Chicago Bears

Spend New Year's Eve with the one you love -- DA BEARS!

2006-12-28T06:49:00.000-08:00

The new year will ring in at Blue Stone Bar and Grill in New Lenox with prime rib roasting, cocktails flowing and limousines waiting to escort the tipsy home safely.

For $175 per couple, not a bad way to say goodbye to 2006.

Except for one big group of party crashers: Rex, Brian, Lovie and all of the other Chicago Bears.

Thanks to the National Football League's new flexible schedule, the Bears will be playing the Green Bay Packers in prime time on New Year's Eve at Soldier Field. Instead of a noon kickoff, the game will start at 7:15 p.m., just when the bubbly will be starting a nice, long ice nap.

For Blue Star Bar and Grill owner Pat Doherty, the only thing worse than a New Year's Day hangover is a football game ruining his New Year's Eve.

"It is terrible," he said. "It is going to hurt a whole lot of people."

The profitable Sunday afternoon bar business is shot because the Bears are not playing.

And among the guests who were planning to spend the evening at Doherty's establishment, at least eight are Bears season ticketholders. They are scrambling to find buyers for their game tickets.

But Doherty predicted bad luck for fans looking to dump their tickets.

Bears followers already have plans for the big evening. Out-of-town Packers fans will not be interested, either, because most downtown hotel rooms are reserved.

Doherty said the ones who go to the game and expect to keep their party plans intact will be disappointed.

"They are going to be sitting on the Dan Ryan Expressway at midnight," Doherty said. "What a way to spend New Year's Eve."

At 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park, an evening featuring live bands and party favors will go on as planned. But the bar will be opening at 7 p.m. -- an hour early -- to accommodate Bears fans who are not sure what to do.

"We don't know what to expect," said Theresa O'Rourke, 115 Bourbon Street's director of special events and community service.

The traditional balloon drop and big band will go on at Willowbrook Ballroom in Willow Springs, with one twist -- four televisions likely will be tuned to the game. The sound will be muted, of course, so The Teddy Lee Orchestra is not interrupted, ballroom manager Toni Spero said.

"I'm a Bears fan. I was thrilled to be able to stay home and watch the game," she said. "But I don't think our clientele will care too much."

If Chicago's finest are displeased with the prospect of dealing with Soldier Field emptying at the same time thousands are gathering downtown, a police spokesman wasn't letting on.

"We had people assigned to the game at noon. Now they will work at 7," spokesman Pat Camden said. "We are good soldiers. We do what we are told to do."

Bears' Harris enjoys NFL limelight, team's success in 2006

2006-11-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris grew up 30 minutes from the University of Texas in Kileen. He opted to attend the University of Oklahoma, the Longhorns' Big 12 nemisis.

“It was just too close to home,” said Harris Tuesday afternoon, as he visited The Benton Evening News office prior to an autograph session in Mt. Vernon. It was all part of a promotional tour of bringing Altell Wireless cellular phone service to Southern Illinois.

Harris is a big part of the Chicago Bears defense which has gotten a lot of the headlines the past couple of seasons.

Chicago is in the midst of a tough three-game road trip, with back-to-back trips to the Meadowlands and a visit to Foxborough, Mass.

The Bears beat the Giants 38-20 Sunday evening in the first road game, improving to 8-1 and take a sizeable lead over the rest of NFC field at this point of the season.

“We lost a crucial game to Miami,” said Harris. “We have no room for error. We just have to get better every week.”

While Harris and the Bears don't like losing to anybody, losing to NFC teams is worse than losing to AFC teams.

“It's hard to lose, but harder to lose to NFC teams than AFC teams,” said Harris. “You learn a lot from a loss and you have to get better and better each week.”

With Brian Urlacher anchoring the Bears defense, Harris says both the system and the coaches have a lot to do with how the Bears are able to hold opponents to 13 points per game defensively.

“We have a lot of camaraderie on and off the field,” said Harris. “You take your job personally and you have to bring out the intensity.”

Harris said that the business aspect of the game is something that NFL players don't really understand until they play in the league.

“When you are younger, they don't tell you how much of business this is,” said Harris. “You learn about the business more as you mature, and learn to seperate the business part from the game of football.”

The 31-13 loss to Miami two weekends ago was a wakeup call for the entire Bears team, Harris said.

“You enjoy playing at home, and when you lose to Miami-it was more disappointing than anything,” said Harris. “If you play your worst game and other teams play their best game, on any given Sunday in the NFL, anybody can beat anybody.”

Harris doesn't understand the quarterback controversy and why fans are asking for Brian Griese to replace Rex Grossman, who has won eight of the nine starts this week.

“Hopefully fans can understand that these guys are human,” said Harris. “One minute, they're happy when we're winning, the next minute they're asking for Brian Griese when we struggle.”

The Bears hope to again get homefield advantage for at least a round, if not throughout the NFC playoffs. Traveling to Chicago in January is never an easy chore for any team.

“Any time you can have the home crowd, it's an advantage,” said Harris. “You always hope not to travel, and hope to stay in your town. It helps with the focus level, also.”

The NFL has a mandatory day off for players on Tuesday, and if the Bears win on the weekend, the team also gets to enjoy Monday off.

“So far, I've only had to go in on one Monday this year,” said Harris. Practice begins for the upcoming week on Wednesdays, in preparation for the upcoming week.

Chicago plays at the New York Jets this Sunday, and at New England next Sunday, before returning home Nov. 26 against Minnesota.

Harris is using his NFL career as an instrument to the future.

“I wan't to make enough money to do whatever I want to do in the future,” said Harris. “Whether I decide I want to help people or whatever, I want to have the free will, like Michael Jordan has, to do whatever I want to do.”

Harris said his college days helped him physically to play in the NFL, but only the player himself can prepare mentally for the challenge of playing in a billion-dollar business such as the NFL.

“Coach (Bob) Swoops helped prepare me physically for the game,” said Harris. “But no one can prepare you for the experience mentally.

“It's a situation where no matter hard you prepare, there's no way you can be better than next year.”

The Bears are in the third quarter of their season, looking to finish up strong and look forward to the postseason.

“We see ourselves as going through the hardest part of the schedule right now,” said Harris. “We want to get back to the greatest fans in the land.”

Through nine games, Harris has 21 tackles, 17 solo, including five sacks for the Bears defense.

Niners' road woes are on the rise after Chicago blowout

2006-10-31T12:10:00.000-08:00

SANTA CLARA – The San Francisco 49ers are just about the best visitors in the NFL – at least as far as their hosts are concerned.

With their embarrassing 41-10 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the Niners dropped to 1-10 on the road in coach Mike Nolan's short tenur
San Francisco's last two road trips have been disasters: A 41-0 thrashing from the Kansas City Chiefs four weeks ago, followed by a loss featuring the biggest halftime deficit in franchise history – also 41-0 – at Soldier Field. The Niners even gave up 21 points in the first quarter of their first road game this season, a 34-27 loss at Arizona in the season opener.

Just how do the 49ers manage to fall so far behind so fast? Why is this theoretically improving team so much less competitive away from the Bay Area? There are too many reasons to list, and none of them provide much solace for the players consistently heading home with their heads low.

“I've never been ... I've never even seen anything like that,” said quarterback Alex Smith, who fumbled twice and threw one interception on a tipped pass in Chicago.

One year after Nolan took over a franchise at rock-bottom, the 49ers (2-5) have the same record after seven games and little reason to believe their problems will get much better this season – particularly if Nolan and his players can't figure out their problems away from Candlestick Park, where they have been substantially more competitive this fall.

Five of the 49ers' final eight games are on the road after Sunday's visit from the Minnesota Vikings. San Francisco had four home games in five weeks before its bye weekend.

In fairness, much was stacked against the 49ers in their last two road trips. Arrowhead Stadium and Soldier Field are two of the NFL's most intimidating stadiums, and both opponents were well-rested after coming off their off weeks.

The Bears rolled over the 49ers by forcing four turnovers in the first half and scoring touchdowns after each one. San Francisco's defense, already the NFL's worst, could do nothing when repeatedly faced with defending a short field.

The 49ers have committed 17 turnovers in seven games.

“Being in someone else's house, so to speak, does that create turnovers? Maybe, I don't know,” Nolan said. “I think some of it is guys who are giving extra effort.”

Effort or not, things got so desperate that Nolan even committed the football faux pas of kicking a field goal while trailing by 41 points simply to avoid a shutout. The Chicago fans booed the Niners heartily after Joe Nedney's kick – but Nolan didn't apologize for the breach of unwritten rules.

“If we don't get the field goal, I don't know if we score the touchdown later on,” Nolan said of Smith's late TD pass to Antonio Bryant. “You are trying to maintain momentum. That is very important to a team. Your team doesn't like to come home and see that goose egg up there. They like to come home and see there is something on the board.”

The 49ers were just 1-7 on the road in Nolan's debut season, beating only the floundering St. Louis Rams on Christmas Eve in the penultimate game of the year. Many of Nolan's 10 road losses have been humiliating, most notably a 42-3 loss at Philadelphia and a 41-3 defeat at Seattle last season.

Though Nolan grows a bit more grim every Monday after each embarrassment, he remains indefatigably optimistic he'll figure out a way to make his club into more than the Washington Generals to the rest of the NFL's Harlem Globetrotters.

“Do I enjoy 41-10, 48-19, 41-0?” Nolan asked. “Not a lick. Should a fan enjoy that? No. Should a fan be patient? If they are, they should be just like me, from a patience standpoint – (demanding to know) what are we going to do to make it right?”

A Bearable mirror of 1985?

2006-10-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Ask these Chicago Bears about those Chicago Bears, and you get mostly blank stares and shrugs. In an NFL locker room full of 20-somethings, 1985 may as well be the Jurassic Period. “I was 4,” cornerback Nathan Vasher said with a quizzical look.

To many of these Bears, those Bears exist only by reputation, in record books and in video games. “I was in kindergarten,” defensive end Alex Brown said. “I played with them on Tecmo Bowl. I’d win with them every now and then. But (Walter) Payton, he was a lot better in real life than on the game because if the defense stacks everybody up at the line, in the game you can’t get away but in real life he seemed to get away a lot. He was darn good, man.”

Ask those Bears about these Bears, and they say to wait and see.

“Before you talk about dominant teams, you have to get at least past the midpoint of the season,” Bears Hall of Famer Mike Singletary said recently. “By that time, you’ve usually played against some of the good teams and some of the bad teams in the league, and you can start to get an idea. We’ll have a feel for who they are after the midpoint.”

This year’s edition had its aura of invincibility punctured in Arizona last Monday night, when it took one of the most remarkable comebacks in football history for the Bears to remain undefeated by beating the Cardinals, 24-23.

But even if it was short on dominance, it still was a sixth victory in six games for the Bears, who have bounced back from a disappointing loss in the second round of last season’s NFC playoffs to be the league’s best team. The defense that was fearsome last season has picked up where it left off. The offense, at least before its pitiable showing last Monday, had been revved up by switching its focus from the running of tailback Thomas Jones to the passing of quarterback Rex Grossman. The Bears won their first five games by an average of 24 points, and anything short of a Super Bowl celebration at the end of this season will be a letdown.

“We don’t start the season wanting to win the division,” Brown said last week at Halas Hall, the team’s headquarters. “There’s a bigger picture. ... There’s a progression to be made to win the ultimate prize, but that’s what we want. There’s really only one team that’s actually happy each and every year, and that’s the Super Bowl champ. ... You play to win the Super Bowl, not win 14 games and lose in the first round or whatever or win 11 games and lose in the first round.”

From the moment the Bears lost to the Carolina Panthers in a conference semifinal in January after going 11-5, winning the NFC North and securing a first-round playoff bye, coach Lovie Smith’s message to his players for this season has been clear.

“We got a taste of success last season, the feeling of bringing the Bears back where people were starting to talk about the Chicago Bears again,” Smith said last week. “Our playoff game was electric ... but we didn’t finish. And this year, my early meetings, that’s what I talked about: ‘The key word is finish. We need to finish the job this year. We’re a good football team. We have 22 starters coming back. This year, we need to finish.’ ”

Smith said that when the initial sting of the playoff loss subsided, he was able to appreciate the team’s progress after going 5-11 in 2004, his first season as an NFL head coach. Last season’s Bears had the league’s stingiest defense, surrendering only 12.6 points per game. But after Grossman broke his ankle in the preseason, the Bears had no Plan B at quarterback and ended up starting rookie Kyle Orton. They managed to reel off eight straight wins, but Smith’s switch back to a healthy Grossman in the final weeks of the regular season failed to pay off in the playoffs.

“Winning a world championship, that’s hard,” Smith said. “You shouldn’t be able to go from down there to up here right away. You take steps. So after I had a chance to sit back for a while, looking at the big picture overall for the season, I said: ‘We made progress. We took a step. Next year, we need to take another step.’ ”

Smith’s players were less forgiving. “The last thing we remembered,” Vasher said, “was not playing well in the playoff game. ... We definitely fed off of that. ... I think the real games for us pretty much start when we get to the playoffs.”

The Bears spent the offseason fine-tuning, not overhauling. They gave themselves a reliable backup quarterback by signing Brian Griese as a free agent. They added cornerback Ricky Manning, a restricted free agent, from the Panthers. They traded out of the first round on draft day and took defensive backs – safety Danieal Manning from Abilene Christian and cornerback Devin Hester from the University of Miami – in the second round. Some bigger moves in free agency were contemplated but never made.

“We caught a lot of crap about not going out and getting more,” Smith said. “But we analyzed it ... we liked what we had. We just thought we had to stay with the guys we had and let them grow.”

It has worked out just fine. Third-year pro Bernard Berrian, after totaling 28 catches in his first two NFL seasons, has been given a chance to play at wide receiver opposite Muhsin Muhammad and has become a deep threat. Grossman, the injury-plagued fourth-year pro, has managed to stay in the lineup and, until throwing four interceptions and losing two fumbles last Monday, he had been among the league’s top quarterbacks. His 1,391 passing yards are the fifth-highest total in the NFL.

It is a talent-laden team. Grossman lobbied last week for all five members of the offensive line to go to the Pro Bowl. Jones is a dependable runner who has kept Cedric Benson, the fourth overall selection in the 2005 draft, on the bench for nearly a season and a half. The defense has game-changing players almost everywhere you look, from Brown and Adewale Ogunleye at end to Tommie Harris at tackle to Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs at linebacker to Vasher and safety Mike Brown in the secondary. Rookie defensive end Mark Anderson, a fifth-round draft choice out of Alabama, ranks second in the NFL with 6 1/2 sacks but didn’t start until last Monday, when Ogunleye missed a second straight game because of a strained hamstring.

The Bears outscored their opponents, 156-36, in their first five games. They crushed the defending NFC champions, the Seattle Seahawks, 37-6 on Oct. 1 at Soldier Field. Then came last Monday, when Grossman became a turnover machine, and the Cardinals, with one win and a rookie starting quarterback in Matt Leinart, rolled to leads of 20-0 at halftime and 23-3 late in the third quarter. But the Bears found a way, scoring two touchdowns on Cardinals fumbles and another on Hester’s punt return and escaping when Arizona place kicker Neil Rackers missed a 40-yard field goal try in the final minute.

Singletary, assistant head coach in charge of linebackers for the San Francisco 49ers, is in a unique position to judge how these Bears stack up against the ’85 Bears, the team that went 15-1 with one of the best defenses in history and overwhelmed the New England Patriots, 46-10, in Super Bowl XX.

But Singletary, the middle linebacker on that team, isn’t quite ready to judge whether the Bears of Smith, Grossman, Jones, Berrian, Muhammad, Alex Brown, Ogunleye, Harris, Urlacher and Briggs can measure up to the Bears of Mike Ditka, Jim McMahon, Payton, Willie Gault, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, Steve McMichael, William Perry, Wilber Marshall, Otis Wilson and Singletary.

“They’ve got guys who are tough and aggressive,” Singletary said by telephone. “They get after people. The guys up front are playing really well. Mike Brown has always been one of my favorite players. Their corners do a great job. They’ve just got people who are athletic and play together well. When you’re playing with confidence and nastiness, that’s what you look for. They play with swagger. ... (But) I haven’t really looked at enough film to say they’re this or that. They do show up week in and week out and play good, consistent defense. As the year goes on, we’ll see.”

Smith reportedly is the lowest-paid head coach in the NFL this season, with a salary of about $1.35 million. The Bears will have to pay handsomely for dragging their feet last off-season in negotiating a contract extension with him. He preached to his players even during the five-game run of dominance to open the season that they hadn’t played a perfect game and they still could get better. He undoubtedly will have the players’ attention even more now, after the near debacle in Arizona. Mike Brown also suffered a foot injury in that game, and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Grossman was asked last week if there had been any talk among the players about going unbeaten all season. “No,” he said. “Never.”

It is a loose team with a confidence that borders on cockiness. “We pride ourselves on not giving up any touchdowns. Or any field goals,” Vasher said. “That’s kind of aggravating to us.”

Bears 37 Seahawks 6

2006-10-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

Rex Grossman threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns while the Chicago Bears hounded Matt Hasselbeck in a 37-to-6 rout of Seattle.
Grossman put the Bears ahead to stay in the first quarter, when he hit Muhsin Muhhamad for a nine-yard T-D. Bernard Berrian grabbed a 40-yard scoring pass from Grossman, who completed 17 of his 31 passes without an interception.

Thomas Jones ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns as the 4-and-0 Bears became the N-F-L's only unbeaten team.

Hasselbeck was sacked five times while completing just 16 of 35 passes for 196 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions before leaving the game in the fourth quarter. Ricky Manning had both interceptions as the Bears dropped the Seahawks to 3-and-1.

The Arms Race in the AFC East Takes on a New Look

2006-05-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

By Mike Brody
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
The quarterback position has always been the most important position for any NFL team. Having a confident field general is essential for any team that wants to go deep into the playoffs. Nowhere is that more evident than in the AFC East.
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have dominated the division since Brady took over for Drew Bledsoe three games into the 2001 season. Now the Miami Dolphins, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills are all trying to find that diamond in the rough like the Patriots did when they selected Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 draft.
Daunte the Dolphin
Miami is coming off a 9-7 season and has some quality skill position players. The Dolphins' biggest problem the last few seasons has been at quarterback. Miami has had immortals such as A.J. Feely, Jay Fielder, Gus Frerotte and Sage Rosenfels taking snaps in the last three seasons.
Now the Dolphins think they've solved their problem. The Dolphins traded for former Minnesota QB Daunte Culpepper and former Detroit signal caller Joey Harrington this off-season to sure up their weakness. The problem is, both QBs are huge question marks. Chances are, Miami will be searching for answers at the QB position again this season.
Culpepper will be the starter if he's healthy. The 6'4'', 260 lb veteran was in the midst of his worst season as a pro when he suffered a catastrophic knee injury during the seventh game of the 2005 season. He had thrown just 6 touchdowns and 12 interceptions at the time of his injury. The season before, however, Culpepper was an All-Pro as he tossed 39 TDs and just 11 INTs while posting an impressive 110.9 quarterback rating. He would have been league MVP had it not been for Peyton Manning's record-breaking season.
Back-up Plan
Culpepper is optimistic that he'll be done with rehab and ready for the start of the season, but that's wishful thinking. Miami will probably open the season with Harrington at the helm and that could leave the Fins in a big hole right off the bat.
The former University of Oregon star has never fulfilled the promise of being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft. Despite having talented wide receivers and running backs around him, Harrington floundered in his 4 years with the Lions, throwing two more interceptions than touchdowns while leading the Lions to just 18 victories in 51 starts.
The Dolphins have another intriguing option in their camp: Marcus Vick, the troubled younger brother of Atlanta QM Michael Vick. The odds are better that Vick will be in police custody rather than a Dolphins uniform come September, but if Nick Saban and the coaching staff can find a way to keep Vick on the field, he could offer Miami some insurance in case Culpepper and Harrington falter. Vick will most likely be made into a wide receiver anyway, but he could end up being used in several roles similar to the original slash, Kordell Stewart.
Still Searching
The Jets and Bills continue to look for answers at the QB spot as well. New York's QB job is up for grabs as incumbent Chad Pennington missed most of last year after undergoing rotator cuff surgery. Pennington has a history of injuries and may never be the same after his latest setback. The Jets also acquired veteran Patrick Ramsey in a trade with the Washington Redskins in March. Ramsey has been a disappointment in Washington where he lost his job to Mark Brunell last season.
New York's best hope may be rookie Kellen Clemens. Clemens was having a stellar senior season at Oregon before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. He has good size, speed and quickness, and could be the quarterback of the future that the Jets have been looking for.
Buffalo, on the other hand, has done nothing to upgrade its weakness at quarterback. The Bills had a terrible draft and will go into the season with Kelly Holcomb and J.P. Losman vying for the starting job again. Neither are a very attractive option and the Bills look to be going nowhere again.
The Standard
In order for Miami, New York or Buffalo to make the playoffs, they will have to go through New England. The Patriots look to be even better than last season, having drafted running back Laurence Maroney and wide receiver Chad Jackson to add to Brady's arsenal of weapons.
The Patriots are still the kings of the AFC East and are one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl again. Should the Patriots regain the championship, it would be their fourth Super Bowl in six years and will cement their place as one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the league.

Flutie Was Simply Ahead of His Time

2006-05-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

By Michael RothmanWagerWeb.com Contributing WriterDoug Flutie was a gambler’s dream. Think about it. His team was always the underdog and yet he always came through in the clutch and covered the spread. From his Hail Mary pass in college to beat Miami to his scramble for a touchdown to beat Jacksonville in the pros, Flutie was a born winner. Sportsbooks hated this man, because whether they liked it or not, his teams were always getting points, yet they knew he would win the game;—somehow.Even with this, when you think of Doug Flutie, you think of a short quarterback. You think of a little guy who was great for some trickery in close games, but not a player you would build a franchise around. You think of a player who was good enough to dominate Canada, but not the NFL. Why?Atlanta QB Michael Vick was drafted number one overall in 2001 because of the amazing upside he possesses. Vick is a phenomenal athlete with speed, power, and the uncanny ability to throw the football up to 70 yards. Vick dazzled while playing his college ball at Virginia Tech and is a natural leader. These are simply intangibles you cannot teach, but can build a team and a franchise around.So I beg to ask one question: what is the difference between Vick and Flutie? Less than two inches in height. Vick stands at 6’0”, with Flutie lagging just behind at 5’10”. Flutie has the cannon that Vick has and is also a great athlete who consistently makes plays with his legs. Flutie also dazzled in college while playing for Boston College, and he even won a Heisman Trophy in 1984. Even Vick can’t claim that award. When talking about leadership skills, no one will ever forget Flutie’s 48-yard Hail Mary pass that upset the Miami Hurricanes on November 23, 1984. One can even argue that Flutie has the edge on Vick when it comes to football smarts, and more importantly, accuracy. Vick has a career completion percentage of only 54.1 percent.So if the two are so evenly matched, why was Flutie drafted 285th overall in 1985 while Vick was the first pick 16 years later? The answer is simple: Flutie was a man ahead of his time. In 1985, the mobile quarterback had no place in the NFL. Now this type of quarterback is the present and future of the game, and Flutie was one of the first prototypes. Flutie, the anti-Ryan Leaf, has no character flaws at all and if he were to come out of the draft now, he would be a first-day pick. The current coaches of this era would be drooling at the numerous ways they could utilize this athlete.Now, after 21 professional seasons in football, Flutie called it quits on Monday. Flutie leaves behind a legacy of heart and determination, six player of the year awards in Canadian football, and of course, his Hail Mary pass that will live forever in college football lore. But, most of all, I believe he leaves behind the sad legacy of a player who was born in the wrong era and who was consistently underestimated.Flutie made his resurgence in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills in 1998, voted the AP Comeback Player of the Year. In ‘98, Flutie threw for over 2700 yards and 20 touchdowns to only 11 interceptions. The very next year Flutie upped his numbers to over 3000 yards passing and was voted to the Pro Bowl. But alas, another stereotype would stand in the way of a fruitful career: his age. By the end of 1999, Flutie was 37 years old and the Bills did not want to build a team around an old-timer. It was just too late. Two years later, Flutie would sign with the Chargers, only to give the job up to another young quarterback: Drew Brees.Flutie’s potential was there for all to see. You don’t just make the Pro Bowl if you’re not a great talent. Again, timing ruined what could have been a Hall of Fame career. Flutie just needed the breakthroughs of players like Kordell Stewart, Atwaan Randle El, and of course, Vick, to set the stage. Kordell started the trend way back in 1995 when he came in as ‘slash.’ Pittsburgh coach Bill Cower tried to use the multi-talented QB in every way possible and ended up with great success. This opened the door for Vick to be the top pick in 2001 and Randle El to sign with the Redskins for $27 million. Imagine all the money Flutie could have made in this era, for himself and gamblers alike.Well, you can’t change history and you certainly can’t pick the era in which you are born. This is the sad reality of Doug Flutie’s career and the careers of many others who did not make it at the professional level. But what you can do is realize something. When you think of Michael Vick as the one player who changed the way we view what a quarterback can do, think again. There is one innovator who came before Vick, before Kordell, before Randle El, and even before Vince Young. This innovator was Doug Flutie.

You Don’t Know What You Got Till It’s Gone

2006-05-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

By Andrew Corselli,
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

After 21 seasons in professional football, Doug Flutie is hanging up his cleats and calling it a career. Despite making one of the most famous plays in college football history with a last second Hail Mary pass to beat Bernie Kosar’s Miami Hurricanes, the 5’10” quarterback has never received the admiration he deserves.

Doug Flutie has been disrespected since the start of his career. Whether he is being labeled too short or too much of a scrambler, Flutie has gone above and beyond the call of proving his doubters wrong.

With a Heisman trophy, a Pro Bowl appearance, a half-dozen CFL Most Outstanding Player awards, countless other Canadian Football League honors, and an extremely underrated NFL career under his belt, maybe it’s time that the former 11th round pick gets the respect that he deserves.

Flutie has played in three different professional football leagues and has made an impact on all of them. His first professional league, the USFL, folded after his first season. After his one season with the USFL, Flutie made his way into the NFL in 1986 with the Chicago Bears. In 1987, in a strike-riddled NFL, Flutie signed with the New England Patriots and was labeled a scab for participating during a hold out. In 1990, Flutie entered the league where he would become most famous and have the best days of his career, the CFL. It was in the CFL that Flutie gained notoriety for being a passing threat.

Flutie threw for 41,355 yards and 270 touchdowns during his eight seasons in the CFL. He holds the record for four of the CFL’s top five highest single season completion marks and threw for a CFL record 48 touchdowns in 1994.

In 1998, Flutie returned to the NFL and earned the Comeback Player of the Year honors with the Buffalo Bills. That same season he made his first trip to the NFL’s Pro Bowl in Hawaii. In 1999, Flutie led the Bills to a 10-5 record and a playoff berth. However, during the playoffs, Wade Phillips made the questionable decision to start Rob Johnson against the Tennessee Titans in a game that would go on to be known as the Music City Miracle. The Bills lost 22-16 on a last second, mind-boggling, 75-yard kickoff return by Kevin Dyson.

In 2001, Flutie signed with the San Diego Chargers. In San Diego, he never recaptured the glory of his days in the CFL or the greatness of his first couple of seasons with the Bills, but he was always fun to watch. After a few lack-luster seasons, Flutie was released from the Chargers in 2005 at age 42.

After leaving San Diego, Flutie yet again signed with the New England Patriots. Even though he went on to play only one season for the Pats, Flutie accomplished something that had not been done in the NFL for 65 years. During the Patriots’ final regular season game against the Miami Dolphins, Doug Flutie drop-kicked an extra point. No player has drop-kicked an extra point since 1941.

Football God John Madden even went as far as to say, “Inch for inch, Flutie in his prime was the best QB of his generation.”

Neither back when he was an amazing player standing behind a center about to score his team 6 points nor now retired and sitting on the first base line at Fenway Park taking in a Red Sox game, will Flutie get the respect and admiration he deserves for a career most professional athletes can only dream.

The NFL Draft’s Impact on the Upcoming Fantasy Football Season

2006-05-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

By Mike Brody
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
We’ve had a week to digest the NFL draft. While most observers were looking at which teams drafted the best and which teams dropped out, fantasy footballers were wondering which rookies they might like to have on their team.
Some of these rookies will come in and make an immediate impact in the league. Others will have a more subtle impact and work their way into the lineup. How much playing time these rookies receive will determine not only their value, but also the value of many other proven veterans who could be high fantasy draft picks. Some of these veterans may lose a lot of value due to rookies stealing precious playing time from them. This is especially troubling in keeper leagues.
Rookie Starters
This was one of the more impressive drafts in recent years. Several skilled players should step right into major roles with their NFL teams. Some of these guys will be well worth having on your fantasy team. If you’re in a keeper league, these guys could be very high picks.
Reggie Bush – The Texans might have passed on him, but you shouldn’t. Bush will have plenty of chances to score fantasy points for his owners as he is expected to split carries with Deuce McAllister, whose value drops significantly. Bush will be a big target out of the backfield for new Saints QB Drew Brees and at times he’ll line up as a wide receiver. Bush may also be able to get on the scoreboard returning punts and kickoffs.
Vernon Davis – The huge tight end will instantly become Alex Smith’s favorite target in San Francisco. While the 49ers’ offense is nothing to write home about, they should improve and they will play against some weaker defenses. Some say Davis may be the next Antonio Gates. That probably won’t happen right away, but he could be a top 5 tight end and have numbers similar to Baltimore’s Todd Heap.
Joseph Addai – The Colts moved quickly to replace Edgerrin James by drafting the LSU running back in the first round. Addai will step right into the league’s most potent offense and could be the feature back. Like James, he’s an excellent pass catcher and should have no problem beating out Dominic Rhodes for the majority of the playing time.
Waiting in the Wings
These guys may not start right away, but they will be valuable players for their new teams’ offenses.
Laurence Maroney & Chad Jackson – The Patriots’ top two picks may not be immediate starters, but it won’t be long until they force their way into the lineup. Rated by many as the top wide receiver in the draft, New England was able to grab Florida’s Chad Jackson in the second round. Jackson fills an immediate hole for the Pats after they lost David Givens in free agency. Even if he doesn’t start, New England loves to run 3-, 4- and 5-receiver sets, and you can bet Tom Brady will find the rookie. The Patriots’ No. 1 pick was RB Laurence Maroney. Maroney rushed for more than 1,000 yards three straight seasons at Minnesota. He won’t displace incumbent Corey Dillon as the starter right away, but Maroney will get his share of carries and could develop into a very productive NFL running back in no time. He is an excellent mid-round pick – higher in keeper leagues.
DeAngelo Williams – The undersized running back is the NCAA career leader in all-purpose yards. He will have to battle DeShaun Foster and Carolina’s 2005 top pick Eric Shelton for playing time. Williams will be part of the backfield rotation from the start. Foster and Shelton have both had trouble staying healthy, so Williams could be in line for even more playing time.
Santonio Holmes – The Steelers, like the Patriots, had an immediate need for a wide receiver and filled it with the impressive Ohio State speedster. He should fit in well with the Super Bowl champs and has a great tutor in Hines Ward. Look for Pittsburgh to ease him into the lineup and for Holmes to make his way into the starting lineup by mid-season.
LenDale White – The other USC running back fell to the middle of the second round after a hamstring injury and character questions have come up in recent weeks. On the field, White has been a powerful runner with a nose for the end zone. Tennessee already has two proven backs in Chris Brown and Travis Henry, but both have been susceptible to injuries. Look for White to start the season as the goal-line back and get a chance at the feature back role later in the season.
Best of the Rest
A few other players to keep an eye on this season include: Leonard Pope – The 6-foot-8 tight end will be a huge target for Curt Warner and should get plenty of Red Zone opportunities in the Cardinals’ new high-powered offense; Sinorice Moss – The Miami (Fla.) receiver should be an excellent complement to Plaxico Burress for the Giants. Moss will have to fight for catches in an offense that features Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey, and Burress; Anthony Fasano – Bill Parcells hopes Fasano will turn into another Mark Bavaro for the Cowboys. Dallas already has Jason Witten, a solid tight end, but Parcells loves to play two tight ends, and Drew Bledsoe loves to work the middle of the field.
The Quarterbacks
The there’s the three high-profile quarterbacks: Vince Young, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler. I think they will all have productive careers, but just not this season. Young has a chance for playing time with Tennessee now that Steve McNair has left for Baltimore. Billy Volek is ready to step up, however, so Young should be carrying the clipboard this season. Leinart fell to the 10th pick, but he couldn’t have asked for a better situation. The Cardinals are loaded on offense with the best young wide receiver duo in the league – Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald – and a stud running back in the newly acquired James. Kurt Warner leads the Arizona attack and still has a good year or two left, but Warner has a history of injuries so Leinart’s time could come sooner rather than later. The Broncos drafted Cutler one pick after Leinart was selected. Cutler will back up Jake Plummer in Denver next year as he is groomed for the starting spot once Plummer wears out his welcome.
Keep track of the position battles over the summer and don’t be afraid to take a chance on a rookie that could be a difference maker.

Seahawks trade for Bears safety

2006-04-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

With the playing status of starting free safety Ken Hamlin still a matter of speculation, the Seattle Seahawks added some insurance on Tuesday.
The Seahawks acquired 29-year-old safety Mike Green from the Chicago Bears in exchange for Seattle's sixth-round pick (No. 200 overall) in this weekend's NFL Draft.
Green started three games at free safety last season, spending the other 13 as a reserve. A seventh-round pick in the 2000 NFL draft, Green started 45 of 81 games during his six-year career in Chicago. He had 437 career tackles, six sacks, four interceptions, five forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries during that time.
Green was second on the Bears in tackles over the past four seasons, behind Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher, but was made expendable with the emergence of 2005 draft pick Chris Harris.

He'll Huff and Puff and Shut Down Your Running Game

2006-04-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

By Mike Brody
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Baseball might be known as the national past-time, but there is little debate about what sport Americans are most passionate about, and that is NFL football. In many sports markets around the nation, the NFL is a topic that never leaves the radio airwaves regardless of the time of year. It is late April, the 2006 MLB season is off and running, and just in case you haven't noticed, the NHL and NBA playoffs have actually already begun. But turn on your favorite sports talk radio station and the NFL draft is dominating all other topics in the world of sports.

The hot debate this year is what the Houston Texans will do with the number one overall pick. Will they take can't-miss RB from USC Reggie Bush? Or is hometown boy QB Vince Young the way they will go? We know Matt Leinart is no longer a lock to go number two to the Saints, now that they have signed free agent QB Drew Brees. So is OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson a soon-to-be Saint? What will the Titans, at pick three, do if Steve McNair actually sticks to his guns and refuses to return to Tennessee? There are many interesting, drama-filled storylines that make this year’s draft one of the most intriguing in recent memory, and therefore, the million-dollar question comes to mind: which projected first round draft pick will have the most impact in the NFL?

I think this is a very interesting question and one that can be debated until draft guru Mel Kiper gets a new hair-do. Everyone knows of the Bushes, Leinarts, and Youngs of the world. I have no doubt that all three of these players will eventually have good—if not great—NFL careers. What about the aforementioned D'Brickashaw Ferguson, the 6'6" 312-pound OT from the University of Virginia? He stacks up very well physically against some of the best OTs in the NFL. Walter Jones, Jon Runyan, and Tra Thomas just to name a few. There is also little doubt that Ferguson will be a very good player in the NFL. But one player who has somewhat flown under the draft experts’ radar will, in my opinion, not only have the most immediate impact in the NFL, but when all is said and done could be at the head of this year’s draft class. His name is Michael Huff, DB from the University of Texas. Yes, that is right, I said Michael Huff. Please allow me to explain.

There is little doubt that the NFL is a copy cat league. From week to week and season to season, teams study what works and they copy it. It is also a league of trends. Here are a few trends that will help make my point about how a DB, in Michael Huff, will be the biggest impact player to go in round one of this year's draft.

For one, take a look at the way things have changed with the running back position. These days there is so much specialization in this position that a true number one running back is no longer a must in the NFL in order to win games. There are first and second down backs, third down backs, short yardage backs, red zone backs, fast backs, and bruising backs as well as blocking backs. The Giants had Lightning and Thunder, Atlanta has Dunn and Duckett, the World Champion Steelers had "Fast" Willie Parker and The Bus, and the Broncos who for years have had the best running scheme in the league, recently have had a gaggle of backs that gets 10-15 touches a game. So the importance of the league having a true number one back has declined over the years in the NFL. Just ask Edgerrin James. That is one trend that supports my case. Reggie Bush may end up sharing carries and never have the opportunity to be the man. If he goes number one to the Texans, he will no doubt share carries with incumbent running back Domanick Davis. This trend hurts his case for being the player who will have the most impact.

Next, take a look at the QB position. More often than not these days the QB is simply asked to manage the game, make as few mistakes as possible, and are told, “whatever you do, don't lose the game for the team”. They are not asked to win games as they once were, instead they are asked not to turn the ball over in critical parts of the game. You can win games in the NFL with a QB who simply does not make mistakes. They are no longer asked to carry the team on their backs and win every game. Check out Ben Roethlisberger's stats in Super Bowl XL. He was 9 of 21 for 123 yards, 2 interceptions, and zero passing touchdowns. Those are not great numbers and not stats that one would expect to see from the winning quarterback in the Super Bowl. But what he did was manage the game and he did not make critical mistakes during crucial moments of the game. So, trend two in the league is to have a quarterback who simply does not lose games for the team. Therefore, quarterbacks oftentimes have the ball taken from their hands and placed in the belly of one of the team's top two backs. Leinart and Young will be handing the ball off far more than they will be throwing it. That takes them out of the running for highest impact player in this year's draft.

That brings me to the third trend that I see in the NFL. This is the trend that I think more teams should adopt, the trend that I am counting on to prove my point about Huff being the man in this draft. The trend is returning to the days of having a hard-hitting safety who runs around the field making plays, and wreaking havoc for the opposition's receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks. I'm talking about a safety who can defend the pass as well as fill the box and hammer the back with the ball. A safety who makes the quarterback and receiver think twice about going over the middle, therefore taking away that part of the field. Ronnie Lott and Steve Atwater come to mind as old school, hard-hittingsafeties who were impact players.

These days, take a look at the impact that Troy Polamalu and Sean Taylor have made for their respective teams. Without the forceful play of Polamalu, the Steelers are a very different team. Polamalu had 73 tackles, 18 assists, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions as a safety for the Steelers last year. Plus, he was second among all defensive players in the playoffs with 24 tackles. Taylor had 60 tackles, 10 assists, 2 interceptions, and 10 passes defended for the Redskins a year ago. Once again, great numbers for a safety. Other impact safeties are Ed Reed, John Lynch, and Roy Williams.

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Let's break down the vitals on Michael Huff. He is listed at 6', 204lbs. At Texas he played SS as well as CB. A 6' safety who can hit and has the speed to run and cover is very hard to find. At the combine Huff ran a 4.34 40-yard dash. Another fact that I find helps Huff is that he is coming out of Texas as a fifth-year senior. He is mature and ready for the NFL. He is a premier candidate as a free safety in the NFL, but has the speed to play corner. Plus, I'm sure the team that drafts him will immediately put 10-15 pounds of muscle on his already stout 204lbs. frame. What a specimen he would be at 6', 220lbs. In his senior year at Texas he had 109 tackles, up 36 from the 73 he had as a junior. That goes back to the maturity level he has reached after having five seasons to learn how to play the game.

DB in the NFLI think looking around the league at the success that teams have had with these play-making safeties makes Michael Huff a great pick for the San Francisco 49ers at pick number six. The 49ers finished last in total defense a season ago and gave up over 390 yards of total offense per game. Huff would help in both areas and would help immediately. Huff should be the first DB taken in this year's draft and will probably battle it out with Virginia Tech's Jimmy Williams for that honor. I believe the days of having a hard-hitting safety to anchor your defense have returned to the NFL and I like it. Michael Huff is the next big thing to hit the NFL and when I say hit, I mean it. Huff is the man in this year's draft and will be a fixture for years to come as an elite DB in the NFL.

The 2006 NFL Amateur Draft kicks off on Saturday, April 29 live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City and can be seen on ESPN. At noon the Houston Texans will officially be on the clock. Let the drafting begin. I for one cannot wait.

2006 NFL Draft Preview

2006-04-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

By Matt Severance
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

The NFL Draft is upon us this weekend, a near Woodstock-like event unto itself, although this generally happens in your living room.

A quick primer on Draft weekend:

1) Don't believe anything your team says heading into the draft. Sometimes where there's smoke, it's just smoke.

2) Everyone is thrilled to get who they get, since they had that player ranked higher on their board than where they picked him.

3) Jets fans will boo at some point.

So send the wife/girlfriend away for the weekend, pull up a couch and some carbs, and here's how the first round could go on Saturday. Here is what the teams could (or are widely expected) to do and what those teams should do, in one man's opinion. (What did people do before the Internet?!)

1. Houston. Could: Reggie Bush, RB, Southern Cal. Should: Bush. Do Texans, who already have Domanick Davis, really need a running back? No, they have other pressing needs, especially on the offensive line, but some are calling Bush the next Barry Sanders or Gale Sayers.

2. New Orleans. Could: Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State. Should: Trade down and take A. J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State. Saints have a solid defensive line as is. Hawk has been compared to a better version of another former Buckeye linebacker, Chris Spielman.

3. Tennessee. Could: Matt Leinart, QB, Southern Cal. Should: Leinart. Question is, will Titans get a chance at him? Jets could leapfrog Tennessee into Saints' spot and steal the former Heisman Trophy winner away. If that happens, Titans should grab Texas QB Vince Young, sit him a year or two behind Billy Volek, and then reap the rewards.

4. N.Y. Jets. Could: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia. Should: Trade up with Saints and get Matt Leinart. Think Leinart might be a star in the Big Apple? He already owns Hollywood and is arguably the fourth-most famous quarterback in America right now, behind Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Brett Favre. Oh, he's good too. Yeah, Jets have QBs Chad Pennington and Patrick Ramsey, but one is brittle and one is unproven.

5. Green Bay. Could: A. J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State. Should: Trade down and acquire more picks. Packers have plenty of holes, it seems none of their wide receivers want to play for them, and Brett Favre can't even decide what day it is. If they stay at No.5, look for Pack to take best defensive player available, Hawk or Mario Williams.

6. San Francisco. Could: Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland. Would help speed the maturation of second-year QB Alex Smith (think Niners wish they had waited until this year to draft their franchise QB? Smith would've ranked below Matt Leinart, Vince Young, and Jay Cutler). Should: Davis a good pick, but if A. J. Hawk or Mario Williams are on the board, San Francisco should jump as its defense needs help everywhere.

7. Oakland. Could: Vince Young, QB, Oakland. Should: Young. Raiders are another team that could use multiple picks by trading down (with Dolphins? Vikings?), but how can Oakland turn down Young here? Oakland seemingly drafted its QB of the future last year in Arizona State's Andrew Walter, but Al Davis loves to make a splash.

8. Buffalo. Could: Broderick Bunkley, DT, FSU. This seems to be the consensus pick for Bills, but this pick is also in play for teams wanting Vince Young or Vandy QB Jay Cutler if they are still there. Should: Bunkley. He's one of draft's high-risers.

9. Detroit. Could: Knowing Matt Millen, another wide receiver with the first pick. We assume Millen's not that stupid, so figure the best defensive back available, either Texas' Michael Huff or Virginia Tech's Jimmy Williams. Should: Lions need to focus on their defensive secondary, so either Huff or Williams works.

10. Arizona. Could: Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt. Kurt Warner just got a three-year deal, but does anyone think he'll last that long? Should: Cards are pretty loaded on offense and Cutler wouldn't help this year, so they need to look to defense and take whichever DB Lions don't: Michael Huff or Jimmy Williams.

11. St. Louis. Could: Ernie Sims, LB, FSU. Should: Sims or USC OT Winston Justice. Rams could grab Cutler if he's available, but defense definitely is the pressing need, with offensive line right behind.

12. Cleveland. Could: Kamerion Wimbley, DE/LB, FSU. He would play outside linebacker in NFL. Should: Ernie Sims if he's available. Browns could use him to anchor the defensive front. Oregon NT Haloti Ngata also a possibility.

13. Baltimore. Could: Haloti Ngata, NT, Oregon. Nose tackle is a need position with the loss of Maake Kemoeatu. Should: Team hoping Ngata or Ernie Sims falls here, but if not Ohio State safety Donte Whitner would pair nicely with Ed Reed.

14. Philadelphia. Could: Chad Jackson, WR, Florida. Should: Jackson. Strong showing made him top-rated receiver, and Iggles need to replace a certain No. 81.

15. Denver (from Atlanta). Could: Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State. Should: Holmes. Broncos need receiver help with Rod Smith aging and Ashley Lelie usually underperforming. They may prefer Chad Jackson and trade ahead of Philly.

16. Miami. Could: Donte Whitner, S, Ohio State. Should: Rumors are that Nick Saban lusts after Vince Young and that Fins could trade up as high as No. 7 to get him if he falls. Otherwise, hometown WR Sinorice Moss of the Hurricanes would be a big help to Chris Chambers.

17. Minnesota. Could: Chad Greenway, LB, Iowa. Should: Trade up and get one of the three franchise quarterbacks, as Vikes have been rumored to be exploring.

18. Dallas. Could: Jason Allen, S/CB, Tennessee. Should: Allen. Cowboys want someone to anchor defensive backfield with Roy Williams.

19. San Diego. Could: Winston Justice, OT, Southern Cal. Should: Team absolutely needs a wide receiver to help Philip Rivers. So either trade up for WRs Chad Jackson or Santonio Holmes or grab Sinorice Moss.

20. Kansas City. Could: Johnathan Joseph, CB, South Carolina. Should: The Chiefs have a perpetual need on defense, so just about anyone on that side of the ball helps.

21. New England. Could: Tye Hill, CB, Clemson. Should: Antonio Cromartie, CB, FSU. Patriots have shown they are never afraid to take a chance, and Cromartie fits the bill: huge upside but missed last season with an injury.

22. Denver (from Washington). Could: DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis. Should: Williams is second-best back and getting him here is value. Plus, Mike Shanahan loves to collect running backs.

23. Tampa Bay. Could: Marcus McNeill, OT, Auburn. Should: Eric Winston, OT, Miami, Fla. Bucs re-signed two of their own offensive linemen and thus could look defense here, but Winston two years ago was projected as a Top 5 pick. Bucs may be able to move down and get him. Team also may look to move up for USC's Winston Justice.

24. Cincinnati. Could: Antonio Cromartie. Should: Cromartie. If Pats and/or Bucs don't jump on him, Bengals get a cornerback with Top 10 talent.

25. N.Y. Giants. Could: Bobby Carpenter, LB, Ohio State. Should: Giants, if they sign LaVar Arrington, then may look to cornerback, perhaps Miami's Kelly Jennings.

26. Chicago. Could: Leonard Pope, TE, Georgia. Should: Pope. Bears seemingly have been looking for a tight end since Ditka.

27. Carolina. Could: Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota. Most mock drafts have Panthers grabbing a future replacement for DeShaun Foster. Should: Marcedes Lewis, TE, UCLA. Would open up the field even more for Steve Smith.

28. Jacksonville. Could: Demeco Ryans, LB, Alabama. Should: Jags going for the best available player here. If TEs Marcedes Lewis or Leonard Pope fall here, watch for Jags to pounce.

29. N.Y. Jets (from Denver). Could: LenDale White, RB, Southern Cal. Should: Jets need a running back in worst way, and White worth the risk even with his injury.

30. Indianapolis. Could: Joseph Addai, RB, LSU. Should: Addai. Best RB on the board likely to go here as Edgerrin James’ replacement.

31. Seattle. Could: Ashton Youboty, CB, Ohio State. Should: Youboty is the best CB left and Seahawks get to address their need area, although they could reach for a guard here to replace Steve Hutchinson.

32. Pittsburgh. Tambi Hall, DE, Penn State. Should: Maurice Stovall, WR, Notre Dame. Is Stovall a reach? Perhaps. But Steelers need to replace Antwaan Randle El, and Stovall showed flashes of big-time talent.

Bears announce 2006 preseason schedule

2006-04-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

Bears announce 2006 preseason scheduleThe Chicago Bears will begin the 2006 National Football League preseason on the weekend of Aug. 10-14 against the 49ers at San Francisco, team officials announced Wednesday.

The exact date and time of the exhibition kickoff will be announced later, the team said.
The Bears also will play the San Diego Chargers in a game televised nationally by CBS at Soldier Field on Aug. 18.

The Bears' other exhibition games before the start of their 87th NFL season will be at home against the Arizona Cardinals and in Cleveland against the Browns. Exact dates for those games also will be announced soon, the Bears said.

It looks like year of the DBs for Bears

2006-04-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

Chris Harris started 13 games as a rookie safety for the Chicago Bears spreads last season. Two years ago, Nathan Vasher started seven games as a rookie cornerback.

Three years ago, Charles Tillman started 13 games as a rookie cornerback. In 2000, Mike Brown started all 16 games as a rookie safety. In 1999, Jerry Azumah started two games as a rookie cornerback.

Will a rookie defensive back start again for the Bears this season?

The consensus pick for the Bears in the first round of the April 29-30 draft is a defensive back. As many as 10 are projected to go in the first round, and the Bears found themselves suddenly short of defensive backs in the playoff loss to Carolina. So prognosticators are adding cover-2 plus cover-2 and coming up with another defensive back with the Bears' pick at No. 26.

By then, Texas safety-cornerback Michael Huff, the draft's best defensive back, will be long gone. Top cornerbacks Jonathan Joseph of South Carolina and Tye Hill of Clemson and cornerback-safety Jason Allen of Tennessee will also probably be gone.

It is not as talented a group as last year's crop at the top when Pacman Jones (sixth), Antrel Rolle (eighth) and Carlos Rogers (ninth) were top-10 picks.