Random Thoughts/Quick Hits

I've been away for a bit, so I thought I'd post some random thoughts before tonight's game at New York.  First, let me copy and paste some notes I had taken while watching the last preseason game against the Redskins:

This Cutler to Marshall could be a serious hook-up for us for 10 years.
WOW Jay has a cannon.
That first drive was unlike any I can recall from recent memory.
I have NOT been impressed with Gabe Carimi.
Henry Melton could soon be thought of as one of Chicago's great defensive players.
Chris Spencer sucks.
I still sometimes root for the Bears to give Forte chances near the goal line.  Michael Bush might be changing that.
I'm not happy with our special teams coverage units.
I love McClellin's motor, but he REALLY needs to get stronger.
This looks like a top 5 offense in the NFL.
Alshon Jeffery looks better and better and better.  REALLY impressed.
Did I just see Lovie Smith smiling?
I repeat, I'm not happy with our special teams coverage units.
I hope Podlesh is ok.  I like him.
Scary injury to Brandon Hardin.  Thank God he's ok.
I wish we'd see more of Evan Rodriguez with the 1's, but he just showed why we don't.
Good job by our LT's today.
Most years we'd be SCREAMING to make Chris Summers our starting split end.  Now he's a practice squad guy.  What a difference a year makes.
As I typed that, Summers dropped what should've been a TD.
Jay Cutler was just asked who called the pass to Marshall on the first play, him or Tice.  Jay smiled and said "well, Mike (Tice) gives us some flexibility.  When we get single coverage out there, we're going to attack it."  LOVE that!!
Evan Rodriguez again flashing his potential.  I hope we see continued development from him.
Robbie Gould is great.

Some of this is what I'll be looking for tonight.  I'll be looking for more good play from our LT's (isn't that the first thing we all think of before each preseason game?).  I'm also hoping to see better play from our special teams.  We can't be giving up that kind of field position constantly (while I'm sure that Robbie has intentionally not kicked some balls through the end zone during the preseason, that's not the point).  I continue to enjoy watching the rookies McClellin, Jeffery and Rodriguez and hope to continue to see development from them.

Being the third preseason game, I will also be tracking our personnel groupings and what plays we run out of each one.  I'll be doing that all year and reporting on it right here every week, but I'll do that tonight also since the Bears will have gameplanned (to some extent) for this game.  I'm very interested to see how well Tice can maintain a healthy run/pass split out of each personnel grouping.  Ironically, our O-line issues might help in that regard.  Because of the need to help our line protect, we'll often have two tight-ends in the game (12 and 22 personnel).  That type of personnel on the field would usually key the defense to a running play, but we will be passing out of that grouping almost more out of necessity than design.  This will help keep a defense guessing and should help Tice as he gets accustomed to his new role of offensive playcaller.

FINALLY!!! Bears open preseason tonight.

The preseason is finally upon us as the Bears will take on the Denver Broncos tonight at Soldier Field.  In a game filled with side stories, Bears fans will get their first look at the Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall connection since they were teammates with these very same Broncos in 2008.  While this is the biggest story for Bears fans, the biggest story for most NFL fans will be their first look at Payton Manning with the Broncos.  When it’s all said and done, however, the fact remains that this is still week 1 of the preseason and the starters on both teams will be expected to play less than one quarter of action.  What else should Bears fans watch for?

Other than watching Brandon Marshall in a Bears uniform, I’m most eager to get a look at the performances of the Bears left tackles; J’Marcus Webb and Chris Williams.  While Webb appeared to win the “competition” for the starting job, Offensive Coordinator Mike Tice has acknowledged that Webb hasn’t played great and he is not a lock to start week 1 of the regular season.  If Webb struggles (especially with mental mistakes, which Tice hates), it is entirely possible that Williams will be starting the next preseason game and this could turn into a legitimate competition.

I’m also looking forward to seeing our rookie draft picks in action.  Specifically, I’ll be watching out for Shea McClellin (#99), Alshon Jeffery (#17), Evan Rodriguez (#88) and undrafted free agent O-lineman James Brown (#78).  For McClellin, watch to see if he can effectively use counter moves when engaged with an O-lineman.  Look to see if Jeffery can beat press coverage.  With Rodriguez, I’m most interested in where he lines up and how the Bears utilize him.  While the gameplan will be very vanilla, it will still be interesting to see if he lines up as an H-back, an inline blocker or at the Y in 21 (or 12) personnel.  As for James Brown, I’m also interested in where he lines up the most.  Judging by what I’ve heard from training camp, the coaching staff is taking a pretty good look at him at the LT spot.  I can’t help but wonder if he’s in consideration for the swing tackle spot.

So, it should be a very entertaining game from many angles.  I didn’t even mention Tice’s offense,  Brandon Hardin, Matt Forte or Jason Campbell.  I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited for a Bears season and likewise I’ve never been this excited for a Bears preseason game.  It’s finally here.

Bears Report to Training Camp

Bears players arrive at the dorms of Olivet Nazarene
University for the start of training camp

The Bears have arrived at training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL.  The players will undergo physicals today and also take part in strength and conditioning drills.  Their first practice will begin tomorrow at 2:30 and that is open to the public.

What To Watch For

Everyone is excited to watch Jay Cutler throw the ball to Brandon Marshall.  It will also be great to see Matt Forte participating with the team for the first time this offseason (he reportedly looks to be in great shape).  However, the most important thing to watch now that the pads are on will be the performance of the offensive linemen, particularly the battle for the left tackle position.  According to Offensive Coordinator Mike Tice, Chris Williams and J’Marcus Webb will split the reps 50/50 with the winner becoming the starter at left tackle and the loser assuming the swing tackle role.

Williams and Webb have both had their struggles at LT and that is the reason this competition ever came about in the first place.  Williams’ struggles presumably can be (at least partially) attributed to injury, he was never fully healthy until the start of last season, while Webb’s troubles are attributed to inexperience.  With limited practices in pads, the most important component of this battle will be their performances in the preseason games.  The trouble with evaluating performances in the preseason, though, is that starters typically don’t play much.  With that in mind, it will be very interesting to see who gets the start in the Bears’ first preseason game on August 9^th against the Broncos and RDE Elvis Dumervil (if he’s not in jail by then).

This is quite possibly the most anticipated Bears season since the mid-late 1980’s.  With training camp finally upon us, we’ll begin to get a good idea of whether or not that excitement is legitimate.  Phil Emery said, “We want to win now.  We want to win championships now.”  That is clearly a sentiment that is shared by all fans.  The journey to accomplish that goal begins now and, may I say, it’s about time.

Brandon Marshall Accused of Punching Woman

In our last post, we wrote about what to expect now that Brandon Marshall is a Chicago Bear.  That post focused on the football side of things.  What it omitted, were the maturity issues and off-the-field question marks about Marshall's character.  Less than a full day after the Bears announced they had acquired the talented receiver, these issues have come to the forefront.

A woman has accused Marshall of punching her in the face outside a New York City nightclub around 4am on Sunday.  Marshall has not been charged and his attorney paints a different picture of the scene.  While more details will surely come out in the coming weeks, it's the simple fact that Marshall has once again found himself in this type of situation that should concern Bears fans.

Instead of talking about his legal history, we'd rather focus on the football aspect of it all.  So let's break these issues down into two categories:  issues that could keep Marshall off the field and issues that occur on the field.  These current allegations would fall under the first category.  As many coaches have said, "Nothing good happens after midnight."  Whether guilty or not, the fact that Marshall has again put himself in a situation that could end badly is a concern.  We can hope that the strong Bears locker room will help keep Marshall in line.  It's also very likely that being reunited with Cutler will help Marshall in this area.  Cutler will surely let him know that he can't be of any help to the QB if he's not on the field.  To the on-field issues, I noticed something in the clip that was posted yesterday.  After Marshall scores the go-ahead TD, he takes something out from behind his belt that he plans on celebrating with.  This would result in a penalty on the kickoff, setting up the Browns with excellent field position late in the game.  This was only prevented by Broncos WR Brandon Stokley who sprinted up to Marshall and grabbed his hands stopping him from using whatever prop he was holding (click here for video).  These types of things are always a risk with Marshall.  He is certainly worth that risk, however, given that he is allowed on the field in the first place.

Brandon Marshall to Bears: What to Expect

Just before the start of free agency on Tuesday, the Bears agreed to trade two 3^rd round draft picks for Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall.  Marshall, who played with current Bears quarterback Jay Cutler for three years in Denver, will be the big receiver for which many Bears fans have been clamoring for years.  So now, let’s go in-depth as to what we can expect from Marshall in Chicago.

At 6’4” and 230 pounds, Marshall does an excellent job of using his body to get separation.  He is also a fantastic run blocker.  Not only will he directly help Matt Forte and the Bears’ running game in that manner but he will also help by guaranteeing that Forte won’t be facing 8-man defensive fronts as frequently as he has in the past.  As good as he is in run-blocking or at getting separation, Marshall does his best work with the ball in his hands.  He is one of the best WRs in the NFL after the catch. 

The biggest reason he landed in Chicago, though, is his relationship with Jay Cutler.  Regarding his chemistry with Cutler, Marshall said “It's hard to find that and sometimes it's once in a lifetime” during an interview on ESPN in January.  He went on to say, “We'll line up there and we'll get a coverage and he will just look at me and I'll know exactly where he wants to adjust my route. You don't find that. It got to a point where coaches, they didn't know what we were doing so we'll install a whole play and they'll give us a play on the front side and put me on the back side and they'll tell us just do what you all do and just make it work. We had a lot of freedom in our offense, and we made it work and chemistry was great. It was something special."  Click here for video example.  In the video, Cutler and Marshall both know what they're going to do once the safety drops into the box.  Notice that Marshall breaks straight off the line of scrimmage, leaving room toward the sideline for a break at the end of the route.  Lastly, notice the throw.  Does that back shoulder throw remind anyone of a certain green and yellow QB in our division?  The play in this video is the same play that Aaron Rodgers has used to torch opposing defenses for the last two years.  At long last, the Bears are in a position to fight fire with fire.