Postgame: Giants v Bears

[Chewie]

Well that's more friggin' like it. Is that all it took? Getting Forte and Olsen back? A lot to like about this game. I came in wanting long sustained drives and that's what I got.

Pros:

Kellen Davis....again. I didn't have him making the final 53 man roster but if he keeps rocking it in the preseason, we just may have to keep a 4th TE. After he made a tough, sticky hand catch last night I was still thinking that he needs to show up on special teams and prove he can block then - BOOM - he makes a special teams tackle and blocks like his life depended on it. I need to revise that 53-man prediction, pronto.

Matt Forte: Welcome back. Had a couple of nice runs and had a 9yd reception. The TD run was due to some great blocking by the guards (Omiyale/Garza) but he showed good cut-back ability, as usual, on his other long one.

Cutler. Funny how I'm not yelling "just punt" at the screen when it's 3rd and long now. The Bears let Cutler roll out more and he just thrives doing that. Showed pin point accuracy in traffic and he puts the ball where it allows the receiver to run after the catch. Showed nice speed on a 12yd run.

Mark Anderson. Came back from an iffy 1st game by applying some good pressure. Very quick off the line.

Aromashodu. Nice hands on that 38 yarder. Show Hester how to do that. He could make Rashied Davis expendable.

Kevin Payne. Looked good in coverage and delivered punishing tackles.

Alex Brown, Kevin Jones, Garrett Wolfe, Earl Bennett, and Brandon Rideau, Jamar Williams, and Nathan Vasher all showed some good things.

Cons :

Hester. Cutler should've kept it to himself but the description of him as 'not really a back shoulder guy' sounded pretty accurate when Hester couldn't locate the ball on what would've been an easy TD bomb. Frustrating.

Urlacher. Anyone get the name of that bus? Jacobs made #54 his b*tch.

Kramer.....again. Just awful. What a mush-mouth. Stumbled over his words the whole game.

Cody Balogh. And to think I had you on the bubble.

[Nolan]

Cutler looked really good yesterday and the recievering core didn't look all that bad. Forte also looked good.

[Cliff Levingston]

Cliff Levingston thought Earl Bennett looked really good. He definitely looked like he could be or develop into Cutler's security blanket at WR.

Henry Melton sure did beat up on the Giants' backups as well.

[Chewie]

Cliff Levingston thought Earl Bennett looked really good. He definitely looked like he could be or develop into Cutler's security blanket at WR.

Henry Melton sure did beat up on the Giants' backups as well.

I was surprised to see him playing DT.

[emperorjones]

Chewie - Having missed both preseason games, I have to say I was looking forward to your recap as much as the Sun Times & Trib's.

A few questions.

Did Rashied Davis see the field or is he as good as gone as I think?
How was the O-Line. Is Williams solid at RT and does Pace look old or capable?
Haven't read much about the DBs other than you pointing out Payne had a nice game. How was the rookie? Was Payne SS or FS?
I saw the highlight of #54 getting crushed. Glad he wasn't hurt - other than ego
How was the play calling on Defense? Any difference from last year? Are we still mugging up the line and then dropping back before the snap and are the CBs still 8 yrds off the line?

Thanks for the updates!

[SportsWorld]

Forte looked great last night. Looks much improved from last year.

Hester was pretty much my only negative last night. Hopefully he's learned that Cutler won't underthrow him like Orton used to.

[Chewie]

Chewie - Having missed both preseason games, I have to say I was looking forward to your recap as much as the Sun Times & Trib's.

Aw shucks.

Did Rashied Davis see the field or is he as good as gone as I think?

He was on the field and caught a 3yd pass - just wasn't really targeted. You can read it as him being gone or the Bears trying to target young guys they want to know more about. Given his price tag and the fact that he had 7 drops last year (way too high considering his PT), I choose the former.

How was the O-Line. Is Williams solid at RT and does Pace look old or capable?

To be honest, I wasn't watching the line closely given it's preseason but I guess you could say it's a good thing when you don't notice the OL. In general, the pass blocking looked better than the run blocking which follows the M.O. of Williams and Pace.

Haven't read much about the DBs other than you pointing out Payne had a nice game. How was the rookie? Was Payne SS or FS?

The DBs looked great. As much as I noticed Turenne and Afalava last game, I didn't see as much of them this time around. Vasher had a good bounce back game so he'll probably be firmly on the bubble. Graham was his solid self. Payne was at FS - probably due to Manning still being out.

I saw the highlight of #54 getting crushed. Glad he wasn't hurt - other than ego

Urlacher actually got crushed twice by Jacobs. I was amused how the TV crew was giving Urlacher kudos for finally getting him on a later run but he was actually just the second man in. He's got to aim for the belt buckle on his tackles - especially with the big guys.

How was the play calling on Defense? Any difference from last year? Are we still mugging up the line and then dropping back before the snap and are the CBs still 8 yrds off the line?

I'll say it was more varied than last year. I DID notice the LBs playing right on the line and DID notice corners playing way off but also noticed the LBs playing more traditionally and the corners closer to the line. Better to keep the guessing. It was a blitz fest in the second half.

Thanks for the updates!

My untrained eye is here for you. You still out of the country ?

[SportsWorld]

Forte highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC0dHDMETNY

Jay Cutler highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgE_gY-w1dM

Game highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ7eLoueLIo

[NoSkyy]

Did anyone else see Pisa Tinosomoa solidate his starter status with being the only tackler on the team able to take down Jacobs?

[emperorjones]

[ You still out of the country ?

Yes, out until mid-October and starting to get a little panicky that I'm going to miss the Packers and Steelers. Haven't missed a Packers game in over 20 years.

Thanks for the links Sports World.

Anyone have any experience with NFL online live broadcasts?

[Icness]

Just watched the game with no sound (okay, I was listening to Queen), quick thoughts:
--Cutler is so much more comfortable on the move, but he and Hester clearly don't have chemistry enough yet to do much of that. Playing WR with a mobile QB is a different kind of skill and Hester clearly lacks it. I thought Bennett and Rideau fared much better.
--really impressed with Rideau's feet and heart
--Kellen Davis is a #2 TE for some team. That block he threw on Jones' delay handoff was sweet.
--the offensive tackles did well but it seemed like the Giants were going about 2/3 speed.
--Steltz had a better game than Afalava
--Freeman made a couple of rookie mistakes in the zone, but he steps up and fills against the run well enough for a smaller guy
--Urlacher is perilously close to being a liability. I know it's preseason but is he really that slow now?!?
--DJ Moore is a dime back, at best, in a good secondary. Twice he made the cardinal sin of turning over deep coverage to the safety without checking if the safety was going to be there because of other routes. Fortunately for him Woodson didn't see it either time. As a related Giants note, it's time to pull the plug on the Andre Woodson experience. Carr looked good though.

[Howling Mad]

So does everyone feel better about Cutler?

How about my boy Matt Forte? I proudly lead the charge to his bandwagon. He's such a beast. Size, speed and vision. He looked real good and my concerns about his injury are out the window.

How many people have real concerns about our receiving game? and not because of our receivers, but more so our TE's. We're stacked. I'm not sure how many teams have 4 TE's on the roster, but I don't mind it anymore. I though Kellen Davis was all potential but he's backing that up now. He had a nice catch last year from Orton, diving in the middle of the end zone for TD. Back then I thought he had potential but with Cutler I'm confident potential will turn into production. Can't talk about the reveiving game without mentioning Rideau and Aromoshudo. Saving the best for last, Earl Bennett. At camp, Cutler to Bennett was a frequent occurence and even I under-rated that connection. Say bye bye to R. Davis. Earl Bennet is a taller, faster, better route running version of R. Davis. Not only that but Rideu and Aromoshudo can do what Davis does and are taller, more athletic, and just as fast.

The OL looked real good, I'm happy about our depth. I"m ecstatic about how the competition for positions has lifted the play of the whole line.

Defense was solid, except for Urlacher. I'm still searching for the words to descrive how I feel about that, and my thoughts aren't positive.

Hester will never be a #2 receiver let alone being the #1 guy. He's a slot/gimmick receiver and THE BEST punt/kick returner. I wanna go a little in depth about why... after speaking with people who are much smarter than me in football, I've gotten a similar response in why he'll never be a legit #1. His core strength. He doesn't have the leg mass or the bone structure to support the type of core strength he needs to make up for his size. Look at guys like Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams, M. Jones-Drew. Legs larger than your Chevy Suburban, and ab strength that only a few people in the league have. It makes sense to me. Besides that he doesn't know what a route is, let alone how to run one.
I don't care how much money he makes, a square peg doesn't fit in a round hole. Put his butt back as the return man.

Pisa Tinoisamoa is better than Hunter Hillenmeyer. Period. Too he's gotta make up for what Urlacher is losing.

I don't wanna go in depth about these guys but they deserve an honorable mention..

Garret Wolfe
Alex Brown
Mark Anderson
Caleb Hanie
Kevin Payne

[Chewie]

Hester will never be a #2 receiver let alone being the #1 guy. He's a slot/gimmick receiver and THE BEST punt/kick returner. I wanna go a little in depth about why... after speaking with people who are much smarter than me in football, I've gotten a similar response in why he'll never be a legit #1. His core strength. He doesn't have the leg mass or the bone structure to support the type of core strength he needs to make up for his size. Look at guys like Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams, M. Jones-Drew. Legs larger than your Chevy Suburban, and ab strength that only a few people in the league have. It makes sense to me. Besides that he doesn't know what a route is, let alone how to run one.
I don't care how much money he makes, a square peg doesn't fit in a round hole. Put his butt back as the return man.

I'll buy that. I imagine his lack of experience has a bunch to do with it as well. He doesn't seem to have a nose for the ball. Cutler's right - he's not a guy you can rely on to go up and fight for a jump ball. Best to throw to him in stride on slants and screens as a 3rd down receiver. I really was hoping he'd be more than that and if he can't find his pre-2008 form as a returner then what do we really have in Hester ?

[Cliff Levingston]

Hester will never be a #2 receiver let alone being the #1 guy. He's a slot/gimmick receiver and THE BEST punt/kick returner. I wanna go a little in depth about why... after speaking with people who are much smarter than me in football, I've gotten a similar response in why he'll never be a legit #1. His core strength. He doesn't have the leg mass or the bone structure to support the type of core strength he needs to make up for his size. Look at guys like Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams, M. Jones-Drew. Legs larger than your Chevy Suburban, and ab strength that only a few people in the league have. It makes sense to me. Besides that he doesn't know what a route is, let alone how to run one.
I don't care how much money he makes, a square peg doesn't fit in a round hole. Put his butt back as the return man.

I'll buy that. I imagine his lack of experience has a bunch to do with it as well. He doesn't seem to have a nose for the ball. Cutler's right - he's not a guy you can rely on to go up and fight for a jump ball. Best to throw to him in stride on slants and screens as a 3rd down receiver. I really was hoping he'd be more than that and if he can't find his pre-2008 form as a returner then what do we really have in Hester ?

Ideally, next season, we grab a true #1 (Boldin, Marshall for example), obviously. Hopefully Bennett proves to be good enough to be a solid or even good #2, then Hester moves into the slot where he can really do some damage in space.

[fleet]

Hester will never be a #2 receiver let alone being the #1 guy. He's a slot/gimmick receiver and THE BEST punt/kick returner. I wanna go a little in depth about why... after speaking with people who are much smarter than me in football, I've gotten a similar response in why he'll never be a legit #1. His core strength. He doesn't have the leg mass or the bone structure to support the type of core strength he needs to make up for his size. Look at guys like Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams, M. Jones-Drew. Legs larger than your Chevy Suburban, and ab strength that only a few people in the league have. It makes sense to me. Besides that he doesn't know what a route is, let alone how to run one.
I don't care how much money he makes, a square peg doesn't fit in a round hole. Put his butt back as the return man.

I'll buy that. I imagine his lack of experience has a bunch to do with it as well. He doesn't seem to have a nose for the ball. Cutler's right - he's not a guy you can rely on to go up and fight for a jump ball. Best to throw to him in stride on slants and screens as a 3rd down receiver. I really was hoping he'd be more than that and if he can't find his pre-2008 form as a returner then what do we really have in Hester ?

trade bait?

And we hear such happy talk about him. Eh, hes excited about working with a real QB, working real hard. If only he had natural instincts to become a real wide receiver. Would be nice if the Bears could trade him, whoever else, and whoever else, and a future #1 or #2 for Marshall....who wants him some Jay Cutler. Which would be absurd since the Broncos would then...

#1, be disbanded and firebombed by Broncos fans
#2 can get better than a Bears trade package from most other teams not to mention just compensation from losing Marshall in Free agency. I'm just dreamin and worried. Don't like the Hester show.

[Chewie]

Hester will never be a #2 receiver let alone being the #1 guy. He's a slot/gimmick receiver and THE BEST punt/kick returner. I wanna go a little in depth about why... after speaking with people who are much smarter than me in football, I've gotten a similar response in why he'll never be a legit #1. His core strength. He doesn't have the leg mass or the bone structure to support the type of core strength he needs to make up for his size. Look at guys like Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams, M. Jones-Drew. Legs larger than your Chevy Suburban, and ab strength that only a few people in the league have. It makes sense to me. Besides that he doesn't know what a route is, let alone how to run one.
I don't care how much money he makes, a square peg doesn't fit in a round hole. Put his butt back as the return man.

I'll buy that. I imagine his lack of experience has a bunch to do with it as well. He doesn't seem to have a nose for the ball. Cutler's right - he's not a guy you can rely on to go up and fight for a jump ball. Best to throw to him in stride on slants and screens as a 3rd down receiver. I really was hoping he'd be more than that and if he can't find his pre-2008 form as a returner then what do we really have in Hester ?

trade bait?

As much as I hate to say it, I think you're right. He's not meshing with Cutler as a #1 option and if he gets his playing time at WR cut he'll probably throw a hissy as his deal is chock full of incentives tied to his receiving #s. We already have the NFC's leading kick returner in Manning and seem to have candidates for the punt returning duties in Knox, Moore, Iglesias, and others. Like Cliff said, we're probably stuck with what we've got at this point - we'll ride it out this year and look to make a splash in 2010.