Posts Tagged ‘Jay Cutler’

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Bears defeat the Jets in a shootout

Monday, December 27th, 2010

That was one helluva game yesterday. Don’t think I’ve seen a shootout like that in a while. Both defenses had their problems, thankfully the Bears defense made some half time adjustments. Same goes for the offense. I think this season the Bears have made some of the best half time adjustments I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t heard, the Bears and Packers game time has been changed to 3:15 CST kick off time. I’m assuming it’s because it would reel in more viewers and more money. Plus it could be the rival game of the decade, the Bears have a chance to keep the Packers out of the playoffs. Lovie Smith said he already decided to start everyone no matter what… So hopefully it should be a great game in the Bears favor. Anyway, onto the breakdown of the Jets game.

The Bears offense struggled some, but not a lot in the second half. When the third quarter started, someone turned on a switch and it became a shootout. Not something anyone was expecting to happen, especially me. Jay Cutlers only really had two bad plays I can think of right now. One was the pick six and the other was when he decided to hold onto the ball and get sacked. He didn’t do that again in the game and I’m pretty sure Martz chewed him out for holding onto the ball instead of throwing it away. Jay Cutler had four touchdowns on the day though, three passing and one rushing. Don’t think I’ve ever seen him spot on with the ball that way before, and he is now 21-0 when he has a QB rating of over 100. I will give credit to the receivers for not dropping any passes and going for the ball. Johnny Knox had a great day, hauling in two key touchdowns. Hester also had a receiving touchdown as well. It was very comforting that the Bears receivers were able to do whatever they wanted against the Jets vaunted defensive backs. Matt Forte had a great day receiving and running the ball. From what I remember, he became the first running back this season to break the 100 yard mark on the ground against the Jets this season. It was great seeing him run for that touchdown with the help of the offensive line and Greg Olsen. Speaking of the offensive line, they played great out there, besides the few penalties here and there. I was impressed with the way they played against one of the top defenses in the league. Easily their best game of the season in my opinion

The Defense struggled a lot throughout the game. The Jets unfortunately got into a rhythm and just drove down the field like they were a tank. Thankfully they were able to make some halftime adjustments and put a stop to the Jets offense. They were still able to run the ball efficiently through three quarters. They weren’t really able to stop the Jets passing game, up until Chris Harris intercepted Sanchez that sealed the game. I think the Jets took a note from the Patriots and the way they exploited the Bears defense. I just hope that Lovie and company really adjust the way they are playing now. Everyone the Bears are going to face in the playoffs will be looking at the Patriots game and the Jets game for ways to exploit the Bears defense. Even though they were giving up a lot of first downs, they did stop them eventually. If they hadn’t of made some adjustments and had some luck gone their way, this would be a totally different blog entry.

The Special Teams had a great day against the Jets. They were giving the Bears offense great field position the whole game thanks to the threat of Devin Hester. I wish they kicked to him all day, but the few times they did kick to Hester, he almost ran it back for a touchdown. I really hope the Packers didn’t learn their lesson when they kicked to him last time. Robbie Gould had a rare miss that could of affected the outcome of the game in the Jets favor, thankfully it didn’t and the good guys won. I don’t expect it to really affect him much and he will continue to be the same accurate kicker that we all know and cheer for. Brad Maynard had a good game, and had some luck when the ball hit the Jets defender on the last punt of the game. If that didn’t happen I think things would be a lot different right now… Anyway, great win. Bear Down!

GammaBears

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Bears clinch and Devin Hester breaks the record

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

If you were to tell me that the Bears would be the division champs right after the fourth preseason game ended, I would of called you a liar. I think the only people who knew the Bears would be in this position right now would be the players themselves. It was an amazing win that will love forever in our minds as the day the Bears won the division, possibly ended Favre’s career and Devin Hester breaking the return record. Lovie Smith, Rod Marinelli, and Mike Martz all coached very well. I was happy to see some adjustments during the game and the way it worked out. Now time to break down the offense, defense and special teams.

The offense struggled sometimes, but overall I’m very happy with the result of the game. Jay Cutler looked pretty solid minus that interception he threw after they called back a touchdown to Devin Aromashodu. Totally bad call by the refs, even the MNF crew was baffled with the call.  The line played extremely well, only gave up one sack and created some holes for Matt Forte to run through. Taylor ran the ball a few times, mostly for a couple of yards but no big runs. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, he’s a good running back. He could just be out of gas unfortunately. Rashied Davis caught his first touchdown in two years and it completely surprised the heck out of me. I had to double take to see who caught that ball. Knox had a great, no wait, AMAZING touchdown catch and run. I thought it was going to be picked off the way the ball dipped. Knox just snagged it and ran it back and surprised everyone in that stadium. Devin Hester not only had a punt return for a touchdown, but a receiving touchdown as well. He was all over the place last night. Greg Olsen had a few key catches as well. Was a good game for the Bears receivers last night.

The Defense scared me after they gave up an easy touchdown when the Vikings went up 7-0. After they settled down and started getting to Brett Favre and created pressure which led to interceptions. It was a beautiful day for the defense as soon as Henry Melton tipped a pass that resulted in a pick by Peppers. I figured it was over when Corey Wootton slammed Brett to the ground for his first sack of his career. Go figure, it was a Bears rookie who took out Favre in his last game against the Bears. Everyone on defense played their best last night and I couldn’t be happier about their performance. I didn’t see Peanut slip at all last night, even on that icy surface. He made a great pick that pretty much took the life out of the Vikings and the same goes to Chris ‘Hitman’ Harris. The Bears defense were swarming around the ball last night and it showed. There was one play that there were 10 Bears players around the ball. Something I like to see, never give up on a play because you think three guys are going to stop one player.

The Special teams played phenomenal last night. DEVIN HESTER IS RIDICULOUS!!! The Windy City Flyer broke the return record in epic proportions. He broke it on MNF against a division rival, and a game that resulted in clinching the division. It was his time to shine and he did it on a national level again. I was yelling and screaming watching him break that first wave. My heart stopped when I saw the flag and was very relieved when it was against the Vikings. So happy for him and the Bears special teams to be involved with making history. So congratulations to the Bears special teams for breaking a NFL record.

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 win five in a row!

Monday, December 6th, 2010

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the game due to scheduling conflicts. So my prediction was completely off, but to my defense I thought the team that kicked the snot out of the Eagles would show up. After seeing replays and listening to interviews it seems that the Bears defense gave up two huge plays before the second half. They missed tackles and just didn’t do what they are capable of doing.

From what I saw, the Bears offense was pretty solid. Jay had a touchdown pass, and no interceptions. Which is a huge win for him if he plays mistake free football. Something that we have been looking for some time. Earl Bennett had a great game. He had 5 third down conversions from what I heard and he had a career day as well. He had some huge plays when he broke off tackles like a certain running back. Chester Taylor and Matt Forte had a good day running the ball. Both had touchdowns and anytime both the number one and two running backs have touchdowns, it’s a good day.

Devin Hester almost ran one back, but he was taken down by the punter. If Craig Steltz had picked up the punter with a good block he would of just strolled into the end zone. Oh, I almost forgot. Lovie Smith showed a lot of emotion during half time from what I heard. I would love to hear what he said and if he put in a few curse words. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him angry on the sidelines or in a interview but whatever he did sure helped. They held the Lions to under 50 yards in the second half I believe. Half times adjustments are always a key in winning a game. I’m just glad they were able to do it and not lose to the Detroit Lions.

GammaBears

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Bears vs Lions prediction

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

This game has trap written all over it, and I really hope the Bears just dominate all four quarters. If the Bears were to lose it would be the worst one this season I think. I know the Washing and Seattle game was pretty bad, but if they were to lose tomorrow it would be horrible.

For the Bears to win this game, the defense will have to completely dominate. I mean get into Drew Stanton’s face every time he drops back to pass the ball. If you haven’t heard, he’s replacing Shaun Hill, who is out with a broken finger. So that means the Bears will be facing a third string quarterback and this wouldn’t of happened if Julius Peppers didn’t destroy Stafford in the first game of the year. I’m sure they are still angry about it too. If they are able to keep Stanton and the running game in check they will most likely win this game.

Jay Cutler needs to be spot on as well,but for that to happen the Bears need to establish the run game early like they did against the Eagles last week. Forte usually has pretty big days against Detroit and if that trend continues it will be a good day for the Bears offense. The only thing that worries me is that they will feel too over confident and end up blowing the game by stupid decisions. Jay just needs to remember to throw the ball away and don’t force anything.

Final Score
Bears 31
Lions 13

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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Bears vs Dolphins prediction

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

This game will not easily be won, both teams are very good. Miami has a great running game and when their quarterbacks are healthy they are solid passing the ball. They also have a great defense that creates lots of turnovers and sacks. It will be a game of inches, but in the end the Bears will win.

After last weeks game against the Vikings, I am very confident the Bears offense will able to survive the Dolphins pass rush. The line was able to hold the Vikings dreaded front four to just one sack and created lots of time for Jay Cutler to throw the ball. If they are able to do that again they should be able to just drive down the field like it was practice.

The Bears need to establish a run game first though like they were able to do against the Vikings. Miami is ranked 16th in run defense, giving up 110 yards per game. If Forte and Taylor constantly gain yards this game should be in the bag in my opinion.

The Bears defense is one of the best in the NFL without question. They will most likely be facing a third string quarterback with legit wide receivers. Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess are beasts when they have a healthy quarterback. I would still watch out for those two though. Tackle Jake Long is questionable for today’s game and if he does sit out, the Bears will most likely have a field day with pressure and stuffing the run.

Speaking of the run, they need to watch out for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Both are very good running backs and capable of dominating in the wildcat. I’m not sure the Bears have faced the wildcat as of late. They do practice it in practice, so that’s probably their only experience facing it. I am very confident they will be to stop the wildcat and force Miami to use their quarterback.

So here’s my prediction…

Final Score
Bears 28
Dolphins 17

GammaBears

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