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Never Forget 31-0
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Under the Microscope: Chicago Bears
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QB Kyle Orton
</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Tom Casale
Date: Aug 31, 2005
After suffering their first loss of the season, a last minute 23-20 setback to the Carolina Panthers last Friday night, the Browns now turn their attention to the Chicago Bears. For most teams, the final preseason game is a glorified practice but that won’t be the case this Thursday night at Soldier Field.
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Teams like the Colts and Patriots sit their starters in the final preseason game but the Browns and Bears both have questions that need to be answered before the start of the season. The Bears, especially, have had an interesting training camp to say the least.
The Bears are on their third, yes their third, starting quarterback since training camp opened. Rex Grossman was the unquestioned starter for the Bears until he suffered a broken ankle in a preseason game against the Rams. Grossman is expected to miss three or four months, essentially the entire season.
Next in line was former Cowboys’ quarterback Chad Hutchinson. Hutchinson started five games for the Bears in 2004 and was Grossman’s backup entering the season. In his first three preseason games, the former St. Louis Cardinals’ pitcher was a disaster. He was 20 out of 42 for 211 yards with four interceptions and no touchdown passes. That performance not only cost Hutchinson the starting job, it cost him a roster spot as the Bears released him on Tuesday.
Now the starting reigns belong to rookie Kyle Orton. The former Purdue standout has been impressive this preseason, hitting 27 of 42 passes for 409 yards and two scores. Orton struggled during the second half of his senior year with the Boilermakers, causing him to slip to the Bears in the fourth round of the draft. The Bears’ coaching staff believes he has what it takes to be a solid starting quarterback in the NFL and they are willing to roll the dice and start the youngster from day one. Because he is a rookie, Orton will see about a half of playing time against the Browns. Veteran Jeff Blake is the Bears’ backup and will play most of the second half.
The Bears’ running back situation has been just as unsettled as their quarterbacks. After holding out for 36 days, the Bears finally signed rookie running back Cedric Benson. The third overall selection in the draft, Benson was the last first-round pick to sign this season. The Browns won’t get to see the former Longhorn Thursday night. The Bears are brining him along slowly so he won’t play against the Browns. Head coach Lovie Smith told the media this week, “We are going to get him on the field as soon as we can. We just don’t have a timetable for when.”
The Bears can be cautious with Benson because of the presence of Thomas Jones. Jones had a solid 2004 campaign and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry this preseason. Jones is an excellent receiver out of the backfield but he isn’t the kind of back that fits well into new offensive coordinator Ron Turner’s power running system. The veteran will open the season as the Bears’ starter but it shouldn’t be long until he is replaced by Benson.
It won’t matter who plays quarterback or running back if the offensive line doesn’t play better this year. The Bears’ offensive line allowed an outlandish 66 sacks a year ago. The team brought in tackle Fred Miller and guard Roberto Garza to revamp the right side of their line. Coming off four straight Pro Bowl appearances, Olin Kreutz is the anchor of the line and one of the game’s top centers. This group has to show vast improvement, especially with a rookie under center, if the Bears’ offense is going to improve in 2005.
The Browns’ injured secondary gets a bit of a break this week. The Bears brought in Mushin Muhammad this offseason to add some explosiveness to the offense but other than Muhammad, the Bears don’t have much at the receiver position. Bernard Berrian and Justin Gage have been battling for the second receiver job all preseason but neither player has been very impressive thus far. Rookie Mark Bradley has had a strong training camp and he could find himself starting along side fellow rookies Orton and Benson by the end of the season’s first month.
While the offense is filled with question marks, the Bears’ defense is one of the league’s top units. The starters probably won’t play very long but the Bears’ front seven will provide a stern test for William Green, Reuben Droughns and the Browns’ running game. Chicago’s defense didn’t finish well statistically last year but a lot of that has to do with them getting worn down because of an ineffective offense.
Brian Urlacher missed seven games in 2004 but when he is healthy, Urlacher is as good as there is at middle linebacker. He has had a great preseason so far and the Bears expect the tackling machine to have a big year. Lance Briggs is an active outside linebacker who totaled 125 total tackles last season.
The Bears’ starting defensive line will be a good test for the new-look Browns’ offensive front. Second-year defensive tackle Tommie Harris is an emerging star and ends Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye are both quick pass rushers off the edge. Romeo Crennel has been happy with the improved play of his offensive line this preseason but they will get a good battle from this group while they are in the game.
The Bears play primarily a cover-two in the secondary and while the team doesn’t have any superstars, they have players that fit well in their scheme. Corners Charles Tillman and Jerry Azumah won’t make a lot of big plays but they are both physical corners who tackle well. Azumah is recovering from a neck injury and will not play Thursday night. Safeties Mike Green and Mike Brown can both cover a lot of ground. The two players swapped positions this year, with Brown playing strong safety and Green moving to free safety. The Bears’ cover-two zone will be a good test for the Browns because the two teams meet again in week five and the Colts, who the Browns play in week three, also use a similar defense.
The Bears are 3-1 so far this preseason. With these teams meeting again in a month and a half, don’t expect either to show much this Thursday. The Bears’ starters on offense will play a little longer because of Orton’s inexperience but the defensive starters won’t be in the game for very long. There is nothing worse than the last preseason game of the year but Browns’ fans can take solace in one thing: the season opener against the hated Bengals is just around the corner.
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QB Kyle Orton
</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Tom Casale
Date: Aug 31, 2005
After suffering their first loss of the season, a last minute 23-20 setback to the Carolina Panthers last Friday night, the Browns now turn their attention to the Chicago Bears. For most teams, the final preseason game is a glorified practice but that won’t be the case this Thursday night at Soldier Field.
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Teams like the Colts and Patriots sit their starters in the final preseason game but the Browns and Bears both have questions that need to be answered before the start of the season. The Bears, especially, have had an interesting training camp to say the least.
The Bears are on their third, yes their third, starting quarterback since training camp opened. Rex Grossman was the unquestioned starter for the Bears until he suffered a broken ankle in a preseason game against the Rams. Grossman is expected to miss three or four months, essentially the entire season.
Next in line was former Cowboys’ quarterback Chad Hutchinson. Hutchinson started five games for the Bears in 2004 and was Grossman’s backup entering the season. In his first three preseason games, the former St. Louis Cardinals’ pitcher was a disaster. He was 20 out of 42 for 211 yards with four interceptions and no touchdown passes. That performance not only cost Hutchinson the starting job, it cost him a roster spot as the Bears released him on Tuesday.
Now the starting reigns belong to rookie Kyle Orton. The former Purdue standout has been impressive this preseason, hitting 27 of 42 passes for 409 yards and two scores. Orton struggled during the second half of his senior year with the Boilermakers, causing him to slip to the Bears in the fourth round of the draft. The Bears’ coaching staff believes he has what it takes to be a solid starting quarterback in the NFL and they are willing to roll the dice and start the youngster from day one. Because he is a rookie, Orton will see about a half of playing time against the Browns. Veteran Jeff Blake is the Bears’ backup and will play most of the second half.
The Bears’ running back situation has been just as unsettled as their quarterbacks. After holding out for 36 days, the Bears finally signed rookie running back Cedric Benson. The third overall selection in the draft, Benson was the last first-round pick to sign this season. The Browns won’t get to see the former Longhorn Thursday night. The Bears are brining him along slowly so he won’t play against the Browns. Head coach Lovie Smith told the media this week, “We are going to get him on the field as soon as we can. We just don’t have a timetable for when.”
The Bears can be cautious with Benson because of the presence of Thomas Jones. Jones had a solid 2004 campaign and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry this preseason. Jones is an excellent receiver out of the backfield but he isn’t the kind of back that fits well into new offensive coordinator Ron Turner’s power running system. The veteran will open the season as the Bears’ starter but it shouldn’t be long until he is replaced by Benson.
It won’t matter who plays quarterback or running back if the offensive line doesn’t play better this year. The Bears’ offensive line allowed an outlandish 66 sacks a year ago. The team brought in tackle Fred Miller and guard Roberto Garza to revamp the right side of their line. Coming off four straight Pro Bowl appearances, Olin Kreutz is the anchor of the line and one of the game’s top centers. This group has to show vast improvement, especially with a rookie under center, if the Bears’ offense is going to improve in 2005.
The Browns’ injured secondary gets a bit of a break this week. The Bears brought in Mushin Muhammad this offseason to add some explosiveness to the offense but other than Muhammad, the Bears don’t have much at the receiver position. Bernard Berrian and Justin Gage have been battling for the second receiver job all preseason but neither player has been very impressive thus far. Rookie Mark Bradley has had a strong training camp and he could find himself starting along side fellow rookies Orton and Benson by the end of the season’s first month.
While the offense is filled with question marks, the Bears’ defense is one of the league’s top units. The starters probably won’t play very long but the Bears’ front seven will provide a stern test for William Green, Reuben Droughns and the Browns’ running game. Chicago’s defense didn’t finish well statistically last year but a lot of that has to do with them getting worn down because of an ineffective offense.
Brian Urlacher missed seven games in 2004 but when he is healthy, Urlacher is as good as there is at middle linebacker. He has had a great preseason so far and the Bears expect the tackling machine to have a big year. Lance Briggs is an active outside linebacker who totaled 125 total tackles last season.
The Bears’ starting defensive line will be a good test for the new-look Browns’ offensive front. Second-year defensive tackle Tommie Harris is an emerging star and ends Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye are both quick pass rushers off the edge. Romeo Crennel has been happy with the improved play of his offensive line this preseason but they will get a good battle from this group while they are in the game.
The Bears play primarily a cover-two in the secondary and while the team doesn’t have any superstars, they have players that fit well in their scheme. Corners Charles Tillman and Jerry Azumah won’t make a lot of big plays but they are both physical corners who tackle well. Azumah is recovering from a neck injury and will not play Thursday night. Safeties Mike Green and Mike Brown can both cover a lot of ground. The two players swapped positions this year, with Brown playing strong safety and Green moving to free safety. The Bears’ cover-two zone will be a good test for the Browns because the two teams meet again in week five and the Colts, who the Browns play in week three, also use a similar defense.
The Bears are 3-1 so far this preseason. With these teams meeting again in a month and a half, don’t expect either to show much this Thursday. The Bears’ starters on offense will play a little longer because of Orton’s inexperience but the defensive starters won’t be in the game for very long. There is nothing worse than the last preseason game of the year but Browns’ fans can take solace in one thing: the season opener against the hated Bengals is just around the corner.
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