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Seahawks Bears Preview

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Seattle Seahawks HC Pete Carroll
Seattle Seahawks HC Pete Carroll

Not all 0 – 2 teams are created equal.

Don’t be fooled by your co-workers comments about the Seattle Seahawks being beatable this Sunday because they are winless too. The Seahawks are a better team in every aspect and are hungry for their first win of the season.

Seattle is one of the toughest places to play in the NFL as the Seahawks look to win for the 27th time in 29 home games this Sunday against the depleted Bears. The Seahawks will also welcome the last member of the L.O.B., which will bolster an already stacked defense with Kam Chancellor ending his holdout.

The Seahawks acquired Jimmy Graham in the offseason from the Saints to help Russell Wilson and a no-name receiving core. Many experts expected Graham to have a great season due to the lack of options at the receiver position, but through 2 games Graham has 7 reception for 67 yards and 1 touchdown. Graham was only targeted 2 times against the Packers last week and voiced his displeasure via the media stating that he’s “pissed off… He hates what’s happening in Seattle.”

Seattle Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham
Seattle Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham

Expect the lack of production to change as the Bears gave up 13 TDs to opposing tight ends in 2014, the 2nd in the NFL. Graham should feast on a Bears defense who has given up 39.5 PPG this year and are not showing signs of turning things around anytime soon.

If you have any other Seahawks on your fantasy team, they should be in your line up, especially if those players are Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch or the Seattle defense.

Seattle’s defense? Oh yeah… with spaghetti arm Jimmy Clausen leading the charge, expect the Seahawks to be all over the Bears quarterback and force multiple turnovers. If Jay Cutler was taking the snaps the Bears would have been an 8 point underdog but with Clausen, thing will get ugly quickly and the Seahawks won’t let up.

A steady dose of Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett in the flat will be the Bears offense this Sunday as a vertical passing game will be virtually obsolete. The Packers back up running back, James Starks, was able to rush for 95 yards on 20 attempts so there are lanes for Forte to exploit if the Bears don’t get down by too

Chicago Bears QB Jimmy Clausen
Chicago Bears QB Jimmy Clausen

much early.

At least with Cutler behind center, the Bears were a competent football team that might lose by a touchdown but with Clausen running the show, the Bears are the worst team in the NFL.

Seahawks Bears Notes & Predictions

Key Matchup: Game vs. a Nap

Key Injuries: QB Jay Cutler (Doubtful), WR Alshon Jeffery (Questionable)

Fact: The Seahawks are tied for second in the league with 36 wins from 2012-14

Fantasy Spotlight: TE Jimmy Graham

Spread: Seahawks -14.5

Prediction: Seahawks 38, Bears 13

@WesEvans24

Whats Next for the Chicago Bears?

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soldier field

The Chicago Bears spent almost two decades looking for a “Franchise Quarterback.” It now appears they could spend the offseason trying to get rid of one.

Adam Schefter reported early Saturday morning that several NFL executives believe that any team that is willing to absorb the $25.5 million worth of guarantees in Cutler’s contract will also be looking for a decent draft pick. In other words, for the Bears to ultimately save money by trading Cutler they must also trade their first or second round draft pick. Not exactly what Bears fans, who have spent the last few weeks playing fantasy GM, wanted to hear.

In what is turning into a fitting ending to an embarrassing mess of a season, the Bears announced earlier this week that Jay Cutler would be benched on Sunday when the Bears host the Detroit Lions. Yes, they actually benched Jay Cutler… The same Jay Cutler who Chicago traded two-first round picks, a third round pick and Kyle Orton (and his neck beard) for back in 2009. The only person who seemed surprised by this decision was Cutler himself when he met with the media on Thursday.

“I was shocked I think at first,” Cutler said. “And then I was disappointed.”

The newly-benched quarterback is not the only person who is disappointed. Bears fans as well as local and national media had huge expectations for Cutler and the Chicago offense this season, but instead the Bears have struggled to move the ball and have been crtizied for showing no heart and predictable play calling. While it is easy to blame the offensive struggles on Cutler alone, many have wondered if his teammates ever actually committed to him.

“I don’t think I can answer that,” Cutler said Thursday. When asked if he ever wondered that himself he replied, “Yeah, I think everyone would. Its a natural response to wonder that.”

So, if Cutler is not the answer, who is? Jimmy Clausen will make his first start since 2010 and unless he has improved tremendously since his days in Carolina, we have seen what he has to offer. (And it’s not good.) The Bears can also forget about attempting to draft a franchise quarterback. If they have to trade their first round pick just to package Cutler, they would miss out on the FEW options available in this years weak quarterback draft class. That would most likely mean the Bears would go through rebuilding mode once again and start all over from scratch. However, if hell freezes over and head coach Marc Trestman does not get fired at the end of the season, he has not ruled out Cutler returning as the Bears starting quarterback in 2015.

“Thats where we are now,” Trestman answered thursday when asked about Cutler’s future. “That doesn’t mean the evolutionary process of Jay’s growth as a quarterback can’t continue and he can’t get to where we think he can be. Because every quarterback is on their own journey and some people go through these times. There’s clearly evidence historically that players are 30-years old, 31-years old and haven’t reached their full potential, and by the time they conclude their career they have.”

So now the Bears have to ask themselves if they are willing to fork over big money to see if Cutler finally “evolves” into the player many thought he could be. After another injury riddled season last year Cutler came into the 2014 campaign healthy and ready to prove his doubters wrong and show he is worth the big contract he received, instead Cutler leads the NFL in interceptions (18) and turnovers (24). The final straw was last Monday’s awful performance against the New Orleans Saints when Cutler threw three interceptions and was sacked a season high seven times. Hardly a franchise quarterback performance on national television.

The strangest thing about the benching of Cutler is the fact that he will still be active on Sunday, and rookie David Fales will not. Meaning if, heaven forbid, Jimmy “Touchdown” Clausen goes down with an injury, Cutler steps right back behind center… Think a guy with an “attitude problem” will swallow his pride and give all of his effort in a relief appearance? Yeah, me neither… Could Trestman just be proving a point to the Bears’ front office that his offense works with a diffrent quarterback and by showing Jay has been the problem all along? Who really knows anymore, the only thing we do know know now is getting rid of Jay wont be as easy as it would in “Madden 15” and the Bears may have to question whether it is worth a draft pick or not.

In today’s NFL, nothing really surprises me anymore. However, if major changes aren’t made around Halas Hall I would be shocked. The Bears are a mess and it’s not just the head coach and the quarterback, it’s everybody in the locker room and front office. For years the Bears’ front office has given Jay Cutler the benefit of the doubt. First, he did not have the necessary weapons to win, then he did not have the offensive line, then it was his offensive coordinators fault, then it was the head coach who only understood defense, now it’s the coach who doesn’t understand football. The point is, it’s about time they realize exactly what Jay is. He is an average quarterback with tremendous physical gifts and talent, but unfortunately he is also a terrible decision maker, and clearly cannot lead a team to a Super Bowl. The problem is few quarterbacks can lead you to a Super Bowl.

Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Manning are all elite quarterbacks. Luck and Wilson are almost there, Big Ben is a proven winner and Flacco had one of the greatest postseasons we have ever seen a few years back. Everybody else in the league is average. To win in the NFL you need to be a great football TEAM. Only a handful of quarterbacks can lead you to a title based on their talent alone and even they need tons of help to win in the postseason. We see teams reach every year in the draft looking for a franchise quarterback. Look at Christian Ponder, Matt Leinart, Johnny Manziel, etc… Every team is looking for a great NFL quarterback, the problem is there’s not a ton of them out there. Thats why we see guys like Dalton, and even Cutler himself get the big deals, everybody is looking for the next great quarterback.

Needless to say the Bears have some big decisions to make this offseason, hopefully for the fans it is finally the right one.

Lions – Cutlerless Bears Preview

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thWYQ0G5T5It has happened.

I never thought this day would come… in a million years, I would never have believed that the Chicago Bears would be more of a joke then the Jacksonville Jaguars.

From top to bottom, the Bears organization has failed this city and it has left its fan base shaking their heads and questioning their allegiance.

It’s bad enough to be 5 – 9 going into their week 16 matchup against the Lions, and that they also kept their defensive coordinator on the payroll… not to mention, allowing their offensive coordinator to divide the locker room and defile his players trust without any repercussion… but to turn Jay Cutler into a victim and encourage the masses to take pity on him is unforgivable.

We (the masses) were having such a nice time ripping Cutler’s poor performances and blaming him for Sony’s decision to not show The Interview in theaters… but after the benching and the questions surrounding Trestman/Emery’s future, we now look at him like Bambi after his mother was shot.

“Shocked at first, and then disappointed… I didn’t see this coming,” Jay Cutler said in his press conference Thursday.

We were shocked too, Jay.

By the way, who is Jimmy Clausen?thOXY2H3EB

Drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 2nd round out of Notre Dame in 2010, Clausen went 1 – 9 in his rookie season and hasn’t started a game since 2010. The Panthers went 2 – 14 that year and landed Cam Newton with the 1st overall pick in 2011, ending Clausen’s time as a starter in Carolina. During his preseason snaps with the Bears, Clausen was 24 – 37 for 280 yards, 2 TDs and 1 interception.

So Cutler is benched and Jimmy Clausen is getting the start against one of the best defensives in the NFL. A defense that has Ndamukong Suh and Ezekiel Ansah, who have combined for 14 sacks and are giving up the least amount of yards per game on the ground.

Last time these two teams met, Matt Forte only ran the ball 5 times and the Bears got destroyed 34 – 17 on Thanksgiving. It is hard to believe that the outcome this Sunday will be much different, especially with a backup quarterback and a team who is looking towards the offseason.

Jay Cutler’s full press conference about him being benched for Jimmy Clausen

Key Matchup: Jimmy Clausen starting vs. Jay Cutler sideline presence

Key Injuries: WR A. Jeffery (Prob.), K R. Gould (Out), S C. Conte (Out)

Fact: First time Jay Cutler has been healthy for an entire season since 2009

Spread: Lions -9

Prediction: Lions 31, Bears 13

@WesEvans24

Lions Bears

 

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Weekend Sports Report – 12/18/14

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Jimmy Clausen interview
Jimmy Clausen addresses the Chicago media

with Dave Rusch and Steve Leventhal

..join us with our guest Les Grobstein from the Score 670 in Chicago, as we look at the Bears quarterback mess.  Highly paid Jay Cutler is being benched to give journeyman Jimmy Clausen a chance to start against Detroit on Sunday.  Everything that can go wrong for the Monsters of the Midway has gone wrong in 2014. Will it cost Marc Trestman his job?  Will Cutler have a new address next Fall?  We discuss this and more.  Ryan the intern looks at the big games this weekend with playoff implications.

Hear interview audio from Trestman, Cutler, and Clausen, plus Lions coach Jim Caldwell, Aaron Rogers, Julius Peppers, and Russell Wilson of Seattle.

Don’t miss cameos from Dan Patrick and Bob Costas.

 

” Miller Time” for Bears Offense In Preseason Opener

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Bears Training Camp

Martellus who? That is what fans were asking on Friday night when the Bears kicked off their 2014 preseason schedule at Soldier Field against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tight End Zach Miller made his debut in a Chicago Bears jersey in spectacular fashion, catching a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jay Cutler with 3:18 to play in the first quarter. Miller, who was filling in for the suspended Bennet, would make the most of his opportunity as he split time at the tight end position with Dante Rosario throughout the first half. The five year pro wasnt finished after his first touchdown grab either. Miller would also catch a 12-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Jordan Palmer in the second quarter before finishing his night with six grabs for 68 yards and two touchdowns.

“It felt good to go out there and make some plays,” Miller said after the game. “I am just trying to take it one play at a time and improve.”

After sitting out the last two seasons, Miller looked hungry for a chance to be back in the league. He signed with the Bears this offseason, after spending all of 2012 on the injured reserve, and sitting out the 2013 season after being waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has 45 career receptions and four touchdowns all while playing in Jacksonville from 2009-2012. He also knows it was only one preseason game and he will have to improve his blocking to make the team.

“That is something I have to improve on,” Miller added. “We will cut up the tape and see what I can do to improve.”

It was not only Miller who impressed the home crowd Friday night, Jay Cutler looked solid as well, completing 9 of 13 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Marshall had five receptions on six targets for 31 yards, and Alshon Jeffery made a tough catch for 16 yards that received an ovation from the crowd before the starters would exit for the remainder of the game. Cutler spoke after the game about the Bears’ performance in the first audition before the season opener against the Buffalo Bills.

“There were some mistakes out there,” Cutler said, “some things to clean up, but the guys were really efficent getting in and out of the huddle, getting to our checks. The guys did well.”

While the passing game was on point for the Bears, the rushing attack struggled to get anything going against the Eagles. Matt Forte would carry the ball three times for negative five yards. Rookie KaDeem Carey finally got a chance to show what he could do after spending most of training camp on the sideline or the ground. He would carry the ball 10 times for only 23 yards, in a disappointing debut for the former Arizona Wildcat. Carey will have to improve as he is currently No.3 on the depth chart behind Forte and Shaun Draughn.

In the battle to backup Jay Cutler, quarterbacks Jordan Palmer and Jimmy Clausen played the 2nd and 3rd quarters respectively, with Clausen displaying the early advantage once again much like in training camp. Palmer would connect with Miller on a 12-yard touchdown, but he also threw a ugly interception to Eagles safety Nate Allen, and was nearly picked on another attempt. Clausen on the other hand dazzled in his chance at redemption. After the disaster that was his stay in Carolina, the Bears gave Clausen a chance to win the backup job this summer with Palmer being unproven. Clausen completed 7-13 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns, one on a 73-yard toss to speedy-wide-receiver Chris Williams.

“I just tried to look the safety off and give him a chance to score on that,” Clausen said. “He ran underneath it and made a great play.”

Receiver, Michael Spurlock, would catch the other touchdown from Clausen on a 22-yard touchdown before giving up the offense to rookie David Fales. Head coach Marc Trestman had nothing but encouraging words for all of his quarterbacks after the game.

“I thought all the quarterbacks at some point had some adversity along the way,” Trestman said. “They were all able to come back and make it a positive note in some fashion.”

The Bears will return to training camp in Bourbonnais with practice on Sunday at 3:00 pm. No word yet if Martellus Bennet will be back with the team by then. If not, at least they have “Miller Time”, (joking of course, or am I?).

While Jordan Palmer may have seen second team reps on Friday night, and KaDeem Carey saw most of the carries. Expect everyone to get chances to impress in the preseason. Click below to hear offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer explain how the preseason depth chart can change.

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Fuller Has Impressive First Day at Bears Camp ( Audio)

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bearsrrss

The Chicago Bears spent this offseason adding playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, including the No.14 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Kyle Fuller, who instantly became a fan favorite on the opening day of practice in Bourbonnais.

Fuller intercepted both Jordan Palmer and Jimmy Clausen during an 11-on-11 scrimmage Friday. However, what was even more impressive was the fact that it was his first day of training camp in the NFL.

” I feel like I handled it pretty well” Fuller said, ” Definitely a confidence booster, you have to continue to work hard, and come out here and get better every day”

While it was only the first day of practice, and there were no pads, it was still pretty evident that Fuller will be able to make an immediate impact for a Chicago Bears defense, which already features two, veteran,Pro Bowl caliber defensive backs (Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings).

Another impressive observation about Fuller— was that even when he was not making plays, he was always in good position. The Bears are hoping he will be able to play in the nickel package and move inside and cover the slot.

Some fans were shocked when the Bears did not draft a safety with the 14th overall pick in the draft. However, Fuller showed the same ball-hawking tendencies on Friday that he did at Virginia Tech, where he broke up 34 balls, and had six interceptions, while logging 42 career starts. He was also a team captain at Virgina Tech, where he played on the same team as his brother Corey. ( now with the Lions)

“It was a good start for Kyle,” Bears head coach Marc Trestman said.“That was a terrific play he made in the first series of the day. The second one we had the wrong route, but he was in the right place and made the play.

Click below to hear Kyle Fuller discuss his first day of practice at Bears

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