Julius Peppers

 

Tonight the Chicago Bears take on the Arizona Cardinals in what will really be their final tune-up before their regular season opens up on September 12th. The third preseason game is always the outing in which you can place the most weight on how the team will perform in later weeks, as the starters will play into the third quarter and the coaches usually attempt to make a gameplan. Here's what I'll be watching for later tonight after I get back from being social and rev up my DVR.

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Cardinals at Bears"

It was a less than stellar effort. Julius Peppers showed up on a few goal line plays late in the drive, but it was too late to jump-start the defense by then.

On the Bears following possession, the offensive line did its best to counter the defense's futility. After a short Forte run, linemen Chris Williams and Lance Louis were beaten by their rushers to allow two consecutive sacks of Jay Cutler, of which there were five in the first half. (Four by new Raider Kamerion Wimbley, who most often beat Chris Williams in one-on-one match-ups.) It was an ugly start. The offensive line improved over the first half, opening a hole for Forte on an 89-yard TD run, but their protection needs considerable work. Mike Tice should start earning his paycheck.

Continue reading "Bears hit early snags against Raiders"

Not much from Julius Peppers either, but with the quick plays San Diego was running, it would be hard for anyone to get pressure.

-The star of the night was undoubtedly Major Wright. In early after Craig Steltz (who was starting for the injured Danieal Manning) left with an injury, Wright came on and made his share of solid tackles in the backfield as well as downfield. Unfortunately, Wright eventually left the game with a finger injury. Eff. Need more safeties.

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Chris Williams has been getting all he can handle so far in training camp, going one-on-one with Julius Peppers almost exclusively. Still, this will be his first full year at left tackle, the position he feels most comfortable at. Unfortunately, the rest of the line isn't as solid.  Roberto Garza has shifted from right to left guard, ensuring a learning curve for his first few starts. Olin Kreutz is another year older and therefore more susceptible to the stronger interior defensive tackles. Seventh round pick Lance Louis is starting at right guard. Do I need to say anything else? Finally, Frank Omiyale is starting at right tackle, hopefully about to prove he's worth having on the team. Like I said, shaky at best.

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Bears at Chargers"

yet.

As it stands I like Brown on the side opposite newcomer Julius Peppers. Brown plays the run very well and is known to make a big play now and again,  If he is traded or released, that leaves Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije as time-sharing replacements. 2009 draft picks Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton figure to factor in heavily to this year's defensive line rotation, so we;ll see where they end up. (But I'm not holding my breath after they red-shirted all of last year.)

Continue reading "Chicago Bears Weekly Wrap-up"

y Chicago Bears ended up going "hog wild" in free agency after all, signing defensive end Julius Peppers, running back Chester Taylor and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna on Friday.

It was a complete departure from the norm for a Bears front office that is very particular about spending money on players it doesn't know. Anyone who says the Bears are cheap hasn't been paying attention. They shell out the money, but only for players they already have under contract. This year it was different. With no first or second round draft picks, Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith had to swing for the fences in free agency or they'd be on the chopping block for sure after the 2010 season. After a fantastic Friday, it's time to examine the moves the Bears made and how they improve the team going forward.

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ot even an hour into NFL free agency, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that big fish defensive end Julius Peppers and highly touted running back Chester Taylor will both visit the Chicago Bears on Friday. Brad Biggs is also reporting that tight end Brandon Manumaleuna will also pay a visit.

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t a few positions and players the Bears should be targeting in free agency.

Defensive End

Julius Peppers (Carolina)

Undoubtedly the biggest fish in the free agent pool, the 30-year old defensive lineman would bring instant pass-rush to a Bears defense that is sorely lacking. In Lovie Smith's much maligned cover-two scheme, getting pressure with your front four is key. Adewale Ogunleye's impending departure and the death of Gaines Adams makes signing Peppers a no-brainer. When he wants to he's one of the best pass-rushers in the league. Every now and again he'll take plays off (or seasons, as evident by his 2.5 sack 2007), but he's racked up double digit sacks in six of his eight years in the NFL.

Continue reading "Free Agency Preview: Chicago Bears"

Their defense isn’t loaded with stars. You gotta love Julius Peppers at defensive end, but really are there any more playmakers on that defense? The division they play in isn’t loaded with talent either, but you gotta believe that having a decent to good defense would give the Panthers an edge in their division. After all it was defensive football that won the division last year for the Tampa Bay Buccs. The only team from the NFC South to make the playoffs. Charles Godfrey out of Iowa may help out at cornerback and that could shut down opposing offenses. I’m hoping that Dan Connor out of Penn State can provide some spark to this otherwise dormant defense. Things have got to change in Carolina. The defense would have been a good place to start.

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