Chicago Bears Player Preview: Earl Bennett

Today I will preview the Chicago Bears other 3rd round pick, Earl Bennett, on Chicago Bears Player Preview.

Personally, I think this guy was a steal in this years NFL Draft.
Bennett set the SEC record for career receptions with 236. In his first two years, no one in the SEC had more receptions than he did. Also, he is the first ever SEC receiver to record 75+ receptions in three seasons.

The 6'1," 202 Ib wideout is best buds with Chicago Bears first round pick OT Chris Williams (Also from Vanderbilt).

Bennett has reliable hands and just enough speed to go deep. With his above average cutting ability, he is able to shake off defenders. Many thought he was the best play maker at Vanderbilt.

The only thing Bennett needs to work on is his route running.

Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner said this days after they drafted Bennett: "We'll give him an opportunity to come in and compete right away." "He's a very intelligent young man, so he shouldn't have any trouble picking things up. He's very competitive, so I know he'll enjoy coming in and competing."

Those stats show Bennett can do it all. In 2006, his best season, he recorded 82 receptions for 1,146 yards and earned all-SEC honors for two straight seasons. In his junior year, he received all-SEC honors once again.

In 3 years with the Commodores, Bennett finished with 236 receptions, 2,852 receiving yards, and 20 touchdowns. I like those stats.

Only 21 years old, he reamins unsigned, but is expected compete for that open #1 WR spot. I see him doing just that and becoming the threat that Devin Hester could develop into. It will be hard for a rookie to come in and win the #1 spot. If he doesn't develop this season, he will down the road.

Chicago Bears Player Preview: Marcus Harrison

Today i will preview Chicago Bears 3rd round pick Marcus Harrison on Chicago Bears Player Preview.

He reminds me of a more athletic Tank Johnson, who we all know had his share of problems. This kid was a risk coming out of the draft because of his off the field issues, but he could easily overcome that by playing alongside Tommie Harris. The only other negative is he has been injured throughout his career at Arkansas.
I see him contributing alongside Tommie Harris, Anthony Adams, Dusty Dvoraveck and Matt Toenia (who many do not know).

Jamie Dukes of NFL Network who regularly makes fun of the Bears QB situation, especially Rex Grossman calls DT Marcus Harrison a "power pig." That means he clogs up the whole and stops the run with his size.

He was arrested in his senior year for having ecstasy and marijuana in his car, when police pulled him over. Also, he has been hampered with knee and ankle injuries during his college career.

With his size 6'3"-310 i see him help stop the run. In his collegiate career, he played in 38 games from 2004-2007 and recorded 170 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Even though he has had some negatives in his collegiate career and he doesn't defend the pass very well, i see him coming into the rotation on defense with Bears. I think he will surprise alot of people, because he was a first round talent until the injuries and off the field issues took place.

Daunte Culpepper: Would the Chicago Bears consider signing him?

The Chicago Bears have a QB competition already with Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton, but behind those two QB's there isn't much.
They could go after veteran QB Daunte Culpepper and make this QB race even more interesting. The only negative is Daunte has been plagued by injuries ever since he left Minnesota. Also, he turned down a 1 year/ 1 million dollar offer from the Green Bay Packers last week. So, he won't come too cheap.
I can't see Jerry Angelo going after Daunte, but it would be a good investment for the team. Even if he did not get that much playing time, he could come in and help Rex and Kyle. He is a veteran, who has alot of knowledge of the game.

Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher: Best Cornerback Tandem in the NFL Right Now?

I believe when Charles "Peanut" Tillman and Nathan Vasher are healthy, there’s not a better cornerback tandem in the NFL. They are simply the best

Their ability to create turnovers is the main reason i chose them. In 2005, Nathan Vasher had 8 Int's and Charles Tillman had 5 Int's tied for the NFC lead with 13 combined interceptions with Carolina’s Chris Gamble and Ken Lucas. I think losing Vasher last season was a big loss to the defense, because the games he did play in he made a huge impact. Also, Charles Tillman seems to try hard every single down. Since Vasher and Tillman have played together, which began in 2004. they have combined for 30 int's. WOW! Those are amazing stats.

I believe that Tillman is very underrated because of all the other great players on that defense. The only other top cornerback tandems that are almost as good as Tillman and Vasher are: Antonio Cromartie and Quentin Jammer of the San Diego Chargers, Champ Bailey and Dre Bly of the Denver Broncos, and Al Harris and Charles Woodson of the Green Bay Packers. You could even throw in new Eagle Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown as a good cornerback tandem.

In the end, if both stay healthy they are the best corneback tandem in the league and I hope to see that next season when they get on the field.

Devin Hester: Is He Going to Be Ridicilous This Season?

I have heard Chicago Bears announcer Jeff Joniak of WBBM 780 say "Devin Hester you are ridiculous" over the years, but will he being saying that more this season?

We all know his nicknames, "Ridicilous", "Anytime", and "Windy City Flyer". We all have seen his amazing 7 punt returns, 4 kick returns and 2 offensive scores, so we obviously know his ability. Super Bowl XLI marked the first time that a player returned the opening kickoff in a Super Bowl for a touchdown. He will up his work load as wide receiver to as much as 3 times more than last season.

Is it a good idea to put him on the field as a receiver? You bet it is, he improves every quarterbacks chance to throw a TD, but did you ever think that it would ruin his kick/punt returning ability. That is something, that can be answered. You don't want to put him on the field to the long, then he won't be able to return kick/punt on each kickoff. I can see replacing Bernard Berrian and becoming the Bears #1 deep threat, which they are in dying need of. I think they don't want to give him too much now because they have not seen him play a whole season as a wide receiver. I hope he does very well next season, and I can see him scoring about 7 or 8 touchdowns on offense. He Won't be the Bears number one target because of the other receivers on the team will battle for his spot. Those receivers are Marty Booker who is a solid veteran, Brandon Lloyd who has said to been the best in mini-camp so far, Mark Bradley who has shown some ability, but is injury prone and Rashied Davis who has stepped up his game. If Hester explodes this season, he could turn into a Steve Smith who also has blazing speed.

Chicago Bears: Why Does Everyone Think They're So Bad?

Are the Chicago Bears really going to be as bad as people think they are next season?

I don't really understand what the normal NFL fan and so-called expert or analyst sees. The Bears were in Super Bowl XLI two seasons ago. They have many of the same players from that season.

I know they went 7-9 last year, but no team has gone back to the playoffs after a Super Bowl loss except the 2005-2006 Seattle Seahawks.

The Bears had a very solid draft this year. Some of the players they chose are as follows.

1st round: OT, Chris Williams. 2nd Round: RB, Matt Forte. 3rd Round: WR, Earl Bennett. 3rd Round: DT, Marcus Harrison. 4th Round: S, Craig Steltz. They also got a steal in 6'4" WR Marcus Monk in the 7th Round.

I could understand some people saying they have a couple of question marks, but they have so much talent and I see them going really far this season.

Projected Lineup:

QB: Rex Grossman, who could be very effective with a decent O-line and running game. He was real effective after Brian Griese went out with an injury (thank goodness for that). I don't really see this position as the biggest question mark.

RB: I really see this position as their biggest question mark. They released Cedric Benson, who really doesn't care about anything but money. He might be innocent on both charges, but Matt Forte will be a little bit better.

The problem I have is that most teams have two decent RBs. The Bears have one decent "Rookie" RB in Forte and then have "Special Team Freak," the other Adrian Peterson, plus Garrett Wolfe—no one knows what he'll do. They might want to sign RB Kevin Jones, who has averaged 4.0 yards per carry in his career.

FB: Jason McKie is solid. There is nothing else to say.

WR: They released aging Muhsin Muhammad, which makes a lot of sense, and did not resign "B-Twice." Bernard wanted way too much money for what kind of production he had last year—he dropped way too many balls, but he was a great deep threat. They should have hit him with the franchise tag.

They bring back Marty Booker, who is basically a "younger" Muhsin Muhammad, and sign Brandon Lloyd, who has done nothing in his career. Brandon Lloyd could be a factor because Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner coached him at Illinois.

Also, resigning Rashied Davis was big—he will be solid—and Mark Bradley could be great if he stays healthy. Earl Bennett and Marcus Monk could contribute as well.

Who knows what Devin Hester will do? You don't want to use him too much because that will take away time from returning kicks. Personally I think their receivers will be better than last year.

TE: Very solid with veteran Dez Clark and speedy Greg Olsen.

OL: Rookie Chris Williams will start at LT, Terrence Metcalf at LG, Olin Kreutz at C, Roberto Garza at RG, and John Tait moving back to RT. This has to be their biggest question mark, but I think they'll be better than last year's line with aging Fred Miller and Ruben Brown.

DE: Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown will start, but they will have solid backups who will be in the rotation—Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije. Idonije will be used not only as a DE, but also as a DT.

DT: Look for Tommie Harris, who has one year left on his contract, to pair up with Dusty Dvoracek to start and have Anthony Adams as the Nose Tackle. Also, rookie Marcus Harrison should be used like Tank Johnson was a couple years ago. DT Matt Toenia, who signed on late in the year, should add some depth.

LB: They are the best in the league if Brian Urlacher is healthy. He'll pair up with Lance Briggs, and don't forget about Hunter Hillenmeyer.

CB: Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman will start and have solid backups in Ricky Manning Jr. and Trumaine McBride, plus Corey Graham on Special Teams. Look for Vasher to have a Pro Bowl season if he stays healthy and for the Bears to use Daniel Manning in Nickel situations.

FS: Mike Brown will be great if he stays healthy, and Craig Steltz will be a solid backup and contributor on special teams.

SS: Brandon McGowan, who re-signed this offseason, should be solid if he stays healthy, and has some solid backups in Kevin Payne and Daniel Manning.

Special Teams: Kicker Robbie Gould is good as gold, punter Brad Maynard is solid, and what can you say about Devin Hester? He is ridiculous.

Predicted Record: 11-5—I see them having a Super Bowl defense if Urlacher and Mike Brown stay healthy, plus a solid offense if Matt Forte leads the way with that O-line staying up.

Tommie Harris: Did He Deserve A Lucrative Deal?

Should the Chicago Bears be ecstatic that they just signed DT Tommie Harris to a contract extension? Should they have made him the richest DT in the NFL ever? Who else on the Chicago Bears in line for a contract extension?


They should be going crazy that they wrapped up Tommie Harris. If he stays healthy he could be the best DT ever and play past his contract. He could do the same thing that Brian Urlacher did. Tommie Harris said “I would never go out and talk about the Bears in front of the media or disrespect my team,” whose deal was the richest ever for the Bears in terms of dollars per year.

They made the right choice in making him the richest DT. He will be great if he doesn't get hurt. It was also great since he would have been an unrestricted free agent after the 2008 season. The only bad thing is they need to wrap up Devin Hester and make Urlacher richer. Harris started 56 of his 60 career NFL games and recorded 208 tackles during his four seasons with the Bears. The three-time Pro Bowler had 13 total sacks over the last two seasons—ranking him second among defensive tackles.

Obviously Urlacher will get his money, but might have to settle for a little less. Also, Devin Hester will get plenty of money because of him being versatile.

Overall the Bears will be a decent team this season.