As 2012 rears its head, the Midway Monsters faithful have a lot to be excited about. Unfortunately, history has taught us that Bear fans get excited just about every year, and the hype is paid off about as consistently as a Rex Grossman stat line...
Chicago Bears: A Better Pass Rush Will Lead to More Success
Sep 6, 2012
This week’s Chicago Bears note of importance, is surrounding the Bears defense and how well Brian Urlacher and his knee and will hold up in the season opener. Urlacher’s knee has been the talk of the preseason and has overshadowed the influx of pass rushers up front.
Everyone should know that what makes any defense successful in the NFL is how much pressure you can get on the quarterback.
After a season in which the Bears ranked near the bottom in sacks per pass attempt, they needed to dramatically improve their pass rush from a year ago. Israel Idonije’s production began to decline and the Bears had no real depth behind Julius Peppers and Idonije. The success of the defense relied too heavily on Pepper's pass rush production, and it was apparent an upgrade was needed.
When new general manager Phil Emery arrived he made it his goal to enhance the talent on the Bears' defensive line. He added Shea McClellin with the team's first pick in April's draft, and Amobi Okoye is back to bolster the interior pass rush. The Bears have an even better interior pass rush threat with Nate Collins serving as the fifth DT.
The Bears are focusing on putting their four best pass rushers out there at any one time, and they’ve done that with speed. On nickel situations the Bears can rotate in either Okoye or Idonije and bring in McClellin’s speed off the edge.
Idonije looks like he’s ready to have one of his best seasons in Chicago after putting together one of the best training camps of his career. Idonije racked up 2.5 sacks against the Redskins in Week 2 of the preseason and appears to be in better shape.
McClellin is ideally suited to be a situational pass rusher. More often than not, that will be in the nickel.
Chicago’s defense spent about 50 percent of the time in their nickel package during the 2011 season.
That much time spent out of their regular 4-3 defense meant they had to counter teams with more speed in their front four. Now, the Bears go two deep at all four positions on the line for the first time in a long time.
Henry Melton, Okoye, Collins and Idonije can rush from the nickel DT spot, while Peppers, McClellin, Corey Wootton and Cheta Ozougwu rush with speed off the edge.
That eight man rotation will ensure the Bears are healthy and fresh along the defensive line deep into the season. Plus if there are any injuries, there won’t be much of a drop in production because the influx of talent is evident up front.
The expectation should be that the Bears get more out of their pass rush and that alone will likely make the defense that much better in 2012.
Bears' Julius Peppers Has Nagging Injury, Defensive Pass Rush Will Not Falter
Aug 26, 2012
Reports are surfacing that Chicago Bears DE Julius Peppers has plantar fasciitis which will likely have him playing in pain throughout the season.
The term "nagging injury" is often thrown around a lot, and the appliance of the term couldn't be any more fitting in this case. Plantar fasaciitis can need nine months or more to heal so Peppers likely will deal with it all season.
The pain likely won't hamper Peppers' play, and it also should not affect the production of the Bears' pass rush. The Bears are likely to keep four defensive ends and two of those young DEs should step up and be more productive in the pass rush than the players tasked with getting to the QB last year.
Peppers' snaps should already be limited this season due to Shea McClellin's presence and Corey Wootton's emergence. Wootton likely makes the roster and should immediately contribute. There is no more waiting for him to come in and make an impact, it has to happen.
Shea McClellin has one job: rush the passer and contribute five or more sacks on the season. McClellin was drafted to come in and be a force on third downs and whatever production he adds will be better than the 2011 production from the third DE.
A healthy Corey Wootton, should also contribute five or more sacks on the season. Wootton has enjoyed a strong camp and has shown he is healthy and ready to contribute.
Those 10 sacks at a minimum are nine more than the Bears received from the third and fourth DEs in 2011.
Corey Wootton battled injuries throughout last season, and Chauncey Davis, Nick Reed and Mario Addison combined for one sack during the 2011 season.
Production from the third and fourth defensive end spots this year should be light years ahead of last year. This in turn should lessen the amount of snaps Peppers takes and help to keep his production at a high level in the fourth quarter.
Peppers enjoyed a strong season last year racking up 11 sacks for the Bears and over 55 quarterback pressures.
Even if that production drops slightly, the Bears will more than make up with a drop in production from the production of the other DEs on the roster.
Madden 13: Julius Peppers and Top 10 Rated Defensive Players on Game
Aug 20, 2012
Julius Peppers will again anchor the Chicago Bears defensive line—in real life and on Madden 13. EA Sports released this video highlighting the 10 most highly-rated defensive players in this year's game, and Peppers is one of them.
He is the only Chicago Bears player in the top 10, but the Bears should still be a solid defensive unit in the game.
The San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens are the only two teams with two players in the top 10. But the 'Niners D takes it to the next step with two in the top five. The brothers Harbaugh will again have the nastiest defenses on the game at their disposal.
Check out the video for your own viewing pleasure, but here is a list of the top 10 defensive players, my two-cents and their ratings:
Revis is certainly the game's top cover corner, but I'm not sure he should be a 99 overall. Just because he's the game's best corner doesn't mean he should be maxed-out with a 99.
Allen deserved the 99 in my opinion. I know it's just one point, but the 99 is like a status symbol. For Allen to do what he did last season (22 sacks and four forced fumbles for a horrible team), he deserved the maximum overall rating.
5. Justin Smith, San Francisco 49ers—98 overall
Smith is definitely one of the most—if not the most—complete defensive ends in the NFL. It's hard to argue this hefty rating.
6. Julius Peppers, Chicago Bears—97 overall
I have no problems with this rating. Peppers is the most destructive force on the Bears defense. He makes everyone else on the field better.
He is one of my favorite players to control in Madden. He flies around the field, and he hits like a ton of bricks.
9. Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens—97 overall
I love Reed, but this may be a bit too high at this stage of his career. His awareness should definitely be a 99, and he should have a high catch and spectacular-catch rating, but I wonder about this one.
Williams slides in at No. 10. We'll see if he can be the same force in Buffalo that he was in Houston. He could challenge Allen for the NFL sacks lead.
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We are just weeks away from the start of the regular season, and the Chicago Bears are putting the finishing touches on their team...
Chicago Bears: Is Devin Hester Finally Ready to Have Breakout Season?
Aug 1, 2012
Stop me if this sounds familiar. The Chicago Bears start their training camp, and all the coaches and players are talking about how Devin Hester is ready to have a breakout season. However, as we've seen in the past, those predictions and others have fallen short of becoming true, especially last season.
In 2011, Hester played all 16 games, yet only averaged 23.1 yards per game, his lowest output since 2007, which was his first year receiving. So, since this has happened again, why should fans believe wide receivers coach Darryl Drake? Is this really the season that Hester is going to break out and have a stand-out season as an offensive player? Actually, most signs point to the answer being yes.
First off, the most obvious reason is that Hester no longer has the pressure of being a No. 1 receiver. For years, Hester was expected to be the No. 1 guy on the team, and we all know how that ended up.
It's time to face it, Hester will never be a No. 1 receiver on this team. He just simply does not have the skill set required to be a No. 1 guy. With the addition of Brandon Marshall, plus the drafting of Alshon Jeffery, there are now new names in this wide receiving core that have higher expectations than that of Devin Hester, and that will benefit him. With less pressure on the offensive side of the ball, Hester can finally perform up to his potential.
Another reason on offense is the coaching. Mike Tice is doing the opposite of what Mike Martz did, by taking input from players as opposed to demanding things be done his way.
How will this help Devin Hester? It's simple, really. Hester can work on plays with Cutler, plays that utilize his speed but also allow Cutler to get rid of the ball in a timely fashion, not like the seven step drop-back everyone has heard so much about.
With Hester's lightning fast speed and Cutler's cannon for an arm, the two, along with Mike Tice, can work on plays that zero in on their specialties and highlight specifically what they want, instead of Cutler throwing the ball on the run from defenders.
Finally, Hester has less pressure on special teams. Yes, special teams is where Devin Hester makes his money. It is where he has set records, where he makes his home on the team and it is what he is known best for.
However, Devin Hester is not the only guy on special teams. After word that Knox may miss most of the 2012 season, the Bears went out and got return specialist Eric Weems from Atlanta. In doing this, the team was sending a message to Hester, saying that while they expected nothing but greatness out of him this upcoming season, he is still human and they have help for him when he needs it. This creates less pressure but also keeps him on his game, because he doesn't want to be replaced on special teams.
The 2012-13 season for the Chicago Bears is already looking to be a different one than that of years past. With new coaches, players, even front office members, one would be safe betting that players will be having different seasons as well. Bears fans have every right to believe that this is the year that Hester will break out and have a record-breaking season as a wide receiver. While Hester may have fallen short on fulfilling those predictions in seasons past, it's never too late to start.
Chicago Bears: Trade for Brian Price Adds More Fuel to an Already Hot Defense
Jul 26, 2012
With the trade for Brian Price from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 2013 draft pick (reported by Adam Schefter), the Bears have added some depth to a position they'd let slide this off-season-the defensive tackle.
Price is a former second-round draft pick from 2010 who has underperformed due to both injury and off-field issues (his sister died in a hit-and-run accident last May).
The Bears are willing to give players who have underperformed for one reason or another a chance—be it the underwhelming Chris Williams, the mercurial Brandon Marshall or now, Price.
Fully healed after two hamstring surgeries and another procedure on his pelvis, Price fits the Bears' one-gap scheme of constant pressure on the offense and quarterback.
Price is a powerfully-built interior lineman who was very productive in his time playing for the UCLA Bruins. He has tremendous strength and will battle whistle to whistle, relentlessly trying to get into the backfield to disrupt a play.
He is adept at stunting but also can hold the point and is usually good at maintaining his gap responsibilities.
GM Phil Emery says he's a perfect fit for their scheme, according to The Chicago Tribune.
"This is a very talented player," Emery said. "When he came out in the draft, he was picked high in the second round (35th overall. Fits our system. Fits the 4-3. Very explosive player off the ball, very reactive.''
Price's explosion and burst, as Emery mentioned, will be an added bonus to a line which has some tremendous parts already.
Julius Peppers, Israel Idonije and Shea McClellin already have the edges covered, and the potential for them to be terrors in the division is very good.
Henry Melton, Stephen Paea and Matt Toeaina do well enough at tackle, and for all his potential, Price's health history is a huge concern. So it's not a situation where he will be handed the starting job.
However, if he can stay healthy, Price could end up as a tremendous addition to this defense. They also need him to focus.
It falls to defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli to get the most out of Price and getting him to play consistently and to his maximum ability.
If there is anyone who can do it, Marinelli sure seems like a good choice. Sure, he wasn't a great head coach, but that doesn't mean he can't coach at all, and Marinelli has handled some good defenses.
It could be an uphill battle for Price; his injuries and off-field family issues still resonate. If the Bears can give him the support he needs and he can maintain health, Price could be a huge asset to this defense.
Julius Peppers is set to have a career year with the Chicago Bears during the 2012 season. Peppers has improved each of his first two seasons with the Bears, and this year will be one to remember...
