Sam Farmer, writing for the Chicago Tribune, previews the Steelers-Packers game by pointing out the keys for Pittsburgh. Unlike the complex issues involved in the Packers-Bears game last week, this one couldn’t be simpler. Green Bay’s run defense against Pittsburgh’s run-oriented offense:
“If the Packers are poised to stop the run in a 3-4 formation — as opposed to bracing for the pass with a 2-4-5 — the Steelers will look to throw.”
Though this is a good point, I’m going to disagree.
Certainly the key for the Steelers is to run and hold the ball, keeping Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers off the field and wearing the defense down at the same time.
But unlike Farmer, I think the Steelers are going to be able to run on Green Bay in that 3-4. And I think Green Bay knows it. Look for them to put at least 8 in the box and play a four man line. They did this a few times against the Bears and I think we’ll see it a lot more next week.
Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan at the Chicago Tribuneoverheard this:
“‘Times have changed since I played. … Abe Gibron (former coach) and I used to argue when I was nearing the end of my career and I was playing on one leg,’ former Bear Dick Butkus told us. ‘He’d say, ‘Dick, you are better on one leg than the backup is on two.’ That was silly though.'”
“I’d welcome some conversation about how the Bears are going to make him better because the Cutler who now has played five NFL seasons isn’t good enough.”
How about they schedule surgery at Northwestern. They can install a brain and heart that has the desire to do the tough things necessary to correct those problems. Oops. I said “tough” didn’t I? Sorry, Dan.
And yet the Cutler talk still continues. This time its John Madden on Sirius NFL Radio via Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com. Like Cutler, Madden’s grandson has Type I diabetes:
“In defending Cutler, Madden was passionate, emotional, and as angry as we’ve ever heard him.
“’I’ve been in football for over 50 years,’ Madden said, prefacing his remarks. ‘I’ve never questioned a player’s toughness. I never have. Whether it was in coaching, broadcasting, whatever.’”
Which is, of course, the most disturbing point. Only Cutler seems to be receiving this kind of abuse from his peers and it may reflect the deeper problems that he has as a player.
Which means its tough to just set aside the Cutler talk when that talk and the poor play are likely connected. Again, sorry, Dan.
Here is a recording of the interview:
Michael Wilbon agrees with McNeil and Tony Kornheiser calls Twitter a “plague” as PTI debates:
“When the season is over and they don’t have to gear so much of their focus toward game planning, Mike Martz and Jay Cutler could devote significant time to working on mechanics, particularly when it comes to Cutler’s footwork. Martz recently said Cutler has improved in that area since the start of the season, but he admitted that he’s not where his quarterback needs to be yet. ‘I think some of the footwork (criticism) — and (Cutler) knows that — is fair. You can’t go through a lifetime with those kinds of habits and just fix them in one season,’ Martz said.”
Brad Biggs, also at the Tribune, says that the Bears face a decision on Caleb Hanie. Essentially pay him 1.8 million next year to presumably be the number 2 quarterback or match an offer from another team. Tough call.
Elsewhere
Jeff Fisheris out as coach of the Titans. This is surprising after owner Bud Adams appeared to have chosen to keep Fisher of quarterback Vince Young, who Fisher has problems with.
It would not surprise me if we learned in the coming days that Fisher forced his way out. Adams is generally believed to be one of the worst owners in the NFL.
FOX Sportsis reporting that Fisher will receive $8 million as part of a settlement to walk away. I’ll believe it when I see it confirmed. I think its more likely Adams will pull an Al Davis and try to use litigation to get out of paying Fisher the salary from the final year of his contract.
“New Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on how he feels about Steven Jackson as the Rams’ primary back: ‘I know from competing against him that he’s very unique and multitalented. He can create long plays, takes great care of the offense. … I can’t wait to get started to work with him.'”
Cynics will recall that he said the same thing about Cutler when he came to Denver.
“Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver has said that he plans to sell the team eventually but he is not thinking about doing so right now. Some of the Jaguars’ offseason moves, however, hint at the possibility that Weaver is planning to sell after a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached. We’re hearing that Weaver’s reluctance to fire head coach Jack Del Rio and his refusal to extend the contracts of the coaching staff could be a sign that the owner is trying to clear the decks before a potential sale.”
I might add that a move to Los Angeles is always a possibility after any sale of th team.
I’m underwhelmed by Roger Goodell‘s offer to cut his salary to $1 if there is a work stoppage. This kind of grandstanding is more characteristic of the NFLPA and its disappointing coming from either side. To restate the obvious, the only thing fans want to hear is that there’s an agreement.
On a note related to the last item above this comes via Florio. Packer linebacker Nick Barnettsays he wishes he hadn’t popped off via Twitter about not being initially scheduled to be in the team’s Super Bowl photo. Coach Mike McCarthy called it a “poor decision”. Via Florio.
I’m constantly amazed by the people in all walks of life who believe that Facebook is “personal” and don’t think that they are “on the record” when they post things to the Internet. Even people who put things in emails and are shocked when you pull them out and remind them of what was said.
Bottom line, when you put things in writing, you have to assume that the world is going to see it. And that means you’d better think about it and you’d better mean what you say at the time. Otherwise regret is sure to follow.
It may be a bit of a non-story but with the Bears spending so much in free agency last year, it was fair to wonder if they would avoid it this year. That won’t be the case. Jerry Angelo as related by Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Times:
“We’ll have a plan for free agency, and I’m sure we’ll be able to get a few players in free agency.”
Angleo calls it “business as usual” but the its unlikely to be that. The time table may stay the same but that’s unlikely with the collective bargaining agreement unsettled.
The draft will take place as usual but no free agents can be signed until the new collective bargaining agreement is in place. That reverses the usual order for Angelo, who likes to strike fast in free agency to fill as many holes as possible. That leaves him free to draft the best player available in most cases.
Angelo may just assume that he’ll be able to do that this year as well. But it leaves him without leverage when it comes to negotiating with free agents who will see a clear need that wasn’t filled in the draft.
In any case drafting offensive linemen will undoubtedly be at the top of his list. But it will be interesting to see if he changes his approach overall, drafting with a bit more of an eye towards the needs of the team than usual.
Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan at the Chicago Tribune quote Bears tight end Desmond Clarkon head coach Lovie Smith:
“Every player has Lovie’s back. After last season we all got together and talked about how we are going to screw up a great thing if we don’t turn our team around. He treats us like men and he is the kind of coach you want to play for. We are very lucky to have him.”
“‘I just got off the phone with (coach Lovie Smith) and he made the comment, ‘Kevin, you’re not coming back, you’re coming home,’ ‘ O’Dea said. ‘Any time someone makes a comment like that to you, that’s pretty special.'”
Biggs also reviews the interesting story of wide receiver Devin Aromashodu as he heads towards restricted free agency. I’ve talked to fans who are irrate that Aromashodu didn’t make it on to the field more this year. We probably won’t find out for sure what the Bears problems with him have been unless or until he leaves but there surely is a problem. It could be as simple as a lack of ability on special teams but I’ve a feeling there’s more to it than that.
“I was real disappointed, to be honest with you. I’ve known Jay for a few years now and know what kind of competitor he is. I thought it was disrespectful, some of the stuff said about him.”
“Urlacher insists that the Julius Peppers hit on Aaron Rodgers was clean. What is your take? Will there be a fine? Jim Johnson, Skandia, Mich.
“Peppers hit Rodgers’ helmet with his helmet. You can’t do that. He might not have intended to do that, and he might not have even been able to avoid doing that, but he did it. I think he is going to be fined.”
Pity this little girl. Not because the Bears lost. Little girls need their daddy and how can she have any opportunity to grow up normal with so little respect for hers? Via The Sports Pickle.
Carson Palmer might want out but to no one’s surprise, the Bengals have no intention of trading him. Its idle speculation but I was stuck by the timing of Palmer’s statements. He made them almost immediately after the Bengals decided to keep Lewis. One wonders if Chad Johnson isn’t the only one who has a problem with the head coach.
Florio also correctly points out that not all players will begin missing pay checks in September if there is no collective bargaining agreement. Those due roster bonuses or who would ordinarily be getting signing bonuses in March as part of free agency will be vocal about making a deal as soon as possible.
Michael David Smith, also at profootballtalk.com, takes us through the Steelers goal line stand as they played the Jets last Sunday with the NFL Network show Playbook. The Jets tipped at least one play.
Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press Gazette reports that the Packers have decided to take their Super Bowl picture with everyone in it instead of leaving out those who are on injured reserve. Good move which would have only been better had the correct decision been made in the first place.
Twentyman also says out that the Lions are in a very stable position with the coaching staff and their core players intact heading into a period of labor uncertainty.
As Pompei pointed out today, the NFC North is shaping up to be one tough division next season. Whether the Bears win or not, we’re going to see some good football.
Scouts Inc.’s Matt Williamsonhad this interesting observation about the Pittsburgh-Jets game. You must be an ESPN Insider to access the entire article:
“The Steelers’ usage of Troy Polamalu is very interesting — and perhaps very telling. In Pittsburgh’s two playoff games, Polamalu’s and Ryan Clark‘s roles have often flip-flopped, with Polamalu often in deep coverage in the middle of the field instead of tormenting the offense by attacking the line of scrimmage and being used in his usual variety of ways. That tells me that he just isn’t healthy and in a way, he can be hidden in the deep middle of the field, where there is far less contact. The extra rest before the Super Bowl could do him very well.”
“What do you think about the Bears trying to hire Jeremy Bates as [Bears quarterback Jay] Cutler‘s QB coach now that he was let go by Seattle? Mark, Chicago
“In theory, it sounds good. But I don’t think it would work. It’s more important that the quarterbacks coach matches up with the offensive coordinator than that he matches up with the quarterback. Bates comes from a different offensive background than Mike Martz, and they might not be a good fit together.”
It’s a shame that Bates finds himself out in the cold after deciding to follow Pete Carroll to Seattle instead of considering the offensive coordinator position in Chicago. Carroll didn’t seem to hesitate to dump Bates when what he thought was a better guy in the form of Darrell Bevell appeared on the market.
It’s a tough business but, though Lovie Smith has been known to dump a lot more than an assistant or two over the years, its fair to wonder if he wouldn’t have been more loyal to Bates than Carroll was after only one year and a playoff appearance. My guess is that he would have had to have done much worse with the Bears than he did with Seattle for that to have happened (see Terry Shea).
Bears special teams assistant Chris Taborhas been hired as special teams coordinator for the Browns (via Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune).
Mark Potash at the Chicago Sun-Timesaddresses a great point with Bears linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa:
“And how about the most overlooked, and disturbing, statistic of the game — the Packers rushed for 119 yards on their first 26 carries (4.6 yards per carry), with six rushes for 10 or more yards. How did that happen in the biggest game of the season?
‘’‘Great coaching,’ Bears linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa said. ‘When you’re familiar with an opponent, you know how to attack them after a while. They knew what we were going to do. We come downhill and play hard defensively. So when we were doing that they were throwing the ball over our heads.
‘‘’So then we’re like, ‘We can’t come downhill as fast because then they’re going to throw it over our heads.’ But then they were running it. That’s why I give credit to [Green Bay quarterback] Aaron Rodgers and the coaching because they knew us. They did a good job of attacking us and keeping us off-balance.'”
Biggs makes this point as he discusses the players heading into free agency:
“They’re missing a third linebacker because Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs are the only players at the position still under contract with the exception of Hunter Hillenmeyer, who is on injured reserve and has an uncertain future given his history of concussions”
The Bears would be fools not to bring Hanie back – and not to give him more snaps in practice so that he’ll be better prepared for what he’s faced with. The Tribune‘s Vaughn McClure reports Bears general manager Jerry Angelo‘s thoughts:
“He showed poise. You want to look for that at the quarterback’s position. We know he’s got talent. He was thrown into the fire, literally. And I thought he did a good job and it was good to see. The only way you really evaluate a quarterback is to see him in the line of fire. So, his stock went up in our eyes, at least mine anyhow.”
Dawn Rhodes at the Tribune reports that John Stone, a car salesman, was fired for refusing to remove his Packer’s tie Monday morning. He said he wore it to “honor his late grandmother”. Give me a break. The guys’ selling cars to Bear fans in a dealership that does promotions with the team. He’s a Packer fan and he wouldn’t remove the tie when his boss told him to. End of story.
“Those who propped up Devin Hester as a No. 1 wide receiver before the season learned how off base they were. Johnny Knox would be a terrific complementary receiver. He’s not the guy a quarterbacks looks to on third-and-6 and says, ‘I’m throwing it to him and they’re not going to stop me.'”
Most Bear fans would agree, though where you put it on the priority list might be a bone of contention.
“The explanation the Bears used for their poor effort at Green Bay in Week 17, or one of the explanations anyway, was that [offensive coordinator Mike] Martz had maintained the same hot reads from the Week 3 game. The Packers were on to their adjustments quickly and it created problems for Cutler. So what’s the deal this time? It looked like Martz feared the zone blitzes from Dom Capers and the Bears were really put on the defensive. There were no answers by the Bears and tight end Greg Olsen was ignored until the fourth quarter. [Bears head coach Lovie] Smith‘s coaching decisions and the Cutler knee issue are going to dominate the headlines. But Martz was outclassed here and the Collins/Hanie thing is not a good way to go out following a season in which the offense ranked 30th.”
Former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Greg Koch went on KLIT radio in Houston and said this about Bears quarterback Jay Cutler after watching him leave the Packers game with a knee injury:
“I just never thought that his tampon would fall out on national TV. … To sit on the sideline and ride a bike like a little girl?”
Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com says that the Bears PR department should take a hit over the Cutler fiasco. I have further Cutler thoughts below. (Sorry.)
Charles Tillman provides some interesting comments in this video shot by Fred Mitchell at the Chicago Tribune:
Biggs and Tribune columnist David Haugh discuss what’s ahead in the offseason for the Bears:
Via Gregg Rosenthal at profootballtalk.com we read that linebacker Nick Barnett and tight end Jermichael Finleyhave been tweeting and they are not happy that they won’t be allowed to be part of the official Super Bowl team photo.
“’It’s kinda sad to think .. Just goes you injured yourself you not part,’ Barnett wrote.
“’We got hurt playing for the team. Its not like we got injury bs’in around,’ Finley wrote. ‘And its a team rule! Shame . . . I never trip abt anything, but the way IR players are getting treated not cool… I guess its what have u done for me lately!’”
“Holmgren learned from former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh that one of the keys to Super Bowl success was to prepare for the game at home because it’s easier to get work done there than the Super Bowl site.
“So McCarthy, like Holmgren did during the Packers’ consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s, gave his players Monday and Tuesday to take care of any and all arrangements for tickets and accommodations for family members, and then he planned to get to work on the Steelers.”
“’When we get on the plane Monday, we’ll be ready to play the game,’ McCarthy said. ‘This will be a normal week for us.’”
Detroit Lions linebacker Zack Follett referred to quarterback Matthew Stafford as a “china doll” during a radio interview in Fresno, Calif. Seemingly like everyone else in the NFL world, he was also critical of Cutler saying amongst other things that “kind of just knew that they were going to lose, hung his hat up and said, ‘All right, maybe next season.'” ESPN’s NFC North blogger Kevin Seifertcomments:
“I’m guessing most Lions players know Follett and understand his uniquely wired brain. So ultimately, Follett’s comments about Cutler could have more staying power.”
“It’s one thing for an AFC player who might never face Cutler or the Bears to take a shot. But Cunningham and the Lions play the Bears twice a year. I’m guessing these series of comments will rise to the top of the motivational file the Bears are almost certainly keeping right now.”
Follett explains his comments in this video by blaming Satan. (I’m not kidding.)
Chad Ochocinco talks about his issues with the Bengals as well as those of quarterback Carson Palmer. Amongst other things he says he needs to “fight” with coach Marvin Lewis and that he’s changing his name back to “Johnson”:
These kinds of things never happen in football. Good for the players but not nearly as much fun for the fans. Via The Sports Pickle:
One Final Thought
[Sigh] More Jay Cutler talk. I promise it will end soon. This round comes from Steve Rosenbloom at the Chicago Tribune:
“So, NFL players ripped Cutler. That’s what happens when a bunch of big goofs have more Twitter accounts than playoff games. That’s also what happens when a bunch of big goofs are Neanderthal stupid.”
“But the point is, Cutler doesn’t care about his image, so why should you?”
It will come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog regularly that I think Rosenbloom is off point here. As a Bears fan I can say that his image amongst other fans and media, that I don’t care as much about. But these comments didn’t come from the media and they didn’t come from fans. They came from his peers. I can’t believe its just dislike – plenty of them dislike each other but they wouldn’t do this.
I think what we have here is a total lack of respect. I was watching Trent Dilfer comment and I think he bottom lined it. Cutler is seen as a guy who doesn’t do the hard things he needs to do to take full advantage of his physical ability, over come adversity and be a great quarterback. He lost at Vanderbilt. He lost in Denver. When things got tough there with Josh McDaniels, he bailed.
“A former quarterback who wears a Super Bowl ring, who has studied Cutler’s entire career in the NFL, told me before he left the field Sunday, ‘The sad thing is that if he embraced working on the monotonous details of quarterbacking he could be great.'”
That’s the bottom line. I’ve been trying to make the case for years that this is more than a minor problem because the way Cutler handles his life off the football field (e.g. with the media) is an indication of how he’s handling it as a part of football. It all came to a head Sunday when his peers- not me or you – couldn’t wait to jump on him.
Total lack of respect amongst his peers. As a Bears fan that is bugs me a great deal because I think its an indication of what kind of QB Cutler is and what kind he’s likely to become.
Tom Kowalski at mlive.comquotes Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis as he defended the organization’s decision to take JaMarcus Russell instead of Detroit Lion receiver Calvin Johnson four years ago:
“There was some talk of Calvin Johnson. But you can take a look at Calvin up at Detroit. How many games did they win this year, Detroit, do you know? Six? Yeah. But up until now, Calvin hadn’t done anything for them. He had been eulogized, but he hadn’t made a lot of indelible impression on the won and lost. Listen, someone asked the question, it’s there. The JaMarcus thing hurt.”
Given Russell’s lack of success, some may see this as a comment which is off base. But I can’t get the image of Johnson blowing the Lions’ first 2010 game against the Bears out of my mind. For those who were hiding under a rock, Johnson stupidly dropped a touchdown pass as he went to the ground instead of getting up with the ball in his hands and showing the ball to the referee as receivers all over the league are trained to do.
This is the kind of mistake that veteran NFL receivers on winning teams do not make. Davis might have a point.
It should be a surprise to no one who is paying attention that Danieal Manning is likely to hit the free agent market. Manning, who actually failed to show up for workouts before singing his tender last offseason, has a rather inflated idea of what he should be getting. Vaughn McClure at the Chicago Tribune reports:
“The team extended a three-year offer in December, but it evidently fell short of Manning’s expectations.
“‘It just wasn’t an offer I thought I deserved,’ Manning said. ‘But when they gave me the offer, I didn’t want to worry about it. I just wanted to play the season out and hopefully win the Super Bowl. That was my focus.”’
Kudos to him for that. And in fairness he did have a solid season, rarely making mistakes that have plagued him in the past. He’s also a pretty good kick returner.
But the Bears, who have always been good at finding strong safeties, really needed the athletic Manning to come through at free safety. When it became evident that this wasn’t going to happen, they traded for Chris Harris and played him out of position. With any luck, Major Wright will be taking that role in the future and Harris can move over to strong safety where he belongs. That leaves Manning without a position.
The Bears would undoubtedly like to keep Manning in the role he’s in. That is, as one of three safeties all of whom provide decent depth and stabilize the position as a group. In that respect, Manning is a valuable contributor.
Having said that, he manages to find a significantly better offer, more power to him. But I think he might be disappointed in the free agent market. As McClure points out, things are likely to be a bit flat as long as the labor uncertainty persists. In addition, though Manning may find a team who values him a little more highly, I doubt any offer will be all that better than what the Bears have already put on the table. By the time he finds that out, it may be too late to return.
Bottom line, I think we fans may have seen the last of him in Chicago.
..I had to. There’s just too much here to bury it in the Points of View. And there’s a major point to be made in the end for those of you who hand in there long enough.
“I can’t believe I’m defending a guy who played so poorly in the first half Sunday and can act so unprofessionally, but Cutler doesn’t deserve the labels [as a quitter] being attached.”
General manager Jerry Angelo also got into the Cutler by taking this unfair shot at the media via Vaughn McClure and Deborah Shelton at the Tribune:
“Angelo was asked why people constantly point the finger at Cutler. “I can’t answer that,” he said. “I don’t create perceptions. You create perceptions.”
That’s true amongst fans. But its not the fans that are Cutler’s biggest problem. Neil Hayes at the Chicago Sun-Timeswould seem to agree:
“The backlash over his leaving the Bears’ 21-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers after the first series of the third quarter isn’t so much an indictment of the media, which has mostly only reported what his peers have written on their Twitter accounts, or the evils of social networking.”
Exactly. Its his fellow players, the people who know him or have talked to others who know him, that are taking the shots that count. ESPN‘s NFC North bloggerKevin Seifertspeculates as to why:
“If there were simply one or two players speaking out, maybe you could write them off as extremists. But the cross-section that we’ve already heard from suggests Cutler’s departure struck a true nerve not just among fans but among his peers as well. Part of me wonders if it was more an indictment of Cutler’s standing with his peers than it was a serious questioning of his toughness. If you don’t like someone, you’re going to be much less likely to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
This goes way beyond dislike. Players dislike each other all the time. This is a total lack of respect. As I pointed out yesterday in total agreement with Michael Wilbon, in that respect Cutler made his own bed.
Trent Dilfer at ESPN gets the last word on Cutler and I think he bottom lines the root cause for the reaction to the injury amongst current and former players. Every Bear fan should watch this video. I think he’s hit the major point square on the head. If you are not disturbed by this as a Bear fan, you should be:
“In short, all of the problems this team has experienced at different points of the season showed up in one game — and it just happened to be the most important game of the season.”
I will quibble with only one of Pompei’s grades. He gave the linebackers a 9 of 10 and I did think they made big plays in this game. But I also strongly suspect that poor linebacker play was behind many of the huge holes that we saw in the running game in the first half. I probably would have down graded them a bit more.
“For the second time in three weeks, the Packers went right at Jennings.
“Rodgers threw in Jennings’ direction 13 times and exploited him whether Jennings was playing zone or man. Only four of the 13 passes did not result in gains for the Packers.”
I agree with all of the people who believe that the Bears need to look towards improving the team at the line of scrimmage. But the Bears also need help at cornerback. Its a need that too few people are mentioning.
Not surprisingly, the Bears would like to extend Lovie Smith‘s contract rather than let him go into the 2011 season as a lame duck. Brad Biggs at the Tribune hits the nail on the head:
“The question now is how many years will be in a new deal.”
“Why is it that the Packers draft Bryan Bulaga in the first round of the NFL draft (No. 23 overall) and he starts in the NFC Championship Game and shuts down Israel Idonije. While Chris Williams, the Bears’ No. 1 pick in 2008 (14th) overall, is playing his third position and was at the very least one-fifth of a poor effort against the Packers’ defensive front Sunday?”
“How can you have a quarterback [Todd Collins] like that in the NFC Championship Game? The Packers started Matt Flynn against the Patriots on the road and nearly won. How do they do that?”
“If Frank Omiyale is the Bears’ starting left tackle next season, the Bears are in trouble. You don’t have to see the film or know what protections were called to know that the Bears should expect better than that at left tackle to win a championship. There’s room for good-but-not-great on all NFL teams, but not at key positions like that. Not when you’ve got good-but-not-great — and that’s being charitable — all the way down the line.”
For those who don’t know, the “key positions like that” are left tackle, defensive end, and quarterback. The Bears didn’t draft any of the starts at those positions.
ESPN‘s NFC North blogger Kevin Seifertreviews a couple of the unique things Packer defensive coordinator Dom Capers came up with for the Bears matchup:
“He engineered two successful surprises: Opening the game with three cornerbacks and one safety, and then making a rare line call that resulted in nose tackle B.J. Raji‘s interception return for a touchdown. The alignment in the secondary left cornerback Charles Woodson as a hybrid safety/cornerback, and defensive end Ryan Pickett said, ‘It gave us a chance to cover and it gave us a chance to play the run at the same time. We had big guys to match up on the run and we had the guys to match up with their receivers on the outside.’ If nothing else, it was the kind of back-straightening curve ball Capers is known for. Meanwhile, Capers accurately presumed the Bears would target tailback Matt Forte on a third-and-5 pass at their 15-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. As a result, he made a rarely-used call for Raji to ‘spy’ on Forte. While rookie nickelback Sam Shields blitzed, Raji backed off the line and surprised quarterback Caleb Hanie. ‘We were taking away the quick routes,’ Raji said. ‘He looked for the check down, and I was there.'”
ESPN compares the speed of Bear Devin Hester to that of… a bear:
“(NFLPA executive director) DeMaurice Smith aspires to be a politician and is milking the labor situation for short-term fame to blow up his name and help earn a spot in office, with no regard for future of the NFL. The longer his name is in the headlines, the better for his career. It’s unfortunate — a lockout is not as much about the players and owners as it is Smith’s ego.”
This report from The New York Times via ESPN would seem to support that conclusion:
“I wasn’t sure about (Panthers new head coach) Ron Rivera hiring Sean McDermott — guys who get fired usually get let go for good reason. But what you have to remember, this is going to be Rivera’s defense. He’s going to call the plays and run it. It’s a lot like Rivera when he came to Chicago. Lovie Smith was there and expected to run (the defense). There’s not as much risk as you think. What Ron needed was someone who could break it down and do the dirty work and that’s where McDermott will be great for him. I think they’ll be a great team. And I like the (Rob) Chudzinski hire (as offensive coordinator). You have to remember — San Diego had the best offense and defense in the league, and they were missing a lot of parts this season. (OLT) Marcus McNeill was out. (WR) Vincent Jackson was out. They were missing a lot of receivers. The defensive line was beat up. They coached the heck out of those guys. Carolina pulled from the right tree.”
