Controlled Chaos

I have to agree with Danimal 100%

Hampton: We would have pounded Brady By Barry Rozner | Daily Herald Columnist Published: 1/31/2008 12:14 AM You can't help but wonder about that 1 field goal. You wonder where the 1985 Bears would have landed in history if an errant blocking call hadn't led to Walter Payton's fumble in Super Bowl XX and a Patriots field goal 1:19 into the game. After shutting out the Giants and the Rams in the first two playoff games, had the Bears been leading 44-0 instead of 44-3, Buddy Ryan would have called the fourth quarter like he did the first three, and there would have been no New England TD. "I'm glad you brought that up, because I know Buddy would have wanted to pitch three straight shutouts, which would have ended, once and for all, any discussion of who's the best team in NFL history,'' said Bears Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, via phone from Phoenix on Wednesday. "And believe me when I tell you they had no chance to score if we had played the way we played the first three quarters.'' No, they didn't. Every play was pretty much a jailbreak, and even the 46-10 final didn't do justice to the rout. Still, in three playoff games against top NFL clubs, the best defense in history allowed an average per game of 145 total yards, 42 rush yards and 10 first downs, while forcing 10 fumbles, collecting 16 sacks (for 143 yards), and giving the offense the football for nearly 37 minutes per game. Final combined score of the three postseason games: 91-10. Which brings us to the 2007 Patriots and whether they stack up with the 1985 Bears. "There's no doubt that with our offensive line and Walter, we would have run all day long on a team that's giving up 4.4 yards per carry,'' Hampton said. "That (New England) defense is all smoke and mirrors. "As for Tom Brady, he's a great, great player and maybe the best around, but the secret is out that the way to slow the Patriots down is to get pressure on Brady and keep their routes short and underneath, where Randy Moss isn't going to hurt you. "The question is whether they could stop our pass rush. Everyone knows about the '46,' but we also had a '59' package where we had Otis (Wilson) on one side, Wilber (Marshall) on the other, and myself, (Steve) McMichael and (Richard) Dent in the middle, and it meant their line had to block five Pro Bowl pass rushers 1-on-1. "You going to block Richard Dent 50 straight times in a game? Me? Otis? I don't think they could and I think we'd be in his face all day. I think we would have pounded Brady back there.'' Considering the era, the size of the '85 Bears is shocking when you line them up against the Giants' front four of today. Dent was 6-feet-5, 260 pounds to Michael Strahan's 6-5, 255; Hampton was 6-5, 270 to Osi Umenyiora's 6-3, 261; Fridge Perry went 6-4, 320 to Barry Cofield's 6-4, 306; and only McMichael would be underweight for a tackle today at 6-2, 265 to Fred Robbins' 6-4, 317. "People can talk about how it's a different game and all that, but I'll take our guys at our 1985 size and our 1985 speed,'' Hampton said. "That argument doesn't work for the '85 Bears, which is just one more reason why most people who played in that era, or coached in the '70s, believes we were the best team of all time. "Before Thanksgiving, I was thinking we might have to move aside for the Pats, but since then, they've been barely getting by. "Most of our games, we knew the games were over by halftime. What did you say that score was for three playoff games, 91-10? That's really all you need to know. "New England's a good football team, but they wouldn't have been able to play with us. How can anyone say we're not the best ever?''

You keep emphasizing "out of the country" like he flew to France for a weekend of Champaign and pounding vag. He went to fricken Cabo...It's a 2 1/2 hour flight. He could have just as easily flew here to Chitown for the weekend. Whats' the dif? If tabloids or entertainment people want to rag on him...that's fine...he's a celebrity...the thing I don't get is the sports media doing it. We'll just agree to disagree on this affecting his play. I believe when Romo, or any other professional athelete for that matter is on the field, they are mentally focused on one thing and that's football.

yeah I can see if he had a terrible game or something, but he played well. He was pressured all day and made some great plays avoiding the rush and then scrambling for the first, making a nice pass or even pulling a Farve and shoveling the ball to Witten. He also had to deal with numerous drops and stupid penalities. He's hardly the reason for that loss. So he was personally successful, but it's a team game and that's why they lost. Going to Mexico the weak before has nothing to do with it. When he is on that field, I guarantee he is focused on the task at hand..and Mexico or Jessica in the stands or what the media is writing about are the furthest thing on his mind. That's why I think it's dumb for sports analysts to discuss it. Let Access Hollywood or ET or some other talk show discuss their vacation. The sports guys should be talking about sports, and I haven't heard anyone criticize how he played, but I've heard everyone mention him going on vacation.

And to me there is nothing wrong with any of it. He can date as many high profile chicks as he wants, go to Mexico if he wants, party like a rock star if he wants. As long as it doesn't affect his play so what. Now if he was showing up late for practices, or he's showing up hung over or tired or missing meetings or anything realted to the team...then I can understand, but he isn't doing anything to hurt the team. He has dated a few celebrities....so what?? As for him being more defensive with reporters, if they were digging into my personal life instead of my sport life I would as well.

The one thing I'm sick of fuckin hearing is the Romo/Simpson story. Let it go...Since when did sports reporters become tabloid news reporters. Everyone from Joe Buck, to ESPN to beat writers have made their comments. Let the Enquirer worry about that shit...stick to football. Short of her injuring him during a wild sexcapade, Romo dating Simpson has no effect on his football playing ability and every time I hear a "sports reporter" even mention her name it makes me sick.

Let's not forget AP was running behind the same shit line benson was. Actually, it was worse cause Brown with one arm was better than what we had out there at the end of the year. Peterson is the perfect backup RB. I agree he isn't an every down back, but he is a good change of pace guy. He works hard and fights for every inch when he gets an opportunity. It takes a certain type of person to play second fiddle. Peterson knows his role and accepts it. He can pass protect(every back in the league would have had trouble pass blocking with this O line) and he is stellar on special teams. He's signed thru 2009 at what I'm guessing is a pretty cap friendly price...so why get rid of him? To me Wolfe is the big question mark? If he can't pass protect cause of his size, then how the hell can he be a 3rd down back? I mean we can do what we did this year, which was pretty much whenever we put him in...he got the ball, but that just ain't gonna fly. He is going to have to be the guy picking up blitzes on third and long...and I'm just not sure he can handle it. The only way Wolfe can block anyone is by cutting them. If he tries to stand up and block he's toast. The cut block works when the defense doesn't know it's coming, but with Wolfe it's all he can do, and I think defenders will be jumping right over him. I'm definitely willing to give him his shot to see if he can handle it. We didn't get to see much of his pass blocking this year and the guy has done nothing but overcome every obstacle in his path his entire football career. We spent the pick on him so it's worth it to give him that look. I hope he proves me wrong.

I thought I heard on the radio a while back his contract right now was relativiely cheap because the bonus is prorated or something. I see the Browns keeping both. Let me see if I can find some info on his contract. Edit: Found this on a board....not sure on it's accuracy, but I thought I heard something similar to this before....so TIFWIW Why would anyone trade a known commodity in one of the top-4 performing quarterbacks in the league for a guy that hasn't taken an NFL snap just to get a slightly higher draft pick? Also, they technically can't trade Anderson. He's a RFA at the end of the year, which means he can take offers from the highest bidders and the Cleveland Browns have the rights to match it. While they do get draft picks as compensation, it's possible that the highest bidder isn't in top 10 draft position next year. Last and repeating my prior question, why trade Quinn and accelerate his $7.75 against the cap. His whole contract for this year and the next 4, including his bonus is $9.2 million. He has escalators for taking snaps that could trigger another $11 million, but the Browns are in no hurry to put him in a position to do it. He's costing less than $2 million a year right now. Browns can easily afford to give Anderson a contract AND keep Brady Quinn. The whole idea that the Browns are between some rock and a hard place just seems stupid to me. IMO, what they do next year is sign Derek Anderson, and field offers for Brady Quinn if they're reasonable.

Me either. Clevelands futility at the QB position rivlas that of the Bears. So now, after finally having some solid QB play, they are going to trade him for the inexperienced, but costly Quinn. I don't think so.

I also think Welker is special, but Mike Hass is special too. The reason you make the case for Welker is he has finally been given the opportunity to separate his talents from those of his peers, Hass has not. To be fair though, Welker's opportunity didn't come easy either. So let's not talk about "oh if Hass was that good then why hasn't anyone tried to take him" If Welker is that good...why did he go undrafted? Why was it that he wasn't even invited to participate in the combine? Why was he waived by San Diego after 1 game? Why couldn't he get on the field at all as a receiver with Miami in 2004? Why did he hardly get on the field as a receiver in 05? Why did Miami continue to ignore his talents in 06, only putting him on the field in 3 & 4 receiver sets when he ended up catching 67 passes that year. There are a number of reasons why, but I'm glad someone noticed him and he finally got his shot. Mike Hass, who had a much more impressive collegiate career deserves his...that's all I'm saying. Yeah they are separate talents now, but not due to physical skills. Hass is more than just someone who works hard....he won the biletnikoff award. It wasn't a fluke...he can get open and he can catch everything. He's the kind of player that makes a QB comfortable. The big difference I see between him and Welker as of right now, is opportunity. It's possible you've never seen Hass play....Here ya go...

I'm glad we won that last game to get out of the top 10. I could go into my own reasons citing all the Bears top ten pick failures, but Pompei wrote a pretty good article mirroring my thoughts, so here it is. I bolded the most important part to me below. I prefer that money to go to established FA signings like a Faneca. I have no problem throwing the big bucks to established players...it's the unproven guys and likely busts that cripple the team. BTW, I am sick with the thought of taking a QB this year and that's what every mock draft I've seen has the Bears doing...I'm hoping they're all wrong. Something to play for: A lower pickBears better served Sunday by winning, dropping in draft, writes Dan Pompei Dan Pompei December 28, 2007 The Bears will play a "meaningless" game Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, but the outcome could have major ramifications on the future of the franchise. If the Bears lose, they could end up with a first-round draft pick as high as ninth overall. If they win, they could choose as low as 18th. Even though losing would result in the Bears getting a higher-ranked player, beating the Saints probably is in the Bears' best long-term interests. That's because most teams don't want anything to do with top-10 draft picks -- and for good reason. The hidden truth is picking in the top 10 can leave teams with more problems than Pro Bowl players. Take it from the Lions. They have had six top-10 picks in the last six drafts -- Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams, Ernie Sims and Calvin Johnson -- and they haven't made the playoffs since 1999. Teams that pick in the top 10 tend to be repeat customers. Falcons President Rich McKay once called the syndrome in which a team finds itself picking high in the draft every year "the drowning pool." Teams like the Lions sink deeper and deeper despite the alleged advantage of getting to pick before other teams. The perception is that picking high guarantees teams will select difference-makers. But of the last 100 top-10 picks, only 33 have been invited to play in a Pro Bowl. A top-10 pick without a Pro Bowl on his resume is considered as accomplished as a real estate agent who has never sold a house. Expectations are part of the problem. Even a solid prospect can wither in an environment created in part by the fact he is a high pick. Parting the sea wouldn't be enough. He would have to walk on it too. If the top-10 pick doesn't turn a team around, the front office is criticized, probably before the player's rookie season is over. The media beat him up and he's under fan attack so even if he were talented enough, he probably wouldn't be confident enough. The biggest issue with top-10 picks is they are risky investments with huge load fees -- also known as signing bonuses. We already have established there is a 67 percent rate of failure over the last 10 years with a top-10 pick. Now consider this: A team picking late in the first round will spend less on all of its draft picks combined than a team picking at the top of the draft would spend on its first pick alone. "The financial impact of a top-10 pick is substantial," Cardinals general manager Rod Graves said. Teams with high picks are forced to allocate a significant portion of their budget to one player, but teams without high picks have freedom to spend however they deem most beneficial. The guaranteed money for the ninth pick is expected to run about $5 million more than the guaranteed money for No. 18. The cash the Bears would save could be used on extending the contracts of their own players, perhaps Tommie Harris, or signing other team's veteran free agents. That $5 million could be the difference between keeping a player with an expiring contract like Bernard Berrian or letting him walk. Of course, if you draft a player like Vikings running back Adrian Peterson with a high pick, you beat the system. Some teams, like the Ravens, don't mind being in the top 10. And for good reason. During general manager Ozzie Newsome's time there, Baltimore has selected seven players in the top 10, and five of them have been Pro Bowlers. The Ravens, unlike some teams, prioritize drafting the best available player. "If you stick to the board when you are picking in the top 10, you should do pretty well," Ravens director of college scouting Eric DeCosta said. Where some teams get in trouble is reaching for needs. Six teams passed Peterson in April, including the Cardinals. Graves said the Cardinals had a higher grade on Peterson than offensive tackle Levi Brown, but they chose Brown because they believed he could improve their team more. The Cardinals had holes on their offensive line, but they had Edgerrin James at running back and two solid backups. "We knew there was a trade-off in passing up what could be an exceptional back," Graves said. "But we never imagined he would have this kind of impact. When you are drafting in that area, I think you lean more toward need, and you risk passing up more talented players. That's the thing people in my position struggle with." The other issue is there isn't always an Adrian Peterson available. General manager Jerry Angelo has had only one crack at a top-10 pick with the Bears. He chose Cedric Benson with the fourth selection in 2005. There was no Peterson that year. Only one player from the top 10 that year has earned a Pro Bowl nod; third pick Braylon Edwards was named to the squad this season. The difference between picking ninth and 18th in 2006 was the difference between linebackers Sims, an emerging star the Lions took with the ninth pick, and Bobby Carpenter, who has yet to establish himself as a starter after the Cowboys selected him 18th. This year it could be the difference between, say, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long and Southern California linebacker Rey Maualuga. Bottom line: Picking high would give the Bears a crack at some attractive prospects, but they would be served better with a player from the middle of the round and more cash in their pocket. -----------

Well IMHO, when you have an offense that is ineffective. A bunch of receivers underperforming....Cutting off routes, Running wrong routes, Not cutting hard, Not getting open, Dropping balls and giving up on balls. Then you have a guy on your roster that doesn't do any of those things and you still don't let him play.....EVEN when you are out of the playoff picture, then you are treating that player pretty dam poorly. A receiver who has done everything you asked him to, including learn every WR position. A receiver who made news in camp when he finally dropped a ball. A receiver who was one of the hardest workers in camp and OTA's and you don't reward him by getting him on the field in the last game, to me is...well....disgusting. We're not talking about some no talent hack that I just want to step foot on the football field either. We're talking about the Fred Biletnikoff winner. The only one, by the way, that hasn't got his shot.

I don't want to see him race Welker...I want to see him get his shot. The point is they are pretty dam comparable and the questions and concerns about Hass are the same ones that followed Welker his whole career until he finally got a shot.

That's just not true....Welker can not flat out fly. From the article I posted above..."Try as he might, Welker could do no better than a relatively sluggish 4.63 seconds on a grass field." The only article I can find listing Welkers 40 time entering the draft is this and it has him listed with a 4.6. Speed is not everything...and if that's all these coaches are going on ...then lets get these morons out of here and get some coaches with some smarts. If these guys aren't looking at all the aspects of a wide receiver then they're not doing their jobs. Route running, good hands, precison cuts, toughness, blocking and doing every dam thing you can to either catch the ball or make sure the DB doesn't catch the ball are all just as important if not more so than just flat out speed.

Yeah and Welker went undrafted...Hass would have went undrafted as well too if not for Reggie Bush who persuaded the Saints to take him. Here's an article from before the season which I had never read. He has done everything asked of him...he has had to overcome every obstacle, he had to learn every receiver position just to make the team and he has done it all only to be IA all year on a team with little to zero impact receivers. If you put Hass and Davis on the field together and have a route running/catching/blocking contest it isn't even a competition, yet Hass can't get a shot. It's ridiculous!! He will solve some of the problems with this offense if given the chance...mark my words. Outlook better for Hass landing a job with Bears The former OSU receiver hopes hard work this summer pays off with a roster spot Sunday, July 22, 2007 AARON FENTRESS The Oregonian WILSONVILLE -- A shirtless Mike Hass stood in the end zone at Wilsonville High School's football field and wiped his brow after completing a sprint workout. Summer vacation and a hot July afternoon had left the school's stadium and track empty, save for the former Oregon State and current Chicago Bears wide receiver. Eight 80-yard sprints, six 60-yard sprints and four 40-yard sprints had barely left Hass winded. After all, it was as he described, "a light day." In shape and in good spirits, Hass knows there won't be many "light" days ahead when Bears training camp opens in Bourbonnais, Ill., on Thursday. Hass, a practice squad player for the Bears last season, was preparing to take a second stab at making an NFL team's active roster. And, as has been the case much of his career, he'll have to outwork the competition in the areas he excels in to help erase doubts. However, Hass' prospects appear to be more promising than they were last season. Strong performances during offseason workouts has Hass entering training camp as the team's No. 5 wide receiver and the No. 2 slot receiver. "That's where I want to be," Hass said. If he remains there opening day, it would mean he had made the team and once again proved doubters wrong. Finding a new home Hass was a sixth-round pick by New Orleans in 2006 and ultimately was cut by the Saints in favor of seventh-round pick Marquis Colston, who ended up with 1,038 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The Saints, who had used Hass sparingly during preseason, offered to keep him on their practice squad. But Hass declined and signed with Chicago on Sept. 4. "Why would I stick with a team that didn't give me an opportunity?" Hass said. "That's all I ask for is an opportunity. That's all I need." Chicago, already carrying six wide receivers, placed Hass on its practice squad. The Bears also happened to be a franchise his father had followed for 46 years, which had rubbed off on Hass. In many ways, Hass' situation could have been considered a fantasy camp for many NFL fans. He practiced with his favorite team. Traveled with the Bears. Watched games from the sideline. And he got all the team gear anyone would ever want. But Hass said the novelty eventually wore thin. He longed to play. After the Bears' Super Bowl loss to Indianapolis, Hass met with team officials, who had favorable opinions about what they had seen from him during 22 weeks of practices. "They wanted me to go through their summer program and vie for a spot," Hass said. Hass' agent, Scott Smith from XAM Sports in Madison, Wis., said several other teams were interested but that Bears general manager Jerry Angelo always had expressed a serious interest in Hass, and it just seemed like the right fit. With that, Hass began the process of learning the Bears' playbook, something he could do sparingly as a scout team player. Last year, Chicago finished the season with five wide receivers. But, Justin Gage was not retained. That left the team with 12-year veteran Muhsin Muhammad, speedster Bernard Berrian, slot receiver Rashied Davis, a former Arena League player, and oft-injured Mark Bradley, a second-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2005. Hass also benefited from the Bears not drafting a wide receiver in April. "That's what you want to hear as a guy in my position," Hass said. "You don't want to have to fight through three more guys from the draft." However, the Bears did move Pro Bowl kickoff and punt return specialist Devin Hester to wide receiver. But, according to Hass, the team said it would carry at least five wide receivers in addition to Hester. Seizing an opportunity Sensing it was his time, Hass attacked offseason workouts and caught the eye of at least a few teammates. When three Bears defensive linemen, appearing on the Comcast Sports television show "Chicago Tribune Live," were asked who had stood out during the camps, each responded: "Mike Hass." When told of those comments, Hass, who had not even heard of the show, was flattered. "First thing you want to do is have the players' respect," Hass said. Bears coaches were on vacation last week and unavailable for comment. But when wide receivers coach Darryl Drake was asked by ChicagoBears.com which young wide receiver had a chance to make the team, he responded: "You start with a guy like Mike Hass, who has done a tremendous job. He's a guy who catches the ball really well and runs good routes. He had a really good offseason." The Bears did add three free agent wide receivers and will return third-year receiver Brandon Rideau out of Kansas who spent last season on the Bears' practice squad. Still, on paper, the No. 5 spot appears to be Hass' to lose. "All he needs to do is get a chance to play and show the type of playmaker he is," Smith said. As for the speed issue, Hass always will be slow by league standards. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds at the 2006 NFL Combine. But Hass doesn't think it should keep him off the field. "I am the player that I am," Hass said. "And, obviously you do the things to make yourself better, but I don't need to run a 4.4. I never have. I'm not going to. I'm only getting older." Bears coaches, he said, like his ability to work the middle of the field from the slot position and make tough catches. "I feel like I'm a good fit in there," Hass said. A new identity The Bears have been a good fit for Hass. His father, Rick Hass, 53, once painted an orange letter C on a blue helmet for his young son. "He told me last year: "I can't wait to see you run out onto Soldier Field with that "C" on your head," Mike Hass said. Rick Hass said the disappointments of the past year have affected his son, who hasn't played in a meaningful game since the Beavers' Civil War loss to Oregon in November 2005. "He's changed a lot since last year," Rick Hass said. "He's gotten harder. Tougher. He knows what he's up against." Good friend and former OSU kicker Brent Wismer, who spent last week at Hass' apartment in Lake Bluff, Ill., also has seen some changes. "The difference just comes from it being a business and he realizes his job is on the line every day," Wismer said. "Off the field, he's still the same guy as when I met him before he became a household name in Oregon." Another change has been in Hass' enthusiasm. Last year, according to Wismer, Hass often was disappointed and down about how things were going. Not so this time around. "He's genuinely upbeat," Wismer said. "It's definitely 180 degrees from last year when I would talk to him." Rick Hass believes it's just a matter of time before his son finds a home in the NFL. "It's a regular Mike Hass story," Rick Hass said. "He's had to do it the hard way."

I can't help my disgust for how this team has treated Mike Hass. He can easily be this teams Wes Welker. Welker has gone through the exact same crap Hass is going through just to get his shot. These guys both have the talent and for some reason from college to the pros they were passed over. Welker finally has the stage to open up eyes and he has done so. Although he still has to fight for the credit. Mike Hass can be that same player. He is exactly the kind of receiver this team needs...Will he ever get his chance?? This is a pretty good read on Welker...

I think Angelo made it pretty clear today that Lovie is in charge of his own coaching staff. Which means...nothing will change.

Where can you get return stats? Are they for Hester and Cribbs or just team stats?

I don't know man...how can you even compare return average with the way teams kick to Hester. How could Hester lead in punt return average when he is rarely punted to. If Hester and Cribbs received the same type of kickoffs/punts, I think Hester would blow Cribbs out of the stadium.

If this dude did play and Hass was still listed as IA, I would have gone down to halas hall and pissed on lovies car to display my pissedoffness.

This was written after the game a couple weeks ago. Ironbically my dad had the same thoughts....Now that Brian has had another probowl caliber game is this coaching staff taking notice how different he plays with the big guys in the middle.

5-2 A 5-2 defense is a defense with 5 defensive lineman and 2 linebackers. The defensive lineman almost always line up to the strong side, with the backside lineman on the outside shoulder of the end man on the offensive LOS. Because the extra defensive lineman makes this a strong defense against the run, it is more popular in leagues (or specific situations) that favor the running game. Thus, this defense is most often used in middle school and little league, and occasionally in different looks and variations in the NFL or college. However, the 5-2 used to be more popular in college football, when the running game was much more prevalent; for example, teams in the 1980s would often employ the 5-2 to combat the extremely run-oriented offenses of the time. From the mid-1950s until the early 1990s, The 5-2 was the base formation for most teams in the Big Eight Conference, due to the powerful rushing attacks of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Oklahoma Sooners, and later in the 1980s, the Colorado Buffaloes. Currently, the Arizona Cardinals use this defense regularly, in addition to their base 4-3. The benefit of having a 5-2 is that it adds size to your defense by replacing a linebacker with a defensive lineman. This helps in short-yardage situations where you want to stall the line of scrimmage and not give up the inside run. The disadvantage is in pass coverage -- most 5-2 teams will rush all 5 defensive linemen leaving only 6 pass defenders. In some circumstances a 5-2 team will drop one of the linemen, typically an end, off into coverage. This is primarily a situational defense however, and not often used in situations where downfield pass coverage is a significant concern. 5-2-4 Is a variation of the 46 defense and the 3-3-5, often called "Bear Down". Takes away plays from the out side in. A line backer and a safety come down on the outside sides. the tackles line up in the C gap, they both read the last man on their side of the line of scrimage. Depending on that offensive players move (inside or outside) determines the defensive players role, if the outside man is getting kicked out he has outside containment and the DE comes down the line. If the outside man is let free then he comes down the line and the DE fights to get outside containment. It makes for two down the line of scrimage players two outside contain guys and three inside players. Bear is also man coverage.

Beekman sits with Bears playing to win December 21, 2007 By GENE CHAMBERLAIN the courier news LAKE FOREST -- Lovie Smith's friend and former Tampa Bay coaching colleague Herman Edwards made famous the phrase "Hel-lo ... you play to win the game," during a tirade about finding significance in meaningless late-season games. Smith is following that same plan with the Bears out of the playoff chase, and it's never been more evident than at starting left guard. "Right now we're playing the guys that we think give us the best opportunity to win," Smith said. Despite the benching of Terrence Metcalf and the Bears being out of playoff contention, rookie guard Josh Beekman won't play Sunday against the Packers. Joseph P. Meier / The Daily Southtown The Bears benched Terrence Metcalf against the Minnesota Vikings, and rather than start fourth-round draft pick Josh Beekman to get a better idea of his skills, they moved veteran backup tackle John St. Clair to the position. Beekman still has not played guard in a regular-season game and has been active on game day only once. "As far as him getting into the rotation, he hasn't been in it right now and I don't know what's going to happen as far as that's concerned," Smith said. On Sunday, St. Clair will start again against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. "I was a little surprised, but at the same time I guess they know my history and know the fact that I can be versatile," St. Clair said. St. Clair has played every line position at some point in his career. The 6-foot-5-inch, 315-pounder caught a touchdown pass as a short-yardage tight end this year. He played some guard three years ago in Miami but has basically been a tackle for the Bears. "It's easier," he said of guard, "but I'll tell you what, guards run a lot. I didn't realize how much guards really run until I got back in practice last week, pulling and running after linebackers and things like that. "So guard is not an easy job by any means." St. Clair called it an adjustment. "Everything happens quicker," he said. "You're in shorter space. Everything is hands-on as opposed to tackle, where you're out there on an island." The benching of Metcalf in itself indicates a possible failed personnel decision. In March of 2006, they handed Metcalf a six-year contract extension worth $12.5 million with a $3.5 million signing bonus in hopes he could be the eventual answer when Ruben Brown, 35, retires. Beekman provided another possible answer at guard, but isn't questioning why he hasn't received a turn. "Honestly it hasn't popped into my head," the former Boston College player said. "The only people who really have asked are you guys, the media. "I understand the question. For me, I know that coach Lovie Smith has set the tone that we want to finish as strong as we possibly can for the fourth quarter of the season. Now that we have Green Bay ahead of us, everybody, in my mind, is into putting the best five O-linemen out to beat Green Bay. Other than that, I'm a rookie. I'm trying to do what's best for the team and hopefully help the team win and if that's being a guy who helps the starting five get better, then I did my job. That's what I am most passionate about." Beekman doesn't think of his rookie year as a virtual practice squad member a complete waste. "Actually I have learned a great deal," he said. "Coming into this level, everybody you play is going to be good. Playing with this O-line, especially, learning from Olin Kreutz, learning from Ruben Brown, learning from Robert Garza, you learn the focus that you need to be a champion." Brown's season-ending shoulder injury created the situation that led to Metcalf playing, but he fared poorly in a season when consistency has been lacking across the O-line. The starting left guard in the Bears' offense has to be one of the more athletic linemen, able to pull and block on the team's power-0 play and other runs. There's no denying St. Clair's athletic ability. "Anytime you can play left tackle and move in in the same season and play guard that's saying a lot about your athletic ability," Smith said.

BEARS IN BRIEF: Favre 'shocked' by lack of Pro Bowl support for Urlacher December 20, 2007 BY BRAD BIGGS bbiggs@suntimes.com Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was more surprised than any of Brian Urlacher's teammates were about the Bears middle linebacker's exclusion from the Pro Bowl. If Favre only knew how far Urlacher was from being named to the NFC team. While Urlacher handily won the fan portion of the Pro Bowl voting at inside linebacker, he was just about blanked by players and coaches, whose votes also count for one-third each. ESPN.com's John Clayton tracks the information every season, and in addition to starter Lofa Tatupu of Seattle and backup Patrick Willis of San Francisco, there are at least three alternates ahead of Urlacher: Green Bay's Nick Barnett, Minnesota's E.J. Henderson and Washington's London Fletcher. ''He didn't make it?'' Favre said. ''I'm a little bit shocked by that. I think he, as well as Nick Barnett, deserve it. I watched the game [Monday] night, and Urlacher made every play. Now, they've come to expect that from him, as most people have, which is not always the case. You're not always going to make every play. ''I know when you go into a game with Chicago, [it's] 'We can't let this guy make every play.' Lance Briggs is a heck of a football player, too, and we fought that last game. Tommie Harris is a fantastic player. But if you want to call the middle linebacker the quarterback of the defense, then he is that guy. You can't blink one second because he'll make a play on you. ''I'm shocked, but I'm sure their record has more to do with it than anything else. I don't think it's lack of production.''

No, it is "we are playing the best players to win" time. This coaching staff is ridiculous.