What Are the Bears' Odds of Getting QB Jay Cutler?

According to ESPN.com the Bears odds to get QB Jay Cutler in a trade with Denver are 5-1.


This is what ESPN.com's Bill Williamson had to say:

"Making such a deal may be out of character for general manager Jerry Angelo, but the Bears need a quarterback and two of their NFC North foes will be going after Cutler. They need to make a push. Chicago has the No. 18 pick."

There are three teams ahead of the Bears right now, the NY Jets (3-1), TB Bucs (3-1) and the Detroit Lions (4-1).

I know the Bears would love to have Jay Cutler throwing to Bears players like Devin Hester, Matt Forte, Earl Bennett and Greg Olsen, but i don't know if the Bears would be willing to give up a lot for a whiner like Cutler.

I have read many proposed deals that could work for both the Broncos and the Bears.

Here's the examples:

1) QB Kyle Orton, CB Nathan Vasher, the Bears' first round pick (18) and third round pick (84).

2) DT Marcus Harrison, CB Corey Graham and two first round picks.

3) MLB Brian Urlacher and the first round pick (18) could be enough.

They could also make a three-team trade.

I would love to see the Bears get Jay Cutler, let's just wait and see what happens.

Is Nathan Vasher's Future with the Bears Up in Smoke?

Is Nathan Vasher returning to the Bears next season?

Many think he has grossly underachieved since receiving a big contract two seasons ago.

It definitely appears that way.

Vasher has only played in 12 games in the last two seasons, recording 29 tackles and only two interceptions.


Jerry Angelo spoke about Vasher's future at the NFL Scouting Combine this weekend:

"I don't know where he is now, I touched on that. He has to re-establish himself, he's competing to start. We talked about that, he's got to take his game to another level. I didn't see anything physically speaking that would tell me that he can't, but he's got to get it going. He's had some injuries that's kind of retarded some of the things maybe that we're used to seeing from him, but he hasn't been the guy that we've been accustomed to seeing and certainly not the guy that [we saw] when we gave him his contract extension. He needs to be a better player. He knows that. I feel strongly he's going to accept that challenge and we're going to see a much better Nathan Vasher.''

all quotes from chicagosuntimes.com


What do I think?

I think you have to keep a guy that has talent in the mix.

You have many talented cornerbacks, including Corey Graham and Zack Bowman, who should provide depth behind Tillman and Vasher.

If, Vasher can stay healthy I think he can regain his form from 2006, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Report: Tillman Won't Move to Safety

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times said this in his Wait a secondary: Tillman to stay at CB:

"With all the talk of the Bears experimenting in the secondary, you can cross one possibility off the list.

Left cornerback Charles Tillman won't move to free safety in 2009. Tillman -- who former Bears defensive coordinator Greg Blache said on draft day in 2003 would be a ''Pro Bowl safety'' if he ever moved from cornerback -- had been rumored to be changing positions."

What do I think?

I think this is the right move considering Tillman had reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder Jan. 15 and won't be cleared to participate in the three-day veteran mini-camp next month.

The other cornerbacks on the Bears roster are Nathan Vasher (played eight games last season, could be released), Corey Graham (started nine games last season, recording 91 tackles and one interception), Trumaine McBride (played in 16 games last season, recording 11 tackles and one interception), and Zackary Bowman (played in one game last season, recording one interception and a special teams touchdown before going on injured reserve).

It would be risky to move Tillman to safety because it might not be an easy transition.

The safeties on the roster are Kevin Payne (started all 16 games in 2008), Danieal Manning (played nickel back for most of the 2008 season), Craig Steltz (struggled as a rookie), Brandon McGowan and Cameron Worrell. McGowan and Worrell will both be free agents.

I don't know who will start at the safety positions next season, but what I do know is Charles "Peanut" Tillman won't be making the switch to safety this offseason.

Vasher done for the year

The Bears placed Nathan Vasher on injured reserve Saturday with a broken right hand, ending the defensive back’s season.

He recorded only 29 tackles with one interception and three pass breakups.

He has 18 career interceptions, but only two in the last two seasons.

Nathan Vasher had surgery on his wrist earlier this season but re-aggravated the injury after sustaining the break against the Rams.

This is the second consecutive season Vasher has been placed on IR.

A partially torn groin muscle ended his 2007 season.

Corey Graham will take over Vasher's role in the starting lineup.

Trumaine McBride and Danieal Manning will be the other active corners looking for some playing time.

Bears Defense Sounds off on loss to Green Bay

Lance Briggs:

"Nothing was effective, we didn't do what we wanted to do, and they did. And that's why they beat our heads in the way they did."

"We didn't do anything right, it doesn't matter what adjustments you make because we didn't get it done in every facet of the game. It was a poor display of football. That's not the way we prepared. That's not Bear football. We have to get ourselves to who we are."

Corey Graham on giving up a TD to Greg Jennings:

"I was actually anticipating it to come inside a little bit," Graham said. "Maybe next time I'll be a little more inside."


Adewale Ogunleye:

"The thing I can't wait to do is watch the film and see, even after the game was a little bit out of hand, who gave up, we've got to get that straightened out. We've got to have guys on the field that are going to fight all the way to the end. And hopefully we'll see that we had all 22 guys fighting."


Brian Urlacher:

"I'm frustrated, but I don't think anyone gave up, if we gave up, I think I would be embarrassed, but I don't think anyone quit or didn't play hard. We just got beat, that's what it comes down to."


Alex Brown:

"I think we have a good defense, I think we have a good scheme and I believe Alex needs to put in some more work to get better, "That's what I believe." ...


Nathan Vasher:

"Our scheme is good, we just have to execute and make plays. Everybody in this locker room is staying tight. We just have to circle the wagons and believe in each other."


Mike Brown:

‘‘All I can tell you is obviously, our defense isn’t what it used to be, once everyone accepts that, and understands it, he said, everyone will be better off.

They Are Who We Thought They Were

The Bears have many questions to ask themselves after a 21-14 loss against the undefeated Tennessee Titans.

How do you lose a game where you shut down supposedly the best running back tandem in the NFL?

How does your pass rush, who is loaded with players like Tommie Harris, Mark Anderson, Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye have no success getting to Kerry Collins?

How does your pass defense, who has everyone back from injury, struggle against Kerry Collins, who hasn't had over 200 yards passing all year?

The Bears need to remedy these crucial mistakes and fast.

We know they can shut down running backs, but how do you make an ordinary QB look like a pro bowler?

It has happened with Brian Griese, Gus Frerotte and even Dan Orlovsky this season.

On the bright side, the first eight games the Titans averaged 149.1 rushing yards per game and yesterday only produced 20 yards. At half they had -5 yards on the ground.
Chris Johnson who averaged 89.4 ypg rushing had only eight total yards on the ground.

The Bears offense was another story, they came out strong with a six minute drive and Grossman threw a touchdown to Matt Forte, who ran all over the Titans D in the first half.

The next eight drives ended in punts.

The Bears had their share of opportunities as they stopped the Titans on 4th and goal late in the first quarter.

Between Marty Booker, Rashied Davis, and Devin Hester, five passes were caught for a total of 69 yards.

Booker looked like a bad Muhsin Muhammad and Rashied Davis just ran the wrong routes.

Hester had two big returns that I thought could have been returned for touchdowns.

Also, Grossman overthrew Hester on a sure touchdown, which would have gave the Bears much needed momentum.

Grossman shouldn't get all the blame, but he did struggle to get the ball to his receivers.

He looked in sync at intervals in the game, but just couldn't keep it going.

His interception reminded me of the one he threw in Super Bowl 41, which Kelvin Hayden returned for a touchdown.

If Grossman played like he did on the first drive of the game and one of the drives at the end of the game, we would have scored a lot of points.

But, the team just looked out of sync and they abandoned the running game in the second half; Forte ran for a total of seven yards.

They need some help and they need it fast because they have a huge game in Green Bay next Sunday and the Packers just came off a tough loss.

If Orton can't go this week, there is absolutely no way they would put in Caleb Hanie at QB, for all the Hanie fans out there.

You have to give the Titans offensive coordinator some credit for realizing the running game wasn't working, but the Bears should have figured out a way to get to Kerry Collins

The Bears have at total of five sacks in there last five games.

That really hurts your pass defense.


Quote of the Day:

Rashied Davis said this after a tough loss to the now 9-0 Titans, "Maybe they have some kind of angel around them or something, I don't know."


Three Stars of the Game:

1) The run defense

2) Corey Graham- he recovered a big fumble early in the first quarter.

3) Matt Forte- had a big day running and looked great receiving as well.


Just a Thought...


You can blame Rex Grossman for this loss all you want, but the Bears were backed up in the own 10 yard line for most of the game.

Who knows if Orton could have one this game, but it doesn't matter anymore.

Where was Brandon Lloyd, I thought he was supposed to play yesterday.

He definitely would have helped, anything but Marty Booker.

They must change gears to the Packers, for they don't want to lose a divisional game, against my most hated team.

Hopefully they can figure this out before this week's game.

Zackary Bowman injured, surgery may end season

The Bears' run of misfortune in the secondary continued in Sunday's win as rookie defensive back Zackary Bowman, whose interception sealed the 48-41 win over the Vikings, suffered a biceps injury that will require surgery and could end his season after just one game.

Bowman, who also scored his first NFL points by recovering a muffed punt in the end zone, will undergo surgery before the Bears' Nov. 2 game against the Detroit Lions.

The rookie put on an impromptu clinic in toughness by convincing the coaching staff he could go back in after a head injury to cornerback Corey Graham and making the Bears' fourth interception of the game.

"To be able to play through that, definitely playing with pain and close to an injury, that said a lot for him on his first game," coach Lovie Smith said.

Bears Win a Wild One Over The Vikings 48-41

Your probably asking yourself how did the 2008 Chicago Bears score 48 points and how did they give up 41 points.

The Bears looked great offensively today.

Kyle Orton had this to say after completing 21 of 32 passes for two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 114.5:

We’ve got a group of guys who are together, it doesn’t matter what happens outside that huddle. It’s everybody inside the huddle working for a common goal and we work together very well.”

When was the last time the Bears scored this many points?

The last time the Chicago Bears scored this many points was 1986 and the last time the Bears and Vikings combined for that many points was in 1961.

The Bears have never won, while giving up 41 points.

Matt Forte ran the ball 20 times for only 56 yards, but did get a 2nd quarter touchdown.

Even though the Bears gave up 41 points, they forced 4 turnovers, had two huge late game sacks and two special team touchdowns.

The interceptions were made by young corner-backs, who were filling in for Vasher, Tillman and Manning.

Trumaine McBride, Corey Graham, Zack Bowman and Kevin Payne all had an interception.

Bowman played in his first game ever today and he also scored on a muffed punt by the Vikings.

I thought at the end of the game the Bears were going to blow it but Tommie Harris came up with his biggest play all year, by sacking Gus Frerotte on a 3rd down.

Injury News:

Devin Hester injured a quadriceps muscle in the third quarter on a kickoff return.

Thank Goodness for the Bye Week:

Bears fans and Bears players should be thankful for the bye week because they need there secondary to get healthy and hopefully Devin Hester and Brandon Lloyd won't be out for much longer.

Top Performers:

1) Greg Olsen- he came up huge today.

2) Kyle Orton- he looked great in the no-huddle and if Marty caught two perfectly thrown balls, Marty would have had three touchdown receptions.

3) Corey Graham- another big game for the young corner-back.

4) Zack Bowman- he looked great in his debut.

Non-Performers:

1) Adewale Ogunleye- he was pretty invisible today.

2) John St. Clair- he messed up on a Jared Allen sack, forcing Orton to fumble.

When the offense plays like that they are tough to stop.

They know they should be 7-0, but the Packers crushed the Colts today and are tied with the Bears for first place in the NFC North.

The Bears come back after the bye November 2 to take on the Lions in Chicago.

Then they take on the undefeated Titans at home the week after that.

Look for the Bears to take control of the NFC North after they get rest after their bye.

Bowman on the active roster, and Graham Shines OnceAgain

The Bears moved rookie cornerback Zackary Bowman from the practice squad to the active roster, signing him to a four-year contract.

Bowman was a fifth-round pick in the 2008 draft out of Nebraska.

For the second straight game, his first two NFL starts, cornerback Corey Graham led the Bears in tackles, with 12 that included 11 solos.

WR Help?

Wide receiver John Broussard will be signed to the practice squad.

He's a San Jose State product like Rashied Davis and was a seventh-round pick by Jacksonville in 2007, when he caught four passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.

Bears-Falcons: Atlanta Rips the Game from Chicago's Hearts

How do the Chicago Bears allow a catch like that? How do they allow Michael Jenkins to get out of bounds?

How do the Bears call a FB dive on a 3rd-and-1 with eight minutes to go?

How do they squib kick it with 11 seconds to go?

Those are the questions many Bears fans are asking right now after a 22-20 stunning loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

We all know what happened.

Jason Elam kicked a 48-yard field goal with one second remaining on the clock.

The playcalling was awful for most of the game.

Kyle Orton ran the offense to perfection in two important drives in the second half.

Jason McKie is not the answer on a 3rd-and-1, either give it to Forte or run a QB sneak.

Ron Turner should be ashamed of himself.

The squib kick was really dumb because if you simply kicked it to Norwood, that would have been the last play of the game and it was unlikely he would of taken it to the house.

Lovie and all the coaches are to blame for this loss.

Players of the Game

1) Corey Graham played a great game filling in for Nathan Vasher.

2) Kyle Orton ran the offense perfectly.

3) Rashied Davis's TD catch was unbelievable.

4) Devin Hester really is a wide receiver.


Disappointments of the Game:

1) Brian Urlacher was invisible the whole game.

2) Special Teams.

3) Marcus Hamilton on the last play of the game.


What Now?

The Bears better hope they get either Nathan Vasher or Charles Tillman back soon, because they were getting beat all day by Falcons QB Matt Ryan.

They have a must-win game against the Vikings at Soldier Field next week.


What Disappointed Me the Most

The Bears didn't record one sack today.

They allowed the Falcons to get down the field through the entire game.

They allowed Jerious Norwood to return it into their own territory at the end of the game and got lucky that Jason Elam missed a 38-yard field goal.


Good Stuff

They run defense allowed only 57 yards from RB Michael Turner.


Bad Stuff

The linebackers were almost invisible today, with an exception of Hunter Hillenmeyer.


Other Stuff
The Bears' receivers played very well today.

The Alex Brown fumble that was overturned in the first half was an iffy call, and the Tommie Harris recovered fumble was very confusing.

Tommie Harris had to hear a whistle for him to get rid of the ball, but I don't know.

The Bears' secondary is really banged up.

Daniel Manning, Trumaine McBride, and Peanut Tillman all left the game with injuries.

My uncle Tivo'd the game and told me that the referees didn't start the play clock until Matt Ryan threw the ball.

If this game were in Chicago, the Bears would have won, because the referees would have started the clock when the ball was snapped.


Quote of the day

DT Dusty Dvoraceck said, "We usually never allow so many third-down conversions to be successful. That is our specialty and we didn't perform today. We couldn't get off the field."


What Now, pt. two?

The Bears are now in a bad spot.

If the Packers win, they will be tied with the Vikings and Bears for first place.

Next week is a must-win before the bye week for the Bears.


Did You Know?

The Lions had a pass-interference penalty called on the them at the end of the game, which set up a game-winning field goal by the Vikings.

The referees gave the Vikings that game.


Where the Bears Should Be?

Fans and sportscasters came into this season expecting the Bears to not be very good this season.

They have been one of the most surprising teams in the NFL.

I knew they would be a good team, and they know they should be 6-0.

Instead, they're 3-3, and they have lost three games by a combined eight points.

They need to learn how to finish games.

Corey Graham Impresses Bears Coaches

Cornerback Corey Graham led the defense with 10 tackles at Detroit, drawing praise from Smith.

He could be used as a nickelback for this team.

He might force the coaching staff to consider ways to keep him on the field even with Nathan Vasher expected back.

''There's always room for good football players to play,'' Smith said. ''We'll find a spot. We tell our entire team it's their job to prove that we need to play them, and we'll find a way to play them.''

The Bears always seem to draft good players in the late rounds of the draft.

Look at Mark Anderson (5th), Trumaine McBride (7th), Kellen Davis (7th) , Matt Forte (3rd) , Alex Brown (4th), Lance Briggs (3rd), Kyle Orton (4th) and Kevin Payne (5th).

That is pretty impressive.

.

Update at Halftime From The Last Preseason Game

This is an update from the Chicago Bears last preseason game at halftime.

Kyle Orton played the first quarter and a little of the second.

He threw one interception and was 4/7 for 51 yards. The interception wasn't his fault, because LT John St. Clair made a bad play and left Orton exposed.

Rex Grossman came in and played most of the 2nd quarter until the two minute warning.

He went 5/7 with one touchdown throw to Brandon Rideau and 59 yards.

Then Caleb Hanie got his shot to run the offense and looked good as well.

Hanie was 6/6, with 55 yards.

He also had a 23 yard touchdown pass to Mark Bradley taken away from him because of a holding call on 7th round pick Kirk Barton.

The game is 10-10 at the half, but Grossman and Hanie looked good helping the Bears tie it up.

Positives:

The "other" Adrian Peterson (He had six carries for 36 yards)

Rex Grossman (He was 5/7 and lead the Bears to there only TD drive).

Caleb Hanie (He was a perfect 6/6 and looked good)

Brandon Rideau (He had two catches for 25 yards and a TD).

Mark Bradley (For a guy trying to find his groove after two knee surgeries, I think he did). He had five catches for 42 yards.

Brandon McGowan (He looks the real thing, whether he moves to nickel back or stays at safety, he makes the right moves).

Negatives:

Craig Steltz (He got beat a couple times and I haven't seen look real good this preseason, he might still be injured or it might be Adam Archuleta's jersey).

Corey Graham (He was supposedly getting a whole lot better, but I haven't seen that this preseason and defiantly not tonight against the Browns).

Kevin Payne (For a guy, who was supposedly a big hitter, he looked real slow to the ball).

Brian Urlacher (He might still be hurt, because he is not the same old Urlacher anymore).

Hopefully the negatives must improve soon, because the Bears need everyone to contribute this season.

This has been Chicago Bear Report at halftime.

Bears Release Veteran Cornerback Ricky Manning Jr.

We all saw this coming.

Today veteran CB Ricky Manning Jr. was released by the Chicago Bears.

"Getting released was more emotional for my wife than me," Manning Jr said.

"She was a little upset that they said I was a part of the program, then they released me this late in the process when it could have been done a while ago. That would have made things easier for my family."

Manning Jr. signed with the Bears as a restricted free agent in 2006 off-season.

In two seasons with the Bears, Ricky Manning Jr. appeared in 31 games with 11 starts.

Manning Jr. had 106 tackles, three sacks and five interceptions in his time with the Bears.

Manning Jr. had no interceptions last season, while playing nickel-back with the Bears D.

All five interceptions made my him, came in the Super Bowl season.

Manning Jr. was a third round pick out of UCLA, by the Carolina Panthers.

He had 168 tackles and nine interceptions in his three seasons with Carolina.

Ricky skipped practice this morning, showing his displeasure towards the team.

He wants an opportunity to play as a starter, but with his stats from last year he might not have a chance.

Hopefully Manning Jr. will get a shot somewhere, he was very good in the Bears Super Bowl season.

Detroit, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Cleveland have said to have interest in Manning Jr.

People look at this move like the Chris Harris trade last off-season, which was terrible, but the Bears have plenty of CB's.

They not only have Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman, but they have Corey Graham, who is looking good and Trumaine McBride, who started in place of Vasher last season, due to injury.

The Bears defense will be fine, remember they didn't blitz at all in the Niners game.

This is what coach Lovie Smith had to say about the performance “Well, it’s still a preseason game. Do you not feel the same way? It’s a preseason game. You don’t want to play that bad obviously, but we did. We know what we need to correct, and we’ll do it. Come the Indy game, you won’t see that defense, I’ll tell you.”

They don't want to give away any plays for the other teams in the league.

Ricky Manning Jr: Most Likely Chicago Bear to Be Traded

Do you think the Chicago Bears will trade Ricky Manning Jr?

Yes, it sure seems like he is the odd man out.

Ricky Manning Jr. signed with the Chicago Bears in 2006, he set a career high, and he tied for the team lead and tied for 10th in the NFL with five INTs

In the postseason he had a big INT against the Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Playoff.

Became first Bears defensive back since Jerry Azumah (12/30/01) to record 2 sacks in one game (12/17/06 vs. TB Bucs).

Last season, Ricky Manning Jr. played in every regular season game, but failed to record an interception. He was the starting nickel back for the whole season.

The Chicago Bears are looking to use former first round pick Danieal Manning at nickelback because of the emergence of Brandon McGowan and Mike Brown coming back.

Besides the obvious starters Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher, the Bears have two second year pros in Corey Graham and Trumaine McBride. Don't forget this years fifth round pick Zackary Bowman.

If they do move Ricky Manning Jr, it might work out like Chris Harris in last years training camp.

Chris Harris started 15 games with the Panthers last season, recorded one INT and eight forced fumbles.

All the Chicago Bears got in that trade was a fifth round pick.

I still am upset at that trade.

So, if they move Ricky Manning Jr. it could turn out the same as Chris Harris's last year in training camp.

It never hurts to have to many bodies and we all the know the Chicago Bears get alot of injuries.

It looks Ricky Manning Jr. who is signed through 2010, might get sent packing sooner than later.