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.

Urlacher Undergoes Knee Scope

Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee on Tuesday.  Head Coach Lovie Smith described the procedure as a “minor scope” and said “there shouldn’t be any reason to really be concerned.”  Of course, this sounds like what Lovie has been saying all along.  That was before 54 started missing practices.  That was before this procedure.  That was before Urlacher’s status for the beginning of the regular season was in jeopardy.

I’m not saying that Lach won’t be ready for the regular season.  He very well may be.  Teammate Nick Roach had a similar procedure done before the regular season in 2010 and played in the opener 2 ½ weeks later.  What I am saying is that I don’t believe anything that Lovie or Emery tell us.  Take it all with a grain of salt.

Back to Urlacher, though, I guess the best we can do now is just hope for a smooth recovery.  Urlacher himself has said that he doubts he’ll be without pain in the knee for the entire season.  It is entirely possible that he’ll practice very little and then play on Sundays.  If anybody can do that effectively, it’s probably him.  What this all means for his contract status is a discussion for another day.  For now, let’s just hope that this doesn’t derail what could be a very special season.

Bears re-sign 4 free agents

The Bears have re-signed DE Israel Idonije, S Craig Steltz, TE Kellen Davis and QB Josh McCown.

Idonije was signed to a one-year deal.  The 31 year-old defensive end had only five sacks in 2011 after having 8 in 2010.  While not a high-sack total kind of guy, Idonije plays with a high motor and has been called the most underrated Bears defensive lineman by multiple head coaches who have played against the Bears.  This move gives the Bears some flexibility with the 19^th pick in the upcoming draft.  While we could certainly use some youth at the position, having him here again gives us the flexibility to go elsewhere in the draft (maybe OT?) if a talented prospect falls to us there.

Craig Steltz signed a two-year deal to stay with the Bears.  The key special teams contributor was also called upon to play quite a bit of safety late in the year due to injuries.  According to Pro Football Focus, he was one of only nine safeties to play 25% of their team’s snaps and not miss a tackle on passing plays.  His re-signing gives us some depth at safety, which has seen almost constant turnover under Lovie Smith, and lets Dave Toub keep one of his key special teamers.

The Bears also re-signed Kellen Davis, a 6’7” 260lb tight end to a two year contract.  Under-utilized in Mike Martz’ offense, Davis has the athleticism to potentially be a potent threat for the Bears offense.  Drafted four years ago, Davis has always intrigued the Bears due to his size and speed but he was buried on the depth chart during his first two seasons in Chicago.  During the last two, under Mike Martz as offensive coordinator, the tight end position was rarely utilized in the passing game and Lovie Smith and Phil Emery were apparently not ready to let him go without seeing if he can be as productive as they think he can in an offense that’s much better suited to take advantage of his skills.

The Bears also re-signed QB Josh McCown who should compete with Nathan Enderle for the third QB job.  McCown fared pretty well in his two starts at the end of last year and he is the favorite to hold onto that third-string QB position.  With newly signed Jason Campbell and McCown now behind Cutler, the Bears depth at QB, the debilitating weakness which brought disaster to a promising 2011, is now a position of strength.  Just knowing that these guys are in position in case disaster strikes again should lead to significantly fewer sleepless nights for Bears fans everywhere.

Combine Preview

After a long period of inactivity, the NFL Combine is almost upon us.  Bears Playbook will be in Indy this weekend and thought we’d give a list of players that Bears fans should be paying attention to this weekend.  Here are some players that the Bears may target in the draft and what you should look for during some of their drills.

Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame – Floyd is a big-bodied receiver (6’3” 220) that the Bears could definitely use.  He has excellent body control , speed, quickness and is a good route runner.  His biggest question marks are off the field issues (he’s had 3 alcohol related incidents).  His interviews with teams this week will have a serious impact on his draft stock.

Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina – Jeffery’s draft stock has been dropping due to concerns about his ability to gain separation.  Once viewed as a top 10 pick, he is now projected to be drafted in the end of the first round.  At 6’4” and 230 lbs, Jeffery is a physical presence with excellent ball skills.  The key to his combine will be his 40-yd dash.  If he can drop some weight and run a good time in the 40, he may be in the conversation for the Bears at the 19^th pick overall.

Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford – Martin is currently projected to go around the middle of the first round.  If he makes it to 19, the Bears would have to give him strong consideration.  A strong run blocker, Martin is also good in pass protection and would provide a big upgrade at Left Tackle.

Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State – A very good run-blocker, Adams has struggled with consistency in pass protection, especially against speed rushers.  That said, he has looked dominant at times and would provide an upgrade to the Bears offensive line.  The combine may show off some of his physical traits and raise his draft stock back up to the point where he’ll be in consideration at 19 overall.

Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois – Mercilus was a monster in 2011 with 16 sacks and 9 forced fumbles.  He has a motor that runs non-stop and can rush with impressive speed around the edge or with a powerful bull rush.  Because he only started 15 games at Illinois, teams will be looking for a strong combine to help validate his strong results from this past season.  Most mock drafts currently project Mercilus to be drafted somewhere around the Bears pick and I’m sure Lovie Smith is impressed with his ability to strip the ball.  Given Lovie’s penchant for drafting D-linemen early, there’s a good chance that this backyard prospect will remain in Illinois as an NFL rookie.