Rafer Madness

Bears Thursday practice

The Bears were not in a talkative mood today at Halas Hall. With two days until their night in Nashville, they were still singing the blues about their beatdown by the G-Men.

It started with the defensive captains not speaking at the podium like they normally do at 1130. And then it was a virtually barren locker room for our availabiliy after. We only spoke to Major Wright who gave very clipped answers and Marcus Harrison who emphasized the game was a setback for the defense. Wright downplayed his missed tackle on Brandon Jacobs and said he watched the film and it was just a "bad angle".

Them it was time for practice. Afterwards we threw ourselves at Julius Peppers who reluctantly stopped and looked like he was passing a kidney stone while we asked about the defense's performance Monday. When asked what the Bears needed to improve on he said "everything. We have to get better" but added he wasn't concerned about his line not getting to the quarterback.

Special teams coach Dave Toub said every mistake by his unit was made by a rookie. I have to back and watch the tape to see if that's true. I didnt realize the Bears had so many. Toub said he hates the new kickoff rule but will continue to have his returners take the ball out of the endzone to see what he has. He also expressed no concern about his unit come regular season since he'll have more veterans playing then.

Lovie Smith was stern in his assessment of the team's performance. He said red zone inefficiency and special teams were his biggest concern. I asked him if Marion Barber had supplanted Chester Taylor as the #2 RB yet and he got a little annoyed. "Marion is a back on our team who will continue to get his reps".

Our belief in the media is that the team is trying to beef up Taylor's trade value because the team wants to get something for him. Unlike Taylor, Kahlil Bell can play special teams making Taylor the odd man out and they don't want to cut him. His contract is fat but teams like Detroit, Miami or Arizona might be interested.

Then there was the normally soft-spoken Rod Marinelli getting short with a print reporter and cutting his question off. He too emphasized the team needed to get better but said he wasn't concerned about the lack of a pass rush which seems incredulous but he's the coach. He wasn't cantankerous the whole interview. Just one time.

What everyone should remember is that the Bears didn't win a single preseason game last year and wound up in the NFC title game. But there weren't the expectations around this team last year like there is now-expectations brought on by the team's depth at so many positions. They should look better out there. As Lovie Smith says in preseason the score doesn't matter. Individual play does. But except for a few individuals most of these Bears haven't gotten a passing grade.

Hopefully we'll remember the Titans game and forget this last one.

Tale of the trenches could decide Bears fate

 

The Bears first preseason game is in the books and although it's early, here are some snap judgments we can conclude from it.

Their handling of the offensive line has been offensive. The Bears' 9 sacks given up to a mediocre Bills defense shows it's still the team's biggest weakness. I'm not saying the signing of Olin Kreutz would have solved everything. But it would have allowed Roberto Garza to stay at his natural position and not looked lost when Shawne Merriman stunted up the middle. The Bears deserve credit for their successes but they're showing a familiar stubbornness like last year when they refused to accept their receiving corps lacked the depth and a true "number one".

The unit that would benefit the most from an open competition named its starters a week before the first preseason game. Ultimately Chris Spencer should be getting first-team reps at center, move Garza back to guard and let Lance Louis and Chris Williams battle it out for the other guard spot. Also, J'Marcus Webb is not a left tackle. He's a right tackle. I understand not wanting to use a rookie to protect Jay Cutler's blind side but Gabe Carimi looks like the real deal and has much more upside. If you're not going to accept reality and see this unit doesn't have the talent in the right places and sign another veteran at least let Carimi develop. But after watching what Buffalo did I shudder to think what Clay Matthews, Jared Allen and Ndamukong Suh will do once the season begins.

The defense will be even better this year than last. Hard to imagine the Bears D could be better but it will. The depth at D-line should have Rod Marinelli laughing like a leprechaun. Amobi Akoye showed that his failures in Houston truly may have been systemic. In a 4-3, three technique system he looks like he'll thrive and end up being a steal. Matt Toeaina and Henry Melton showed good bursts and ability to get into the backfield and Stephen Paea will get reps too. Defensive end is loaded as well especially if Vernon Gholston can realize he better perform here or his career in the NFL is over. Chris Harris should have a pro bowl year. The corners are good but Charles Tillman is not quite as good as he thinks he is. Fortunately outside of Calvin Johnson there aren't a lot of top-notch receivers in the division that Tillman shouldn't be able to handle.

 

Matt Forte's contract could be a ticking time bomb. The Bears have a bad history of overpaying for players (Brandon Manumaleuna) and playing hard ball with players they shouldn't (Olin Kreutz). Forte's numbers should earn him more than Maurice Jones-Drew's 5-year, $30.9 million dollar deal with $17.5 in guaranteed money but the Bears probably won't give it to him. That will leave Forte with a tough decision: does he play through his current deal with one year left at $500K knowing he's outperformed it and risk a career ending injury or fight fire with fire? If Forte sits out it will hurt his chances of landing a bigger contract in the off-season but he ensures he'll at least get paid next year. Here's hoping the Bears do the right thing and lock Forte up for the foreseeable future. By coming to camp in better shape than last year Forte showed he's dedicated and his numbers speak for itself. He's a perfect fit for Mike Martz system and could have Marshal Faulk-like numbers when his career is over.

 

There' something different about Jay Cutler. And that's a good thing. Cutler could have held on to the criticism he garnered last year but by coming in to camp in better shape than last year he's showing he's not letting it affect him (at least not externally). He seems focused on bringing a championship to the city that derided him and questioned his toughness. He may not be a nice guy. He doesn't have to be. Just win and be a good teammate and don't act like a jerk with the media. It's one game but after that and a few weeks of camp it appears he's gotten the message. Now if only the Bears could get him a line to protect him.

 

Carlos Zambrano will ultimately be what gets Jim Hendry fired. It's not the Bears but it needs to be discussed. Prior to the latest Zambrano episode, most believed that Tom Ricketts would have kept Jim Hendry on as GM. But Zambrano's paycheck will be the straw the sends Hendry out the door. Next year Z is due to make $18 million. That's over $346,000 per week. The Cubs are reportedly trying to negotiate a buyout. But if he wouldn't do the right thing by his team by simply not leaving in Atlanta why would anyone think he'd do the right thing like Gil Meche and accept anything less than what he's due? Ricketts will end up having to pay out the full amount to keep Z away from the team. After that, he won't be able to look Hendry in the face anymore and should send him out with him.

The Sackman's HOF induction is a dream come true and well-deserved.

Memo to Michael Jordan: That’s how you do a Hall of Fame induction speech.

Granted Richard Dent’s soliloquy may have dragged on a bit but how can you wrap up a 15-year career in 6-8 minutes? The "Sackman" helped us live the dream of hoisting a Super Bowl Trophy in the Windy City where it belongs. Whether it was his sack and forced a fumble that Wilbur Marshall returned for a TD in the NFC Championship game in ’85 or his 4 ½ sacks against the Raiders, twice, or his Super Bowl MVP performance against the Patriots, the number of memories are as numerous as his stats.

But Dent’s story is special because it goes way beyond the numbers. His success is proof that it takes a village. If not for the unselfishness of his high school football coach who personally took him to Tennessee State or his college coach who put him on defense and gave him a chance even if he was undersized or the Chicago Bears who bought him new dental work so he could put on weight, Dent wouldn’t be here today.

And to his credit, he knows it.

In this reporter’s opinion, by virtue of posting the greatest NFL season in history (they would have beaten the Dolphins for the perfect record if Jim McMahon had played that game) every member of the ’85 Bears should be in the Hall of Fame. But for now, we’ll laud Sweetness, Samarai Mike, Ditka, Hampton and now the Sackman. Just like it took a village to get Dent to where he was it took that whole team to achieve that greatness and memories that will last a lifetime.

And with Dent’s bust on display at George Halas Drive in Canton we can be sure of it.

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