Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre spoke up about Jay Cutler and his play yesterday. Here’s what he had to say:
“ I think he’s better [at 26 than I was] at this stage, he’s way more advanced. Physically, he’s got all the tools. But mentally, he’s way more advanced and able to see defenses and read things. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to want to put it all on your shoulders. And I know that’s what he’s thinking.
“The comparisons are his arm strength and trying to do too much, but I know this: Trying to do too much and take it all on your shoulders has worked for me. So continue to do what you’re doing. At times, the better decision would be take a sack, throw it away, whatever. After 19 years, there’s been a lot of those what-ifs or should-have-done-this, but the fact is that I’m still here at 19 years.
“There is no doubt that Jay is a heck of a player. This is a stretch that has been obviously tough on him, but keep shootin’ it. That’s what people are afraid of. They want him to be very cautious, and I know that there are some plays that he probably should have been a little more cautious. I can say the same thing about me. But you’ve got to play the game the way that you know how, and that’s why they made a trade for him. So he’ll be fine.
“I played against those guys for so long, and anytime the Bears would be at .500 or less is a surprise, Lovie’s teams have always been very good. I think they are now. I think once Jay offensively hits his stride and gets some consistency with his receivers and gets on the same page, I think they’re going to be fine.
“I wouldn’t give him any, anything that he wouldn’t know already. I obviously have been in that situation at different times in my career. Now, the fact that he went over to a different team, the way it all kind of went down, obviously I’m a little bit familiar with that. I know for Jay, the expectation level obviously was high, as it would have been high in Denver. It comes with a lot of extra baggage being the star quarterback.
“So I’m sure he felt the pressure as we all should at that position to put up big plays and good numbers, but more importantly, wins. You try to do too much. I know Jay a little bit, but I don’t know him all that well, so it would be unfair for me to sit here and say what he’s thinking or doing or whatever. I think they picked him up for a reason. I think he’s damn good, I think he will be good and he’ll be fine. I know he knows that, and I’m sure to a certain extent that’s what Donovan may have been talking to him about at the end of the game the other day.
“I say, so? Who am I to say Jay’s not having fun or is having fun because his demeanor is different than mine? We all form opinions just by watching someone, the body language, the whatever. It’s obviously unfair. So you make a bad decision, your team loses, or you’re in a tough situation, I don’t see where you should be out there smiling and joking around.
“If they’re 10-0 or whatever, it’s a little bit easier to smile and have a good time. … They didn’t bring Jay in to smile and smack the ref on the heinie or whatever. They brought him in to win games. Not that I’ve ever done that.”
all quotes from chicagosuntimes.com
Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Here are the Week 12 Bears power rankings from various sites around the web:
ESPN: #23 (Last week: #23)
Analysis, “The Bears have dropped five of their past six games.”
Yahoo Sports: #21 (Last week: #23)
Analysis: “Is it fair to say that Devin Hester and his teammates were exposed Sunday night by Dimitri Patterson and the Eagles?”
Pro Football Weekly: #22 (Last week: 22)
Analysis, “Thank goodness they turned down Costas, focused on football.”
Fox Sports: #23 (Last week: #23)
Analysis, “The most frustrating loss of the week may have to go to the Bears, who again were THISFREAKINGCLOSE to a win against Philly. The theories on what’s wrong with Jay Cutler are flying everywhere: He doesn’t have WRs.”
CBS Sports: #22 (Last week: #20)
Analysis, “Is Lovie Smith in trouble? He might be. Cutler sure hasn’t lived up to the expectations. He needs help.”
Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Victory needs to be in the Bears vocabulary come tomorrow night. The once 3-1 Bears have lost four out of their last five, and two games they didn’t just lose; they were flat out embarrassed.
This picture in the article shows the Bears’ goal line stand against the Philadelphia Eagles last season on Sunday night. The Bears hung on to win that game, with Matt Forte struggling to get anything going on the ground, but leading the team in receiving yards. That sounds a lot like last week, when Forte had a team-leading 120 yards receiving, but again struggled on the ground.
I’m glad the Bears finally noticed that Matt Forte is a pretty darn good receiver out of the backfield. He gives Jay Cutler another weapon. The Bears defense looked much improved last week, forcing a fumble and intercepting Alex Smith, but that just might have been because the 49ers offense isn’t very good.
Whatever the case may be, Donovan McNabb has lots of weapons on his offense this season. He has TE Brent Celek, who’s leading the team with receptions, young receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, and also has a nice young running back by the name of Lesean McCoy.
The Bears defense should be in for a fight with that bunch, but I think the offense has to prove themselves in this game than any other unit. Jay Cutler has Greg Olsen, Matt Forte, Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Johnny Knox, Kellen Davis, and hopefully Devin Aromashodu to get the ball to. We all know how young these group of receivers are, but there other problem is they don’t have much size.
This game is basically the Bears’ season. If they win, they go to 5-5, and if they lose, they fall to 4-6 and have much slimmer hopes at claiming one of the wild card spots in the NFC. I know the Bears shouldn’t be watching other games before they have even played theirs, but some of the games this weekend are important for the Bears’ chances at the playoffs.
The Eagles, Falcons, Packers and Giants are all 5-4, and the 49ers are 4-5. Good news is the Falcons and Giants play each other, the 49ers and Packers play one another, and we of course play the Eagles. So, if we come out with the victory tomorrow night we could be in good shape in the standings.
Key Matchup:
The Bears offense needs to take advantage of the Eagles banged-up secondary, who will be without Quintin Demps, Ellis Hobbs, and possibly Sheldon Brown. Jay Cutler needs to take some deep shots to speedsters Johnny Knox and Devin Hester a little bit more than usual.
Good News:
Al Afalava will be returning this week after missing last weeks game with a shoulder injury. Olin Kreutz who missed practice until Friday with a back injury will play tomorrow night, as well as Tommie Harris (knee).
Bad News:
The Bears will be without Kevin Payne for the second straight week. He was being used as the safety in certain situations this season. Without Payne Josh Bullocks, who started last week in San Fransisco, will get some more playing time.
Tight end Desmond Clark will miss another game with a bad back. He was injuried early in the game against San Fransisco, but could not finish. Clark is the best blocking tight end the Bears have. This means Kellen Davis will take over at the second tight end spot, and he is not a very good blocker.
Players to Watch:
1) Tommie Harris – He showed some signs of his old form last week in San Fransisco. Maybe he can show up big against the LeSean McCoy-led running game of the Eagles.
2) Greg Olsen – He needs to be a target on every drive, especially in the redzone. Olsen should find himself putting up some big numbers come Sunday night.
3) Charles Tillman – He only has two interceptions this season, but he is a master at taking the ball away from teams another way: forcing fumbles. Except to see Tillman flying around all night.
Keys to the Game:
1) Protect Jay Cutler. The Eagles have a pass rusher by the name of Trent Cole, who has seven and a half sacks this season. You have to contain him.
2) Get Matt Forte going, no matter what it takes, and it doesn’t have to be in the running game as we saw last week. Get him the ball in the open field and see what he can do with it.
3) Contain speedsters Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson.
Prediction:
Bears 27, Eagles 20
Bear Down!
Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears forwww.NFLTouchdown.comand www.MVN.com.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Former Bears quarterback Rex Grossman is currently the backup to Matt Schaub in Houston, but that doesn’t mean his father doesn’t still watch the Chicago Bears. His father Dan quickly defended Jay Cutler and compared it to how Rex was in his time with the Bears.
Here’s what he had to say to the Chicago Tribune:
“It’s a self-perpetuating problem that is not Jay Cutler’s fault,” said Dan Grossman, who played quarterback at Indiana in the ’60s. “It’s not Rex Grossman’s fault. It’s not Kyle Orton’s fault. It’s not every other quarterback who has been through that system’s fault. It’s the fault of the organization for not understanding what a quarterback needs.
“What’s amazing to me is, here we go again with Jay Cutler. He came in and he was going to be the franchise quarterback and lead the Bears. I heard some people say they were going to the Super Bowl this year. And here we are, back in the situation where…because the team is not really built around a passing game, he has struggled. I don’t really blame it on Jay Cutler.
“You know who I feel worse for? I feel worse for the Cutler family because I know how hard it was on our family. We are a very proud family. We’re not going to whine to anybody and we’re not going to cry about it. But we’re human. It’s hard to go through that, especially after you had such high expectations.
“You know this young man can really play the sport and that position. It borders on the ridiculous. And the media wants to continually rip the player. And they are missing the point. It’s not the player. It’s the organization.
“I’m not even going to rip the coaches. It’s not even the coaches. The coaches are given a clear, strong message: ‘We’re not building an offensive passing team; we’re building an offensive running team.’
“Look at how much money they have put on the defense. That’s my observation.
“(Rex) wasn’t a first-round draft pick (22nd overall out of Florida) and an Associated Press national player of the year for nothing. Obviously he came in very well thought of. Those bumps that he had in Chicago have not helped him. But I am glad to say he is on an excellent team now. And he is on an excellent offensive passing team now. He is very pleased with that.
“The whole culture is different.
“Jay Cutler, first-round draft pick. Rex Grossman, first-round draft pick. I mean, you’re telling me these guys were terrible? They did bad scouting? No. You can connect the dots pretty easily when you just look. I am just amazed at how infrequently people in the media look at it. Their evaluation is that it is always the player. That’s not right.
“I believe that the NFL is a passing league. It has been for the last 20 years. Chicago continues to use the phrase, at least Lovie Smith continues to use the phrase, ‘We get off the bus running.’ They need to abandon that concept. Running is obviously a very important part of the offense. But the best teams in this league are prolific passing teams.
“And for a team to be effective at passing, in my opinion, you have to build your offense around your quarterback. You have to commit to the quarterback: ‘You’re our guy.’
“You don’t bring your quarterback in and say: ‘We’re going to get off the bus running. But on 3rd-and-10, you’ve got to come through for us now!’”
Thoughts
I agree with Dan Grossman on a lot of the things he said.
It’s true the league is now more of a passing league, but you still have to have some kind of running game to be successful. Jay Cutler needs to be surrounded with more weapons than just Devin Hester and Greg Olsen. Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett are good, but there just too young.
The offensive line is mixed with young inexperienced guys and veterans who are on the edge of their careers. This team has the talent to make the playoffs this season, but next year if they surround Jay Cutler with protection and talent, the Bears have a chance.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Here are the Week 11 Bears power rankings from various sites around the web:
ESPN: #23 (Last week: 19)
Analysis: “The Bears have lost four of their past five.”
Yahoo Sports: #23 (Last week: 20)
Analysis: “Did Jay Cutler send a thank-you gift basket to Bill Belichick Sunday night (and, if so, was it intercepted )?”
Pro Football Weekly: #22 (Last week: 18)
Analysis: “And how do they plan to fix this offensive line without draft picks?”
Fox Sports: #23 (Last week: 19)
Analysis: “Turnovers tell the story for the Bears in 2009. When limiting turnovers to two or fewer, Chicago is 4-1 and averaging 28.2 ppg. Unfortunately, they’ve committed 3-plus turnovers four times, in which case they are 0-4 and averaging 11.3 ppg.”
CBS Sports: #20 (Last week: 19)
Analysis: “You have to start to wonder about Jay Cutler. He’s trying to do too much. Where’s Matt Forte? They are a playoff long shot now.”
Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
The Bears play in San Fransisco tonight, where they haven’t won since the 1985 Super Bowl season.
49ers head coach Mike Singletary will be facing the Bears the first time in his career as a coach.
The Bears have to bring the pressure tonight against Alex Smith and they must contain Frank Gore, who we all know is having a huge season.
The Bears secondary is very banged up with Kevin Payne ruled out and Al Afalava questionable after not practicing all week. Nathan Vasher might see some time at safety and expect the Bears to use Steltz or Bullocks a little bit in Afalava’s spot depending on his availability. Good news is Charles Tillman and Tommie Harris will be in the lineup which will help a ton.
Key Matchup
Danieal Manning on 49ers tight end Vernon Davis.
Manning is the most athletic player on this defense, so watch for him to cover Vernon Davis who is basically a wide receiver in the 49ers offense. Davis has been talking lots of trash about this defense and hopefully the Bears respond by shutting him down or at least containing him.
Players to Watch
1) Earl Bennett —He had a career week last week, but it was when the Bears were behind. Watch for Bennett to finally get in the end-zone for his first career touchdown.
2) Alex Brown —He will be pumped up, I expect a sack and an interception for the veteran defensive end.
3) Lance Briggs —He needs to bring some life to this defense, which has struggled mightily against Arizona and Cincinnati.
Keys to the Game:
1) Make Alex Smith beat you with his arm, pressure the young QB constantly.
2) Contain Frank Gore and if that means putting eight men in the box, fine.
3) Get the running game going with Matt Forte and if that doesn’t work find other ways of getting him the ball, screen passes maybe.
4) Stop allowing teams to convert on third downs. It is totally unacceptable.
Prediction:
Bears 23, 49ers 16
Bear Down!
Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
49ers tight end Vernon Davis thinks the 49ers offense can crush the Bears struggling defense. Davis has 20 catches and four touchdowns, since the 49ers replaced Shaun Hill and inserted Alex Smith as their quarterback.
Here’s what Davis had to say:
“I think we can destroy their front, the guys up front, I think we can destroy them. I don’t see anything spectacular about their front line. Their linebackers, I think we can handle them pretty well. I like (Adewale) Ogunleye. I like the way he’s playing up front. He’s about the only player I like on their defensive line. I think he’s doing a good job.”
Davis also took a shot at the Bears best linebacker Lance Briggs, here’s what he said:
“He can’t check me, I think Lance is a good player. I totally respect Lance Briggs. He’s a good player. He’s been around before I came in this league and I respect his game. But we still have an opportunity. If he’s matched up against me one-on-one, I’m going to try my best to beat him.”
This should be great motivation for the Bears defense to get back to stopping offenses instead of allowing them offenses to destroy them. The Bears rank 24th in the NFL in red zone offense (13 touchdowns on 28 trips) and 31st in red zone defense (20 TDs on 27 drives).
For those of you who thought the Bears offense was worse in the red zone you were wrong. The defense has to step up and get some kind of pressure on Alex Smith and the whole unit has to stop missing easy open field tackles.
The 49ers have lost four in a row after starting the season 3-1 and the Bears have dropped three of four after starting the season 3-1 as well.
all quotes from chicagosuntimes.com
Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Over the past two seasons the Bears have been hit with injuries.
Key players like Charles “Peanut” Tillman, Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvoracek, Nathan Vasher, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Brian Urlacher and Chris Williams have all suffered from the injury bug.
This year is huge for the Bears.
People have very high expectations for them.
Jay Cutler is the main reason for that.
The town is going crazy over the offseason the Bears have had. They added many pieces to the offensive line and made a couple solid draft picks on defense.
The Bears offense could be the reason the defense gets back to being very good.
If Cutler helps the offense sustain drives, the defense won’t have to be on the field as much, hence being fresh when they’re actually on the field.
The Bears offense should be alright. Cutler has Matt Forte, Greg Olsen, Devin Hester, Dez Clark and Earl Bennett as his key weapons.
The defense should be strong with Head Coach Lovie Smith taking over as defensive coordinator and Rod Marinelli coming in as the defensive line coach.
I expect big things out of this team and if they can stay healthy, I think they can win the NFC.
Three Players to Watch (besides Jay Cutler):
1) Greg Olsen—He had a big season last year with 54 catches, 574 yards and five touchdowns, but he should gain the most from the addition of Jay Cutler.
2) Tommie Harris—He was once a dominant force. If he listens to Marinelli and gets his knee prepared for this season, he should be a big-time playmaker. Remember, he’s only 25 years old.
3) Earl Bennett—This kid came out this offseason by saying he didn’t know the full playbook until week 10 of last season, hence having no catches. He played college ball with Jay Cutler and should be the No. 2 receiver behind Hester. Watch out for Bennett.
It’s a sad day for a Chicago Bear fan.
Former Pro Bowl safety, and star of the Bears defense, Mike Brown signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bears showed no interest in bringing back the injury prone Mike Brown, who is the Bears’ all-time leader in defensive touchdowns with seven.
Brown had 99 starts, 629 tackles, and 17 interceptions in his nine seasons with the Bears. Last season he started 15 games—the most he’s played in a long time—before going on the injured reserve with a calf injury.
What will his role be with the Chiefs? The nine year veteran will join the team facing some competition at the safety position.
Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page are the two Kansas City Chiefs’ safeties, and Mike Brown will have to work hard to beat one of them out.
I know Brown, 31, has lost a step, but he is still a very good player—he can win the job as long as he stays healthy.
I still think Bears fans wanted to see him back this season, but I’m glad to see Kansas City make this move.
I wish him nothing but luck this season.
You can read Jake Perper’s work at Bearsbacker.com: It’s THE Blog for Any Chicago Bears Fan.
Ex-Bear hero William “The Fridge” Perry has been released from Aiken Regional Medical Center after a month-long stay resulting from complications from Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Perry’s agent, Adam Plotkin said Perry is receiving in-patient rehabilitation at an undisclosed location. He expects Perry to be in rehab for at least a month.
Plotkin said Perry has regained strength and been in good spirits and is no longer in serious condition.
Perry was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre last summer, and it developed into Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), a disorder of the peripheral nervous system.
People who saw him at an autograph signing in Chicago last winter said that Perry:
“Has lost a significant amount of weight, perhaps more than 100 pounds.”
All quotes from ChicagoTribune.com
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