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Bears beat the Falcons, 30-12!

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

From what I read this morning, the Bears just didn’t beat the Falcons. They were so good on defense that they gave Matt Ryan his worst regular season game of his NFL career. He’s one of the top QB’s in the game and the Bears defense just dismantled him. They were able to force three turnovers, sack Ryan five times and break up a few passes. The Defense had one of it’s best games I’ve seen in quite some time against one of the elite teams in the entire league. If they are able to keep this up throughout the season, it will be reminiscent of the 2005-2006 Chicago Bears. They were able to get pressure without blitzing and that’s the sign of a great defense in the making.

The offense was spot on throughout most of the game. Cutler looked fantastic. The only blemish was a tipped pass that turned into interception and a TD. He threw for 312 yards with two touchdowns and the fluke tip that turned into a interception. He was spot on and bounced back from the NFC Championship Game and shut up his critics. I do have a feeling that Trent Dilfer will still talk trash about the Bears and Cutler though.

Matt Forte and Kahlil Bell had a good day, even without scoring a rushing touchdown. Forte played extremely well for someone who wants a new contract, unlike Chris Johnson who stunk up the game after getting paid. Forte rushed for 68 yards, 4.3 average on yards per carry. He also had 90 yards in receiving as well. Mainly came off that monstrous screen that looked reminiscent of last years screen against the Detroit Lions in week one. He broke quite a few tackles in that screen that made me very confident that we’ll see more plays like that throughout the season. Bell proved himself to be a very valuable back up running back. Always fighting for yards whenever he got the ball. I’ll be very happy when Barber comes back though, not knocking on Bell. Just means the Bears run game will be even that deeper.

The wideouts and tight ends had a great game without Greg Olsen on the field. Don’t get me wrong, I miss Olsen but the Bears offense was still able to put up points without him. Kellen Davis had a good day, minus that one oops where he stopped running when Cutler threw him the ball. He has to be the single toughest tight end in the league though. At one point I thought I saw more than 5 guys try to bring down Davis and he still putting up a fight. I love seeing that strength and toughness in navy blue and orange. He was also very helpful in blocking too. Gabe Carimi was having some trouble blocking and they just stuck Davis in there and it helped out a lot. Matt Spaeth had a good game too! Recording his first touchdown in a Bears uniform. He ran all the way from one side of the end zone to other side to give the ball to what looked like a Matt Spaeth cheering section. From what I heard his mom was one of the ladies.

The wide receivers played extremely well compared to what they did last year. I saw a lot more focus on the rout running this game. Something they weren’t able to do very well last season. Cutler didn’t have one favorite target really. He spread the ball out fairly evenly. Don’t think we’ll find out a favorite go to guy until game four or five this season. After having one of the worst preseasons for a receiver, Roy Williams caught everything that was thrown to him and it caught me by surprise. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was caught off guard. Very glad he was able to contribute to the game. I saw a Dane Sanzenbacher on the field a few times. One was an awful play call where he was running the ball and other one was a catch for six yards.

On a side note, Adam Podlesh was fantastic in his first regular season outing with the Bears. Six punts with a 46.3 average. Something the Bears were lacking last year, no offense to Brad Maynard.

-GammaBears

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Bears vs Titans

Saturday, August 27th, 2011

Here’s hoping the Bears defense will wake up this week against the Titans. Even though Chris Johnson won’t be playing against the Bears today, they can still be a threat. Well anyone can be a threat on any given day of football really. That’s why the Bears can’t slip up on all phases of the game today.

What I’m hoping for today is solid play from the defense, a few sacks and at least one turnover. I really want to see them rebound from that beat down they received from the Giants passing and running game on Monday. If they are able to do that I will be very happy.
The offense played OK last week. They could of done a lot of things better like scoring in the red zone. Until they are able to solve that jigsaw puzzle, they will continue to lose out on scoring opportunities. The offensive line was okay as well. They certainly didn’t let the Giants defense give Cutler another concussion, so I call that a win. 
Roy Williams has earned a failing grade so far with Bear fans. I am really getting tired of seeing him drop easy passes. I read somewhere that he has the most drops than any active wide receiver in the NFL. It’s just amazing how the Bears signed him and without proving himself on the Bears offense, Mike Martz and company just gave him the number 1 receiver position. Last time I checked you were supposed to prove yourself to your teammates and coaches before you become the number 1 receiver like Johnny Knox did.

Not too worried about the run game really. They have been pretty awesome so far in my opinion. Specially since they added Marion Barber. He brings a ferocity to the Bears that they needed. I’m not really worried about the Quarterbacks either, this is one position they have pretty good depth at ever since Caleb Hanie almost upset the Packers in the NFC Championship game.

The Bears should win this game, just as long as everyone is clicking on all cylinders. Even if they lose, all I really care about is the health of the players. As long as they come out of this game healthy, then that’s a win in my book.

Inactives for the Bears
TE Kellen Davis (back)
LB Lance Briggs (knee)
DT Anthony Adams (knee)
DE Corey Wootton (knee)
RB Harvey Unga
WR Sam Hurd (ankle)

GammaBears

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My Chicago Bears Mock Draft

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

This is my (GammaBears) Bears Mock Draft for this year and I know most people won’t like it, but that’s okay. I’ll live =). Enjoy!

So with the 2010 season over, in comes the NFL Draft. After Jay Cutler was decimated by defenders due to a poor offensive line, I truly believe the only way to come out a victor in this draft is through big pro style offensive linemen. I think one of the key components missing from the Bears this year was a capable offensive line.Cutler was sacked a career high 52 times in the regular season. That was the most in the league as well. So with their first pick of the draft, the Bears will select an offensive lineman.

By the way, here’s a statement from the NFL for the Scheduling of the NFL Draft this year. “The NFL Draft returns to primetime in 2011, with the first round taking place Thurs., April 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the second and third rounds on Fri., April 29 at 6 p.m. ET. Rounds 4-7 will be held Sat., April 30 at 10 a.m. ET. Watch the entire draft live on NFL Network.”

First Round Draft Pick

Gabe Carimi
  • Tackle Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin Badgers)
    • 6-7 315lbs
    • Athletic pass blocker
    • Solid run blocker
    • A lot of upper body strength
    • Awards
      • Outland Trophy (2010)
      • Consensus All-American (2010)
      • Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (2010)
      • Consensus All-Big Ten (2010)

Other first round draft pick possibilities are Nate Solder, DeMarcus Love and Mike Pouncey. Either of them would be great choices. Pouncey would of been an easy choice if the Bears needed a guard rather than a tackle. If the Bears do pick Pouncey though, I wouldn’t be upset.
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Second Round Draft Pick
Drake Nevis
  • Defensive Tackle Drake Nevis (LSU)
    • 6-2 285lbs
    • Great initial burst off the ball
    • Classic 3-technique
    • Good tackling skills
    • Awards
      • First Team All-America Honors CBS Sports (2010)
      • Second-Team AP, Walter Camp, and Rivals.com All-America Honors (2010)
      • SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week x4 (2010)
    • Stats

Since the Bears no longer have Tommie Harris, they need someone to replace him. Drake Nevis is just that guy, but I wouldn’t expect him to start day one. The Bears do have plenty of depth at the DT position and I’m assuming there will be a rotation during the game.  Drake has the initial burst and strength to get through blockers and can be used as a pass rusher and run stuffer.

Third Round Draft Pick
Kristofer O’Dowd is in the red
  • Center Kristofer O’Dowd (USC Trojans)
    • 6-5 303lbs
    • Played 4 seasons at the center position
    • Great mobility
    • Able to take on top tier pass rushers
    • Awards
      • 2008 College Football News Second Team Sophomore All-American
      • 2008 First Team All-Pac 10
      • 2008 USC Offensive Lineman of the year

It’s time to find a successor for Olin Kreutz this year. I would be very happy if they were able to do that with Kristofer O’Dowd. He’s a solid Center has been for the Trojans for four years. It takes a lot of talent and skill to start as a center in college while being a freshman. The only thing to watch out for is an injury. He had some during the 2009 season. A shoulder injury and a slight knee injury. Nothing to be worried too much about in my opinion.

Fourth Round Draft Pick
LB Casey Matthews
  • Linebacker Casey Matthews (Oregon Ducks)
    • 6-1 232lbs
    • 2+ year starter
    • Intellegent linebacker, can read and react to plays
    • Excellent sideline to sideline speed and agility
    • Rarely misses tackles
    • Stats

I originally had wide receiver Austin Pettis as the fourth round draft pick, but it got me thinking. I think people want the Bears to draft receivers out of want instead of necessity.  Right now the Bears have capable wide receivers but just need some more time to develop. Someone needs to teach Knox how to go for the ball and proper rout running. Same goes with Devin Hester. You also have to look at the WR coach for some of the downfalls of the Bears wideouts as well.  Anyway, back onto why I chose a linebacker here. I think it’s time to chose a replacement for whenever Brian Urlacher does indeed retire. I know it won’t be for the next two years at least, but this will give Casey plenty of time to learn from one of the best in the game. I know Casey played in a 3-4 system in Oregon, but he’s certainly capable of playing in a 4-3. I know someone of you will definitely rag on me for this pick, but I think it’s a solid one.

Fifth Round Draft Pick
Free Safety Jermale Hines
  • Free Safety Jermale Hines (Ohio State)
    • 6-1 217lbs
    • 28 Career starts
    • Hard hitting safety
    • Great in coverage and run support, a lot of pass break ups/deflections
    • Has agility and speed to keep up with out routes, tight ends and slot receivers
    • Awards
      • 2010 First Team All Big-Ten
      • 2010 Jim Thorpe preseason watch list
    • Stats

I expect the Bears to cut Josh Bullocks this offseason for obvious reasons, no offense Josh. The Bears need depth at the Free Safety position and Jermale can do that. The Bears have looked at free safety Will Hill from Florida at the combine, who isn’t a bad choice either. I would rather them draft Hines, but that’s just my opinion.

Sixth Round Draft Pick
Offensive Guard Justin Boren
  • Offensive Guard Justin Boren (Michigan and Ohio State)
    • 6-3 320lbs
    • Excellent awareness
    • Great run support
    • Physical and nasty blocker
    • Able to knock the defender down a lot
    • Awards
      • 2007 All-Big Ten honorable mention
      • 2009 All Big Ten first-team (media) and second-team (coaches)
      • 2010 All Big Ten first team (media) and second-team (coaches)
      • 2010 College Football All-America Team (2nd team – AP, CBS, Rivals & Scout)
      • Source: Wikipedia – Justin Boren
    • Bowl Game Appearences
      • 2008 Capital One Bowl
      • 2010 Rose Bowl
      • 2011 Sugar Bowl

The Bears need depth at the offensive line and Justin Boren can just do that. This could be the steal of the draft in my opinion. He’s had a ton of experience at the collegiate level by playing for both Michigan and Ohio State. He could even be starting in a year or two for all we know. He’s definitely capable. Did I forget to mention that he’s a physical offensive lineman? Something the Bears have been lacking in my opinion.

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The Aftermath

Monday, January 24th, 2011

It was a tough game to watch from start to finish but the Bears were in the game all the way up until the end. Something a lot of people aren’t really noticing. They almost tied up the game with a third string quarterback! Onto another subject, everyone is calling Jay a wimp and a quitter. Including players all around the league. It’s utterly disgusting and I want it to stop. The dude was sacked 52 times throughout the season, suffered concussions and only missed one game. Then people started to burn Cutler jersey’s after the game. SHAME ON YOU! Bunch of band wagon fans, go root for the Packers. We don’t want you in our fan base. I hope they feel like crap when it was announced today that Jay had a MCL tear. I hope you regret ever burning that jersey and I hope you root for another team.

Anyways, I’m sure I’ll have another rant like that during this entry. I like to keep it a one rant per blog, but it might not happen, sorry. Time to break down the offense. They looked somewhat deflated after being pumped from demolishing the Seahawks. I do think they were a play away from tying the game. Cutler overthrew Devin Hester in the red zone and that stalled a drive. There were several plays like that, and you can’t win games when you over throw your receivers on key third downs. Cutler didn’t look comfortable at all and it was due in part to the knee injury he suffered sometime during the first half. One play that stands out in my mind when he broke a tackle running the ball for a first down. Classic Jay right there. I think Jay had a great year, I just wish that it didn’t end this way. It’s basically a scandal it the sports world because of all the haters are taking this injury and spinning it so that Jay is the bad guy. It really disgusts me.

Onto Todd Collins and Caleb Hanie. I know everyone is wondering why Collins was even in the game and the only reason I can come up with is experience. That’s the only thing that kept Hanie from being the #2 QB in my opinion. Even with the experience, I would of put Hanie above Collins. As we saw from yesterday, Hanie definitely has talent and could possibly be a great back up for Jay Cutler for years to come… or the Bears will trade him for a late round draft pick. Either way, I’m very proud of Caleb Hanie and I do hope they give him some type of extension. Don’t pay him starter money, but give him a little more than what back up makes.

Matt Forte and Chester Taylor had a pretty good game. Especially Matt Forte, he caught several passes and ran for 70 yards on 14 carriers. Unfortunately he didn’t have any touchdowns. I was really hoping that he’d break one and stroll into the end zone. I think Forte had a great year, it’s similar to his rookie season. Not as great, but it was close. I just wish he had a better start to the season, but that’s not completely his fault. The line was non existent and Martz was trying to find a rhythm to his offense. If he’s able to continue his dominant performance after the regular season’s bye week and the NFC title game, he will be at least a top 5 running back if there’s a line to block for him. I hope they give him an extension and pay him some big player money. I don’t know what the future holds for Chester Taylor. He did sign a four year contract so he’ll definitely be back next season, but it’s cloudy after that.  A lot of Bears fans I interact with think he should be cut because of his lack of yardage on the season. I say let the Bears get a real offensive line and lets see what happens after that.

The wide receivers had an okay day. I would of preferred to see them go after the ball more often. It probably didn’t help that they had three different quarterbacks. Matt Forte lead the team with ten catches. Seven more than Olsen and Bennett who had the second most for the game. If Jay Cutler was healthy and the line blocked for him, it definitely would been a better day for the receivers.

The line didn’t do it’s job in the first half, wish they could of blocked better for Jay. If they had, I’m positive that Jay wouldn’t have an injury right now and wouldn’t be called a wimp and other hateful words. They did do a good job in the second half in the run game and part of the passing game. I think there will be a lot of adjustments to the line during the offseason. I’m expecting the Bears to draft at least one offensive linemen.

Now onto the defense. I’m not going to sugar coat this, they started out flat and looked horrible in the first half. They ended up stopping the ‘great’ Aaron Rodgers and left it up for the Bears offense to win this game. At one point during the game, Joe Buck or Troy Aikman said that Aaron Rodgers was ‘Mr. January’ because of his performance in the playoffs. I thought that was hilarious because he ended up with a 55.4 qb rating, two interceptions and only one rushing touchdown. I really despise Aikman, Buck and Aaron Rodgers. I mainly dislike Aikman and Buck more. They are easily the most biased sports commentators in NFL history for crying out loud. I felt like my ears were bleeding throughout the game just listening to those two knuckleheads. Sorry for the rant, back to the defense. They really stopped the Packers passing game and running game in the second half, something they weren’t able to do in the first half. I was very impressed when they were able to stall the supposed hottest offense team in the playoffs.

Brian Urlacher had a great game, getting a sack, key interception and ten tackles. He was easily the MVP of the defense that game. He wasn’t the only linebacker who had a pick yesterday. Lance Briggs had a great interception off the foot of a packers receivers. I was very impressed with the play from both minus the Urlacher miss on a key third down. That was ugly.

I would like to say special teams didn’t play as well as I thought they were going to. Brad Maynard needs to be cut this offseason. Especially with that horrible, horrible, horrible punt of 24 yards. That was ugly and gave the packers great field position. I also wished that Devin ran one back to tie the game, it would of been sweet if he did that.

I know, this is a lot to read, but I want to write a few more things. I believe that Mike Martz made a stupid choice to give the ball to Earl Bennett on a hand off when the game is on the line. You need to give the ball to your best play maker on the offense, Matt Forte. Don’t do a trick play, save that for when your in the lead by a few touchdowns. Not when your trying to tie the game in the NFC Championship. Get your head out of your butt and start to call smart plays.

Anyway, I’m done. I hope you enjoyed my writings for this stellar season we had. I was hoping they would make it to the show, but we’ll get there soon. Go Bears and BearDown!

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NFC Championship Bears vs Packers

Friday, January 21st, 2011

I’m sure you heard from literally every sports fan, this will be the second time these two franchises play against each other in the post season. I’ve heard it like a billion times from the NFL Network, ESPN, and read it everywhere all over the internet. I am quite sick and tired of it, but that’s okay. It involves the Bears and I think it’s time to improve that record to 2-0 against the Packers in the postseason.

For the Bears offense to take control of this game, the line needs to block and Jay Cutler needs to make smart decisions. The wide receivers also need to play smart as well. If they don’t run the right route it will end badly. They also need to be extremely physical. Anyway, let’s start off with the offensive line. Ever since the bye week they have improved greatly. They’ve taken a few stumbles here and there, but for the most part they have been improving. You saw it a lot last Sunday against Seattle. It was a thing of beauty seeing the line giving so much time for Jay Cutler on numerous plays. They also opened up holes for Matt Forte and Chester Taylor. Something they’ll have to do again against the Packers. Last time they played them in week 17, Forte had 15 carries for 91 yards. If he’s able to do that plus get an extra 5 carries or so, he will have a field day against the Packers.  Now onto the wide outs. Everyone of those receivers need play their best football. It is key that they run the right routes and play physical. If they can’t do either of those things, then Cutler will have a long ugly day. Speaking of Jay, he needs to do a few things. Needs to stay focused, pressure free, make smart decisions and don’t let the Packers get to him. He needs to throw the ball away instead of taking a sack. Just chuck the ball out of bounds in the area of a eligible receiver. He also needs to throw the ball away if no one is open. It’s not worth the risk of throwing it in double or triple coverage, especially in the playoffs. If he’s able to stay away from bad decisions and sacks, he will have a great game.

Now it’s the defense’s turn. They played outstanding against Seattle last week and Green Bay in week 17. The score was a bit deceiving, they gave up a lot of garbage yards in the prevent defense. Not to mention Matt Forte threw an interception and a tip of the ball gave the Seahawks a touchdown. Other than that, it was a complete shut down of the Seahawks offense. The same offense that ripped the Saints apart. Unfortunately the Bears defense didn’t get a lot of credit because it was Seattle, but I swear if it went the other way we’d be hearing how that offense is one of the best in the league. That’s how it goes in the media, no respect for the Bears. I wonder if the Bears have a huge banner in their locker room that says “NO RESPECT!” Anyways, the key to this game on defense is forcing turnovers.They need to force fumbles and intercept Aaron Rodgers. Something the Bears are pretty good at. I”m really hoping they pick Rodgers off at least two times.

The only way that can happen is if they get pressure up front. Peppers, Harris, Idonije, Adams, Toeaina, Melton and Wootton need to get pressure from the start of the game and to the end. If they are able to pressure and contain Rodgers I have a great feeling that the Bears defensive backs and linebackers will be able cover Green Bay’s receivers if they are able to pressure Rodgers. Everyone on the defense needs to be on their game. They cannot give up the big plays. You saw what the Packers did to the Falcons last week. The Falcons defense gave up way too many big plays and now they’re out of the playoffs. It’s simple as that, but it necessarily won’t be an easy thing to stop. Another thing the Bears need to do is stop the Packers run game. Kuhn and Starks is a deadly combo. They can’t underestimate those two like the Eagles did. With that being said, the Bears need to pressure Aaron Rodgers, create turnovers, stop the run and don’t give up big plays. If they are able to do all of that, the Bears defense should dominate this game.

Special teams will play a big part in Sundays game. Field position is a key and I think the Bears will win that easily if the defense does their thing. I truly believe that Devin Hester will have a few chances to run one back and I think he will. This game has punt/kick return for a touchdown by Hester written all over it. Robbie Gould needs to be gold as usual and Brad Maynard needs to boot the ball. Can’t give the Packers good field position.

Alright folks here’s my prediction….

Final Score
BEARS 24
Packers 20

GammaBears

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Bears can clinch tonight

Monday, December 20th, 2010

The Bears will be playing tonight in a questionable location, trying to beat their old rival for a chance to clinch the division. It would be the first playoff appearance since the Bears Super Bowl run in 2006. They will have to be spot on and play complete mistake free football on all fronts.

When I went to bed last night, Joe Webb was slated to start for the Vikings. Now it looks like the old man that never seems to go away will have a shot at starting. Brett Favre was upgraded from out to questionable today and I think it’s total malarkey. That’s putting it lightly by the way. I truly think that if a player has been ruled out, the injured reserve rules apply for that week. I guess the NFL and the Vikings don’t think that way. If Favre does start, the Bears really need to bring their ‘A’ game because the old man would like nothing more than to wreck the Bears chances of seeing the post season. For the Bears defense to win this game they will need to contain Adrian Peterson, Joe Webb/Brett Favre. There’s really no footage on Joe Webb besides last week. So that could mean some trouble for the Bears defense, but he’s still a rookie.  I hope the Bears equipment manager brought plenty of shoes in case the Bears players start to slip, especially Tillman. I don’t know what’s wrong with his cleats, it seems like he slips in every game. He definitely can’t slip up against the Vikings offense or it will burn the Bears for yards and touchdowns.

The Bears offense really needs to play mistake free football. Jay Cutler really needs to play his best tonight. He basically just needs to play smart football. If you’re being pressured and no one is open, throw the ball away. A loss of down is better than an interception in the red zone. The line needs to help out Jay Cutler’s decision making by blocking the dangerous front four of the Vikings defense. They can’t allow a sack or any kind of pressure. If Cutler were to be sacked, I’m sure one of the Vikings players would love to put him out of the game by slamming him against the concrete like turf. The wide receivers also need to help out Jay by going after the ball and being aggressive. I’m tired of seeing the receiver giving up on plays and that leads to easy picks for the defense. It just can’t happen, especially in a game like tonight. Matt Forte and Chester Taylor need to hang onto the ball and fight for the extra yard. If all things go right on the offense, I don’t see why the Bears can’t win this game. I’m not going to lie though, I haven’t been this nervous about a game since the Super Bowl.

Bears win this one and clinch the division.

Final Score
Bears 21
Vikings 13

GammaBears

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Bears vs Patriots preview

Friday, December 10th, 2010

The are four games left in the season and each of them will be challenges for the Bears. Starting off with the Patriots, who just got done putting a shellacking on the Jets.Let me just say that this will probably be the most difficult game for the Bears this year. They will be challenged on all fronts.

For the Bears to win this game, they need to stop the Patriots passing game. It is easily one of the best in the league, and thankfully for the Bears, they have one of the best defenses in the league. The Bears need to pressure Brady all throughout the game. I don’t care how they do it, the front four has to bring their ‘A’ game if they want to beat the Patriots. The Bears defensive backs also have to be on their game, one slip up and Brady will throw the bomb for a touchdown every time. One player to watch out for is Danny Woodhead, he’s been tearing up defenses with his ability to elude tackles and his lightning speed. As long as the Bears defense doesn’t let up and give up the big plays like in Detroit, they should be able to stop Tom Brady and the Patriot’s explosive offense.

The Bears offense has been performing fairly well since the bye week. They haven’t committed many turnovers as they did before the bye. Jay Cutler has stepped up in a big way for the Bears. He has stopped making stupid mistakes that result in turnovers. It probably helps that Mike Martz finally realized the Bears don’t need to throw the long ball every down of the game. It’s an even balanced pass/run offense now. Something that is more suited to the Bears talents on offense. If the Bears plan to win this game, everyone and I do mean everyone on the offense needs to bring their ‘A’ game. They need to be perfect on all fronts to beat the Pats on Sunday.

I’m not predicting a blow out in this game, it will be a well fought game with lots of penalties. Both teams are looking to be the top dog in the NFL. I firmly believe the Bears will win this one and will earn the respect they deserve.

Final Score
Bears 28
Patriots 27

GammaBears

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Bears clip the Eagles

Monday, November 29th, 2010

This was probably the best game I’ve seen all year from the Bears. They were dominant in all phases of the game, except for Eagles last touchdown. How lucky can they get, plus it was just the prevent defense doing their thing. The offense played extremely well, minus Frank Omiyale and J’Marcus Webb for missing blocks. Omiyale has some serious explaining to do. He has been called for a penalty each week since Week 3 I believe. They did pick up their blocks later in the game, but they need to minimize their mistakes.

Jay Cutler looked amazing playing against a high ranked defense. He threw four touchdowns, and didn’t throw one single interception. He also had a sky high QB rating of 146.2! Cutler showed a lot of emotion on his sleeve last night, especially when he went to the referee and a Dick Butkus demonstration and received a personal foul penalty as a result. He had a reason to be angry, Forte was mugged and the refs decided not to throw a flag. They didn’t give the Bears much love throughout the game either so it didn’t surprise me that they didn’t call it. Plus it was a key third down that the refs fudged up on. So yeah, I’m okay for Jay Cutler being angry.

Cutler wasn’t the only one on offense who had a great game, all of the Bears wide receivers and tight ends had a great game. Earl Bennett had an outstanding game. He led the Bears with receptions and touchdowns and it was easily his best game I’ve seen him from all year. Matt Forte had a great day running the ball as well, especially that 61 yard run. It was amazing to see him find the hole, cut, and run for 61 yards. If he had gotten touchdown on that run it would of made it all the better. He ended up having 117 on the ground yesterday. Forte definitely helped out the passing game with his ability to grind the ball and get yards.

The defense played extremely well. They did great on all fronts, they made plays in the backfield and were able to contain Vick the whole game. Forcing him to pass the ball. He was extremely lucky on the touchdown pass to Celek at the end of the game. Other than that, the Bears defense played lights out. Here’s an awesome stat you don’t see often. All starting four defensive lineman had a sack. When was the last time that happened? I’m guessing around the time the Bears won the Super Bowl in ‘85. Tommie Harris finally showed up to a game, deflected a pass in the redzone which led to Chris ‘Hitman’ Harris intercepting the ball. This was the first time Vick has been intercepted all season and I swore there was a stat that said it was the first since 2006. Brian Urlacher had an outstanding game with 10 tackles and kept Vick in check throughout the whole game. If he was going to run straight up the middle he would of met a Bear that would of body slammed him into the ground. Another player that had an outstanding game was Julius Peppers. He had 4 tackles and a sack and made one helluva play when he ran down Vick to stop him from gaining at least 10 yards. I’m pretty sure he shut his critics up with that play. He also had a forced fumble in that game as well. Izzy had a great game as well, seemed like he was around the ball each time the Eagles ran it. So many players had a great game yesterday. It was a beautiful day in Bears football for sure. If there was anyone I missed please let me know.

Oh also, the Bears are now in first place after the Packers lost to the Atlanta Falcons. The Bears remaining schedule includes the Lions, Patriots, Jets, Vikings and Packers. They will all be challenging games, but I think they can pull out some more wins.

Bear Down!

GammaBears

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Bears vs Eagles prediction

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

This is probably be one of the toughest games the Bears will be playing this season. With a rejuvenated Micheal Vick at the helm for the Eagles, no team has been able to stop him as of late. I do think the Bears will be the first team to do that efficiently. Da Bears have one of the best defenses in the NFL right now and they are coming off a big game against the Dolphins. I know it was their third string quarterback, but to keep shut them out took a lot of skill. Another threat that will have the Bears neutralize is DeSean Jackson. He is a beast and the Bears need their best man covering him all game.

The Bears offense will struggle at times against the Eagles defense. They are no slouches on ‘D’ and they will bring their ‘A’ game.  The thing that worries me the most on offense right now is still the line. I don’t know if they will be able to keep the cornerbacks from blitzing and just demolishing Jay Cutler. Not to get off topic here, but at point during the season my dad said to me “If the Bears don’t get an offensive line for Jay Cutler, he would be found on Lower Wacker Drive.” I laughed and I laughed, but at the same time I knew it was true. That’s why I am really nervous about coming into this game. Another reason why I’m nervous is Jay Cutler throwing multiple interceptions. When he’s nervous, it’s like he loses all football smarts and doesn’t want to throw the ball away. Which is something he needs to work on every week until it’s natural for him.

Matt Forte and Chester Taylor will have to have a huge game on Sunday. The only way Jay Cutler will be able to throw the ball efficiently and hopefully mistake free is if they run the ball. Similar to the way the Bears were able to beat the Dolphins, they needed to run the ball to open up the passing game. If they are able to do that, then they will be able to tear up the Eagles defense and score points on long time consuming drives.

Keys to winning the game…
1. Defense needs to stop Vick, keep him in the pocket.
2. Neutralize DeSean Jackson.
3. Run the ball efficiently, open up the passing game.
4. Jay Cutler needs to play mistake free football.
5. Finally, the Bears offensive line needs to block.

If they are able to do all of that, the Bears should win this game…

Final Score
Bears 28
Eagles 24

GammaBears

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Bears earn 700th win and first shutout since 2006

Friday, November 19th, 2010

I wasn’t able to watch the game last night, but I’ll try my best to review the game from the highlights and from what I’ve read. The Bears earned their 700th regular season win last night, the first team to do that in NFL history. The Bears are also in first place, and hope to keep that lead when the Vikings take on the Packers this Sunday.

Jay Cutler had an okay game, didn’t throw any touchdowns and threw one interception. Sorry fantasy football owners. He didn’t make any mistakes besides that interception though. The last Thursday night game I personally witnessed was one of Jay Cutlers worst outings so I was pretty worried that it would be a repeat.

Matt Forte had a lot of yards on the ground last night and rushed for a touchdown. Was glad to hear that, he needed a rushing touchdown. Taylor also had a pretty solid game. I just wish the line was able to hold and create lanes more often for a one-two punch from Forte and Taylor. Speaking of the offensive line, they gave up three sacks last night. I also heard that J’Marcus Webb had a horrid outing last night and some folks wanted the Bears to bench him. He was called for three holding penalties and gave up a sack. To be fair, he was going up against one of AFC’s best pass rushers, Cameron Wake.

The receiving game was pretty solid, was really hoping Jay Cutler would of thrown a few touchdowns. Knox, Hester and Olsen led the Bears with receiving. The Bears offense went 10-18 on third downs, and I’m pretty sure the Bears receiving game was partly responsible for converting those third downs. I am very happy they are converting third downs. Four weeks ago they were pretty much the worse team converting third downs. They are improving that makes these wins all the better.

The defense was outstanding, stopping the Fins on third down. Holding them to 1-11 on third down was key to that win. They also broke their slump in sacking the quarterback. They sacked Tyler Thigpen six times and Julius Peppers caused half of that sack total. Israel Idonije, Brian Urlacher and Henry Melton was responsible for the other half. Let me tell you, Israel Idonije and Henry Melton are having career years and I’m very excited for both of them. Especially Israel, he has been a back up for pretty much his whole career till this year and he’s proving why he should of been starting. Israel has put up six sacks and two forced fumbles this year. He’s doing great and I hope he gets double digits in sacks. Henry Melton is also having a good year. So far he’s had two sacks and a forced fumble in the last two games. He hasn’t even started a game yet. The Bears have great depth on the defensive line this year.

The Bears also held Ronnie Brown and company to just 39 yards and Tyler Thigpen to just 187 yards passing. They have been on fire as of late and they need that when they go against Vick next week. I’m hoping the Bears can force a lot of key turnovers in the Eagles game. Speaking of turnovers, Charles Tillman registered his 25th career interception last night. Grats Peanut! Also congrats on shutting out the Fins in Miami, the firs time they were able to shut out an opponent since 2006.

GammaBears

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