Thursday Sept 6 News & Tweets

Thank you, Happy. Cant begin to tell you how nice it is to come and find all of the feeds and bears related articles in one place.

bear4life21 said:

Thank you, Happy. Cant begin to tell you how nice it is to come and find all of the feeds and bears related articles in one place.

Click to expand...

Or someone isn't replying to themselves every freaking article.

Yea, thanks Happy. It's really nice & convenient having all these articles in one place

you are all welcome

although I'm only good for posting stuff until about 9:00 am or so, get pretty busy after that. Botfly and Ole do most of the posting for the rest of the day

It beats the morning paper, all football news in one place is awesome.

The fatass Lesbo Mully writes another shitty anti Cutler article about his jerkface.

I'm sorry if Cutler doesn't like 670 the score.

Who the fuck gave the troll Joe Cowley his job back at the sun times? Sun times has fallen off completely.

SAM BRADFORD SAYS HE DIDN'T STAY IN SCHOOL TO AVOID LIONS (LOL)

In 2009 after the Lions went 0-16, most experts believed they would draft Sam Bradford as their franchise quarterback. But Bradford elected to stay at Oklahoma another year and there was speculation that Bradford did so to avoid being drafted by Detroit.

Justin Rogers of Mlive.com reports on Wednesday Bradford put those rumors to rest on Wednesday when asked how much the Lions' 2009 draft position played into his decision.

"None at all," Bradford said. "I went back to school just because I felt I wasn't ready for the NFL. At that point I had only played two seasons. I think I was still 20, 21 years old. I just felt I could really use another year in school to mature, both physically and mentally. Even though I came back and got hurt, I still feel that year helped me develop as a person."

Hi, nieces and nephews, it's your rug-munching aunt...



As we enter the final days before the start of the (NFC North) regular season, I want to slam through a quick series on the "pivot players" of this division. To me, they are non-quarterbacks whose individual performance will dramatically and disproportionately impact the success of the team -- based on the position they play or the depth behind them or uncertainty about their own competence.

We'll start with this Blogger Blitz video post on left tackle Marshall Newhouse, the one unproven starter on the Green Bay Packers' offensive line. Backup tackle Derek Sherrod (leg) is out for at least the first six weeks of the season, leaving the Packers without anything close to a safety net should Newhouse falter or be injured.

For the rest of this award-winning analysis, you'll have to watch the video.

[video]http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:8340860[/video]

By the end of Saturday, I'll nominate one Pivot Player for each NFC North team.

ANTHONY ADAMS ‏@spiceadams
Please check this out! Lou is hilarious-->>>

Lou being his douchey self with player commentary (and Kerry Sayers is kinda hot)...

[video=youtube;2VZvGWcoD2k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VZvGWcoD2k&feature=youtu.be[/video]

ole69 said:

Hi, nieces and nephews, it's your rug-munching aunt...

Click to expand...

No this is

panda, go back to your thread

Zach Zaidman ‏@ZachZaidman
Eight #Bears still on 53-man roster from team that played in Super Bowl XLI, not counting former Colts Tim Jennings & Kelvin Hayden.

Zach Zaidman ‏@ZachZaidman
The Colts have 30 new players on their 53-man roster from when the season ended a year ago.

Bears_804 said:

Or someone isn't replying to themselves every freaking article.

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I dont see it that way, 804. Try to look for the good in things. Life is too short to be thinking negatively. Being an out of towner; I dont have the luxury of chicago radio or chicago sports talk all day every day. Having all of the artie's in one place is convenient as hell.

Lions RB Jahvid Best vows he'll be ready when PUP time is over

9/5/2012 7:06:09 PM

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Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best said today he expects to be cleared and return to the field when he’s eligible to come off the physically-unable-to-perform list next month, Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press reports.

“Yes,” Best said. “My mind frame hasn’t changed since the beginning.”

Best has not played since he suffered the second of two concussions last season in an Oct. 16 loss to San Francisco. Best is ineligible to play the first six weeks of the regular season, which means the earliest he could return would be for the Lions’ Monday night game Oct. 22 at Chicago.

“Just let it play out,” Best said of his time on the PUP list. “There’s no point of really stressing over it. There’s nothing I can do about it now. Just let it play out. And when I get cleared, get back out there and do what I do best.”

During training camp in August, Best said he was symptom-free, and general manager Martin Mayhew said he was "a little bit surprised" and "a little bit disappointed" that Best had not been cleared to play.

“I’m still in tune with everything,” he said. “I’m still going to all the meetings, still watching practice and everything. The only thing I can’t do is just suit up. When I get taken off the PUP, then I’ll be fine.”

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/theredzoneorg

Cutler: Opener 'going to be fun to watch'


By Fred Mitchell, Tribune reporter

12:57 p.m. CDT, September 5, 2012
Jay Cutler was wearing a Vanderbilt baseball cap Wednesday at Halas Hall, but the Chicago Bears quarterback was more concerned about Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts than his alma mater’s matchup at Northwestern Saturday.

“We have some guys who can play some football on the outside, there’s no doubt about that,” Cutler said of receivers such as Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. “It’s hopefully going to make my job easier, just being able to get them the ball and let them work.

"Up front, I think the guys know there is some pressure on them because Matt Forte can run if you give him holes. And if I get the guys the ball on the outside and we hold up and have time, we can make some good plays. It’s going to be fun to watch.”

The Bears were 7-3 before Cutler broke his thumb last season, but finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs. The Colts were 2-14 last season without the services of future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, now with the Denver Broncos. The Colts are now led by No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Luck out of Stanford.

“He’s going to be successful in this league, there are too many good things going his way,” Cutler said of Luck. “He works hard, he’s in an organization that is going to build around him. They’ve got the blueprint already with Peyton. So they’re going to do everything possible to make him successful.”

For the record, Cutler predicts Vanderbilt will beat Northwestern by three.

“We have better athletes, too much speed ... SEC,” he said.

fmitchell@tribune.com

Ex-Bears QB McMahon on SI cover about brain trauma


By Fred Mitchell, Tribune reporter

9:04 p.m. CDT, September 5, 2012
The girlfriend of former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon is one of the subjects of next week's Sports Illustrated cover article that is titled: "The Women Behind The Retired NFL Men Who Suffer From Brain Trauma."

Laurie Navon tells the magazine she started noticing changes in McMahon’s behavior in early 2007 before tests revealed early onset dementia. Navon and McMahon appear on the cover of the Sept. 10 issue of the magazine.

McMahon first disclosed to the Tribune in November 2010 that he was experiencing short-term memory loss when the Bears observed their 25-year anniversary of Super Bowl XX in Chicago.

"Back then, it was just tape an aspirin to your helmet and you go back in," McMahon said then. "I've worked with some neurosurgeons and it's a very serious thing, man. My memory's pretty much gone. There are a lot of times when I walk into a room and forget why I walked in there. I'm going through some studies right now and I am going to do a brain scan. It's unfortunate what the game does to you."

After being drafted in the first round out of Brigham Young in 1982, McMahon suffered knee, shoulder and hand injuries, as well as concussions. In 1984, he suffered a lacerated kidney.

In addition to Navon and McMahon, Mary Lee Kocourek (wife of former tight end Dave Kocourek) and Mary Ann Easterling (widow of former safety Ray Easterling) share their stories in the SI article.

Copyright © 2012, Chicago Tribune

Bears ready to pressure Colts' Luck
Urlacher & Co. may blitz rookie QB in hopes of producing sacks, turnovers


By Vaughn McClure, Chicago Tribune reporter

7:11 p.m. CDT, September 4, 2012
When Brian Urlacher studies the scouting report for Sunday's season opener against the Colts, the Bears middle linebacker doesn't think about the Colts' 2-14 record from a year ago or their decision to rebuild around rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.

In Urlacher's eyes, those factors don't minimize the task at hand.

"Every game is tough to win in the NFL,'' said Urlacher, who plans to play Sunday, 26 days after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

"And it doesn't matter who the quarterback is. Luck may be different because he's a rookie, it's his first game, and he may be a little bit excited. But he's a good quarterback. ... We just have to do what we do, no matter the opponent.''

Defensively, the keys to the Bears' success under Lovie Smith haven't been a secret: consistent pressure and creating turnovers. Since 2004, the Bears defense leads the league in takeaways (266), three-and-outs forced (437), three-and-out percentage (26.6 percent) and third-down percentage (34 percent).

"If we get pressure and we can play our Cover-2 behind it, then we're going to be successful,'' Urlacher said. "Anytime you can drop seven guys — have seven eyes on the quarterback — and have pressure from four up front, that's a good thing for your defense.

"Our guys have done a good job the last few years getting pressure on the quarterback, so I don't think it's going to be an issue this year, either.''

The pressure could improve, though. Last season, the Bears finished with 33 sacks and were 29th in the league in sacks per pass play. Julius Peppers led the team with 11 sacks but didn't get enough help, considering the double teams he often encountered.

The Bears hope first-round pick Shea McClellin makes an immediate impact, at least as a situational pass rusher. There are high expectations for Henry Melton and Stephen Paea as interior rushers too. Melton was second on the team with seven sacks in 2011, including two in a dominating, season-opening performance against the Falcons. He also had six quarterback pressures versus the Falcons.

Can Melton duplicate that effort Sunday?

"I'm not going to go out there and try to do too much,'' Melton said. "I'm just going to go out there and try to play my game."

The Bears should know not to overlook Luck. In Week 4 last season, the Bears faced Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton. Newton completed 27 of 46 passes for 374 yards and a touchdown and also ran for two scores in the Bears' 34-29 win.

"Last year against Cam Newton, we were just chasing him all over the field,'' Melton said. "Luck isn't that type of guy. He's no Cam Newton. He's not an outside-the-pocket kind of guy. We just have to get after him with force.''

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli mentioned the possibility of blitzing more. The Bears showed a glimpse of it during an exhibition game against the Redskins, when blitzing strong safety Major Wright flushed Robert Griffin III out of the pocket, leading to a forced fumble by Israel Idonije and recovery by Peppers.

"I like to blitz,'' Urlacher said. "All of us linebackers like to blitz. ... Anytime you get a chance to get a sack or get a sack-fumble, it's good.''

Those chances might present themselves Sunday. The Colts could be much improved thanks to Luck's maturity, but the offensive line remains a work in progress.

New Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians' spread-the-field attack is likely to feature some no-huddle and rollouts to put Luck in the best position to succeed.

Regardless of how the Colts plan to attack — either with a heavy dose of Luck passing or with more balance, featuring running back Donald Brown — Urlacher believes the defense will be well prepared.

"We just have to play our defense, play fast,'' Urlacher said. "Basically, we just have to do what we do.''

vxmcclure@tribune.com

Urlacher upbeat after practice return




Tribune report

4:06 p.m. CDT, September 4, 2012
After declining to address reporters Monday following his return to practicing with the Chicago Bears, Brian Urlacher said Tuesday his surgically repaired left knee felt good and he was eager to play in Sunday's regular-season opener against Indianapolis.

"It felt (today) like it did yesterday when I woke up -- pain-free, which is all I care about," Urlacher told "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on WMVP-AM 1000, when asked about the knee.

Urlacher practiced Monday for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Aug. 14.

Asked what he would tell Bears fans who might be worried about the knee, Urlacher said, "Don't worry about it. Worry about something else. ... You know what the worst thing about yesterday's practice was? My sunburn on my neck that I got because I didn't wear my stinkin' hat. ... It really stings today."

Urlacher reiterated what he told the Tribune's Vaughn McClure on Sunday, saying the Bears would limit his repetitions in practice to ease his transition back to regular playing status.

"We're gonna monitor my reps in practice," he told WMVP. "I know we can't do it in a game. There are a lot of teams that the guys 10 or 11 years in, they practice one day a week. I've been lucky enough my whole career not to have to do that because I've been healthy for the most part. But it's not an option this year. I'm going to have to take some reps off in practice so I can be fresh for the whole season."

Urlacher still refused to comment on whether he went to Germany for Regenokine injection therapy -- as reported by the Tribune's Mike Mulligan -- before undergoing the arthroscopic surgery to clean out the knee.

"I know the media was having a fit over what was going on," Urlacher said. "It's really none of their business. One of my friends told me they did a fan poll about if I should release what I do to my body. Eighty-five percent said no. So it's obvious they don't care. The people that care are the guys writing the articles."

As for whether it might be wiser to sit out the first game against Indianapolis and point to the Week 2 Thursday night showdown at Green Bay, Urlacher said, "Every game is big in our season. I'll take time off after the Colts game. I'm sure I'll take Monday and Tuesday off, work out on Wednesday and then play on Thursday. ... You want to be out there every game. That's all there is to it for me. I don't see there being any bigger risk. ... Say we have a Monday night game and play again on Sunday. It's just one extra day compared to this one. So it's not a big deal to me. I want to be out there."

Copyright © 2012, Chicago Tribune

Three newcomers to watch on offense for the Detroit Lions

September 6, 2012

Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett identifies three additions to the Lions' offense who will make an impact:

1. Mikel Leshoure

Running back

OK, so Leshoure isn't a newcomer, but he might as well be after missing last season with a torn Achilles tendon. The Lions are counting on Leshoure, their second-round pick out of Illinois last year, to shoulder the bulk of the work in the run game while Jahvid Best is out. Leshoure will miss the first two games on suspension, but he showed in limited exhibition action that he can catch the ball out of the backfield and run with authority.

2. Riley Reiff

Offensive lineman

The Lions' first-round pick will start the season as a backup, but he showed enough in the exhibition season to think he'll be starting before long. Reiff can play either tackle or guard spot, and he has gotten reps all over the line. He's dominating in the run game, but has to be more consistent pass-blocking. Regardless, he has a bright future.

3. Ryan Broyles

Receiver

Don't except Broyles to play a huge role on offense this year because the Lions are so well-stocked in the passing game. A second-round pick out of Oklahoma, Broyles comes to the NFL as college football's all-time leading receiver. He'll back up Nate Burleson in the slot and maybe handle some punt-return duties. But coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Broyles won't make his biggest contributions until next season.