The New Monsters of the Midway

[gettlemanjack]

notable Bears games this season:

1:00 p.m. ET Sunday

*Sept 28 - Packers at Soldier Field

*Oct 5 - @Panthers, BOA Stadium

*Oct 26 - @Patriots, Gillette Stadium

Sunday Night Football

*Sept 14 - @49ers' new Levi's Stadium

*Nov 9 - @Packers, Lambeau Field

Monday Night Football

*Dec 15 - Saints at Soldier Field

Thursday Night Football

*Dec 4 - Cowboys at Soldier Field

From an interesting (but long) read on the Burrs from ESPN/Grantland's 2014 NFL Preview titled "The New Monsters of the Midway"

"The Bears have long been defined by defense...For nearly a century, the Bears have been known for anything but their offense. ... Now, the Windy City may have the scariest weapons in the NFL.

...

Soon after (Phil) Emery was hired as the Bears’ general manager, in early 2012, he (said)...“When I came in, I said the one thing we had to do was increase the playmakers on our team,” he says.

...

Emery agreed to send two third-round picks to Miami in exchange for (WR Brandon Marshall) ... The trade became official on the opening day of the league year, about a month and a half before Emery’s first draft as GM. ... to watch (Brandon) Marshall (with the Bears) was to watch a player unlike any the Bears had ever had. He bullied cornerbacks, tossed them aside in the open field, and overpowered them in the end zone. He looked how a star receiver should look.

...

Emery then drafted Alshon Jeffery in his first draft as Bears GM. “The draft for me, at the end, always gets down to repetitively watching players that you like with the head coach,” Emery says. “And we just kept coming back to Alshon.”

Alshon Jeffery's raw totals (last year with the Bears) were impressive (89 catches for 1,421 yards), but the best part of watching Jeffery every week was seeing what he might do next. He wasn’t just a receiver. He was a fireworks show.

...

(Emery also rebuilt the Bears OL.) In the two seasons prior (to Emery taking over as GM), Chicago had never finished higher than 31st in adjusted sack rate. Under Emery, they went to 24th in 2012 to 5th in 2013. Emery’s solution was to turn the line almost completely over. Left tackle Jermon Bushrod, who was always buoyed by playing with Drew Brees but looked like a revelation compared to his predecessors, was signed before the first day of free agency ended. The Bears brought in tattooed, steamrolling former Jets guard Matt Slauson to play left guard, and Emery took Oregon lineman — and future first-year Pro Bowler — Kyle Long with the 20th overall pick. “I’ve never been a part of something like that, where there was so much transition in the room,” says Roberto Garza, the center and lone holdover.

...

(Emery also fired Lovie Smith and replaced him with Marc Trestman) Trestman was the first offensive-leaning head coach hired by the organization in 30 years. Not only does he think like (the legendary Bears coach George) Halas, but with the floppy cap and thick frames, he looks like him too. ... (Trestman was the QB coach for Bernie Kosar when he led the U of Miami to it's first national championship and Trestman was the Raiders) offensive coordinator the year Rich Gannon threw for nearly 4,700 yards and was named the league’s MVP.

....

(The Bears enter the 2014 season) with the 6-foot-4 Marshall and the 6-foot-4 Jeffery and no. 3 receiver Marquess Wilson 4 standing 6-foot-3 ... (with) Matt Forte, whom the Bears took in the second round in 2008, (and) has long been one of the most reliable and underappreciated offensive players around...(and with) Jay Cutler (who) was 25 when he arrived in Chicago. The Bears roster has almost completely turned over since. RB Matt Forte, center Roberto Garza, kicker Robbie Gould, safety Craig Steltz, cornerback Charles Tillman, and linebacker Lance Briggs are the only ones left.

...

When I ask (Bears coach Marc Trestman) about the differences between Year 1 and 2 as a head coach, he stops me.

“I don’t look at this as being Year 2,” he says. “It’s just another Year 1. It all starts over. Yes, the players have a better understanding of the offense and the communication, but moving forward, that’s really where it ends.”

http://grantland.com/features/chicago-bears-marc-trestman-jay-cutler-brandon-marshall-2014-alshon-jeffery/

[gettlemanjack]

actually, the Bears play the entire NFC South:

Sun Oct. 5 - @Panthers, BOA Stadium

Sun Oct. 12 - @Falcons, Georgia Dome

Sun Nov. 23 - Buccaneers, Soldier Field

MNF Dec. 15 - Saints, Soldier Field

Lovie Smith vs. his old team

[gettlemanjack]

in the 1st preseason game vs. the Eagles, Cutler was 9/13 (69.2%) for 85 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 112.7 rating. He also had a 40-yard completion to A. Jeffery called back for holding

He was:

5-of-6 to WR Marshall (2, 3, 3, 10, 13 yds)

2-of-3 to TE Rosario (5, 23 yds)

0-of-2 to WR Weems

1-of-1 to WR Jeffery (16 yds)

1-of-1 to TE Miller (10-yd TD)

[gettlemanjack]

Week 2 Preseason: Jags at Bears tonite on ESPN 8:00 PM ET

Jags coach said Chad Henne will play first half, Blake Bortles 2nd half

5x Pro Bowl DE Jared Allen will make his Bears debut

27 yr old RB Toby Gerhart will make his Jaguars debut

Jags RBs also include:

24 yr old Jordan Todman - ran for 1,188 and 1,695 yds his last 2 yrs at UConn: All-American and Big East Offensive Player of the Year

23 yr old Denard Robinson - Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year after he finished #2 in the NCAA with 1702 rushing yds as QB for Michigan

22 yr old rookie Storm Johnson - ran for 1139 yds (5.3 ypc), 14 TD for UCF last yr. Total yds from scrimmage last yr: 1399 and 17 TD

pics taken of Soldier Field today:

[gettlemanjack]

Bears RBs include:

21 yr old rookie Ka'Deem Carey, last year's Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. Ran for 1,929 and 1,885 yds each of last two years, named All-American both years

23 yr old rookie UDFA Jordan Lynch, who ran for 1,815 and 1,920 yds over the last 2 yrs as Northern Illinois QB. He finished 3rd in the 2013 Heisman voting.

GIF of Jordan Lynch running for at 1st down last week in his 1st preseason NFL game:

http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/630546/lynch.0.gif

Ka'Deem Carey

[gettlemanjack]

pics from tonites game

Cutler and Clausen take the field

[cookinbrak]

Jax starters pwned Da Bears.

[gettlemanjack]

in the 2nd preseason games vs Jaguars, Cutler was 7-of-9 (77.8%) for 75 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 138.4 rating (he was in for two drives, first was a 3-and-out, second was a TD drive)

He was:

3-for-3 to RB Forte (1, 8, 13 yds)

2-for-2 to WR Jeffery (7, 17 yds)

1-for-1 to TE Bennett (25 yds)

1-for-3 to WR Marshall (4 yd TD)

[The Huddler]

Are you a bears fan or something?

[gettlemanjack]

Are you a bears fan or something?

I like Packers better than Bears but am intrigued to see if these Bears can live up to the hype. I will continue to chronicle their journey and those of other teams as well. I plan on adding Ravens next. This is the general NFL forum.

[The Huddler]

Hey man, pretty cool hobby! Keep it up gettleman

[gettlemanjack]

today, eight NFL.com writers predicted the Bears to go to the playoffs:

Brian Billick : Chicago Bears. On paper, the Bears have the best looking offensive unit in football.

Judy Battista: Chicago Bears. They certainly would have been a playoff team last season if the defense was even marginally better.

Dave Dameshek : Chicago Bears. Jay Cutler's occasional bad decision notwithstanding, the Bears are gonna be an offensive juggernaut in Year Two of the Marc Trestman Era. If the defense can stuff the run -- one of the few legit concerns this team has right now -- they might even take down the Packers for the division title.

Elliot Harrison : Chicago Bears. Marc Trestman 's offense runs relatively smoothly under Jay Cutler. But more importantly, the defense does not repeat its horrific 2014 performance.

Michael Silver : Chicago Bears. If Jay Cutler can stay healthy for a full season in Marc Trestman 's offense, this team will be very tough to outscore.

Bucky Brooks : Chicago Bears. Jay Cutler gets the Bears on track down the stretch to sneak into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.

Gregg Rosenthal : Chicago Bears. The defense has to get better, and the passing game should be among the league's best.

Adam Schein : Chicago Bears. The Bears defense is much better with Lamarr Houston and Jared Allen. The offense is loaded for Jay Cutler at the skill positions with Matt Forte and the best receiver combo in the game. Marc Trestman is a great coach.