IrishBearsFan

Fordham Parts with Head Coach Masella - Sports - The Ram - Fordham University at Rose Hill#.Tsgf21Y2VCk

2011-11-19T22:13:00.000Z

Fordham Parts with Head Coach Masella - Sports - The Ram - Fordham University at Rose Hill#.Tsgf21Y2VCk

Shamrock Series Helmet

2011-11-12T14:08:00.004Z

Still not quite sure if I like this, LOVE the shamrock on the helmet just not sure on the helmet patterning

Domers fall

2011-09-04T14:37:00.004+01:00

Just some ponderings after the game

That wasn't a lightning storm, that was the ghost of Knute Rockne showing his displeasure a stumbling bumbling Irish team that lost 23-20 to U.S.F & while doing so gave even more ammo to the Notre Dame haters.

For the first time ever a Notre dame game had to be held up by the weather, not just once but twice. Two hours & 53 minutes of delays led to a game starting at 8.30(Irish time) not finishing untill nearly 3am.

There was a lot of bad in this game some good & some ugly.

Notre Dame racked up 508 yards, 391 passing, Ciere Wood ran for 104 yads but the only stats that mattered in the end were -5 in turnover ration & only 2/4 in the redzone.

Tommy Rees threw for nearly 300 yards & 2 TD's with 1 interception that was clearly on TJ Jones. It's clear to me that Rees needs to be the starter the rest of the way. While Crist done nothing last season to lose the job the offense just seems to play better under Rees.

Malcolm Floyd is a BEAST. He set an Irish record in the game while making some great catches mongst his 12 for 154 & 2 TD game. Tyler Eifert also had a huge 2nd half.

The Irish D played pretty damned good only giving up 254 yards, while giving up no big plays (18 yards was the longest play from scrimmage)

Jonas Grays fumble after an excellent opening drive was a 14 point swing that the Irish never recovered from. TJ Jones needs to know that when your running a crossing route you have to look out for the ball it can come your way there should have been points on that drive & even a FG would have ended up making it a tied game.

Theo Riddick CAN be a big play guy but for the LOVE of God keep him away from punt returns. Maybe I missed some but it seemed to me that he muffed fumbled or bobbled every return. it was truly scary

Despite all this I'm really looking forward to next years Night game in the Big House & to make it better Gameday will be there

Wake Up The Echoes

Preseason Ponderings Giants game

2011-08-23T12:56:00.002+01:00

This was not a pretty game, special teams & D got owned but the D started substituting guys on the 2nd drive so I'm not worried too much. After a quick first watch heres some thoughts

OL BIG improvement form the first game. the Line only gave up 1 sack & that was down to Cutler who at this stage of his career should know to just throw the ball away on that play. Both starting tackles got called for false starts but Carimi more than held his own against the wily veteran Justin Tuck. He looked very good.

WR Looking through my notes, 3 times I wrote Roy Williams sucks & he wan't in that often. He looks like I feared the receiver form Dallas not the receiver from Matz' Detroit days. Hester caught a lovely pass down the sideline & then stepped out of bounds when he could have gotten another couple yards, YES it's pre-season but I've seen this too many times in the regular season. He then dropped a TD pass badly. Earl Bennett is the man enough said. We got our first look at Dane Zansenbacher &he needs to make better judgement calls going out of bounds instead of trying to get an extra couple yards. Drops were the name of the game here. Who's going to drop more balls this year? Roy Williams or Des Clark? Onrea Turner had some nice catches in garbage time.

RB Forte didn't do a whole lot on his 4 carries but made a nice one handed catch on a screen 7 made a beautiful cutback showing off nice speed to get 37 yards on it. Chester Taylor is done. I look to have been wrong on Marion Barber he ran hard again & showed soft hands in the receiving game. Khalil Bell done what he has done before, an impressive first game followed by meh.

LB Briggs didn't play, Urlacher only played a couple series & the rest were meh. UDFA Diciccio was at fault for the blocked punt & didn't do much on D. Iwuh had a great pass break up on the goal-line.

DL Peppers was awesome on the 1 series he was in for getting pressure on Manning

DB Too many missed tackles & too many bad angles. Major Wright got punked by Brandon Jacobs. tim Jennings continues to impress me with his tackling.

ST Strangely a very poor performance from the third phase. A blocked punt, though not Spencers fault, Podlesh punted better than game 1, If Knox is going to be returning punts he needs to learn to let balls inside the 10 go into the endzone. HATED seeing Bennett return punts, I think he's going to be too important on O though he did return it hard. The special teams, it must be noted, was poor last pre-season too as Toub is basically evaluating new guys.

Our 4th down & short yardage woes look to be continuing the game was a loss but at least there were no injuries unlike the Giants.

Enderle, Webb & injuries

2011-08-16T15:42:00.003+01:00

Nathan Enderle has been promoted to the number twos in camp to get more reps with Caleb Hanie being demoted. While most people look at this as the continuation of Martz' hate hate realtionship with Hanie I prefer to see it as getting the rookie some extra reps in a very complicated offense. Enderle done some very good things against the Bills on very limited reps. I'd be very surprised to see Enderle in the #2 spot once the regular season starts

J'Marcus Webb has come out & said he didn't match Shawn Merriman's intensity level in preseason game 1. Really? Maybe you should work on that. It definitely did not go down well with OL coach Mike Tice

After releasing a long sigh when asked about Webb's comments, Tice said, "I played for a long time, and I don't know that I've had that problem. I have a problem with that from a personal standpoint that a player is saying he didn't have the intensity level. I mean, (expletive), after sitting around for five months you should have plenty of intensity built up inside you. So I'm a little disappointed by that. I heard about that comment. He's got to understand that we put a world of weight on his shoulders. He needs to step up, play better, and he needs to grow up quickly because he's out on an island."

Corey Wootton is undergoing minor surgery today & while he's expected back for the season opener he could miss 4 weeks. Zachary Bowman was held out of practice but says he is good to go & didn't sufer a concussion

Preseason Ponderings

2011-08-14T17:26:00.004+01:00

Well the Bears won 10-3 in a scrappy penalty filled first pre-season game against the Bills. Some good some bad, pretty much what ya expect from a first exhibition game especially with such a short camp.

The OL was horrible. 9 sacks against a pretty poor Bills team. J'Marcus Webb was not good in his first action at LT with drug free Shawn Merriman simply pushing him aside. Garza was poor at C and Spencer should start seeing time there.

khalil Bell & Marion Barber had outstanding days. Barber had runs of 11, 15 & 11 & Bell led the team with 73 yards. Harvey Unga saw time in the 4th & ran hard. Taylors time could be over.

It was strange seeing big plays from a number 91 but Okoye had an impressive debut & Melton continued to impress. Wouldn't surprise meto see Melton starting week 1.
Corey Wootton got hurt on the opening kick-off & saw no further action in the game.

Rookie Kris Adams had an impressive game with 2 great catches & rookie S Michael Holmes had an int to top of a nice game.

Johnny Knox showed why he'll see time on KR this year blazing a 70 yard return while Earl Bennett had a 33 yard PR. The Bears are very stacked at returner

Sam Hurd caused a fumble on a kick return but it was nullified by a penalty.

Robbie Gould missed 2 field goals & the special teams unit as a whole had numerous penalties lets hope it's just a matter of gettiing used to new rules & a new holder.

Looking forward to the Giants game to see if the RB's can have another good game & the OL improves any.

Knox "Returns"

2011-08-06T15:49:00.004+01:00

With Danieal Manning now a Texan the Bears were inneed of someone to take the majority of the kick returns. Dave Toub says that man will be Johnny Knox. After a rookie season where he made the Pro-Bowl as a returner with a 29 yard average he only had 8 returns last season. After adding some weight to his frame I think this is a great move & added with Hester our return's should again be exciting.

Give me back the lockout

2011-07-29T21:01:00.003+01:00

Remember when it was announced that the lock-out was over? Remember the flurry of UDFA signings? Remember the excitement? Try, try harder, no me either. It's all gone so wrong in such a short period of time, though, there is time to turn it around still.

I am not happy with the way things are turning out, theres been a few positives but way more negatives. So lets go through the positives first

Adam Podlesh - The Bears signed the former Jaguars P to a 5 year deal. Maynards replacement had a career year last season averaging 43.8 yards per punt. Dropped 26 IN20 & had a long return of just 19 yards . At only 27 we could be set at the position for the next decade.

Anthony Adams - resigned a very very good move.

Draftees - All of them are signed.

Olsen trade - Now I know not everybody will see this as a positive but the guy has not played up to his size as a Bear. He has had some great days as a Bear but also some dire performances. Bottom line is a guy his size who can't block & gets outmuscled by smaller C.B's can be replaced & Kellen Davis is that guy a better blocker & can catch the ball too.

Manu-useless cut - ENough said.

Now the negatives

Up to now we've added no O-line help & in fact are dangerously close to getting worse on the line. If kreutz fails to return we have no replacement other than an UDFA ( A very good prospect but nonetheless an UDFA) Garza will have to move to C which means we have an awful L.T, a rookie R.T, a L.T playing G, a G playing C & who knows what at the other G spot.

Danieal Manning - again like Olsen a lot of people will disagree with me & see this as a positive. However this kid is an amazing athlete who just had his best season in the NFL when the Bears finally decided to leave him at one position. he has also been very very durable, I'm not sure I can say that about the rest of our safeties.

Roy Williams - I nearly puked when I saw this signing & it wasn't from yesterdays wedding drinks. This guy cost Dallas a fortune in picks & done nothing. He has led the NFL in drops the last 3 years & likes to celebrate first downs when his team are getting hammered. EPIC FAIL.

At first i disliked the Sam Hurd pick-up also but now I'm pretty neutral on it. A very good special teamer who will replace Rashied Davis. I liked Davis & KNEW he could fill in as a receiver if needed(see big game last year). Hurd is younger but does nothing on O.

Theres a long way till F.A is over but the 3 Stooges of Angelo, Smith & Martz(who has WAY too much say for my liking) better step up their game or we could be looking up at the other 3 teams in our division come the end of the year.

3 in a row

2011-06-19T21:53:00.002+01:00

How hard can it be? You win 1, then you win another 7 then a third. Yet the Cubs remain the only MLB team not to win 3 games on the trot.
But do they need to??

"Maybe we should just focus on taking two out of three, because if you do that all year, you've had a heck of a year, too," Cubs manager Mike Quade said. "Keep knocking at the door. Hopefully, you knock the darn thing down."

Yes you keep winning 2 of 3 & you can have a good season but somehow I doubt it will be a great season

Still a win tonight takes the series from the Yankees, I can live with that...... for now

Card of the week

2011-05-01T12:50:00.001+01:00

My 1st card of a 2011 Bears draftee

Welcome to Chicago

2011-05-01T10:01:00.003+01:00

Well thats the draft done for another year & with the lock-out back on for now there will be little to discuss NFL wise for a while. So how did we do? Well we started with a bang & ended a little more quietly

With the first rounder the Bears got the OL help they needed with Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi. I still can't believe he was available at the 29th pick. the Outland winner started 49 games at Wisconsin & looks like he can step in right away at either LT or RT.

Round 2 brought the DT that was needed to replace Tommie Harris. The Bears traded their 4th rounder to the Redskins to move up for Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea. The Pac-10 defensive MVP last season recorded 45 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss and six sacks & can play the 3 technique. Great run stuffer but doesn't add much to the pass rush.

Round 3 brought, wait for it, a FS. Yes another safety & for those counting thats 7 straight drafts where Angelo has took a safety. thats just ridiculous. California safety Chris Conte only spent 1 year as a FS after 3 years at CB & a LB in high school so the statement that he is a true FS seems a little strange to me. As a senior he had his best season & was named first-team All-Pac 10 . He had 1 interception last year & blocked a punt. Definitely DO NOT like this pick.

No 4th rounder & moving to the 5th where we still had plenty of needs withjust 2 remaining picks. The Bears decided to placate the MAD GENIUS with a QB. idaho's Nathan Enderle. I LOVE the player but this was without a doubt the wrong pick, with interior linemen & LB's still out there. Thankfully it should mean theres no chance of a Todd Collins type signing next season.

The 6th round ended our draft with a whimper,West Virginia linebacker J.T. Thomas, at best a special teamer.

So ends another season

2011-04-28T04:35:00.003+01:00

Well thats another team done for another year.

The Penguins have done well this season considering how long they played without Crosby & Melkin. Lost 1-0 tonight to the Lightning

A feast of football

2011-04-23T14:31:00.002+01:00

Navy will face Notre Dame in the newly constructed Aviva Stadium on Saturday 1st September 2012. The game will be a full NCAA regular season game and the outcome is expected to have a major effect on both teams National Championship prospects. Both teams have visited Dublin in the past, having played against each other in Croke Park, Dublin in November 1996. On that occasion, Notre Dame won 54-27

It will not, however, be the only football played in Dublin that weekend.

Div III team John Carroll will be making their 2nd visit to Ireland after previously playing the national team here. While Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame and Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton and Loyola Academy from Wilmette, Illinois, and Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, Texas will play their 2012 regular season opening game in Dublin, Ireland, on Friday, August 31.

101 Reasons to love Notre Dame Football

2011-04-23T14:05:00.003+01:00

Nice handy quick little book that arrived in the post this week

2011-04-22T14:45:00.001+01:00

Quarterback Caleb Hanie; running backs Garrett Wolfe and Kahlil Bell; wide receivers Devin Aromashodu and Rashied Davis; tight end Desmond Clark; center Olin Kreutz; defensive tackle Anthony Adams; outside linebackers Pisa Tinoisamoa and Nick Roach; cornerback Corey Graham; safeties Danieal Manning and Josh Bullocks; and punter Brad Maynard.

Caleb Hanie - Showed enough in the time he saw to show everyone except maybe Mike Martz that he is a more than capabe number 2. Needs to be brought back
Garrett Wolfe - Excellent special teamer but offers nothing to the team on offense. The staff has never shown the imagination to work out a way to use him properly. Wolfes time as a Bear is over.
Kahlil Bell - Could be brought back but is nothing special, just a guy
Devin Aromashodu - Ah the meatheads favourite. Another Mike Hass. Has the size needed & really should have been able to see the field but rarely did. Gone
Rashied Davis - Hopefully gets brought back excellent special teamer & showed he can still fill a need at receiver when he had a big game filling in for Earl Bennett.
Demond Clark - Has been a great servant of the Bears but spending more time inactive than not last season it look like he is no longer in the Bears plan.
Olin Kreutz - Not the player he once was but his replacement i not on the roster so look for him to be signed to a short term deal.
Anthony Adams - Needs to be brought back solid player
Pisa Tinoisamoa/Nick Roach - One of these will be brought back one won't. Hopefully Roach gets resigned.
Corey Graham - Special teams STUD. Hope we can bring him back but he gets no time on D & may want to try elsewhere.
Danieal Manning - Had his best season as a Bear once he was left in the one position however still does not make enough big plays. Would love him back but I think someone offers him more than the Bears are willing to give.
Josh Bullocks - UUGGHHH bye bye
Brad Maynard - Could be finally time to bring in a new punter that will actually challenge for the job. Richmond McGee or a rookie?

THE SHIRT

2011-04-16T17:12:00.002+01:00

2011's Shirt

Really like this might just get one depending on shipping

Wembley 2011

2011-04-14T03:57:00.001+01:00

Apparently it's gonna be BEARS v Bucs in London this year, assuming that the lock-out ends.

Card of the Month

2011-04-12T15:51:00.002+01:00

Incoming from my group break on Tradingcardcentral

NFL Lock-out

2011-04-12T15:48:00.002+01:00

UUGGHHHH the longer this lock-out goes on the less interested I'm becoming in football. Hopefully the draft can kick-start my interest. Find myself checking up on Notre Dame football more than I usuallydo & really looking forward to the college season. There will be some non Bears related posts up soon focusing on college ball(Notre Dame & Fordham) & maybe some Cubs news.

CAMP TIME

2010-08-02T21:33:00.004+01:00

Bears camp has started 7 now I can practically smell the start of the season

Early camp news

Unga, Iglesias, Chris Harris & Major Wright hurt. None serious

TE's seeing a lot of action.

Aromashodu looking the business.

Julius peppers put a huge move on Williams & would have levelled Cutler if allowed.

Issac Bruce is in camp helping out with the receivers.

2 Days to Camp

2010-07-28T13:56:00.003+01:00

The Bears have a glut of TE's , something needs to give

TE's

Olsen, Clark, Davis, Manumaleuna, Davis, Angulo

Des Clark has been the loyal workhorse & has done pretty well as a Bear

Olsen just hasn't put it together just yet despite being widely tipped last season to have a breakout year

Manumaleuna the free agent brought in as he fit's Martz's scheme

Angulo camp body

Martz tends not to use the TE a lot in the receiving gae prefering them to block. Manu was brought in especially for this & seems a cert for a roster spot. Clark is a better blocker than Olsen & adequate at catching the ball. Olsen is the better receiver but seems soft. As said Martz doesn't use the TE's a lot receiving but will he be intrigued in Olsens size & use him out wide? Davis is my favourite of the 5 & needs to see more time in my opinion

What should happen is we keep Manu, Davis & Clark & trade Olsen hoping to get something for him. What will most likely happen is we keep Olsen & it's bye bye Des.

3 Days to Camp

2010-07-27T14:53:00.002+01:00

The Bears kick-off training camp in 3 days finally some football action.

Some position battles of interest.

Hester, Knox,Bennett, Iglesias, Davies, Aromashodu

Hester is what he is a decent WR who'll never be a number 1 should line up in the slot really

Bennett came on well last season after a practically non existant 2008

Knox had a great season for a lower round pick & had more TD's than the above 2 combined. Says a lot about our coaching that he only saw the field due to an injury to Aromashodu.

Davies nothing more than a ST player now

Aromashodu had a great final 4 weeks of the season when he finally got to play. I'm still not convinced by him but willing to give him a shot.

Iglesias played in 1 game & caught no passes but is getting good off season reviews.

Under Martz we'll see more multi reeiver sets & personally I'd like to see Bennett, Aromashodu & Knox start. Hester back to return man & slot in 4 sets

Forte, Taylor, Bell, Wolfe, Unga

Forte & Taylor are guranteed a roster spot & will split carries

The battle for the final 1 maybe 2 spots will be an interesting one. Bell had 1 great run & played OK after that. Sems slow & doesn't offer much more than Forte.

Wolfe has never been used right in Chicago but maybe that will change under an OC that actually has a mind for the game. He's ST play gives him a boost

Unga cost us a 7th rounder next season and could line up at FB or see the PS

Omiyale, Beekman

the only thing I'll say on this is that Beekman has consistently outplayed Omiyale yet Omiyale keeps getting handed the job

My Fave Five Bears QB's

2010-07-21T17:05:00.002+01:00

This list is not a who's the best list just a list of Bears QB's I've liked since I started following the NFL

1 Jim McMahon - He stood up to coaches said what he thought, mooned the pess wore shades & wore a Bears jersey to the White House when the Packers won the Super Bowl. Whats not to like???

2 Erik Kramer - The first true legit QB we had since McMahon, set single season records.

3. Mike Tomczak - Yes he was only a servicable back-up but went on to have a lenghty career. He was the Bears 1st starting QB when I started following & he stuck with me.

4 Kyle Orton - The Neckbeard a true gritty leader in the McMahon mould.

5 Rex Grossman - Oh the Sex Cannon how we loved you. Showed so much only to show so little soon after. Such a pretty long ball. I'll always remember that Falcons game

My first mock ever

2010-07-21T16:19:00.003+01:00

While I have been playing fantasy football (averagely) for many years I've never actually done a mock draft so thought I'd give it a go

Was picking 4th & here's what I ended up with

1. Ray Rice (Bal - RB)
2. Miles Austin (Dal - WR)
3. Tom Brady (NE - QB)
4. C.J. Spiller (Buf - RB)
5. Visanthe Shiancoe (Min - TE)
6. Robert Meachem (NO - WR)
7. Justin Forsett (Sea - RB)
8. Golden Tate (Sea - WR)
9. Austin Collie (Ind - WR)
10. Lee Evans (Buf - WR)
11. LaDainian Tomlinson (NYJ - RB)
12. Jermaine Gresham (Cin - TE)
13. David Garrard (Jac - QB)
14. Robbie Gould (Chi - K)
15. Buffalo (Buf - DEF)

It's definitely a boom or bust draft methinks, Brady in 3rd round is great value Shiancoe & Meachem had 11 & 9 TD's respectively last year. LT is a risk pick but that OL who knows.Forsett WILL get the carries in Seattle over Jones in my opinion.
Would have taken Jahvid Best ahead of Spiller but he went 1 pick before me. I'd have Garcon over Collie but again gone one before me. I like Gerrard @ 13 & Gould @ 14.

Amazing how far LT has fallen, he was still being taken in the 1st of a lot of leagues last season & I got him in 11 & he may well have been there later

Camp arm added

2010-07-21T16:13:00.002+01:00

Bears sign ex Rutgers QB Mike Teel, a 6th round pick of Seattle in 2009. Spent last season as the number 3. Was cut & claimed by the Patriots then cut again after 3 weeks.

Is here to give Cutler a camp rest, no more

John Skelton NFL Draftee

2010-05-05T12:27:00.003+01:00

NFLE & HOF

2010-01-31T16:20:00.001Z

Kurt Warner retired. Will he be the 2nd NFLE Alunmni into the H.O.F??

Card of the Week

2010-01-31T13:00:00.001Z

R.I.P Gaines Adams we never really got to know you

Bears Off-season

2010-01-31T12:56:00.002Z

The pursuit of an Offensive co-ordinator continues. After what seems like 5,000 coaches turning down the Bears it looks like we may end up with Mike Martz who was mentioned at the start!! An awful Head Coach but what to make of him as an OC. Doesn't like to use the TE so Olsen, Clark & Davis may as well stay on the bench, likes to air it out so Cutler should be happy. I don't know if I like Martz but tell me who's left out there that has his pedigree???

Trent Green retires

2009-06-13T16:05:00.002+01:00

One of my favourite QB's ever. Drafted by San Diego he was cut by them , then didn't make it in the CFL(British Columbia cut him I think) & undrafted by any WLAF team in 92 after declaring for the draft. He had a breakout with Washington turning it into a FA contract with St Louis. His 1st pre-season he was lost for the season paving the way for Warner's fairy tale. Next up to KC where he was 1 of the consistently top QB's in the league. The end of his career was marred by concussions & like watching the later career of Chris Miller you just wished he'd retire for the sake of his health.

Finished his career with 28,475 yards 162 TD & 114 int's

Expect to see him on NFL Network shortly ;)

Paytons Son Gets Another Shot

2009-06-08T11:54:00.001+01:00

The son of legendary NFL rusher Walter Payton signed with the Toronto Argonauts on Sunday and participated with his new teammates in the first of two scheduled workouts as CFL teams officially opened training camp.Payton, 28, was the Montreal Alouettes' rushing leader in 2007 with 852 yards over 13 games while scoring eight touchdowns. But he missed most of training camp last year with an ankle injury and was replaced by Avon Cobourne.Montreal tried to trade Payton, but released him July 2, 2008 when a deal couldn't be worked out. Payton ended up sitting out the entire season but that didn't diminish his desire to continue playing.

Payton has no qualms about competing for a job."I didn't want anything handed to me," he said. "I just wanted an opportunity."When you have no job and you're at home, beggars can't be choosers. If this doesn't work out here, this might be my last go-around. I'll leave everything on this field. If it doesn't happen I know I can walk away saying I did everything I could for myself to help this team."

Payton isn't mounting a CFL comeback in order to get another opportunity south of the border. If he has a future in football, he says it will be in Canada playing a game he has come to love."This is the best football in the world and even if I had the opportunity to go back to the NFL ... no money would bring me back to the NFL," Payton said. "You have to be well rounded, up here you just can't be a running back. The field is so wide you have to be able to do so many different things. "You have to be able to pass block, you have to be able to catch balls, you have to be able to do everything. That's what my dad always taught me as a young kid when I watched him. To me, he wasn't the best runner, he was the best all-around football player that I've ever seen."Walter Payton was among the best players ever to suit up in the NFL. The former Chicago Bears star was the league leader in rushing yards (16,726) and all-purpose yards (21,803) before retiring after the '87 season. He died Nov. 1, 1999 of a rare liver disease at the age of 45.But Jarrett Payton says his father would've not only loved playing Canadian football, but excelled at it."He could do everything and I think up here, this would be my dad's league," he said. "If he didn't play in the NFL and played up here he would be a stud. "He could do it all."

Signings

2009-05-30T00:50:00.002+01:00

The Bears have been busy this week.

Seven of Chicago’s nine picks agreed to four-year contracts Friday with defensive end Henry Melton, cornerback D.J. Moore, wide receiver Johnny Knox, linebacker Marcus Freeman, safety Al Afalava, offensive lineman Lance Louis and wide receiver Derek Kinder all coming to terms.

14 players drafted this year have been signed by NFL teams, 50% by the Bears. I LOVE how quickly they get their draftees signed. The Bears had signed six picks a year ago at this time. Chicago was the first team in the league to have all of its draft choices signed in 2006 and among the first in 2007.

In other news defensive lineman Israel Idonije was signed to a two-year contract extension through the 2011 season. Terms were not disclosed. Idonije while never going to be a star, is a solid versatile player for the Bears he's going to play DE & is dropping weight which will also help him on special teams.

And still the Bears aren't done signing linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa to a 1 year contract.

JA has done an excellent job this off-season & it's not over yet

The End for Davis??

2009-05-13T17:56:00.002+01:00

Michael Gaines has signed a one-year deal, which gives the Bears five tight ends under contract: Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis, Fontel Mines, and Gaines. Gaines is apparently a better blocker than Davis. Mines can say goodbye but I hope this doesn't mean we loose Davis. He showed a lot of promise last pre-season as a receiving TE & I'd hate to loose him with Clark on the wrong side of 30.

The Good, The Bad & The Very Ugly

2009-04-30T13:38:00.001+01:00

Dan Hampton on a recent Hamp & Holmes Radio show said that in the thirty years since he was drafted the Bears have had 30 different starting quarterbacks. Well I've been following them for 20 years and in that time I've seen 22 different starters. They've tried undrafted free agents (Tomczak), high draft picks (McNown), low draft picks (Moreno), & trades (Mirer). All have come and gone without leaving the desired stability. In those 20 years there have been three seasons where one QB has started all 16 games, in nine seasons two QBs have started, seven of them saw three starters and one - the horrible '04 season - saw 4 QBs make starts. Now with the capital BOLD trade for Jay Cutler the Bears are hoping they've slammed that revolving door shut for the next decade or so. I first started following the Bears in 1989 just about the time the Bears were trading away their last 'franchise' QB, Jim McMahon. So for the '89 season UDFA ('85) Mike Tomczak was named the starter. He and Jim Harbaugh (1st rounder '87) would split time over the next two seasons. '89 saw the two of them lead the Bears to a 6-10 record, Tomczak threw 16 TDs and 16 interceptions as the defense was hit badly by injuries. 1990 saw Harbaugh win the starting job and he went on to start the first 14 games before getting knocked out for the season, Tomczak took over going 1-1 before leading the Bears over the Saints in the playoffs. The Bears would be thrashed in the next round by the Giants. Tomczak joined the Packers after the season asa Plan B free agent. In 1991 Harbaugh was the starter with Peter Tom Willis (3rd rounder '90) his backup. 1991 was a rarity for the Bears in that Harbaugh would go on to start every game. 1992 saw Harbaugh start 13 games as the Bears collapsed in Mike Ditka's last season. Peter Tom Willis saw two starts and things were so bad that rookie Will Furer (fourth rounder '92) started the last game against the Cowboys. Furer went 9/25 for 89 yards 3 interceptions and a 7.3 QB rating, and his NFL career was over. Dave Wannstedt was hired as the new coach & Harbaugh was signed to a record contract. The Bears got 15 starts out of Harbaugh with Willis starting the other game. Willis was so bad that the after Bears cut him, he ended up playing in the A.F.L. The end of the '93 season marked the end of a pretty consistent time for the position in Chicago. From '90 -'93 Harbaugh had started 58 out of 64 games & left as the Bears all-time leader in attempts and completions and second in yards.
One year after signing that big contract he was cut & signed with the Colts who he would lead to one game off a Super Bowl and. He was also named to a Pro Bowl in '95. 1994-1998 were the Erik Kramer years, a time filled with injury and ineptitude at the position. Kramer joined the Bears in '94 as a FA, the Bears also inked weak-armed Steve Walsh to be his backup. Kramer started out 1-2 before Walsh got the nod winning the next 3 games. He couldn't put up the numbers Kramer could however, and Kramer was re-inserted. It wasn't long before Walsh took over for good, and he would go on to win seven straight at one stage. The Bears barely made the play-offs, with Walsh leading them past the Vikings in an upset. The Bears were turfed out by the Niners one wee later, with Walsh being pulled for Kramer during the game.1995 saw Kramer start all 16 games for the only time in his Bears career (he was hurt in '94, '96 and '98). After the season Walsh left as a FA and 17-year vet Dave Krieg was brought in as insurance. That insurance policy was used after just 4 games as Kramer suffered from a herniated back. The off-season saw Wanny send a 1st rounder to Seattle for Rick Mirer (yes you can still hear Seahawks fans laughing at that one) as Kramer's status was uncertain. Kramer was named the starter and Mirer would only start three games, without throwing for any TDs. He was cut after the season. Kramer's contract was extended in '98 for two more seasons, however injury hit again and after eight starts he was gone for the year. Steve Stenstrom (waivers '95) started seven but the man Bill Walsh once compared to Joe Montanna was so bad that Moses Moreno (7th rounder '98) started a game.
All three were gone after the season as the Bears started afresh again. Shane Matthews (FA ), Cade McNown (1st rounder '99) & Jim Miller (FA '98) were the '99 starters and also the 2000 starters. In those 2 years Matthews started 12, McNown 15 & Miller 5. McNown self destructed and his petulance and arrogance nearly led to a mutiny before the final game of '00. He was cut after the 2000 season. In '01 Matthews started three games before Miller took over and led the Bears to the playoffs. He got hurt in the playoff game and Matthews was so ineffective that he wasn't brought back in '02. Miller signed a 5-year contract extension but in '02 started just 8 games before injury hit. Chris Chandler was by now the starter and started seven games before also getting hurt. Henry Burris, an ex-CFL QB, started the last game. He was pathetic and went straight back to Canada. Miller was also gone after the season. In his four years he lost time to injury and suspension. An interesting fact on Miller was that he lost his starting job in Pittsburgh to former Bear Mike Tomczak, and his starting job with the Frankfurt Galaxy to former Bear Paul Justin both after just one half of play. 2003 saw the arrival of Kordell Stewart (FA) and Rex Grossman (1st rounder '03). Stewart played poorly and started seven games. Chandler started six and the rookie Grossman got in for the last three games before being hurt in the finale.
The horrible '04 season was next. Grossman started three games before being lost for the season. Newly signed Jonathon Quinn started three while giving a poor impersonation of an NFL QB. Rookie Craig Krenzel (5th rounder '04) started five winning four behind some great D play. Chad Hutchinson (FA) started five. Following the season Quinn and Krenzel were cut with Grossman named the starter. It didn't last past the pre-season. Grossman was again lost for the season & Hutchinson was so bad that he was cut before the season started. The reins were left in the hands of Kyle Orton (4th rounder '05). The rookie started the next 15 games winning 10 starts behind some great D as the Bears made the play-offs. Grossman made one start and led the team in the play-offs. For '06 Grossman was again named the starter and for the only time in his career started all 16 games as the Bears went to the Super Bowl. His play dropped off badly in the second half off the season as "Good Rex, Bad Rex" was born. Big things were expected in '07 but sadly the revolving door was back. Grossman threw four TDs, seven INTs and had a QB rating of 67.1. New backup Brian Griese started six games going 3-3 but his play was hot and cold, while Orton started three games and did well enough to force a QB competition for the '08 season. Orton would start 15 games last season and before being injured was playing as well as anyone in the NFL. Grossman started one game. The Bears failed to make the play-offs and after the season Angelo said the QB position would be upgraded. Grossman remains a FA and will forever be known as the injury prone long ball loving QB who led the Bears to a Super Bowl. Before being traded to the Broncos Orton left the Bears with a career 75% winning record. Which brings us back to Cutler. The Bears gave up a steep price for the 25 year old QB, namely a 1st & a 3rd in '09, a 1st in 2010 and Orton, but the Bears got a Pro-Bowler, not to mention a 5th this year. There are still questions about Cutler but the Bears are convinced they've solved their QB problems. But Bears Fans: don't get too comfortable. With only UDFAs Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez on the roster that revolving door could start up again pretty quickly if anything happens to Cutler.

Bears Card of The Week

2009-01-18T10:48:00.000Z

The great Sayers. Very nice Multi colour patch I picked up in a trade

Some WR I like

2009-01-18T10:15:00.003Z

Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech,
Height: 6-3. Weight: 210. Projected 40 Time: 4.48.

THE receiver of the draft however there is unfortunately no way he falls to us.

Jeremy Macklin, Missouri,
Height: 6-1. Weight: 199.
Projected 40 Time: 4.33.

Had a great sophomore year, catching 95 balls for 1,221 yards and 12 touchdowns but is he the same player we have in Hester(only more polished) Along with Crabtree a 1st round lock.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland
Height: 6-2. Weight: 205.
Projected 40 Time: 4.33

Should be around when we pick had just 38 receptions, 553 yards and five touchdowns in 2008 but had a poor supporting cast

Greg Orton, Purdue
Height: 6-3. Weight: 200.
Projected 40 Time: 4.54.

Would be a nice day 2 pick had 69 receptions, 720 yards and five scores on a dissapointing Purdue team with inconsistent QB play.

Jaison Williams, Oregon
Height: 6-5. Weight: 240.
Projected 40 Time: 4.53.

At this stage could be gotten as a UDFA. Had a better 07 than 08 season, finishing with just 33 receptions, 421 yards and three scores. Was benched this season.

Marko Mitchell, Nevada

Height 6-3 Weight 210 lbs.

Had a poor east west game & was very inconsistent in practice. Had 61 for 1141 & 4 TD's last season, a kid I like late

Austin Collie, WR, BYU

Height 6-2 Weight 206lbs

After 3 years at BYU leaves as its career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Bit more mature than the other receivers after serving on a mission & will be 24, good size & soft hands. tied the NCAA record in 2008 with 11 consecutive games of 100 or more receiving yards. He was selected as a second-team AP All-American. A day 2 guy.

Nate Davis

2009-01-14T11:37:00.002Z

Kid has declared for the draft.

Heres his stats

2006 150 244 1975 61.5 8.09 81 18 8 13 147.25
2007 270 479 3667 56.4 7.66 77 30 6 26 138.84
2008 258 401 3591 64.3 8.96 61 26 8 14 156.97

Davis holds the Ball State career passing records for yards (9,233), touchdown passes (74), pass attempts (1,124), pass completions (678), 250-yard passing games (20) and 300-yard passing games (9) .

Irish Domiante in Hawaii

2009-01-11T20:43:00.002Z

A bit late , but hey I've only started the blog.

On Christmas Eve 2008 Santa came a little early to the Notre Dame faithful. His present records set & record runs ended. The irish beat Hawaii 49-21. The win was Notre Dames first bowl win in 15 years after an NCAA record 9 straight bowl losses. It didn't matter that it was a lower tier bowl or that the game was against an Hawaii team on a slight down year. What mattered was the way they won. Clausen set Notre Dame records for most passing yards( 406) & most TD's (5). WR Golden Tate had 6 catches for 177 yards & 3 TD's also ND records. Armando Allen ran back a KO 96 yards for his second TD of the game.

Clausen & Tate shared the MVP award.

Hopefully this will be a kick start to a more successful season next year.

New QB??

2009-01-10T22:28:00.001Z

Well Jerry Angelo has decided that the QB position needs strengthening but in all honesty theres not a lot out there

David Carr, New York Giants Behind our line? No thanks
Matt Cassel, New England Patriots Won't have the weapons he had in New England & no way we give up what it takes to get him.
Kerry Collins, Tennessee Titans I think he stays at the Titans
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Cincinnati Bengals Uggh
Charlie Frye, Seattle Seahawks Uggh again
Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Won't come unless he starts
Rex Grossman, Bears Ah rexy we loved ya once
Joey Harrington, New Orleans Saints How many chances will this guy get?
Byron Leftwich, Pittsburgh Steelers Imagine if we hadn't drafted Rex we could have had this guy, IMO he's best days are behind him
J.P. Losman, Buffalo Bills No better than what we have
Jamie Martin, San Francisco 49ers Career 3rd string , ex NFLE
Luke McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Still in the league?
Dan Orlovsky, Detroit Lions Sorry we play in the NFL not CFL
J.T. O'Sullivan, San Francisco 49ers I still like him(hey I'm a sadist) but not a starter
Patrick Ramsey, Denver Broncos Maybe
Chris Simms, Tennessee Titans No thanks
Brian St. Pierre, Arizona Cardinals Who?
Marques Tuaisosopo, Oakland Raiders Another Uggh
Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals Can't play in "Bear Weather"

Not a lot out there, though I think JA will be looking for a Ramsey/Losman type to come in & compete & take someone in the draft

Bears Card of the Week

2009-01-10T17:39:00.001Z

Bears Season MVP.

315 rushes for 1,231 yards at a 3.9 yard avg. with a long of 50 & 8 TD's.

64 catches for 484 yards at a 7.6 yard avg. with a long of 19 & 4 TD's