But the question is: for how much and in what capacity?

In an interview with 670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, new Bears head coach Marc Trestman wouldn’t commit to Urlacher being an every-down linebacker anymore.

“We evaluated him and simply — I’m not going to go through specifics — we thought, without question, he could play on first and second down for us,” Trestman told Holmes Wednesday.

Of course, that leaves out third and fourth down, so does Trestman think Urlacher provides enough value?

“Absolutely. We’ve established that,” the first-year Bears head coach said. “We wouldn’t be trying to get him back if we didn’t think he could play for us. So that’s what Phil (Emery) and Cliff (Stein) are trying to do and working out with Brian and the people who represent him.”

Trestman also talked to Holmes about how he evaluates his players and raved about new tight end Martellus Bennett, saying: “He’s an ascending 26-year-old tight end who has the upside to be able to do it all.”

Listen to the entire interview here:

“I grew up here in Chicago,” Idonije told 670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes. “I was 21 years old when I first came to this fine city. At 21, I didn’t know up from down. To grow up to be a man here and mature in the city of Chicago and to be mentored by leaders in our city, it would be tough to spend two years, three years in another city and learning, kind of rebuilding your network somewhere else.

“Even though ultimately I’ll be back in Chicago when I retire from the game — Chicago is going to be home — my priority is to stay here and enjoy these next few years in Chicago with my friends, my family and with my organization.”

LISTEN: Israel Idonije With Laurence Holmes

Idonije, 32, still thinks he has some good years left, but he also has other priorities so he’s not looking to sign for too long.

“I’ve really only started three years so I have a lot of good football left, but I have a lot things outside of football that I’m doing so my commitment to the time to train and all those things, I really only want to do that for another two or three years before I move on,” he said.

The Bears would like to bring back Idonije, but the biggest hurdle will be cap space. After placing the franchise tag on defensive tackle Henry Melton, the team only has a little under $4 million in cap space to work with.

But if they are able to bring Idonije back, the defensive end is looking forward to playing for new head coach Marc Trestman.

“I’ve heard nothing but good things,” Idonije said about Trestman. “I had a chance to sit down with him last week. I loved his philosophy on excellence and winning and his approach to the game. Just all in all, he came off as a man of character, a man with a plan focused on really putting a team together, a group of men together that are going to be focused on winning football games. I walked away from that meeting with Coach Trestman really with a good feeling.”

Idonije is a Canadian native and no stranger to the Canadian Football League where Trestman previously coached. He called the Montreal Alouettes an “offensive machine” while speaking on The Score.

“If (Trestman is) able to take that approach he had with making (the Alouettes) successful and implement some of that — the things that translate and correlate to the NFL game — if he’s able to bring that to our organization and increase the production while our defense and special teams maintain their level of play, it’s going to be a really special year,” Idonije said.

And not surprisingly, he believes that includes Brian Urlacher.

“When you start talking about the offense getting better and maintaining defensive success, Brian Urlacher has to be a piece of that equation,” Idonije told Holmes. “You take him out of that situation and things change. I think Brian is going to be back.”

While much has been made about Urlacher adapting to a new coaching staff, Idonije believes the linebacker fits in perfectly with the new regime.

“When I listen to Coach Trestman talking about men of character, guys who are going to come in and work hard and really embody everything that he envisions the team to be, at the top of that list is Brian,” Idonije said. “So I think they’re going to look to really get him back and ultimately his heart is here. He wants to be here.”

This week, Laurence welcomed in Jason Goff, now of 92.9 The Game in Atlanta.

Check out Mixtape Monday below!

Count Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Tillman among those who carried a heavy heart when he learned Smith was done with the Bears after nine seasons.

“I was shocked like everybody else when he got fired,” Tillman told The Score’s Laurence Holmes. “I did my booing and crying, and my heart bled for him because you went 10-6 and got fired. We know this business is crazy at times. I’m sure he knew that at some point in time it had to come to an end. It’s just unfortunate it had to be now.”

LISTEN: Charles Tillman on The Laurence Holmes Show

For the rest of this interview and other 670 The Score interviews click here.
Wide receiver Devin Hester spoke out hours after Smith was canned, saying he was contemplating retirement. Tillman said this head coaching change could result in some drastic changes on the field for Bears players.

“I’m sure a lot of guys who are under contract or thought about leaving or were thinking about staying, now they might think about leaving,” Tillman said. “I’m sure a lot of that comes into their minds because there is a coach out there who’s going to come in and he’s going to take this team in the direction he feels to win a championship. Certain guys might not fit in that scheme. … It’ll be interesting to see how this offseason plays once they decide to hire a new coach.”

Moving forward, Tillman said he hopes the new head coach will allow the defense to continue doing what they did under Smith for the past decade.

“I saw the press conference that (general manager) Phil Emery did the other day,” Tillman said. “The thing I got from it is that he mainly talked about offense. He didn’t really touch on defense, right? … With that being said, I took his press conference as he was really just trying to address the offense. Hopefully, this new coach comes in and he addresses the offense and not really leaves the defense alone, but just makes sure we have a good D-coordinator and keep our same system. Hopefully, we’ll just continue what coach Smith has instilled in us.”

“I think to a certain extent that is a fair statement and we’ve got to do better,” Thomas told Laurence Holmes on 670 The Score Tuesday. “I said the minute I walked in the door, ‘We need to be the king of Chicago.’ I really should have said that we need to be the king of the state. Chicago’s obviously within the borders of the State of Illinois. We came out with the theme ‘Our State. Our Team.’ But we’ve got to do more in Chicago.”

Listen: Mike Thomas On The Laurence Holmes Show

That includes playing games in Chicago. The Illini football team will play Washington at Soldier Field next fall and the basketball team currently plays one game a year at the United Center, including an upcoming contest against Auburn Dec. 29.

Still, Thomas is toeing the line with games being played in Chicago. When asked if he would be open to a basketball tournament consisting of Chicago-area teams, Thomas said “I certainly don’t think that’s beyond the realm of possibility,” but then added that head coach John Groce wants to play more home games. Thomas said the Illini are currently near the bottom of the Big Ten in the number of home non-conference games.

The University of Illinois is currently working on branding in Chicago beyond sports and Thomas thinks the athletic department can build on that. He specifically mentioned radio branding and billboards. They started their “Our State. Our Team” campaign this year and many assumed it was in response to Northwestern’s “Chicago’s Big Ten Team” campaign. Thomas said that’s not the case though.

“It’s not about us and Northwestern or anyone else up there,” Thomas said. “I have great respect for (Northwestern Athletic Director Jim Phillips), he’s done a tremendous job and will continue to do so, but I think if we take care of our own, we’ll consider ourselves very successful.”

Thomas said it’s unrealistic to think they can convince people to change which team they root for. Instead, they need to work on their own fans and those who might be undecided.

“We’re probably not going to flip them,” he said. “That’s probably not a place where we’re going to be successful. At the end of the day, we need to be successful with those people that went to school here, with those people who have been life long fans, with those people who might be in the gray area.”

The Illinois AD isn’t naive though. He knows the easiest way to get the Illini noticed in Chicago: win.

“You really have to win with your programs to get (Chicago fans) to come Champaign,” Thomas said. “Because I know they make a real commitment, a two to three hour drive to come down here each way. It’s very convenient for them to not want to do that when you’re not putting a successful product on the field or court.”

And in that regard, it’s a work in progress. Illinois’ football team was just 2-10 this season in head coach Tim Beckman’s first season, but John Groce has the basketball team off to a 12-0 start.

“With the alumni base we have up there, we have to do a better job,” he said.

(CBS) Every week I take 24 hours to watch the Bears game again and talk to players, coaches and experts behind the scenes. Here’s what I saw, heard and was told since the Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers Sunday:

It’s hard to believe that just three weeks ago, the Bears could’ve been sitting in the #2 spot in the NFC playoff chase, but alas, they’ve lost three-straight and five out of their last six. Now they find themselves on the outside looking in and need to get some help if they wanna make the playoffs.

As things continue to spiral downward, I’m told that support inside the locker room for Mike Tice as offensive coordinator is at an all-time low. There are some who are wondering if making a move to Jeremy Bates might be the best thing for the offense, even at this late date.

What I Saw

- Another week where the the offense looks anemic. The Bears’ first drive looked great. You can tell that they wanted to make a commitment to the run and try to keep Aaron Rodgers on the sideline. That makes a lot of sense. They ran the ball on seven of their first eight plays. The turning point came on 2nd & 1. Matt Forte got stuffed for no gain, forcing a 3rd & 1. That’s when Roberto Garza got called for a false start. The 3rd & 1 turned into a 3rd & 6. It was a drive killer. Forte had a bunch of chances in short yardage yesterday and didn’t make big plays. I’ve always fought the fight that he’s a top 5 back. I can fight that battle no longer.

The Packers figured out that the Bears were trying to be a run first offense and adjusted. They started stacking the line with five guys, playing Clay Matthews off the ball. Mike Tice didn’t counter and the Bears ended up with 190 net yards of offense. Matthews was a menace that the Bears couldn’t stop. He had two sacks, four tackles for loss and broke up a pass. Dom Capers lines him up in different places, runs him on stunts and the Bears offensive line can’t find him.

- Not having Tim Jennings made a big difference. With Jennings out, the Bears played Kelvin Hayden at corner and DJ Moore at nickel. Both guys had a bad day in man coverage. Hayden looked a step slow and Moore kept peeking into the backfield on play-action. The result was five catches for 60 yards and three touchdowns for James Jones. The Bears’ pressure was good, but not consistent. Every time I watch Rodgers, I come away more impressed. He’s very poised, doesn’t get flustered and always seems to make the right play. Sometimes that means taking a sack or throwing it away.

He completed 64 percent of his passes and ended up with a 116.8 rating. When you see the back shoulder throw he made on James’ third touchdown, you realize that you’re watching next-level quarterbacking.

What I Heard

“Everyone in the offense should be held accountable, even if that means jobs.” -Brandon Marshall

Marshall was frustrated after the game and with good reason. No other receivers or tight ends caught a pass. Yes, you read that right. Cutler had 12 completions: six to Marshall, five to Forte and the screen pass to Armando Allen. It’s true that Alshon Jeffrey drew 58 yards in defensive penalties, but he gave those yards back in OPI calls. All season the offense has been sluggish. It lacks rhythm. The Bears had to burn a couple of timeouts because of plays not getting in on time and Marshall’s thoughts lead to some interesting questions about accountability.

If players continually show that they aren’t getting the job done, they’re replaced. “Next man up” is what we hear whether it’s injury or ineffective play. Shouldn’t the same standard be used for coaches?

“Well the slant play is really the starting point of our offense.” – Mike McCarthy

Green Bay carved up the Bears with slants. That’s where Rodgers’ accuracy is such a weapon. They can march up and down the field on slants alone and the Bears weren’t able to stop them. Moore’s play was particularly troubling because he had a chance to get back in the good graces of the coaches with a solid game. He didn’t. At times it looked like the Packers were specifically targeting him because his technique was so bad.
The sad part is that on a conference call with the media last year, Rodgers singled Moore out as a player that deserved more praise. The Bears nickelback has seen his performance slide and has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff since then.

“You know, it came out of my hands. I’m responsible.” – Jay Cutler

The interception at the end of the first half was the beginning of the end for the Bears. You could feel that the Packers were going to get points. It was a tied game and the only thing that could’ve crushed the Bears “momentum” was a turnover.

I’ve had people tell me that it was Hester’s fault and others that have said Cutler was to blame. On the play, Cutler double pumps. Perhaps Hester’s route wasn’t as clean as you’d like, but Hayward had already jumped it. After the pump, Hester broke to the empty space in the zone, while he’s breaking the route, Cutler threw it anyway. I can see where both players are at fault, but no matter who was, the result set up a cascading chain of events that spelled doom for the Bears chances.

“I am not going to put it all on the refs.” – Alshon Jeffrey

Jeffrey was flagged for three offensive pass interference penalties. I thought two were good calls. The other one was a bit questionable and the officials missed a clear DPI on Sam Shields towards the end of the game.

What Jeffrey has to learn is that if he is going to push off (like Brandon Marshall does and gets away with), he can’t do it with full-extension of his arms. He has to get craftier and learn how use his elbows and hands to create space. Because of his size, he’s a target for OPI calls. He’ll learn and adapt, but those were hard penalties for the Bears offense to play over.

“On the goal line, the offensive line has got to get movement.” – Matt Forte

I was disappointed to hear Forte say this. To be fair, Roberto Garza backed this statement, but Forte put the onus on the line when he’s just as much to blame. This year for whatever reason, Forte has not done a good enough job of squaring up to the line of scrimmage. It was on display again in this game. Sometimes you have to power through and in his career, he hasn’t shown that he can do that. That’s why the Bears brought in: Chester Taylor, Marion Barber and Michael Bush. Speaking of Bush…

He was active yesterday, but was never going to see the field. In fact, the Bears had four players that dressed who didn’t play. That’s because they’re really banged up. The Bears had to dress 46 players, but right now they don’t have 46 healthy bodies to put out there.

What I Was Told

“Some guys will fold. Some guys will bend. Some guys will step up.” – Charles Tillman

I kept thinking about this quote as the game was going on. Tillman said this to me on Tuesday during our show. Everyone saw that he was dead-on in his assessment. The question now is how to get less guys folding and more guys stepping up.

“I came here to win…now!” – Brandon Marshall

To say Marshall was disappointed about yesterday’s outcome is an understatement. He doesn’t want to waste what the defense has done this season. For him it’s simple, the offense has to do better. Yesterday, the Bears had 67 yards in the second half of the game. They’ve averaged 14 points a game in their last six games and a bit under 12 points a game in their last five losses.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) Every week I take 24 hours to watch the Bears game again and talk to players, coaches and experts behind the scenes. Here’s what I saw, heard and was told since the Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday:

This was a game of missed opportunities. The Bears had a chance to create some distance from the teams trailing them in the wildcard chase, keep the hopes of winning the division alive and virtually eliminate the Vikings. The loss drops them to sixth in the NFC, with a couple teams breathing down their necks and the Packers coming to town.

What I Saw

- Bears defense struggling to stop the run. The Vikings are a one-dimensional football team. Christian Ponder was awful yesterday: 11-of-17, 91 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, but the Bears couldn’t capitalize on it because they gave up big runs to Adrian Peterson early. The Vikings first play from scrimmage was a 51-yard scamper, which utilized some old-school football techniques. The Vikings overloaded the line of scrimmage which forced Nick Roach and Geno Hayes to play off the ball instead of at linebacker depth. Both linebackers got swallowed up and Peterson did the rest. Chris Conte took an awful angle and got bullied by Peterson who hit him with a vicious stiff arm. Peterson ended the quarter with 104 yards in the first quarter.

To the Bears defenses credit, they settled down nicely. They limited Peterson 50 yards on the next 19 carries the rest of the way, but it’s another week where they didn’t win the turnover battle, which is essential for their success.

-The offense has to stop giving the ball away. Jay Cutler’s two interceptions cost the Bears 14 points. The Vikings got 100 yards (more than the receivers had all game on offense) on their interception returns. Jay Cutler was the Vikings second-best offensive weapon behind A.P. One went for a touchdown and the other set the Vikings up at the five. Recent history has shown us that this offense is not good enough to rally from a deficit. Under Lovie Smith the Bears are 14-46 when trailing at the half. When THEY give points away, it’s impossible for this team to win.

What I Heard

“We just have to come out with a higher sense of urgency.” -Israel Idonije

I hung last week’s loss on the defense and with good reason, but it’s hard for me to do that on this one. That first quarter felt like the world was ending for the Bears and it’s true that the Bears D could’ve gotten off to a better start, but this team’s problem has consistently been offense all year.

This nugget from Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com: The Bears had 438 yards of offense and out gained the Vikings 438-248, but failed to run a play in the red zone until their final drive.

WOW!

“I let a play go. I let a play go that I can’t get back.” – Devin Hester

Hester let a ball bounce off his hands and facemask on a slant pattern that had a chance to go for a touchdown. It could’ve been a game-changing play. Throughout his career as a wideout, there have been too many of these moments. Moments where Hester has a chance to step up and stand out as an offensive player and doesn’t.

He wasn’t alone. Kellen Davis was targeted eight times. He had a bunch of drops that could’ve extended drives. I’m a bit surprised that Cutler is still trying to get him the ball and I wonder if the Bears wouldn’t be better off, giving his spot to Matt Spaeth. Alshon Jeffrey dropped a touchdown pass and even Brandon Marshall let one go in a big situation. It seemed like when the Bears needed a big play from the offense, they couldn’t get it.

“Started stiffening up more and more.” – Jay Cutler

Cutler took a vicious hit in the fourth quarter on a sack and hurt his neck. He listed himself as “day-to-day”, but if you saw him after the game was over, he could barely move. Whenever players don’t finish games, it’s not good. So it’s not a foregone conclusion that Cutler will be under center Sunday against the Packers.

“We just haven’t scored enough points. It’s that simple.” – Lovie Smith

Since starting 7-1, the Bears are averaging 14 points a game in the last five.

What I Was Told

“He will tell you in the passing game, maybe a little bit more consistency in it.” -Lovie Smith

Kellen Davis was targeted eight times Sunday. He made three catches. He left a few more on the carpet. The good thing is that he gets open. The bad thing is he hasn’t made enough plays when given the chance. Smith once said: “Kellen Davis can do anything that the good tight ends in this leage can do.” There has been no evidence of that being true.

“He’s in the Hall of Fame right now (as a returner)… how many people can say that?” – A Bears source who did not want to be identified

I had a conversation a couple weeks ago with a recently retired NFL, non-Bears player and a Bears source that both wondered out loud if Hester’s use at wideout has taken away from what he can do as a returner. Both pointed out to me how hard Hester works and how badly he wants to help the team as a receiver, but that it hasn’t happened. How many touchdowns have been sacrificed in the return game because of it? You’ve wondered it. They wondered it too.

Hester has not had a return touchdown since last season’s November game against the Lions.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) Time offers the opportunity for perspective, so I thought it would be a good idea to wait each week to give my thoughts on the Bears game. The idea being that 24 hours allows for me to watch the game over and talk to a few more people. Hence, “The 24 Blog.”

This was a disappointing loss for a lot of reasons for the Bears. Had they won, they would’ve taken over the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff hunt, which means a bye and home field advantage for the divisional round game. The loss drops the Bears to No. 5 and if they the playoffs started today, they’d be on the road Wildcard Weekend.

What I Saw

- The Decision. Plenty of people had a problem with Lovie Smith deciding to go for it on 4th & 1 from the 15. I didn’t. It was interesting that Lovie Smith played against type. He’s a coach that believes in numbers, stats and trends. His entire approach to coaching is conservative. In this situation he went with his gut. He took and chance and it didn’t work out.

What I think it tells you is that he felt like the Bears had a chance to bury Seattle. The Bears started that drive at their own 12-yard line. They had a good mix of run and pass and were trying to put together back-to-back touchdown drives, which isn’t easy for this offense. The conservative play is probably the right call, but I get what they were trying to do.

My problem is the play call itself. The Bears decided that they would run Michael Bush behind Gabe Carimi. That was a mistake. Carimi is not quick or sudden. He’s a big body guy, which is why he’s better suited for tackle than guard. At the tackle spot, Carimi is one of the Bears better run-blockers. At guard, it’s not a good idea. In fact, on that drive the Bears ran behind Carimi five times. Three of those runs were for 1 yard or no gain.

- The defense bent & broke. There were a lot of angry faces among the defensive guys in the locker room after the game. Is 14 points enough to win an NFL game? On average the answer is no, but in this particular game, it should’ve held up. Two numbers that you need to keep in mind: 97 & 80. That’s how many yards the Seahawks drove on their last 2 drives to take the lead in regulation and win the game in overtime. There was also a 94-yard drive to tie the game at seven.

It’s unacceptable and every guy on that defense said that Sunday. Russell Wilson was brilliant. Seattle’s play calling was fantastic. Their offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell (who’s been a thorn in the Bears side for years), did a great job taking advantage of the Bears. Rod Marinelli had no answer for the zone-read plays. Wilson made great decisions when to keep the ball and when to give to Marshwan Lynch. On those keepers, Wilson averaged eight yards a carry. Seattle did a great job using the tight end and sending him across the formation to cut off back side pursuit. They would chip inside and Wilson would go outside.

Coming into the game, the Bears wanted to keep Wilson in the pocket. They failed miserably. To compensate for Wilson’s height, Seattle rolled the pocket to give him easier throwing lanes. Film session will not be fun for any of the defensive ends or linebackers. Whether it was Lynch or Wilson, when they wanted to get outside, they did.

What I Heard

“When it mattered most, you saw him shine.” – Golden Tate

Tate was talking about his quarterback. Here’s Wilson’s stat line: 23-of-37, 293 passing yards, two touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 104.9 passer rating and nine carries for 72 yards. He was spectacular in the fourth quarter and OT.

“Would I do it again? Probably so.” – Lovie Smith

I understood what Smith was saying about the 4th & 1 play, but it just sounds bizarre the way he answered the question.

What I Was Told

“They can’t just keep happening” – Kelvin Hayden

I asked Hayden about the missed tackles that were all over the last two drives. On Tate’s touchdown, three Bears: Hayden, Major Wright & Shea McClellin all missed tackles that would’ve stopped him short. Remember it was a four-point game at the time. There were too many plays where the Bears looked a step slow, which lead to plenty of questions about fatigue. Bears defenders quickly brushed that off, but it’s a legitimate question when you give up TD drives of: 94, 97 & 80 yards.

“I’ll play wide out if they ask me.” -Gabe Carimi

Overall, Carimi was fine at guard. Talking to him, I got the sense that he wants to get back to tackle as quickly as possible, but he also wants to play. He told me that the biggest difference between guard and tackle is how quickly things develop on the inside. The protection for Jay Cutler was pretty good and on plays that it wasn’t, Cutler made it look good.

Watching Cutler improvise when things break down is fun. He made a lot of Seattle defenders look stupid, especially on the 56 yard pass to Brandon Marshall. Oh and by the way, J’Marcus Webb has put together two very solid games back-to-back at left tackle.

“On those third downs, we can’t get those back and it just hurts.” – Henry Melton

Overall the Seahawks converted 53% of their third downs. In the fourth quarter and OT, they converted 6-of-7. For what it’s worth, I thought Henry Melton & Stephen Paea played strong games in the middle of the Bears line, but it wasn’t enough. The Bears defense didn’t take the ball away late and couldn’t get off the field. It’s a recipe for a loss, but Wilson deserves a tremendous amount of credit. He was relentless in the pressure that he put on the Bears.

The Bears tried everything: Cover-2, Single high, Safety blitz, A-gap blitz, Nickel blitz and QB-Spy. Nothing worked because the pressure wasn’t consistent enough to rattle the Lilliputian quarterback.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) Time offers the opportunity for perspective, so I thought it would be a good idea to wait each week to give my thoughts on the Bears game. The idea being that 24 hours allows for me to watch the game over and talk to a few more people. Hence, “The 24 Blog.”

What I Saw:

A team victory under incredible circumstances. The Bears finally got a 3-phase performance. It wasn’t pretty and it may end up being pyrrich (more on that in a minute), but it was a win that they had to have against a team that was right behind them in the standings.

Here are three plays from each unit that I thought was signature Bears stuff:

1) Nick Roach stripping Adrian Peterson. The Bears had already turned the ball over and gave the Vikings three points off that turnover. On the Vikings next drive, Peterson made a cut, Roach got his hand in there and knocked the ball out. That gave the Bears the ball at the Minnesota 32-yard line. Six plays later, the Bears took the lead. The defensive players were really disappointed that they didn’t win the turnover battle with SF. They got back on track after this play.

2) Jay Cutler to Matt Spaeth for the touchdown. This was vintage Cutler. He rolls out, let’s the routes develop and goes to his last read, Spaeth in the back of the end zone. I’m not sure how many quarterbacks in the NFL could’ve made that throw, but Cutler knew he was gonna take the hit and still got the ball there. Great body control by Spaeth to get his left foot down, too.
Brandon Marshall told me a funny story about what happened in the huddle on this play, that I’ll get to it in the “What I Was Told” section. Do teases work in blogs?

3) Julius Peppers’ block of the Blair Walsh field goal. The Vikings had finally figured out to give the ball to Peterson more consistently to start the second quarter and they marched into the red zone where they stalled (after going away from Peterson). The field goal cuts the lead to 10-6, but Peppers got that big paw up there to swatted it away. The Bears offense took the ball, put together an 8-minute drive that ended in eight points. Peppers is one of the best in the NFL at blocked field goals. Sunday was his 12th.

The injuries were costly. Lance Louis had been the most consistent offensive lineman that the Bears had. He left with a knee injury and then took a vicious, headshot from Jared Allen. Earlier today, the Bears placed Louis on the injured reserve list, ending his season. I expect Allen to be fined heavily for the hit. The Bears also lost Chris Spencer to a knee injury. He stayed on the sidelines and tried to get in on an extra point try. Charles Tillman had his ankle rolled up on in a scrum, but like Spencer, stayed on the sideline with his helmet on and kept trying to get back in the game. Matt Forte got crushed and twisted on a third quarter run. The hope is that it isn’t a high-ankle sprain, but he went to the locker room and didn’t return. Devin Hester got concussed early and didn’t return. Lance Briggs was seen leaving the locker room in a walking boot. My guess is that’s a precautionary move and with a couple of days off and treatment, Briggs will be fine.

So was it a pyrrhic victory? Did the Bears win a battle that may end up costing them the war? As the severity of the injuries comes out this week, we’ll have a better idea.

What I Heard:

“We’re going to have to roll with the punches and go with the guys we have.” -Jay Cutler

The Bears offensive line did a great job yesterday. They stymied Jared Allen & Brian Robison. The only sack of Cutler came when Roberto Garza stepped on Cutler’s foot. Johnathan Scott was rock solid at right tackle. Cutler even praised him for playing with an edge. It’s pretty amazing that with the injuries to Louis and Spencer that the line was able to function. Gabe Carimi had NEVER played guard before. He stepped in and did very well. The Bears didn’t turtle either. They could’ve decided to run simple dive plays to Michael Bush to try and get out without anymore injuries, but they kept pushing the ball down the field. The Bears often get criticized for lack of “adjustments.” Mike Tice, his staff and the players deserve an A for how they handled things.

“We had some good plays called.” -Leslie Frazier

No, you didn’t. I know this is a Bears blog, but I can’t let Frazier off the hook. This was his response to why Adrian Peterson didn’t get touches on critical third & fourth down calls. It’s ridiculous. To start the fourth quarter, a touchdown pulls the Vikings within 11. From the 8-yard line, they ran consecutive shotgun sets and ended up with two incompletions. The Vikings needed two yards!

Forget that he’s the best runningback in the game for a second. The perplexing part is that he had the hot hand. The Vikings drove the ball 72 yards on that drive, and Peterson had 38 yards on four carries. An average of over nine yards per carry. The two biggest plays of the drive and he doesn’t see the ball? That’s dumb football.

“I thought he had a concussion.” -Gabe Carimi

Officially, Lance Louis’ injury is listed as his knee, but initially, I agreed with Carimi. Louis took what I thought was an illegal hit from Jared Allen. Louis was coming to the back side of the play, Allen lined him up and popped him helmet to helmet. It was dirty and cheap. I’m all for the big hit and Allen could’ve blown Louis up with a clean hit because Louis wasn’t looking for him. Allen launched himself and went high. Both of those things are illegal. The officials missed it, but I’m guessing the league won’t. Expect Mullett-Man to get fined.

What I Was Told:

“He said to me, ‘Stop being selfish!’” -Brandon Marshall

Marshall was explaining the Matt Spaeth touchdown. In the huddle, Cutler called “X-Slide” which is play where “X” receiver starts his route behind the offensive line, crosses the field and should be able to catch the ball and turn it up. It’s a play they run for Marshall. The only problem was that Marshall was the “Z” receiver in the formation. Eric Weems was playing the “X” and when Marshall realized it he said that he and Weems should switch spots. That’s when he got the selfish retort from Weems who wanted a touch in the red zone, too. In the end it doesn’t matter, cause the Bears got the TD, but in the future I think all of us would feel more comfortable if Marshall went ‘diva’ if the situation happens again.

What he’s done is amazing. So far he has 1,017 yards and 8 touchdowns on 81 catches. If he stays healthy Marty Booker’s team record of 100 catches and 1,189 in a season is going down.

“Someone was going to get them, why not us?” -Dave Toub

A lot of people asked me why the Bears used the Adam Podlesh fake on an extra point, so I asked Toub. The Vikings had lined up with that same overload look for the past four weeks. So the Bears exploited the formation. They also wanted to put Adam Podlesh’s athleticism on tape. They may never use that fake again, but every special team coordinator they play is going to have to account for it.

Podlesh had that hip-flexor injury to start the year but is finally healthy now and even though he’s a punter, this guy is an athlete. In high school, Podlesh played fullback. He ran a 4.4/40 and had the fastest 200 and 400 meter times in the state of New York (for a Prep) as a junior.

“You say that like it’s a joke, but that’s what was going to happen.” -Kellen Davis

I walked up to Davis and quipped: “Were you ready to go play tackle?” This was his response. He explained that he and Matt Spaeth were next up if another injury happened on the offensive line. He would’ve gone to right tackle. Expect the Bears to keep an extra lineman active for the Seahawks game. They went with seven on Sunday with newly elevated James Brown being the guy left out vs. the Vikings.

“We were a little nervous about it.” -Henry Melton

“If they needed me to do it, I would’ve done it.” -Israel Idonije

The defensive linemen can count and they saw what was happening on the O-line. They were all wondering if they were going to be asked to play offense. The problem is that you want to have someone who understands what the blocking schemes are, which is why the tight ends are a better choice. And if you’re thinking Patrick Mannelly… NO! At this point in the season Mannelly is probably around 250lbs and I’m being generous. I’m not even sure if Mannelly has the right pads on to play on the offensive line.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) Every week I take 24 hours to watch the Bears game again and talk to players, coaches and experts behind the scenes. Here’s what I saw, heard and was told since the Bears lost to the San Francisco 49ers Monday night:

What I Saw

- This was a breakdown on every level of the Bears. There isn’t a player in that locker room that can look his teammates in the eye and honestly say that they played their best game. None of the Bears three phases: offense, defense or special teams did what they needed to do and it led to an embarrassing loss at the hands of the 49ers.

- There’s a problem at offensive tackle. It’s no longer just a trend. It’s no longer even funny. J’Marcus Webb and Gabe Carimi played one of the worst combined games at tackle in the NFL this season, giving up three sacks a piece. Aldon Smith had 5.5 sacks. That’s a Monday Night Football record. He beat the Bears’ two tackles with speed moves and power moves. There were two plays, where both Carimi and Webb collapsed into Jason Campbell simultaneously. Their technique was bad. Their instincts were worse and they looked weak at the point of attack. The big question going forward: How can the Bears run an offense if they can’t trust their tackles?

There were communication breakdowns in blitz pick-up and the line could never get enough traction to run the ball consistently. Add that to the play calling early and you have major problems.

Let’s look at the first offensive possession:

1st & 10, Bears added Jonathan Scott to the line in a “Jumbo” package. Forte goes for four yards behind Chilo Rachal.

2nd & 6, regular personnel, Forte goes behind Carimi for four yards.

That leaves the Bears with 3rd & 2. They’re running the ball successfully. What do they do? They go shotgun. The Bears don’t run a ton of draws/delays. They made it too easy for the Niners to know what they were doing. After two good runs, Campbell drops back to pass and is dropped for a 10-yard loss. So on the first two plays, Forte gets eight yards. The rest of the game he got nine more carries for 27 yards.

- The defense was not ready for Colin Kaepernick. Throughout the week, they prepped for Alex Smith because indications were that Smith would play. Jim Harbaugh was quite cagey in letting that information get out. People I talked to that cover the team had no doubt that Smith was going to play. The Bears took the bait.

It turns out that Kaepernick might be better than Smith. He was poised and bold. He hit big plays down the field. He had touch and zip on his throws as needed. Thanks to the folks at ProFootballFocus.com for this: Kaepernick was 3-for-4 for 111 yards with balls going 20 yards or more in the air.

The most frustrating thing for the Bears is that this youngster — making his first start — was able to audible successfully.

He knew what he was seeing and checked to the right play. The Bears’ goal in every game is to make the offense one dimensional. They failed. Kaepernick: 16-of-23, 243 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 133.1 rating. He was ridiculously efficient.

- When the Niners needed yards on the ground, they got them. Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter combined for 105 yards on 22 carries or 4.8 yards per carry. Vernon Davis sliced through the Bears’ D. In man, Major Wright couldn’t hang with him. The Bears switched and put Lance Briggs on him. He struggled too.

The Bears’ defense is still No. 1 in the Aikman ratings at 87.2, but they had consistently been in the 90s on this scale that ranges from 50 to 100. And they’ve seen their lead over the second rated team drop after Monday’s performance.

What I Heard

“He was on top of it.” – Jim Harbaugh

Harbaugh was describing Kaepernick’s pre-snap reads. Saying that there was only one missed read that he saw, Harbaugh graded his quarterback’s performance in play diagnosis as an A+.

Kaepernick took most of the reps on Wednesday and Thursday and got all the team’s reps in their Sunday walk-through. The Niners went into each play with two play-calls and trusted Kaepernick to switch to the other if he recognized what coverage the Bears were in. It’s amazing that he was THAT prepared, but he was and the Bears paid the price.

“We have to leave this game as quick as we possibly can…” – Lovie Smith

There are games where coaches “burn the tape” because things went so bad. That seem to be the implication here from Smith, but the Bears need to learn from this. The same problems persist on offense. Smith is a defensive coach, but it’s time for him to put on his hard hat and reverse engineer his offense. Figure out how he would attack it and bolster up his weaknesses. While he’s right that this team has gotten to 7-3 doing what they do, that doesn’t mean that changes don’t need to be made. Getting Jay Cutler back will help some, but with the way that offensive line is playing, Cutler might as well have a big “X” mark on his helmet.

“We’ve got plenty of time.” – Gabe Carimi

No you don’t. This has been the mantra of Bears offensive players for two and half months. The fact is that the next two games could seal the Bears fate. Right now the Bears are technically in second place behind the Packers. Both Minnesota and Seattle want a wildcard spot and those games aren’t going to be easy. The stuff that Carimi and Webb keep putting on tape has got to have Jared Allen and Brian Robison salivating.

What I Was Told

“Don’t know, bud.” – D.J. Moore

When I found out that Moore was inactive on Monday, I texted him to ask if he thought he was being punished. In recent weeks we’ve seen Moore’s playing time drop from being the “12th starter on defense” to splitting time with Kelvin Hayden to now being inactive. Moore was the most outspoken critic of Jay Cutler’s antics. His loss of playing time syncs up with his speaking out. It’s possible the Bears haven’t liked how he’s practiced or think that Hayden is a better against the run than the diminutive Moore, but it sure smells fishy…

“No pressure.” – Charles Tillman

That’s what Tillman told me was the biggest problem against Kaepernick. During the week, the 49ers showed a tape of the Bears’ 30 takeaways. Harbaugh did a great job of letting his players know how important ball security was. I bring that up because every Bears player to a man will tell you that their takeaways are a direct by-product of the pressure from the front-four. On Monday, the Bears got one sack on Kaepernick. He was comfortable in the pocket most of the night and that lead to his fantastic game. No pressure = no takeaways. With the Bears offense struggling, they’re more reliant on those extra possessions than ever.

“That was a whipping tonight…gotta regroup quick. This season could be lost.” – Anonymous Bears Insider

The guy I talked to, didn’t want his name on this and I respect that and he would know about the fragility of a season. The rest of the schedule is tough and the Bears have to rebound. The wildcard race is heating up: Vikings, Seahawks, Bucs and Saints are all threats.

I’ll leave you with this: If the Bears lose on Sunday, they’ll be in third place in the division. Two weeks ago, they had a chance to tie for the best record in the conference. That’s how quickly things can change.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes.

Can Campbell lead the Bears to a victory? Will the defense be able to stop Frank Gore?

Check out 670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes as he gives you his “What To Watch For” in the video below!

For game-day updates, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) Every week I take 24 hours to watch the Bears game again and talk to players, coaches and experts behind the scenes. Here’s what I saw, heard and was told since the Bears lost to the Houston Texans Sunday night:

What I Saw

- The Bears’ offensive problems continue as they weren’t able to get the run game going consistently. This is a bit strange because coming into the game against Houston, the run game for the Bears was one of their strengths. Matt Forte struggled and the struggles started early. Here is a list of the yards gained on Forte’s 16 runs:

2, 2, 1, 4, 1, 2, -1, 0, 7, 8, 1, 0, 1, 2, 5, -1, 5, -3.

Too many negative plays in that sequence. If the run game doesn’t work, it doesn’t leave the Bears with many options.

- When you lose the turnover battle, you’re probably going to lose the game. The numbers don’t lie. If you’re -3 in the turnover battle, you’re going to lose over 90 percent of the time. If you’re -2, that number shrinks to around 80 percent. Not a surprise that the Texans won after winning the turnover battle 4-to-2. That’s why the Bears preach takeaways on the defensive side.

Before he left the game with a concussion, Jay Cutler threw two picks. Kellen Davis had a fumble on a reception over the middle. Michael Bush dropped the ball after a big run. When your offense is struggling, you can’t give the ball away. It’s that simple.

Davis’ issues are much bigger. He hasn’t done a good job in pass protection and his pass-catching skills are suspect. He has not been a very consistent player during his tenure as a Bear.

- The Bears’ defense did a pretty good job. They held Houston to 13 points. That should be enough to win. I will say that the Texans O-line won the battle up front, but it was definitely a battle. Arian Foster busted some big runs in the first half. They did just enough.

The Bears’ defense did turn the Texans over twice, however, as Tim Jennings continues his Pro Bowl campaign. It’s still amazing to think that he came into this season with seven career interceptions and now has eight this season. Here’s how Jennings compares to a couple of the Bears’ receivers:

Jennings: 8 interceptions, 74 yards, 1 touchdown.

Earl Bennett: 17 catches, 187 yards, 0 touchdowns.

Devin Hester: 15 catches, 180 yards, 1 touchdown.

A secondary receiver needs to emerge. I’m surprised that Bennett hasn’t been more of a factor. He only had one catch against the Texans. I never thought the Bears offense needed Alshon Jeffrey this much, but they do. They’re hoping to have him back for the game against the 49ers.

What I Heard

“He’s a badass.” –Brian Urlacher

The Bears’ captain was talking about Arian Foster. Foster only averaged 3.5 yards per carry, but the Texans never went away from him and he got 102 yards on the ground, plus a touchdown reception against pretty good coverage by Lance Briggs. On the Texans’ only touchdown drive, Foster had a big 13-yard run on 2nd-&-9 behind a great block from fullback James Casey, who sealed off Briggs and Urlacher. Then he beat Briggs to the corner for the touchdown pass. In that series, Foster had six touches for 22 yards and a touchdown.

“You don’t get a lot of reps during the week.” –Jason Campbell

Lovie Smith said on Monday that the starter gets 95 percent of the reps. That makes sense to me. You prep the guy who’s going to be playing for you. It makes it really difficult for a backup to come in cold and be good. I talked with a lot of angry fans Sunday night that thought Campbell was to blame. He isn’t. You can’t judge a QB who takes his reps as the scout team guy. All week, Campbell went up against the Bears’ No. 1 defense, being Matt Schaub. Playing against a Texans’ defense that has different schemes, formations and personnel, it’s not a surprise that he wasn’t crisp. That being said, he protected the ball and made a nice audible for a 45-yard gain to Brandon Marshall. If Campbell has to play, he’ll get those first team reps. He is NFL-starter quality, with over 70 starts in the league. If he fails after getting proper preparation, then it’s OK to go after him.

“He ran into me!” –Tim Dobbins

This ridiculous quote comes from the Texans linebacker who hit Cutler as he was looking to make a pass downfield. Dobbins was flagged on the play for unnecessary roughness. The Bears speculate that Dobbins’ hit on Cutler is the one that gave him the concussion. It goes without saying that Cutler wasn’t trying to get hit. Dobbins’ cavalier attitude towards the whole thing was off-putting. He should expect a fine. A hefty one.

What I Was Told

“I let the team down.” –Brandon Marshall

Marshall had nothing but praise for Jason Campbell’s performance. He said that the issues were with him and the rest of the offense. Marshall had a chance for a touchdown and didn’t cash in on it. He had a similar drop against Green Bay in Week 2 (the other game the Bears lost). Is there a correlation there? I’m not sure, but he’s been the only weapon in the Bears passing game and is averaging about 100 reception yards per game. Still, he needs to make that catch in big moments.

Speaking of big moments, Robbie Gould shouldn’t get a pass. In two of the last three games, he’s missed important kicks. The 48-yarder he missed in the fourth quarter was HUGE! It would’ve gotten the score to 10-9. The Bears forced a 3-&-out on the next Texans possession, but the offense was chasing those three points the rest of the night.

“The big picture is that we’re 7-2.” –Lovie Smith

The loss of Jay Cutler is the biggest loss Sunday night, but the Bears missed a chance to be 8-1 and on top of the NFC with the Falcons.

It’ll be interesting to see how this week goes. Cutler has a documented history of concussions and will have to go through the NFL protocol on concussions to get back on the field. Looking at the Bears’ practice schedule, it looks like they won’t practice until Thursday. That could give him enough time to get on the field, but either way, they might want to up the amount of first team reps Campbell gets just in case.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) Time offers the opportunity for perspective, so I thought it would be a good idea to wait each week to give my thoughts on the Bears game. The idea being that 24 hours allows for me to watch the game over and talk to a few more people. Hence, “The 24 Blog.”

What I Saw

- I’m running out of words to describe the awe I experience watching the Bears defense. They now have seven interceptions for touchdowns in eight games. That’s an NFL record. In the Superbowl era, there is only one team that has done it better, the 1998 Seahawks. They had eight interceptions for touchdown. So the Bears have eight more games to come up with one more of these. Would it shock anyone if they were able to do it?

MORE COVERAGE:

• Recap & Highlights
• Bernstein: Now THAT’s A Laugher
• Hoge’s Grades: Tillman, Marinelli Deserve Multiple Awards Now
• Podcast: Doug & OB Postgame
• Photos: Bears 51, Titans 20

By the way, the 1961 Chargers had nine interceptions for touchdown.

-Charles Tillman continues to amaze. Sunday, he came up with four forced fumbles. Back in 2009 he had three against the Eagles in a game. For his career, he has 36. The most impressive of the four was the one recovered by Chris Conte. After knocking the ball away from Chris Johnson, Tillman realized that he couldn’t recover it and knocked it forward so that a teammate could pick it up. That’s an unselfish play, from a guy who is already getting consideration for Defensive Player of the Year.

-How dominant was the Bears defense? Here’s a rundown of the Titans first nine possessions:

Fumble, Punt, Punt blocked for touchdown, Punt, Punt, Interception for touchdown, Fumble, Punt, Fumble.

That’s a bad day at the office for the Titans and it makes sense that their owner would put everyone on notice. The Bears scored 28 points in the first quarter. That is a franchise record.

- It was good to see the Bears special teams unit get back on track. Devin Hester’s 44-yard return set up the first offensive touchdown. He didn’t dance looking for a hole. He made one cut and hit the after-burners. If Anthony Walters (No. 37) & Geno Hayes (No. 58) would’ve stayed on their blocks instead of celebrating, Hester would’ve made it to the house.

-Matt Forte showed why he’s one of the most versatile running backs in the NFL. He racked up 148 total yards on 14 touches. In other words, Forte averaged 10.6 yards per play.

What I Heard

“Just tone setter, you know. Two Northwestern guys.” – Lovie Smith

When the Bears traded Tyler Clutts to Houston, they got Sherrick McManis back. He was brought in because of how the Bears wanted to use him on special teams. He got the block and his fellow Northwestern alum, Corey Wootton, came up with the rebound and a touchdown.

Now that he’s healthy, Wootton is making a case to be a Bear long term. Along with the touchdown, Wootton also had a sack and a tackle for loss. That gives him four sacks on the season.

“Our philosophy is, if we get Brandon Marshall one-on-one we’re going to go at him until they stop it.” – Jay Cutler

Good philosophy. Here’s all you need to know about the season that Marshall has had. Last year, the leader for touchdown receptions for the Bears was Kellen Davis. In a full season, Davis had five touchdowns. In eight games, Marshall already has seven. This is what a No. 1 receiver looks like.

“It’s one of the best seasons I have ever seen before.” – Julius Peppers

“Pep” is talking about Tillman. Both players have 36 career forced fumbles, but Peppers said that what Tillman is doing is more impressive. As a defensive end, most of his strips are coming from the blind side. Quarterbacks may feel the pressure, but sometimes, don’t see Peppers coming. Tillman is usually face-to-face with the ballcarrier and he still gets the ball out.

What I Was Told

“I always think simple is bad… coaches in the NFL are too smart for simple.” -Kurt Warner

My TV pre-game show of choice is NFL Network’s. Sunday, Warner was talking about the Bears offensive struggles. After watching the tape, he called it one of the “simplest” that he’s ever seen. I tweeted that out and Bears fans wanted to know if Warner meant it was good in its simplicity or not. This was his reply.

I appreciate Kurt weighing in (gotta love twitter). His analysis helps build the case against Mike Tice, who still doesn’t seem as comfortable calling plays as everyone would’ve hoped.

Early on the Bears continued to struggle on first downs. As we talked about last week, what they can do on second down is limited because they find themselves in second & long way too often. The only points the Titans scored in the first 29 minutes of the game came on a safety. That safety came on second & 14 after an incompletion on first & 10 from the 9 and a false start from Devin Hester on second & 10.

Kurt asked me what Bears players think about Tice. I told him that even off the record, players have told me Tice isn’t the problem, it’s the execution. I find myself being a bit skeptical of that. Especially when you consider the Bears had a 31-2 lead with a 1:16 left in the first half and Tice called a set with an empty backfield. Cutler got sacked and fumbled. It led to the Titans first offensive points.

“It makes you wanna spend a little more time in the weight room.” -Brandon Marshall

When I asked Marshall about matching up with the Texans, his eyes lit up. He’s looking forward to the matchup and wants to get a look at who he called “J.J. Swat” (because of all his passes defended).

I’m looking forward to it too because the Texans offensive line is fantastic. It will be strength against strength when they line up against Julius Peppers and that rotation of linemen for the Bears that has led to so so many turnovers this year.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

What should you watch for in Sunday’s game against the Titans? As he does each week, 670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes tells you in his video below!

For game-day updates, follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) Every week I take 24 hours to watch the Bears game again and talk to players, coaches and experts behind the scenes. Here’s what I saw, heard and was told since the Bears beat the Panthers 23-22 Sunday:

What I Saw

-A disjointed effort offensively. It was surprising that the Bears only had 18 called runs against a defense who had struggled stopping the run. Carolina came in ranked 19th giving up an average of 120 yards on the ground. The Bears finished the game with 79 yards. Some of that is the by-product of playing from behind, but you have to ask yourself if part of the reason that they got behind is because they stopped running the ball? On the day, Matt Forte only had 20 total touches. That’s not enough when you’re struggling to get production in other areas. Especially when you consider that Forte averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Only giving him 15 opportunities is something that needs to be scrutinized.

-Problems with special teams continues. Robbie Gould is one of the most consistent kickers in NFL history. He missed a 33-yarder that could have been the death knell for the Bears. It took the Bears awhile to figure out and adjust to the Panthers’ kickoff strategy by moving Eric Weems and Armando Allen up into the catch zone for the squib kicks.

-The defense got turnovers when they needed it. Cam Newton and the Panthers offense moved the ball pretty well. As an average, they got 5.4 yards per play. Compare that to the Bears who only averaged 4.0 yards per play and you’d think the Panthers won in a romp. What’s made the Bears defense so good under Lovie Smith is their ability to take the ball away and score. What they’ve done this year has been historic. No hyperbole: This season, the Bears defense has scored on six interceptions. That’s a franchise record. They’ve also done it in just seven games. That’s an NFL record.

-A fantastic fourth quarter drive orchestrated by Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. Even though the Panthers had success with their bizarre kickoffs, I was really surprised to see it late. The Panthers had a 2-point lead, a field goal beats you, so why give the Bears extra yards? Anyway, that’s a discussion for the folks in Charlotte. When the Bears went into their 2-minute offense, Carolina couldn’t change their defense. So the Bears were able to march down the field using the same quick slant to Brandon Marshall. It came in the same formation with Marshall at the top, running the same pattern over and over again. On that drive, Marshall had four catches for 36 yards-ALL ON THE SAME PLAY!

What I Heard

“It got everyone going.” – Lovie Smith

Tim Jennings’ interception for a touchdown with 6:44 left was the game-changing moment. Steve Smith slipped on the turf, Newton threw it high outside. Jennings snatched it and made his way to the end zone. Coming into the season, Jennings had seven career interceptions. This season he has six, in seven games. He’s having an unreal season. Expect him to be a Pro-Bowl selection.

“This would have been sweet-without a doubt in my mind.” – Ron Rivera

Rivera was quite melancholy describing his disappointment over the loss. He wanted this one badly. Rivera’s relationship with the Bears ended amicably, but I wouldn’t expect him to invite Lovie Smith over for Christmas dinner. Rivera had his team prepared to play. Even Smith had to admit that.

“…A lot of things that went for us early on were more what they were doing and them playing better football than we were.”- Lovie Smith.

I would imagine that it was a long flight back to Charlotte. The Panthers had a 12-point lead with seven minutes left to play and lost. A lot of that falls on Rivera. After six sacks in first half, the Panthers weren’t able to sustain pressure on the Bears’ final scoring drive. They weren’t prepared for the Bears hurry-up and the kickoff decisions need to be questioned. I think Rivera is a good coach and there’s a part of me that understands his angst towards the way his career ended with the Bears, but he is as much to blame for that loss as anybody.

“I’m good. I had the wind knocked out of me.” – Earl Bennett

The Bears need someone to step up and take over the secondary receiver role. Bennett’s contribution in the second half was crucial. All 47 of his receiving yards came in the last 16 minutes of the game. All three catches were for first downs, keeping drives going. He got hurt towards the end of the game, but seems to be OK. No one knows what Alshon Jeffery will be like when he returns and someone on the other side needs to take the coverage pressure off of Marshall. Bennett needs to be that guy. One, because he can do it. Two, because he was paid like it in the offseason. Strange that Devin Hester saw a few more plays at WR than Bennett.

What I Was Told

“When you have a special player like that, of course we need to get him the ball more.” – Lovie Smith

I asked Smith about Forte only getting 20 touches. He agrees that the effort needs to be better in getting Forte more touches. He cited the problems with protection and turnovers that got them out of getting Forte the ball. He’s a valuable weapon as a receiver and runner. The more he gets involved, the better the offense is going to look.

“We were just taking turns not making the play.” – Brandon Marshall

I asked Marshall about the problems with the offense and whether it was play-calling or execution. He says execution and there’s some evidence to that. There were some big drops by Marshall and Matt Spaeth early on that stalled drives. That wasn’t the only problem though. Protection was a real issue. The offensive line didn’t do a good job holding their blocks on 5 and 7-step drops. Jay Cutler also held on to the ball too long on a couple of the sacks.

“Everything is easier when you win games. Period.” – Jay Cutler

It’s clear to everyone on the offense that the team is having problems offensively, especially Cutler. When I asked him about it, he pointed out that it’s better to still have these problems while sporting a 6-1 record than losing these games.

“When you’re in 2nd & long, it makes things easier for the defense.” -Tom Thayer

I caught up with Thayer in the tunnel after the game and wanted his take on the issues with the offense. He told me to go back and look at the down and distance, so I did. The Bears ended up in 2nd & 9 or longer nine times. That’s right Ed Rooney… NINE TIMES. If I changed the down & distance to 2nd & 6 or longer, it gets even uglier, but I digress. Thayer explained to me that when you end up in those situations, linebackers can freelance more. They can cheat and take risks to blow up plays and don’t have to respect the depth of the playbook. It’s not surprising that on third down, the Bears were 2-for-8.

There needs to be some soul-searching in the offensive gameplan, but I do agree with Cutler’s assessment that you’d rather make these changes at 6-1 instead of 5-2 or 4-3.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes.

Just look at Lance Briggs, who turns 32 next month. Briggs, who has been voted to seven straight Pro Bowls, is in his 10th season with Bears.

Though he’s been playing one of the world’s most violent sports at the highest level for more than a decade, he’s not quitting until he accomplishes his goal.

“Peanut asked me, ‘How many (years) would you like to play?’ I said, ‘Maybe three or four, then we walk away from it’ but I also said, ‘We gotta get a ring,’” Briggs told Laurence Holmes.

LISTEN: Lance Briggs on The Laurence Holmes Show

For the rest of this interview and other 670 The Score interviews click here.

This season, the Bears defense that features a 34-year-old Brian Urlacher, a 32-year-old Julius Peppers and a 31-year-old Charles Tillman is leading the lead in takeaways as it dominates opponents.

“Like a fine wine,” Briggs said of the defense’s ability to remain productive. “… I just go out and play football. I love playing football and that’s what I do. That’s what we all do. Nothing that anybody says about us is going to make us play worse or play better.”

Though Briggs expected the Bears defense to be tough this season, even he didn’t think they would be this dominant.

“I knew going into this year that it was going to be an exciting one, just looking at our schedule, looking at the expectations, looking at all the moves that were made in the offseason,” Briggs said. “I knew that it was going to be entertaining for the fans, for the defense, for the offense, for everyone on the sidelines or that’s in the stands or watching the game. I knew that. It’s even more than I thought it was going to be.”

(CBS) Time offers the opportunity for perspective, so I thought it would be a good idea to wait each week to give my thoughts on the Bears game. The idea being that 24 hours allows for me to watch the game over and talk to a few more people. Hence, “The 24 Blog.”

What I Saw

- Another well-rounded effort from the Bears defense. They continue to prove that they are the best in the NFL. The offense is still a bit uneven, but until they figure things out, the defense is showing that it’s good enough to win games without a lot of help.

The Lions were able to get some sustained drives, but when they were knocking on the door of the endzone, the Bears took the ball away. The Bears had four takeaways, three of those came in the redzone. On the season, the Bears defense now leads the NFL with 21 takeaways. Keep in mind that there are some teams that have played seven games this season, while the Bears have only played six.

- A “tough as nails” performance by Jay Cutler. After taking a vicious but legal sack by Ndamkoung Suh, it looked like Cutler was down for the count. After a couple minutes on the field to gather himself, Cutler bounced up and ran off the field. He came out for a play and then left for the locker room early to have his ribs checked out. The team said that he played the second half with bruised ribs.

At times it looked like it was killing him to raise his arms, but he pushed through. I found myself wondering what the fallout would be if Cutler didn’t return. He was good enough after the hit to keep a couple drives going. In fact, in the second half, there were two Bears drives that started inside of the Bears 5-yard line. Cutler and crew were able to move the ball on both and flip field position.

- Charles Tillman played a great game against Calvin Johnson. When the Bears played “Man” Tillman was locked on Johnson. He was physical with him and handled single coverage very well. Johnson was targeted 11 times and only made three catches. Tillman had seven tackles on the evening and broke up two passes. One of those was a sure touchdown to Johnson in the third quarter from the 1-yard line. The next play, the Bears took the ball away from Joique Bell.

Tillman also had two forced fumbles that rolled out of bounds. It’s one of the best performances against Johnson that I’ve ever seen, but not surprising. Over the last six games, when Tillman is matched up in “Man” against Johnson, Megatron has caught less than 50% of his targets. If you want to start calling Tillman Optimus Prime, the nickname is warranted.

What I Heard

“Definitely scared us when he went down.” -Brandon Marshall

Marshall is Cutler’s best friend on the team. He talked about them being together in Denver and knowing how tough the Bears QB is. Speaking of tough, Marshall got 81 tough receiving yards. He now has 577 yards through six games. Which is the most by a Bears wideout through six games since 1960.

Marshall also got into the endzone on an improvised route. Because of the Lions “Wide-9″ looks, where the defensive ends are out near the tight end, Marshall got re-routed on his touchdown catch. While Cutler was on the move, Marshall read his eyes and got where he needed to be and scored the Bears only touchdown.

“We never wanna be there.” -Israel Idonije

Izzy was talking about the redzone. As a defense, they don’t want the field shortened with their backs up against the endzone, but the Bears played great when the Lions got inside the 20. All three redzone takeaways were game changers:

• 2nd QTR 1:32 left. Lions are driving down 10 points. Keep in mind that at this point, Cutler is on his way to the locker room to get X-rays, so the Lions can grab momentum with a score. Lance Briggs takes the ball away from Mikel Leshoure and Julius Peppers pounces on it. Crisis averted.

• 3rd QTR 5:26 left. Lions have driven 79 yards down to the 1. Stafford was getting good protection and looked sharp for the first time in the game. Tillman breaks up the pass to Johnson that would’ve gone for a TD. The Lions follow it up with Bell leaping from 4 yards out. His jump was cut short, by Henry Melton who got the ball loose, then Brian Urlacher swooped in and picked up the ball.

• 4th QTR 2:46 left. Because the offense was struggling to put points on the board, the game is still in doubt. Stafford puts together another strong drive, 85 yards, but he gets flushed out of the pocket on a 4th-and-goal play and forces a throw to the sideline. His nemesis, D.J. Moore picks it off and the game is pretty much sealed up.

It’s not good that the Lions were able to rack up so many yards, but what has always made the Bears defense good is their ability to take the ball away. It’s a bend-and-don’t-break style, but it has worked. Since Lovie Smith took over in 2004, the Bears lead the NFL in redzone takeaways with 37.

“This (bleep) was like watching paint dry!” -Otis Wilson

Otis was in the elevator with us as we headed down to the locker room. He still looks like he’s in great shape, but he was quite bored with the game. Even though it was a low-scoring game, I thought it was entertaining. Because of the injury to Cutler and the Bears inability to get the offense moving, there was a tension that didn’t subside until the Bears recovered the onside kick late in the fourth quarter.

What I Was Told

“You gotta make the most of your opportunities” -Zach Bowman

Bowman was out of football after being cut by the Vikings. With Sherrick McManis hurting, the Bears needed someone to play the “Gunner” role on special teams. They knew they could trust him to come in with minimal practice time and play the role. It worked. Bowman’s recovery of a muffed punt in the third quarter led to three very important points by the Bears on the next possession, pushing the lead to 13-0. A two-touchdown lead makes a big difference in what the Lions do when they have the ball. When I caught up with Bowman outside the locker room, he was still beaming about the play, conveying to me the importance of special teams play for the longevity of a player’s career.

“You gotta build trust” -Major Wright

I talked to Wright about how well he and Chris Conte are playing as a tandem. You may have noticed that the Bears are sending Conte on more blitzes. That’s because they’ve reached a point where the coaches know they don’t have to sit in Cover-2 all game. The Bears have been able to use the perception that they’re a “boring” defense against opponents. The blitz numbers and blitz disguises are up and it’s paying off. You can’t do that stuff if you don’t trust your safety combo. Wright and Conte are playing good football right now and it opens up what Rod Marinelli can call.

“I think so. I was outside the pocket, ya know, it’s football.” -Jay Cutler

I asked Cutler if he thought Suh’s takedown on the sack was a clean play. No doubt it was vicious. It looked like something you’d see Anderson Silva do, but it wasn’t illegal.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

Every Wednesday during The Laurence Holmes Show, listeners have the opportunity to call into The Score and announce to all of Chicagoland what they’re hating on during ‘Hater Wednesday.’

It could be the parking ticket you just got, your roommate who doesn’t clean up after himself or that boss of yours who is mercilessly trying to ruin your life.

Whatever it is – Hater Wednesday is your chance to let it all out.

Listen: Hater Wednesday on The Laurence Holmes Show

“You can take a guy at every position and he is a star. He can make plays,” Tillman told The Score’s Laurence Holmes.” It changes every week. The first couple weeks, Tim Jennings, he was making plays, I’ve made a couple. (Julius Peppers) has made a couple. Henry (Melton) has made a couple. Corey Wooten, shocked a lot of people, he’s made a couple. The star of the defense is the defense.”

This season, Tillman has 20 tackles, one forced fumble and two interceptions – both of which were returned for touchdowns. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his performance in the Bears’ win over the Jaguars on Sunday.

LISTEN: Charles Tillman on with Laurence Holmes

For the rest of this interview and other 670 The Score interviews click here.

As he does each week, 670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes tells you what to watch for Sunday against the Jaguars.

For game-day updates, follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) Time offers the opportunity for perspective, so I thought it would be a good idea to wait each week to give my thoughts on the Bears game. The idea being that 24 hours allows for me to watch the game over and talk to a few more people. Hence, “The 24 Blog”.

What I Saw:

- Monday night was a dismantling of the Cowboys offense. The Bears defensive line stayed busy getting after Tony Romo. While they only got him on the ground once, the pressure led to five interceptions and a forced fumble. The defense on all levels was fantastic and added another piece of evidence that this could be a championship unit.

- Jay Cutler’s performance was spectacular. He started slow, but got decent protection and a productive-enough run game. Cutler was extremely efficient. He was 18-for-25 with 275 yards and ended up with a 140.1 passer rating for the game. In the third quarter, he posted a perfect 158.3 rating, had great touch on his passes down the field and involved everyone in the passing game.

- Devin Hester did exactly what the Bears coaches hoped in training camp. He blew the top off the defense and made them pay. Hester’s 34-yard touchdown came off a double-move where he froze the corner, got separation and had plenty of space to adjust to the ball in flight. Last week, Hester was frustrated at his chances to make plays in the receiving game. It seemed clear that the Bears game-planned to get him more touches, but it wasn’t overdone. Hester was targeted four times, but he made the most of his chances.

- I think Lance Briggs is playing at an All-Pro level. Following up the awesome game (chronicled here last week) against the Rams, Briggs posted this stat line against the Cowboys: six tackles (1 for loss), a forced fumble, an interception and a 74-yard return for touchdown on that interception. We all know that Brian Urlacher has been hampered by that knee, and Briggs has really stepped up to make those “wow” plays.

What I Heard:

“Nothing like hearing the ‘Let’s go Bears’ chant early & throughout the game.” – Lovie Smith

Bears fans usually travel well, but there’s something about going to Dallas that really brings them out. I was at Texas Stadium in 2010 and fans made their presence known then, too. Estimates were that 30,000 fans were there back then and that was probably the case last night. Back then, Cowboys employees that I talked to were surprised – and a bit troubled – by the invasion. It’s a great stadium Jerry Jones has, but it doesn’t really seem to have a home-field advantage. Since moving in, Dallas is 14-12 after last night.

“The star of our defense is our defense.” – Charles Tillman

As I mentioned earlier, all levels of the Bears defense played a role in the win. Lovie Smith is all about winning the turnover battle. The Bears won battle  5-to-1.

Henry Melton, Stephen Paea and Amobi Okoye collapsed the pocket. Julius Peppers provided pressure, even while getting held. Briggs and Tillman had touchdowns. Chris Conte & Major Wright accounted for 16 tackles, one for loss and two interceptions. The defense got two touchdowns. The five interception Romo threw tied a career high.

The Bears used a couple of different blitz packages, too. The “A-gap” blitz, coupled with a safety blitz, led to a touchdown. After four games, the Bears lead the Aikman ratings in defense and it’s not even close…

“Offensive line played extremely well.” – Jay Cutler

It was bumpy early. DeMarcus Ware got some pressure and even got to Cutler in the third to force a fumble, but overall they were pretty solid. I thought using Matt Spaeth as a “helper” to J’Marcus Webb was valuable. There were plays where Spaeth stood Ware up. Gabe Carimi was spotty, but rallied late. The middle of their line was fantastic and Chilo Rachal has really added something to that mix. Even with a tender ankle, Matt Forte made some plays in the run game.

What I Was Told

“100 percent. They make sure and pump the ball out on time.” – DJ Moore

Moore told me that the credit for the turnovers starts and stops with the defensive line. The pressure they’re getting makes the quarterback throw when he doesn’t want to. The defensive backs know when they can break and drive on the ball. Moore had a great second half of the game, which included most of his 10 tackles and his pick.

Having continuity at safety has made a big difference too, with both Conte & Wright continuing to make plays. Yes, Wright has benefited from some plays that Tim Jennings has made, but the fact that he’s out there is a big deal. They’ve started 10 games together. In those 10 games as a duo, they have eight interceptions. Looks like the Bears have found their tandem.

“I’m almost there. Don’t get caught. I just scored. OK, now celebrate. Do a dance that’s cool and don’t screw up.” – Charles Tillman

I asked Tillman to walk me through what a defensive player is thinking when he has a chance to score.

Tillman would know. He’s the Bears franchise record-holder for interceptions for a touchdown with six and shares the record for total touchdowns by a defender with Mike Brown. Tillman has amassed 560 interception return yards in his career which is second only to Richie Pettibone (643) in Bears history.

Since 1991, Tillman and Brian Dawkins are the ONLY players with at least 30 interceptions and 30 forced fumbles. In his 10 seasons with the Bears “Cacahaute” has been a part of 70 turnovers (30 forced fumbles, 31 interceptions, 9 fumble recoveries).

“YEP” – Lance Briggs

That’s in response to me asking Briggs if he knew he was taking his third quarter interception to the house. Briggs ranks second all-time in Bears history in interceptions for touchdowns, picking up his fourth on Monday night. It was 74 yards, and while Briggs is known for his pursuit speed and chasing down ball carriers, it’s not often that we get a chance to see him use his top-end, straight-line speed, but he did against the Cowboys.Tim Jennings landed a great block to make sure he got home, but Briggs was chuggin’. Lovie Smith even joked about it after the game.

“How about Lance Briggs? You guys didn’t know he could run that fast did you?” Smith said.

I have to admit, I thought Lance had lost a step over his 10 seasons. He showed the wheels Monday night.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

What should you watch for in Monday night’s game against the Cowboys? As he does each week, 670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes tells you in his video below!

For game-day updates, follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes.

HALAS HALL (CBS) Time offers the opportunity for perspective, so I thought it would be a good idea to wait each week to give my thoughts on the Bears game. The idea being that 24 hours allows for me to watch the game over and talk to a few more people. Hence, “The 24 Blog”.

What I Saw:

- A dominant performance from the Bears defensive line. The Rams were held to 6 points, 160 total yards and were sacked six times. Of those six sacks, five of them came from the defensive line. Israel Idonije led the group with two and a half sacks and got four quarterback hits. The defensive ends did well, but what I thought was most impressive was the play of the interior. Amobi Okoye was very solid. Stephen Paea was downright special. He collapsed the pocket a ton. The Bears say that when pressure comes from up the middle, the quarterback can’t see and is “throwing from a well”. Sam Bradford’s two interceptions and 39.2 passer rating speaks to that.

- Tim Jennings continues to shine. He made his fourth pick of the season. That’s a career high for him. If you go back to last year, Jennings has had interceptions in four straight games. The Bears haven’t had a player to do that since 1986. Jennings also broke up a pass that turned into a Major Wright interception for a touchdown. It’s fair to start thinking that Jennings could end up in the Pro Bowl.

- The offense is still a work in progress. The Bears used more max-protection stuff after J’Marcus Webb got beat by Robert Quinn for a sack. If the Bears have to keep an extra guy in, it limits what they can do. Michael Bush was a microcosm for the entire day offensively. He did enough to win, but wasn’t spectacular.

- Brian Urlacher is starting to look more fluid. With the pressure of the front-four, it makes everyone look good, but Urlacher was rallying to the ball and making plays. He had a “run stuff” and broke up a pass. The first two games he looked mechanical, he didn’t on Sunday. He’s gotten through the doubt of whether his knee was going to hold up. The conditioning seems to be back as well. It’s still a situation that will be monitored and the Bears will likely continue to give him some practices off.

Urlacher was very solid, but it should be mentioned, Lance Briggs was the best linebacker on the field yesterday. He had a monster game. He had seven tackles, broke up two passes, had a tackle for loss and blew up a screen play.

What I Heard:

“I was like…(BLEEP)!!!” -Henry Melton

Melton thought the defensive line played great. He thought he was close to sacks a couple times and just couldn’t get there. This exclamation came in the tunnel after the game because he wanted to get in on the sack party.

“Tim made a commitment to improve his game.” – Lovie Smith

The Bears wanted more turnovers from Jennings. They wanted him to be a difference maker when the ball was in the air and Smith challenged Jennings to get better in the offseason. Some players would’ve left the organization looking for greener pastures. Jennings took the criticism and turned it into a positive. He spent extra time working on technique and taking passes from the JUGS machine. To say Smith is proud of what Jennings is doing would be an understatement.

“…now I kinda like it.” – Tim Jennings on his new nickname “The Hawk”

Jennings laughed when Zach Zaidman asked about Brian Urlacher dubbing Jennings “The Hawk”. He said it started back in training camp, when he was out on the Bourbonnais practice fields catching over a 100 balls a day. It’s stuck and will continue to stick as long as he continues to make plays. So does that mean on the 10th anniversary of Kerry Wood appreciation day, they’ll find Jennings in the Wrigley ivy???

“Hit & miss” – Jay Cutler describing his game

Cutler wasn’t sharp. He was 17-for-31 on the day with an interception. He ended up with a 58.9 passer rating. There were some open throws that he missed high with. The protection wasn’t perfect, but it was better. He also made a gorgeous throw to Brandon Marshall down the sideline over the head of Cortland Finnegan. Yes it was a back-foot throw, but the pocket was messy and Cutler gave Marshall an opportunity to make a play. He did for 34 yards. Blame for the goal-line miss to Hester should be broken up into three: 1) Cutler had time and still put the ball a little high, 2) Hester needs to make that play (he jumped a too early),  3) Tice calling a fade route to his smallest receiver… questionable.

“Saint Louie” – Referee Jerry Hughes

That’s how Hughes referred to the Rams on most of the four penalties called on them. It’s been bizarre watching the replacement refs. What’s troubling is that I thought they did fine in Week 1. It’s gotten much worse since. They seem nervous, unsure when cracking the mic to explain things and don’t have great control of the games.

What I Was Told:

“That’s my style of play. Just play pissed off.” -Chilo Rachal

Rachal was inserted into the starting lineup and other than a couple of false starts, he played very well. When I asked Jay Cutler about Rachal’s game he said that Rachal plays with “an edge”. In games where things aren’t pretty, you need a couple of tough guys to hold the line. The team seems to like his toughness and quietly, I think they’re hoping some of that “edge” wears off on J’Marcus Webb.

“We start with ‘get-off’ & pad level.” – Stephen Paea

At its core, defensive line play is about leverage. Usually, the lowest man wins. Paea did a great job of that on Sunday. Before the linemen work on their hand-fighting technique, they have to impress Rod Marinelli with pad level. In the first three games of the season, the young pass-rushers (Paea, Corey Wootoon and Shea McClellin) have begun to develop. Lovie Smith gave me this explanation on why:

“We are going to dress seven defensive linemen normally and we base it a lot on how they practice each week. They realize that, so you have to have your ‘A’ game every day to get in position to play these games and maybe it’s just as simple as that,” Smith said.

The ability to rotate players in and out of that line has kept the competition going and has generated the best results thus far.

“He beat me in H-O-R-S-E!” – Brandon Marshall

During the summer, Cutler and Marshall got together and played hoops. Apparently, Cutler won their H-O-R-S-E match by dunking. So Marshall wasn’t surprised by Cutler’s athleticism on his 21-yard fourth quarter scramble.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

What should you watch for in Sunday’s game? As he does each week, 670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes tells you in his video below!

For game-day updates, follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes.

The Bears defeated the Colts to start the season 1-0, while the Packers fell to the 49ers in their season opener.

Check out 670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes as he gives you his “What To Watch For” in the video below!

For game-day updates, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) Time offers the opportunity for perspective, so I thought it would be a good idea to wait each week to give my thoughts on the Bears game. The idea being that 24 hours allows for me to watch the game over and talk to a few more people. Hence, “The 24 Blog.”

What I Saw

- It was the offense that the Bears envisioned when they made the trade for Brandon Marshall. Marshall was targeted 15 times. He made 9 catches for for 119 yards and a touchdown. You saw him draw coverages, make plays when double covered and be a presence inside the red zone.

- Offensively the Bears were balanced: 33 carries vs 35 passes, but it was more than the numbers. Matt Forte showed why he is one of the best complete backs in the NFL. He had 120 total yards from scrimmage and averaged 6.3 yards per touch.

- Defensively the Bears got Brian Urlacher back. His knee held up and the Bears did the right thing by getting him game reps, then getting him out of there. Urlacher protested, but it was good to see Lovie Smith think long-term.

- The defense got sustained pressure, sacking Andrew Luck 3 times and forcing him into pressure interceptions. When the pocket wasn’t clean for Luck, he missed his targets high. Four different defensive linemen got hits on the quarterback. Henry Melton had 2 sacks and stuffed a run play for a loss. Julius Peppers moved around the line, forced pressure and had a turnover. Shea McClellin, showed off his speed and balance with a nice spin move early on.

- After an offseason of uncertainty, the offensive line of the Bears played really well. After the first series (which was a disaster), they dominated in the run game and kept Cutler relatively clean. That allowed him to go down the field and make throws that only a few guys in the NFL can make.

 What I Heard

“That was a change up” – Brian Urlacher on being taken out of the game.

Urlacher will always want to play if he can, but the way the Bears went about it accomplished a few of things: 1) It allowed him to test the knee at full speed (with guys trying to cut block him.) 2) It allows the Bears to see what the knee looks like after a game. 3) He got his work in and they got him out of there without injury.

“Yeah. I kept it.” – Alshon Jeffery on keeping his first NFL touchdown ball.

It was a perfectly placed 42-yard bomb form Jay Cutler. Brandon Marshall’s slight move inside, made the safety move and allowed Jeffery to get behind the defense. The coaches all summer have talked about Jeffery’s hands and concentration. Sunday the Bears got to show off that he can be a downfield threat as well.

“That’s why we brought him in here.” – Lovie Smith on Michael Bush.

A healthy Michael Bush opens up a ton of possibilities for the Bears. They used he and Forte in 2-back sets where Forte would split out wide and be a receiver. It allows the Bears to use Forte in the pass game and still have the threat of the run. Bush converted his red zone carries into touchdowns, which has been an issue for the Bears in the last couple of years.

“Please, please, please let’s tone it down a little bit when we’re down in the 20s. You’re more than welcome to yell and scream and do whatever you want to do after we score, but please, let’s go ahead and quiet the stadium down and save it for after we score. Thank you. That’s my PSA.” – Jay Cutler

Cutler with a plea for quiet when Bears offense is in the red zone.

This has been a problem for years. The Bears have had electronic reminders pop on the jumbo-tron that say: “SHHH. Quiet, Bears offense at work.” They also know that doesn’t always help. Last week, the team practiced with crowd noise. Which is weird considering it’s a home game. What they would like: When the defense is on the field, be REALLY loud. When the offense is on the field, be quiet. They pay a lot of lip service to the “4th Phase” but it’s an actual way fans can impact a game.

What I Was Told

- Last year, Tim Jennings was a bit a scapegoat for some late season collapses. He got benched after the Seattle game. That was because while he would break passes up, he didn’t pick them off when he had a chance. The Bears place a premium on turnovers and the benching bothered Jennings into the offseason. I asked him about it after the game.

“I worked on it in the offseason,” Jennings told me. “They emphasized that. I kinda knew what I needed to do. I wanted to come in week one and make the best of the opportunity that I had.”

Jennings only had two interceptions all of last year. Sunday, he got two of his own and had a deflection that set one up for Chris Conte.

- This year Jay Cutler has the ability to audible. On Sunday, anytime he would motion, the Indy defense would react. That’s the desired effect because sometimes the play wouldn’t change. I asked Cutler about how even the chance of an audible can help the offense.

“Sometimes we’re out there messing around, motioning, gesturing and giving signals just to give signals. We just want to keep them off-balance and attacking them. We always want pressure to be on the defense and not vice versa,” Cutler said.

That’s a valuable weapon for the offense to have, which was dormant under Mike Martz.

- The Bears run game was really good. The offensive line opened up a ton of holes, but the downfield blocking was fantastic. Evan Rodriguez and Jeffery in particular were very solid. Roberto Garza told me he loved seeing it.

“They did a great job blocking downfield,” Garza said. “It was a focus in the offseason and training camp. Obviously, coach Tice is gonna push for those guys to get down the field on those explosive runs and spring those guys.”

- Brandon Marshall had his first Bears touchdown. It came on a “fade-stop” route against his old nemesis, Vontae Davis. Sunday night I had a chance to break the play down with Marshall and he gave me a lesson on space.

“Creating space isn’t about the distance of air between me and Vontae,” Marshall said. “I’m the space. My body is the space. I’m 6’4, he’s basically your size. He has to go around me to get the ball. Jay and I like to bring basketball principles into what we do. This is post-up move. It’s a bad matchup.”

I don’t know how Davis felt, but when Marshall re-enacted the play w/ me as Davis, I felt like Marshall was Gulliver and I was a Lilliputian.

For more Bears information, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

The Bears kick off their season in two days with a noon matchup against the Colts at Soldier Field.

Check out 670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes as he gives you his “What To Watch For” in the video below!

For game-day updates, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) When the Bears traded for Brandon Marshall, it opened up a whole new world of offensive football.

By the end of the season, that will probably be true. There aren’t many quarterback/wideout combos in Bears history that have as much potential as Jay Cutler and Marshall do, but if you don’t see it on Sunday against the Colts, don’t be too alarmed. A new offense has been installed and opening days with new systems can be clunky.

There weren’t a lot of snaps for the first team offense in the preseason. There were instances where Cutler was pressured, but he wasn’t sacked against the Redskins or the Giants. How the offensive line plays will determine how deep into the playbook Mike Tice can go.

“We can only do as much as they can handle,” Tice said. “If they can only block 3-step drops, we can only throw 3-step passes. So, we’re limited to what they can do and as of now they’ve been holding up really well, so we’ve been able to open up our playbook and be a little creative in how we design plays.”

No sacks is good, but the defenses that the Bears went up against weren’t game-planning to exploit weaknesses – something that Cutler pointed out Wednesday.

“We also have to understand that this is real now and (defenses are) gonna be scheming ways to attack our offensive line and attack our offensive scheme.” Cutler said.

Teams will try to make Marshall a non-factor. Expect to see double teams on him, forcing the other wideouts to have to step up. Earl Bennett, Devin Hester & Alshon Jeffrey have to be smart, find soft spots against zone and beat man coverage. For his part, Marshall has to understand that there are games where he might not see the ball.

“Expectations are high, I told Brandon he might get two balls this game.” Cutler said.

Considering his last couple of years in Miami, Marshall is well aware of the attention he’ll get from defenses.

“I’m going into my seventh year and every year I think I see more and more coverage, especially the last two years,” Marshall said. “It’ll be really hard for teams to really stop us with the guys we have in the locker room. There’s no coverage out there that I haven’t seen, so… I’m prepared.”

The Colts present a unique problem in preparation. Indy shifted from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense under new coach Chuck Pagano. That means taking Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney and using them as rush ends instead of “hand on ground” 4-3 defensive ends. The Colts are excited how the transition has gone.

“(Freeney has) done an outstanding job. … He spent the whole offseason here learning the system, learning the terminology.” Pagano said.

The Bears have had to use the preseason games to prep for them. Usually, that’s a no-no in the NFL because it’s not necessarily true to what you’ll see in a real game.

“The preseason games are your best indicator,” Cutler said. “From there you’re gonna look at the other teams that the coach has coach for and try to make some educated guesses of what they’re gonna do.”

The Bears are confident that they know what to expect, but it may lead to a lack of crispness right off the bat. Freeney and Mathis are very good pass rushers. When you add in being unsure which one is dropping into to coverage, it could make things a bit messy.

For now J’Marcus Webb has the job at left tackle. It should be noted, that he improved as camp went on, but until he shows otherwise, he can only truly be judged on the player that he’s been.

According to the folks at Pro Football Focus, Webb allowed 12 sacks and 30 QB hurries last year and graded out as the worst starting left tackle in football . Perhaps the offseason helped, but the battle with Chris Williams would lead you to think otherwise. On the other side, Carimi is still an unknown NFL commodity, with injury concerns. Mike Tice even floated the idea of “spelling” Carimi with Chris Williams if fatigue in his leg becomes a factor.

It’s easy to imagine that the Cutler-to-Marshall connection will put up highlight plays and a ton of points, but if the Bears stumble on Sunday, don’t be shocked. Even they’re couching how far they are in the development of their offensive weapons.

“I feel good about where we’re going,” Tice said. “I don’t feel good about where we’re at yet, but I feel good about where we’re going.”

For more Bears coverage, follow Laurence on Twitter @LaurenceWHolmes.

(CBS) If Bears coaches know who their starting left tackle is, they aren’t telling.

J’Marcus Webb and Chris Williams both played well, but that doesn’t mean the competition is over.

“A big emphasis has been placed on that position,” Bears head coach Lovie Smith said. “J’Marcus Webb has done some good things, Chris Williams has done some good things. We need both of those players. .. .Yes, their play picked up against a good defensive line.”

The Giants are a good measuring stick because they get pressure with their front four. They got close a couple of times, but never got Jay Cutler on the ground. In fact, over the past two games Cutler has had about 30 dropbacks and hasn’t been sacked once, which is good news for Webb and Williams

“Pass protection wise, (we were) pretty good,” offensive coordinator Mike Tice said. “(In) Pass protection they both passed and took a big jump forward and trying to make it hard on us to make a decision, which is good. No sacks, I didn’t see a ton of pressure. I thought protection-wise we were moving right where we need to be.”

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Bears would like to see better push in the run game, which really hasn’t gotten going in the preseason. Matt Forte was stuffed on a few runs and looked like he never really got going. Cutler mentioned after the game that – that has to change.

“We gotta get the run game going,” Cutler said. “We gotta get Matt going. We’re not going to be a good offense if we can’t run the ball.”

Tice gave a more detailed answer of what the problem is.

“We actually had some mental errors in the run game that were easy things,” Tice said. “We focused so much on making sure that we were able to protect our quarterbacks. We just have to spend more time in the next 10 days honing up those things (run blocking). The one thing
I would say is when you call a play that’s called an inside zone, that means you’re not really working to a man. You’re working to a zone. So, we just have to make sure that we clean that up and that we’re on the same page and all working to the proper area.”

It’s unlikely that Cutler or Forte and the first team offense play much on Thursday. Making a final decision off of that game tape will be difficult. Tice thinks the next couple of days of practices, especially the individual work, will go a long way in determining who lines up at left tackle on September 9. Webb still seems to be in the lead, but Smith seemed happy with the progress of both tackles, so perhaps Williams is safe even if he isn’t a starter.

Over the last two games, the Bears have been impressed that the competition has brought out the best in of both guys and that there’s been actual improvement since the Denver game.

“We’ve gained more knowledge of where we’re at,” Tice said. “It was a really good test for us and I think the guys withstood that test.”

(CBS) So here we are in late August and the White Sox are still in first place.

The season has been a surprise to everyone that doesn’t have an office or locker stall at U.S. Cellular Field. There have been comebacks by Jake Peavy, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios. Paul Konerko continues to be the rock of the lineup. Chris Sale may win a Cy Young Award. Robin Ventura could have dibs on Manager of the Year.

But what about their boss?

World Series aside, this may be Kenny Williams’ best season as White Sox general manager.

Let’s start with the hiring of Ventura. Williams rolled the dice on a guy who had no managerial or coaching experience in professional baseball. Had it gone poorly, there are plenty of fans who would’ve thought their GM had gone mad and expected him to follow disposed ex-manager Ozzie Guillen out the door.

Ventura has exceeded all expectations, except for maybe his own. Williams augmented the staff with coaches who made up for Ventura’s inexperience. With Mark Parent, Joe McEwing and Don Cooper, the White Sox have three potential MLB managers on their staff. Coop is a known commodity, but Parent’s attention to detail and adding the emphasis on defense has made a big difference. The White Sox make sure to have infield practice at the start of each series. Right now they rank second in the league in team defense.

“If you have to go and hit the cut-off man in practice, if it happens in a game, you know, hey we just did this earlier. It’s doing the fundamentally sound things that are going to take you to the next level,” White Sox radio analyst Darrin Jackson recently told me. “This team has improved. (The coaches) work hard and they make sure the guys don’t forget it.”

Hitting instructor Jeff Manto shared the fundamental philosophy and broke guys like Dunn down to hitting off a tee in spring training.

“I walked into a pretty good situation and the only thing I added was maybe a little different approach,” Manto said. “The guys are definitely getting their work in, they’re paying attention to detail. To go in there and add anything more than the simplicity that we’ve been adding would probably be detrimental.”

Now let’s take a look at the moves. The Boston Red Sox had no use for Kevin Youkilis. Williams and the White Sox swooped in and got him and cash from Boston. Williams would rather make moves in advance of the deadline instead of having the lack of time play a role in negotiations.

“If you think the guy can help, let’s get ahead of the curve and pick up some games now rather than wait until after July,” Williams said. “Those games may mean the difference.”

Youkilis has been instrumental in the White Sox staying in first place. He’s provided game-winning hits and shored up the defense at third.

“He’s been sound over at third base,” Jackson said. “He’s very good, has good hands. I like the way he gets rid of the ball quickly. Very reliable.”

A young bullpen provided a boost early on, but as the team got to the halfway point, Williams wanted more of a veteran presence. So he got out ahead of the pre-deadline market and added Brett Myers to his pen in a trade with Houston. Jesse Crain got healthy and the Sox got a lot more experience to provide support for young closer Addison Reed.

With John Danks lost for the season, the White Sox needed more depth in the rotation. The White Sox did something they hadn’t done in 25 years, making a trade with the Twins for Francisco Liriano.

“There were other guys on the market, but for us it’s not just about winning the division,” Williams said. “It’s about winning the division and if you get into postseason play having the weapons to actually win … (Liriano) can shut somebody down. He can shut anybody down if he’s right.”

Since joining the White Sox, Liriano has been mostly effective giving up two or less earned runs in three of the four starts he’s made for his new team.

Even the small moves have seemed to work. Sending Jordan Danks down after his first game-winning homer looked harsh. Williams chose to rely on veteran DeWayne Wise instead. In five games, Wise has hit two homers and driven in seven runs.

Luck plays a role, but Williams deserves some credit for continuing to be bold when the moment arises. As an organization, the White Sox goal is to always be looking for opportunities to win the World Series that’s in front of them. Rebuilding hasn’t really been an option.

“We aren’t doing our job — and Kenny has set this tone for 12 years — if we aren’t consistently looking to get better,” Assistant General Manager Rick Hahn told me. “It is really part of what we’re passionate about — being able to be diligent to make that next move.”

When I offered up the idea to Williams that this may be his best year as GM, he quickly shot that down.

“I don’t measure things the way everyone else does,” he said. “I start every season thinking we have done our best to field a team that can compete from a personnel standpoint. After that, it’s up to the players, their performance and the coaching staff’s ability to motivate, teach and put them in positions to succeed.”

There is still time to make a waiver trade between now and the end of the month. The call-ups throughout September will be important too, but with 120 games gone, Williams feels like the team he has is good enough. He hopes the luck they’ve had doesn’t run out and isn’t ready to pat himself on the back just yet.

“Lastly, you pray for health,” the GM added. “Some years things just come together and are better than others. I temper my excitement because it takes you away from the focus of the grind. The only time for reflection is after the season.”

For more White Sox coverage from Laurence Holmes, follow him on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes. Listen to his show weeknights from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. on 670 The Score & 670TheScore.com.

(CBS) Thursday games are one of the worst things to happen to the NFL.

The NFLPA hates them. Ask the rank and file how they feel about it and you’ll get a glare. Most players don’t feel like they’ve recovered from the last game until the next Wednesday.

I bring this up because the Bears and Packers are the league’s guinea pigs for starting Thursday games in Week 2. So perhaps it makes sense for the Bears to target that game at Green Bay for a Brian Urlacher return instead of opening day.

It’s possible that Urlacher will be ready to go in 25 days. He’s a tough guy, fast healer and committed to the rehab process, but it might be better to hold him back. After arthroscopic surgery, the usual recovery time is about six weeks and that’s if there are no setbacks. Holding Urlacher out of the first game of the season would give him almost an extra week to condition, heal up and continue treatment. He could even go through the practices as part of the process to see where he is, with the bonus of not putting him in danger vs. Indy.

There are no gimmes in the NFL. The league is predicated on parity. It’s very possible to go from a bum team in your division to the playoffs and vice-versa. For example, you have last year’s 49ers team or the reverse, Tampa’s 2011 free-fall. Looking at the shambles that the Colts are in, it’s hard to make a case for them being this year’s turnaround team, even with Andrew Luck under center. A rookie quarterback in his first NFL game on the road might be ripe for the picking. Even with Nick Roach at middle linebacker.

The pounding that players take in a game has been described like being in multiple car crashes. Urlacher himself is always on the lookout for offensive players to cut his legs out from under him and you can bet that left leg will have a big target on it. The amount of mess that the linebacker spot has to discard from play to play is huge. Why put him at risk against a team that the Bears should beat easily?

The quick turn around is what’s worrisome about him returning for the opener. If the Bears had a full week to recover before going to Lambeau, it would make all the sense in the world to have Urlacher out there for Indy, but they don’t. Having him play his first game on a Thursday would give him nine days on the back end to recover for the next game against the Rams.

The team of course wants to get off to a good start, but the game in Green Bay is more important. Not because of the rivalry, but because head-to-head and divisional record rank above common opponents in playoff tie breakers.

The Bears defense has done one of the better jobs of holding Aaron Rodgers in check over the last few seasons. It’s hasn’t stopped the Packers, but the Bears have effectively slowed them down, overall (I know Christmas night wasn’t fun for anyone). The Bears have used a lot of Cover-2 against the Packers and considering the passing game of Green Bay, Urlacher at 100 percent (or as close as he can get) is essential.

I’m all for the the Bears keeping the carrot of the Indy game out there for Urlacher. The rehabilitation process is rough and goal-setting is a big part of keeping a player engaged. The drawback to sitting Urlacher in the opener is that his first game-action would be against one of the highest powered offenses in the league. But weigh that against a rushed-rehab, collapsed recovery time and perhaps having a healthier Urlacher for the rest of the season.

Sitting him against Indy may make sense.

For more Bears coverage from Laurence Holmes, follow him on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes. Listen to his show weeknights from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. on 670 The Score & 670TheScore.com.

670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes and Adam Hoge were in Bourbonnais Tuesday and discussed the impact of the surgery as well as what they have liked and disliked from the Bears so far in training camp:

(CBS) Mystery solved. Brian Urlacher had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday morning on his left knee.

The Bears said the procedure was done to “relieve the swelling” that Urlacher had been suffering from for the last couple of weeks. From all accounts, this wasn’t a repair on Urlachers’ MCL/PCL. The team still believes he will be on the field for the opener against Indianapolis on September 9, but that remains to be seen.

The usual recovery time after a non-invasive procedure like this is 6-8 weeks, depending on the depth of damage of the knee. Bears surgeons Gordon Nuber & Mark Brown handled the surgery. If the fraying of cartilage wasn’t too severe, Urlacher could be back before that. A medical expert that I talked to said 6-8 weeks is normal, but in this situation there could be some wiggle room built in. So, it’s not out of the question that he could be on track to play against the Colts, but that also means that he may be playing with some residual swelling and irritation.

NFL scheduling wasn’t kind to the Bears or Urlacher’s recovery. The Bears play the first the Thursday night game of the year, the following week in Green Bay. That doesn’t allow for a lot of recovery time. Urlacher has only participated in a few practices and it seems unlikely that he’ll get any game-time reps before the opener to truly test how his knee will respond.

Urlacher has missed most of the practices in Bourbonnais and the preseason opener against Denver. Nick Roach has been taking all of the first teams reps with Lance Briggs staying at his usual weak-side spot and offseason acquisition Geno Hayes playing strong-side (where Roach usually is). Roach is a competent NFL linebacker, but this defense was designed for Uralcher’s skill set. His ability to cover the deep middle of the field is a significant difference between the “Tampa-2″ and the “Bears-2″.

Considering the late date of the surgery, it leads you to wonder if this injury will linger and what effect that will have on the Bears. If Urlacher’s recovery doesn’t go well and he’s forced to miss some time, it could leave a big void in the defense.

“His value is everything.” Charles Tillman told the Score on Monday. “We saw how valuable he was when he missed the entire 2009 season. It’s like playing with a coach on the field. It’s like having Lovie next to you.”

The Bears have Superbowl aspirations. Having a healthy Urlacher is a big part of the reason, the team feels so confident coming into the year. The Bears are hoping and saying publicly that they expect Urlacher back. They’ll take the tradeoff of age and injury diminishing him vs. not having him at all.

“His value to us is priceless. He’s the defensive verison of Peyton Manning.” Tillman said.

SOLDIER FIELD (CBS) As lightning and thunder took over the sky above a soggy Soldier Field Thursday night, the Bears opted to keep their stars off the field as the Broncos delivered a 31-3 blowout.

Jay Cutler, Julius Peppers, and Matt Forte all sat out the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos. Brian Urlacher, as expected, wasn’t even at Soldier Field as he continues to be excused for “personal reasons”.

Cutler, who’s first son was born Wednesday morning, participated in warmups, but head coach Lovie Smith indicated they weren’t planning on having him play and a final decision was made before kickoff. Jason Campbell got the start at quarterback and said they talked earlier in the week about Cutler not playing because they “weren’t sure which day Jay’s baby would come out.”

For the Broncos, Peyton Manning played the first series for the Broncos and led his team down the field before being picked off by Major Wright at the goal line. Wright later left the game with a hamstring injury that is not considered to be serious.

The game started about nine minutes late because of storms around Soldier Field.

Lightning started to flash about 30 minutes before game time and both teams quickly went back to the locker room. Fans were forced to go to the concourse about 20 minutes before kickoff.

A 1996 preseason game between the Bears and Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field was cut short because of lightning.

For more Bears coverage, follow @AdamHogeCBS on Twitter for up to the second updates.

(CBS) It’s a slow crawl during this preseason with the Bears. It makes you wish that you can hit the fast-forward button and just get to the regular season, but you can’t. Preseason games are better than practice, but they only gives you a snapshot of the team.

When the Bears take on the Broncos Thursday night at Soldier Field, you won’t see their cards. Lovie Smith does not gameplan in the preseason, so the mosaic of the Bears offense won’t become clearer until they host Indianapolis Sept. 9.

That being said, there are a couple things I’m interested in and looking for when the guys take the field tonight:

Where In The World Is Brian Urlacher?

Throughout his career, Urlacher has been a fantastic teammate. His peers speak about  him with respect and reverence. The speculation on where he is and what he’s doing has been frustrating the last couple of days. We know he’s not gonna play in the game and I think it’s unlikely he plays at all in the preseason, but I would be shocked to not see him on the sidelines. Perhaps that will add some clarity if he has been out actually dealing with “personal issues” or if his MCL/PCL injury was re-aggravated.

Crispy Teams

If you’ve been down to Bourbonnais, you may have noticed that the Bears are doing more live hitting. They’ve had plenty of sessions where the third and fourth string players are tackling. This is a departure for Smith who is known around the league for running a player-friendly camp. I would imagine the extra work may make special teams look a bit cleaner than it ordinarily would in the first preseason game.

Happy Returns

Devin Hester has been working on fielding “sky balls” in the punt game. We’ll see if Dave Toub allows him to catch a couple in game situations. Cornerback Greg McCoy (#39) was an outstanding returner at TCU. Eric Weems (#14) went to the Pro Bowl two years ago. With guys flying around with their hair on fire on returns, they sometimes are so amped up they get out of their lanes. You could see a big return.

Shea Better

It’s been a tough camp for Shea McClellin (#99). Tonight might give him a chance to not think so much and let off some steam. He has the NFL motor and I think he has NFL speed. He hasn’t shown NFL strength. In a game situation, will that speed make up for what he gives up in size?

Hard To Miss

Rookie safety Brandon Hardin (#35) is a big, physical player. At 6’3, 220lbs, he considers himself part of the new breed of what he called “cover safeties” — bigger guys to deal with the hybrid tight ends (Finley, Graham, Gronk, etc…).

He’s seen reps with the first unit, but he told me earlier this week: “On Thursday, I wanna show Chicago what they’re gonna get out of a third round pick … and prove to them that I was worth their investment.”

He is a very serious young man who likes to hit. I’ll be watching if he stays disciplined. On play-action, does he get sucked in on the fake because he’s so excited to make a big play?

The Godfather Of O-Line Play

It’s imperative that J’Marcus Webb continues to develop and win 1-on-1 battles, but for now, I’m more interested in undrafted free agent left tackle James Brown (#78). Brown had some third and fourth round grades before the draft. He’s looked quite competent in camp. He initially started out at right tackle, but Mike Tice moved him to left.

Here’s what Tice told me on why they made the switch: “Well, we moved him to the left side. He looked uncomfortable on the right. He’s played left his whole career. He’s a great athlete. We wanna give him a better chance to succeed and get more reps. He’s athletic.”

Brown is 6’4, 304 lbs, has long arms and plays with a lot of nasty. The Bears like how he practices. If he does as well in games, I think he has a real shot of making this team and maybe pushing for that left tackle job at some point.

Enjoy the game. Enjoy seeing Brandon Marshall walk out in a Bears uniform for the first time, but don’t read too much into anything you see. Just remember it’s all part of the process. I’ll be on 670 The Score at 7 p.m. with even more info and you can hear my full interview with Hardin (which I think you’ll like) during the show.

For more Bears coverage from Laurence Holmes, follow him on Twitter at @LaurenceWHolmes. Listen to his show weeknights from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. on 670 The Score & 670TheScore.com.

BOURBONNAIS (CBS) It’s a good thing that Brian Urlacher knows every detail of this defense. Because if he didn’t, missing his fourth straight practice on Sunday might be more of a concern.

The Bears middle linebacker continues to get time off during training camp. Remember, Urlacher hurt his knee in the season finale against Minnesota. Throughout OTAs and mini-camp, Urlacher and the Bears insisted that he will be ready for the beginning of the season.

“His knee is still a little sore. He has some soreness with it. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get him back out here before long. But we’ll take our time with Brian.” Lovie Smith said.

The move to give extra time to players nursing injuries isn’t unprecedented. Smith has made it routine for players to receive “veteran days off”. Usually, this is one or two practices. With Urlahcer missing so much time, it lends credence to the idea that the MCL injury suffered against the Vikings was more serious than most believed.

“There is always concern when you have an injury at the end of the year and you miss some time in the offseason, but he should be OK,” Smith said. “It’s not like he really hurt it anymore. I assumed he would have some soreness and he would miss a few of these training camp practices.”

Nick Roach has taken the first team reps in the middle with Lance Briggs staying put at “Will” linebacker and newcomer Geno Hayes getting reps at “Sam”. Hayes has played primarily on the weak side of his career, so if you’re looking for a bright side, getting him more reps at a different spot adds some depth at the linebacker position.

“Technically, we like all our guys to be interchangeable. As soon as somebody goes down with the first three (Urlacher, Briggs & Roach), the fourth guy, we feel like we want to plug him in at any position,” linebackers coach Bob Babich said.

The Bears play Denver on Thursday night at Soldier Field and I think it’s a longshot that Urlacher suits up. With 13 years in the league, Urlacher’s participation in any preseason game, but the third, would be pointless. One could even make an argument that he shouldn’t play at all until the games count.

“Everything we do right now is to prepare for the Indianapolis Colts,” Smith said, referring to the season opener Sept. 9.

That may mean getting used to Urlacher wearing his fisherman’s hat and no pads for the next few practices in Bourbonnais. When you’re talking about a 34-year-old player, nothing is a given. Urlacher has beaten the odds just to get to this point. The Bears are doing the right thing by being cautious, but it won’t stop the questions if Urlacher continues to miss time.

Follow Laurence on Twitter at @laurencewholmes for more updates from Bears camp.

Being unemployed isn’t fun for anyone, but at least Adams has a sense of humor about it:

(WSCR) In the first few days of padded practices, first-round draft pick Shea McClellin has had a hard time.

Whether going up against J’Marcus Webb, Chris Williams or rookie James Brown, he’s been stood up, pancaked and manhandled. Is it reason for concern? Maybe, but there’s still more to see in his evaluation.

While in camp, McClellin has shown NFL speed. It’s the biggest difference between him and the player that some observers have already starting comparing him to – 2007 draft bust Dan Bauzin. You can see he has burst. The problem arises when linemen get their hands on him. McClellin hasn’t been able to disengage.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is regarded around the league as one of the best line coaches in the NFL. It’ll be up to him to help mold the raw talent of McCllelin into a pass-rushing force.

“The movement is there, “Marinelli said. “He’s got a great motor. He’s smart and he’s got really good speed. It’s always been a ‘show-me game.’ He’s gotta go show it.” Marinelli said.

While at Boise State, McClellin spent significant time in a stand-up position. Scouts I’ve talked to have been split on what system is best for him at the next level. Some have said he spent enough time as a down linemen to be effective as a 4-3 defensive end. Some have said his speed and size make him a perfect fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker. As long as Lovie Smith is coaching the Bears, I don’t see a transition to a 3-4 happening. So, if McClellin is going to have an impact, it’s going to have to be at end.

So, how does he do that?

His performance thus far in Bourbonnais has been disappointing, but practices are an incomplete way of telling his effectiveness as a rusher. Teams don’t usually scheme against themselves in a practice. McClellin getting beat one-on-one is troubling, but it’s not the complete picture. In a game, the Bears could pick the weaker end to use him against or use more stunts to take advantage of his speed. They could use him in certain situations to stack the deck for the best result.

That doesn’t take the rookie completely off the hook, though. There were questions about his strength coming out of Boise. As fast as he is, he still needs to win those single battles against tackles. When the team breaks down into individual work, he has had a rough time beating his offensive opponents. In team drills, he disappears and doesn’t have the impact that one may expect from a first-round pick.

McCllelin is listed at 260 pounds. You can be an effective pass rusher in the league at that size, like Dwight Freeney or Elvis Dumervil, but that means refining technique. Over the next few weeks, it’ll be interesting to see if he becomes a better hand-fighter at the point of attack. He has to master pad level and leverage and create counter-moves.

It’s a work in progress, but the preseason games will give us a better idea of what type of player he is. Some guys can flip the switch when the lights turn on. The guy who he’s competing for reps with, Isreal Idonije, thinks a lot of what McClellin is going through is just the usual growing pains of being a rookie end in the NFL.

“He’s here for a reason,” Idonije said. “He’s here because he has the gifts and abilities to be a great defensive end in the NFL. We all have hard days. Put it behind you and get ready for the next and it’s going to come together eventually.”

Getting the most of those gifts will be McClellin task in the near future, but for right now, he’s making the Bears tackles look dominant.

For more Bears training camp information, follow Laurence on twitter @laurencewholmes.

(CBS) Training camp is when the football season is re-born. It fills fans with hope about the upcoming campaign. Fans get a chance to speculate on what the team will look like come September. You see all the funny videos of giant men bringing in giant televisions for the three weeks of living in a dorm, but what is it like for those guys? I thought it might be fun to get some answers about it so I sat down with five former NFL players (Anthony Adams, Matt Bowen, Alex Brown, Dez Clark and Hunter Hillenmeyer) to give you the good, the bad and the ugly from their training camp experience.

What are your favorite memories from training camp?

Alex Brown: “I loved it all, but I really loved the nothing-but-football feel.”

Hunter Hillenmeyer: “I loved the first time we would have a break. It usually came about two weeks in. We went to a Mexican restaurant called La Siesta and had a couple of margaritas. That’s the first part of camp when you feel human again.”

Dez Clark: “Lovie’s first camp, everyone was pulling their hamstrings. Me and John Gilmore had pulls at the same time, so we just watched the rest of camp from the sidelines. It was great! Back in ’06 I built a makeshift recording studio in my room and all the guys would come down after meetings freestyling and making a fool out of themselves. I still have the videos.”

Anthony Adams: “Making up freestyle rhymes. One year we had a water fight. One year we had a cookout. I loved seeing the guys and meeting their families.”

Matt Bowen: “My first camp. I had no idea what the speed of the NFL entailed until I lined up as a rookie with the Rams with Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, Az Hakim, Marshall Faulk, etc. That was the best offense I have still ever seen and my introduction to the NFL was eye-opening. I will never forget the pure panic playing in the secondary the first time Bruce ran a post route on me.”

What’s the best thing about camp?

Hillenmeyer: “Even though you’re busy, it’s a simple existence. It simplifies your life. You’re football 24/7.”

Brown: “The fans were great.”

Bowen: “Building a team. That’s when you do it, under the misery of the August sun and heat. I loved the competition, daily battles and seeing guys step up to fight for jobs.”

Adams: “Just being back in the huddle with your teammates. You miss that during the offseason.”

Clark: “When you get to go home!”

What’s the worst part of camp?

Bowen: “That third day when you can’t get out of bed. After two straight days of hitting, your body tells you to stop, but you have to get up and find a way to make it through another day. Until you get your “camp legs” under you, the experience is pure hell.”

Adams: “The worst part is the heat and the hours, waking up in the morning and you feel like you’ve been in a car accident. Then you think, you’re on the way to another car accident and it’s gonna repeat itself tomorrow.”

Clark: “The long meetings after a long hot day of practice.”

Hillenmeyer: “The toll on your body. I would just hurt. You get up, go out there and hurt for two weeks.”

Brown: “I didn’t like the 5:30 a.m. drug tests.”

What should fans watch at practice?

Hillenmeyer: “If you’re a player, watch your position. Players who succeed, use camp for a purpose. What’s lost on fans sometimes is the attention to detail. Every step is measured and important. You can see if a wide receiver cut a route at 13.5 yards instead of 15 like the coach wanted.”

Clark: “I think they should really pay attention to the individual drills. That’s where a lot of the real teaching comes into place and you can see how sharp and crisp a guy is with his techniques. It’s too much to try to pick up on during team drills.”

Adams: “Watch 1-on-1 pass rush because that’s what wins ballgames. Offensive line vs defensive line–that’s what wins game. That’s a man’s sport right there.”

Bowen: “Sometime in the second week of camp, guys will be tired, some punches will be thrown and fans will get a good idea of who really wants to win a job. That’s when you can see who wants to compete vs the guy who’s just trying to finish practice and get to the chow hall.”

My sincere thanks to the panel for their candor. Later this week I’ll have thoughts on Phil Emery and Lovie Smith’s state of the team address and updates from practices.

Follow me on twitter at @laurencewholmes for my thoughts from camp.