S Al Afalava
WR Freddie Barnes
LB Kevin Malast
CB Cornelius Brown
CB Woodny Turenne
S Quentin Scott
C Tim Walter
LB Kelvin Smith
LB Tim Shaw
DT Mick Williams
DE Barry Turner
OL Levi Horn
OL James Marten
WR Juaquin Iglesias
DT Jarron Gilbert
TE Richard Angulo
OL James Marten
FB Eddie Williams
WR Greg Mathews
S Aaron Webster
C Josh Beekman
QB Dan LeFevour

What do you think of the Bears cut list this year?

GammaBears

Lets start it off with the Left Cornerbacks. There are four players currently listed on the Bears depth chart at LCB. Zackary Bowman, Corey Graham, Joshua Moore and Woodny Turenne. The Bears listed Bowman as the starter and Graham as the back up. I would rather have Joshua Moore as the back up this year. He is having a wonderful camp this year, but I think the main reason why they don’t have him as the back up is the lack of experience in the NFL. Which I can understand, I have a feeling if Moore continues to develop he will be starting in the next year or two. Depending on how good Bowman plays that is. I haven’t forgot Woodny Turrene folks. He looked good in preseason last year in my opinion, but the Bears never kept him on the final roster. They did put him on the practice squad though. I just don’t think he will make the final roster again this year, but will be placed on the practice squad.

Time to go over the right side of the field. Charles Tillman is easily the starter and I have no problems with that. He’s been a force for the Bears since the Bears had drafted him in 2003. Since then, he’s had a total of 540 tackles, 22 interceptions (3 of which were returned for touchdowns), 22 forced fumbles (1 was returned for a touchdown), and 2 sacks. Last year had 2 interceptions (1 interception return for a touchdown), and 6 forced fumbles. Not bad for someone who is in his 8th year of his career. He did have one scary moment last season when he cracked some of ribs and bruised a lung when he collided with Craig Steltz, but I think he has recovered nicely since then. So in my opinion he rightfully deserves the start, but if you disagree let me know by replying to this blog post. All feedback is greatly appreciated. Unfortunately for the Bears, Tillman’s back ups don’t have a lot of experience besides Tim Jennings. He was with the Colts in 2006 and was cut in 2009. He doesn’t have that many turnovers and not a lot of tackles. He only has 4 career interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. Not something I would look for, but the Bears really have no other choice right now. The other two back ups are D.J. Moore and Cornelius Brown, and out of the two I’m sure the Bears will be keeping Moore and might place Brown on the practice squad or just cut him completely. Moore who’s in his second season didn’t do anything last year and this year might look the same. Just depends on how healthy Tillman and Jennings are throughout the season. I really hope Tillman stays healthy throughout the season. He’s a force to be reckoned with when he’s on a roll.

Now onto the Chicago Bears’ Safeties. The Safety position has been missing leadership and a hard hitting player since Mike Brown was cut. I’ve mentioned Brown a few times in this entry and for good reason. He was a monster out on the field, a true definition of a Chicago Bear. The only downside is that he played so rough he often hurt himself. Just the Bears luck he remained healthy after he was cut. I’m happy for that, don’t get me wrong. I want to see him succeed year after year and hope the Bears resign him. Mark my words, Mike Brown will be coaching one day, and I hope that he’s coaching for the Bears after he retires.

The starting Strong Safety of the Bears so far is Danieal Manning. I would much rather have Chris Harris playing Strong instead of Free Safety. Manning just doesn’t have what it takes to be the starter. He is best suited for back up work and now a full time punt/kick off return man. From what I recall, Chris played Strong while with the Carolina Panthers and excelled. So I would much rather have Harris as the starter instead of Manning. Since the Bears have Harris listed as the starter for Free Safety I would move up Major Wright to be the starter and have Al Afalava be the backup and Josh Bullocks cut. From what I’ve seen from Major Wright in the preseason he has the knack for the position. I know it was just one game, but from that one game he has shown he can handle it. That’s just my opinion. I know it won’t happen anytime soon, but I would very much like it to happen. Al Afalava showed some promise on the field last year but Major Wright is far better in my opinion. That’s why I would have Afalava play as the back up. Now with Chris Harris playing Strong in my scenario, I would have Craig Steltz as the back up. I know a lot of folks knock Steltz playing ability but he has shown he can play in the NFL, but at best he will be a back up so far.

The Bears have listed two other players as the back ups for Strong Safety. Quentin Scott and Aaron Webster will most likely be cut or put on the practice squad. I haven’t heard much from Aaron Webster, but I did have a conversation with someone who knew Quentin Scott’s secondary coach/d-coordinator. He said that Scott has a great shot to make the team and do well on special teams. So Quentin could very well be kept on the roster for special teams only. I can’t say for sure, but we’ll find out won’t we?

GammaBears

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I will be starting things off with the Left Defensive End position this entry. Alex Brown played the majority of the year and was cut this off season. I could go on and on about how it was a really really bad idea to cut Alex, but I’d rather not turn this entry into a Jerry Angelo bash fest. Anyways, there will be plenty of competition at the LDE position this year between Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije. They are competing for the starting job while Corey Wootton is pretty much slated for a back up role. I do think he will be playing some this year, but not a whole lot unless Mark or Izzy is injured. Now, Mark and Izzy didn’t get much playing time but did rack up a total of 5.5 sacks combined. Mark ended the season with 28 tackles combined and 3.5 sacks while Izzy only had 18 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

Mark Anderson only had one outstanding season and that his rookie season. He racked up 28 combined tackles and 12 sacks and four forced fumbles. Pretty much everyone thought he was going to be the next big thing for the Bears. He hasn’t reached that peak since then and that was in 2006. He didn’t even start that year either. So I really don’t know what happened to him. Israel Idonije on the other hand was never given a chance to shine in my opinion. Only thing folks know him for is his kindness off the football field and his ability to block field goals and passes. I do believe with his speed and jump off the ball he will be starting, but I think that Lovie Smith will rotate them throughout the game evenly. Which isn’t bad either and it gives both of them a chance to rest.

Now time to move onto the defensive tackles. Tommie Harris is starting without a doubt. It’s his year to lose the starting job if he plays that horrible. Over the past few years he has been a disappointment. With his injuries and not properly rehabbing them has put a damper on his career. He really needs to turn his career around this year.
The Bears signed a monster in Julius Peppers to help Tommie out. They should be able to create more pressure and sack the quarterback more often this season. I guess we’ll find out right? The Bears have Marcus Harrison and Henry Melton competing as the back up. They also have Marcus Harrison competing for the back up position for the Nose Tackle. I’m sure he will be lining up as a DT and as a NT throughout the season. Henry Melton will see some playing time, but not a whole lot. He went on injured reserve last season so I’m sure he is ready to go and play some football.

Now it’s the Nose Tackle’s turn. It’s a complete free for all for the starting job in my opinion, even though they have Anthony Adams listed as the starter. The players listed on the depth chart are Anthony Adams, Marcus Harrison, and Matt Toeaina. There is another player on the depth chart, Mick Williams. He will most likely end up being cut or put on the practice squad.

In 2009 Anthony Adams started only 8 games last year, registered 44 tackles and 2 sacks. It was another quiet year for him, but it was the most sacks he had since joining the Bears in 2007. Marcus Harrison had another quiet year, only registering 24 tackles and one sack. So it wasn’t the best year for nose tackles last season. The whole defensive line wasn’t playing that well except for Alex Brown. Why oh why Jerry? Both Anthony and Marcus play well, but they haven’t shown me a whole lot that they deserve to be the starter at nose tackle this year.
Now the fan favorite right now, Matt “The Big Toe” Toeaina is having a wonderful camp this year. He didn’t do anything last year and was pretty much pushed back in the line rotation. It was pretty crowded and hectic last year, but this year he’s having a terrific camp and it’s putting him in the spotlight. I really want him to be the starter or at least the first back up. I really wished they would of given him a chance for the job the last two years at least.

Another no brainer, Julius Peppers will be starting at Right Defensive End this season and hopefully for many more seasons. I also hope he will continue having 10+ sacks a year. If Julius doesn’t have at least 10, he will most likely be labeled as a bust of a free agency signing.

Now his back up Jarron Gilbert might actually be cut this season. That’s the rumor going around some of the sports blogs. He has a lot of athleticism and potential to be great in the NFL. He became a bit famous for his athleticism when he was recorded jumping out of a pool. He also was a phenom for San Jose State in his college playing days. in 2008 he had 52 tackles, 22 of them were for losses and 9.5 sacks. So the talent is there, but he just didn’t do much last year in NFL. Only racking up one tackle, which isn’t the best thing for a defensive end or any defensive player really. Me personally, I don’t think he will be cut this year. He only had one bad year and now he has some time to learn from a great player, Julius Peppers.

The other rumor/idea is that he will be converted to an offensive lineman. It’s something that has been done before, and it’s not a bad idea. If they were to convert Jarron, he would need to bulk up and I do mean bulk up. He weighs under 300 pounds at the moment according to the Bears website. If they do move him, I think he would fit perfectly at right tackle to back up Frank Omiyale and J’Marcus Webb. I would love to see someone other than Frank Omiyale at Right Tackle. He needs to be replaced, but that’s just my opinion. What do you think?

There are two others listed under Right Defensive End, Barry Turner and Maurice Evans. Out of those two, I think the Bears will keep Barry Turner. He was quite a force at Nebraska. His career stats include, 115 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. If Ndamukong Suh didn’t play at Nebraska, I’m sure Barry would of received more media and national attention. Unfortunately for Maurice Evans, he’s been bounced from one team to another. He’s been with 5 different teams including the Bears. That should do it for the Bears defensive line this year. Sorry that it took so long to write this entry Bears fans. Next entry will be about the Bears DB’s.

GammaBears

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With Brian Urlacher having a year to rest up and heal, he will have a dominate year that will rival his rookie year. I think we will see a new Brian out there this season. A faster and stronger one that will create lots and I do mean lots of havoc. It definitely hurt not having him throughout the year on defense, but I think it was for the best. He basically added another year to his career by sitting out the entire year. So mark my words, a great year for the monster in the middle.

Lance Briggs is on a roll, he has been voted to the last five Pro-Bowls and has been selected 3 times to the All-Pro team. He has been an unstoppable force for the past decade and teams have no real answer to stop him from pile driving ball carriers. Last season he racked up 118 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception. With Urlacher back on ‘D’ this year, his numbers might go down a little, but not much.

There will be competition at the Strong Linebacker position between Pisa Tinoisamoa and Nick Roach this year. I firmly believe that Pisa will be starting this year. Nothing against Nick Roach, he’s a great player and has plenty of experience but Pisa has more. Only reason why Pisa keeps riding the pine is because of injuries. If he hadn’t been injured last year it would of been a good season for him. He’s a ferocious linebacker who seems to be around the football most of the time. I do believe that Nick Roach is a very good back up and will most likely start next season. That’s just my opinion.

Brian Urlacher’s backup Hunter Hillenmeyer went down with a foot injury during the preseason game against the Chargers. I hope it’s nothing serious because believe it or not he’s a very good backup. Which is why the Bears have kept him all these years. His football IQ is amazing, but the only thing keeping him back is his size and strength. I do believe if he was built like Urlacher or Briggs he would be starting for another team.

This will be my last blog post for a while, going on vacation in a few days. So always remember. Bear Down! Oh and watch out for Tim Shaw this season. He’s going to tear it up out there . I don’t think he’ll start but he will be one of the best special teams players the Bears will have this year.

GammaBears

The Chicago Bears offensive line did end on a high note. They protected Jay Cutler against the Vikings like pros. Especially Chris Williams, who in my opinion will be the future of the offensive line. He blocked Jared Allen like he was some high school punk with a bad attitude. He looked like a five year veteran out there and I hope he continues that. The rest of the offensive line is… well. In my opinion needs to be upgraded. I know that Kreutz is not too far from retiring. I wouldn’t be surprised if he retired after this season. I really wish they had won that Super Bowl in 2006, so then he would be voted into the Hall of Fame faster. Same goes with Brian Urlacher, but don’t want to get off topic. Olin Kreutz’s back up Josh Beekman would do a fine job. I believe he has proven himself he can do the job. Especially with all the mentoring he is getting from Olin Kreutz. Hopefully he will pass on that, I’m going to punch you in the face type of blocking attitude. Need that kind of attitude in the trenches. I do believe it’s time to say goodbye to Roberto Garza and Frank Omiyale. Especially to Frank, he was horrible and I do mean horrible last year. When the Bears picked him up, I thought to myself “Oh hey, the Bears are upgrading their offensive line. Cool!”. I was very wrong unfortunately. The only back up on the Bears roster for Frank would be J’Marcus Webb. Who is an unproven rookie unfortunately. I don’t know much about Lance Louis except he had a run in with the law when he pleaded guilty to assault when he beat up his former teammate at SDSU.

That was the first string of the offensive line, the second string has two proven back ups (Shaffer and Beekman) and three unproven players. Johan Asiata who is slated at LG. He hasn’t played in any NFL games, but has been on the roster since 2009 on the practice squad. I do have a feeling he might replace Garza if he continues to commit stupid penalties. Here’s a fun fact, Johan didn’t allow a sack in his senior year at UNLV. The second unproven player is James Marten, who is slated as Lance Louis’ back up. He hasn’t played many games in the NFL unfortunately, so I don’t know much about him. Wish there was more info available about him out there. Lastly there is the lone offensive lineman in the 2010 Bears draft class, J’Marcus Webb. He was taken in the seventh round and doesn’t really have a good chance to be starting come opening day of the season. If he has learned enough and improved enough to replace Frank, they will start him immediately in my opinion.

I hope the Bears line holds up this year, they really need to Cutler some time to pass the ball and give some running room for Forte and Taylor. No one could of run the ball efficiently last year, except maybe Walter Payton.

GammaBears

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The only thing that worries me about Greg Olsen is his blocking ability, which is why the Bears picked up Brandon Manumaleuna. That and he played for Mike Martz with the Rams. From what I’ve read and heard about Brandon, he’s a very good blocking tight end and not so much a receiving one. I think with the Bears new offensive line coach Mike Tice, who is primarily known for his great offensive line coaching. He will teach Greg Olsen how to block instead of looking like a fish out there. That’s what really hampered Olsen last year. I remember the San Fran game, mainly because I was there front row behind the Bears bench and the fact we lost that game. Anyway, every time they were going to run the ball, they took out Greg Olsen. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what was going on and the Niners knew for sure. I think Tice will be able to teach Olsen and make him an all around great Tight End for years to come.

I don’t know much about Richard Angulo, except he’s been in the league since 2003 and has hopped from team to team. Mainly staying on the practice squad or as a reserve player. He did play from 2007-2008 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and recorded one touchdown. Oh, he was also coached by Tice while playing on the Vikings and Jags. He was also was on the Bears roster in 2006, but didn’t play in any games.

Kellen Davis was drafted by the Bears in the fifth round in 2008 and hasn’t had a lot of success but there hasn’t been much of an opportunity to do so.  I Believe he is mainly used in goal line situations because of his height and his blocking skills.  I don’t know what kind of year this will be for him. With Dez Clark and Greg Olsen taking most of the snaps this year, it could be a very quiet season for him, Manu Manu and Angulo as well.

GammaBears

I didn’t forget about the rest of the RB crew. The Bears have recently acquired Harvey Unga from the supplemental draft. They only gave up a seventh round draft pick for him, which isn’t too bad. Unga was slated to go in the second to fourth round in the regular draft. So I think it was a win for both sides. I think he will help out in short yard situations, and the same goes for Kahlil Bell. Who was most known for breaking that huge gain last year. I don’t think they will be getting a lot of carries this year, mainly because the Bears have a stellar duo in Forte and Taylor. You are probably thinking, what about Garrett Wolfe and Brandon Minor? Well, I think they will put Minor on the practice squad and Wolfe will be a special teams player mainly. He just didn’t pan out in the Turner offense and I don’t think he will in Martz’s playbook either. It also doesn’t help the Bears didn’t really block all that well for him either.

How do you feel about the depth of the Bears current RB Corps?

Gammabears

I truly think that the Bears have a real shot this year. We all know what Jay Cutler is capable of, and he won’t throw that many interceptions this year. With his receivers having a year under their belt and the help of Martz, he will cut down on turnovers. One thing I’m not totally sold on is the offensive line, but I am sold on Chris Williams. The way he performed late last year was amazing, and I’ll never forget the Bears and Vikings MNF game either. He blocked like a 5 year veteran out there.

The Bears defense was greatly upgraded this year as well. With the acquisition of Julius Peppers and Safety Chris Harris will help out the Bears greatly. I just wish they would of kept Alex Brown, but that’s another story for another day. They also drafted a very respectable safety and defensive end. There will be a lot of speed on the defense this year, and that will help create turnovers.

So yeah, this could be the year… or not. I truly believe it is. What do you think?

GammaBears

Larry Mayer went onto say, “I would definitely concur with those reports. It was very evident in minicamp and OTAs that Matt Forte was running with the same speed, quickness and burst that he displayed during his breakout rookie season in 2008. Sometimes when he’s running, especially on a pass route, it appears that he’s gliding. I felt he lost a little bit of that last year, most likely because he was dealing with some leg injuries. I think that Forte will have a very productive season in Mike Martz’s offense, particularly given his ability to catch the ball. He has the top two most prolific seasons in terms of receptions by a Bears running back in franchise history with 63 in 2008 and 57 last year.”

I don’t know about you, but I was very happy to read that. I know that Forte was injured throughout last year and he was probably worn out as well. With hopefully a new offensive line coach, a new offensive coordinator and a running back to share carries with he will set a new career high.

-GammaBears