Chicago - Footballguys

CHICAGO B
EARS
Starting QB: The downward spiral of QB Jay Cutler in Denver
has become a major boon for the Chicago Bears. The Bears have been
looking for a legitimate starting quarterback for decades and they may
have finally found the young leader to carry the offense through the
next decade. Cutler has elite passing skills
although his consistency and mental focus still
needs to see improvement in the years ahead.
Cutler is a gunslinger in the Brett Favre mold,
and he has the swagger to fit the ball into
areas and get completions that most passers
simply cannot get done. He threw for 4,526
passing yards a season ago with the Broncos
and has a career passing rating of 87.1, an outstanding result for a young player. He also has
54 career touchdown passes against just 37
interceptions. He likely will not throw for as
many yards in Chicago but make no mistake
about it – Cutler is a huge upgrade at the quarterback position for the Bears.
Backup QBs: The Bears do not have
an experienced NFL quarterback in behind
Jay Cutler. Caleb Hanie, former Colorado
State Ram is currently the second string quarterback. While blessed with good size and
confidence, nobody really knows at this point
Greg Olsen
whether he is a career backup type in the NFL
or capable of more if given the opportunity.
We will know how confident the Bears are in Hanie if they go into the
season with him slotted in as the No. 2 quarterback.
RUNNING BACKS
Starter: Matt Forte
Backups: Kevin Jones, Garrett Wolfe, Adrian Peterson
Fullbacks: Jason McKie, Jason Davis
Starting RB: The Bears have to be pleased with how well
rookie RB Matt Forte played last season. He finished the season with
316 carries and 1,238 rushing yards on the year. He also caught 63
passes and scored 12 total touchdowns. He did everything the club
needed him to do and then some. His first and second half splits were
near identical and he has emerged as a 20+ carry per game back for
the Bears. He had three 100-yard rushing games, 12 games with 3+
receptions and scored in ten of the sixteen games. He is blessed with
great size, surprising quickness and soft hands and is entrenched as
the starting tailback in Chicago.
Backup RBs: Last season, some folks envisioned Kevin Jones
getting some significant playing time in Chicago, but he simply was
NOTABLE SKILL POSITION PLAYERS ADDED
Pos
QB
QB
TE
WR
WR
WR
Player Name
Brett Basanez
Jay Cutler
Michael Gaines
Derek Kinder
Johnny Knox
Juaquin Iglesias
Type
Free Agent
Trade
Free Agent
Draft
Draft
Draft
2008 Team
Carolina Panthers
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
College
College
College
2009 Team
Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
NOTABLE SKILL POSITION PLAYERS LOST
Pos
QB
QB
WR
Player Name
Kyle Orton
Rex Grossman
Brandon Lloyd
Type
Trade
Free Agent
Free Agent
2008 Team
Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
2009 Team
Denver Broncos
Free Agent
Free Agent
not able to capture the form he once had for the Detroit Lions. He had
just 34 carries for 109 yards and did not score a single touchdown. He
does have talent but it appears that injuries have derailed his career.
Garrett Wolfe is undersized and although quick and talented has yet
to have an impact as a pro. His best bet is as a change-of-pace back
going forward, although as Darren Sproles of the Chargers showcased last season, smaller does not necessary equate to lesser. Finally,
Adrian Peterson is a serviceable back without the upside most starting
backs have. He has had some nice professional
moments and, in a pinch, will be able to fill in
adequately.
Fullbacks: Jason McKie is a dependable
blocking fullback who managed to score a few
touchdowns last season giving him marginal
value in leagues that only score touchdowns.
However even those few touchdowns are a
crapshoot and he is on the field for his blocking
ability.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Starters: Devin Hester, Rashied Davis
Backups: Earl Bennett, Joaquin Iglesias
[R], Brandon Rideau, Johnny Knox [R]
Starting WRs: Without question, the
wide receiver position is the biggest question
mark for the Bears offense in 2009. It appears
Devin Hester as well as Rashied Davis will
get the starting nod, and both are still learning
their craft. Hester did manage to become a more
consistent receiver last year, finishing with 51
receptions for 665 yards and three scores and has the quickness to
give opposing defenses fits. He didn’t have a 100-yard receiving game
but did manage to grab at least four passes in eight of the 16 games.
Rashied Davis had a couple of nice moments last year and did set
career marks in receptions and yards. The bad news however is those
career marks were just 35 receptions and 445 yards. From Week 10
on, he caught just eight total passes without a touchdown and was
benched for poor play.
Backup WRs: A third-round pick in 2008, Earl Bennett failed
to catch a single pass as a rookie last season. However, he appears to
be the third receiver by default heading into 2009. He has nice size
and some talent, but his lack of production last season is difficult to
ignore. Brandon Rideau has great size (6’4) to go along with some
natural talent. The bad news however is he has yet to catch a single
ball in the NFL. The Bears also drafted talented WR Joaquin Iglesias
in the third round this year. He is quicker than fast and could compete
for playing time out of the gate this season. Knox is a speedster, but
he’ll need to improve his route running to become anything other than
a deep threat.
ICON SMI
CHICAGO BEARS
QUARTERBACKS
Starter: Jay Cutler
Backup: Caleb Hanie, Brett Basanez
TIGHT ENDS
Starter: Greg Olsen
Backups: Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis, Michael Gaines
What the Bears lack at the receiver position, they make up for it at
the tight end spot. Greg Olsen finished as the ninth-best fantasy tight
end in 2008, catching 54 passes and scoring five times. He became to
top target for the Bears. He has great size and quickness and he may
become even a bigger part of the offense in 2009. Desmond Clark
is the perfect No. 2 tight end for the Bears. A 10-year veteran, Clark
had a lesser role with the club last season but still managed to grab 41
passes. He has had three straight 40-reception seasons. Kellen Davis is
an interesting prospect, blessed with great size, who could emerge as
a compliment to Greg Olsen once Clark is out of the picture. Michael
Gaines is the team’s blocking TE.
FREE 32 PAGE CAMP UPDATE: http://freeupdate.footballguys.com
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by Chris Smith
PLACE KICKER
PK: Robbie Gould
2008 SEASON STATS
As a rookie in 2005, Robbie Gould was a serviceable replacement
for Doug Brien. In 2006 he easily held off Josh Huston for the job,
and subsequently emerged as one of the top kickers in the league.
He was 32 of 36 on FGs (88.9 percent), including 12 of 14 from 40+
yards, and totaled 143 points (1st). In 2007 he did nearly as well on
field goals hitting 31 of 36 (86.1 percent), again including 12 of 14
from 40+ yards, and totaled 126 points (7th). In 2008, he hit 89.7
percent (26 of 29) on field goals. They slipped to 15th in kicker scoring however, as the number of field goals dropped and the number of
PATs increased to a more typical distribution. The coaches remain the
same for 2009, but there are several big changes in the offense, which
should increase offensive productivity.
TEAM DEFENSE
Running Back
Matt Forte
Kevin Jones
Adrian Peterson
Garrett Wolfe
Jason McKie
Jason Davis
Rush
316
34
20
15
11
1
Yards
1238
109
100
69
26
0
Wide Receiver
Devin Hester
Rashied Davis
Brandon Lloyd
Marty Booker
Rec Yards TDs
51
665
3
35
445
2
26
364
2
14
211
2
Tight End
Greg Olsen
Desmond Clark
Rec Yards TDs
54
574
5
41
367
1
TDs
8
0
0
0
2
0
Rec
63
2
6
0
11
1
Yards
477
5
45
0
64
12
TDs
4
0
0
0
1
0
Team Per Game Stats
Ctgry
Avg Rnk
Pts
23.4 14th
Yds
295.9 26th
P-Yds 191.3 21st
R-Yds 104.6 24th
keep the Bears a solid fantasy option even if the defense struggles
to remain consistent. Expect the Bears to again be one of the first
defenses to come off the draft board.
2008 WEEK BY WEEK STATS
Chicago
@Ind
Chi
TB
29-13
17-20
24-27
QB Orton
13-21-150-0 19-32-149-0 22-34-268-2
(rush stats)
1-10
1-(-1)
6-21
6,19
QB Grossman
dnp
dnp
dnp
(rush stats)
RB Forte
(rec stats)
Phi
@Det
@Atl
Min
bye
24-20
34-7
20-22
48-41
week
18-34-199-2 24-34-334-0 26-43-286-0 21-32-283-0
1-0
1-10
1-(-2)
19,23,20
9,12
17
18,51
dnp
0-0-0-0
dnp
dnp
-
23-123
3-18
50
13-45
23-92
3-21
(P)
1-0
27-89
7-66
6(rec)
3-10
19-43
5-42
20-76
5-34
3
2-3
20-56
2-17
1
dnp
-
1-(-1)
0-0
15-36
4-25
1/9(rec)
10-36
2-5
0-0
RB Peterson
0-0
dnp
0-0
0-0
0-0
-
0-0
RB Wolfe
0-0
0-0
1-38
0-0
8-15
0-0
0-0
-
0-0
RB McKie
(rec stats)
2-5
0-0
2-17
1-1
1-1
0-0
1-0
0-0
2-8
-
2-8
1-9
1
dnp
3-7
2-13
1
dnp
dnp
dnp
dnp
dnp
dnp
-
dnp
WR Hester
(rush stats)
1-7
1-6
dnp
5-66
6-87
2-22
-
4-42
1-11
WR Davis
(rush stats)
2-10
(P)
3-11
1-17
(Q)
3-37
3-27
1-15
20 (Q)
1-34
12
6-97
4-41
-
5-64
WR Lloyd
2-26
5-66
WR Booker
(rush stats)
1-7
1-4
6-124
19
0-0
dnp
(O)
2-37
17
dnp
(D)
3-33
3-24
1-(-1)
(P)
dnp
(O)
3-79
TE Olsen
2-36
2-7
2-16
(Q)
3-87
3-41
TE Clark
2-46
(P)
2-21
2-8
2-17
5-50
RB Jones
RB Davis
3-16
2-33
(Q)
1-23
1-3
23
4-35
19
1-4
51 (P)
6-74
18
3-59
-
Det
27-23
8-14-108-0
2-7
5(run)
9-19-58-1
2-3
6/1(run)
22-126
1-5
Ten
14-21
dnp
@GB
@StL
@Min
Jac
NO
GB
@Hou
3-37
27-3
14-34
23-10
27-24
20-17
24-31
13-26-133-0 18-29-139-0 11-29-153-3 20-34-219-1 24-40-172-2 14-27-142-2 22-37-244-0
1-0
1-(-1)
2-(-2)
4-6
1-(-1)
2-2
(D)
(P)
7
65,2
2,22
6(run)
3
4,1/1(run)
20-37-173-1 4-7-26-0
dnp
dnp
dnp
dnp
dnp
dnp
1-1
5/1(run)
20-72
16-64
20-132
22-96
21-69
11-34
23-73
13-50
7-54
6-40
2-14
4-29
5-37
5-29
2-28
3-25
5(rec)
13,47
2(rec)
1
3 (Q)
1-0
dnp
dnp
dnp
dnp
0-0
0-0
dnp
(D)
0-0
1-7
5-35
1-5
3-19
5-15
2-2
3-17
2-10
1-(-1)
1-8
2-28
0-0
2-12
3-5
1-(-1)
0-0
dnp
dnp
dnp
(D)
2-5
0-0
0-0
dnp
dnp
dnp
dnp
dnp
3-16
7(rec)
(Q)
(D)
(D)
(O)
(Q)
dnp
dnp
dnp
1-0
0-0
0-0
0-0
0-0
1-12
4-54
1-7
5-57
3-67
5-80
4-46
2-12
6-85
2-32
1-3
65
1-15
1-36
1-10
1-17
2-14
0-0
0-0
2-35
1-(-2)
dnp
(P)
0-0
2-17
-
6
dnp
(Q)
0-0
-
(P)
2-10
-
4-36
-
1-24
0-0
2-21
1-16
0-0
1-3
(P)
dnp
dnp
3-28
dnp
0-0
4-34
4
0-0
5-40
4-45
(O)
0-0
(Q)
1-7
(D)
8-45
3-10
1-4
5-40
1-9
(Q)
(Q)
5-49
3
4-37
4-30
1
1-7
3-52
22
2-8
2
3-11
(P)
CHICAGO BEARS
The Bears had a solid pass rush, a Top 5 finish in interceptions,
six combined special teams/defensive touchdwns, and a Top 10 fantasy finish in 2008. Head Coach Lovie Smith changed up his defensive front last season and successfully improved against the run, but
a Bottom 5 pass defense was often the team’s undoing. Smith has
hinted that he may move back toward his Cover-2/Tampa-2 roots in
2009, which could improve the team’s points against and yardage
against figures. Veteran DE Adewale Ogunleye will continue to
be the team’s primary pass rusher, while the back seven will again
be anchored by MLB Brian Urlacher and CB Charles Tillman. The
Bears will still have question marks in the secondary where the
corner and free safety play will need to improve if this defense is
to return to its once stingy ways. Kick returners Devin Hester and
Danieal Manning will continue to provide added value and should
Quarterback Atts Comps Yards TDs INTs Rush Yards TDs
Kyle Orton
465 272 2972 18 12
24
49
3
Rex Grossman 62
32
257
2
2
3
4
20
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