Bears defeat Rams 23-6

Good to get out of Dodge with a win.

That's how I felt after today's game.  That game today is kind of how I would imagine the game would look if it were played in St. Louis.  The defense played very well but the offense just looked off, as if seriously affected by crowd noise in a dome.

In any case, we ran the ball pretty well today (you wouldn't know it looking at the box score, but it was a definite improvement).  Other than the win itself, that's the best news from the game.  Chilo Rachal needs to clean some things up (those penalties are unacceptable), but he did have a few impressive blocks today in the running game.  Hopefully, we'll have Matt Forte back for next Monday's game in Dallas. If not, though, I think that Michael Bush showed enough burst and power in the running game that Dallas would likely still key on stopping the run first and foremost and that should open up some opportunities in the passing game.

As always, we will have more analysis (including our personnel breakdown) as the week progresses.

2-1.  Bear Down!!!

First Sack Review

Here is the first play of the game from the Packers debacle on Thursday.  Let's analyze why the breakdown happened.  Here is the pre-snap look:

Now, watch the gaping hole created by Spencer's down block followed by Webb's kick-out:

Now, look back at where Forte started.  Look at his feet.  He's on the hashmark.  Notice here that after "taking" the play fake, he's practically in the middle of the field.  The point here is that his weight is moving to his left in order to take the play fake.  At the same time, the blitzer is able to immediately cut across Forte's body because of all the space created by Spencer's movement to his right.  Also notice in the next picture that Forte is unable to cut immediately to his right to square up the defender because Jay is still in the way.

The next three pics show the block itself.  We can see here why Forte led with his shoulder instead of remaining squared up at contact.

Lastly, this is where Forte needs to do a better job.  Even though he was put in a bad position, he needs to stick with the blitzer and drive him away from the pocket instead of getting cradled up as he does here:

So, though Forte does need to do a better job than this, I definitely expect Tice to put his guys in a better position to succeed than this.  Not helping the situation is that Chicago had 8 guys in to block while the 2 receivers both basically ran go routes.  Adding to the madness was that neither of the tight ends or the running back released as an outlet for Jay when (not if) he got pressured.

More analysis of the game (specifically on all of the sacks) to follow.

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.

Bears O-Line, They Are Who We Thought They Were

That was my first thought after watching the Bears first preseason game.  I’m not one to overreact to preseason games, especially the first one when four of our best players didn’t even sniff the field, but our offensive line continues to unimpress.  J’Marcus Webb played well into the fourth quarter and had a false start and gave up a sack.  Chris Spencer gave up a sack in limited action.  UDFA James Brown, a player I’m admittedly a fan of, played very poorly at LT in the end of the 4^th quarter giving up one sack and being at least partially to blame for another one.  RT Gabe Carimi surprisingly failed to generate any push in the running game while he was in.  In general, the interior of the line allowed pressure up the middle repeatedly.  All in all, it was one preseason game.  The fact remains though, that they’ve thus far given me no reason to believe they’ll be anything but bad this season.  Until they do, I’ll be working with that assumption.

Other notes from the first game:

Shea McClellin looked ok.  He flashed his speed and relentlessness in getting his first sack as a pro.  He did, however, get run over on the Broncos first touchdown and he clearly needs to play with better pad level in the running game.  He also needs to develop counter moves to beat O-linemen, but that will expectedly take some time and be a work in progress.  Summary:  he has good speed, a high motor and struggles in the running game.  He too is what we thought he was, at least for now.

Alshon Jeffery played pretty well.  He used his size well and displayed good hands.  He needs to continue to use his hands better to beat press coverage, but he looks like he could be a contributor sooner rather than later.

Major Wright made an interception on a tipped pass, but was later removed due to a hamstring issue.  His durability continues to be a concern.

I was hoping to see more of Evan Rodriguez, but most of his usefulness during the season will be through personnel mismatches.  The Bears will achieve this by moving him around from as in-line tight end to the slot to H-back, etc.  Since the Bears won’t gameplan until the third preseason game (and even then in a limited capacity), I don’t expect to know exactly how (or how much) we’ll utilize him until the season starts.

In the end, it was just the first preseason game.  It was quite ugly, but that is to be expected when Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Brian Urlacher and Julius Peppers all sit out.  The most important outcome was that nobody was injured and the Bears should’ve gotten some good film to look at and work off of as they prepare for next week’s game in Washington.

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 First Padded Practice. 5 Things to Watch.

Finally.  The Bears will hold their first padded practice of the offseason tonight.  Now that the pads are coming on, we can start to get a much better idea of how certain things are coming together.  Here are the top 5 things I’ll be watching tonight:

Get that dummy out of here.  Tonight, Shea McClellin goes up against real competition.

5.  Shea McClellin.  How will the rookie look in pads?  Will he be pushed around in running drills?  More importantly, how will he look in the 1 on 1 pass rush drills?  Will he show a good repertoire of moves/counter moves?  This will be our first real look at Phil Emery’s first draft pick and I’m very anxious to see it.

4.  Gabe Carimi.  On the flip side of McClellin is Gabe Carimi.  How will he look coming off the knee injury that sidelined him for all but 6 quarters of 2011?  His comeback is vital for Chicago’s success this year and now we’ll get to see if he is fully recovered from that injury.

3.  Brian Urlacher.  Speaking of knee injuries, today we’ll get a good idea whether or not Brian Urlacher truly is “110% good to go” as he said.  Though wearing a knee brace, he hasn’t looked restricted at all thus far into camp.  Now we’ll see how he looks full speed and with contact.

2.  Matt Forte.  Full speed in pads is exactly what we want to see here.  Ever since he failed to condition himself properly heading into his second year, Matt Forte has been a workout warrior and has always reported to camp in amazing shape.  This year appears to be no different.  There was some concern though, due to the missed mini-camp, that he might not arrive in “football shape”.  He looked fast on a breakaway run yesterday, but today we’ll see just how fast he looks in pads.

1.  The left tackle battle.  Of course.  The biggest question mark on the team, the battle for the left tackle position between J'Marcus Webb and Chris Williams, will legitimately begin today.  It’s very hard to judge linemen without pads on, so today is the day the battle really starts.  This is where most eyes should be tonight.

So, it should be a lot of fun tonight.  Today is the day that it truly feels like camp begins.  We’re only 12 days away from the first preseason game against the Broncos, so the action should be coming fast and furious now.  That’s also what the action on the field will be like tonight.  Here we go.

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.

Forte Update

Don’t get excited, nothing has happened.  We do have new information that may explain why.  According to Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports, Forte is looking for a deal in the range of Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson’s.  As we’ve said before here on Bears Playbook, the market seems to be set for a player of Forte’s caliber.  That market is clearly about 5 years, $40 - $43 million total with $20 - $21 million guaranteed.  That is not even close to the 6yr/$55M/$30M guaranteed contract that Chris Johnson signed, let alone Peterson’s deal.  If this report is true, here’s what it means for the Bears:

1. A long term deal will likely not get done and Forte will play this season under the franchise tag.
2. It is possible that the Bears would pursue a trade, although finding a trade partner will be difficult if Forte won't sign for less than that much money.
3. Provided that Forte does indeed play under the tag this year, the Bears will revisit negotiations next year and hope to get something done then.

As far as revisiting negotiations next season, there is a possibility that things will go smoother then than they are right now.  First off, let’s note that Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens (a player of comparable talent to Forte) has also requested A.P. type money and he’s also playing under the tag this season.  The potential game-changer in this situation is Eagles RB LeSean McCoy.  He offers a similar skill set to both Forte and Rice and should be paid comparably.  He is currently in the last year of his rookie deal and both he and the Eagles are eager to get a deal done this season.  If he were to sign for a number close to the Foster deal, it would put another top RB in that price range and would give Forte (and Rice) little reason to keep asking for more than that.  Currently, these two players are no doubt saying that they should be paid more than DeAngelo Williams (the significantly overpriced deal that threw a monkey wrench into this situation in the first place).  If, however, McCoy were to sign a deal comparable to Foster’s, it would be significantly easier for the teams to argue that Williams’ contract was overpriced as opposed to Foster’s and McCoy’s deals both being underpriced.  At that time, Forte may realize that he simply won’t get more money than those deals and may be open to a more reasonable long term deal.

Lance Briggs Given Contract Extension by Bears

The Chicago Bears on Wednesday signed linebacker Lance Briggs to a one-year contract extension.  The deal includes $7 million in new money and also frees up almost $2 million in cap room in 2012 for Chicago (for full contract details, click here).  Briggs, who had been asking for an extension since last season, was surprised that a deal got done this quickly.  “Didn’t really take long”, he said.  “I know that they spoke with (my agent) at the Combine and obviously we had to give free agency some time so the Bears could acquire the players they wanted in the first couple of weeks.”  “I’m … just very appreciative right now that the work has been recognized and that it got handled as fast as it did.”

Obviously, any time contracts are discussed around Halas Hall these days, it doesn’t take long until the discussion turns toward Matt Forte.  Today was no different.  When asked about Forte’s situation, Briggs said “I’d tell him to do what he feels is right.”  “I’ve been there and I hope that his situation gets resolved soon and I want him to be happy.”

Regardless of the Forte situation, Briggs himself is now very happy.  As one of only four Chicago Bear linebackers to ever reach 7 consecutive Pro Bowls (Dick Butkus, Bill George and Mike Singletary being the others), he is obviously a key contributor to a very talented team.  When asked how talented he thinks the Bears are, he said “On paper I think we’re very talented.”  He continued, “Very, very talented.  Would I call us the ‘Dream Team’?  No I would not.  But I would say we’re a championship caliber team.” 

Bears GM Phil Emery appears to have a similar view.  “We’re very excited for Lance and for the Bears”, he said.  “Lance has been a very valuable and productive member of our team.  Seven straight Pro Bowls is quite a record of success.  This is a very positive step for our team in an effort to win championships.”  Please note that last sentence.  Specifically, note the last letter.  With every word, Emery impresses more and more.  With some more sound moves like this one, the Bears just may contend for the first of those championships in 2012.  

Bears Sign RB Michael Bush

The Bears have signed free agent RB Michael Bush to a 4 year, $14 million deal.  This is a good value for the Bears.  Bush was widely considered the top free agent RB available and will provide not only an excellent 1-2 punch with Matt Forte, but will also provide insurance in case Forte and the Bears can’t come to terms on a long-term deal and Matt holds out.

It’s this issue with Forte’s contract, however, that adds a level of uneasiness to this signing.  For the third year in a row, the Bears have given significant money to a backup running back while refusing to lock up their premier ball carrier long-term.  This fact has clearly not been lost on Matt Forte who tweeted the following after hearing about the Bush signing:  “There’s only so many times a man that has done everything he’s been asked to do can be disrespected!  Guess the GOOD GUYS do finish last.”  There’s no denying the accuracy of Forte’s comments.  He truly has done everything asked of him.  Despite a failure to extend him last year, Forte still showed up to camp on time and in the best shape of his career.  Remember, he played last season for $600,000 while Marion Barber came in and signed a 2 year, $4.6 million deal.  By comparison, Forte was playing under the last year of his rookie deal; a 4 year contract worth a total of $3.8 million.  So it’s understandable that Forte is frustrated.  Without knowing the intent of GM Phil Emery, though, we can’t know if Forte is justified in being frustrated with this signing itself.

Let’s go over the possible motivations for making this deal.  As I said at the top, this signing is a good value for the Bears.  Bush is a productive running back who is good both out of the backfield and as a physical runner between the tackles.  If this signing was made simply as a business decision, a good price for a quality backup with full intention on signing Forte long-term, then Forte should welcome the move.  Having a teammate like Bush will allow Forte to get off the field a little more often, keeping him fresher for the duration of the season.  It is entirely possible, though, that this signing was inspired by a need to protect the Bears from a possible Forte holdout.  If that’s the case, that would mean that the Bears don’t plan on coming to an agreement with Forte and every bit of Matt’s anger over this signing would be justified.

It’s hard to know what the holdup is over an agreement between the Bears and Forte on a long-term deal.  After all, the Arian Foster deal should’ve set the market for this deal.  Forte should sign a very comparable deal to that 5 year, $43.5 million deal with $21 million guaranteed.  If either side is proposing a number that is significantly off of that amount, then this standoff could last for quite a while and it may get very ugly.  It is entirely possible, though, that new GM Phil Emery (who appears to be very structured in his approach) believes that now is the time to sign free agents and hammering out an extension for Forte will be done in its proper time.  The optimist in me is hoping that this is the case.  Thus far, in his short time as GM, Emery has done an excellent job in doing what’s best for the Chicago Bears.  Paying Matt forte is definitely in Chicago’s best interest and I have faith that a deal will get done and we can all (Forte included) continue to be thankful that Phil Emery is our new GM.

Bears Franchise Forte

The Chicago Bears today placed the franchise tag on RB Matt Forte.  For those unaware, let’s review exactly what that means.  It means that the Bears have until July 16^th to continue to try to work out a contract extension if they so desire.  If no deal has been struck by that date, then Forte will be paid the average of the top 5 salaries at his position.  For running backs in 2012, the price of the franchise tag is $7.7 Million. 

While it is a significant salary for one season, players generally have a very negative view of the franchise tag.  Most would prefer the security of a multi-year deal.  However, as Forte himself noted earlier this year, “A lot of teams franchise guys so that they can get a deal done or negotiate a deal.”  He has said that he’d be open to the tag if that were the motive for it.  If the Bears don’t plan on pursuing a multi-year deal and instead expect Matt to play out this season under the tag, however, there may be repercussions.  “I wouldn’t say holdout, but people probably wouldn’t know where I was,” Forte said.  “It just depends on what the motive of that is.”

In terms of a long-term deal, there are some stumbling blocks to getting a deal done.  First is the issue of durability.  Teams just don’t want to guarantee a lot of money to a player who plays a position that has such a penchant for injuries.  Secondly, the contract that the Carolina Panthers gave to DeAngelo Williams last year (5 years, $43 million, $21M guaranteed) was way above market value.  Forte and his agent will try to base their contract off of that one claiming that Forte is a better player and should be higher paid than Williams.  The Bears will say that they shouldn’t be obligated to overpay just because some other team did.  This is the same situation that the Ravens find themselves in with their running back, Ray Rice (who was also franchised on Friday). 

The optimists among us have some signs that they can point to as potential positives too.  The first is the Bears salary cap situation.  As they now stand, the Bears are about $28 million under the salary cap.  So they have no financial restraints to getting a deal done.  Also, if the franchise tag holds the full $7.7M would count against the cap.  If they were to get a deal done instead, they could spread the signing bonus over the length of the contract for cap purposes.  This would reduce the amount that Forte would count against the salary cap.  You would also think that the Bears would like to get this settled before free agency starts so they’d have a more exact idea of who they can afford to explore (at the WR position, maybe??).  Also, it might be a stretch but it could be a good sign that Matt wasn’t franchised until late in the day Friday.  New GM Phil Emery was said to re-open negotiations with Forte’s agent during the NFL Combine last weekend and it’s possible that they could be close to a deal.  We also can’t help but think that Emery would like to make a positive impact in his first big move in his new position.  What better way to do that than to lock up one of the Bears’ most important and most popular players?