Mike Shanahan Should Have a Future in Chicago

Bears fans worldwide know that something’s wrong with their team.

After taking a chance on a disgruntled quarterback and basically trading away the team’s future (no draft picks in the first two rounds in 2009 or 2010), questions are being answered and potential solutions are being sought.

Does the blame fall squarely on the quarterback’s shoulders? Doubtful.

Were the losses of key linebackers Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tinoisamoa too much to overcome? Nick Roach and Hunter Hillenmeyer are nowhere near as talented as those two but the team’s defense has been the least of their problems excluding the Bengals and Cardinals game.

Where the blame lies is in the personnel, most notably Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith, and Ron Turner.

Angelo decided to take a chance at getting a young and very talented quarterback, a position the Bears have been looking for production out of since Reagan was in office.

But that’s not the reason he made my list.

The reason I’m scrutinizing Angelo trickles down to the other two names on my list. He traded for a gun-slinging, still-developing quarterback and brought him into an offense that’s more suitable for a Kyle Orton-esque player.

And instead of changing the offense to play to your team’s best offensive player, Lovie stayed with his traditionalist ways. He said “We’re a running football team” enough times during training camp/preseason/regular season that most people would’ve thought that a guy named Payton was still suiting it up for Chicago.

So maybe this game plan didn’t seem so bad at the beginning of the season.  The Bears returned stud rookie Matt Forte in the backfield and the down-field option that Cutler now brought to the table would force defenses to no longer stack the box, opening holes for Forte all over the field.

But, and this comes back to Angelo, we forgot about the guys that have to make those holes, the offensive line.

Not only did Angelo decide to move the Bears’ top draft pick in 2008, Chris Williams, to an unnatural position in right tackle, he also brought in washed-up future Hall-of-Famer Orlando Pace to block Cutler’s blind side.

That wasn’t even the worst move on the o-line. Angelo felt it necessary to sign an offensive guard with only one career start to a four-year $14 million deal, instead of trying out 2007 fourth-round pick Josh Beekman at left guard.

Now all you have is the worst blindside blocking personnel in the league and the least athletic offensive line in Lovie Smith’s tenure. So Coach, what’s our offensive gameplan? Don’t make me say it again.

So where do the Bears go from here?

It seems as if there’s a rather obvious option out there.  A head coach who has been a part of three Super Bowl championship teams, two of them as the main signal caller. A head coach who’s local to the Chicago area.  A head coach who knows our quarterback.  A head coach who runs the ball because he’s successful at it, not because it’s the only thing he knows.

Yes, I’m talking about Mike Shanahan.

The Oak Park native provides the fire and passion that a head coach must exhibit.

Not only does he run the ball, he’s been one of the most successful coaches at it over the past twenty years.

Shanahan knows how to build offensive lines and turn guys like Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, and Mike Anderson into 1,000-yard rushers. Can you imagine what he could do with a guy who wasn’t picked in the sixth round?

Cutler will be happier because now teams will have to stack the box and his big arm will finally be able to open up the field, especially with speedy receivers like Devin Hester and Johnny Knox.  And with Cutler stuck here for the next few years, it would be a good thing to keep him happy.

Shanahan is a proven winner, something that’s starved the city of Chicago since His Airness left for browner pastures.

So Jerry Angelo, let’s say goodbye to Lovie and his traditionalism and Ron Turner and his inept ability to call every wrong play in the book and let’s say hello to a guy with true Chicago grittiness and the ability to get the most out of his running game.

And who knows, if Shanahan did a good enough job, he may just be able to save Angelo his.

Special thanks to my friend Aaron Krause for bringing such a great idea to mind.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Dusty Dvoracek Joins Crowd of Jerry Angelo Busts

When it comes to drafts, Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo has been known as a “risk taker,” to say the least.

He’s been known to take injury-prone or troublesome players that happen to slip picks, and most of the time Mel Kiper notes the guy as a steal.

The problem with taking risks in the draft is you waste “free” guys, meaning you have a chance at a giant pool of talent that allows you to pick basically whomever you’d like.

But instead of taking guys with potential, or guys with good upside, Angelo tries taking the guys with the most talent that have something outside of football that hurts them, whether personally or socially.

Now at this time many of you are probably pointing out the other side of the Angelo debate and look at guys like 2002 fourth-round pick Alex Brown, 2003 third-round pick Lance Briggs, or 2004 fourth-round pick Nathan Vasher.

After all, these guys were all integral pieces of the 2006-07 defense that carried the Bears to Super Bowl XLI.

However, as these guys still remain on the defense, the talent that Angelo has tried to surround them with on both sides of the ball has been inconsistent at best and plain terrible at worst.

And I’m not talking about the Tommie Harris’s or the Peanut Tillman’s of the world.

Instead I’m talking about Angelo draft picks such as former first-rounders, Marc Colombo (now successful as a Cowboy), Michael Haynes (probably would’ve been more successful as a cowboy), Rex Grossman (now a third-stringer for the lowly Texans), and Cedric Benson (now has his mugshot in Texas’s books).

How about second-rounders Tank Johnson (good player, poor gun hider), and Mark Bradley (spokesman for Angelo’s “potential” guys)?

Dare I go to round three? Terrence Metcalf (now a backup on the Lions), and the newest member to the “bust category,” Dusty Dvoracek.

It was recently released that Dvoracek will be lost for the season after tearing his ACL, although reports have it that DD may have only sprained his MCL.

Either way, the injury gets added to the list of a guy who has spent more time on injured reserve than on the Bears roster…literally.

With the off-season departure of safety Mike Brown, who saw injury pile-ups after two years of Pro-Bowl worthy play, the upside that Dvoracek encouraged fans.

After seeing time as a backup defensive tackle in two preseason games in 2006, he hurt his foot and was placed on IR before September.

In 2007, he made it out of the preseason, getting his first start on Sept. 9 against the San Diego Chargers. On Sept. 10 he was placed on IR with a knee injury.

The 2008 season showed promise for DD as he started the first 12 games for the Bears. In fact, his 7.5 stuffs ranked fourth in the NFL, and his 29 tackles led the Bears defensive line at the time.

However, an arm injury forced DD to return to the IR for the last four games of the season.

Now, after just two preseason games, it appears the worst has happened yet again for such a promising young talent.

Was it just a coincidence, or was it yet another Angelo risk that yielded no reward?

Chicago Bears: New Faces Key To 2009-10 Season

The Chicago Bears are set to open up their 2009-10 season Saturday night as they take on popcorn-promoter Terrell Owens and his new team, Buffalo Bills.

This game really isn’t important as it’s just a preseason match-up, but for many of you Bears’ honks that haven’t been keeping up with the offseason, there will be many new names taking the field this weekend.

So here’s a kind of offseason wrap-up that will help familiarize you readers with some of the new names you may (or may not) be hearing this season.

OFFENSE

Jay Cutler, Starting QB — Cutler really shouldn’t be anything new for Bears fans, but those of you who’ve been comatose for the last few months, Cutler was the Bears’ prize offseason acquisition.

When Broncos new head coach Josh McDaniels tried to get his old quarterback (Matt Cassel) back, Cutler didn’t like the lack of faith McDaniels had in him. After all, Cutler was coming off of a Pro Bowl season, and was being touted as one of the best young QB’s in the league.

Feeling as if he was betrayed, Cutler demanded a trade, which was answered when the Bears’ sent QB Kyle Orton and some draft picks to the Broncos for the former first-round pick.

Now Cutler has come to Chicago with more anticipation than 2008 Cubs’ mid-season acquisition Rich Harden, and is already being praised as “The best quarterback the Bears have had since Sid Luckman (and for some Jim McMahon).”

Although the hype surrounding Cutler is enormous, it seems as if he has the tools to become one of the elite signal callers in the league.

Orlando Pace, Starting LT — The former Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer was an under-the-radar free-agent acquisition for the Bears, mainly because of his injury-prone last few years.

Pace, however, could be a key on a revamped offensive line that in the last couple years has disappointed.

Chris Williams, Starting RT — The Bears 2008 first round draft pick spent most of the 2009 season rehabbing a sore back that had troubled him in the past.

Williams did get a few snaps towards the end of last season, but is going to be asked to do a lot more this season as he’s assumed the starting right tackle position.

Frank Omiyale, Reserve LG — Omiyale, a free agent acquisition from the Carolina Panthers has taken a spot as the Bears top reserve o-lineman after many projected that he would be the opening day starter over third-year player Josh Beekman (and he still may).

Omiyale is a versatile lineman, and is a good insurance policy as he plays both the guard and tackle positions.

Given the amount of injuries that have plagued the Bears’ o-line in the past, be prepared to see Omiyale start at least one game by season’s end.

Earl Bennett, No. 2 WR — The Bears’ third round draft pick in 2008 has impressed personnel so much that they’ve given him a shot as the number two wideout behind Devin Hester.

Bennett, who is currently the SEC’s career leader in receptions (and he accomplished the feat in only three years), will team up with college teammate Jay Cutler, who quarterbacked him his freshman year at Vanderbilt.

Bennett isn’t much of a burner, and relies more on good hands and route running and less on speed and athleticism, which should make him a good compliment to speedster Hester.

Brandon Rideau, No. 4 WR — A practice squad fixture the past few years (not counting his injury-plagued ’07), Rideau looks like he’s finally paid his dues and will be part of the active roster come week one.

The athletic wideout from Kansas has quickly become one of Cutler’s favorite training camp targets and could supplant Rashied Davis as the Bears’ top slot receiver.

DEFENSE

Pisa Tinoisamoa, Starting OLB — Pisa led the Rams in tackles last season and comes to the Bears as a hopeful compliment to team staples Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, shoring up a spot that Hunter Hillenmeyer has failed to fit in.

He’s always been known as undersized, but his quickness and athletic ability makes him a perfect fit in the Bears’ style of defense.

Josh Bullocks, Reserve FS — With the departure of longtime Bear Mike Brown, GM Jerry Angelo felt like replacing him with another Cornhusker safety in Bullocks.

The free-agent acquisition from the Saints will be battling Danieal Manning for the starting free safety position.

Bullocks will definitely see the on special teams, and should see some time at either safety position throughout the season.

The Bears will obviously feature a much different look on the offensive side of the ball, while their defense, which was once touted as one of the best in the league, will be relying on most of the same players that were ranked 30th in the league in pass defense last season.

By the look of it, Angelo decided to go the route of scoring more points and taking pressure off of the ever-aging defense.

We’ll have to wait and see if this new-style approach works for a team that historically has relied on defense and the running game.

Solid RB Situation Could Turn Fragile for Chicago Bears

Fragility is a word that NFL general managers hate to hear.

Whether it’s a college player who drops multiple picks because of his injury history, or a veteran who drops from his prime before his 30th birthday, GM’s like the comfort of players who can stay on the active roster and have long-term careers.

In Chicago, it feels like GM Jerry Angelo has at least one position that he feels comfortable with: the running back.

And with second-year RB Matt Forte coming off a great rookie campaign, who would blame him?

The only problem with Forte’s season last year has nothing to do with the player himself. Instead, it lies with the offensive coordinator Ron Turner’s play calling.

Forte’s 379 touches last season is the most ever by a Bears’ rookie.

With the continuous theme of careers ending early in the NFL, this has to be something that the coaches in Chicago will monitor very closely.

In the last few years many of the games’ top running backs have shown a severe decline once they reach their early-30’s, most notably LaDainian Tomlinson.

From 2001-07, Tomlinson was known as one of the best running backs (if not THE best) in the league. In those seven seasons, he averaged 1,521 yards and 14 touchdowns a season, with career bests of 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2006, and that was just his rushing numbers.

In all, Tomlinson averaged 2,003 all-purpose yards, and 18 touchdowns (not including passing TD’s) in that seven-season period.

However, at the ripe age of 29, Tomlinson showed a decline last season as he ran for just 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns, both numbers well below his career average.

So why is it that L.T. is already fading?

Many experts pointed to his toe injury that plagued him prior to the season, and which kept him out of pre-season games (which Tomlinson rarely participated in anyways).

However, the amount of touches he had has to be duly noted.

From 2001-07, Tomlinson averaged 403 touches per year (338 rushing, 65 receiving), tops in the NFL in that seven-season span.

With the NFL getting bigger, stronger, and faster, the aging human body just can’t deal with that kind of wear and tear.

This is starting to become more prevalent in the league as more teams are beginning to implicate a running back-by-committee system in their offense.

In fact, the top four rushing teams in the NFL last year (N.Y. Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Baltimore Ravens) used at least two primary running backs in their rushing attacks.

With this being said, do the Bears’ have that kind of flexibility with their backup running backs? The answer is maybe.

Chicago is bringing back injury-prone running back Kevin Jones for a second year to backup Forte, but he was hardly used last season, indicative of his 36 total touches throughout the year.

Jones has shown promise at times in his career, and had a couple of good runs last season, but personnel never gave him a chance to really get going.

The Bears also have RB’s Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe, but they were able to match Jones’ output for touches between the two of them.

So, if the personnel in Chicago wants Matt Forte to continue to have success in the running game for years to come, they have to look at getting more touches from the three backup running backs.

It’s hard to waste Forte’s talent by not keeping him on the field, but it will ensure a longer, healthier career for the young running back.

Grossman Could Have Worked as No. 2

In his six years in Chicago, Rex Grossman went from being the franchise quarterback of the future to a goat, a Super Bowl quarterback to a backup, and Sexy Rexy to Rex “Gross”man.

Now it seems as if Grossman’s time in Chicago is done, as reports have shown the Houston Texans have signed the free-agent quarterback to battle for the backup spot with ex-NFC Norther’s Dan Orlovsky and longtime Brett Favre backup Craig Nall. They will all be competing to backup the Texan’s big 2008 free-agent signing Matt Schaub.

Although contract details were not present at the time of this article, it’s could be assumed that Grossman was cheap as his playing time has dwindled with the Bears since taking them to the Super Bowl in the 2006-07 season.

The question that I have about this move is why wouldn’t the Bears try to resign the disgruntled quarterback?

Did the Bears feel that it was time to part ways?

Did Grossman feel like he could still compete as a starter in the NFL (although beating out Schaub could be a difficult task)?

Or, were the Bears just that confident that second-year quarterback Caleb Hanie would be a serviceable backup?

All I know is that it pays to have someone in the system to backup your team, especially at such a high-profile position as quarterback.

Rex had six years in the Bears system, four of those with offensive coordinator Ron Turner. If there’s one thing to say about Grossman, it’s that he knows how to run the offense.

Hanie on the other hand, has showed promise in practices and in last year’s preseason, but most of that success has come against other teams’ third string or players that usually spend more time on the practice squad than suited up on Sundays.

In years past the Bears have always looked for veteran backups at the quarterback position, as shown by acquiring QB’s such as Brian Griese and Chris Chandler, but they may be trying to spark a youth movement with their ever-aging roster.

It is still early June, and Jerry Angelo still has time to make a move to acquire a veteran backup, but it looks as if this year’s free-agent pickings are slim (and Brett Basanez would be a reach to be anything more than a practice squad fixture).

If Angelo does end up going with a Cutler-Hanie-Basanez depth chart at the QB position, it could spell a rough year if anything happens to Cutler.

Grossman has had signs of being a very good quarterback (including being talked about in MVP discussions during the first seven weeks of the 2006-07 season), and could have been had at a cheap price (although who’s saying that he would have come back to Chicago).

My personal feeling is that Grossman will have a solid career as a serviceable backup, although he may gain the journeyman tag by the time his career is over.

I’m just hoping that this move (or lack thereof) won’t come back to bite the Bears in 2009.

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