- Dan Pompei at the Chicago Tribune on Bears tight end Fendi Onobun:
“If there is a question on him, it is blocking. Onobun acknowledges that has been “the least natural thing” for him.”
‘It’s a work in progress,” Onobun said. “I’m a willing blocker. It’s just that it hasn’t been one of my strong suits. But it’s definitely improving.'”\
“Onobun isn’t on the Bears to block any more than Nate Robinson was on the Bulls to rebound. Onobun is on the Bears to do with Gonzalez, Gates and Graham do for their teams — catch passes.”
That’s way too soft. He’ll never catch any passes with a cornerback covering him in a defense that isn’t afraid the Bears will run with Fendi as an extra blocker. That’s a fact.
So my take is that this guy better work like hell to make blocking his “natural thing” or he won’t be in the league.
- Football Outsider‘s Rivers McCown absolutely nails it with this analysis of the Bears as he reviews the post-draft NFC North:
“But the unpopular weakness still remains. When we pointed to wide receiver as a major flaw for the current Bears early in the offseason, it was to the consternation of a lot of Bears fans who saw the offensive line as being the larger issue. The problem is that Jay Cutler is a see-it, throw-it passer. He’s still a solid quarterback, but he’s never thrown receivers open on a consistent basis. That amplifies the Bears receiving problems, and while scheming can create the occasional big play for Devin Hester, Eric Weems, or Earl Bennett, they can’t defeat man coverage often enough to benefit Cutler. While the jury is still out on Alshon Jeffery, he also wasn’t able to beat man coverage often enough last season to help out much. That means a lot of targets are going to be headed to Brandon Marshall and Bennett. Both of them performed competently in the face of that last season, but it’s certainly not the most efficient way to build an offense.”
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Brian Urlacher‘s retirement couldn’t have been a great surprise to anyone. I think what fans really want to know, and what they’ll probably never find out, is if Urlacher made a mistake in turning down the $2 million guaranteed the Bears offered him. If he just didn’t want to put his body through another season for that, then “No.” If he really thought he was worth more than that, then “Yes”.
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Think this TV station wishes they’d hired a sports fan to run their ticker? Via CSNChicago.com
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Fred Mitchell at the Chicago Tribune interviews Dick Butkus. He buries some advice for Urlacher in this quote on his stormy relationship with the Bears as he neared retirement:
“‘I hadn’t been exposed to the business world that much,’ Butkus said. ‘Shortly thereafter I learned that (football) was a business. … I never would have been able to do radio if (the Bears) didn’t agree to it. … So it was a business decision. What are you going to do? Get over it. Grow up.'”