Month: September 2012

D.J. Moore is Grateful for that Vanderbilt Education He Received and Other Points of View

Bears

  • The Chicago Tribune writers make their season predictions. The majority of the Super Bowl predictions makes this list darned depressing but you can always count on Steve Rosenbloom to liven things up.
  • Apparently the Bears think the home crowd is going to be pretty noisy today. Apparently they also think the fans won’t have the common sense to pipe down when their own offense is on the field. Via Brag Biggs at the Chicago Tribune:

“The Bears piped in crowd noise at practice this week, something they have done in the past. Typically, teams only prepare for loud environments when they go on the road. But obviously the Bears feel the Soldier Field crowd doesn’t create ideal offensive working conditions.”

  • Dan McNeil at the Chicago Tribune thinks Brian Urlacher might be within sight of the end. It’s way past time time to start taking a serious look at improving the depth at linebacker. He also thinks the Bears will go 9-7 and miss the playoffs. I generally agree primarily because of this point:

“Julius Peppers had an uneventful summer, save the plantar fasciitis from which he has been hobbled. Peppers had 101/2 sacks last year and it wasn’t enough because the Bears weren’t steeped in pass rush threats.

“They still aren’t. Israel Idonije is back. So are Corey Wootton, Henry Melton, Stephen Paea, Matt Toeaina and Amobi Okoye, who was re-signed as the Bears cut Bucs castoff Brian Price, the early-in-camp media darling. First-rounder Shea McClellin is what most of us thought he would be on draft night — a project.”

Skill position players are great. You need them and the Bears are definitely improved on offense with the addition of Brandon Marshall. But football is still played at the line of scrimmage.

  • On a related note, Biggs takes a shot at people like me who think the Bears should have built the offensive line in the offseason:

Those who protested that the Bears needed to add playmakers for [quarterback Jay] Cutler cannot call into question the team’s inability to upgrade the offensive line simultaneously. It was one or the other, and the front office finally answered pleas Cutler had been making since shortly after he arrived.

That’s fair enough though I still maintain that the real problem was that there really wasn’t anyone to add that would have helped. They need a left tackle. Those don’t grow on trees and there was reasonable doubt about whether drafting Riley Reiff would have given you one.

“Since leaving the Bears a cone of silence has descended around former GM Jerry Angelo. As far as I know, Angelo hasn’t uttered a word about his dismissal and he’s given no interviews. Have I missed anything? Does anyone know what Angelo’s thoughts were? Or has he totally fallen off the radar? Bob J., Camarillo, Calif.

“I think it would be safe to assume Angelo has chosen to take the high road. What was it your mother told you to say if you had nothing good to say? You haven’t missed anything, Bob. By the way, with all due respect to Phil Emery, who I think has done an outstanding job, it’s interesting that either 20 or 21 of the 22 Bears starters on opening day will be Angelo acquisitions. That is a credit both to Angelo and Emery, who has been wise enough and secure enough to acknowledge the existing talent on the team. Not all new GMs are so open-minded. The only certain Emery acquisition to start will be Brandon Marshall. Evan Rodriguez also is a possibility.”

Its also worth noting that the one way to ensure that you never get a job as a GM again is to trash your former team. One one is going to hire you only to wait until its their turn when they have to let you go, too.

  • Vaughn McClure at the Chicago Tribune says that Devin Hester will be returning kicks today. It looks like Dave Toub is trying to throw opponents off balance by giving them a look at two different running styles, similar to what a team might do with to different running backs:

“Toub previously explained how Weems’ straightforward style can be more beneficial, but it’s hard to argue
with Hester’s elusiveness.”

  • I thought at the time it was kind of odd that the Bears released Matt Blanchard before the last preseason game rather than afterwards. But it makes sense in light of this comment from Potash

Blanchard, the rookie quarterback from Lake Zurich High School and Division II Wisconsin-Whitewater, was cut before last week’s final preseason game. The Bears knew they wanted him on their practice squad but apparently didn’t want him to put anything on tape that might interest another team.

Potash goes on to say that the Bears almost lost him to the Dolphins as it was.

  • Former Bear Tyler Clutts compares and contrasts Matt Forte and Texan’s running back Arian Foster. From the Tribune:

“Asked to compare Foster to Forte, Clutts told Houston reporters, “Just seeing Arian Foster on film and being around him these last couple of days, they are very similar because they can both do a lot, they both run hard.

“‘Matt Forte is a little more shifty, he’s not really going to put his head down as much as Foster is, which is something you really like to see. You like to see your running back really kind of put his head down and fight for those yards.'”

  • Hey, who said new offensive coordinator Mike Tice won’t be creative? From The Onion
  • If you want to know why head coach Lovie Smith is so close mouthed about injuries, comments from Amobe Okoye about rookie Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano demonstrate one good reason why talking about them can only get a coach in trouble. Okoye was released by the Bucs before signing with the Bears in part because he missed much of camp recovering from knee surgery. From McClure:

“‘It didn’t reflect his statement about T.B.A., and it shocked me when I heard that,’ Okoye said. ‘He said the same thing to me during the exit meeting. I reminded him about how I never missed a practice due to my right knee since I’ve been in the NFL. So how is that a history?

“‘I feel like, don’t try to put stuff out there that can mess up my livelihood. I thank him for the opportunity to be a Buc. I just wish the things he said could have been rephrased.'”

  • Former Bear defensive tackle Anthony Adams continues to explain why not having a job in the NFL isn’t that big of a deal:

  • The Sports Pickle asks “How the Rest of the Nation Perceives Your Favorite NFL Team’s Fans”:

“Chicago Bears: Exactly like everyone on the Da Bears sketch, but dumber and fatter.”

Elsewhere

“‘I’m in a good place,’ [Maurice Jone-Drew] said. ‘I did something I felt was right, and I’m always going to feel right. I’m not going to feel wrong for what I did it at all. And that’s why I can come back and not have a negative attitude. I think if you regret things, you’re going to come back salty, be a distraction, things like that.

“‘I don’t feel that way ’cause what I did was right. No one can tell me it was wrong. Not one person here can tell me what I did was wrong.'”

Jones-Drew went back on his word and let his teammates down by holding out of training camp. Thank heavens he’s not a Bear.

  • The Sports Pickle asks, “Which of last year’s non-playoff teams has the best chance to win the Super Bowl?” Here’s my choice:

“Jets – teams with a bad quarterback rarely win a Super Bowl. But TWO bad quarterbacks? No one has tried that before.”

  • Good question:
  • And here are some helpful flash cards for those replacement referees today:

One Final Thought

Joe Cowley at the Chicago Sun-Times quotes defensive back D.J. Moore:

“’I didn’t go to school to learn too much, to be honest with you,’ Moore replied when asked which school was better for an education. ‘Once I got to school and got good, I was like, ‘Man, this is for the birds. It’s time to leave.””

“Asked if he was being overly honest about college athletics, Moore then said, ‘Well, I mean, I’m smarter than some of the kids that went to Florida State or those types of schools, now. Some kids get in school with a point-nothing (GPA). They didn’t even go to high school.'”

 

What Will You Score on “The Test”? And Other Point of View

Bears

Any time the Bears want to rush the passer, fine by me.

  • Having said that, one of the unsung performers of the offseason was Israel Idonije, who I thought stuck out every time I saw him play. Apparently I wasn’t the only one. From Pro Football Weekly‘s Whispers column.

“We hear the Bears are very happy with the way DE Israel Idonije has performed in training camp and the preseason. Idonije is still the starting left end, but his role has changed since last season. He has been moving inside to three-technique in the nickel package to clear a spot at left end for rookie Shea McClellin, and the team is optimistic about the push Idonije can provide from the interior.”

  • I had high hopes for Stephen Paea going into this season in part because I have no faith in Henry Melton. Unfortunately Vaughn McClure at the Chicago Tribune reports that, as I feared, Paea’s ankle injury is likely to linger into the season.

“Asked if there is a measure in place for the linebacker to do more this season, [linebacker Lance] Briggs turned coy.

“‘That is kind of a wait-and-see type deal,’ he said. ‘We don’t want to reveal too many secrets for the 2012
season. I can tell you one thing, nine years in, eight years in Lovie’s system, there is a lot of trust in our
locker room.’

“Don’t fall into the trap of thinking the Bears work exclusively in a two-deep zone. There is more going
on.

“‘We like them talking like that. That’s what you want,’ Marinelli said. ‘We have some really good
blitzers.’

“In desperate times, perhaps they will be used more.”

“He is still adjusting some to his new surroundings. He’s working to get into football shape after missing offseason work to deal with the emotional personal issues he’s faced. Price didn’t finish practice on Tuesday after he fell ill. He’s had some nagging injuries and needs to be better conditioned.”

I wish had more confidence in Price. But I really wonder if Price doesn’t need a heart transplant. The Bears may be throwing a roster spot into a sink hole…

  • Biggs tells us that Rashied Davis got an injury settlement from the Bears. I love the way that Rashied Davis all of the sudden became “injured” right before they released him. You hear stories about how veterans get wind of such things and suddenly go for an injury settlement as a nice little going away present. He may have decided to milk it.
  • All along I thought Armando Allen had an edge in his battle with Lorenzom Booker because he’s younger. Turns out it was exactly the opposite. Allen ended up on the practice squad. From Joe Cowley at the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • Dan Pompei at the Chicago Tribune expressed my own feelings before cuts came down:

If [quarterback Josh] McCown did not convince the Bears it’s worth keeping him as a third quarterback, the game was more
meaningless than anyone thought.

Having said that, he does provide a good explanation for why McCown eventually didn’t make it:

“He is not a fit on the Bears roster at this point, which is why signing him in March was odd. But that isn’t to say he won’t fit on the Bears roster at some point this season, and that might be why signing him in March was wise.

“Now McCown has experience in the system and knowledge of the Bears receivers. If Jay Cutler or [Jason] Campbell goes down, McCown likely will get the first call if he is available.”

“Why will the NFL not do away with four preseason games? This game represented 10 percent of the revenue the Browns will get for home games. Who in their right mind believes NFL owners are going to give away that kind of money?”

Exactly. It still surprises me when I run into people who don’t understand that the players don’t actually start getting paid until the first game. Those preseason games are pure profit.

“Under the new rule, each team is allowed to designate one player per season for a potential return from the IR and the designation must be made at the time the player is added to the reserve list. The player must have a major injury that renders him unable to practice for at least six weeks. The player is not eligible to return to practice for a period of six weeks and cannot be reinstated to the active 53-man roster for at least eight weeks. At any time after the six-week period of not practicing, the player can begin a three-week period where he does work on the field to be evaluated for a potential return to the active roster.”

“The Bears cut a pair of draft picks as cornerbacks Isaiah Frey and Greg McCoy were placed on waivers. It was notable the team gave up on both the sixth- and seventh-round picks, a departure from tendencies in the Jerry Angelo era. Instead of being forced to cut fullback Tyler Clutts, the Bears found a trading partner. He was dealt to the Texans for cornerback Sherrick McManis, a former Northwestern standout Houston drafted in the fifth round in 2010. McManis projects to be a special teams addition.”

“How about moving J’Marcus Webb to guard? He could be All-Pro. Let Chris Williams play left tackle this year, where his floor is higher than Webb’s, and look to get a long term fix next year. Jim P., Chicago

“We are not sure if Webb can play left tackle in the NFL yet, but we can be reasonably sure he cannot play guard. He is 6-8 and has long levers. I don’t think there is a guard in the NFL built like him. He’s too gangly to play guard. The game is quicker inside, and Webb does not have the quickness for that position. He also would struggle to get leverage against more compact interior defenders. He is perfectly built to play tackle, however. That’s why the Bears have not given up on him.”

  • Pompei answers another question about the line that’s been bothering me as well:

“The Bears starting left guard position appears to be a battle between Chris Spencer and Chilo Rachal, but why isn’t Edwin Williams being considered for the job? If I recall correctly he finished last year at the LG spot and played solid. Does Mike Tice want Williams to focus solely on the center position? Matt, Montreal

“Williams might be able to fill in for a guard in a pinch, but his future is at center. Williams does not play with the kind of power and leverage the Bears want their guards to play with. You could see it in a third quarter play against the Giants last week. Linebacker Greg Jones powered Williams back two yards and then disengaged to tackle Armando Allen in the backfield for a loss of three yards. Williams does have the athleticism for the center position.

It did not escape the notice of his coaches. Veteran defensive teammates even warned Hardin about his
style.

What irritates me about this is that every player that I saw quoted after the accident said that Hardin’s technique was fine. But clearly it was an issue. Covering for a player is one thing. Out right lying, particularly when kids are watching to learn how to play the game, is something else all together.

“Quarterback Jay Cutler downplayed the looks the tight ends were getting in games last week, saying, ‘Just because the ball didn’t go to them last game or the preseason game before that, it’s really not an indication of what we’re going to do with those guys.'”

We shall see.

“’He had a great game,’ Toub said. ‘He did a really good job. We just allowed him to punt it away and he relaxed and he carried over what we have been seeing in practice onto the field. First two games, not so good. That third game, he was really good.’”

“It’s interesting that Toub said Quigley was just allowed to ‘punt it away.’ Often times, Toub is very specific about how he wants his punters to perform, asking them for directional kicks. Whether that is an issue here for the undrafted rookie from Boston College is not known.

  • Biggs also quotes Toub on Devin Hester:

“Toub also said Devin Hester has lobbied for more work as a returner in preseason this summer:

“’We gave him one return every game,’ Toub said. ‘We had him in there for every preseason game. That is something a little different than what we have done in the past as per his request. He wanted to get a little more touches so we think he is going to be a lot more ready for the season than other years.'”

“‘It’s more of a spread offense. It gets guys in mismatches,’ Hester said. ‘We’ll have four or five playmakers on the field, and it’s going to be like, ‘Who are you going to double-team?’'”

Brandon Marshall. They’re going to double team Brandon Marshall, Devin. And if just one of you other guys becomes the playmaker everyone thinks you are, I’ll be one happy and surprised man.

  • I’m on board with this:

Elsewhere

“’It’s not only the throwing programs that have developed, the seven-on-seven camps, but take a look at the media in general and the Internet,’ Bears general manager Phil Emery said. ‘Just look at a school’s website, a school’s in-house reporting staff. These guys are so used to dealing with the media and dealing with high-level pressure and all the attention it brings, being a quarterback at a major-college program is huge.

“’Tennessee, you look at what they do just on their website and the layers and layers of reporting that all the major schools do now through their own vehicles and the market they try to generate in the fan interest, these guys are really brought up to handle pressure. Where maybe not so in the era before Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. Yeah, there was pressure, but not that kind of 24/7, Internet, blogs writing about how good or bad you are every day in practice and games. Who you see, what you do — these guys are really used to dealing with it.’

“So a Ryan Leaf, drafted second to Peyton Manning in the 1998 draft, couldn’t hide the fact that he was a meltdown waiting to happen these days. A JaMarcus Russell, picked first overall by the Raiders in 2007, would be exposed as unprepared.”

  • Like many people, I was thinking that once healthy, Jeff Otah might be an option for the Bears at left tackle. Maybe not… From Pro Football Weekly‘s Audibles:

“You want to know what is wrong with (ex-Panthers ORT) Jeff Otah? He never really played football. He does not know how to handle pain. He got hurt when he was at Pitt in one of the games I was at, and you would have thought his leg got amputated. He was screaming like a child, and it turned out to be a sprained knee or some mild injury. We had him in for a visit too, and he was staring off into space. … He needs it to be kept simple. Someone will pick him up because he is still young and tackles are so hard to find.”

One Final Thought

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson on head coach and former Raven’s defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. Via Pompei.

“‘I think leaders are born,’ Grigson said. ‘Chuck has that. He knows how to identify with each and every guy out here. Just like he did with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and then with rookie free agents he had that he turned into players. There is such a vast array of guys he is able to reach.'”

 

Tyler Clutts Shows the Way

I’m a big fan of the television show South Park. One of the funniest episodes I can remember, entitled “About Last Night”, came on the heels of the 2008 national election in the United States. In the aftermath, after being repeatedly told that it was the “most important election of our lifetime”, supporters of John McCain (the loser) locked themselves away in a cave, conviced that the world was going to end. Meanwhile Barak Obama supporters celebrated, much like thousands of people did at Grant Park in downtown Chicago about two blocks away from where I live. In the show, both groups emerged the next morning to find to their amazement (and disappointment) that the world was exactly the same as it had been the night before.

Everyone knows by now that it was all utter nonsense (even as people repeat the same mistake and harp away about this year’s election). It’s not that you shouldn’t vote or that who you vote for isn’t important. It just isn’t that important. And, in the end, it doesn’t make that big of a difference.

The truth of the matter is that people who really desire change need to institute it themselves as their own little part of the whole, day by day. And that’s why I love Tyler Clutts.

Tyler Clutts is a fullback. He was, in fact, the only fullback the Bears had on thier training camp roster. And there’s a reason for that. The offense for all practical purposes doesn’t have one. New offensive coordinator Mike Tice, a tight end in his own playing days, prefers to use that position as a blocker whenever one is called for.

But Clutts was undaunted. Day after day, preseason game after preseason game, he gave it his all. He made plays blocking for others, made plays on special teams, did whatever he was asked with maximum effort in an apparently fruitless attempt to make a team that didn’t even have a place for him. Why? Because it was in his nature to do so, as explained by Pat Hill (via Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune):

“’He is just so mentally and physically tough, leather tough. He’s a self-starter, and when you hear a coach like me talk in glowing superlatives about him, everything I say about him is true,’ former Fresno State coach Pat Hill, now the offensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons, said about his former player. ‘When I use the term he’s an overachiever, I don’t mean he’s not a good player. He’s a really good player. But he achieves over what is expected of him no matter what you have to do.’”

Perhaps Clutts, himself, put it best:

“You really cannot ever count yourself out”.

Amen, brother.

The best thing about this story is that the effort Clutts put in earned him a reward. Instead of finding himself out on the street, he was traded yesterday to a team that will use him, the Texans.

Like a lot of people out there, I’ve had my own problems of late. Nothing that would register on the radar of people who are in really bad shape but significant enough when they’re yours. When I look around and wonder what I should do, I look at people like Clutts and the lesson they teach. That if you keep giving it your all and have a little faith, good things will happen. So I say kudos to him and every person out there like him. You are the reason why this country works.