ACC 255

ACC 255

I originally created this blog for an accounting course I am currently taking at Illinois State University and because the course is ending I am going to make a list post of 17 things I have learned during this course. I learned;

1.        how to create a free website using webs.com

2.        how to create free blog using blogger.com

3.        how to create a clothing line through CafePress.com

4.        how to become an affiliate through multiple organizations

5.        how to put advertisements on my website/blog

6.        ways to generate traffic to my website/blog

7.       How to analyze my blog traffic

8.       How to monetize my website/blog

9.       Different ways to write pillar articles

10.   The benefits that E marketing can do for businesses. 

11.   How to submit URLS to search engines

12.   How to promote bookstore products

13.   How to create donations for my website/blog

14.   Different types of web fraud

15.   The History of E marketing

16.   How web public relations work

So there you have it.  Even though the course is over I will continue to produce posts about the greatest team in the world. So don’t worry readers, I will continue to speak the truth 

product recommendation

As a football fan and not just a Chicago Bears fan.  I like to watch all of the teams play.  Whether they are the undefeated first place team, or a team that has not been playing well, but has potential.  The problem with wanting to watch all the games is that regular cable does not offer them.  The NFL is only playing on two different channels when there are 5 different games going on.  This is a problem that football fans around the world have encountered.  If I want to watch the Pittsburgh vs. Carolina game, but they are only showing the Jets vs. Patriots game what am I to do?  This first product that I will be recommended is like football Heaven.  It is called NFL RedZone.  NFL Redzone is a channel solely for NFL Football.  It only runs every Sunday from 10 a.m 5 p.m.  It is a channel that you can stream through your computer, gaming council (Xbox 360, PS3), or your T.V that allows fans to access any specific game at any point.  Also one of the best parts about RedZone is no Commercials.  It’s all football, all the time. To research more about how to get NFL RedZone go to http://redzonetv.nfl.com/.

    I am absolutely obsessed with this product.  I do not personally own it, but my friend does, and every Sunday he host’s a party during the day for the sole purpose to watch football.  Like most close friends we have our differences in Football teams.  I am a Bears fan, he is a Lions fan, and the other friends that usually come are Rams fans.  This has always been hard for us because they usually never show all 3 games at different times.  There have always been arguments on which games to watch.  The average football fan can probably relate to these types of situations, and understand how intense these arguments can get.  This is why RedZone has been a blessing not only for the purpose of watching football, but also by bringing friends closer together

THE LIST

As the season moves forward the Bears are getting closer and closer to being playoff contenders.  Even though the critics may not agree I believe the Bears have a legitimate shot at making and winning the Super bowl this year.  So I have made a list of things that the Bears need to do to ensure that this happens.

·         We need Cutler back period.  Hanie has shown development, but he is nowhere near the caliber player that Cutler is.

·         Stop passing the ball to Roy Williams if there are defenders around him.  Williams can catch the ball if he is wide open, but in too many instances he has costs us big plays. 

·         Hanie needs to use what he’s got.  Like I mentioned before Hanie is not the greatest quarterback, but he can do good things.  Mike Martz needs to use plays that are simple enough for Hanie to understand rather than using plays that only Cutler can produce. 

·         Forte Forte Forte.  We need him back and we need him back badly.  He will be out for 2-6 weeks which means he could potentially be back by the playoffs.  The Bears will need him if they want any chance of doing anything in the playoffs. 

·         The Bears defense needs to keep playing with the same intensity that they have been.  There have been games where the defense have single handedly won us games (cough, Lions, cough).  Especially with our two biggest offensive threats out (Forte, Cutler).  The Bears need to show the NFL why they have always been known for their defense. 

·         And finally have faith.  The Bears are just coming off two loses and the last thing they need is for the fans to stop supporting them.  Home field advantage is huge in the NFL and the Bears fans help make the team who they are. 

·         Remember I speak THE TRUTH…

Bears vs. Chiefs Post-game

The Bears just suffered a devastating loss to the Kansas City chiefs a couple of hours ago.  I thought that this would be an easy victory for the bears, but apparently I was wrong.   The game ended with a score of 10-3.  This is a very pathetic score for both teams.  The only reason the Chiefs were even ahead by 7 was because of a ridiculous Hail Mary play.  Urlacher and Conte both made attempts to knock the ball down, but in doing so it ended up in Mcclusky’s hands.  This ended up being Palko’s first career touchdown pass.  Ularcher was accused of a mistake by not catching the ball.  He states "We knocked it down.  Chris and I, we both hit it. I don't know if it went straight down or it went backwards. I guess I should have caught it or tried to, but it's just not what we do. I've never done that. I just try to knock it down."  In my opinon he had the right intentions.  Trying to catch the ball can lead to a mishandle and a completion for the other team.  I think that this play was purely a freak accident and the Chiefs just got lucky.   

                But in other news the Bears are still right in the middle of the playoff race.  All of the teams that were fighting for the wildcard spot with Chicago also suffered losses.  So we are in the same position as we were the week before.  It would have been nice to get a win against an easy opponent, but the Bears seem to always figure out how to make the playoffs the hard way.  

Bears vs. Chiefs Pre-game

The Bears will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs tomorrow at noon.  In my mind this should be a really great game.  My first key to success would have to be Caleb Hanie.  He needs to take what he’s learned in this last week of practice and convert that knowledge into game speed situations.  Any quarterback has the ability to play well in practice because you don’t have to worry about getting hit.  But now that Hanie has played a full game at a professional level of pace he will hopefully understand what he needs to do to prepare for the Chiefs. 

                The next key to success would have to be the double threat of Matt Forte and Marion Barber.  If the Bears can get the run game going it will really help set up the play action for Hanie.  By watching Hanie’s throwing motion it is clear that he can throw the ball well.  If he can get an opportunity to throw a bomb off a play action I believe the Bears could have much success.  Hanie needs to get his other receivers involved too.  Earl Bennett has been a key addition to our receiving core and he was only targeted a couple of times in last week’s game against the Raiders. 

                Overall I really don’t think that Kansas City has that great of a football team.  They have a 4-7 record and they are without their starting running back and there starting quarterback.  I am predicting a win for the Bears, but they will have to be minimal on the mistakes.   

Bennett for LIFE

The Bears just signed wide receiver Earl Bennett to a four year contract extension through 2015.  This is great news for the Bears.  The Bears are unanimous for struggling to have a top wide receiving core.  Bennett will be a great receiver to keep on the roster for the next couple of years.  Since 2008 Bennett (3^rd round draft pick from Vanderbilt)  has 118 receptions for 1554 yards and 6 touchdowns in 46 career games with the bears.  After the deal had been made Bennett stated “My agent and the organization have been talking for the past couple of months. For them to get something done in a short period of time, it says a lot about the organization.”  Overall this seemed like a pretty quick smooth deal.  Bennett also talked about how Chicago is home to him now and how the Bears organization has always treated him right. 

                I think the next step for the Bears will be to surround Bennett with some other receiving talent so he can get open more.  Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are very fast athletes, but they just do not have the talent to attract much attention.  If the Bears could sign a big flashy receiver that would take attention off Bennett I could see Bennett playing like the next Wes Welker.  In Bennett first two games back from his injury he caught 11 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown.  These stats alone should prove why Bennett is a keeper. 

                Overall good move for the Bears   

Caleb Hanie

                Caleb Hanie will once again will get the start for this Sundays games against the Chief’s.  He had a few blow up plays, but overall it was not a bad start for Hanie.  Hanie had a passer rating of 97.7 in the second half.  The Bears expected him to pick up where he left of in the last game against Oakland.  Mike Martz was also okay with the result last game.  He stated “He had some miscues there early. He has to memory-bank that stuff and fix it, and he’ll do that. I was really pleased with him in the second half. He did a much better job.”  He seems very confident that he can get the job done, and who wouldn’t.  Hanie is a good quarterback.  He just has to overcome some of those first game nerves.  It also doesn’t help that Chicago is one of the biggest sports cities in the nation.  The city and the media put a tremendous amount of pressure on him because they will not settle for anything else but a championship.  Trying to win a championship with Hanie might be asking for a little too much, but there is definitely a solid quarterback in those shoes.  He just needs to make smarter decisions with the ball.  If there is nobody open he needs to through the ball away.  There is no sense in trying to force a play and give up an interception.  I’m sure he realizes that and I am projecting that Hanie will play very well in this next game against the Chiefs.  

Good as Gould

As we all should know Robbie Gould is an all star in the kicking industry.  He has connected for 23 of 25 field goals attempts this season which means he has a 92% consistency.  This would put him on pace to break the team record he set in 2008 which was 89.7% (26-29) completion percentage.  Dan Bailey is the only kicker that has made more kicks in the NFC this year.  Even though that he was overshadowed by Raiders Sebastian Janikowski in last Sundays game Robbie Gould made some amazing kicks. He made a 50 and a 53 yarder in the 4^th quarter to keep the game as close as possible.  Gould is 5-5 from 50 yards and beyond this year. 

                Gould is by far the most underrated Bears players.  It is hard to be a kicker in the NFL because everyone feels like it is a joke of a position.  It is no joke when the game is on the line with no time left in the fourth quarter or your team wins by a field goal.   I have played soccer for 13 years and I cannot kick a field goal to save my life.  I think the longest one I have made was a 10 yarder.  Not to mention this was a high school regulation field goal, and not the skinny NFL field goals.  Gould is consistently kicking 50 yard field goals to help out the bears.  To Gould, it is really more like an art rather than a profession.  

Playoff Race

Even after Sundays loss against the Raiders the Bears are still very much in the playoff race.   The opportunity to defeat the Packers for the NFC North division is not likely.  The Packers are currently sitting on an 11-0 record while the Bears are only at 7-4.  In order for the Bears to win the division the Packers would basically have to lose the rest of their games and the Bears would have to win out.  This is where the wildcard opportunity comes into play.  The teams that win their divisions automatically make the playoffs.  After that, they take two teams from each conference with the best record which are considered the wildcard spots.  Currently the Bears are in a three way tie for the wildcard spot.  The Bears (7-4) are tied with the Lions. (7-4), and the Falcons (7-4).  All three of these teams have proven to be great this year and it will be interesting to see who will make it. 

                Lovie Smith states “I really like that we control our destiny.  At this time of the season you want to get yourself in position. We’re in the playoff race and we do control that. We’ve got to take care of business.”  The Bears and Lions currently are the same in the first two tiebreakers which are regular season record, and division record.  The 3^rd tiebreaker is the record vs 12 common opponents.  The Bears are 5-3, and the Lions are 5-2.  It will be a very close race to say the least and every game will be extremely important from now on. 

Bears vs. Raiders Post-game

The Bears just suffered a very disappointing (25-20) loss against the Oakland Raiders about an hour ago.  Everything seemed to be going our way, but the Raiders just made bigger plays.  This was Chicago’s first game this season without their starting quarterback Jay Cutler.  So giving backup Caleb Hanie the start was on everyone’s minds.

                To be completely honest I do not think that Hanie had such a bad showing in today’s game.  He threw for 254 yards and 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.  This is a very impressive start for a backup that has never started in an NFL game.  I saw a lot of good things come from him.  He ran the ball very well and made some impressive passes.  The only problem I had with those stats is that he threw for 3 interceptions!  One of them was on a 2^nd and 1 screen to Davis within the Raiders 10 yard line seconds before halftime.  In my opinion this was really the biggest play of the game.  Not only did this interception give the Raiders the ball on Chicago’s 6 yard line, but it was 2^nd and 1!!!  With how the Bears running backs were playing they could have easily gained the one yard with a rushing play.  The Bears really blew an opportunity to score right before half and because of this it gave Oakland the momentum going into half time.    

                But not all is bad in Chicago.  I think this game showed us a lot of strengths in the Bears offense.  Hanie can throw and run the ball well.  The Forte Barber double threat could be one of the best run forces in the league, Robbie Gould is still golden form 50+ yards, and we have a fairly simple schedule ahead of us (minus the Packers). 

                So keep your heads up Bears fans, I have a feeling that there are good things to come.  

NO CUTLER!!!

Jay Cutler was injured in last Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers.  He injured it in the last 9 minutes of the game by trying to make a tackle right after he threw an interception.  Now this is an interesting subject to talk about.  Some players would call him stupid for trying to make a tackle on a play like that, while others would say that he showed toughness.  You would never see quarterback’s like Tom Brady or Payton Manning trying to make a tackle like Cutler did after an interception because they see the consequences in it.   But let’s say the Super bowl was on the line and the play depended on the quarterback making a tackle.  Who would you rather have back there? Tom Brady and his skirt or Jay Cutler and his vengeance?  I think the answer is obvious.  The only problem about Cutlers mentality is the fact that they were in week 11 of their season and not the Super bowl.  Cutler is projected to be out for 6-8 weeks of the season which means that he will be back come playoff time, if the Bears make it to the playoffs…

But enough cries for Jay Cutler.  I say on with the old and in with the new.  Caleb Hanie will finally get a chance to prove himself over the next few weeks or so.  He looked excellent in the NFC championship game against the Packers.  He threw for 2 touchdown passes and a lot of great completions.  With that said though he was running more of a two minute offense against the packers.  They did not bring any pressure on Hanie during his play.  I am sure Hanie will get a lot of pressure in Chicago’s next game against Oakland and I am excited to see how he handles it. 

I will give more updates on Cutlers injury in future posts…

Analyzing Jeff Hughes blog

I would like to think that my blog is the only one that matters, but in reality there are many great blogs out there with lots of good information.  I would like to analyze a blog that I came across the other day because it is contains good relevant information to my blog.  It is written by Jeff Hughes and is titled Da Bears Blog.  It is a site that is dedicated to the Chicago Bears which seems like a similar goal to mine.  You can find this blog at http://www.chicagonow.com/da-bears-blog. 

                First off I think the organization and format of the blog is very well done.  Everything seems to be easy to locate.  I also believe that the actual blogs include very good content. For instance a very simple blog of his just listed all of the reasons why the bears won the football game.  Although it was just a list it was very entertaining to read.  Another thing that stands out to me in this blog is that there were great pictures for each post.  These types of pictures really give really give you a visual image rather than just a mental when reading the blog.

                The only thing that I would really have to criticize is that there is too much going on in his sidebar.  It almost looks like it overpowers the blog.  I feel that if he had more readers focus on the content rather than the ads he would be more popular, but other than that I can only hope that one day my blog will produce as much traffic. HAHA

Oo yea, and remember…. I SPEAK THE TRUTH!!

Earl Bennett

I know I mentioned Bennett’s performance a little bit in my last blog, but I would just like to reiterate how important he actually is to our team. He made some huge plays in last night’s game to give the Bear a 30-24 victory over the Eagles.  This was his first game back since week 2 and he caught 5 passes for 95 yards and a game winning touchdown.  Lovie Smith stated “He made a lot of big plays. For a guy like Earl, when you haven’t played in a long time, you’re anxious to come back and get out there on the football field and show people what we’ve been missing. He gave us a boost.”  Smith seems to be very happy that Bennett is finally back and what a better time than a Monday night matchup against the Eagles.

            One of the best parts about Bennett’s performance was that he played just as well last season against the Eagles.  In the last two seasons Bennett had a combined 14 receptions, 208 yards, and 3 touchdowns playing Philadelphia.  I’m not exactly sure why the Eagles cannot contain him, but whatever he is doing seems to work.

 The Bears have been struggling in their receiving core for the past couple years.  We tried to move Hester and Knox to our main slots, but defenses are catching on to their tendencies and realizing that Hester is only good in the open field.  But with Bennett gives Chicago a nice variation of speed and precise route running that most defenses have trouble guarding.  So needless to say I am very excited about the Cutler to Bennett connection in the future.  We will see if they can continue their success in next Sunday’s game against the Lions. 

            If you want to see more about Bennett’s post-game check out this post game interview at http://www.chicagobears.com/multimedia/multimediapopup.asp?mm_file_id=2672&play_clip=Y&rn=15.  

Bears Vs. Eagles Post-game

                Wow what a great victory for the Bears.  It really came down to the wire at the end, but once again the bears came out with a victory.  This was a much needed victory because we have not been playing the greatest football in other stadiums. Chicago has had 2 of their 3 loses in away stadiums (Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints), but even with Philadelphia’s home field advantage the bears were victorious.

            I would say that the most interesting part about the victory would be the diversification of the Bears offense.  Most of Chicago’s offensive production usually comes from the run game.  Although Matt Forte did run for 133 yards, I would say that the pass game became the most surprising to fans.  Cutler threw for 208 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.  We do no usually see these types of number coming from Cutler. This just shows that Cutler can produce good games, but his pass success was not solely on himself.   It seemed like Cutler had a lot of help from an old friend in his receiving core.  That’s right Earl Bennett did WORK tonight.  He had 5 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.  Bennett has been injured most of the season.  People forget that last year he was one of the better receivers on our team, and now that he is back and healthy it makes a huge impact for the Bears offense.  I think that the Eagles were so focused on Forte’s run game that they forgot that Cutler could even throw the ball.  This is the type of game the fans needed to see from Cutler.  We all know that he has struggled in the past, but this just proves that there is a lot of potential in this Bears offense.  

The Toilet Bowl

Since I cannot talk about the Bears today because they will not play until tomorrow. I will give you readers a little recap of how other teams have played today and how they might affect Chicago in the future. 

                I would have to say that the biggest nail bitter was the game between the St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals.  The game was played in Arizona and they turned out to be the favorites, but while the game was going on it was clear that no team should have been favored.  It was a defensive battle throughout.  The Cardinals gave up two safeties, and there was only one touchdown scored between the two teams before overtime started.  The Rams ended up getting the ball to start overtime, but could not convert a score.  Then the biggest play of the game happened.  On the St. Louis punt Arizona returned it for 99 yards and the touchdown.  It was a very dramatic victory for Arizona because they have been struggling to get wins, and the Rams were just coming off a big win from defeating the Saints.

                Even though this was a fun game to watch it did not affect the Bears in too many ways.  I labeled it the toilet bowl because neither team really has a chance to make the playoffs.  It almost seemed like they were playing for pride rather than just a win.  Hopefully the fans for both teams will realize that there is some really good potential for success in the future.   

Bears Vs. Eagles Pre-game

This Monday night Bears will be facing off against the Eagles at their home stadium.  My last blog focused a lot on Michael Vick and the offensive presence that he brings to the game, but there are more factors to a football game than just containing a quarterback.  Chicago has lost on two of their road games this year against New Orleans and Detroit so Monday night will be a time to prove to people that Chicago can win big games on the road. 

                I believe that one of the keys to the Bears success will be Matt Forte.  He has been a phenomenal back for the Bears thus far and continues to impress us.  If Forte can get his run game going it will open up a lot of play action offense for Jay Cutler to mess around with.  Also it’s hard to say this, but we also need Devin Hester to return punts/kicks like he’s been doing all season.  Hester puts Chicago in great field position every time he gets the ball in the open field.  It’s almost sad to say, but I feel like the Bears have become dependent on Hester getting the big play. 

                Last, but not least I think the Bears just need to relax.  The Bears are getting way to many false start penalties in away games.  I don’t know if it’s from the opposing team’s crowd or just the inexperience of our offense line, but this needs to stop. 

                Remember, I speak the Truth. 

Michael Vick talk

As I hope most of you readers out their know Chicago will be playing the Philadelphia Eagles on their second Monday night football game.  The Eagles are a unique team because they have one of the most unique players in the NFL as quarterback in Michael Vick.  Vick has stirred up a lot of conflict in these past few years.  Originally Vick was an all-star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons that made it to the playoffs multiple times.  Just as he seemed to be hitting the peak of his career he was sentenced to prison for hosting dog fights at his house.  Everyone thought that Vick’s career was over with, but everyone was wrong.  The Eagles picked him up to serve as a back up quarterback for Mcnabb at the time, and once Mcnabb left, and once again Vick was the man for the job.  I know that most of you readers know these facts, but I just want to reiterate it before I go on any further because this is a topic that bothers me a bit.  Athletes in every sport get in trouble for terrible crimes like this all the time, but because they are good at what they do, people forget and once again accept them as heros. 

            Regardless of this instance you cannot deny that Michael Vick is good.  I mean really good.  The bears will have a lot on their plate to try and contain him.  Larry Mayer a writer from Chicagobears.com website writes “I think it’s very important for the Bears' front four to generate consistent pressure on Michael Vick while maintaining their discipline and staying in their rush lanes”.  I believe this to be very true.  The front line will have their hands full to contain Vick, but I believe the Bears have the skill.  

DA BEARS Website

If you readers are looking for more information about the Chicago Bears please also check out my website at http://chitownbears.webs.com, and http://chitownbears1.webs.com/.  I have two URL’s because the free website program I am using limits the amount of content that can be available for one URL.  The websites will give you a lot more interaction and detailed information than my blogs.  I have included an about me page, purpose page, donations page, and a privacy policy page in my first URL.  I also let readers know a little more about me and my goals as a Chicagoan.

                The second URL contains mostly articles that I have written.  So far there are only two articles that are posted and they are about Chicago’s offense, and defensive pursuits on the football field.  In my first article titled “Offense” I focused a lot of my writings on the history of the Chicago bears.  I talked about different 85 bears players like Sweetness (Walter Payton) and Jim McMahon and tried to compare that team to the modern day Bears team.  In the second article that is posted titled “Defense” I talk about how the Bears defense has defined them all the way back to Mike Singletary to the modern day Brian Urlacher. 

                So if you are looking for more information about the greatest team in the world (da bears), I advise you to check out my website.  If you have any comments or concerns please feel free to comment on my blog or email me at blackj4u2c11@gmail.com .

Post Promotion

The Bears have a bye this week which will be a nice rest for Chicago considering that they have to play the Philadelphia Eagles In week 9.  So because I cannot write a pre-game or post game report, I would like to promote a previous post that I have written that will hopefully encourage Bears fans to stay optimistic with Chicago.  I want fans to remain optimistic because although the Bears have recently won their last 2 games, Chicago is currently sitting in 3^rd place in the NFC north division right behind the Green Bay Packers (7-0), and the Detroit Lions (6-2). 

With that said I will be promoting the first post in my blog titled “Daaa Bears” to remind people how well the Bears played in the previous season.  Chicago will always be a hard hitting scrappy team when it comes to football, but that is how Chicago fans like it.  They were projected to be terrible last year.  Jay Cutler was sacked over 50 times (which was than his entire 3 years at Denver), but they still made it to the NFC championship and ended their regular season at 11-5.  If this is not something to be optimistic about I don’t know what is.  The Packers will be hard to catch up to, but the Bears easily have the potential to grab the wildcard spot.  So to either become or remain optimistic about Chicago’s successes this year I advise you to check out my first post at http://thetruth11-jeff.blogspot.com/2011/09/daaa-bears.html and remember... I speak THE TRUTH. 

Bears vs. Bucs Postgame

The Bears took a bit of a road trip this last Sunday.  They traveled all the way to Webley Stadium in London in the showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Fortunately they did not travel all that way for nothing because they left the U.K with a 24-18 victory.  This game really became a lot closer than it should have been.  Early in the 3^rd quarter Marion Baber had a 12 yard touchdown to give the bears a solid 21-5 lead.  Right after that there was a little collapse in the Chicago defense, and Tampa Bay cut the deficit to 21-18 with 7 min left in the 4^th.  That was the end to Josh Freemans (Quarterback for Tampa Bay) offensive pursuit.  Robbie gold kicked a field goal to make it 24-18, and then on the last possession for Tampa Bay D.J Moore intercepted Freeman with 25 seconds left in the game. 

            Like I said before, this game really became a lot closer than it should have been.  The Bears had a comfortable 16 point lead in the 3^rd quarter and almost blew it in the final seconds of the game. But as my father always said “A win is a win”. The Bears won their first back to back games this season, and because of that, this just put the Bears (4-3) just one game behind the Detroit Lions (5-2) in the NFC North Division.  Catching up to the Green Bay Packers (6-0) this year is definitely workable for the Bears, but it almost seems impossible because of the way Aaron Rodgers is leading his offense. I believe Chicago’s best chance to make the playoffs will to keep winning and hopefully be eligible for the Wildcard Spot.   

Bears Vs Lions Pre-game

                This will absolutely be the biggest game for the Bears 2012 season thus far.  The Detroit Lions are 4-0 and have some very good athletes on their team which include players like Matt Stafford who has the potential to be considered among one of the greats.  It is still too early to tell because he has been injured for the past couple of years, but if he can stay healthy, he will inevitably put up great numbers for the Lions.  It also helps that he can pass to, in my mind, the best receiver in the league.  Calvin Johnson Jr. is a freakish athlete.  He can run faster, jump higher, and is stronger than any cornerback in the league.  He has averaged 2 touchdown catches per-game in this season so far, and is not looking to slow down anytime soon.  Needless to say the Bears will have to figure out a way to always have double coverage on him throughout the game.  I would have to say that the biggest surprise in Detroit’s organization this year is there defense.  I mentioned Ndomukong Suh in my last blog and described how much of an impact he is, but I found a quote by Zackary Bowman that might be appropriate to how good strong he is.  He states “Suh literally picks up a car from the front and just lifts up the whole thing” Bowman said with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘Get out of here.’ And he just sets it back down. I had never seen that before.” 

                Undoubtedly, this coming Monday will be a brawl.  Whichever team can survive all 4 quarters will be the one that comes out on top.  And I don’t know about you, but I’m thinkin DAAA BEARS.

The Truth I Speak

The Cutler Situation

The Denver Broncos selected Jay Cutler as a first round draft pick (11^th pick) out of Vanderbilt to lead their franchise to success.  Needless to say it did not work out well for Cutler in Denver.  He left the team in 2009 and joined the Bears for the next season.  Cutler is the type of quarterback the Bears organization have been looking for, for a while.  He is the type of quarter back that you could potentially build your team around.  But even with all of the hype, Cutler has not been very successful with the Bears. 

                Last season (2010-11) Cutler was sacked for an astounding 52 times which was the most out of any quarterback for that season.  He was sacked for more times in that season than his entire career in Denver (3 years).  Obviously you cannot put all of the blame on him.  Chicago is renowned for having horrible pass protection and the stats do not lie.  This coming Monday we will have to play the Lions which have one of the best defensive tackles in Ndomukong Suh.  He was a first round draft pick by the lions 2 years ago and has been proving his worth ever since. 

                The Media will always criticize Cutler because he is now playing for one of the largest cities in the U.S.  He has to live up to every fans expectations, and let’s just be honest.  Most of the fans expectations are completely unrealistic.  He’s not the type of quarterback who is going to pass for 3 touchdowns a game, but he does have an incredible arm.  And with Mike Martz as the offensive coordinator the sky is the limit.  

I speak the truth

Bears Vs. Panthers Post Game

Matt Forte just joined some of the best of the best in last Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.  He had 25 carries for 205 yards in a big 34-27 victory for the Bears.  He is 1 of 3 players in Bears history to run over 200 yards in a game. The other names included hall of fame running backs Walter Payton and Gale Sayers.  This does not mean that Forte career is comparable to players like Sweetness (Walter Payton), but it does show that Forte has the potential to be great.  Forte was not the only Bears player to set a record this last Sunday.

                Devin Hester just extended his NFL record for combined kick/punt returns to 15!  He returned a 69 yard punt last Sunday that was astounding.  After the fact Hester did 3 summersaults in the end zone for a celebration and received a 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.  Personally I do like the excessive celebration rule in the NFL.  Hester was ecstatic that he scored a touchdown on a punt return and just wanted to show all the bears fans his joy.  I can agree that there should be penalties on celebrations that are vulgar (ex. Randy Moss’s touchdown when he faked mooned the crowed), but you should not be able to penalize somebody for excessive happiness. 

                The Bears will have an extremely tough matchup this coming week against the Detroit Lions (4-0).  And what better way to have a great game than to showcase it on Monday Night Football.  So everybody stay tuned, and remember… I SPEAK THE TRUTH.  

Bears Vs. Saints Post-game

                Last Sunday Drew Brees just showed all NFL fans why he is one of the best in the league.  He threw for 270, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and had a 70% pass completion (26/37). The Bears led the Saints 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.  Cutler threw an 8 yard touchdown pass to Dane Sanzenbacher (first career touchdown), and we held New Orleans to only a field goal.  Things were looking up, but by the time the second quarter came around the Saints significantly picked up their offensive pressure. 

2 minutes into the second quarter Brees Threw a 79 yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson, who at the moment is the Saints go-to receiver.  The Bears defense is built around “not giving up the big play”, but in this case they just gave up a HUGE play. That one play threw off our defense for the rest of the game and is my game changing moment.  But I cannot lay all the blame on the Bears defense because our offense was pretty unreliable, and there was a major injury in our offensive line. 

                The Bears starting right tackle Gabe Carimi (6’7) a rookie out of Wisconsin was injured sometime in the second half.  Last year Jay Cutler was sacked more than any other quarterback in the league.  So because the bears did not want a repeat of last year they brought in some help with the offensive line this year with Carimi.  Carimi ended up with a subluxation, which is a partial dislocation of the kneecap.  This is a less serious injury than expected, but it still might take some time to heal.  Carimi is still on the teams unofficial depth chart to start, but it seems too early to tell.  

Saints vs. Bears Pre-Game

                 The Bears will look to open 2-0 this season by defeating an NFC south New Orleans Saints in the Superdome.  For Matt Forte this will be like returning home to play.  Forte is a Louisiana native that played college ball in Tulane who played in the Superdome.  He will be a key factor in the outcome of this game just like last week.  In order to get our offense going Forte needs to get some yards whether it’s by the run or the pass, but Forte cannot be the only arsenal on the Bears that has to get it going this week.  Cutler completed 22 of 32 passes for 312 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception last week.  This gave him an impressive 107.8 QB rating and a victory over the Falcons.  The Bears will need to get both of these guys going to produce some solid offense.  But behind ever great offense is a great defense.

                Urlacher has stated that he will return for today’s game.  He said that there was no better therapy (for the passing of his mother) than to return to practice with his teammates.  With everything Urlacher just went through I feel like he will have an impressive showing today, and hopefully have a game like last week.  But as we all Know Urlacher cannot win this game by himself.  The bears will have to put pressure on Brees Early in the game.  If we can sack him a few times and get him nervous in the pocket the Bears should have no problem maintaining this offense. 

                I would write more, but I have to go because the game is starting.  So remember, I speak THE TRUTH. 

Lavoyda Lenard

Lavoyda Lenard

                Brian Urlacher’s mother Lavoyda Lenard just passed away today at 51 years old.  When Brian was young, his parents were divorced so Lavoyda, Brian, and his three siblings moved to Lovington, NM together.   Brian was quoted in an ESPN magazine article in 2002 saying “My mom is my heart”.  This tragedy will take a toll on anybody.  Head coach Lovie Smith knows exactly was Brian is going through because Lovie lost his mother earlier this year.  I will hope that Lovie and the rest of the team can help support Brian through this terrible circumstance.  Lovie has refused to speculate on Urlachers return. 

                Urlacher just came of an amazing game as I talked about in my previous post.  He had 10 tackles, his fourth career touchdown on a fumble return, and a diving interception.  It is hard to replace a guy like that.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and I hope he will be able to return soon because he is truly the heart of this defense. 

                The Bears will have quite the matchup on Sunday against the Saints especially if Urlacher is unable to play.  Their passing pursuit is one of the best in the League.  Drew Brees currently has a passer rating of 112.5.  He threw for 419 yards and 3 touchdowns.  This will be a very tough matchup for the bears, but if our defense played like it did last week, we will undoubtedly win.  I will post a pre-game blog later in the week, but more importantly I hope Urlacher and his family will make it out of this okay.

R.I.P Lavoyda 

Bears Vs. Falcons Post Game

Did the bears start Brian Urlacher as a receiver on sunday?  He had one of the most unbelievable interceptions I have seen by a middle linebacker.  He was in the right place at the right time like a veteran pro-bowler should be.  Not only did he have an amazing interception, but he also returned a fumble (caused by Julius Peppers) for a touchdown.  Needless to say Brian Urlacher was a key reason why the Bears had a 30-12 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

            I will not lie, going into the game I was a little nervous about the Falcons offensive pursuit.  They have a great receiving core,  a spot on quarter-back, and a consistent running back.  But like I said in my pre-game report, everyone always forgets about the Bears no quit defense.  They put so much pressure on Matt Ryan that there wasn’t much he could do with the ball.  We sacked Ryan 5 time for 43 yards.  Not to mention a fumble for a touchdown. The Falcons had a 0% touchdown efficiency in the Red Zone, and were 4-13 on third down conversions.  These stats alone shows how a defense can dominate a game. 

            I shouldn’t be giving all the credit to the defense because the Bears did some really good things on offense as well.  Matt Forte ended up with 158 yards, and one touchdown.  Jay Cutler was 22 -32 on passing with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, and Devin Hester had 3 receptions for 60 yards.  So as you can see we dominated on all levels in this game. 

I speak THE TRUTH 

Bears Vs. Falcons Pregame

As most of you out their probably know, Chicago plays Atlanta in the season opener at Soldier Field Tomorrow (Sunday 9/11).  The Falcons ended with a 13-3 record last year.  This was mostly because of their amazing offensive production, but how could they not win with such big names on their team.  Matt Ryan had one of the best seasons of his career last year.  He threw for a personal best of 3,705 yards and 28 Touchdowns.  These numbers are not solely because of Ryan’s abilities to make plays though. It really helps Ryan when he can throw to a receiver like Roddy White.  Roddy White caught an NFL-high of 115 passes in the 2010 season.  He is highly considered one of the best receivers in the league.  Not only do they have those two playmakers, but they have a great running back in Michael Turner, and a all-star veteran in Tony Gonzalez.  Also with the six pick in the latest NFL draft the Falcons drafted Julio Jones which can be a deadly receiver with his quickness and speed.  Needless to say The Falcons Offense will be a major threat when competing against the bears.  But what a lot of people seem to forget is that the Bears have one of the most premier defenses in the league.

                The Bears still have some of the best linebackers in the league with Urlacher, and Briggs.  We still have Israel Idonije and Julius Peppers, and we still have a great veteran corner back in Charles Tillman.  The Falcons might have a superb offensive, but they will have to get by the bears defense to win the game. 

Sorry Greg, But You Gotta Go

In the past decade that bears have made some pretty good decisions about picking up and releasing players to ensure that the team can play at a maximum level.  This past summer there was a lot of activity throughout the bears organization, but the ones that stood out the most were the trading of our tight end Greg Olson, and the signing of the cowboys running back Marion Barber.  We traded Greg Olson to the Carolina Panthers for an undisclosed 2012 draft pick and we signed Marion Barber to a two year contract which is pretty standard for an older running back.   

Greg Olson scored 5 touchdowns, and went for 404 total yards last season.  These are not immaculate numbers considering he was a number one draft pick.  Not only was he the bears 5^th best receiver last year (based on total yards), but he played like a wide receiver rather than a tight end.  Tight ends are supposed to block and this is something Olson could never do.  The bears organization gave him a chance to develop the past few years, but there was no progress to be seen so we had to let him go.  Hopefully the bears will use this draft pick wisely and obtain a better, more consistent player than Olson. 

The second major change in the organization was an offensive threat. We did not have a good backup running back in Chester Taylor.  Although he did play well with the Minnesota Viking’s (probably because he was a backup to Adrian Peterson) he could not keep up with the Bears offensive.  So instead of him, we picked up a well renowned starter from the Dallas Cowboys, Marion Barber.  He has been in a bit of a slump the past couple years due to injury and whatnot, but I believe that this will be a great addition the bears running core.  Barber will get plenty of rest because Forte is our starter, and with rest comes success. 

So with that said I believe the bears made some great decisions this summer, and remember, I speak THE TRUTH. 

Stay classy Chi Town 

Daaa Bears

 This will be my first post of many about the greatest team in the NFL.  Yes, I am talking about the Chicago bears, also known as, the monsters of midway, and my favorite Daaaaa bears.  Throughout these posts my goal will be to provide Chicago bears fans with quality information about, roster updates, projections for years to come, injury reports, trade rumors, and my personal opinions about the direction of this team.  Also because the regular season is approaching so soon, I will be analyzing each game, and giving post-game reports.  But before I get into the most recent bears news I would like to talk shortly about last season.

            The Bears finished 11-5 last season… 11-5! That is a very solid season considering what all of the media and critics were saying.  Not only did we win our division over our rival Green Bay (Super bowl Champions), but we made it to the NFC championship game.  It is truly a tragedy that we had to lose to Green Bay in the NFC championship game, but time will heal everything right?  In my heart, I despise Green Bay, and I hope the bears will never fall to them again, but realistically they’re a decent team, and because they won the Super bowl I have to give them credit. So as much as it hurts to say it, I have to.  Congratulations Green Bay for winning the Super bowl.  This will probably be the first and only time you hear me congratulate Green Bay for winning anything, so do NOT get accustomed to it. But enough about the packers.

            I believe the bears put together quite the season last year, and I am really excited about the season to come.  I believe that the bears can win the 2012 super bowl and I hope you do to, otherwise you probably shouldn’t be reading my blog J

Stay Classy Chi Town