Bears Win Last Preseason Game, Ready For Cuts

The Chicago Bears avoided the dreaded winless preseason last night by beating the Cleveland Browns 16-10 last night.  While the outcome was what the Bears wanted, many of the players from that game remain uneasy in the aftermath.  The reason is that the game was their chance to show they deserve a spot on the 53-man roster before the final cut on Saturday.  The Bears have to let go some 21 players by tomorrow, so even the stars of last night’s game aren’t restful with their spot.  Wide receiver Brandon Rideau scored the Bears’ only touchdown and had three catches for 63 yards.

Even with his impressive game, Rideau is still holding his breath a little.  He told the Chicago Tribune, “I proved enough to know I can play. Whether I stick on this team or not, that’s totally up to the coaching staff, deciding where they need me or where they would want to put me. It used to be tough, not knowing. Now I just feel it’s not in my hands, that I just go out there and make plays and have faith.”

Luckily, he and the other players don’t have long to wait to find out.  Get your Chicago Bears tickets at StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 29, 2008 - Post a comment

Rookies Look Forward to Final Preseason Game

The last preseason game is often a chance for the starters to get a week off before the first regular season game.  That will more than likely be true for the Chicago Bears against the Cleveland Browns tonight, which opens up an opportunity for the rookies to show their stuff.  While top picks like Matt Forte and Chris Williams know they are guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster, later picks are not so sure.

One such player is offensive tackle Kirk Baron, who the bears chose in the seventh round of the draft.  He told Larry Mayer, “It’s definitely a huge opportunity because we’re going to play the majority of the game. There are going to be a lot of guys out there fighting for their lives. That’s the thing about the fourth preseason game. A lot of people think it’s meaningless, but for guys like us, it means everything.”

The Bears have to make their final roster cuts by Saturday, meaning tonight’s game is the last chance for Barton and others to prove their worth.  This will be a good game for the rookies to make a difference, too.  Both the Browns and the Bears have lost every preseason game leading up to today, making it look like a pretty even matchup.  See who makes the final roster by getting your Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 28, 2008 - Post a comment

Bears Bid Farewell to Manning Jr.

The Chicago Bears are whittling down their roster to come up with their final roster for the season opener on September 7, and that led to the release of Ricky Manning, Jr. yesterday.  Manning is a veteran cornerback who joined the team in 2006. His first year with the Bears, he registered five interceptions for 113 yards and a touchdown as well as 53 tackles.  He played in all but one game and also tallied two sacks.  His stats weren’t as high last year, although he did play in every game.  He notched 44 tackles, one sack and no interceptions.

Manning made his feelings apparent before the Bear’s decision.  He wasn’t given a starting role last season and was replaced by another Manning, Danieal.  The position as backup didn’t sit well with Manning.  He told the Chicago Tribune, “Not being a part of their plans, that’s fine with me. If that’s the mistake they want to make, hey, so be it.”

Before Manning came to Chicago, he was with the Carolina Panthers, who selected him in the third round of the 2003 draft.  In his rookie season, he had three interceptions and 57 tackles as well as a touchdown.  He had similar stats his next two seasons at Carolina before coming to Chicago for a better deal. Find your Chicago Bears tickets at StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 27, 2008 - Post a comment

Grossman Getting Used to New Role

During training camp and the first part of the preseason, quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman battled for the starting position.  In the end, the job fell to Orton and changed Grossman’s title from starter to backup.  It took Grossman awhile to speak out after the decision, and he told Larry Mayer, “My mindset hasn’t changed, just my role from everyone else’s standpoint has changed, and that’s taken a little bit of time to get over. I’ll never fully get over it and I don’t think anyone would expect me to. My motivation is to be a great player in this league and a starter again, but for right now I’ve got to be the best quarterback ready at a moment’s notice. That’s my goal and that’s my job.”

Grossman had a rough time during last Thursday’s preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, but that was his first game as a backup.  Hopefully all of the glitches are behind him, and he is ready to be what a backup quarterback should be.  Every player wants to be a starter, but the honor only goes to a select few.  Grossman had his turn as a starter at Chicago but failed to prove he should keep the job. To see Orton in action, get Chicago Bears tickets at StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 26, 2008 - Post a comment

Bears Knew About Williams Injury Before Draft

Rookie tackle Chris Williams’s herniated disc turns out to be no surprise for the Chicago Bears.  When the Bears drafted him in the first round, they already knew of his injury, but the concern increased when he further injured it in practice.  After the training camp incident, Williams had to have surgery on August 6, which will take him 10 weeks to recover from.  Williams told reporters, “I had a herniated disc before I got here. I knew that. Everyone knew that. It just was a thing where most people it doesn’t affect. It wasn’t affecting me so if nothing is broke, you don’t fix it. Then something happened in practice that second day, the disc started moving and that caused some problems.”

Like other rookies on the Bears’ roster, Williams comes from Vanderbilt, where he started 33 consecutive games. Williams was chosen 14th overall in the draft and was signed to a $16 million contract that locks him in for the next five years.  If the Bears did know about his injury prior to the draft, they must have been assured that he would be worth the money even if his back had to be fixed.  Now that they are in that position, fans are hoping they were right.  Get your Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 25, 2008 - Post a comment

O’Sullivan’s Brilliance Downs Bears

Although preseason games are hardly an indication of what a season will hold, Chicago Bears fans saw an interesting game against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday where the Niners downed the Bears 37-30.  Kyle Orton did exceptionally well and showed the Bears why they chose him as the starting quarterback, but the Bears defense seemed unexpectedly lackluster.  Coach Lovie Smith told Larry Mayer, “On the defensive side of the football, I was just completed disappointed with the entire effort. We’re a better defense than that. I thought after last week we would get that swagger back and come out strong. Every indication I got this week said that we would do that, but we didn’t get it done. We’ll go back, make the corrections and try to go from there. “

It didn’t help that the come-out-of-nowhere 49ers quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan had a nearly perfect game, completing 7 of 8 for 126 yards, a touchdown and a quarterback rating of 158.3.  Both Bears backup Rex Grossman and 49ers backup Alex Smith faltered.  Both were supposed to be stars at the helm of their teams by this point in their careers.  See how the Bears comeback from a slow preseason by getting Chicago Bears tickets at StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 22, 2008 - Post a comment

Bears Show They Care

When the Chicago Bears packed up and left training camp and Bourbonnais, they made sure that they will be remembered for more than just football. Their charity organization, Bears Care, left behind $60,000 for local charities. $30,000 of the money went to Catholic Charities of Kankakee County, while $10,000 was given to the local college’s adult literacy program, a local food pantry and an after school program. The donation to Catholic Charities will help offset the hard times the organization has been facing lately. Catholic Charities director Kathie Burgess told the Daily Journal, “Through funds for home repair and basic needs from Bears Care these grandparents’ and grandchildren’s lives and futures will be forever changed. Thank you Chicago Bears for caring.”

The Bears donated last year, but this is the first year the Catholic Charities were on the list. The Bears Care program began in 1995 and the Chicago Bears Website states that it is “committed to improving the quality of life for people in the Chicagoland community, especially disadvantaged children and their families, through targeted programs supporting education, youth athletics, and medical research and health awareness programs focusing on breast and ovarian cancer.”

It is nice to know that when you support the Bears, you are also helping to support the community. Get your Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 21, 2008 - Post a comment

Idonije Sets Sights on Defense

Special teams has always been Israel Idonije on the Chicago Bears, but he has higher aspiration for this season. The six foot six player has gained another 20 pounds with the ambition of getting on the field more as a defensive tackle. With a defense that is the focus of the team, Idonije has set his sights high.  Nevertheless, he has already impressed the coaches both at training camp and during preseason games.  He is likely to get playing time on defense during the next game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Last year, Idonije tallied some 20 tackles, 14 of which were solo. He is already building his case to have him at tackle and notes his talents by telling Larry Mayer, “I can bring some quickness to that three technique or that nose position and just use some of my length and ability. I’m a lot taller than the average tackle and a lot of guards are short-armed guys.”

With stars like Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown on defense, the Bears are already known as a top defensive team.  Having a player who is as eager to contribute as Idonije can only strengthen an already-top defense.  See how he does this season by getting Chicago Bears tickets at StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 20, 2008 - Post a comment

Orton Gets Starting Job

The debate is over.  The Chicago Bears have ended the competition for the starting quarterback position and given the job to Kyle Orton.  Rex Grossman apparently didn’t show the Bears what they were looking for in his start against the Seattle Seahawks, and coach Lovie Smith decided to go with Orton. Orton told Larry Mayer after the announcement, “Obviously I’m excited. I want to try to make the most of it and win football games. This was one of my goals going into the season. As a team, we’ve got a lot of goals to accomplish and this is just the start of it.”

The competition has been going on since training camp, where it was rumored that Orton had already pulled ahead.  Orton started the first preseason game against Kansas City and came in later during the Seahawks game. Orton hails from Purdue and was chosen by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. Grossman has been the clear starter for the past few seasons, but a string of injuries and on-field flubs have moved the once-star out of favor both with the coaching staff and with fans.  Don’t your chance to see Orton start and get Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 19, 2008 - Post a comment

Quarterback Still Up for Grabs

As of this weekend, both Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman have started one preseason game and fought hard to prove they were the man for the starting quarterback position.  While fans and media wait, coach Lovie Smith has so far stayed mum on his decision for who will start the next game, let alone who will be the starter for the regular season.  As for the stats, Orton went 7 for 10 when he started against the Kansas City Chiefs with 56 yards, no interceptions and no touchdowns.  Against the Seattle Seahawks, Grossman was 9 for 15 with 74 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

While the interception may look like a mark against Grossman, it is more a testament to the offensive line’s failing than his own.  Also, the Seahawks are an arguably much better team than the Chiefs.  Both quarterbacks made comments stating their lack of knowledge on who has the starting position, and Ron Turner remained coy as well telling Larry Mayer, “It’s not just about one guy. It’s about the entire offense. It took us a long time to get in sync. We didn’t give ourselves a chance to get anything going early because we kept hurting ourselves.”

See who starts this season by getting your Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 18, 2008 - Post a comment


 Page 1 of 3  1  2  3 »