Hester Ready to Run

Bears special team touchdown machine and only player every to receive a 100 speed rating in Madden, Devon Hester is ready to take his position in the Bears offense. According to an article on chicagosports.com, Hester is nearly jumping out of his skin at the prospect of not only catching punts, but passes as well. Hester will be lining up at the line of scrimmage as a wide receiver in 2007 for the first time in his NFL career.

Hester isn’t the only person excited to see what he can do for the Bears offense.  Bears fans everywhere have to be freaking out.  I’m not even a Bears fan, and to be honest, I can barely contain my excitement over the idea of Hester juking and dodging members of opposing secondaries on the way to the end zone.  For Chicago, whose defense has been nearly legendary as of late, it is time for the offense to set up, and Hester may provide the spark that helps the Bears catch fire.

You can buy all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com. 

Permalink - Posted in General on June 15, 2007 - Post a comment

Ditka Defends Position

Chicagosports.com has a great story on Mike Ditka hanging up on former player and current trustee on the retirement board that oversees disability cases Dave Duerson on a talk radio show in Chicago during an argument over Ditka’s stance on what the NFLPA is not doing to help ex-players after they leave the league, especially as it pertains to disability payments. Ditka apparently felt that Duerson was being very disrespectful, so he simply cut the conversation off.

Ditka felt the need to defend his position as it was Duerson who accused Ditka of not caring about his players’ injuries when he was a coach. That story seems to have lost steam, as no other players have come forward to support such an accusation.  The problem right now for the NFLPA is that they are just coming across terribly.  No matter how many facts they seem to put out there as it pertains to what they’re doing to help the players, the union seems to be losing the battle in the court of public opinion.  Whether or not this will actually affect the eventual outcome of this battle over disability payments remains to be seen.

You can buy all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com. 

Permalink - Posted in General on June 14, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears Sign Fullback

Espn.com has reported the the Chicago Bears have signed former Arizona Cardinals fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo.  Ayanbadejo was released by the Cardinals a week ago to save the Cards some money.  Obafemi’s brother, Brendon Ayanbadejo also plays for the Bears. Obafemi will take the roster spot of former Bears fullback Bryan Johnson.  Speculation of out espn.com has Ayanbadejo making somewhere around 700k next season.

So the Bears now employ the Ayanbadejo brothers.  Is it just me or does that sound like some sort of awesome group of brothers who should be performing death defying stunts in the 1920s or something?  Obafemi Ayabadejo is certainly one of the funnier names in the NFL, though possibly not the hardest to spell.  There are a couple others, that I would mention here, but I  haven’t a clue how to spell their names and don’t want to embarrass  myself.

You can buy all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com. 

Permalink - Posted in General on June 13, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears Get a Boost from Harris

An article on espn.com reports that Tommy Harris, Defensive Tackle and Pro Bowler for the Bears, has returned to practice.  Harris had been out of commission since December 2006 with a hamstring injury.  He did not play a down for the Bears during the playoffs in last year’s Super Bowl run.  After surgery to repair his torn left hamstring, Harris was finally cleared to practice again this week.

This must be music to the ears of everyone in the Chicago Bears family, from players to coaches to front office management to the diehard Bears fans.  The Bears are especially thin at D tackle this year,  with Tank Johnson suspended and two other tackles leaving for other teams.  Harris could provide veteran leadership for a talented but untested corps of tackles who will be expected to step up this year.  Having his back at 100% at the start of the season would be a huge help to the Bears.

You can buy all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com. 

Permalink - Posted in General on June 12, 2007 - Post a comment

Dikta Changing his Tune?

While Former NFL player and coach Mike Ditka has become one of the most vocal and ardent voices for players’ rights, espeicially in regards to former players who are now retired and dealing with long standing injuries from their playing days.  This report claims that there may be some hyprocrisy to Ditka’s stance.  Some of his former players have gone on record as saying that Ditka was much less sympathetic about player injuries back in the day.
This article is extremely interesting and worth a read.  It showcases many of the underlying issues in what seems at first glance to be a very simple case of the Big Bad NFL turning its back on its former players.  Factually speaking, this is a much deeper issue, one in which there are coaches who feel pressured to win, players who feel pressured to not only perform, but to never be perceived as weak.  The NFL must certainly shoulder a great deal of the blame for their treatment of former players, but factually speaking, this is a very complex issue with a lot of layers.

You can buy all your Chicago Bears Tickets at www.stubhub.com. 

Permalink - Posted in General on June 11, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears Rookie Getting Through Tough Time

It seems there is no rest for the weary.  According to the Chicago Bears website, Tory Collins, the Bears rookie defensive tackle, is having a particularly rough few weeks.  After receiving a phone call just before Memorial Day weekend from friend Marquise Hill, inviting him out for a weekend on the lake, Collins called his friend back and left him a message, declining the invitation.  A few days later, he found out his close friend had drowned that weekend.

No stranger to hardship in the past few years, Collins has dealt with the difficulties, both for himself and his family, going through Hurricane Katrina.  A New Orleans native, Collins’ family was hit very hard, losing everything in the storm.  In 2006, Collins also lost his brother, who only 30 years old.  Collins, however, is pushing on.  An undrafted rookie, he has already signed with the Bears after impressing team officials during a rookie mini-camp.  Hopefully, Collins will be able to reach down deep to find the strength to get through this difficult time in his life.

You can buy all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com. 

Permalink - Posted in General on June 8, 2007 - Post a comment

Anthony Adams Loving his New Home

Off-season acquisition, defensive tackle Anthony Adams is enjoying his new team very much, according to a report from the Daily Southtown.  Adams, who came to Chicago from San Francisco, may very well get some of his playing time in covering for Tank Johnson during Johnson’s high profile suspension.  Wherever the Bears decide to plug Adams into their already scary defense, he seems to be relishing the opportunity to make an impact with a winner.

Honesty, what elite defensive player in the NFL wouldn’t be excited to play for the Bears right now?  They’re the best in the business.  Especially Adams, a player built for the 4-3 scheme who was forced to adjust his play to the new 3-4 scheme in  San Francisco before being benched and then leaving the team altogether.  Adams is a multi-talented back out of Penn State.  Bears fans should get used to hearing his name quite a bit, as he will be making a quick name for himself in the upcoming season, no doubt.

You can buy all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com. 

Permalink - Posted in General on June 7, 2007 - Post a comment

Bears Sign Arena League Receiver

According to the Chicago Bears website, the Bears signed wide receiver Timon Marshall on Tuesday to a three-year contract. Marshall has been in the Arena League for the past five years, where he had quite a bit of success.  The terms of the contract were not disclosed.  Marshall plays both offense and defense.  He also does special teams work. With Devon Hester moving to offense, the Bears may have brought Marshall into the fold for kick returns.

This is obviously a drastic step up for Marshall.  To go from the AFL to the NFL is always great.  But to go from the Arena League to a three year contract with a Super Bowl contender must be a dream come true.  Good luck to Marshall in his new NFL career.  Here’s hoping
You can buy all your Chicago Bears tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 6, 2007 - Post a comment

Replacing a Tank

Len Pasqualrelli has written an interesting piece on what the Bears will be doing during Tank Johnson’s absence.  Johnson was suspending by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for eight games, with the option to bring that suspension down to six games if Johnson complies with certain league stipulations.  The Bears have already gone on record stating that they expect Johnson to be back after six games.

This article is great because it highlights some of the Bears young talent and also brings a somewhat lost angle of this story to the forefront - the fact that Tank Johnson is quite the impressive NFL defensive lineman.  Johnson’s off-field problems have shadowed the fact that he plays his heart out every week on the field, and he will certainly be difficult to replace, to say the least.

You can buy all of your Chicago Bears tickets at stubhub.com. 

Permalink - Posted in General on June 5, 2007 - Post a comment

Goodell Suspends Tank Johnson

Espn.com is reporting that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has handed down Tank Johnson’s suspension.  The suspension is to last eight games, during which Tank will be able to reduce the suspension to only six games if he meets certain conditions.  Tank is expected, obviously, to stay out of trouble with the law during the suspension, and is also to undergo counseling. The last stipulation of the possible shortening of his suspension, however, is a bit more interesting.

Johnson can shorten his suspension by two games  if he does not participate in team practices or workouts.  This leaves the Bears and Johnson in a conundrum.  Do they keep Johnson in all the practices and workout sessions, making sure that he is certainly ready to compete at the midpoint of the season?  Or do they keep him away, in an effort to get him back on the field sooner, running the risk that he may not be in playing shape when his suspension is up?  Only time will tell.

You can buy all your Chicago Bears tickets at stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 4, 2007 - Post a comment


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