Falcons – 21

Bears – 14

This loss hurts.  In what may prove to be such a crucial game in the season, the Bears went out and really displayed they are not true contenders this year.  The score certainly looks close as the Bears were in striking distance the entire game, but the team simply made too many mistakes to win tonight.  Most of these mistakes would be unacceptable at the high school level.

How does Orlando Pace, a possible future Hall of Famer, not know the snap count on the most crucial play of the game?  On 4th and 1 late in the 4th quarter with the ball deep in Atlanta territory,  Orlando Pace lunged forward prior to the snap for a crucial false start penalty.  This pushed the Bears back 5 yards and the next play attempt was a failed pass to Desmond Clark.  That penalty was unacceptable.

Other unacceptable penalties included having 12 men on the punt return team.  That 5 yard penalty gave the falcons a first down after the Bears made a good defensive stand.  Penalties like that ruin games for teams and in actuality make a team look more like the Rams than playoff contenders.

Cutler played well enough to keep the Bears in the game through the passing game.  He was picked off twice in the first half, once in the redzone, but finished the game with 2 touchdowns and only those 2 picks.  His poise and playmaking ability on the late 4th quarter drives really kept the Bears alive tonight.  He did all this with almost no offensive line play.

Behind this offensive line, this Bears team is not going anywhere.  Cutler has no time to throw the ball, Forte has no room to run, and did I mention the crucial false start?  Simply put, you can’t be a serious contender with an offensive line this bad, especially with Frank Omiyale starting at left guard.  Omiyale is possibly the worst left guard to ever take a field at any level of football.  He might as well just line up on the sidelines and save himself the wear and tear on his body.  He is absolutely awful out there.  Only the Bears would take some no-name scrub and pay him starting money, which is probably why he is still out there as a starter.  Angelo and company are too stubborn to admit they were wrong about this poor excuse for a guard.

The Bears need to be able to run the ball successfully in order to win games this year and this line can’t get the job done for Forte.  When Forte did have the ball, he couldn’t hold on to it.  Forte had 2 crucial consecutive fumbles on the goal line.  Unfortunately the second fumble was recovered by Atlanta, and the Bears surrendered at least 3 points.  In his post game interview, Forte took accountability and said “It’s my job to hold onto the ball and I didn’t do it.”  It is good to hear that he is willing to own up to his mistakes tonight.

Defensively, this was a mediocre effort.  The defense stopped the run well, Nathan Vasher and Daniel Manning each had interceptions, but other than that the defense put on a poor show.  They recorded no sacks and rarely had any decent pressure on Matt Ryan.

Nick Roach, again filling in at middle linebacker, was out of place on a touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Tony Gonzalez.  As Jim Wascher so perfectly explained it, “Roach had one job, to cover the deep middle.  What does he do?  He goes to the flat.”  Roach has done better than most expected thus far this season filling in at MLB, but this was a horrible time to fall out of position.  It seems as if Lance Briggs was the only player to actually show up tonight.  No surprise there.

The Bears tonight just made too many mistakes.  Superbowl contenders don’t make these mistakes in such high volume during a crucial game that could have playoff implications.  With the Vikings and Saints continuing to roll, the Bears might be fighting for a wild card spot along with the Falcons, who now have the head to head advantage.

Next week the Bears go on the road again to face a tough Cincinnati team.  This game will be a good indication of whether or not the Bears are ready to play real football and not look like a pop warner team instead.

Packers – 21

Bears – 16

With so much anticipation and excitement surrounding the Bears season opener, could there be a more pathetic way to start off?  From the start Jay Cutler and the Bears offense looked rattled.  Cutler couldn’t pass, the line couldn’t block, and Forte had no room to run.  Meanwhile, the Bears defense looked excellent as they kept the team in the game the entire night.  The good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of the game are discussed here.

The Good:

Defense: The Bears defense played very well tonight due to the play of the D-Line.  Aaron Rodgers was pressured early and often as the Bears recorded multiple sacks including a safety for the team’s first points of the season.  Ogunleye was consistently creating pressure while recording 2 sacks and hitting Rodgers numerous times.

Robbie Gould: For lack of other good aspects tonight, Robbie Gould gets the nod here.  He was perfect on two attempts, both of which gave the Bears the lead.  It’s always to see Robbie drilling kicks with perfect accuracy each and every week.

The Bad:

O-Line Blocking: Matt Forte could not find a hint of daylight tonight and Cutler faced pressure all night long.  Omiyale looked awful tonight as him and Orlando Pace were eaten alive all night on the left side.  The offensive line looked horrible tonight and must improve if the Bears are too be successful.

Jay Cutler/Receivers: The Bad Jay was clearly present in the first half tonight, throwing 3 horrendous interceptions.  2 could be credited to miss-communication and receiver error, but nevertheless they were bad throws.  Jay needs to learn when to eat the ball and not make the risky throw.  With these inexperienced receivers, risky throws are not going to have a happy ending very often.  Cutler seemed to settle down in the second half when he hooked up with Devin Hester for a 36 yard touchdown pass.  However, he quickly threw an interception on the first play of an attempted game winning drive to finish with 4 picks on the night.

Nathan Vasher: Vasher blew the coverage late in the game as Aaron Rodgers hit a wide open Greg Jennings for a game winning score.  Nathan Vasher needs to be benched. Also, he is officially stripped of the nickname, “the Interceptor.”  The old Vasher is gone and he isn’t coming back.  When your starting corner back stumbles on his most crucial coverage of the game, you know it is time to take him out.  What is the harm in putting in Zakary Bowman or Corey Graham?  They could not possibly be any worse than Vasher.

The Ugly:

Ron Turner Play Calling: Turner relied heavily on the pass early tonight as he failed to utilize the running game early.  Having a big arm quarterback does not mean the team needs to abandon the run.  Running the ball helps win games and in tonight’s case, might have resulted in less picks for Cutler.

Partick Mannelly: If long-snappers made the Hall of Fame, Mannelly would have been a certain first ballot entrant.  Until now.  Tonight he made possibly the most bonehead play any Bears fans have ever seen, and that says a lot.  With the Bears in their own territory on a 4th and long, Mannelly tried to take advantage of the Packers having 12 men on the field by quickly snapping the ball to the personal protector, Garrett Wolfe.  That 12th man had left the field prior to the snap and Wolfe ran for a handful of yards before being tackled.  Then, challenge happy Lovie Smith made his second bad challenge of the night and contested that the Packers had 12 men on the field.  The play stood as called and the Packers took over, leaving Bears fans everywhere scratching their heads and shouting obscenities.

Nathan Vasher: Vasher is both bad and ugly out there on the field.  It is as simple as that.

The Injury Bug: The Bears suffered some bad injuries tonight.  Pisa Tinoisamoa left the game early with a knee sprain and Urlacher soon followed with a dislocated wrist.  Desmond Clark went down as well later in the game but he said after the game he should be fine.  Trumaine McBride also went down with a knee sprain.  The key here are starting linebackers Urlacher and Tinoisamoa.  Comcast SportsNet just reported Tinoisamoa is suffering from a similar injury to Greg Olsen last year where he missed about 3 weeks.  Hopefully that is the worst it is for Tinoisamoa.  Regarding Urlacher, he needs to do whatever it takes to be out there next week.  However, early reports indicate he may need surgery.  This is obviously bad news and a big blow to the Bears defense if true.

With the exception of good defensive play, this was a really ugly game for the Bears.  This makes one wonder what the Bears were doing all preseason long.  So many of these mistakes tonight should have been worked out weeks ago.  Receiver/QB miss-communication is unacceptable when they have 4 exhibition games and all of training camp to work this out.

The Bears need a quick bounce back win next week, but unfortunately they take on the Superbowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Bears have the home field this time and the Steelers will be without the elite Troy Polamalu, but this is still a very difficult game for the Bears.  The Steelers are a good team where ever they play and they have enough talent on defense without their star safety to still cause problems for the Bears.

There is no need to panic just yet, but there are big improvements to be made for next week and for the remainder of the season if the Bears want to be competitive.

Bears – 27

Broncos – 17

Rarely do preseason games pack this much emotion and intensity into a match up.  But, after one team trades away their franchise QB to another team, an exhibition match up between the two is certain to include a little something special.  Also, rarely do crowds boo so hard and loudly that the cameras shake during the game.  This was clearly the case as Jay Cutler took the field as the Bears squared off against Kyle Orton and the Denver Broncos.

The Good:

Jay Cutler: There is no way Jay was able to ignore those boos early in the game as he got off to a shaky start.  However, he quickly rebounded and was able to lead the offense to 17 points.  He connected on 15 of 21 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown.  The highlight of the night for Jay was late in the second quarter when he led the offense on a 98 yard touchdown drive that ended with a TD pass to Matt Forte.  He was poised and determined throughout the entire drive as the offense marched almost effortlessly down the field.  The only downside of the drive was that Jay under-threw an open Devin Aromashodu for a sure touchdown.  Although the completion would have been nice, it did not hurt the offense as they continued to roll down the field.

Greg Olsen: Olsen is ready for a monster year.  Tonight he brought in 3 catches for 47 yards as Cutler looked to him often.  The best part about Olsen is his reliable hands.  He has the ability to make any catch and secure that ball before he cuts upfield with his great speed.  Bears fans should look forward to seeing this connection often throughout the 2009 season as Greg Olsen makes a run for the Pro Bowl.

The Defense: The Bears starting D put up another great performance while holding Denver to only a field goal in the first half.  Orton was able to complete some underneath throws but the Bears were able to limit those yards as well as the rushing yards.  This resulted in 5 punts and 1 field goal on the Broncos first half possessions.  If the Bears D can play like this in the regular season this team will be hard to beat.

The Bad

Orlando Pace: Pace has openly admitted that he struggles blocking against small defensive ends.  This was clearly evident tonight as he was consistently beat by the 5′11″ Elvis Dumervil.  Hopefully this handicap doesn’t hurt Pace too much in 2008 as he should have the experience and skill to adjust and protect the QB better than he did tonight.  Although Denver did not record any sacks, Cutler was under some great pressure from that left side early in the game.

Trumaine McBride: After tonight’s performance, McBride should not be allowed on the field while the Bears are on defense.  On 3 different occasions he missed big tackles as he dove at the ballcarriers and completely missed.  He is a liability as a tackler and lucky for the Bears defense is pretty far down on the depth chart.

The results of the game were not much of a surprise.  Cutler clearly proved what he and the offense are capable of last week and the defense has been excellent all preseason long.  With this great combination of a scoring offense and excellent defense the Bears will be seeing lots of wins in the 2009 season.

The big day is finally right around the corner.  Tomorrow, July 31, the Bears report for their first practice of the long anticipated training camp.  With training camp come numerous questions that surround the Bears team this year.  Here are a few things to look out for this training camp:

1. Jay Cutler. This one is a no brainer.  Every single Bears fan has been itching to see him in full practice.  We know he can play ball, but is he going to be able to lead this offense to a playoff caliber?  Even with the lack of receivers, he still has some weapons in Matt Forte and Greg Olsen.   Cutler and Olsen have already developed a good relationship, and hopefully that continues onto the field.  If so, we could see Greg playing in the pro bowl this year.  The other question, will Cutler be able to get a lot out of the Bears inexperienced receivers?  A good quarterback can get good production out of mediocre receivers and the Bears are going to need that for success.  Devin Hester should be in for a decent year but more important is to also get production from the 2 and 3 receivers.  If Cutler can get these young guys going, us fans are in for a treat this season.
2. Defensive Line. A key to the Bears defensive success is the defensive line.  Last season, there were countless third and longs that were converted simply because the Bears could not produce a good pass rush.  This off-season they have brought in Rod Marinelli to coach the D-line.  The success on defense starts with the line and hopefully Marinelli can get them moving in the right direction.  Tommie Harris is another important factor.  If healthy, he can be an absolute monster.  The problem is at time he doesn’t seem to be giving a full effort.  This season, he needs to get down to business and cause havoc in those trenches so our LBs and secondary can have it a bit easier.  Similarly, the ends need to be more of a dominant force.  Alex Brown led the team with 6 sacks last season and Ogunleye totaled 5.  Both of them need to be getting to the quarterback more to take pressure off the rest of the defense.
3. Brian Urlacher. How is Brian Urlacher going to perform this season?  It has been reported that he is close to the best shape of his career, but how much of that is simply a product of the “Bears PR Machine?”  Regardless, Urlacher needs to perform at a high level this season and the defense performance highly depends on it.  If Urlacher can get back to pro bowl form and the defensive line improves, this defense will be tough to beat.
4. Secondary. With Tillman already expected to miss some training camp action at the least, the Bears secondary is even weaker than previously advertised.  Nathan Vasher needs to stay healthy and get back to his old ballhawk form, otherwise it is time to place him on the bench and let some of the younger players get some time.  The safety position is where I feel the Bears are weakest.  Kevin Payne is serviceable, but he needs to learn to wrap up a ball carrier and not go for the knockout hit each time.  Daniel Manning is slated to start training camp at free safety.  He has great athletic ability, but that does not make up for his lack of skill and instincts at the safety position.  They also plan to move him to the nickel position and move Steltz to free safety on passing downs.  I like Steltz but have too many memories of him getting run over by running backs, both last season and at LSU.  If he is going to be in on passing downs, he needs to display good instincts and a nose for the ball otherwise teams will pick him apart.  Last season the Bears ranked 30th in pass yards allowed.  If that doesn’t improve they will be in for a very long season.
5. Offensive Line. With the addition of Orlando Pace, the Bears definitely improved the line this year.  If he can stay healthy and Chris Williams succeeds on the other side, this line should be more than enough to open holes for Forte and protect Cutler.  Josh Beekman will battle Frank Omiyale for the left guard spot.  Who is the answer here?  Beekman started all 16 games last season but he really needs to step up his game or he risks losing his job.  The left guard options are not ideal, but the rest of the line should be solid enough to hold up and do its job well overall.

Of course there are other areas to focus on in training camp, but those previous 5 are worth keeping an eye on as well.

Also, keep an eye on the potential rift between Urlacher and Cutler.  Matt Williams at Blog Chicago Sports thinks that it is no big deal if the two stars hate each other.  Personally, I disagree and feel that they need to get along in order to bring success to the team.  Matt says as long as the Bears can win, who cares if they don’t play nice.  Very true.  But, I don’t think winning will come easily if the two are at odds with each other.  They need to get their act together and do what is best for the team.  Get along, play hard, and win.  It is a team effort out there after all.

The NFC North division is wide open right now, and it really does seem like the Bears have the best chance at winning it.  They have the quarterback, the running game, and a defense that plays good enough to win ball games.  No other team in the division has all of those key areas figured out.  The Packers will be lucky to play any good defense this year with the switch to the 3-4 and the Vikings QB situation is reminiscent of the Bears in years past.

Good luck to the Bears in camp.  Let’s hope the injury bug stays away so we can hit the ground running with all our starters on the field.  Bear down!