Quick Notes

[Noots]

Arrows Up

 

Rashied Davis--great to see you back. Next time need to hang onto the other one so you can turn the hat trick.

 

Kyle Orton--He looked like a real pro. Attacked the entire field--not just checkdowns.

 

Offensive Line: Every one of 'em. It was very pleasing to see Beekman and St Clair caving down the left side on some running plays as well as bottling up the pass rush. Nice.

 

Lloyd & Izzie: nice special teams plays. Love it.

 

Mark Bradley: hmm...going to make it harder to cut him. Speaking of which...

 

Danieal Manning: That was the best he's looked in a while on both ST and in defense.

 

Mike Brown: He gave up a tuddie, and that hurts. However, he laid the wood a few times out there, which was good to see.

 

Dusty Dvoracek: he throwing interior linemen around like rag dolls on some of those goal line plays.

 

Kevin Jones: Even though he looked to have a slight hitch in his giddy up, he showed burst, broke a tackle and busted off a long on.

 

Matt Forte: he was solid overall, which is big for a rookie.

 

Arrows Down

 

Charles Tillman: Isaac Bruce put some veteran plays on him to cost him. He surrendered quite a bit out there. Must be still rounding into shape.

 

Url & Briggs: getting beaten on cutbacks. Arm tackling. Leaving feet.

 

Grossman: Awful throw on third and short to end a drive. You gotta be able to pick that up. It's a quick hard pass to the right and he's wide open.

 

Hester: Look, you're getting big money now. Put your feet on the ten yard line. If it's over your head, you let it go. Understand?

 

D Line: Do NOT leave your gaps. Good backs like Gore will live up to their namesake against you if you do.

 

Wolfe: we cannot afford turnovers on ST

 

Olson: You're no longer a rookie. You gotta know when you're on the end of the line. Red zone penalties are worth at least a few laps around the practice field.

 

Oakley: if we're running waggle action and you're supposed to be the guy responsible for a pull (I admit, I'd like to see a replay here), then doggone it, get there. If the end comes tough, you better be there. Rex nearly got picked on that one. Sure looked like he showed up late, but I didn't get to see if he was pulling or just trying to get there as the uncovered man.

[Connorbear]

I thought Kyle played outstanding. His stats should have been much better if you consider the drops by Davis and Hester.

 

The D looked horrible. They better be able to turn it on once the season starts because that was embarassing.

 

Peace

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Orton looked fantastic and made me kind of excited to see his development this season. That said I'm still concerned about the lack of a WR corps but Rashied certainly looks improved although he should have had 3 TD passes.

[nfoligno]

I thought Kyle played outstanding. His stats should have been much better if you consider the drops by Davis and Hester.

 

The D looked horrible. They better be able to turn it on once the season starts because that was embarassing.

 

Particularly embarassing considering who they were playing. Frank Gore, fine. But other than Gore, come on. That was about the biggest bunch of no name WRs (other than old man Bruce) and they were freaking schooling our DBs. Consider how much sicker the stats would have been if Alex Smith could hit the broad side of a barn. Several times WRs were WIDE open, only to be missed by Smith. And Gore wasn't the only RB hurting us. Clayton and Keasey were hurting us too. Oh yea. O'Sullivan. 7 of 8 for 126 and one TD. Are you kidding? This is the Europe league guy we said Chris Leak was better than. Ouch.

 

There is no question we are loaded w/ talent on defense, but exactly when should we expect them to start playing?

 

As for Kyle and the offense, wow. In all honesty, I thought the OL was "okay", which is 100 times better than expected. I honestly felt a big reason Orton looked like he was w/o pressure at time was due to his own play. I mean, Rex came in w/ the same OL, and actually against SF's 2nd string D, but seemed like he was hard under pressure every down. More than ever, I think Rex causes his own pressure issues.

 

Couple drops by receiers, but all in all, a solid passing day. Orton to Davis? Who wouda thunk it?

 

Run blocking was "okay". The OL did a great job a couple times, but by in large I thought the run blocking was fairly week and Forte had to work his arce off for what he got. He got it done w/ vision and cut backs. No question in my mind that if Benson were the starter, he would have had a sub 2.0 average and been caught behind the LOS often.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

I'm starting to think that Kyle does a better job calling pass protection than Rex. I don't know how involved a QB is in pass protection but I'm certain there is some involvement.

 

The only possible contradiction to that is Rex never got much pressure during the Super Bowl season (because last year and this preseason the line has been far better for Kyle than Rex).

[nfoligno]

I'm starting to think that Kyle does a better job calling pass protection than Rex. I don't know how involved a QB is in pass protection but I'm certain there is some involvement.

 

The only possible contradiction to that is Rex never got much pressure during the Super Bowl season (because last year and this preseason the line has been far better for Kyle than Rex).

 

Actually, Rex did get a chunk of pressure the SB season. Not at first. In the first month, he was untouchable, but after the Minny game, teams started to attack him far more, and he was pressured.

 

I agree though that Orton may call better. Anoher possibility is teams just don't attack Orton as much as Rex. Teams simply believe Rex folds under pressure, but if defenses attacked most QBs the way they do Rex, they would too often get burned. I think Orton hits the hot route receiver better, and thus defenses may simply not be attacking him quite like they do Rex.

[madlithuanian]

Yeah...bottom line, Orton looked poised. He audibled well and looked in control. It was really nice to see.

 

I'm starting to think that Kyle does a better job calling pass protection than Rex. I don't know how involved a QB is in pass protection but I'm certain there is some involvement.

 

The only possible contradiction to that is Rex never got much pressure during the Super Bowl season (because last year and this preseason the line has been far better for Kyle than Rex).

[Mongo3451]

We were owned at home by the 49ers.

 

I did like what I saw from Orton. He looks to be a football gamer.

 

Our OL is still bad at opening holes.

 

Davis looked really good, except the drop.

 

Our WR's were open all night.

 

Hester needs to remember what got him where he is. The self serving descision to take the ball out of the endzone was idiotic.

 

Turner seemed to call a good game, except for the 1st play from scrimmage.

 

The defense made JT O'Sullivan a household name. (Dusty was the lone standout for me)

 

Special teams will be OK.

 

If Lovie disappeared tomorrow, this team would probably not notice him missing.

[bowlingtwig]

I agree, we heard so much about how Davis was looking good in camp and now he is starting to turn it on on the field now as well great to see. Kyle looked really good out there from what I saw. Stepping up into the pocket and dare I say it but he threw a ball with a nice touch on it to ensure only our guy could get in traffic as well.(referring to 1st TD I think it was). Dusty looked like a beast. The Dline was really starting to cave that line Oline, which is real good to see considering the D that we run, everything starts up front. However, JT O'sullivan and Alex Smith aren't HOF type QB's but the D made them look really good. I think it is pretty safe to say that O'sullivan has won that job.

[bowlingtwig]

Another observation that I quickly picked up on. Why is it that when Kyle is the guy behind center the Oline does a decent job protecting him but the second that Rex is back there they forget out to do everything. Do you think the Oline has more confidence with Kyle back there just knowing that he won't lose us the game as much Rex will. The only good thing about Rex is that he has the ability to win us games. Although if Kyle keeps playing like he did last night he could turn into a household name real quick. I was getting a little excited just being able to say that we had an Offense. Not enough credit can go to Turner. He called a real nice game as well. But GREAT job Kyle. Hope to see more of this all season. Now lets just hope that the D shows up to play otherwise we don't stand a chance.

[Pixote]

 

Have to agree with you on all points made.

 

I really liked what I saw in the offense. I think having the QB question answered may have settled everyone down and Kyle certainly stepped up big time. Outstanding job by the OL. If they can play like that the entire year, no problems, we will have a vastly improved offense.

 

Defensive analysis, we sucked. I am hoping it is just a bunch of vets walking through the motions and that they will show up when the season begins.

[fenom283]

Defense

 

I dont know why but I am not really worried about the defense. I dont think that they are going full tilt Mike Brown on that play was watching the backfield that not his kinda of mistake. I remember last year during the preseason the defense looked ok but then the first game against the Chargers they looked unstoppable. I feel the intensity we see now is not what the Colts will see. All those fat contracts that got paid people are going to start having to owning up to them.

 

Offense

 

Turner is the guy im getting angry with I swear we have 1 or 2 running plays and every team knows it. Forte just kept running up the middle with this line thats not gonna work. Forte keeps working his ass off he is a 3 down back and i want see defenses having to face him in the 4th quarter he could really be the savior of the offense. Davis is what they said he is the best receiver on the team. Lloyd and Booker disappeared this week but Booker was never a preseason warrior he will get the tough 1st downs when they matter. Orton poised stepped up in the pocket i actually enjoyed watching him play. At first i thought the staff was giving it to him but he earned it. Rex needs to go he doesnt care anymore you can see it in his face he doesnt want to be here anymore.

 

Special Teams

 

Dave Toub is going to tear into them this unit is supposed to be perfect and they made alot of mistakes. They also showed why they always finish first in special teams blocking punts and FG's but Gould i think I would rather have him 10 yards shallow then kicking the ball out of bounds.

[nfoligno]

I think it is a host of things. Sure, it is possible the OL has more confidence in Orton than Rex, and while there is not conscience drop in play, the reality is when you have confidence, you play better. W/ that said, I think other things:

 

- Orton may be better in pre-snap reads. Hard to really know for sure, but we did seem to pickup more blitzes w/ Orton under center. While many say that is Kreutz job, it is also the QBs as he has the greater field of vision. You see Orton yelling more than just signals at the OL. It is quite possible he is simply better in the pre-snap reads, and thus the OL and RBs are more ready for the blitzes that are coming.

 

- I said this before, but I just don't think the defenses are blitzing Orton as much as they do Rex. When Rex is under center, defenses send the kitchen sink. This is a gamble by the defense, because in doing so, you are also leaving yourself exposed, but put the pressure on the QB to make the defense pay for their aggressive tactic. That's why D's doing send the sink at every QB, because most NFL QBs will find the hot reads and make defense suffer for playing too aggressive. Rex has never seemed capable of doing this, but Orton was finding the hot receivers, and this could be forcing defenses to play our passing game more honest. Thus w/ fewer blitzes and pass rusher, the OL is simply going to look better.

 

- Did you notice Orton move in the pocket. Sometimes it is nothing more than taking one step forward in the pocket, or sliding a step to the side, but it avoid the rush. A DE rushing to the outside ends up way out of position when the QB can simply take a step up in the pocket. Rex rarely seems to have the pocket presence to do this, and thus is doing his OL no favors.

 

I really think it is more than one thing. While the confidence level of the OL may be a factor, I honestly think the greater factor is simply the difference in pocket presence between the two QBs, and the ability to read defenses.

 

Another observation that I quickly picked up on. Why is it that when Kyle is the guy behind center the Oline does a decent job protecting him but the second that Rex is back there they forget out to do everything. Do you think the Oline has more confidence with Kyle back there just knowing that he won't lose us the game as much Rex will. The only good thing about Rex is that he has the ability to win us games. Although if Kyle keeps playing like he did last night he could turn into a household name real quick. I was getting a little excited just being able to say that we had an Offense. Not enough credit can go to Turner. He called a real nice game as well. But GREAT job Kyle. Hope to see more of this all season. Now lets just hope that the D shows up to play otherwise we don't stand a chance.

[nfoligno]

I did like what I saw from Orton. He looks to be a football gamer.

 

Agreed. I hope we see a LOT more of the same from him. His play last night did more to give hope than any one thing I can point to in a long time.

 

Our OL is still bad at opening holes.

 

Agreed. Many are saying our OL played so much better, but I am not so sure. Orton seemed less pressured, but I honestly think that was more on him than the OL. While there were a handful of plays when the OL did open a hole for our backs, those seemed to be the exception more than the rule. I was really disgusted w/ the OL on that quick pass to Hester, where he was killed. I hit rewind and played it in slow motion several times, and our OL was simply blown up on that play. Tait and St. Clair's were leveled and throw aside, and the guys they were responsible for really gave Hester no chance. Its sad when St. Clair man, who was lined up on the opposite side of the field, so easily and quickly was able to get over to block Hester from going anywhere, and Taits man was able to get his hands on Hester first.

 

Davis looked really good, except the drop.

 

He had the drop, but so long as he looks as good as he does, I can live w/ it.

 

Our WR's were open all night.

 

For the most part, I agree, but would also point out that Orton did a great job finding the open receiver. It wasn't always the 1st read who was open, but Orton was able to go through his reads to find the open receiver, and that is huge.

 

Hester needs to remember what got him where he is. The self serving descision to take the ball out of the endzone was idiotic.

 

It may be Hester, but it may also be our coaches allowing more leeway in a preseason game.

 

Turner seemed to call a good game, except for the 1st play from scrimmage.

 

Agreed. Turner mixed it up pretty well, and didn't appear as predictable as in the past.

 

The defense made JT O'Sullivan a household name. (Dusty was the lone standout for me)

 

Agreed and agreed. The play thus far by our D, through 3 preseason games, is really lacking. Also of concern for me is the very average players we are allowing to beat us. Croyl, Frye and Sullivan are not exactly pro bowl QBs, and yet we are letting them shred us. Worse, they are doing it w/o great WRs. No name QBs and no name WRs are killing us. What the hell happens when we face Manning/Wayne?

 

Special teams will be OK.

 

Gotta appreciate the coaching here. As good as DM looked on returns, did you see the holes we were creating for him? He gets credit for the burst through the holes, and some tackles he broke, but this unit really excels.

 

If Lovie disappeared tomorrow, this team would probably not notice him missing.

 

Agreed 100%.

[BearFan2000]

I really liked what I saw in the offense. I think having the QB question answered may have settled everyone down and Kyle certainly stepped up big time. Outstanding job by the OL. If they can play like that the entire year, no problems, we will have a vastly improved offense.

 

I agree Pix, one thing about the competition is I have to think both guys were so focused on not making mistakes that they weren't focusing on making plays and playing loose. I think they both looked to be a little tight in the first two games. Understandably so considering they probably felt that each mistake they make could cost theme the job. I think its a good point that now that the decision was made Kyle could relax and play his game and not be looking over his shoulder and worrying. He looked very relaxed out there and confident. That's what you need to play QB in the NFL. For all of Rex's skills and talents the big thing he lacks is that calm, confident, relaxed style. He presses, and gets flustered way to easy. Till he gets over that he will not be a successful QB in this league. We can no longer wait for that to happen. I think Kyle showed in that game why he was the right choice.

 

The Defense..... I sure hope they will come around. I think they can, I hope they will. It just looked to me like they were just going through the motions for the most part. I do like that Urlacher's honesty in the interview on the sidelines. He knows that they stunk and he acknowledged that that isn't acceptable, and they can do much better. I hope they get their act together. This is supposed to be one of THE strengths of this team along with special teams. Even if they were just dogging it because it was preseason, I don't like it because that kind of thinking that "we can turn it on anytime we want" is both arrogant and naive. You typically play the way you practice, and if this is how you practice, then good luck turning it on for game day.