AZ54

I'm glad he's back. He has to earn his job, even earn a roster spot so there is nothing wrong with competition being added to the mix.

I think that was a long suspension. Nearly a full week.

I agree on that. Even Miller said afterward that he realized the only opening would be the back shoulder and that's exactly where Cutler threw it. Both were on the same page and having that chemistry this early on from a new player is great to see.

Good post. I watched the game yesterday as well here's my thoughts: QB: Cutler mechanics weren't ideal, he seemed a bit anxious, not from pass rush as he did great moving around the pocket, perhaps more from a desire to make something happen. Despite that I was happy to see Cutler choose many underneath throws. Palmer appears more lost than Clausen when making reads. There just always seems to be some hesitation from Palmer before he throws. Add in that his passes tend to float more and you have a recipe for INTs. When I consider that Palmer has had 3x the exposure to working in our complex offense between last season and this offseason he shouldn't even be close to Clausen. This one is far from over but I suspect it's like that old phrase about WR's on go routes….if he's even he's leavin'. I wanted us to draft Carey and I still like him. I didn't see many holes for him to run through but, as he did back at UofA, he finds a way to make positive yards when nothing is there. I liked how Perry ran as well and Lynch surprised me by looking like he fits at RB at least athletically. Run blocking was bad for all the RBs. I never noticed Shaun Draughn and he only had 2 carries which is surprising for the guy listed as our #2 RB. Or was Draughn pulled because his pass protection wasn't good and then coaches liked what they saw from Carey so he stayed in longer to help evaluate the QBs and WRs? Oline: Not much worth writing about. I though Ola looked bad as did anyone else on the right side all night long but it's his first game. LBs: I don't recall seeing any plays of note from anyone other than Briggs. I won't get too caught up on the SMC bashing because going against the Eagles instant-on offense is tough for a guy who is still getting a feel for the position. OTOH I expected to see more from Bostic. Dline: I liked both the run defense and pass rush early in the game. Ratliff is playing strong and quick showing he is going to be tough to handle inside. Ego did look stout at times and now having more of a 2-gap scheme fits Ego moreso than Sutton. I won't give up on Sutton helping out at least in pass rush situations this season. You are right about Washington. He doesn't look like a guy who wants to play football and I don't think he makes it past the first cut. Trevor Scott, Lane, Bass all looked like players fighting for a roster spot. Kudos to the front office for building some better competition on the backend of the roster. I like how Kyle Fuller played. None of the CBs early on (our top 5 on the depth chart) looked bad, or at least I didn't notice big gaps in coverage. Safeties…nobody stood out until Adrian Wilson leveled that WR in the 2nd half. That made me smile. Horrible game for penalties from both teams. Very disappointing in terms of discipline.

Not a big mystery there. Tedford's name has been tossed around as an NFL OC coaching candidate for years.

It seems each day we find more positive articles on the Bears' Dline. This one is about our so-called NASCAR package. http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/be...ml#.U-OKRlY8icM I'm optimistic we'll be able to generate some pass rush this season. What's nice to hear are the compliments of Houston's abilities. Behind him we are hearing good things about how well Sutton is picking things up. Ratliff has made his presence known as well in drills and we know what Jared Allen brings to the table on each play. This article focused on the 3 DE's with Ratliff as the pass rush package but if Sutton continues to progress I'm not sure we also couldn't go with Sutton/Ratliff and then Allen and Houston on the outside. Don't forget Sutton worked off the edge quite a bit in college. I see no reason that as he gains experience (perhaps late this year or next season) we couldn't use him on the outside in short yardage situations where we wanted the opposite of the NASCAR package to have a heavy set against the run but still have some quickness off the edge. On a separate note: If this works I hope we come up with a better name than "NASCAR", one that is more oriented towards Chicago's culture and history.

Let's hope this one goes better than the last ex-Cowboy WR named Hurd. One thing is clear, if you want to be a Bears WR you will likely be 6'-3" or taller, and if you're not then you will be really fast. I'd say the days of having an Earl Bennett, shorter, slower but with very good hands, on the roster are over. Herd ran a 4.49 forty at his pro day a year ago and was signed by Dallas as UDFA then promptly cut. Seahawks then picked him up and he didn't last long there either. There had to be some glaring weakness he showed to get cut so quickly…maybe lack of knowing how to run routes. Given the complexity of our offense I was expecting we'd sign a more experienced player but at this point none are available. Maybe he surprises and he's been working on his weakness for a year but right now I say this is a temporary move to see what this guy has to offer. If he shows something maybe they stick him on the practice squad. Once roster cut downs happen I expect we'll be watching the WR market. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0805-story.html

I view Kromer as a straightforward guy who won't spin things. It was nice to hear him discuss the talent level of the offense and the improvement from last year to this year. He's not discussing the starters rather the depth on the roster specifically the Oline depth and TE options we have on the roster. http://www.chicagobears.com/multimedia/vid...27-f4c0766bf86e

Good story thanks for posting it.

Thanks for the update. If O'Donnell can get that distance and put it out of bounds inside the 20 it will be great for the defense. Based on reports from camp I'd say he needs to work on that skill for a couple years to get the consistency needed.

Wasn't Holmes always a malcontent on his past teams?

No problem with the suspension and I like the public message Emery sent… this is a private matter between the team and Martellus and he won't discuss the details. The players (and all of us) see the obvious result and that is good enough for the rest of the team as they know it was dealt with. They also know there is no ascending player behind Martellus and he is the clear starter. Making this decision shows that no matter who you are you are expected to adhere to the rules.

I certainly don't like injuries but we all know they will happen in the preseason. This is one that should be easily recovered from so I'm not that worried and certainly don't see how we could consider cutting Wilson based on this. He did manage to get in a couple weeks of practice so he has a good idea on the playbook and Cutler has the timing with him. I expect once he is cleared the Bears will give him two weeks to get back in shape, and in sync with the offense, before he hits the field. I agree he's likely to be back on the field for the Packers game. Of course that also means they don't get to see our offense with him on the field. Is that an advantage or disadvantage? Don't know but given how high everyone has been on his play so far I'd say it's a big help for us. Since there is no reason to cut him I don't necessarily see the reason for signing Earl Bennett. If he was going to help us at the bottom end of the roster I think the Bears would have already called him back to compete for a spot.

I believe when you end practice for the entire team because of what Martellus did that's a pretty strong message to the entire team. Overall I'm not concerned and to be honest I'm very glad our defense has been playing angry all through the camp…we need that attitude to return.

http://www.csnchicago.com/bears/bears-rook...ecoming-awesome Sutton is figuring things out very quickly.

I'm actually surprised SMC is listed as sole starter. If there were 2 people that were going to share a slot I didn't think it'd be DJ/Bostic but more likely Bostic/SMC at SLB.

For those lucky few who can make it to training camp, or tonight's practice at Soldier Field, there are some question marks on the roster that I haven't yet heard much about. TE…. is there anyone looking like a decent backup to Martellus Bennett? I haven't seen or heard much about Rosario or any of the others at this position. Backup RB…seen some news here and there about this competition but it doesn't sound as if anyone has stood out yet. Most of the practice highlights I see of Ford are because someone is forcing him to fumble (i.e. a defensive highlight). I've seen enough that it's a concern for me even if nobody has mentioned it yet. Carey has been quiet as well. For sure this is one position where the preseason games with real hitting give a better indication than practice. It's also why I think that is where Ka'Deem Carey will begin to show why we drafted him. Despite his stature he is a physical runner. Safety… of course there's been non-stop discussion about this position. The recent rotations mean either nobody is standing out and they are shuffling things around hoping for someone to step up or they found a gem in a Dallas castoff. I go with the former.

Ask and you shall receive... http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/be...ml#.U9ulUFY8icM Very impressive to see how quickly Sutton is adapting and learning how to succeed against one of the better OGs in the NFL. There's a reason he got time with the 1's instead of Collins when Ratliff got a day off.

How would that be different from what he did when he took a high school football coach and helped him earn a $10mil contract with Tampa Bay after starting just 6 games and winning 3 of them? Of course it is different in that McCown had more years of mediocrity and failure than Clausen. You just don't see a guy out of the league like that come back in one season and then get that kind of a contract.

He has ability and a mean streak and shows it even in practice. Welcome to Chicago young man.

Thanks Grouchy…I always trust the board member's feedback from training camp. This explains some of Mills' frustrations and poor performance. Last year he was going up against Wootton and SMC. Now you throw in Houston who is a better athlete and stronger with that won't quit attitude and you get a young OT learning he better step it up.

If you watch the video attached to that link you will hear Adam Jahns state how lost Palmer is on many plays while Clausen is looking pretty good.

Kid is doing what he needs to do to improve. He's going to be a good player for us but it will take some time. He sees it now though and understands what and where he needs to improve. Identifying that is the first step. http://www.csnchicago.com/bears/bears-want...t-dts-gave-them

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/grizzly-de...-269126341.html Hopefully he gets back into shape soon. He struggled with speed off the edge last season and if he's already starting out being last year's performance that's not a good sign.

He's more athletic than I thought. http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/eye-perfor...-bears-football