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#Post#: 161--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: July 6, 2011, 2:30 pm
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Why did Ozzie Guillen put that weak ass lineup on the field
today?
#Post#: 166--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: July 27, 2011, 3:46 pm
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Well once again the Sox made another dumb trade by trading one
of their best pitchers for a couple of bums.
Now it's the Cubs turn to do the same thing.
#Post#: 175--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: August 5, 2011, 1:24 pm
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[quote author=Joshpr link=topic=6.msg70#msg70 date=1303872138]
Phil, kinda quick to call Dunn a bust, you he's gonna k,and he
isn't a .300 hitter, he'll put up his numbers
[/quote]
Josh, can I call him a BUST now? :)
#Post#: 176--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: August 5, 2011, 3:34 pm
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#Post#: 177--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: August 5, 2011, 3:35 pm
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#Post#: 181--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: August 6, 2011, 3:53 pm
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Disgusted Urlacher lobbies for FieldTurf
"We're a fast team. We play fast on FieldTurf."
Vaughn McClure/Tribune reporter
August 6, 2011/1:11 p.m. CDT
Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher voiced his displeasure with the
Soldier Field playing surface a day after unsafe field
conditions caused the team's Family Fest practice to be
canceled.
"It's a joke," Urlacher said. "I don't understand (why) they
can't have the field ready. It sucks for the fans because I'm
sure it was a pain in the butt to get down there with the all
traffic and everything. I think coach (Lovie Smith) did the
right thing in not letting us practice on that stuff."
Tim LeFevour, general manager of Soldier Field, took
responsibility for the playing surface being unsafe for the
Bears' Family Fest practice Friday night, but LeFevour assured
the field would be ready for next Saturday’s preseason opener
against Buffalo.
"Over the last few weeks, we've had some extreme heat
conditions,'' LeFevour explained Friday. "It was a
miscalculation on our ground crew's part. They did not get
enough water on the field. Some of the seams opened up. It's not
an issue or concern with next week's game. We know it can be
corrected. But in the best interest of the team tonight, it was
the right move to send them back to Bourbonnais to practice.''
The Bears practiced until 10:30 p.m.after returning to
Bourbonnais from Chicago.
The field has been an issue for quite some time and has raised
the question on whether the Bears should install FieldTurf.
"I don't understand why we don't have FieldTurf yet," Urlacher
said. "We're a fast team. We play fast on FieldTurf.
The injury issues (with FieldTurf) aren't as bad as they used to
be."
Urlacher said he is hopeful next weekend's game is not called
off due to field issues. LeFevour promised Soldier Field would
be ready.
#Post#: 188--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: August 13, 2011, 10:00 pm
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Bears beat Bills 10-3
Fred Mitchell/Tribune reporter
August 13, 2011, 9:51 p.m. CDT
Robbie Gould added a 45-yard field goal with 5:52 left in the
fourth period to increase the Bears' lead to 10-3. Gould missed
a 33-yard field goal try with 1:41 left.
A crowd of 46,073 attended Saturday night's game.
The Bears maintained their 7-3 lead after three quarters. A pass
by rookie quarterback Nathan Enderle was intercepted at the
Buffalo 5-yard line late in the third quarter to thwart a Bears
drive.
Bears coach Lovie Smith explained why he stuck with his starting
offensive line throughout the first half.
"We wanted to play the offensive line the entire half just to
get them some work playing together," he said.
"We were able to get that done. I liked the stuff we did on the
scoring drive…Caleb Hanie's run… we did a lot of good
things, running and passing. Marion Barber, great job running
the football. We're pleased but we've got a long way to go."
Cutler said his brief stint was beneficial.
"It felt good. Obviously the lockout was long. For us to get out
here and go against a different team, it was good for
everybody," he said.
"You can take a lot, especially those second-team guys and guys
who haven't had a lot of experience. It was also good for the
line to go out there and see some different fronts and go
against some different guys. We have to go back and look at the
film and see what we did good, see what we did bad and learn
from it."
While the new NFL kickoff rule says teams will now kick off from
their own 35-yard line instead of the 30, the Bears' Robbie
Gould opened the game by kicking from the 30. His kickoff sailed
to the 3, where Buffalo's Marcus Easley returned it to the 27.
On the kickoff, Bears defensive end Corey Wooton suffered a knee
injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Bears
defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has high expectations for
Wooton this season in his second year out of Northwestern.
Buffalo took a 3-0 lead with 2 minutes left in the first period
when Rian Lindell connected on a 44-yard field goal at the end
of a drive.
Johnny Knox returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards to the Bills'
29. With Caleb Hanie taking over at quarterback for starter Jay
Cutler, the Bears' offense sputtered. He was sacked twice,
moving the line of scrimmage back to the 37. On fourth down,
Adam Podlesh pooched a 22-yard punt to the Bills' 15 as the
first period ended.
Cutler completed his only pass attempt for zero yards. He was
sacked once for six yards.
The Bears took a 7-3 lead at 8:07 of the second period when
Hanie ran 4 yards for a TD. Gould booted the extra point at the
end of the 9-play, 52-yard drive.
Bears defensive lineman Marcus Harrison had to be attended by
medical personnel late in the second period before being listed
as questionable for the remainder of the game with a shoulder
injury.
At the half, the Bears had 14 yards passing and 78 total yards.
Gould missed a 56-yard field goal attempt wide right in the
final seconds of the half. Buffalo had 104 total yards: 48
passing and 56 rushing.
Bears defensive lineman Amobi Okoye had two sacks in the first
half, matching the pair by the Bills' Shawne Merriman.
"It felt good. A little different not being in a Detroit Lions
uniform on the other side, but it feels like home. It feels
good," he said.
Before the game, the Bears announced that defensive tackle
Anthony Adams, who is expected to miss a couple weeks with a
left calf muscle injury, and linebackers J.T. Thomas (hip) and
Chris Johnson (leg) would not be available for the game.
#Post#: 189--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: August 13, 2011, 10:18 pm
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Forte's cameo appearance doesn't last long
Running back in for 3 snaps before calling it a night
Vaughn McClure/Chicago Tribune
August 13, 2011, 9:40 p.m. CDT
At least Matt Forte got his cleats dirty.
The Bears running back, who is seeking a five-year contract
extension, considered not playing in Saturday's exhibition
against the Bills because of the injury risk on the often-shoddy
Soldier Field surface. But Forte suited up and played a total of
three snaps before exiting. His only real action involved
catching a shovel pass from Jay Cutler for no gain.
Forte considered not reporting to training camp without a new
contract. Bears general manager Jerry Angelo assured the running
back a new deal would come in time, so Forte deciding against
holding out.
Forte is scheduled to make a base salary of $550,000 this
season. With the arrival of Marion Barber at $2.5 million, it
only increased the urgency to get Forte's deal done.
Power game: Speaking of Barber, the veteran running back
displayed the type of power running that had fans applauding his
every move in Bourbonnais.
Barber had seven carries for a game-high 45 yards in the first
half of Saturday's game. His runs included a 12-yard burst
during which he slapped away a couple of defenders.
The Bears, who struggled on third-and-1 and goal-line situations
last season, are counting on him to be their short-yardage back.
Barber also was held by a Bills defender at the end of the first
half, drawing a penalty that kept a drive alive and allowed
Robbie Gould to attempt a 56-yard field goal. Gould missed.
Tough start: Defensive end Corey Wootton, one of the players
the Bears were counting on in the defensive rotation, injured
his knee playing special teams on the opening kickoff. It's
unclear how Wootton suffered the injury, but it knocked him out
for the remainder of the game.
Wootton, a second-year player from Northwestern, drew praise
from defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli for reporting to camp
in tremendous shape.
Wootton earned recognition during his rookie season for sacking
Brett Favre and knocking Favre out of the game.
Extra points: Cornerback Zack Bowman exited the game in the
third quarter with a head injury. ...
Defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, signed by the Bears after being
released by the Texans, had two first-half sacks wearing Tommie
Harris' old No. 91. …
Fellow newcomer Vernon Gholston forced a fumble on a kickoff
that was recovered by Craig Steltz, but the play was nullified
by a Bears penalty. …
Nose tackle Anthony Adams, who injured his calf, did not play
Saturday and is expected to be sidelined another week.
Linebackers J.T. Thomas and Chris Johnson also did not play. …
Defensive tackle Marcus Harrison banged his shoulder after a
collision with Gholston. …
Adam Podlesh's first punt as a Bear went 42 yards.
#Post#: 191--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: August 14, 2011, 9:56 am
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At least grass held firm in Bears opener
That's about all there is to glean from night at Soldier Field
other than offensive line has long way to go
David Haugh/Chicago Tribune
August 14, 2011 3:52 a.m. CDT
Of all the people who proved something to Chicago during the
Bears' 10-3 exhibition victory over the Bills, the man with the
most at stake Saturday night never picked up a helmet.
His name is Tim LeFevour, the Soldier Field general manager who
would have made Carlos Zambrano popular by comparison if the
playing surface had embarrassed the Bears again. Just eight days
after unsafe conditions forced the team to cancel a public
practice for fans, it didn't. A serviceable field was the game's
biggest star.
LeFevour, under pressure since Mayor Rahm Emanuel called out
stadium management, responded with the Park District and the
Bears producing a professional plot of grass the NFL's
second-largest market deserves. The grass glistened and footing
held.
Until everybody wises up and decides to install FieldTurf, city
officials have an obligation to do their best with the natural
grass the Bears organization prefers. For a night, they
fulfilled it.
"I'm looking forward to November, December to see how it really
is,'' said Bears receiver Roy Williams, who would be the only
one. "But today it wasn't bad."
It looked better than that, in midseason form.
The same cannot be said for the Bears offensive line.
Or maybe it can. And that's the problem that continues to quell
optimism.
Days before the first exhibition snap, offensive line coach Mike
Tice anointed his five regular-season starters unless somebody
falters. What if everybody falters?
Jay Cutler stuck around one series before presumably leaving to
buy better insurance it appears he will need. On the Bears'
first five quarterback drops, the line gave up three sacks and
Cutler was forced to scramble for a 10-yard gain. I swear I
didn't cut and paste that from a 2010 column.
"Too much pressure on the quarterback,'' coach Lovie Smith
acknowledged. "We have to tighten that up a bit.''
It was only one half of one game, and remember few line coaches
do more with less than Tice. A horrendous line didn't prevent
the Bears from winning the division and playing in the NFC
championship game.
Still, we expected to see more evidence the Bears had addressed
their biggest weakness. Instead we saw evidence that suggested
Cutler was a victim of assault and battery. This was no way to
prove you won't miss Olin Kreutz.
The only other intriguing offensive development came courtesy of
new running back Marion Barber. Barber ran with power and
purpose. His seven carries for 45 yards provided Jerry Angelo
just what he was looking for — on the field and perhaps in
negotiations with Matt Forte.
For weeks, Forte has lobbied for a new contract that could turn
into a major distraction if talks linger. It was annoying enough
for Forte to threaten to sit out Saturday night without a deal —
he played three snaps — but it threatens to get worse
considering how far apart the sides seem. The offense needs
Forte badly for Mike Martz's scheme to work best. But no urgency
yet exists.
Before the game, Angelo told WBBM-AM 780: "We're eventually
going to go to Matt and his representatives about a contract
extension.''
Eventually?
The Bears do a nice job of locking up core players but their
success doing so with Forte depends on how unrealistic his
demands might be. It can't hurt Angelo's position to see good
things from the guy he signed to back up Forte.
Angelo also saw good things from his defensive line, notably
explosive tackles Henry Melton and Amobi Okoye. They stood out
on a defense that gave the Bears something they have not
experienced much this training camp: business as usual.
Besides the canceled practice at Soldier Field, the Bears
shortened another workout in Bourbonnais because of lightning.
The oddest occurrence came during special-teams drills Wednesday
night at Olivet Nazarene when a Com Ed outage made it necessary
to move to a nearby high school. Com Ed is having a tougher time
producing consistent power this summer than Adam Dunn.
Angelo might say the football gods were playing dirty pool with
his team.
But really it's too early to overreact to anything, even a
familiarly porous offensive line that gave up nine sacks. On a
night football finally made a welcome return to Chicago after
months of waiting, the field held up. No starters got hurt. And
nobody retired.
#Post#: 192--------------------------------------------------
Re: Bears, Cubs, Sox, & Other Sports
By: Phill23 Date: August 14, 2011, 3:18 pm
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[center]
HTML http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/292646_10150280609114452_115897014451_7296348_3709701_n.jpg[/center]
Marion Barber runs through Bills defenders on his way to an
11-yard gain a first down at the Bills 5.
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