August 2007 Archive



Bears Preview: Defensive Line

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 31 at 4:43PM

 

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I'm just going to come right out and say it: the Bears have the best defensive line in the NFL. And I don't even think it's close. Sure, certain teams have two studs- like say, the Chargers with Castillo and Williams, the Jaguars with Henderson and Stroud in the middle, and the Patriots with Seymour and Wilfork- but no one can match the five established beasts the Bears are throwing out there. And that's not even counting Dusty Dvoacek, last years third round pick from Oklahoma who missed his entire rookie season but has been tearing it up in training camp and preseason. Yes, a lot of quarterbacks are going to find their rightful place on the turf when they play this group in 2007.


This isn't a bunch of pampered first round picks, either. Besides for Tommie Harris, no other member of the fearsome fivesome was drafted earlier then the third round. It's a collection of misfits, malcontents, and guys who fell on hard luck in college, all coming together to form one ferocious pass rush. It's a credit to GM Jerry Angelo for bringing everyone in and a credit to Lovie Smith for making it work.


We all know how important a pass rush is the cover-2, without it, the defense doesn't function correctly. Just look at how few sacks Urlacher and Briggs- two of the best five or ten linebackers in the league- get. It's because of the pass rush that those two can stay in their zones, while the front four is able to pressure with quarterback without the help of a blitz. With Ron Rivera departed, expect to see more of a true cover two from the Bears this year, which means the defensive linemen are going to have even more pressure on them.


It all starts in the middle with Tommie Harris, who, according to Peter King, is the 25th best player in the NFL, and third best defensive tackle. Not bad for a guy that's only 22 years old. Think about that for a second. Tommie Harris is poised to be one of the best players in the NFL for the next ten years, and that's a conservative estimate. The Bears defense thrives when Harris is breaking through double teams in the middle, and that point was proven when he went down in Week 13 last season with a hamstring injury. Once he was out of the lineup, the defense wasn't the same. They allowed opponents over 300 yards of total offense multiple times, something unheard of during the Lovie Smith Era, and they're swagger was partially missing. The Bears were overly cautious with Harris this preseason, which is certainly acceptable, and he should be full speed for the Chargers, Week 1.

 
Because they were noticeably worse with Harris out of the lineup last season, the Bears got some insurance in the form of Darwin Walker. Walker comes the Bills, after he was traded there from the Eagles for Takeo Spikes. He's a pass rushing tackle, similar to Harris, that tallied six sacks last season. That's great for a tackle, and he should have even more opportunities this season because of who he's lining up next to.

 
Which brings us to Smith and Angelo's favorite position, defensive end. This was clear during the draft when the Bears took one, Dan Bazuin, with their second pick, despite the fact that they already have three very good edge rushers. Buzz has been slowed by injuries in the preseason, but if he can contribute this year, that just makes this line even scarier. Speaking of guys who suffered from injury problems during the preseason, no one could have possibly expected Mark Anderson to be so dominant as a rookie last season. I mean, the guy hardly ever played, and still tallied 12 sacks. I know The Freak is Javon Kearse's nickname, but it's time he hands it over to Anderson. How else can you describe a 6'4, 255 lb guy who runs a 4.5 40 and has a 40 plus inch vertical. Injuries are the reason Anderson fell to the Bears in the fifth round last year, but production is the reason he's taken a starting spot from Alex Brown this season.

 
It isn't that Brown was bad, it's that Anderson is so good. If he can play the run better this season, the Bears could be looking at one of the top d-ends in the league. And Brown will play a lot this year. Lovie will rotate him consistently with Anderson and O-Gun, keeping them fresh throughout games and the season. I actually think Alex Brown is very good; having him as your third best defensive end doesn't seem fair.


Adewale Ogunleye is the last member for the wrecking crew. Though he's never match his 17-sack season with the Dolphins here in Chicago, Wale has been as disruptive as anyone when he's on the field. He only had 6.5 sacks last season, but his consistent pressure can't be measured. During the two games he was out last season, the difference was palpable.


On a stacked defense, these linemen really standout. They're the reason the Bears can play the style of football they want to, and the reason everyone around these parts is gearing up for another Super Bowl trip. If the old saying is true, "it all begins in the trenches", then the Bears should be just fine in 2007.


While I'm going to wait to the end to give you my prediction on how the Bears season will end up, I'm going to try to give you statistical projections for every major player. Here's what I got for the d-line this year:


Harris: 9 sacks

Ogunleye: 11 sacks

Anderson: 9 sacks

Brown: 4 sacks

Walker: 3 sacks

 

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New Column: Big 10 Rambler

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 31 at 2:36PM

 Like all great American enterprises, TUP's enormous success (currently the 459th most influential sports blog according to BallHype) means we have to expand this mediocre blog of ours. We've added four new writers, each one more handsome then the last....

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08 NFL Draft Prospects

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 30 at 3:15PM

The number one question I get about this website is "what the fork does Tremendous Upside Potential mean?'. I admit, it's a stupid name for a blog about Chicago sports, but that wasn't my original intent. The name comes from...

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Bears Preview: Offensive Line

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 28 at 1:27PM

About a week ago, CBS Sportsline columnist Mike Freeman wrote about how the Bears are poised to become the next NFL dynasty. While the idea sounds idiotic to most people, the Bears do have one thing on their side: youth....

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Lance Briggs, You Are A Moron

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 27 at 3:43PM

At 3:15am today, Lance Briggs totaled his $350,000 black Lamborghini on the Edens Expressway. After the crash, Briggs fled the scene and called the police. Apparently, he isn't hurt which is a good thing for the Bears because they're trying...

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Bears Preview: Receivers

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 23 at 4:32PM

Remember, coming into last season, when the only the thing the Bears knew they could count on receiving wise was Mushin Muhammad? It's almost kind of funny now, as the Bears actually look to have a ton of different weapons...

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You're Killing Me, Rex

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 22 at 1:44PM

Remember those stats I projected for Grossman at the end of the quarterbacks preview? Well that projected excellence was based on one thing: I think the Bears are going to be real good this year, and if they are, Grossman...

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It's Not Worth Winning If You Can't Win Big

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 21 at 11:33PM

Hockey Mailbag, part II.Master Rickau,As you might not be aware (since football season is approaching), hockeyseason is also closing in on us and our beloved Blackhawks have made someinteresting off-season moves.  The one that I question the most was thetrade...

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Sox Resign Dye

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 20 at 3:42PM

Sox Machine summed it up best, but here are a few thoughts on Jermaine Dye's new 2 year, $22 million contract. -I like the deal, and Sox had to get something done. Without him, they would have zero outfielders...

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Saturday's Are For Rock: Interpol

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 18 at 3:42PM

UPDATE: SOX RESIGN JERMAINE DYE FOR 2 YEARS $22 MILLION. MORE ON MONDAY.     Slow Hands, Evil, The Heinrich Maneuver ...

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Bears Preview: Running Backs

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 17 at 1:49PM

With training camp coming to an end, we'll be looking at each position for the 2007 Bears. Now up, the running backs.Let's get one thing straight first, the only reason Thomas Jones isn't on this team is because he didn't...

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Bears Preview: Quarterbacks

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 15 at 5:58PM

With training camp coming to an end, we'll be looking at each position for the 2007 Bears. First up, the quarterbacksLast year for my English class, our final consisted of asking a seemingly unanswerable question, and doing your best to...

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Bobby's World

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 14 at 4:34PM

It takes a special occasion for me to write something today, as this is one of my favorite days of the year: the day Madden comes out. I got it at midnight, and let me tell you, don't listen...

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TUP interviews: Chip Ramsey

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 13 at 3:42PM

For all intents and purposes, the 2007 White Sox are dead. All we can do now is watch the progression of the young players, hope this team can work its way to .500 by the end of the year, and...

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Saturday's Are For Rock: Bad Religion

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 11 at 1:39PM

Pump up music for the first step in a return trip to the Super Bowl (this new software is kinda hard to figure out so cut me some slack)InfectedLet Them Eat WarAmerican Jesus...

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How Much Can the Bears Expect From Hester?

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 9 at 4:19PM

How do you follow up a rookie season where you break an NFL record for return touchdowns and take the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl to the end zone? It's not going to be easy for Devin Hester, who...

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A-rod Isn't Breaking Bonds' Record

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 8 at 10:02PM

Barry Bonds is evil and completely, undeniably, 100 percent full of shit. He is also baseball's all-time home run leader. So now what for sports biggest record? We all wait for it to be broken. It almost seems the anger...

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Can Mark Buehrle Win 300 Games?

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 7 at 5:06PM

After Tom Glavine won his 300th game on Sunday, the immediate question became who will be the next pitcher to do it. If Randy Johnson doesn't (he's at 284), it could be a while. Some people are saying it will...

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Miguel Tejada Almost Went to the White Sox

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 6 at 2:12PM

A bit of strange news caught me off guard last night while watching ESPN. Buster Olney reported the Orioles placed shortstop Miguel Tejada on waivers and the White Sox picked him up. The two teams couldn’t reach a deal,...

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Saturday's Are For Rock: Against Me!

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 4 at 1:36PM

Miami Thrash Unreal From Her Lips to God's Ears ...

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Harris Traded, Jose to Pen

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 3 at 3:30PM

In a surprising move yesterday, the Bears made their second trade of training camp. Safety Chris Harris was sent to the Carolina Panthers in return for a sixth round draft pick. This seems like a great move for Carolina,...

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Could the Bulls Have Landed KG?

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 1 at 3:58PM

The Bulls have been waiting for this day for three years, the day Kevin Garnett finally gets traded. That's why they were stockpiling all those young assets in the first place, isn't it? To get KG, the dominant post...

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