Week 1: Bengals @ Bears 9/8 Noon CBS/780

[ctcf]

So I totally ended up missing this game. Anyone care to share their overall impressions/takeaways from the afternoon?

[UMFan83]

So I totally ended up missing this game. Anyone care to share their overall impressions/takeaways from the afternoon?

 

I guess you can be excused seeing as you are in Turkey.

 

Scattered thoughts about the game:

 

Pass rush was non-existent almost all game

 

Cutler was good for the most part. One int was rather bad (right to a Bengal) but could have been miscommunication. For the most part he got good protection and particularly in the second half he was able to get the ball downfield and made good decisions and sharp throws. Also did some good scrambling to extend plays.

 

Running game was not all that great. Not a lot of holes. They were able to run the ball well enough to run out the clock in the 4th quarter but didn't really break any long runs, just a bunch of 3-4 yard runs. One of the plays of the TD winning drive was the Bears converting on 4th and inches in bengals territory which they ran a sweep to the outside on Longs side and Forte got good blocking and converted with a 4-5 yard run.

 

Cutlers first TD pass was a great throw to M. Bennett who made a spectacular catch that no Bear TE since Greg Olsen would have been able to come up with.

 

Defense was rather disappointing the first 3 quarters. Tillman and Jennings were getting burned regularly by Green. Their TEs were getting free and getting the ball. Tackling was bad. But Tillman did have 2 nice INTs. Jennings was pretty bad from what I saw, but did force 2 fumbles (and recovered one, the other one he didnt see it he actually kicked it out of bounds). The defense did show up for the last 20 minutes of the game and the d line started getting a little pressure. Overall a medicore at best performance.

 

Pass blocking was solid....no sacks given up! Overall considering there are 4 new starters on the line, it was a pretty good performance.

Edited September 8, 2013 by UMFan83

[Guest]

Cutler played like a hero today.

[ctcf]

Thanks UMF, sounds pretty damn solid.

[rawaction]

Cutler said he was going for Bennett on the corner route on the INT, but his shoulder got grabbed by the pass rusher and really screwed up the throw.

[UMFan83]

"I grew up with a lot of kids," Bennett said. "To eat, you've got to be the first one downstairs to get yours. It was like that. Everybody had a hand in the pot. But I came out with the chitlins."

 

Quiz: What event in today's game was Bennett talking about in this quote?

[Guest]

"I grew up with a lot of kids," Bennett said. "To eat, you've got to be the first one downstairs to get yours. It was like that. Everybody had a hand in the pot. But I came out with the chitlins."

 

Quiz: What event in today's game was Bennett talking about in this quote?

 

His TD catch?

[UMFan83]

"I grew up with a lot of kids," Bennett said. "To eat, you've got to be the first one downstairs to get yours. It was like that. Everybody had a hand in the pot. But I came out with the chitlins."

 

Quiz: What event in today's game was Bennett talking about in this quote?

 

His TD catch?

 

Yup...quite a random quote though

[Butterscup1679666578]

well that dude hasnt made sense since he came to chicago. why start now? just keep making sick catches.

[BigSlick]

Agree in broad strokes with what UMF said, I'll also add I saw Briggs miss a couple tackles in particularly galling fashion. I don't remember the last time I've seen him wildly throw himself at ballcarriers and not solidly take folks down, hope its not him losing a step.

 

Also Peppers was completely non-existent, and I know there's been rumors he's been playing semi-hurt all summer, who knows. :beg:

 

Still, the offense, while it started off slow, really delivered when it mattered, and the weapons of Forte-Bennett-Jeffery-Marshall is pretty exciting.

[Guest]

The size and height of Bennett, Jeffery and Marshall is impressive when watching them on the field.

[Pushfrog98]

Robbie Gould has made his last 11 FGAs over 50 yards.

 

What's the record?

11, Blair Walsh and Tony Zendejas. And, well, now Robbie Gould.

Also, Robbie Gould is now the most accurate Kicker in NFL history for FG 50+ yards.

[Wilson A2000]

Robbie Gould has made his last 11 FGAs over 50 yards.

 

What's the record?

11, Blair Walsh and Tony Zendejas. And, well, now Robbie Gould.

Also, Robbie Gould is now the most accurate Kicker in NFL history for FG 50+ yards.

 

Who would have thunk it? What made Lovie think that Gould couldn't make these? Heck for those first few years he wouldn't even let Robbie try them.

[BigSlick]

Robbie Gould has made his last 11 FGAs over 50 yards.

 

What's the record?

11, Blair Walsh and Tony Zendejas. And, well, now Robbie Gould.

Also, Robbie Gould is now the most accurate Kicker in NFL history for FG 50+ yards.

 

Who would have thunk it? What made Lovie think that Gould couldn't make these? Heck for those first few years he wouldn't even let Robbie try them.

Real talk, it almost feels like Robbie's leg has gotten stronger as he's aged, his kick offs were never all that impressive when he came into the league (granted the rules put him 5 yards back) and he just overall didn't seem to have a lot of oomph to his kicks. He does now. Maybe its a confidence thing.

[Derwood]

Robbie Gould has made his last 11 FGAs over 50 yards.

 

What's the record?

11, Blair Walsh and Tony Zendejas. And, well, now Robbie Gould.

Also, Robbie Gould is now the most accurate Kicker in NFL history for FG 50+ yards.

 

And he was an undrafted kicker out of PSU who was a UDFA and was signed/cut during training camp by another team before landing with the Bears

[Soul]

When Gould entered the league, the team would try to protect him from 50+ yard kicks because he clearly struggled with them.

 

Now he's nailing 58 yarders.

 

It's pretty much mind-boggling how he has progressed. He must have the most amazing leg strength/conditioning program known to mankind, and his practice habits must be insanely effective.

[Derwood]

After going undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft, the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots signed Gould prior to the 2005 NFL preseason even though they already had established Super Bowl winning kicker Adam Vinatieri. Following his not unexpected preseason release from the Pats, Gould signed with the Baltimore Ravens only to be waived three weeks later. He then took a sabbatical from football, working construction for M&R Contracting in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania. The Bears signed him on October 8, 2005, following the Week 3 injury of their starting kicker, Doug Brien.

[Soul]

Yeah, that's right. Gould didn't even win the job in camp. Bears brought him in out of desperation. And he turns out to be the best kicker in franchise history.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

It's pretty much mind-boggling how he has progressed. He must have the most amazing leg strength/conditioning program known to mankind, and his practice habits must be insanely effective.

Yes, insanely effective training program or....

[Wilson A2000]

Yeah, that's right. Gould didn't even win the job in camp. Bears brought him in out of desperation. And he turns out to be the best kicker in franchise history.

 

I got Butthead slightly ahead of him, but Gould will catch him eventually.

[Soul]

It's pretty much mind-boggling how he has progressed. He must have the most amazing leg strength/conditioning program known to mankind, and his practice habits must be insanely effective.

Yes, insanely effective training program or....

 

Not going to go there, my friend :)

[Careless]

When Gould entered the league, the team would try to protect him from 50+ yard kicks because he clearly struggled with them.

 

Now he's nailing 58 yarders.

 

It's pretty much mind-boggling how he has progressed. He must have the most amazing leg strength/conditioning program known to mankind, and his practice habits must be insanely effective.

And he never got touchbacks in his first couple of years, it seemed

looking it up:

1 for 54 (2%)

11 for 94 (12%)

3 for 71 (4%)

9 for 77 (12%)

8 for 72 (11%)

16 for 74 (22%)

then they moved the line up

43 for 77 (56%)

 

2006 really screws with that trend.

 

edit: hard to believe it's been that long since we got rid of Edinger

[scarey]

When Gould entered the league, the team would try to protect him from 50+ yard kicks because he clearly struggled with them.

 

Now he's nailing 58 yarders.

 

It's pretty much mind-boggling how he has progressed. He must have the most amazing leg strength/conditioning program known to mankind, and his practice habits must be insanely effective.

 

Gould has given a LOT of credit to Toub when interviewed in terms of his improvement on kicking distance. It may just be one of those things where the right coach and the right player got together.

[UMFan83]

Wouldn't be too amazed that he was undrafted and ended up being good. Only 14 of the 32 current starting kickers in the league were drafted into the league. The rest signed on as undrafted FA and fought to stick on a roster like Gould.

[Guest]

And also, I was really impressed by Green, he aint just a pretty face. He victimized Peanut a couple of times and scored a couple of touchdown, but Tillman's INTs were the difference in the game. They were dueling warriors yesterday.