Windy City Gridiron

Brandon Marshall Discusses Jay Cutler's Growth

2012-05-17T03:00:14Z

Brandon Marshall has been busy this offseason. In between being nothing short of generous with his praise and boundless, ECD-level optimism, being outspoken about mental disorders (writing an excellent editorial in the Sun-Times) and his incident regarding something about a nightclub, his short tenure as a member of the Bears has been filled with rejuvenated enthusiasm and lots of action. Or maybe he just really wanted out of Miami that badly.

But he did find time to talk to reporters about Jay Cutler's leadership.

Marshall told reporters today that he's been blown away by how much Cutler has grown as a leader since the two were last teammates in 2008.

"He's amazing," Marshall said. "We all know the type of arm Jay has, but I've been away from Jay for three years and the biggest change I see in Jay is his leadership. How he's teaching guys and how he's leading us and inspiring us day in and day out. Man, we can't ask for a better leader, better captain, and I'm excited to really see what we do as an offense because of him. We all know what he can do physically, but where he's at in the mental part of the game is a sight to see."

Frankly, I can't wait for the day when we aren't dissecting Jay Cutler and his leadership, even when it hasn't been dissected in months. And of course you wouldn't expect a player to say he doesn't think his quarterback is a leader. But this is a guy who hasn't played with this quarterback for the last three seasons giving his impressions on the growth Cutler's made - and coming from Denver to Chicago, it's a growth that's come through significant pressure.

Have you guys noticed the same growth in Jay Cutler that Marshall points out over the last three years? Give your impressions, as a player, as a social persona, whichever.

Sources: Chicago Bears moving Chris Williams back to Offensive Tackle

2012-05-16T19:30:52Z

We've heard speculation over that last few days, but Michael C. Wright says it's going to happen: Former 1st-round draft pick Chris Williams will move back to Offensive Tackle for the 2012 season.

Williams has had an unfortunate start to his career in Chicago, to say the least, but did show significant signs of improvement last season while playing Guard. It appears Mike Tice will try and build on that momentum by shifting Williams back to the position he was drafted to play in the first place.

A quick poll after the jump to let us know if you support this decision...

Poll

Do you support the decision to move Chris Williams back to Tackle?

Will The Bears Backups Be Good Enough?

2012-05-16T16:00:13Z

So, as the saying goes, there's no 'I' in team. Or to put it another way; one player does not a football team make. But there can be no doubting necessity of a high caliber quarterback, or an elite running back. The Bears have both, and last season we saw what a difference it makes to be without those players. So, with this in mind, should the Bears face a worst case scenario, and lose some of their starters to injury, do they have the backups ready to step in and carry them to victory?

We have to start by looking at the quarterback position. The Bears were on a roll last year, until that train was derailed when Jay Cutler was injured in a game against San Diego. The importance of having a good backup QB was then clearly demonstrated, as Caleb Hanie took over the controls and the plane simply nose-dived. Hanie was given every opportunity to prove that he was who we hoped he was, but it was not to be. I was surprised he started as many of those games as he did, to be fair.

This year is different. Hanie is now backing up Peyton Manning in Denver, and the Bears brought in veteran Jason Campbell to support Jay Cutler.

Campbell has been in the league for seven years, starting his career in Washington, and playing the last two seasons with the Oakland Raiders. He is a big, tall passer with a career completion percentage of 60.8. He can run with the ball when the need arises, and possesses a strong arm. Campbell should be a safe bet, and although he might not always win the game, he has the skills needed to not lose the game.

This brings us nicely on to the Bears running backs. Matt Forte is still yet to sign anything with the Bears, whether that be his franchise tender or anything more long term. But I think it would be unlikely, and foolish for Forte to begin contemplating missing any games. So let's be positive and assume that he will be ready to go come the beginning of the season.

But just like Cutler last year, Forte was injured towards the end of the year, and his absence was obvious. Marion Barber stepped up, but he's clearly no Forte, and as much as I have a soft spot for Barber, he didn't really bring that much to the table in terms of rushing. The Bears strengthened the position with the signing of another former Raider in Michael Bush. Although many saw this a slap in the face of Forte, the Bears have clearly done what is best for the team.

Bush is a big strong, powerful runner with quick feet and the ability to break tackles. He has a career average of 4.2 yards per carry and has fumbled the ball just three times. I feel confident with what the Bears have in Bush. Coupled together with the emerging Kahlil Bell, and the Bears are well set at running back. Of course, it is preferable that Forte is still the main man, but if he's not available for whatever reason, Bush should be able to step up and get the job done.

Wide receivers look strong, and everyone seems excited about Brandon Marshall and rookie Alshon Jeffery seeing their first action in a Bears jersey. It now seems pretty likely that Johnny Knox will miss the season as he continues to recover from the horrific back injury he suffered last year. Whether Knox will ever return to his best remains to be seen, but I am sure I echo everyone's sentiment when I wish him all the best.

Although, obvious question marks remain about the Bears offensive line, they have good depth at most other positions. I still have worries about the linebacker position if either Briggs or Urlacher picks up any long term injuries, but I think Chicago have enough to cover it.

I think it's fair to keep the focus on the running back and to a greater extent, the quarterback position. Cutler has to stay healthy. The Bears stand a good chance of making a deep run into the playoffs if he plays every game. I won't be criticizing him if declines the opportunity to chase down an opposing player. Yes, he's a football player, but come on Jay, not again!!

So, what's the consensus? Is the Bear's depth chart talented enough to carry on the fight if the starters go down?

Poll

The Bear's playoff hopes? (imagining that Cutler and Forte were to miss 6 games or more)

The Bears Den: May 16, 2012

2012-05-16T12:40:09Z

"...where making fun of Larry Mayer is a way of life."

Bears sign Brandon Hardin - Final rookie of draft class to be signed.

Larry Mayer's Chalk Talk: What is Carimi's status? - "I tell you now, our opponents are drinking poison rather than facing our blockers."

Peter King's TMQB - Jacob Bell's retirement, reader mailbag.

Follow WCG on Twitter. And a bunny wiill crap in Robert Rence's yard. Do eeet!

Less is more for Hester - May be just as productive offensively in a handful of snaps, keeping him fresh for the return game.

Marshall confident Hester will keep his job over Jeffery - If he can do that with ~15 snaps per game, that'll have been one huge disappointment for a 2nd-round pick.

Marshall not concerned about OL - Moon Mullin doesn't think Cutler is, either. I think Mullin's been brainzapped by Larry Mayer.

Cutler seems a teeny-weeny bit concerned - JC recently broke from the company line, something that ESPN NFCN blogger Kevin Seifert found refreshing [Video]. As Silvy from Waddle & Silvy pointed out, it sounds rather like what the Bears claimed about the WR position for many years: "These guys will be just fine"...

Offseason film study guide for rookie DBs - Matt Bowen: Some keys to look for when you turn on the tape.

[Video] Cover 2 defense vs. Flat-7 route - Matt Bowen goes X&O-happy.

Is the new CBA good for young players? - Greg Gabriel points out a major limitation for the development of younger players. Well, besides forcing top rookies to go to meaningless publicity events instead of honing their craft.

NFL.com: Top Rookie Seasons - For the Bears, it's riiiii-diculous...

Bears rookie minicamp photogallery - Imagine if they didn't have helmets, either. Those gloves would still be more protection than I wore for a dozen seasons of rugby, and I'm perfectly 4etwp[@@@@@

Which defense has the 'Tenacious D' of nicknames? - i.e. Is fronted by an unfunny fat fellow who makes me turn off whenever I see him? Well if you put it like that, thankfully it's not the Bears.

Don Banks' early predictions for the 2012 season - Could one offseason push the Bills to the playoffs?

Ricky Williams doesn't ~~understand~~ believe link between concussion and the game - "Ten years from now, I might be walking down the street scratching my head and yelling profanities, but right now I feel fine," Ricky, love, you seem to have received the memo but completely missed the point. No, I said point.

Know thy enemy - Packers counting on Perry for pass rush. We'll be facing him at least twice a season.

Know thy enemy - Kalil good fit for offensive line, Minnesota. Will be drinking poison rather than facing our OL.

A sobering look at the history of the QB position in Miami - They only have two HOF QBs? My heart, it doth bleed for thee.

More of Kim Deal's dulcet tones.

2009 Bears Draft Rewind

2012-05-15T20:00:19Z

So far in our Bears Draft Rewind Series we've looked at how the Bears picks from the 2011 and 2010 drafts have fared (there ya go, Spongie) in their NFL careers thus far. The 2010 draft for Chicago was lacking top picks in both the first and second round due to the Jay Cutler and Gaines Adams trades, but the 2009 draft was similar in that the Bears didn't have a choice in either of the top two rounds. Despite a lack of top picks, Jerry Angelo had some pretty impressive finds in 2009, with two notable exceptions.

First Round: The first of the picks traded away for Jay Cutler ended up being the 18th overall pick, and the Broncos and former Head Coach Josh McDaniels took Robert Ayers, defensive end from Tennessee. Ayers seemed like a solid 3-4 outside linebacker for the Broncos when he was drafted, but like most draft picks from the McDaniels era, things haven't worked out too well for him. Ayers is still on the team (unlike Tim Tebow or Alphonso Smith or Darcel McBath) but has underachieved thus far. Last season was his most successful, starting thirteen games and earning thirty-seven tackles and 3.5 sacks on the season.

Verdict: Cutler wins trade, beats lizard, but loses to Spock. No one beats Spock.

Players Available:Jeremy Maclin WR, Michael Oher T, Percy Harvin WR, Vontae Davis CB

Second Round:The Bears had the 49th selection, but Angelo traded back with Seattle, picking up the Seahawks third and fourth round picks. The Seahawks selected center Max Unger out of Oregon, who would go on to replace former first-round pick Chris Spencer, who would go on to join the Bears (the circle is complete).

Verdict: There is two ways to look back at this trade. One, we picked up additional picks in a trade that, in hindsight, had mostly questionable to terrible NFL players available in the second round so we avoided them and got back the third round pick we lost in the Cutler trade. Or two, it permitted us the easiest way to forever mock Jerry Angelo's draft choices (see: third round). Either way, Angelo's trade down was a good thing.

Players Available: Sebastian Vollmer T, Lesean McCoy RB, William Beatty T

Third Round: The Bears had two choices in round three, neither of which was their own original selection. The 68th pick was part of the Seattle trade, and the 99th pick was a compensatory pick given to the Bears (one of four third round compensatory picks handed out that year). With the 68th overall pick, the Bears selected Jarron Gilbert, pool jumper,San Jose St. Gilbert was a DE/DT tweener pick after switching to tackle before his senior season, where he led the nation with twenty-two tackles for loss.

The 99th overall pick became Juaquin Iglesias, wide receiver out of Oklahoma. Juaquin - outside of having a difficult name to spell - was 6'1 205 and was expected to challenge Rashied Davis for the #3 spot on the depth chart (shudder). Yep, things were that bad at wideout.

Since then: Gilbert lasted one year with the Bears, appearing in four games. Jarron the Jumper has kicked around the league the last few seasons, popping up with the Jets' practice squad a few times and most recently being signed by the Bills at the end of the 2011 season. Iglesias actually led the Bears in receiving during the 2009 preseason (8 catches, 130 yards), but only appeared in one game that year before being cut in September 2010. Most recently signed to the Texans practice squad.

Verdict: Ugh. Gack. Blecch. Make whatever gutteral sound you want, because these guys were terrible. A huge double miss for Angelo to start the 2009 draft, but things would get better later on. Also, did I mention who was selected with the Bears originally third round pick at #84? This guy.

Players Available: Pork Chop Knighton DT, Louis Vasquez G, Ladarius Webb CB, Mike Wallace WR, Matt Shaughnessy DE

Fourth Round: With the 105th pick - the second pick from gained from Seattle - the Bears selected Henry "Hill" Melton, ~~running back~~ ~~defensive end~~defensive tackle from Texas. Melton was only a one year starter in college, playing end his senior season and earning twenty-nine tackles, ten TFL, and four sacks. With the 119th overall pick in the 2009 draft, the Bears took cornerback D.J. Moore from Vanderbilt. Moore left school as a junior after earning All-American honors and helping the school win its first bowl game in 53 years.

Since then: Moore and Melton have slowly worked their way up the Lovie Smith depth chart into key contributors on a still talented defense. After starting as a backup to Tillman and Corey Graham, Moore has settled in nicely as the Bears' nickle cornerback behind Tillman and Jennings the past two seasons, and has collected eight interceptions in his young career and has two touchdowns. Melton has added roughly twenty-five pounds since his combine weigh-in, and emerged last season as the Bears' best 3-technique option since the early Tommie Harris years.

Verdict: Moore is a ball-hawking interception machine (can we untrademark "the Interceptor" and pass it from Vasher to Moore?) that is a perfect nickelback for the Bears' defense. Melton has gone from sidelines to starter, and while Lovie still wants more consistently from him, Melton appears to be breaking out (7 sacks in 2011). Two great picks by Angelo, especially for their value in the fourth.

Players Available: TJ Lang T, Louis Murphy WR, Shaun Nelson TE

Fifth Round: The 140th overall pick changed hands twice, from Seattle to Denver to Chicago, and the Bears selected Johnny Knox, wide receiver from Abilene Christian. Knox spent two years at Tyler Community College before transferring to ACU, a Division II school in Texas. Knox had over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in each of his two seasons at ACU.

With the 154th pick, the Bears selected Marcus Freeman, outside linebacker from Ohio State. Freeman was a Parade All-American coming out of high school, and started thirty-seven games for the Buckeyes.

Since then: Knox is the only 2009 fifth round pick to be named to the Pro Bowl; earning that distinction in 2010 as a kick return specialist while leading the team in receiving yards that season (51 catches, 960 yards, 5 TDs). Knox emerged as a top option for Cutler, along with Earl Bennett, but a serious back injury has put his career in jeopardy with no timetable for his return.

Freeman didn't even make it out of preseason for the Bears, being released on September 4, 2009. He joined practice squads in Houston and Buffalo after that before retiring in 2010 due to an enlarged heart, diagnosed one month after the death of Gaines Adams.

Verdict: The Knox pick was simply a solid pick. He has issues with route running and fighting for the ball, yes, but Knox gave the Bears a vertical threat down the field and he emerged as the competent receiver the Bears were trying to turn Hester into. His freakish back injury makes this more questionable, but for a fifth rounder it was a great pick. Freeman, on the other hand, I thought was going to provide good depth but instead - like a fling at a wet, hot, american camp (possibly NSFW language) - he barely lasted a summer.

Players Available: Jasper Brinkley LB, Duke Robinson G, Javon Ringer RB

Sixth Round:With the 190th pick, the Bears selected Al Afalava, safety, Oregon State.

Since then: Afalava started thirteen games during his rookie season for the Bears, collecting forty-three tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, and after that, one pink slip. Weird Al has kicked around the league ever since, spending time with the Colts, Patriots, and Titans, but as a part-time special teamer, not a starter.

Verdict: Well, we got one year out of him, but ultimately a lack of speed and coverage skills doomed Afalava. It should say just how bad our situation at safety was that he was able to start thirteen games then essentially never play again.

Players Available:Matt Slauson G, Jason McCourty CB, Captain Munnerlyn CB, E.J. Biggers CB

Seventh Round: With their two compensatory picks in the seventh round, the Bears selected Lance Louis, ~~tight end~~ ~~tackle~~guard, San Diego St, and Derek Kinder, wide receiver, Pittsburgh. Louis actually only spent one year as a starting guard, his junior year, before spending his senior year as a right tackle. Kinder was a 6' 202 pound wideout that was still recovering from a torn ACL suffered during his junior season.

Since then: Kinder joined the likes of all the other late round/UDFA receivers that Bears' fans have heaped undeserved hope upon and been disappointed by. He hasn't been around football since, well, pretty much college. Louis, on the other hand, has developed into a jack-of-all-trades along the offensive line, earning starting nods at guard and tackle last season (with decidedly different results).

Verdict: Just like Webb, you have to give credit to Angelo for finding a starting offensive lineman late in the draft. Sure, neither is a stud, but both are still on the roster and at or near the top of the depth chart, which could make up for the wasted third round picks in 2009.

Players Available:Ryan Succop K, Rashad Jennings RB, Nick Reed DE

Since then:

Brandon Hardin signs with the Bears

2012-05-15T18:46:43Z

We need to get MidWayMonster54 on staff, he's a fanshotting machine. The Bears signed their final unsigned draft pick today, as safety Brandon Hardin agreed to a 4 year deal.

Hip Hip Hooray!

An open letter to J'Marcus Webb

2012-05-15T16:31:02Z

Dear J'Marcus Webb,

I hope this letter finds you healthy and ready for your first off season as the starting left tackle for the Chicago Bears. With last years lockout stealing valuable reps and prep time from you, I know you're raring to get after it and show the coaches that they were right in handing you the job after being one of the worst starting right tackles in the NFL as a 7th round rookie in 2010. Your natural size, length, quickness, and strength are prototypical for the left tackle position in the NFL, but your performance at the position in 2011 left a lot to be desired.

I know being rid of the Martzfense will be a boon to your career, as he regularly left you on an island with no chip help against speedy edge rushers, and the deep drops Mike Martz preferred made it difficult to maintain your technique and leverage throughout an entire pass play. But there's a new playcaller in town, and he ensures everyone that those days are over.

But I''d be remiss if I didn't mention what concerns me and some other Bears fans. Now maybe I'm reading into this all wrong, but from following your Twitter page and checking out your Facebook page, I'm just not seeing the level of seriousness and dedication that someone in your position should have. You were arguably the worst starting left tackle in the NFL last season, yet you have a nickname for those that follow your social networking sites. JWebb Nation. #SMH

I get that you're a fun loving (single) guy and you're trying to enjoy life. But for crying out loud, Chicago fans want a bad ass protecting Jay Cutler and opening holes for Matt Forte. Chicago fans want attitudes from their offensive linemen like Olin Kreutz, James "Big Cat" Williams, and Keith Van Horne. Not someone that tweets about how they "miss CG's Tacos!!!!", and asks, "What is your favorite meal?"... I would like your favorite meal to be Jarred Allen. I would love it if you wanted to to chew his ass up and spit him out. Then I want you to scoop up the regurgitated Jarred Allen and snack on him again. That's the kind of hunger I want to see.

You do put out the occasional tweet that looks good; "Time for football! Time for clarity. Time for competition. Time for work." and "I'm doing 300 situps before I go to bed every night! 200 push ups! Yoga for 20 minutes!", "I'm studying my playbook tonight!" and "Just wait til those pads come on and I can hit someone! I feel sorry for who ever should line up against me!". But those are mixed in with gems like these;

"Whose the ugliest lineman on our team? Lol!"
"I love Goose Island Brewery!"
"My teammates ask me about my post and I just play dumb! "What? I didn't write that!". Whose dumb?"
"I'll show you what's in my fridge! What's in yours? Post the pictures!"
"I've got a chipmunk in my apt. Gotta get rid of the thing soon before it builds a home!"
"I love hanging out and doing nothing."

And then there's the random shout-outs to your nation... "JWEBB NATION", "JWebb Nation!!!!!!!", "Good afternoon, JWEBB NATION!", and the unbelievable, "Rise and shine, Webbies!!!!!!", I can't believe you have a nick name for the nick name. #SMH

And you're young, single, and a pro athlete in one of the greatest cities in the world so I get these tweets; "I love beautiful WOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bear Down!!", "So busy with so much! Practice! Practice! I don't have much time for dating the women I'd like to date.", "Football! Football! It comes with too many women!", "Latinas! Sistas! Where ya at!", "Brunettes", "Blondes!". I suppose kudos are in order for being an equal opportunity ladies man, but you have to see how some could question your focus?

In my opinion it just seems like you're distracted, and this really isn't the time for being unfocused. The Bears didn't draft an offensive tackle, but they did sign a highly touted rookie free agent in James Brown. And in the rookie mini-camp the coaches had him lining up at left tackle. The coaches have also expressed that they plan on having former #1 draft pick Chris Williams back in the left tackle mix. And more recently, your quarterback shared some concerns about you and your line mates when he remarked, "if J'Marcus pans out". If? That would fire me up if I were in your shoes...

I truly believe football is won and lost in the trenches. The Bears need you to fulfill your potential, not the potential of 'he's doing good for a 7th rounder', but the potential of a NFL starting left tackle. I hope you come out and bust your ass and prove all the doubters wrong. I hope you use the negativity as fuel to show everyone the type of player you should be. This year there will be no excuses.

I wish you good luck in the 2012 season. Bear Down.

Sincerely,

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.

The Bears Den: May 15, 2012

2012-05-15T12:32:50Z

"...where 'Ditka' is not only a word, it's THE word."

Marshall likely to be cleared of assault - Issue could be resolved by the end of this week as NYPD wraps up its investigation.

Bears may move Chris Williams back to OT - Brad Biggs: Appears club has no alternative to have a third option.

Peter King's MMQB - Bears could field one of the tallest set of receivers ever to take the field, and that's without taking the 6'10" UDFA TE into account.

Follow WCG on Twitter. Or a bunny dies.

Cutler: Thumb fine after offseason surgery - Can't wait to lead a significantly upgraded Bears offense.

Forte’s contract situation doesn’t worry Cutler - Expects Forte to rejoin the team by Week 1.

OL does worry Cutler - Says switching from Martz's complex offense to a different system under Tice should alleviate pressure on the line, but "it's not a cure-all by any means."

Cutler: I signed up to play football, I understand the risks - Says concussions are a concern, but they're a concern that he decided he could accept.

Cutler allowed to audible again - "F*** you" to mean "Hi Mike! Hope you're enjoying your retirement. I certainly am. Love, Jay."

[Video] Cutler talks offseason workouts, diabetes awareness - Lookin' good. Where's Allie?

Bates-Cutler reunion doesn't guarantee good things for Bears - Moon Mullin: Bates needs to coach Cutler better than he did for the three years they spent together in Denver.

Jeffery is the whole package - Kip Lewis breaks down this past weekend's rookie mini-camp.

Army's Villanueva chasing NFL dream - Tight end is 6'10", but that's not the only reason he stood out at the Bears rookie minicamp. Incidentally, that's exactly two feet taller than the tallest midget.

Ranking divisions by QBs - NFCN comes in second.

[Video] Bears' Offense Undergoing Changes - Mark Schlereth explains how the Bears will try to improve on a struggling OL. Someone tell me what he comes up with; I can't play the clip because I'm in the UK.

Idonije could lose starting job, still a starting-caliber player - “He’s pretty good in the run game and as a pass rusher. … He’s just not explosive from the outside.”

Esiason: Bears would appeal to Cowher - Also questions if Bears, Tice will embrace pass-heavy offense.

Bears clearly thinking bigger - Moon Mullin: Emery labeled the NFL a big-man's game, Bears are following suit.

Home field advantage rankings - Bears among teams that do the best job of handling their business at home.

Know thy enemy - Last year, the Lions drafted some pretty stupid rookies. This year, the Lions drafted some more.

Via ChicagoBears on Facebook - "Does this make anyone else want to quit playing Words With Friends?"

Kim Deal could read the phonebook and it would still sound good.