a receiver, right?”

Chicago Bears: First Weekend at Camp Cutler a Success

Published: August 2, 2009

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Here are some observations, comments, quotes and quips from the first weekend of workouts here in Bourbonnais:

New kid on the block

Just how wild are Bears fans going over the Jay Cutler era?
Crowds in recent years have ranged between 2,500 to 4,000 for weekend practices but Friday they had 7,000, Saturday 10,000 and on Sunday Olivet Nazarene school officials said the crowd hit a record 11,0000.

Fitting in

There had been concern prior to camp that Cutler would fit in with his new teammates, but that was taken care of long ago. Cutler and backup QB Caleb Hanie have become good friends and Cutler and his tight end target Greg Olsen are inseparable.

Apparently friendship has carried over to the practice field. Cutler and Olsen on Saturday night hooked up for what offensive coordinator Ron Turner on Sunday called the play of camp to date, a fade pass 35 yards downfield to the sidelines thrown perfectly on the air-tight coverage of Brian Urlacher and Daniel Manning.

“It was great coverage by Brian and the ball could only be one place,” Turner said. “Greg ran a really good route and the ball was dropped in there. That was a big-time play.”

Easy does it for Forte

Running back Matt Forte is getting some carries and receptions, but his work is being limited.
Forte suffered a pulled hamstring in organized team activities and the Bears want to keep it from getting aggravated. So Forte hasn’t been carrying the football during the inside run drill, which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s linemen bunched inside and a short-yardage style play.
Kevin Jones has been taking all Forte’s snaps in short yardage drills and it’s extremely apparent the extra season of work has allowed his surgically repaired knee to get back to 100 percent strength.
Jones cuts sharply and has an instant burst. He also runs with power and should be a good complement to prevent Forte getting worn out. Forte had 316 carries last year to only 34 for Jones.

Indispensable Brandon Lloyd

Wide receiver Earl Bennett failed to catch even one pass last year, but the Bears continue working him at a starting spot and Sunday he enjoyed his best practice to date with three scrimmage catches. That included a diving catch downfield behind cornerback Nate Vasher, about 35 yards on a sideline route.
What is still curious is why Bennett never got involved last year as a rookie. Some of the explanation being give is plausible.
“People have to understand he was only 19 when he came out of college,” wide receivers coach Darryl Drake said.
That much is understandable.
“Making that transition to this league with a different system, a different offense, a different way of doing things, it just doesn’t happen overnight,” Drake said. “We were able to bring him a long slowly.”
Then comes the less understandable part.
“He started to really show improvement toward the end of last season about the time Brandon Lloyd got healthy,” Drake said. “So what do you do, do you sit him down or bring your rookie along slowly. We brought him along slowly. For him it was best thing you could possibly do. I’ve got total confidence in him. He’s got confidence. When a guy has got confidence he can perform.”
So Lloyd took away Bennett’s playing time. They couldn’t dispense with Lloyd, who they have since dispensed. Just think where Bennett’s confidence might be now with more 2008 playing time under his belt.

Old-time football

Veteran Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace is enjoying himself with a new team and it goes beyond the excitement of being with a new, potentially more successful team than the Rams squad he left.
Pace has found a kindred yet opposite spirit to play alongside on the offensive line in Bears tough guy center Olin Kreutz.
“We probably are two different extremes but it works for us because I’ve always been a laid-back and lead-by-example-type of guy and he’s been one of those vocal guys,” Pace said. “We probably are two different extremes but it works. I can adjust and I can fit in just about any place.”
Pace knew Kreutz before coming to Chicago because they played for the NFC in several Pro Bowls.
“One thing about me and Olin, we can almost relate to a lot of stuff,” Pace said. “We can talk about back in the day, the way things used to be, the way old men talk about football.
“So that’s kind of exciting. That’s almost what we do every day just to get ourselves through camp. There’s a lot of laughing.”

Also

The offense unveiled its wildcat and had the defense jumping around and hollering at the snap. Cutler lined up at wide receiver and Devin Hester took the snap, faked a handoff and ran 10 yards off right tackle.

Lovie Smith afterward said it’s possible they could throw to Cutler, then realized how absurd it would be to risk such a valuable commodity in the open field and added that he was joking…Lance Briggs and Hunter Hillenmeyer missed Sunday’s workout with “soreness” but should be back Monday.

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