Looking Back

So here at Windy City Blitz, I have been blogging for a while now and some of our old blogs may not be getting the traffic they once did. Even though my blog is geared around  keeping up with current Bears news and information, past blogs still have tons of information when you want to look at the big picture of the Bears season. I will attempt to go back and point out a few blogs that we have done in the past that may help round out the Bears of today.

One of the first set of blogs I would like to go back and look over would be the projected starters on both offense and defense. These projections were created to give all you fans an idea of what I thought the starting lineups were going to be coming on in week one. Taking a look back at them gave me and interesting prospective of how I thought the season was going to go. On the offensive side of the ball, I hit a few areas on the head and others no so much. The offensive line was almost dead on with the exception of Garza staying at center and Chris Spencer play a good amount of time at right guard. One area that I however botched on was the wide receivers. The unit is somewhat like I projected, but players I had as key contributors, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox, have either been injured or just haven't produced. At this time, we may be able to say that this unit has great underperformed and it will be interesting to see what happens from here on out with the group.

Another interesting blog to look back at is the Bears first game against the Green Bay Packers. I feel like this is interesting an interesting blog to go back and read because even thought the Bears lost this game, they were in a winning position for most the game. It is interesting to go back and read about how the Bears were so jumbled during this game with pieces on both offense and defense and still had a chance to win the game. I also think this post is important because it may hold some keys on ways to beat the Packers in their next meeting in week 16. The same things can be said about the post for the game against the Detroit Lions.

Finally, I think the last important post to go back and read even though it is recent is the Helping Matt Forte post. Recently, reports have been indicating that the Bears are thinking about putting the franchise tag on Matt Forte. In most cases that is not that bad of a deal because it usually gives players a pay upgrade and some more time to work out a deal. However, in the case of Matt Forte, this would just be a crime. Like I stated in the preview post, the man has basically been your entire offense for the last few season and putting the franchise tag on him would almost be an insult. I think it is important for us Bears fans to express our opinions and try to help Matt Forte receive the contract he deserves!

I know this last weekend was a long one for us Bears fans with the team being in a bye week. However, the Bears return back to practice on Tuesday in preparation for the Philadelphia Eagles so until next time, Bear Down Chicago.

Week 8: Midweek Report

Heading into week 8, the Bears welcome their bye week with open arms. The bye week will allow the Bears to heal as a team from the physical abuse they have endured over the season and also will allow them to review the first half of the season. The bye week couldn't not have come at a better time either, they are coming off two wins and are riding high with confidence even though they have the same record as last year when they entered their bye. Even though the Bears confidence is high, there are still aspects of the game the Bears need to address and I will try and point some of those out.
Offensive the Bears have a few areas they could improve in to help insure a run towards the playoffs. The first thing I would suggest is keep leaning on Matt Forte. He has shown year in and year out that he can handle the load and seems the get better the more he touches the ball. This not only will cater to the strength of the Bears offensive line, but it will also keep the pressure of Jay Cutler, who has basically been a battering ram since coming to Chicago. The second thing the Bears need to continue working on is the offensive line. It is expected that Gabe Carimi is expected to be back in practice during the week and it is important that the Bears ease him back in. Not only is he coming off a partially dislocated knee cap, but he is also a rookie and does not have much game experience. I think it is going to be important to ease him back in and if need be bring him into the game as a backup for some plays so he doesn't have the pressures with starting. Also, the Bears need to improve on the things the line has been able to do so far this season. This includes establishing a run game which eventually helps out the pass protect and passing game. The final thing the Bears need to do on offense is clean up Mike Martz's playbook. After Jay Cutler publicly called out the coordinator and asked to help him out, it seems like the offense has had more rhythm. It’s unrealistic for Mike Martz to call plays that require seven step drops and the offensive line to block for four, five or six seconds as the route evolve down field. There are very few lines in the NFL that can be asked to do that and the Bears aren't one of them. Continue to do the quick three step drop back with the occasional bootleg or play fake to open up the passing game. This will allow the offensive line to protect Jay Cutler and the offense will be able to move the ball down the field. 
On the defensive side of the ball, there are also a few things that need to be address to help continue the dominance the Bears have had the last few weeks on defense. One of the first things that need to happen is their needs to be more consistent pressure on the quarterback. This can come from multiple areas and should start with the defensive line. Whether it is Rod Marinelli implementing new rotations on the defensive line to try to spark something or Marinelli teaching some new techniques the line needs to be better. When you have a player like Julius Peppers on the line, it is expected that either he or other player will be able to create pressure. If it doesn't come from the defensive line, Rod Marinelli should consider dialing up more blitzes to create pressure. As we saw in the Buc's game, when the Bear brought linebacker pressure they were able to get to the quarterback and cause some problems for him. Another area the Bears need to shore up is the safety position, which just today saw the release of Chris Harris. It is expected that rookie Chris Conte and Major Wright will be the starters at safety for the remainder of the season and if they should falter the only replacements they have is Brandon Meriweather and Craig Steltz to fill the safety positions.
Overall, the Bears are heading into their bye week on a high note and should be able to fix some minor problems to better themselves for the rest of the season. I know this weekend is going to be a long one with no Bears football, but until next time, Bear Down Chicago.

Helping Matt Forte

With the Bears in their bye week, and Matt Forte still in contract negotiations, I figure I would try and start a movement to show the Bears how much Matt Forte is appreciated. Ask most Bears fans throughout the nation and they will be dumbfounded to why Forte has yet to receive a contract extension. The man has basically been the entire Bears offensive since he was drafted in 2008. As you look at his statistics year by year, you can see that he has definitely out performed his rookie contract. In his rookie season he rushed for 1,238 yards and had another 477 yards receiving. In 2009, he had a slight sophomore slump but was still able to rush for 929 yards and account for another 471 in receiving. If you can’t see by the numbers, the man does simply anything that is asked of him and has yet to be compensated for his work. And that is why I want to recommend any Matt Forte related product, especially a Matt Forte jersey. If all Bear’s fans could unit and possibly display their Matt Forte pride, maybe the Bears would take a deeper look into signing him. If Bears fans could possibly all show up to a Bears game in a Matt Forte jersey or short, it would give the Bears management a huge wake up call. They would realize how much Bears fans appreciate the work Matt Forte has done and really how much he means to the organization. I personally thought the Bears were going to sign him after the lockout because he was arguably a top 10 back in the NFL and should have been compensated like it. I was not thinking anything along the lines of the Chris Johnson deal, but something around 4 years and $30 million with around $15-18 million guaranteed. But not I feel like it is even more important for the Bears to ink him up during their bye week. Numerous players throughout the league, even Adrian Peterson the highest paid back in the league, have come out and said Matt Forte is a top five back in the league and deserves to be paid. Even with these players commenting on his contract dispute, there has been no work done by Bears management, so that is why I feel like it falls into the hand of Bears fans to help Matt Forte. So please do whatever it takes to show your pride appreciation for Matt Forte, whether it be wearing his jersey or even a Matt Forte t-shirt support Matt Forte. So until next time, Bear Down Chicago.

Week 7: Tampa Bay Bucaneers

Coming into the week 7 game against the Buc's and playing well was tops on the Bears to do list. With a win, the Bears could head into the bye week confident and ready to make a late season move into the playoff like they did last year. A lose against the Buc's and the Bears would be heading into the bye week at 3-4 wondering if they could gain momentum to make a post season run. Luckily for the Bears, they went to London and took care of the Buc's and were able to receive a gift when the Lions lost for a second week in a rose, this time to the Falcons. With the loss to the Falcons, the Lions are now only one game up on the Bears in the division and are going to be one of the few teams challenging the Bears for a wildcard spot. As the Bears game started, many wondered which team would come out and play the best due to the two different travel schedules. Would it be the Buc's who arrived in London on Monday and were able to adjust to the time difference or would it be the Bears who arrived on Thursday and were just trying to treat it like any other week. Well it turns out that the travel to London had no real effect on the Bears. In the first half, the defense looked very dominating and forced the Buc's to become a predominately throwing team after backup running back Ernest Graham got injured. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears leaned early on Matt Forte and were rewarded quickly. Forte was able to bounce a run to the outside late in the first quarter which ended in an electrifying 32 yard touchdown run. Forte ended the game with 145 yard rushing and 38 yard receiving to make him the first player since 2004 to eclipse the 1,000 total yard mark by game 7. After coming off two great games, Jay Cutler looked just average against the Buc's. It seemed as if he was never really comfortable in the pocket, even though the offensive line only gave up one sack and four quarterback pressures. He had a few bad plays were he reverted back to old tendencies such as throwing into coverage or throwing off his back foot. Look for Cutler to come back with some better play after the bye week and time to break down his tape. The offensive line put in another solid performance for the Bears and it may be interesting to see what happens once Gabe Carimi comes back. He is projected to be back in practice in time to play the Eagles and it will be interesting to see who gets the boot from the starting lineup seeing that the line has started to jell recently. One the defensive side of the ball, it was another solid performance for the Bears. They were able to make the Bucs one dimensional in shutting down the running game and were able to get solid pressure on Josh Freeman throughout the day. Another thing that helped the Bears defense was their ability to cause turnovers. The Bears ended the game with four interceptions, with both Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs picking of Freeman and Joshua Moore capping the game with an interception. The Bears seem to win games when they are able to run the ball effectively and cause turnover on defense. If the Bears can continue with the formula, they have the possibility to make a playoff run after the bye week. The second part of their season includes five games against teams with sub 500 winning percentages, so everything is looking up for the Bears during the second half of the season. With the Bears on a bye week, this will be a very long two weeks for Bears fans, so hang in there and until next time, Bears Down.

Week 7: Midweek Report

As the Bears headed to London to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they knew the game was going to hold high importance for the remainder of their season. With a win over the Bucs, the Bears would sit at 4-3 and would still be in contention for a wild card sport and a loss would be just another setback for the Bears on their road to the playoffs. With the Bears early schedule heavily favoring play against the NFC, it is important for the Bears to win as many as possible so later in the year they won’t be counting on other teams to take care of their business. Spirits looked high as the Bears practiced today in London and Jay Cutler, Brain Urlacher and Lance Briggs were even seen playing a little cricket before practice started. The Bears seem to be fairly healthy heading into the game, with the Gabe Carimi and Matt Toeaina the only players officially ruled out for Sundays Game. On the offensive side of the ball, both Devin Hester and Earl Bennett practiced with Hester expecting to play and Bennett being a game time decision. Even though Dane Sanzenbacher has excelled with the absence of Bennett, I'm sure Cutler would not mind having him back. It seems that Cutler has the most chemistry with Bennett out of all the receivers and seems to trust him most in critical moments of the game. The return of Bennett would be huge for the Bears because it would give them only another weapon to throw at the Bucs. The offensive line will stay the same for the second week in a row. This is a good sign because it allows the line to jell and get used to playing together which can only be a good thing for Jay Cutler and Matt Forte. On the defensive side of the ball, Major Wright was listed as probable due to a hip injury which could open the door for Chris Harris to return back into the starting lineup. Just a week ago Harris was bench in favor of Chris Conte and Wright. Harris' return to the starting lineup could offer a big boast to the secondary and could really solidify the defense as a whole. Look for the Bears to come out very aggressive on defense and try to shut down Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman and make the team rely on a running game that will be missing starter LeGarrette Blount. On the offensive side of the ball look for the Bears to build of what they did last week against the Vikings. They will continue to pound the ball on the ground and on passing plays utilize the tight ends to help the offensive line. Also look for the Bears to try and utilize the play action plays to help slow down the Bucs pass rush and open things up down field. I’m predicting a close game so look for the Bears special teams, Devin Hester in particular, to have an impact on the game. Look for a 27-17 Bears victory and until next time, Bear Down Chicago!

Week 6: Minnesota Vikings

Coming into week 6 against the Vikings, the Bears had just come off a very embarrassing lose to the Lions. The defense looked old, out of place and did the one thing they were never thought to do, give up the big play. A loss to the Vikings and the Bears would have some serious questions to ask and themselves and their playoff hopes would all but be gone. However, the Bears did not lose to the Vikings and they possibly caught a bit of luck. With the Packer 6-0 and looking nearly unbeatable, it’s pretty safe to assume that they have locked up the NFC north as their division. The Lions were not far behind going into week  6 as they were 5-0 and looking for a big victory over a surprisingly good 49ers team. The 49ers did the Bears a big favor and beat the Lions at home and gave the Lions there first loss. If the Bears are going to make the playoff, it is going to be as a wildcard and only a few teams are even in the position to be a threat, the Lions of course being one of them. With the Bears needing a win to not only keep pace with the few other wildcard team but to also build some confidence, they came out and made easy work out of the Vikings. The Bears defense came out and looked like a force to be reckoned with. They were loading the box with 8 defenders basically stating they were not going to let Adrian Peterson beat them. And that is exactly what the Bears did; limiting Peterson to 39 yards on 12 carries. They were also a few other players that answered questions for the Bears on defense. Julius Peppers had been listed as doubtful all week on the injury report and did not practice at all. However, Peppers did end up playing and had a substantial affect on the game even though he was not at a 100 percent. Many, including myself, were starting to question whether Peppers was the same type of game changing player man believed he was when we signed him. He answered that with a 2 sack, 4 tackle performance and really seemed to motivate the defense. Another set of players that showed up and answered questions was the Bears two new starting safeties, Major Wright and Chris Conte. Need made any huge plays, but did give up any either so that can be considered a positive after the last few weeks. Expectations are going to be high for these safeties if the Bears hope to make it to the playoff.
On the offensive side of the ball, we saw a unit that for once looked as if they knew what they wanted to do. After Jay Cutler basically called out Mike Martz and asked him to change up his play calling so that he can get rid of the ball faster, Cutler for once looked comfortable in the pocket. On just the third offensive play of the game for the Bears, Cutler hit Devin Hester for a 48 yard touchdown and many fans saw how good of a quarterback Cutler can be with time and protection. On the play, the Bears had only two receiver running routes while everyone else stayed in and blocked. That resulted in Cutler being able to scan the field and simply flick the ball down field to Hester for a touchdown. It would not surprise me if we see the Bears doing more of this to give Cutler time to look down field and try to get the vertical passing game going. Matt Forte was of course himself, racking up over 100 yard from scrimmage for the game and looking very comfortable behind yet another offensive line combination. He showed his ability to hit the big play on numerous runs and even picked up some blitzes very well. Like I have said before, and probably will say many times more, the Bears are making a huge mistake by not simply signing this man. The more he plays and the better he does is just going to translate into a bigger payday that he definitely deserves. The offensive line also played much better this week then they did against the Lions. One of the Vikings few strong points on their team was a defensive line that had accounted for 17 sacks throughout the first five weeks, and the Bears limited them to one sack and only five quarterback pressures. If the Bears are going to be successful at all on offense, they are going to need the offensive line to continue to improve and protect Jay Cutler.
Finally, Devin Hester once against stole the show and returned another kickoff for a touchdown, his four against the Vikings. It still baffles me why teams kick or punt to this man, considering he can take it to the house from nearly anywhere on the field. He nearly took a punt back for a touchdown near the end of the game and the only reason he did is because one of his own men was blocked into him. If the Bears are going to get back into contention, Devin Hester and the special teams unit is going to have to have a big contribution. Special teams have always seemed to spark the Bears team as a whole and are probably one of the best in the league. The Bears gained a huge victory over the Viking and even more, they gained some much needed confidence. They head to London in week 7 to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a very winnable game. So until next time Chicago, Bear Down!

Week 5: Detroit Lions

Coming into week 5 against the Lions, it was critical for the Bears to come out and play well and get a win in order to stay on pace with Green Bay and Detriot in the NFC north. The game started well for the Chicago Bears as the forced a three and out on Detroit's first offensive series. However, things took a turn for the worse when the Bear's headed out on offense and was only a precursor to what was to come. Out of the first seven plays the Bears ran on offense, they were flagged for four false start penalties, three of which went against tight end Kellen Davis. I'm sorry, but when your offensive line needs to consistently rely on tight ends to help protect the quarterback you are doing something wrong. Throughout the game the Bears offensive line, especially J'Marcus Webb and Frank Omiyale, got dominated by the Lions defensive line and looked as if they didn't stand a chance to protect Jay Cutler. The line did however run block well, but continued to get worked in the passing game and I will be thoroughly shocked if the Bears win many games this season with the line as it was tonight. The Bears need to make a consistent effort to go out and draft and sign linemen that are going to work in the Mike Martz offense. I feel as if the Bears are putting these linemen in situations that they can't succeed in and either need to change personnel on the line or get a new coordinator. We have seen this endless turnstile on the offensive line for almost a season and a half now and things need to change. With all the negatives throughout the game, Matt Forte still found a way to be productive and was the shining star for the Chicago Bears. He carried the ball 22 times for 116 yard and continues to carry the entire offense on his back. I just can’t quite understand why the Bears haven't locked this man up and I now feel like they will be paying a heftier price once the season is over to retain Forte. The offense overall just looked horrible. Jay Cutler did not have time to set his feet and throw and the unit as a whole was contently out of sync.
On the defensive side of the ball, things started out well for a unit that had struggled the last few weeks. They held the Lions scoreless in the first quarter and seemed to be looking like the Bears defense of old. However, it was only a matter of time before the Lions struck on a big play and reminded us of the defense we have seen this season. Matthew Stafford hit Calvin Johnson on a 73 yard bomb that once against pointed out the Bears weakness at the safety position. Charles Tillman failed to jam Johnson at the line and gave him a free release and Chris Harris simple could not keep up with Johnson. If the Bears continue to play like this in the secondary, look for it to be a very long and painful season for Bears fans. And on a final note, the Bears defensive line that was touted as one of the deepest and best units on the Bears has simply been horrible. They have not been able to consistently put pressure on any quarterback lately and have been blown of the ball on many running plays. I am really starting to question this unit and have even started to wonder if Julius Peppers is on the downside of his career. He has not been making the plays he once did and it is really affecting this Bears defense. By the way the Bears have played lately, it’s very hard to be optimistic about this team and many things will need to be changed if they have any hope of making it to the playoffs. So until next time Chicago, Bear Down.