Bears News

Kreutz back practicing; streak safe
Comment
November 20
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Veteran center Olin Kreutz returned to practice Thursday and participated fully after missing two days, making it likely he will run his streak of consecutive games started to 112 on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. Kreutz has missed one game since the start of the 2001 season, after an appendectomy in 2002. With the Bears' line still trying to come together, it's important to have him in place against a defense such as the Eagles', which blitzes from so many angles. The starter since 1999, Kreutz has seen his share of struggles, and no center in the NFL has worked with as many quarterbacks in that span. But Kreutz isn't one to cast blame elsewhere. ''We have to perform ..."
Angelo figures all Bears must do is ... play better
Comment
November 20
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Bears general manager Jerry Angelo, the man with the plan, feels your pain. He admires your fanaticism. He shares your obsession. ''We are a passionate city,'' Angelo said of an increasingly restless Bears fan base. ''We have high expectations. We expect to win. I love it. I appreciate it.'' Angelo talked to the Sun-Times before a recent game about short-term goals and the long-range plans for the franchise. He apparently doesn't care if Bob Costas gets it, but he wants Bears fans to know he's on the job, he's heard the complaints and he's committed to getting the job done right. The toast of the town after the offseason move for quarterback Jay Cutler, Angelo now has the job security of a ..."
Lovie on silent act: 'Nothing else to say'
Comment
November 20
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"It's time to put up, so the Bears are going to shut up when it comes to the NBC pregame show Sunday night. That's the message coach Lovie Smith delivered after practice Thursday as the Bears made final preparations for the Philadelphia Eagles in what amounts to a must-win game for both teams if they hope to remain alive in the NFC playoff race. The Sun-Times reported Thursday that Smith, general manager Jerry Angelo and quarterback Jay Cutler will be unavailable for the network's ''Football Night in America'' show. Cutler has thrown 10 interceptions in the four games since NBC televised the Bears' loss at Atlanta last month, and the network is producing a package on Cutler and the team's ..."
Bears short passing game one area that's impressive
Comment
November 20
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Dan Pompei
"Instead of continuing to beat their helmets against eight-man fronts, the Bears are coming to a realization: They don't have to run the ball. At least not so much. They can throw short passes instead. Using the short passing game as a run substitute has been productive in their last two games, and the Bears are sure to continue down this road as long as they continue to get the same looks from defensive fronts. "When the run is struggling like that, there are some things you can do with screens, some quick passes, some long handoffs," quarterback Jay Cutler said. "Just get the ball out of your hands quickly to help the offensive linemen." Using the short passing game also has been a way to ..."
Bears cornerbacks must make plays against Donovan McNabb
Comment
November 20
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Bears are at their best when they win the turnover battle, which might be a difficult task come Sunday. The Eagles, thanks to a relentless, blitzing defense, are second in the league with a plus-10 turnover ratio, while the Bears check in at 26th with a minus-5. Over the last two games, cornerback Zack Bowman has two interceptions. Bowman and fellow starting corner Charles Tillman, who has the team's lone defensive touchdown, will be counted on to make plays against Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and his receivers. "They're fast guys," Bowman said, referring to receivers DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant. "They don't weigh that much, but they do have some fight in them."
Briggs puts blame on players for Chicago Bears' poor play
Comment
November 20
Chicago Tribune
 
"Bears linebacker Lance Briggs is not surprised people continue to condemn head coach/defensive play-caller Lovie Smith. "That's what's going to happen," Briggs said Thursday. "In this game, everyone's trying to figure everything out. You're going to have to point fingers somewhere, and fingers always go to the head coach and the quarterback. "But this is a team sport and it falls on us all. No one is not to blame and, as far as I'm concerned, everyone is to blame when we have success and when we lose." Briggs spoke on behalf of the defense when he talked about giving the 4-5 Bears a chance to win against the 5-4 Eagles on Sunday night. But this isn't the first time over the last month a ..."
Eagles can't use injuries as an excuse
Comment
November 19
Philadelphia Inquirer
 columnist Phil Sheridan
"His team went to the Super Bowl just once and has been a mediocre disappointment ever since. No wonder Lovie Smith jumped at a question about the Eagles' injury problems in order to make a point about his own team. "You mean the Eagles or every other team in the NFL?" Smith said in a conference call with reporters yesterday. "You mean the Eagles or teams like the Chicago Bears?" There is nothing funny about injuries, but injuries are a funny thing when it comes to evaluating how a coach or a team is performing. Are there enough injuries to key players to grade on a curve? Or is it still possible to judge a coach's plan and a team's execution of that plan in spite of whatever injuries have ..."
Eagles' Sheldon Brown says he has good chance to play vs. Bears
Comment
November 19
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"The Eagles finally got some good injury news yesterday, when cornerback Sheldon Brown was able to participate in individual drills at the start of practice, if not team activity. Brown, who has played in all 133 games, including the postseason, since he arrived in 2002, said afterward he thinks there is a "good chance" he will be able to start Sunday night against the Chicago Bears. Officially, Brown was a "limited" practice participant. Less surprising but no less welcome was the return to full practice of left tackle Jason Peters, who missed Sunday's game in San Diego with a sprained ankle after saying as recently as Friday that he would play. "It wasn't even at 50 percent" by game time ..."
Eagles teammates prepared to accept McNabb's challenge vs. Bears
Comment
November 19
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"DONOVAN McNabb doesn't make guarantees. Those often tiresome proclamations of certain victory in a crucial upcoming game just aren't his style. But now, with the sunset of his career being much closer than the sunrise, he does view this week's visit to Soldier Field with great import. Not because it's a homecoming for the Chicago native, but because the Eagles are dripping oil and in desperate need of a win. Oh, and in case you hadn't heard, star running back Brian Westbrook will not play. "I've been in the league for a while now, 11 years, and at this particular point in my career, as well as this point in the season, this is a must win for us and that's the way that we have to approach ..."
Primed to call an inaudible
Comment
November 19
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"In a sign of how difficult things have become in the Bears' world, the beleaguered team stunned a network giant Wednesday by rejecting NBC's request for prime-time access to coach Lovie Smith, quarterback Jay Cutler and general manager Jerry Angelo. The rare rejection of Bob Costas and NBC's ''Sunday Night Football'' crew that will broadcast the game against the Philadelphia Eagles forced the network to look elsewhere for insight on the Bears. NBC has turned to local newspaper reporters, including two with the Sun-Times. Smith and any requested players, including Cutler, will be made available to NBC for standard pre-production meetings Friday with announcers Al Michaels and Cris ..."
Turner: Cutler's picks unrelated to night games
Comment
November 19
Chicago Sun-Times
 columnist Mike Mulligan
"Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner said he's not buying the concept of Jay Cutler as a Not Ready For Prime Time Player despite evidence to the contrary. Cutler is 0-3 in nationally televised night games this year, throwing 11 of his NFL-high 17 interceptions. But Turner has gone back and watched all of the performances -- a 27-20 loss at Green Bay that included four interceptions, a 21-14 loss at Atlanta with two and a 10-6 loss at San Francisco last week with a career-high five -- and is at a loss to determine a common, correctable factor. ''I think it is totally a coincidence, I really do,'' Turner said. ''It's not a situation where it's night, it's prime time and maybe he's trying ..."
Cutler makes pitch for Aromashodu
Comment
November 19
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Two weeks ago, the Bears handed Devin Aromashodu a No.11 jersey in practice and asked him to be Larry Fitzgerald. They'll be glad if he turns into Jay Cutler's preferred target, like he was becoming during the preseason. That was before an untimely quadriceps injury sent him to the sideline before the season opener at Green Bay. Aromashodu was active last week at San Francisco for only the third time this season but was on the field when the game was on the line during the final drive, catching the 10-yard pass that set up the Bears on the 49ers' 12-yard line with 13 seconds to play. His opportunities are expected to expand Sunday against the Eagles; Cutler practically stumped for it in ..."
A word of caution for Cutler: Don't make media your enemy
Comment
November 19
Chicago Sun-Times
 columnist Rick Telander
"This is how it happens. You lose. You blow expectations, you get picked apart by fans and analysts. You try to pull away from the light. You try to control what is being said. You become like the Bears, who have gone 1-4 since mid-October, and you refuse to talk to NBC and Bob Costas before your big ''Sunday Night Football'' game, no matter what that network or who that guy may be. General manager Jerry Angelo, head coach Lovie Smith and quarterback Jay Cutler have decided they are not available for the standard Costas interviews, and the guess here is that the decision was approved at the top of the Bears organization. Yet I guarantee you the real reason for the boycott is Cutler ..."
Taking the good with the bag
Comment
November 19
Chicago Sun-Times
 columnist Carol Slezak
"Megan Pluister received an unexpected gift for her 23rd birthday -- the promise of Bears tickets. ''I'm much happier,'' said Pluister, whose recent game- day experience was ruined by some overreaching fan- services and security staffers at Soldier Field. ''I'm pleased with the way the Bears have handled it. [Director of fan services Bob Laskowski] called me and apologized over and over, and the Bears are giving us two tickets and a parking pass to the Dec. 6 game against the St. Louis Rams.'' Pluister and her husband spent $1,200 on four tickets to the Bears-Arizona Cardinals game Nov. 8 and planned the day as a celebration of Pluister's birthday. But she ended up missing most of the game ..."
Donovan McNabb dodges questions about Jay Cutler
Comment
November 19
Chicago Tribune
 
"While Donovan McNabb still hears talk about the possibility of finishing his career back home, the Eagles quarterback is fine letting Jay Cutler handle all the scrutiny in Chicago for now. One national writer recently suggested coach Lovie Smith bench Cutler if he has another performance like last Thursday's five-interception night against the 49ers. Cutler leads the league with 17 interceptions. McNabb, who was pulled at one point last season, was asked for his thoughts about a quarterback dealing with such a demotion. "Nobody wants to be benched," he said. "I'm sure you guys don't want to be pulled from writing your great articles that you guys write ... a suspension for a week or two. ..."
Olin Kreutz not one to give up easily
Comment
November 19
Chicago Tribune
 
"Olin Kreutz hasn't been immune to the criticism targeted at the Bears' offensive line. Some have wondered if the center has lost a step, if age is starting to sneak up on him because he occasionally gets pushed out of a play or has trouble with a snap. "I don't worry about other people," Kreutz said. "I just worry about doing my job and performing at a high level. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it doesn't. And that was true when I was 23." Nine years later, Kreutz, 32, remains a crucial part of the line and a stabilizing force in the locker room. Maybe his Pro Bowl years are in the past, but the veteran isn't near ready to put football in the rearview mirror and hand his duties to Josh ..."
Jay Cutler can be scary at night
Comment
November 19
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Dan Pompei
"This is what we call a mixed message. On the gossip pages, they say Jay Cutler is a nocturnal creature. On the sports pages, they say Jay Cutler gets the night willies. If both are true, we can come to the conclusion he is more comfortable after dark with a mug in his hands than a football. In three night games this year -- all Bears losses -- Cutler has thrown 65 percent of his interceptions. And the Bears will play their fourth of at least five night games Sunday against the Eagles at Soldier Field. Cutler, believe it or not, likes to play at night. He has told his coaches he prefers night games and late-afternoon games to noon starts. Asked about it Wednesday, he said, "It doesn't ..."
Hey, Bears, running is passé
Comment
November 18
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Leave the power running game on the bus and hand the ball to Jay Cutler. That's the best solution for the Bears with seven games left in a fast-fading season. Wide-open passing games are flourishing around the league, and the Bears need to get on board. Their insistence on fitting Cutler into an offensive philosophy, instead of just letting him take over, is preventing them from joining the fun. Doubt it? There already have been 59 games in which a quarterback has thrown for 300-plus yards with seven weeks left in the season. There were only 76 300-yard passing games last season. More important, teams with prolific passing games are winning in the NFL. And they're doing it at a remarkable ..."
We deserve better than this
Comment
November 18
Chicago Sun-Times
 columnist Neil Hayes
"Bears fans deserve better. They've deserved better for decades. All it takes is a quick visit to Pittsburgh, where everybody wears Super Bowl-champion caps and even airline representatives wear Steelers jerseys. What does Pittsburgh have that Chicago doesn't? Fans are just as passionate, if not longer-suffering. Both are largely blue-collar cities. Both franchises are steeped in football history, and both are family-owned. Bingo. That's your difference. Ownership. Pittsburgh has the Rooneys, who run the most successful NFL franchise in history. Chicago has the McCaskeys, who keep the Bears mired in McMediocrity. I like to think of myself as a sunny and inventive guy, but I can't think of ..."
Bears need a big run
Comment
November 17
Daily Southtown
 
"So it's come to this: We're in mid-November and the Bears are talking about running the table. Sitting at 4-5 after losing four of their past five games, the Bears would probably have a good shot at the postseason if they went 6-1 down the stretch to reach 10 victories. The odds of that happening in a season that seems to be spinning out of control, well, they're not good. ''When I say the wall is on our back, that's what that means,'' defensive tackle Tommie Harris said Monday after a 75-minute practice. ''We have to win out. We have no room to get any more losses. If you lose again, you're going to be hoping that another team loses for you to get in. You don't want to be in that ..."
Chicago Bears' Devin Hester focuses on getting 'back into a groove'
Comment
November 17
Chicago Tribune
 
"Devin Hester could have blamed Thursday's mental lapses on the hours he spent at his fiancee's side, waiting for their son to be born. "Yeah, I was focusing a lot on the baby all week," Hester said Monday. "The majority of my focus was there. "But I can't blame it on that. I just have to get back into a groove." Hester indeed was out of rhythm in the Bears' 10-6 loss to the 49ers. It started with a false-start penalty. He also slipped on a route, leading to one of Jay Cutler's five interceptions. "If I keep my feet, it's a great pass," Hester said. "That interception is all on me. It was all my fault." Hester was whistled for offensive holding immediately after the false start. And he was ..."
Chicago Bears' Josh Beekman remains first team left guard
Comment
November 17
Chicago Tribune
 
"Josh Beekman remained with the first team at left guard Monday despite being pulled from Thursday's game at San Francisco in favor of Frank Omiyale. "Right now, Coach ( Lovie Smith) makes all final say, so we'll see what happens," said Beekman, who replaced Omiyale in the starting lineup after six games. At the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, the coaching staff decided to insert Omiyale because he's better-suited for pass protection. The decision apparently did not offend Beekman, who got beat by 49ers end Justin Smith on the first play of the Bears' final drive. Smith put a hit on Jay Cutler that led to an incomplete pass. But Beekman also showed his blocking skills earlier in ..."
Rex Grossman's dad tees off on Chicago Bears organization
Comment
November 17
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Fred Mitchell
"Rex is no longer the Bears' quarterback. Jay Cutler, a Pro Bowl performer last season in Denver, is the Bears' quarterback. But the results in Chicago, so far, are eerily similar. Rex Grossman's father came out firing Monday when asked to assess the Bears' offensive woes with Cutler, compared with the checkered Chicago career of his son. Dan Grossman, an ophthalmologist in Bloomington, Ind., cited the Bears' long history of futility at quarterback. He emphasized he did not want to come off sounding like your typical disgruntled parent but as an objective observer who bases his comments on Bears history and facts. "Anybody who wants to dispute that ... all they can be labeled as is idiots," ..."
Cutler's nightmare not really that bad
Comment
November 16
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"No less a superstar than Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning once was asked to explain a six-interception performance against the San Diego Chargers. ''Every one I've ever thrown has its own story,'' Manning said, ''but nobody wants to hear it.'' The quote echoed as Bears quarterback Jay Cutler's cliffhanger Thursday against the San Francisco 49ers ended with his fifth interception from 12 yards out on the final play of a 10-6 loss. Cutler was terrible, right? He's as overrated as a group of unnamed NFL players accused him of being in the Sporting News. He's reckless, irresponsible, completely out of control and needs to sit on the sideline and watch Caleb Hanie for a series or ..."
Chicago Bears face a difficult home stretch
Comment
November 16
Chicago Tribune
 
"Things must be bad for the Bears when they are the hot topic of discussion on a day they don't even play. At the start of "Fox NFL Sunday," quarterback legend Terry Bradshaw suggested a couple of defensive players get in Jay Cutler's face, as Joe Greene and Jack Lambert did to Bradshaw back in the day. Former coach Jimmy Johnson said Cutler should be compared to Rex Grossman, not Tom Brady. And ex- Giants defensive end Michael Strahan took matters to the next level, calling out general manager Jerry Angelo. "When you have a GM like Jerry Angelo who takes credit for bringing (Cutler) in, give him receivers," Strahan said. "Now that everybody's on (Cutler's) back and the coach's back, that's ..."
Smith might have to revamp staff, but it won't be easy
Comment
November 15
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Bears coach Lovie Smith learned a lot from his mentor, Tony Dungy, but he has been remarkably more patient than Dungy with his offense. Smith was working for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Dungy began a run of three offensive coordinators in three seasons, a failed succession that eventually led to Dungy's firing. While Smith's offense never has been better than middle of the pack, he hasn't touched the Bears' offensive coaching staff since correcting the Terry Shea error after the 2004 season. Smith has rotated position coaches on defense -- he's on his fourth line coach and fourth secondary coach -- and he ran off coordinator Ron Rivera after Super Bowl XLI. But the offense has been the ..."
Chicago Bears' Jim McMahon was the Chad Ochocinco of his day
Comment
November 15
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Bob Verdi
"Chad Ochocinco is funny, clever and harmless, but his random acts of irreverent mischief are especially endearing if for no other reason than the angst they cause within that mecca of seriousness, NFL headquarters. With the playful wide receiver and his upstart Bengals engaging the defending champion Steelers in a huge tilt Sunday, everybody will be watching, notably wonks who run the league, perhaps from a safe distance, like beneath their desks. Ochocinco has talked trash, threatened to send deodorant and mustard to foes and generally perpetuated an attitude he has nurtured since age 4. But his coup de grace -- at least so far -- occurred against the Ravens on Sunday, when Ochocinco ..."
Restraint would go long way in improving Jay Cutler
Comment
November 15
Chicago Tribune
 columnist David Haugh
"Terrell Owens. Albert Haynesworth. Larry Johnson. Julius Peppers. And Jay Cutler. It would be hard to start any discussion about the NFL's most disappointing stars in 2009 without those five names. The Bears have five losses. In three of them, against the Packers, Falcons and 49ers, Cutler's decision-making in the clutch has been the biggest factor. That may sound unfair to some but, for a $50 million investment, the Bears should get a red-zone warranty too. In the other two defeats the defense got blown off the field so nothing Cutler did mattered. That makes the Bears' defense more consistent than their quarterback through nine games. Think about that for a minute. Those days were ..."
Urlacher sought leniency for 'father figure' Vrdolyak
Comment
November 14
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"He was a longtime political insider, but former Chicago Ald. Ed Vrdolyak apparently forged some close ties to Bears players, too. Before Vrdolyak's sentencing earlier this year, Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and former Bear Terry "Tank" Johnson each wrote letters to a federal judge, asking for leniency for Vrdolyak, newly unsealed court documents show. In his letter, Urlacher described Vrdolyak as a "father figure" and said he got to know him after becoming friends with Vrdolyak's son Eddie. "It is clear to anyone lucky enough to know him that all his actions are motivated by good intentions," Urlacher wrote. Johnson, who faced legal troubles during his time here, wrote: "During my ..."
Penalties starting to haunt Bears
Comment
November 14
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Bears coach Lovie Smith keeps saying the Bears are not accustomed to the penalties they have been receiving, but at some point, he's going to have to admit it's an issue. The Bears were penalized 10 times for 75 yards in the 10-6 loss Thursday at San Francisco, the fourth time they've been penalized at least nine times in a game this season. The Bears have committed 61 penalties for 509 yards, and although they have a jump on the week, only the Green Bay Packers (62) have more penalties and only the Baltimore Ravens (590) have had more yardage marked off. ''The penalties, that hasn't been something we've done a lot of, as far as past games,'' Smith said. ''It hurts you in the end. They can ..."
Bears can't figure out what's going wrong
Comment
November 14
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The Bears talked a lot about finding out what kind of team they are in November, when the NFL season takes a turn toward the serious, and what they've discovered is pretty grisly. Stunned by a 10-6 loss Thursday night at San Francisco, their fourth defeat in the last five games, the Bears face the reality that their offense remains more of a wreck in progress than a work in progress, overlooked in recent weeks when the defense was being steamrolled. A week after Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans hung 34 points on the 49ers at Candlestick Park, the Bears managed two field goals by Robbie Gould. Jay Cutler's career-high five interceptions gave him a league-high 17, one short of the number ..."
Turn out lights, party over for Bears, Cutler
Comment
November 14
Chicago Tribune
 
"For some reason, half the lights at Candlestick Park were not on Thursday night, and if it was a California thing about conserving energy, OK, I kind of get that. It made it difficult to see the numbers on the players' backs from the cheap seats, but it couldn't obscure the fact that the Bears seemed to be conserving energy too. Actually, that's being extremely kind. That would seem to imply there's something left in the Bears' tank, physically and emotionally. There isn't. They're bad, their quarterback gets night terrors and they play with empty craniums. Staring at a wall would have been better than watching this. Jay Cutler threw five interceptions, including one in the end zone as ..."
Bears D thinks apology from Cutler unnecessary
Comment
November 14
Chicago Tribune
 
"Jay Cutler promised to apologize to the Bears' defense for his five-interception night. Tommie Harris saw no need for it. "What does he have to say he's sorry for? In this league, don't say 'sorry' until the end of the season," Harris said. "We have a lot of football ahead of us. Let's make it up next week." Performances such as Cutler's dismal showing against the 49ers and the defense's lackluster effort against the Bengals and Cardinals are bound to cause a little tension between sides of the ball. But just as Cutler stood behind the defense in recent weeks, the defense returned the favor after the 10-6 loss Thursday night to the 49ers. "No apologies needed," linebacker Lance Briggs ..."
Jay Cutler fined $20,000
Comment
November 14
Chicago Tribune
 
"The NFL fined Bears quarterback Jay Cutler $20,000 for abusive conduct toward an official during Sunday's 41-21 loss to the Cardinals. Cutler argued with an official because he thought tight Greg Olsen was held on a third-quarter pass play. Cutler would have been out a lot less money if had he thrown a punch at an opposing player, considering Tommie Harris was fined $7,500 for punching an opponent in that game."
Source: Cutler, Harris fined by NFL
Comment
November 13
ESPN.com
 
"Struggling Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been fined $20,000 by the NFL for abusive conduct toward a game official during Chicago's blowout loss to Arizona in Week 9, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Cutler was fined as a result of verbal abuse toward the back judge, which drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the Bears' 41-21 loss to the Cardinals."
Bears' Cutler throws game away
Comment
November 13
Sacramento Bee
 
"The MVP of the game for San Francisco on Thursday night: Jay Cutler. The Bears quarterback, who huffed and puffed and pouted his way from Denver to Chicago in the offseason, threw five interceptions on the night, and in so doing kept the 49ers' flickering playoff dreams alive with a 10-6 win. Said Mike Singletary, who watched the Bears march all the way to the San Francisco 12-yard line in the final minutes only to lose the game on Cutler's final interception: "I'd hate to use the word 'relief.' But coming up with another word is difficult." Singletary's team definitely had the advantage in energy and enthusiasm to start the game. Michael Crabtree caught two passes early and beat his ..."
Davis exchanges words with Bears player
Comment
November 13
Sacramento Bee
 
"Vernon Davis' assessment of the Bears' defensive line evidently reached Chicago. During pregame warmups, Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye approached Davis and got in his face. The two exchanged a few heated words before Bears center Olin Kreutz entered the conversation and pulled Ogunleye away. Davis, of course, called out the Chicago defensive line earlier in the week by saying the 49ers would "destroy" the Chicago front. But Ogunleye was the one Bears defensive lineman Davis said he respected. Davis after the game: "They were trying to hit me, bump me and hit me when I wasn't looking. They were trying to bang me around a little bit." Davis on the pregame exchange with Ogunleye: "I ..."
Bears' Cutler throws game away
Comment
November 13
Sacramento Bee
 
"The MVP of the game for San Francisco on Thursday night: Jay Cutler. The Bears quarterback, who huffed and puffed and pouted his way from Denver to Chicago in the offseason, threw five interceptions on the night, and in so doing kept the 49ers' flickering playoff dreams alive with a 10-6 win. Said Mike Singletary, who watched the Bears march all the way to the San Francisco 12-yard line in the final minutes only to lose the game on Cutler's final interception: "I'd hate to use the word 'relief.' But coming up with another word is difficult." Singletary's team definitely had the advantage in energy and enthusiasm to start the game. Michael Crabtree caught two passes early and beat his ..."
49ers' Vernon Davis got attention of Bears defense
Comment
November 13
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Vernon Davis' boast obviously made it all the way to the Windy City. Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye sought out the 49ers' quotable tight end during warm-ups Thursday night. It was a meeting of the mouths. Ogunleye apparently did not agree with Davis' scouting report of the Bears' defense. The tight end had said that the 49ers would "destroy" the Bears up front. So, as NFL Network cameras rolled, Ogunleye and Davis had a not-so-pleasant exchange. What did Davis say? "I told him to get ready because we are coming hard and we are coming to win,'' Davis said. Oddly, Ogunleye was one of the few players that Davis had praised during his critique. Still, he was less than amused. After the ..."
49ers enjoy Jay Cutler's generosity
Comment
November 13
San Jose Mercury News
 columnist Gary Peterson
"The game Thursday between the 49ers and Chicago Bears had more keys than a high school custodian. The San Francisco defensive backfield wasn't one of them. Mike Singletary was. The 49ers coach was meeting the team for which he had become a linebacking icon in the 1980s and '90s. Alex Smith was, coming off a four-turnover epic in a loss to Tennessee. Vernon Davis was. The 49ers tight end enlivened the abbreviated run-up to Thursday's game with candidly disparaging remarks about the Chicago defense. As it turned out, no Bears defenders were destroyed in the making of the 49ers' 10-6 victory. But the San Francisco pass defense had a fine time, intercepting five passes, most by a 49ers team in ..."
49ers defense takes advantage of Bears QB Jay Cutler's generosity
Comment
November 13
Oakland Tribune
 
"Thursday's game between the 49ers and Chicago Bears had more keys than a high school custodian. The San Francisco defensive backfield wasn't one of them. Mike Singletary was. The 49ers coach was meeting the team for which he had become a linebacking icon in the 1980s and '90s. Alex Smith was, coming off a four-turnover epic in a loss to Tennessee. After consulting with the all-knowing tape, Singletary defended Smith's decision-making - plausibly, but it was close. Vernon Davis was. The 49ers tight end enlivened the abbreviated run-up to Thursday's game with candidly disparaging remarks about the Chicago defense. As it turned out, no Bears defenders were destroyed in the making of the ..."
Niners TE misjudged defense
Comment
November 13
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Vernon Davis talked the talk, boasting that the 49ers could ''destroy'' the Bears' defensive line, ''handle'' their linebackers and ''make plays'' against their secondary. On Thursday night at Candlestick Park, it was time to see if the tight end could walk the walk, but he wound up stumbling along with most of the 49ers' offense. The Bears weren't exactly who Davis thought they were on defense. He can forget about a post-playing career as an NFL scout. The defense that Davis trashed held the 49ers to one touchdown in a 10-6 San Francisco victory, and it came on a one-play drive after a 49ers interception. Frank Gore scored on a 14-yard burst. And Davis? He caught three passes for 16 ..."
Jay it ain't so
Comment
November 13
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"As the latest most important game of the Bears' season unfolded, it became more and more obvious that Jay Cutler would be the difference. This would be his game to win. Or lose. When the game's pivotal matchup turned out to be Alex Smith against Cutler, it was logical to assume the Bears and their franchise quarterback would have a decided edge. Think again. It was Smith who turned in the superior performance, not because of the plays he made, but the mistakes he avoided. As a result, the Bears were handed another devastating loss, this one dashing virtually any playoff hopes that remained after blowout losses to the Bengals and Cardinals. Nobody can pin this one on the defense, either, ..."
Angelo on blowout losses: 'Everything is an issue'
Comment
November 13
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Jerry Angelo isn't concerned that head coach Lovie Smith has too much on his plate as the Bears' defensive coordinator, but he did talk schemes with Smith earlier this week after a second blowout loss in three weeks. ''Very hard to explain [losses to Cincinnati and Arizona by a combined 55 points] because of the fact that we never saw them coming,'' Angelo said. ''Good teams, two real good quarterbacks, so that is the commonality to it, and pretty good offenses that were obviously able to do things to us, exploit whatever they saw as weaknesses and move the ball literally at will. ''I've talked to Lovie. We'll do some things a little bit differently, I am sure, tonight with some of the ..."
Confidence game could shake Cutler
Comment
November 13
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Jay Cutler's confidence could be shaken after a five-interception performance that has left the Bears reeling after a 10-6 loss to the 49ers. ''I think it knocks you back a few steps when you throw that many interceptions,'' coach Lovie Smith said. 'Yes, it hurts you. Jay realizes what he did for the team. We have a team loss is what we have.'' Offensive coordinator Ron Turner blamed himself for the first red-zone interception by nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin, saying he could've made a better call, but it's hard to imagine anything could've pulled the offense out of this funk. ''It's a combination of things,'' Turner said. ''It's not one guy. It's all of us.''"
Wanted: Shrink to give Bears lift
Comment
November 13
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"It wasn't a football game so much as a public therapy session. The Bears' crisis of confidence spilled onto the national stage on Thursday with a painful performance against the San Francisco 49ers that only a sports psychologist could love. You'd hate the whole business, if you didn't suspect there was enough self-loathing going on with the Bears following a 10-6 loss ruined by a career-high five interceptions by quarterback Jay Cutler. The final one came on the last play of the game as Cutler stepped up in the pocket and rifled a ball into the end zone that Michael Lewis picked off to seal the 49ers' victory. It was Cutler's second interception in the red zone on this night and his ..."
Picky, picky, picky for Bears
Comment
November 13
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Jay Cutler apologized to the offense, but it won't save the Bears' season. You can't write off the franchise that began the season with such high hopes, but nobody in the locker room could look anyone in the eye after a 10-6 loss to the 49ers on Thursday night at Candlestick Park and say they're going to come out of this slide any time soon. The Bears (4-5) are 3½ games behind the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings, and they're rudderless. Blown out twice in their previous three games because their defense reached new levels of incompetence, this time a stout effort by that beleaguered unit was squandered when Jay Cutler threw a career-high five interceptions, including one to Michael ..."
Chicago Bears play Philadelphia Eagles next
Comment
November 13
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Eagles (5-3) still are in the thick of the NFC East race and don't want to lose ground in Chicago. Quarterback Donovan McNabb has been a little streaky this season, but playing against his hometown Bears always seems to bring out the best in him. The Eagles also figure to give the Bears a dose of Michael Vick -- but Vick has not been used extensively up to this point. Jay Cutler will have to take good care of the football in this game, as the Eagles have the second most takeaways in the NFL. Watch out for Pro Bowl defensive end Trent Cole, who has 7.5 sacks. The Eagles will be without their third and fourth corners -- Joselio Hanson has been suspended and Ellis Hobbs is injured. That ..."
Jay Cutler, penalties weigh on Chicago Bears
Comment
November 13
Chicago Tribune
 
"NightmareSo much for Jay Cutler breaking out of his night-game slump. Cutler had five interceptions, including the game-ending pick in the end zone, in San Francisco. He has 11 interceptions in three night road games this season, including four in an awful game against the Packers and two versus the Falcons. Maybe Cutler will have better luck next time out as the Bears play their first night home game of the season against the Eagles on Nov. 22. Foul play Six penalties for 40 yards would be enough for an entire game. The Bears had that in the first half. Devin Hester had holding and false start penalties during a second- quarter drive that ended with him slipping on a Cutler interception. ..."
Beat up secondary is a primary concern for Lovie Smith
Comment
November 13
Chicago Tribune
 
"Vernon Davis had the last laugh, but even the 49ers tight end had to give the Bears' defensive line respect. "I think they did a good job," Davis said. "I just go out and do my job. I really didn't try to disrespect anybody. I just called it how I saw it." After pregame warm-ups, Davis started jawing with Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye. "I just told him to get ready because we were coming," Davis said. "And he said, 'We'll bring it.' And I told him we were going to bring it. "You want somebody to come after you because you want them to compete hard. You want them to compete just the way they compete. And may the best man win." Ogunleye was asked about the war of words with Davis. ..."