New look on O-line

An injury to Orlando Pace helped usher in a change that some thought should have happened weeks ago; Chris Williams has taken over at left tackle. Kevin Shaffer will fill in on the right side, where is was originally brought in to play. With Omiyale reclaiming the left guard posisition, this line will look like many anticipated prior to the Pace signing. While there is not much left to be positive about this season, there is always hope that this new lineup shows some potential.

Bears trade for Gaines Adams

The Bears traded a 2010 second round pick for Tampa Bay defensive end, Gaines Adams. Here are some links on the story:

Brad Biggs
Jeff Dickerson

I don't feel qualified to comment to much on this story, so I will just give my quick two cents.

It looks like Angelo is being proactive at the DE position, which is a good idea considering Ogunleye and Anderson are both in the final year of their contracts.

I am worried about the lack of top draft picks. This will make two straight years without a first or second round pick; teams need to be able to build through the draft. On the other hand, untested top round picks are riskier than signing players who have seen NFL action. They are also aren't cheap. I feel that it is acceptable to trade away draft picks for YOUNG, quality players. Cutler and Adams fit that description.

One quick note, Adams sacked Matt Ryan twice in week 2 last season. Not sure he will even play Sunday.

Defense may struggle in Atlanta

As Kevin Seifert points out in his blog, the Atlanta Falcons will provide a formidable test for the defense. Atlanta put on quite a show last week, in their 45-10 victory against San Francisco. With Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and Michael Turner, this offense has more dimensions that the Twilight Zone.  If you focus on containing White and Michael Jenkins, Gonzalez is likely to dominate the middle of the field; if you use bracket coverage on the tight end, White will abuse one on one coverage. If the defense tries to shut down the passing game with nickel coverage, Turner will do some damage. The Bears may be forced to pick their poison.

Bye Week Assessment: Disappointments

What has disappointed you the most?

Though the Bears have won their last three games, they have been far from flawless.

Bye Week Assessment: Highlights

Which has been the most surprising?

After four weeks there have been quite a few pleasant surprises that helped the Bears win three straight when many thought they would be hard pressed to enter the bye week at 2-2.

During the offseason, many within the Bears organization claimed to have complete confidence in this receiving corp. I assumed their claims were just to boost the confidence of the inexperienced group of pass-catchers, but it appears I was mistaken. Earl Bennet leads the team with 15 catches for 200 yards. The stats of Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are almost exactly the same. Knox has 14 for 190 yards and 2 TDs; Hester has 14 for 189 yards and 2 TDs. I think it's safe to say they have exceeded the expectations of most. After the Green Bay debacle, the receivers have really impressed me.

Maiden Post - LBs after Week 3

This is my first ever post on my first ever blog and I'm just gonna get right into it. Here are my thoughts on the Chicago Bears linebacking corp after their come-back victory over the Seahawks in week 3:

The Bears are dealing with the loss of Brian Urlacher just fine. I can only think of about half a dozen plays since his season ending wrist injury where his presence was noticeably missed. Many were predicting that the Bears would miss him dearly a la the Steelers and Troy Polamalu. This LB corp has really stepped up to the occasion.

On a similar note, some have noted that the defense actually looked improved after Hunter Hillenmeyer went down with a rib injury. It's hard for me to argue against that stance despite my opinion of Hillenmeyer as one of the most underrated players on the team. Nick Roach played very well and was involved in many key plays including good coverage to clinch the game. As you can see in the plays starting at 2:20 and 4:10 in this video.

The question that now arises is, "who starts at middle linebacker next week against Detroit?" Assuming Hillenmeyer is ready to go (questionable) this will be a difficult decision for Head Coach, Lovie Smith. This is a wonderful 'problem' to have and, I believe, is a testament to both Bob Babich and the tremendous talent Chicago has boasted at the position for years in Urlacher and Lance Briggs; it goes to show what can happen when you learn from the best. In my opinion, even if Hillenmeyer is able to suit up, Roach should start at MLB under the pretense that they want to rest Hillenmeyers ribs heading into the bye week. This will give the coaching staff a chance to see what Roach can do as a starter without upsetting anyone and allow the coaches to make a decision in the off week. At this point it seems that the best possible scenario would be to have Briggs, Roach, and Pisa Tinoisamoa starting coming off the bye week; this group puts the most gifted, aggressive players on the field. We'll have to wait and see if the coaches agree.

Edit: Just read in Kevin Seifert's blog that the Bears signed LB Darrell McClover.

By the way I am (obviously) in no way affiliated with the NFL or the Chicago Bears.