***NFC North Thread***

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 10:13 am

Dunnnnleavy wrote:you're being facetious.

incorrect, leave the faggy back n fourth for the nfc east thread

an-also · Post by **an-also** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 10:13 am

We can plug through without Tramon for the first few weeks but the defense will take a big hit if he's gone for more than 6 weeks. If Jarret Bush has to play significant time, yikes.

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 10:15 am

i didnt like how brees just walked down the field on that final drive

an-also · Post by **an-also** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 10:31 am

I wasn't too happy with how the defense played either but if you step back and look at it, It was the saints and Brees is elite qb. We still made Brees work for his yards most of the game though. Godgers on the other hand was flinging it on the saints as he pleased. I'll take that win over the saints anyday.

Roy Johnson · Post by **Roy Johnson** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 11:47 am

Man, Randall Cobb was looking mighty impressive.

I didn't realize that so few wide receivers were drafted in the first two rounds this year.

4. A.J. Green (Bengals)
6. Julio Jones (Falcons)
26. Jonathan Baldwin (Chiefs)
44. Titus Young (Lions)
58. Torrey Smith (Ravens)
59. Greg Little (Browns)
64. Randall Cobb (Packers)

The Bears had pick #53, and they went with a defensive tackle.

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 11:55 am

randall cobb ran the wrong route, yet based godgers hit him anyway = all on godgers. also, if cobb was recognized as being the next human joystick why did they spend millions to keep jones?

ric · Post by **ric** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:04 pm

capable_keL wrote:randall cobb ran the wrong route

why do you say this/how do you know this?

Roy Johnson · Post by **Roy Johnson** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:38 pm

capable_keL wrote:randall cobb ran the wrong route, yet based godgers hit him anyway = all on godgers. also, if cobb was recognized as being the next human joystick why did they spend millions to keep jones?

The Jones thing might have been a gaffe, but then again, I can't blame the Packers for being overly cautious with their depth after all of the injuries that they suffered last year.

an-also · Post by **an-also** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:45 pm

ric wrote:
capable_keL wrote:randall cobb ran the wrong route
why do you say this/how do you know this?

He said so after the game.

an-also · Post by **an-also** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:47 pm

Roy Johnson wrote:
capable_keL wrote:randall cobb ran the wrong route, yet based godgers hit him anyway = all on godgers. also, if cobb was recognized as being the next human joystick why did they spend millions to keep jones?
The Jones thing might have been a gaffe, but then again, I can't blame the Packers for being overly cautious with their depth after all of the injuries that they suffered last year.

If you look at the money Jones is getting, its peanuts compared to what other guys got this offseason. Jordy Nelson is a FA after this year also.

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:55 pm

an-also wrote:
ric wrote:
capable_keL wrote:randall cobb ran the wrong route
why do you say this/how do you know this?
He said so after the game.

ric, please act in accordance to the Norf thread standards or post in a subordinate thread

naturalborn103 · Post by **naturalborn103** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:17 pm

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel suggests James Jones could be "on the trade block fairly soon."

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:40 pm

an-also · Post by **an-also** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:57 pm

damn

Dunnnnleavy · Post by **Dunnnnleavy** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 4:19 pm

During his press conference today McCarthy said the tests reveal Tramon Williams has a shoulder bruise.

Good news, but that must be one hell of a bruise.

ric · Post by **ric** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 5:57 pm

@ analso: thanks

@ kel

an-also · Post by **an-also** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 7:55 pm

This is really really good news or a cover up for a more serious injury.

Green Bay Packers: Coach Mike McCarthy delivered good news Friday afternoon. Cornerback Tramon Williams suffered a bruised right shoulder in Thursday night's victory over the New Orleans Saints but apparently avoided a more serious injury. The Packers have the weekend off and don't have to update their injury report again until Wednesday.

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 11:54 am

I would not at all mind traiding Jones for a guard or DT. Tori Gurley needs to make it on the roster or we will lose him soon. Dude's size is not something we can lose without getting anything in return.

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 3:14 pm

an-also wrote:This is really really good news or a cover up for a more serious injury.

Green Bay Packers: Coach Mike McCarthy delivered good news Friday afternoon. Cornerback Tramon Williams suffered a bruised right shoulder in Thursday night's victory over the New Orleans Saints but apparently avoided a more serious injury. The Packers have the weekend off and don't have to update their injury report again until Wednesday.

i told you it was just a stinger. the only thing that didn't seem right on thursday was when the pack came out on the field to jock jams

wtf?

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 3:26 pm

Hahah. That had to be an inside joke or something.

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 3:27 pm

Adrian Peterson has agreed to a new long-term contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings, the team announced Saturday.

Peterson had begun the final year of his rookie contract and was in position for a big pay day. After setting the NFL's single-game rushing record with 296 yards against San Diego in 2007, Peterson has been picked for the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons. He's already second in Vikings history behind Robert Smith in yards rushing for his career.

"Adrian's performances on the field have given fans so much excitement since he first joined us as a rookie," Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said in a statement released by the team. "His talent and determination are remarkable and we are proud to have him be a part of the family for years to come."

Peterson's deal comes on the heels of Chris Johnson's six-year, $56 million contract extension with the Tennessee Titans.

Minnesota announced Monday it signed linebacker Chad Greenway to a new five-year deal.

The Vikings open the season against the Chargers on Sunday in their first meeting since Peterson's 296-yard game.

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 3:27 pm

Maybe a backhanded jab at the Steelers and Wiz Khalifa? You fags can have your fancy rap song, we have Jock Jamz 1

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 3:28 pm

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 12:39 pm

NFL TICKET IS FREE TODAY, channels 700 & up, watch bucs/lions

an-also · Post by **an-also** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 12:22 am

NFC South is 0-4 with three of the losses coming to NFC North teams.

Roy Johnson · Post by **Roy Johnson** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:07 am

Man, if this is what we can expect from Henry Melton now that he's put on 30 pounds, we're gonna be terrorizing quarterbacks on a weekly basis.

Melton needs a dance to go with sacks
Bears DT is dominant in his first career start

As he reflected on his dominant performance against the Falcons, all Henry Melton could think about was dancing.

"I just started skipping with excitement at one point, so I've got to work on it,'' the Bears defensive tackle said about his sack celebrations. "I just need to start with a dance, and then I'll name it. I'm going to try to do something funny.''

Melton was no joke Sunday as he recorded two sacks, two tackles for a loss and an astounding seven quarterback hits in his first career start.

No wonder Bears coaches raved so much about him in the preseason.

"We've seen him develop into a pretty good defensive lineman in one of our marquee positions, that under tackle position,'' coach Lovie Smith said. "Just a lot of athletic ability, great power, speed and quickness. Inside, he's a tough matchup for bigger, slower offensive linemen.''

Happy returns: With the new kickoff rules designed to increase the number of touchbacks, no one expected to see Devin Hester get many opportunities, but he had three returns for 53 yards with a long of 23.

"We knew the kicker we were facing this week (Matt Bosher) was a rookie,'' Hester said. "He showed some glimpses in preseason that he kind of struggled to get it deep in the end zone. So we knew we had an opportunity to get some shots.''

Hester returned one punt for 14 yards and made two fair catches as he handled all the return duties.

All in the family: After scoring on a 1-yard reception from Jay Cutler, tight end Matt Spaeth ran to the stands to deliver the ball to his mother, Terri.

Problem was, Spaeth secured seats in two sections of Soldier Field, and his mother wasn't there. So Spaeth gave the ball to his aunt, Debbie Wille.

"I guess my mom came second this time,'' Spaeth joked.

Terri Spaeth had the ball outside the locker room afterward.

"It's going back to Matt,'' she said.

Surprise contributors: Newcomers Nick Reed and Tyler Clutts contributed in their first games as Bears.

Reed, a second-year defensive end drafted by the Seahawks, was called on to rush in some crucial third-down situations. He even showed coverage skills on Falcons running back Jason Snelling on a third-and-goal play from the 7.

"I knew going in that I was going to be the third (defensive end) and that I would be going in if (Julius Peppers) and Izzy (Idonije) got tired,'' Reed said. "I was excited to be in there, but I prepared for it all week.''

Clutts, signed last week as a fullback, delivered a few downfield blows on big plays by Matt Forte and Hester.

"When I first talked to the personnel guys, they told me I was playing this week. So mentally, I was preparing to play,'' Clutts said. "I spent a lot of hours getting in that playbook, like three or four a night. Things are starting to slow down for me.''

Extra points: Smith did not reveal the status of receiver Roy Williams (groin) and guard Lance Louis (ankle) but said, "Whenever a player doesn't finish the game, there's a concern.'' ג¦ Receiver Sam Hurd was inactive as he recovers from a sprained ankle. The other inactives were Marion Barber (calf), Corey Wootton (knee surgery), Stephen Paea, Mario Addison, Nathan Enderle and Edwin Williams. ג¦ Rookie linebacker Dom DeCicco got poked in the eye playing special teams, leaving a red patch on his eyeball.

- Vaughn McClure, Chicago Tribune

Roy Johnson · Post by **Roy Johnson** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:10 am

Chicago Bears: Defensive line leads charge with five sacks

An inspired defensive line registered all five Bears' sacks of quarterback Matt Ryan in Sunday's 30-12 season-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field.

"It starts with that for us as far as getting pressure," said coach Lovie Smith. "We don't get off the bus blitzing. We feel like we can get pressure with our four-man rush."

Julius Peppers and Henry Melton each had multiple sacks in the game.
Defensive end Julius Peppers and defensive tackle Henry Melton both recorded two sacks, while defensive tackle Amobi Okoye had one. On one of his sacks, Peppers caused Ryan to lose the ball and middle linebacker Brian Urlacher returned the fumble 12 yards for a touchdown.

"We've been talking a lot about Henry Melton and what we thought he would bring to that group," Smith said. "And Julius Peppers is a hard guy to deal with for any offense. But that sets everything up, being able to get that pressure and being able to play a little bit more coverage."

Melton's two sacks Sunday came in his first NFL start.

"We've seen him develop into a pretty good defensive lineman at one of our marquee positions, that under-tackle position," Smith said. "[He possesses] a lot of athletic ability, great power, speed and quickness. Inside he's a tough match-up for bigger, slower offensive linemen."

The five sacks were the most by the Bears since they had six last Nov. 18 in a 16-0 win at Miami and the most ever in a season opener in Smith's eight years as coach.

"The defense kept the clamps on them all game long," said quarterback Jay Cutler. "We still have to play up to the defensive level. They're still carrying us and they're still doing some things out there that are unbelievable. The pressure they get on the quarterback and the way they run to the ball, it's a tough defense to go against."

Brian's song: After scoring one defensive touchdown last season, the Bears matched that total Sunday when Urlacher got into the end zone for the first time since Dec. 23, 2007 when he returned an interception 85 yards against the Green Bay Packers.

Urlacher's only other career touchdowns both came in 2001 when he returned a fumble 90 yards against the Falcons at Atlanta and caught a 27-yard game-winning TD pass from Brad Maynard on a fake field goal versus the Redskins at Washington.

On Sunday, Peppers was juggling the ball while lying on the ground when Urlacher dashed by, scooped up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown without being touched.

"I thought גPep' was going to get it and luckily it bounced to me," Urlacher said. "I was able to pick it up and not drop it."

Urlacher's diving interception in the first half was the 19th of his career, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Bill George for the third most by a linebacker in franchise history, trailing only Doug Buffone (24) and Hall of Famer Dick Butkus (22).

Making plays: Ryan completed 31 of 47 passes for 319 yards and a 76.5 passer rating and Michael Turner rushed for 100 yards on 10 carries, including a 53-yard run. But the Falcons still failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since last year's season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"It was big," Urlacher said. "They're a good offense. We gave up some yards on the ground early. Turner's a good back. He kind of gashed us there a little bit. But we made plays. Guys got to the quarterback. Our DBs were hitting as usual, and we got downhill and made some plays."

Larry Meyer - chicagobears.com

Roy Johnson · Post by **Roy Johnson** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:23 pm

Sunday:
Green Bay @ Carolina
Chicago @ New Orleans
Kansas City @ Detroit
Tampa Bay @ Minnesota

Roy Johnson · Post by **Roy Johnson** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:34 pm

Dan Pompei's Bears grades.

Bears' offensive, defensive lines get job done
Both have big impact in season-opening victory

One of the Bears' offseason goals was to make their offense bigger and more physical.

It didn't take long for the offense to start flexing.

Bears blockers put the Falcons' normally physical front seven on the ground repeatedly. The Bears ran it between the tackles 14 times to set the tone.

What they did outside the tackles was interesting. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz paired big tight ends Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth on the same side of the line of scrimmage on a number of running plays and let them seal off the edge.

With about 13 feet and 540 pounds of tight end coming at them, the Falcons defense understandably showed some creases.

With Davis and Spaeth on the left side of the formation in the third quarter, Matt Forte started right and cut left. He made Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson miss and then was off to the races for a 27-yard gain.

This is something the Bears couldn't do against a defense like the Falcons' last year. They tried it against 3-4 teams, but with Spaeth and Davis, they can do it against any kind of front.

Here is what else we saw on further review.

Grading key: Grades are between 0 and 10, with 0 being complete failure and 10 being perfect.

Tight ends

Grade: 6.5

The blocking was a highlight, though Davis had a couple of breakdowns that resulted in negative plays.

He missed Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon on the first play of the game, and Weatherspoon dropped Forte for a loss of 3.

In the third quarter, he was entrusted to handle a defensive end one-on-one with the Bears' back to their end zone, and Davis was beaten by Lawrence Sibury. Cutler got the ball off but took a hellacious hit in the end zone.

Davis was targeted five times and caught two balls. It took three Falcons to bring him down once and six to bring him down the second time.

The Falcons made the mistake of treating Spaeth like an offensive lineman on the goal line, and Spaeth easily shook defensive end Kroy Biermann on a play-action fake to get wide open for the easiest 1-yard touchdown he'll ever score.

Offensive line

Grade: 6

The performance wasn't perfect, but it was very good in spots and Cutler shouldn't have been too sore Monday morning.

J'Marcus Webb gave up one sack and had two holding calls but otherwise did not play badly against John Abraham, one of the premier pass rushers of this era.

Gabe Carimi gave up one sack and a few pressures and had some technique breakdowns, turning his body too much, losing balance and forgetting his hand placement. Overall, though, it wasn't a bad debut for the rookie.

Roberto Garza did a fine job at center. There appeared to be very few mental mistakes on the line despite the fact Chris Spencer was forced to play after Lance Louis was injured.

Spencer didn't have a great game, but he didn't have the benefit of a proper week of preparation. On the overthrow to Davis that should have been a touchdown, pressure up the center/right guard gap by Peria Jerry forced Cutler to throw before he wanted to.

Wide receivers

Grade: 7

Even the receivers were physical, as their downfield blocking was a factor. On Forte's 27-yard run, Earl Bennett ran interference on safety William Moore. On Forte's 56-yard screen play, Johnny Knox threw a nice block. On Devin Hester's 53-yard catch and run, Roy Williams took out a Falcon.

It was nice to see Williams not only come down with everything that was thrown to him but catch the ball away from his body and make a defender miss.

Running backs

Grade: 7

Forte showed some elusiveness and made some sharp cuts. He had 158 combined yards on 21 touches. He was effective on first downs, which helped keep the Bears out of third-and-longs.

New fullback Tyler Clutts, fresh off the Browns' practice squad, made a few effective blocks.

Quarterback

Grade: 6.5

There was nothing wrong with Cutler's performance, but it wasn't spectacular. He took what the Falcons gave him and didn't force things.

He moved in the pocket effectively. He threw away the ball twice. He slid short of a first down rather than taking a big hit.

His interception on a screen play the Falcons blew up really wasn't his fault, but he could have thrown three other interceptions that were dropped by defenders.

Of Cutler's 312 passing yards, 167 of them, or 53 percent, came on yards after the catch.

Defensive line

Grade: 9.5

This was a dominant performance. The Bears exploited the Falcons with speed, power and trickery ג every way possible. They sacked Matt Ryan five times and hit him 15.

Everyone on the front four played well, but Julius Peppers and Henry Melton stood out.

The Falcons paid plenty of attention to Peppers, but they didn't come close to containing him. He was in the quarterback's face all afternoon.

Peppers and Melton worked wonderfully in tandem, as they often closed in on Ryan from different angles, leaving him with no options.
It's not always going to be as easy for Melton as it was Sunday, when he was lined up against a guard and a center who came into the game with four career starts between them. But if Melton can play half as well as he did against the Falcons, he is going to be doing a lot of dancing this season.

Matt Toeaina played some nasty run defense.

Linebackers

Grade: 8

Brian Urlacher was outstanding, and not only with takeaways. He was a big factor in the run defense that was effective most of the day.

Lance Briggs and Nick Roach didn't make any glaring mistakes.

Safeties

Grade: 5

Everyone up front did his job so well that the safeties didn't get in on a lot of action. They were playing conservatively. No big misses or breakdowns.

Cornerbacks

Grade: 6

Good tackling by D.J. Moore and Tim Jennings, as usual. Not as good by Charles Tillman.

There were four plays in which Tillman either missed a ballcarrier or took a bad angle or bad read and subsequently allowed extra yards.

He made up for all of it by popping the ball loose and helping the Bears to a takeaway. Tillman also covered well for the most part, breaking up two passes on slants.

Special teams

Grade: 7

Considering the Bears were going against one of the better special teams units in the league, they did pretty well. Robbie Gould's seven end zone kickoffs, Adam Podlesh's punts and Corey Graham's kick coverage stood out.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/co ... .columnist

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:16 pm

Gonna get so trashed Sunday. Might stalk Godgers at the hotel and offer my gf up for a MMF. With full eye contact and constant belt celebrations and lipstick moustaches.