The Bears just played well enough to win this football game last Thursday Night in Cleveland.  Kyle Orton started this game and he was 4 of 7 passing for 51 yards with 1 interception.  Rex Grossman followed Orton in the game and he was pretty sharp completing 5 of 7 passes for 59 yards with a 19-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Rideau.  Caleb Hanie played another decent game for the Bears in this one completing 12 of 17 passes for 115 yards with 1 interception.  He also ran the ball once for 15 yards.  Adrian Peterson was the Bears’ leading rusher in this game with 36 yards rushing on 6 carries (6.0 ypc).  P.J. Pope also had a solid game rushing for 34 yards on 8 carries (4.3 ypc).  Garrett Wolfe was busy against the Browns carrying the ball 8 times for 24 yards (3.0 ypc) and catching 3 passes for 22 yards (7.3 avg).  WR Brandon Rideau led the Bears in receiving yards with 63 on 3 catches (21.0 avg) with a TD grab.  Mark Bradley pitched in with 5 catches for 42 yards (8.4 avg).  The Bears finished up with 117 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 31 passes for 225 yards.

Safeties Craig Steltz and Brandon McGowan along with DT Matt Toeaina led the Bears in this game with 4 tackles apiece.  CB Trey Brown pitched in with 3 tackles and 1 interception.  The Browns finished up with 161 yards rushing on 32 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 29 passes for 150 yards.  The Bears finished the preseason with a 1-3 record and they didn’t look good doing it.

The Chicago Bears release cornerback Ricky Manning Jr.  This came as a little bit of a surprise as Manning has been a decent player for the Bears.  He played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he made 44 tackles, has 1 sack and he defensed 1 pass.  In two seasons with the Bears, Manning played in 31 games and he made 97 tackles, had 3 sacks, had 5 interceptions (1 returned for a TD), forced 1 fumble and he defensed 11 passes.  Look for some team desperate for corner help like the Cleveland Browns to possibly snap Manning up quickly.

The Chicago Bears finally looked like a decent offensive football team last night, too bad they only had possession of the football for 22:25 against the Niners last night.  Kyle Orton was solid in his first game after being named the Bears’ starting QB as he completed 10 of 17 passes for 147 yards with 2 TD passes to WR Rashied Davis (7 yards, 21 yards).  Rex Grossman followed Orton in the game and he was horrible as usual completing 1 of 4 passes for 6 yards.  Caleb Hanie finished up the game completing 3 of 7 passes for 59 yards including a 51-yard TD strike to WR Brandon Rideau on the last play of the football game.  Rookie RB Matt Forte led the Bears in rushing last night with 44 yards on 11 carries (4.0 ypc).  Kevin Jones made his first appearance with the Bears and he carried the football 3 times for 30 yards (10.0 ypc).  WR Rashied Davis was very impressive for the Bears last night as he caught 4 passes for 58 yards (14.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Mark Bradley also had a good night with 2 catches for 57 yards (28.5 avg).  The Bears finished up last night with 109 yards rushing on 22 carries (5.0 ypc).  They also completed 14 of 28 passes for 204 yards last night.

The Bears’ defense got pushed around all night by the Niners’ new offense.  Linebackers Jamar Williams (8 tackles) and Lance Briggs (6 tackles) led the way on a poor night for the Bears’ defense.  The 49ers finished up last night with 160 yards rushing on 35 carries (4.6 ypc) and they completed 19 of 32 passes for 265 yards.  The Bears obviously have a lot to work on in a short amount of time before the regular season starts.

The Bears made some big plays on defense and special teams which is the only reason this game went to overtime because the offense was pathetic once again.  Rex Grossman started this game and he was his usual awful self completing 9 of 15 passes for 74 yards with 1 interception.  Kyle Orton was also not very effective as he completed 5 of 9 passes for 43 yards.  Caleb Hanie had another decent game completing 5 of 9 passes for 46 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Matt Forte led the Bears in rushing in this game but that isn’t saying much as he had 17 yards on 7 carries (2.4 ypc).  TE Kellen Davis led the Bears in receiving yards with 55 on 3 catches (18.3 avg) with a TD grab.  Brandon Lloyd pitched in with 4 receptions for 37 yards (9.3 avg) against the Seahawks.  The Bears finished up with 51 yards rushing on 20 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 33 passes for 154 yards.  The Bears better get the offense in gear before the season starts.  On a bright note, rookie WR looked good returning kicks.  He returned 1 kickoff for 26 yards and he also had a 75-yard punt return for a TD.

The defense didn’t play very well against the Seahawks on Saturday Night.  Linebacker Rod Wilson led the Bears in this game with 6 tackles.  CB Corey Graham had 4 tackles and he intercepted a Charlie Frye pass which he returned 6 yards for a TD.  Linebacker Jamar Williams (4 tackles, interception) and CB Charles Tillman (2 tackles, interception) also had decent games.  The Seahawks rushed for a stunning 241 yards on 45 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 35 passes for 190 yards.  The Bears have a lot to work on before September gets here.

It will be interesting to watch the Bears this season and see if Lovie Smith can get them back to the team they were in 2005 and 2006.  After all, the Bears were 13-3 and went to the Super Bowl two years ago and have a lot of the same players on that team for 2008.  The Bears’ offensive line started to look their age last season and it really hurt the QBs who were rushed quite often.  Still, that doesn’t defend the fact that the Bears should have at the very least brought in a veteran to compete with Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton.  Lovie Smith has been the head coach of the Bears for four seasons now and he has compiled a 36-28 record (56.3%) during the regular season and he is 2-2 in the post season (50%). 

Was I watching the Bears’ offense last night or was someone playing tricks on me?  Rex Grossman started off the game for the Bears and he was solid connecting on 4 of 8 passes for 44 yards with 1 TD pass.  Kyle Orton managed the game well when he was on the field completing 7 of 10 passes for 56 yards.  Caleb Hanie was the most impressive QB of the night for the Bears as he completed 9 of 16 passes for 101 yards with a TD pass (13-yarder to Brandon Rideau).  Hanie also carried the football 2 times for 21 yards (10.5 ypc) last night.  Mighty mite Garrett Wolfe had an outstanding game for the Bears last night.  He carried the football 7 times for 64 yards (9.1 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass…..a 25-yard TD pass from Rex Grossman.  Adrian Peterson also had a solid brief appearance last night with 3 carries for 28 yards (9.3 ypc).  Rookie Matt Forte was busy carrying the football 7 times for 25 yards (3.6 ypc).  He also caught 3 passes for 10 yards (3.3 avg) in a decent NFL debut.  The Bears rushed for a stunning 175 yards on 29 carries (6.0 ypc) last night which was definately not expected.  They also completed 20 of 34 passes for 187 yards last night.

Safeties Kevin Payne and Brandon McGowan led the Bears’ defense with 6 tackles apiece.  The Bears’ defense played well against the run holding the Chiefs to 83 yards rushing on 25 carries (3.3 ypc).  The Chiefs did completed 20 of 34 passes for 254 yards so the Bears have some work to do before September.

The Bears have lost rookie left tackle Chris Williams who needed surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back today.  This is a huge blow to the Bears as Williams was projected to start as a rookie this year.  The Bears will be trying to add another tackle to start this season because they don’t want to go with John St. Clair who often looks like a matador on the field.  He played in all 16 games (5 starts) for the Bears last season and it didn’t go too well.  St. Clair has now played 8 seasons in his NFL career covering 91 games (39 starts) and the Bears have to hope he doesn’t add many starts this season or Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton could both get beat up.

25-year old Robbie Gould very rarely leaves points on the field for the Bears and he has a really strong leg.  Gould played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he connected on 31 of 36 field goals (86.1%).  He also converted all 33 of his extra point attempts last year.  Look for Gould to have another outstanding season for the Bears and they will need him to as the offense will likely be bogging down quite a bit in the red zone.  Gould has now played in 45 games in his NFL career and he has made 84 of 99 (84.8%) of his field goal attempts.  Gould also has made 99 of 100 (99%) extra points in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

The Bears have a great pair of TEs and they will likely catch a lot of football between them this season due to the shaky receiving corps the team has put together.  31-year old Desmond Clark is the grizzled veteran of the tight ends.  He has good hands and he can adust to poorly thrown footballs…..a must with the Bears.  Clark played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 44 passes for 545 yards (12.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  I have a hunch that Greg Olsen will get more catches than Clark this year but he’s still a very effective player.  Clark has now played in 130 games in his NFL career and he has caught 262 passes for 3,067 yards (11.7 avg) with 24 TD grabs.

2nd year man Greg Olsen flashed his potential last season and the Bears are confident that he will take a step forward in 2008. Olsen played in 14 games for the Bears as a rookie last season and he caught 39 passes for 391 yards (10.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Olsen’s numbers to spike upward as the Bears begin to phase Desmond Clark out of the offense.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Chicago Bears brought in two free agents (Marty Booker & Brandon Lloyd) and two rookies (Earl Bennett & Marcus Monk) to inject some new blood into the receiving corps.  Heading into training camp it appears that 31-year old Marty Booker is the #1 WR for the Bears.  Booker played in 15 games last season in Miami and he caught 50 passes for 556 yards (11.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 12 yards (6.0 ypc) last season.  Booker did a decent job last year catching balls from a horrible corps of QBs in Miami so he should feel right at home in Chicago.  Booker has now played in 128 games in his NFL career and he has caught 509 passes for 6,311 yards (12.4 avg) with 34 TD grabs.  Booker has also carried the football 16 times for 31 yards (1.9 ypc).  Booker also has a decent arm and he can make big plays when the Bears get tricky.  Booker has completed 3 of 10 (30%) passes in his NFL career for 126 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions (118.8 QB Rating).  Booker would be a solid #3 or #4 WR but the Bears are kidding themselves if they think he can be a go-to man at this point in his career.

The Bears appear to be losing some patience with 26-year old Mark Bradley.  Bradley is a talented played but he always seems to break down.  He did play in 15 games for the Bears last season and he caught 6 passes for 71 yards (11.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This will likely be Bradley’s last chance to win a starting job with the Bears and it will be interesting to see how he responds.  Bradley has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has caught 38 passes for 583 yards (15.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

27-year old Brandon Lloyd makes a few big catches on Sportscenter every season and that’s probably why he keeps getting chances because he’s not that good of a football player.  He drops a lot of passes that hit him in the hands because he appears to be quite soft.  Lloyd played in 8 games for the Redskins last season and he caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg).  If Lloyd is anything more than the #4 or #5 receiver for the Bears the offense is in deep trouble.  Lloyd has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has caught 130 passes for 1,889 yards (14.5 avg) with 13 TD grabs.

Devin Hester makes his money on kickoff and punt returns but the Bears will give him every opportunity to get his hands on the football as a WR.  Hester played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 20 passes for 299 yards (15.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Hester didn’t so as well running the football as he carried it 7 times for -10 yards (-1.4 ypc) last season.  If Rex Grossman is the starting QB for the Bears, Hester will catch some long TD passes but Kyle Orton doesn’t have the arm to exploit defenses deep. 

21-year old rookie Earl Bennett has been the talk of training camp so far for the Bears.  He can shoot right up the depth chart and possibly start as a rookie if he has a strong preseason.  Bennett played in 12 games (all starts) at Vanderbilt last season and he caught 75 passes for 830 yards (11.1 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Bennett is big enough (6’1″, 202 pounds) to take a beating and he will have to catching passes from Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton.  Bennett finished up playing in 35 games (31 starts) at Vanderbilt in his career and he caught 236 passes for 2,852 yards (12.1 avg) with 20 TD grabs.

29-year old Rashied Davis is running out of chances for the Bears.  He played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 17 passes for 165 yards (9.7 avg).  Davis will have to bust his hump on special teams to make the Bears final roster when September comes around.  He has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has caught 39 passes for 468 yards (12.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Rookie Marcus Monk could be a big surprise for the Bears if he can just stay healthy.  Monk is a big guy at 6’4″, 222 pounds but injury problems caused him to slide into the 7th round where the Bears were more than happy to take a chance on him.  Monk played in 43 games (36 starts) in his career at Arkansas and he caught 138 passes for 2,151 yards (15.6 avg) with 27 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D