DrunkBomber

Is Mangini talking about the same Thomas Jones?

I know what you mean but the jury is still out for me. I think the Jets have a decent O line too, with Ferguson and Mangold. I think we heard more about his 1300 rushing yards in Chicago but he was rarely mentioned as a top tier back in the grand scheme of things. Since the only place he had any success so far is Chicago, he better produce this year or he will be labeled as benefiting from a great offensive line.

I hope hes ok. The Jets better get used to this though, hes made of glass it seams.

The Bears 2006 NFL yearbook comes on NBC now, 1 central. Check it out

HOUSTON – The Bears opened the preseason with a 20-19 comeback victory over the Houston Texans Saturday night at Reliant Stadium. But there were several positive developments even before Robbie Gould’s 47-yard field goal capped the wild rally with :36 remaining. Bears quarterbacks Rex Grossman, Brian Griese and Kyle Orton all played well, combining to complete 30 of 42 passes for 273 yards with 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and 94.6 passer rating. Rex Grossman looked sharp in limited action in Saturday night's win over the Texans. The Chicago defense kept the game within reach by keeping the Texans out of the end zone in the first half. Houston settled for four field goals on three trips inside the 20 and another possession that began at the Bears’ 24 following a 78-yard kickoff return. The Bears then rallied from a 19-7 deficit entering the final period as Orton helped generate two field goals and a touchdown on three fourth-quarter possessions. “Anytime you keep score, you want to win the football game, so we feel good about that,” said coach Lovie Smith. “When you go into a game you want to get a lot of tough situations. We were able to get that, needing a score at the end of the football game to win it.” Playing the first two series of the game, the Bears’ No. 1 offense moved the ball but failed to score. Grossman completed his first eight passes and finished 8 of 10 for 50 yards with an 87.5 passer rating. Cedric Benson rushed for 23 yards on five carries and caught three passes for 11 yards. “We looked pretty sharp,” Grossman said. “We didn’t get on the board, but on the first couple of series for the year we did alright. We moved the ball pretty well. It’s good to see that in the first preseason game.” On the game’s opening possession, Grossman completed 7 of 7 passes for 48 yards to four different receivers. But Gould hooked a 52-yard field goal attempt wide left with 8:48 left in the first quarter. Kris Brown’s first of four first-half field goals without a miss, a 37-yarder, gave the Texans a 3-0 lead with 1:44 remaining in the opening period. On Griese’s second play from scrimmage, his ill-advised pass intended for Mark Bradley over the middle was intercepted by safety Von Hutchins, who returned it 20 yards to the Bears’ 16. The Texans picked up a first down at the 4 but were then held out of the end zone by an inspired Chicago defense. Dusty Dvoracek, Brandon McGowan and Lance Briggs teamed up to drop 5-10, 245-pound running back Ron Dayne for a one-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 1. Brown’s 20-yard field goal gave Houston a 6-0 lead. But Griese rebounded from the interception, completing 4 of 4 passes for 61 yards capped by a 2-yard TD to Obafemi Ayanbadejo, giving the Bears a 7-6 lead with 9:55 left in the second quarter. Griese set up the touchdown by hitting Bradley streaking down the left sideline for a 31-yard gain to the 2. After going out of bounds, the third-year receiver high-fived a fan in the stands before momentarily disappearing into the tunnel leading to the Bears locker room. After being picked off on his first attempt, Griese exited midway through the second quarter having completed 6 of 7 passes for 72 yards and a 109.5 passer rating. The 10-year veteran joked that he was able to rebound from the interception because he couldn't remember the miscue. “I think I’ve been hit enough to have a little bit of amnesia,” Griese said with a smile. “You’ve just got to forget about it and come back the next series and go back to work, trust yourself and remain confident.” The Bears didn’t hold the lead for very long. Jerome Mathis returned the ensuing kickoff 78 yards, setting up Brown’s 42-yard field goal. The kick gave the Texans a 9-7 lead even though Houston failed to move the ball as backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels threw three straight incompletions. Brown’s 29-yard field goal widened the margin to 12-7 with :10 left in the half. But not giving up a touchdown in the first 30 minutes was a victory of sorts for the Bears defense. “I think that’s huge,” Dvoracek said. “It is something our defense can build on. Anytime you keep them out of the end zone and hold them to three (points), that is always a win for the defense. We did a really good job with our backs against the wall in the first half.” Rosenfels later capped a 12-play, 90-yard drive with a 2-yard TD pass to tight end Jeb Putzier, giving Houston a seemingly safe 19-7 lead with 4:14 remaining in the third quarter. But the Bears refused to quit. Israel Idonije set the stage for the comeback, recovering a fumble by third-string quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt at the Houston 45. “We talk a lot about takeaways and that takeaway really gave us an opportunity to win the game late,” Smith said. Orton, who completed 12 straight passes at one point in the second half, tossed a 3-yard TD pass to rookie tight end Fontel Mines, drawing the Bears to within 19-12 on the first play of the fourth quarter. Orton connected on 5 of 5 passes for 47 yards on the scoring drive. The former Purdue star then completed passes of 18 yards to Brandon Rideau and 15 yards to Clinton Solomon to set up Gould’s 44-yard field goal, enabling the Bears to close the deficit to 19-17 with 4:52 to play. Taking over at their own 42 with 2:59 remaining, the Bears marched 29 yards on 10 plays capped by Gould’s winning field goal. The Bears faced fourth-and-six at their own 46, but after a 5-yard running into the punter penalty, running back Josh Allen gained four yards on fourth-and-one. Another key play on the final drive came when rookie receiver David Ball caught an Orton pass along the sideline and spun away from a defender, gaining 20 yards on second-and-19 and giving the Bears a first down at the Houston 34 with 1:05 to play. “It was a lot of fun out there,” said Orton, who completed 16 of 25 passes for 151 yards with 1 TD and a 93.9 passer rating. “I haven’t been on the field in that type of situation for a long time. “Everybody kept their poise out there. It was serious in the huddle. We really wanted to come back and win the game.”

1-0 Grossman Olsen Ball Gould

Your dreams are alive

Well this seasons a wash, were doomed

As nice as it is to see football, Ive lost interest in this game

Darwin Walker is dawning the number of the Tank, interesting

Way to go Griese

Im sure Ahman Green remembers our defense

AP with a big stop

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, Davis could have caught that

Nice hit by Benson

Oooooo Dusty Dvoracek is starting

All starters in preseason numbers look like that

Let Gould get his misses in the preseason

The offense looks pretty good. So far it looks like Grossman has been working on a quicker release.

Its almost time

I was waiting in line on comcast.com to ask them how much it was and I was gonna get it but I was eighth in line and didnt want to wait. Im gonna do it later, Ill let you know whats entailed and how much it is.

Well we gave the Rush their own thread here and it never really picked up so they lost their chance.

What about the Shamrox or Fire? Their fans are going to be left out in the cold

The current record is 29 by Erik Kramer. Does anybody think Rex has any shot of breaking this record this year? Inconsistent or not he got to the mid 20's last season. With the additions of Hester to offense, Olsen, Wolfe and the health of Bradley reported to be looking good he sure has the weapons to accumulate some good offensive numbers. Also, the loss of Thomas Jones will more than likely cost the rushing game a few attempts. Just curious to see if anybody besides me thinks he has a shot at this.

I dont see any way that we dont resign Harris unless he was gung ho about leaving. They would have to have the money for Harris if they signed both Peanut and Vasher all ready.