Roach Fills in Nicely

Over the last several years, the Chicago Bears have been known for their top linebackers, but this year is turning out to be a little different. Star linebacker Brian Urlacher is out for the season because of a wrist injury. That same game, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa was hurt and hasn’t returned since. Longtime Bear Hunter Hillenmeyer filled in for Urlacher, but now he is also down with a rib injury. All of the injuries have brought a new opportunity for linebacker Nick Roach, and he has shown that he is ready to carry on the Bears legacy in his position.

Coach Lovie Smith said, “Nick Roach going in for Hunter Hillenmeyer did a great job. We’ve had to shuffle our linebacker corps around a little bit, but the guys are making the plays.”

The opportunity seems to be right on time for Roach, who said, “I feel good about it. It’s definitely fun, kind of [being] in the middle of everything. It’s kind of like watching a big TV screen; you get to see all the action and be around it… Hunter is obviously a good player. He’s been doing a great job in the middle since Brian’s been out for a short while. But we’re definitely prepared if we have to be to go forward [without him].”

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 30, 2009 - Post a comment

Forte Fought Through Knee Injury

Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte had his best game so far this season against the Seattle Seahawks, finishing with 66 yards on 21 attempts. That feat is even more impressive considering the Forte revealed that he played through a knee injury he suffered during the fourth quarter.

Forte said, “I went inside and got taped, so I was straight. That’s part of football: You have to play hurt. You’ve got to be smart about it. But if you can play, you play. (The knee) doesn’t feel natural, but you still have to go out there and make the most of it… We were getting close to popping one here and there today. Part of that is on me. I’ve got to break a few tackles. I’ve got to make something happen. Once I make a little move, I have to gain 20, 30 yards. I have to pop the big one.”

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner revealed he flexed the Bears’ depth at wide receiver to give Forte a break during the game. He said, “We’re going to use all of our backs. We have a lot of confidence in  [Adrian Peterson]. We’ve got a lot of confidence in Garrett [Wolfe]. So we’re going to put those guys in to spell Matt and give them opportunities to make some plays.”

Forte isn’t satisfied with the stats, and wants the 100-plus yards a game he was used to last season. See him live by getting Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 29, 2009 - Post a comment

Hester and Cutler Connect for Win

The Chicago Bears topped the Seattle Seahawks yesterday because of a final touchdown drive that put them on top 25-19. One of the big stories from that game was the apparent chemistry between quarterback Jay Cutler and wide receiver Devin Hester-a chemistry that had been absent until this game. The culmination of this chemistry came at the final touchdown of the game when Cutler hit Hester for a 36-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes remaining. The reason Cutler looked for Hester, according to news reports, was because Hester asked Cutler directly for the ball.

Their choice to throw instead of run showed a new mentality for the Bears in pressure situations. Cutler said, “I want the ball in those situations, and I think this offense is starting to get a feel for it. Any time you can get Devin Hester one-on-one, it works.”

When the dust settled, Hester finished the game with five receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. Earl Bennett was another favorite target for Cutler, finishing with four receptions for 80 yards. After a slow start, Cutler came back to finish 21 of 27 for 247 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 126.4, his best rating so far this season. See him live by getting Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 28, 2009 - Post a comment

Houshmandzadeh Challenges Bears Cornerbacks

The Chicago Bears will be taking on the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday, and Seahawks wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh has been making sure that the Bears’ defensive backs have some fire coming into the game. This week, Houshmandzadeh talked to reporters and made it very clear how he thought he would do against cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Zack Bowman. He said, ” I feel like I’m going to get open every play, every time. But that’s not going to be the case. Those guys get paid well. I feel I’m going to win regardless, but I have to be realistic. I feel I’m going to win 95 percent of the time and they can get the other 5… It doesn’t matter who it is. It can be inexperienced, it can be Champ Bailey, it doesn’t matter. I feel like I am going to get open and if the protection is there, it doesn’t matter who it is.”

Bowman and Tillman were asked about his comments, but decided not to engage in the debate. Linebacker Lance Briggs spoke up for them and said, “I’ll take a Bear corner over Houshmandzadeh any day. He sounds like a bitter guy. He was bitter about it. Maybe he wanted to play in Chicago. If he’s going to show what he’s going to do on Sunday, I’ll tell you what: So are we, so am I. I’ve been playing against T.J. since college, so I know what type of competitor he is. The guy can play. But his personal feelings toward us, I could (not) care less.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 25, 2009 - Post a comment

Smith Says Bears Will Still Run

So far this season, the Chicago Bears have had to rely mostly on their passing game, as their running game has gone up against some tough run defenses. Coach Lovie Smith, however, insists that the Bears are still a run-first offense. That will be good news to star running back Matt Forte, who has yet to amass the big yards he was known for last season.

Smith said, “We realize that we need to get more production from our running game, but I think our running game is what allowed us to pass the ball as well as we did. Teams come in thinking about stopping our run. We haven’t had a lot of yards. [But] I think with being a running team and continuing to run the ball-and just by knowing that we’re a running team-that’s enough in itself right there. Some days a team will gang up on the run and we’ll beat them passing the ball… We’re still a running football team. Some games, though, we may have to lean on the pass a little bit more like we did this past week. But we want to get the running game going each week.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 24, 2009 - Post a comment

Davis Shines as Replacement

The Chicago Bears game against the Pittsburgh Steelers brought to light some new stars, and one person key to the 17-14 victory was tight end Kellen Davis. Most haven’t heard much of the second-year pro, but he proved himself a needed talent as he was filling in for a hurt Desmond Clark. And Davis wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass.

He said, “It was a great feeling for me to finally get some meaningful snaps, and to get out there and have a chance to make some plays… Most definitely (the NFL is a league where you have to take advantage of your opportunities). It was unfortunate what happened to Desmond, but I had to step up. It’s my job to come in and step up so it was pretty simple.”

In the game against the Steelers, Davis had five receptions for 38 yards and one touchdown. Clark is expected to miss at least another a couple more weeks, fans are going to get to see more of Davis, which probably is a good thing considering how well he is fitting into the offense. Fans can catch Davis and other stars by getting Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 23, 2009 - Post a comment

Knox Proves Worth

Everyone may be talking about the redemption of quarterback Jay Cutler after the Chicago Bears big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he isn’t the only one to draw some attention from the performance. In both the first game and the second, rookie wide receiver Johnny Knox has been impressing everyone and showing himself as one of Cutler’s favorite targets.

Coach Lovie Smith attributes his success to him mastering the change to the NFL well, but he can’t explain how. Smith said, “I don’t know exactly the reason. If you would talk to him, he probably saw it playing out this way. I just know the guy has made progress seems like every time we’ve put him in position to… He has some good raw ability. Great speed. He’s really catching the ball well, running good routes. Even as a returner, we’ve gotten a lot of production from him.”

In the first game against the Packers, Knox had two receptions for 82 yards despite the loss. Against Pittsburgh, he had six receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown. His stats are only going to improve this season, so get Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 22, 2009 - Post a comment

Bears Stun Steelers

The Chicago Bears had a rough start to their regular season with a road loss to their rival Green Bay Packers. Few things could take away the pain of that loss, but beating the defending Super Bowl champs was just what the doctor ordered. The Bears shocked nearly everyone by topping the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14, thanks to a last minute 44-yard boot by Robbie Gould.

One of the biggest differences between the Packers game and the Steelers game was the play of quarterback Jay Cutler. The quarterback explained, “It was Week 1 to Week 2. That’s kind of when you make the biggest jump, and guys were in sync. We started off pretty basic. We wanted to kind of see what they were doing, and as the game went on we started making more and more plays. Guys fought hard today. We knew it was going to be 60 minutes. We knew it was going to come down to the last couple drives, and guys hung in there and we made plays when we had to.”

Cutler finished the game with 236 passing yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 104.7. See them play live with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 21, 2009 - Post a comment

New Starters Take Field on Sunday

The Chicago Bears defense is sure going to look different when they take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Linebacker Brian Urlacher is out for the season, making Hunter Hillenmeyer into a starter. Also, Nate Vasher will be out as a starting quarterback with Zachary Bowman replacing him. Bowman was drafted during the 2008 draft, but was forced to miss almost all of last season with a biceps injury. Now, he is healthy and ready to show some of the exciting action that got him noticed in the first place.

Coach Lovie Smith said, “Zack Bowman had played as well as anyone throughout the spring. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, you never know what would have happened. Zack has earned the right to start opposite Charles [Tillman].”

Bowman said, “I’m excited. It’s a good opportunity. I’ve been blessed with it and I’m just going to go out there and do my best and try to help this team win.”

Other new starters to keep an eye on are Nick Roach and Jamar Williams. They will share reps at strongside linebacker while Pisa Tinoisamoa recovers from an injury suffered during last Sunday’s game. See them in action with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 18, 2009 - Post a comment

Field Could Hamper Play in Home Opener

The Chicago Bears have their home opener this Sunday against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. While the players are undoubtedly pouring over tapes this week, they all seem to have another concern as well: the field. Running back Matt Forte said of the Bears field, “I’m definitely concerned about it. I make a lot of cuts out there, and that’s important being a running back. And [it's important] to the special teams and every part of the offense and defense. I just hope the field is set in.”

Forte is joined by other players with concerns. Defensive End Adewale Ogunleye said, “They have a survey every year, and they ask players to rate the worst field in the league. Some games — during the game — I’m telling guys, ‘Next year when you have that survey, make sure you put our field down as the worst in the league.’ It is. It’s bad. When the weather gets a little wet and cold, our field is as bad as it gets.”

The field is being re-sodded before the opener because of recent concerts held at Soldier Field, which could make the turf loose. Team spokesman Scott Hagel said, “The most important thing to the organization is a safe surface. Everything is within NFL guidelines.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 17, 2009 - Post a comment


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