Tag: Kyle Orton (Page 14 of 14)

      Bears should be 5-0 right now

      October 5, 2008 /

      Kyle OrtonIt’s amazing when teams don’t do the little things and how it can affect an entire season. Take the Chicago Bears for example, who could easily be 5-0 right now after destroying the Detroit Lions 34-7 at Ford Field on Sunday.

      The Bears are 3-2 on the season, but they had double-digit leads in the fourth quarters of each of their two losses. And had Kyle Orton and the offense managed just one first down late in the game against the Panthers and Bucs, we would be discussing how Chicago stacks up to the Giants and Cowboys as the best in the NFC.

      One of the problems the Bears have had this year is that they get too conservative in the second half of games. Orton and the offense have come out firing in the first half of every game this year, only to fall back on the run in the second half. In theory, the game plan is solid. Build a lead, control the game on the ground and rely on your defense and special teams to win. But the problem that Chicago has had is that once one thing goes wrong, that game plan is shot to hell. The offense turns the ball over, then all of a sudden they can’t pick up first downs and then the defense tires out. See the Bears’ losses to Carolina and Tampa this year as proof to what I’m referring to.

      Chicago did a great job today not letting up in the second half. They were still throwing late into the fourth quarter despite having a comfortable 24-point lead. Orton (24 of 34, 334 yards, 2 TDs) is better than what most make him out to be and he does have a bit of a gunslinger mentality. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner needs to be as aggressive as he was today with his play calling, because the Bears are a much better team when is.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Bears come up with goal line stand to top Eagles 24-20

      September 29, 2008 /

      Despite the best efforts of the offense to give the game away, the Bears held on to a 24-20 win over the Eagles Sunday night after the defense came up with a huge goal line stop on 4th and 1 late in the game.

      Eagles-BearsFollowing a Robbie Gould field goal that gave the Bears a 24-20 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, Donovan McNabb and Correll Buckhalter led Philadelphia on a 70-yard drive down to the Chicago 4-yard line. But the Bears’ defense held the Eagles out o the end zone on four straight rushing attempts, including stonewalling Buckhalter on 4th and 1 with just under four minutes to play.

      In two previous games against the Panthers and Bucs, the Bears blew double-digit leads in the fourth quarter, largely because the offense couldn’t gain first downs late in each game. But they were able to move the ball successfully on their final possession Sunday night, eating up three minutes of the clock and leaving the Eagles with only one last desperation pass at the end. It was clear not having Brian Westbrook really hurt Philly’s offense, even though Buckhalter did finish with a 4.1 YPC average.

      While Chicago will take the win, Philadelphia can look at several blown opportunities to come away with a victory. Bears’ QB Kyle Orton threw two interceptions, including one in the end zone that could have netted Chicago points, and also fumbled twice (one was just as much Kevin Jones’ fault after a botched handoff). But the Eagles could only turn Chicago’s gaffs into field goals and came up short in the end. The Bears’ defense was once again the stars, keeping Philly out of the end zone and covering up the offenses’ mistakes. The score doesn’t indicate it, but Chicago’s effort was probably one of the better defensive efforts of the year.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 4 Primer

      September 26, 2008 /

      Jason CampbellSunday’s Best: Redskins (2-1) at Cowboys (3-0) 4:15 PM ET FOX
      How stacked is the NFC East? Even Washington, the team expected to be the worst in the division, has looked strong since losing their opener to the Giants. In their sound win over the Packers last Sunday night, the Cowboys proved that they’re the class of the NFC. Dallas has a ton of offensive weapons, but the Skins could keep things close now that QB Jason Campbell is starting to look more comfortable in Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense. Plus with RB Clinton Portis running well and the Cowboys’ run defense missing S Roy Williams, maybe this is a good time for Washington to face their NFC East foe.

      Upset Watch: Eagles (2-1) at Bears (1-2) 8:15 PM ET NBC
      Philadelphia is coming off an impressive win over the Steelers while Chicago once again gave up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter while dropping its home opener to Tampa Bay. But the Eagles are banged up right now, with QB Donovan McNabb, RB Brian Westbrook and TE L.J. Smith all missing significant practice time this week. By all accounts, the Bears should be 3-0 right now, but blew wins at Carolina and home against Tampa Bay. Da Bears are tough to beat at home and the defense should bounce back after Brian Griese tuned them up in the fourth quarter and overtime last week. But can the offense generate enough points? Philly’s defense harassed Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger last week and will no doubt attempt to do the same this week against Kyle Orton. As of Friday, Devin Hester is still listed as questionable on the Bears’ injury report, but he could give Chicago a huge boost in the playmaking department if he could return.

      Jon GrudenIntriguing Matchup: Packers (2-1) at Bucs (2-1), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      Aaron Rodgers suffered his first defeat as a starter last week against Dallas, so it’ll be interesting to see how he and the Packers respond. Things don’t get any easier this weekend in Tampa, where the Bucs have won two straight and the offense is clicking with Brian Griese under center. Without the threat of a running game last week, Green Bay wasn’t as effective offensively as it had been in wins over Minnesota and Detroit, respectively. Can RB Ryan Grant bounce back against a tough defensive front seven of the Bucs? And how will the Packers fare without starting CB Al Harris (spleen)? Even though Green Bay is 2-1, it has issues that Jon Gruden and Tampa could expose.

      Other Notable Games:
      Vikings (1-2) at Titans (3-0), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      After notching their first win of the season last week against Carolina, are the Vikings back? Adrian Peterson didn’t run wild last week, but the Minnesota defense stepped up and created scoring opportunities. They might need to do so again this week given the Vikes’ offense could struggle against a tough Titans’ D.

      49ers (2-1) at Saints (1-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      The 49ers would go long way in proving they’re for real if they can beat a banged up Saints team in New Orleans this Sunday. With how well the rest of the division is playing so far, the Saints can’t afford to fall to far behind in the NFC South.

      Falcons (2-1) at Panthers (2-1), 1:00 PM FOX
      The Panthers are eager to bounce back following their loss to Minnesota last Sunday, while the Falcons want to prove that their record isn’t just a byproduct of beating two bad teams (Detroit, Kansas City). The Panthers have the better overall talent, but Atlanta (especially DE John Abraham) has had some success playing in Carolina over the years.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Griese burns former team as Bucs beat Bears 27-24 in OT

      September 21, 2008 /

      Brian GrieseFor the second week in a row, the Bears blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of a game, losing to former quarterback Brian Griese and the Tampa Bay Bucs 27-24 in overtime.

      Down 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Griese, who attempted a staggering 67 passes by the way, led the Bucs to a 35-yard field goal with just over three minutes to play. Griese then threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jerramy Stevens with only seven seconds remaining to tie the game at 24 and send it to overtime.

      After the teams exchanged punts in OT, Tampa started on its 7-yard line. Griese then marched the Bucs all the way down to the Bears’ 3-yard line before Mark Bryant kicked the game-winning 21-yard field goal on second down.

      The Bears can spread the blame around evenly after this loss. After the Bucs kicked a field goal to cut the deficit to 24-17, Chicago took possession with just over three minutes to play in the fourth. But Kyle Orton and the offense couldn’t muster one first down and the Bears had to punt. Then the Chicago defense allowed Griese to march Tampa up the field for the game-tying score.

      The refs also blew one for the Bears, too. On Tampa’s eventual game-winning scoring drive in overtime, Chicago had the Bucs stopped after a failed 3rd and 9 from the 8-yard line. But CB Charles Tillman was flagged 15-yards for unnecessary roughness, allowing the Bucs to keep the ball. But replays showed Tampa guard Jeremy Trueblood hitting Bears’ DT Tommie Harris multiple times in the helmet. Tillman then came in and pushed Trueblood in retaliation.

      Tillman was still in the wrong. Everyone knows that the second guy will always get caught. But it was a game-changing moment and one the Bears never recovered from.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Bears can’t hang on, Panthers rally for second straight week

      September 14, 2008 /

      Jake DelhommeThe Carolina Panthers are getting pretty good at this comeback thing. For the second straight week, the Panthers rallied for a win, this time mounting a fourth quarter comeback to beat the Chicago Bears 20-17.

      • The Panthers started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2003 but won those two games by a combined five points.
      • The Bears gained 151 yards on their first two drives with eight first downs, scoring once and fumbling once. They then gained 105 yards on their final 11 drives of the game, with just four first downs.
      • Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart scored his first two NFL touchdowns, both in the second half. He finished with 77 yards on 14 carries, good for 5.5 yards per carry.

      Greg Olsen fumbled twice, the second one leading to a Panthers’ touchdown to cut the Bears’ lead to 17-13. While rookie Matt Forte (92 yards rushing) was once again effective on the ground, Chicago QB Kyle Orton missed open receivers all second half. A couple throws could have led to big gains, if not touchdowns.

      What a difference Jake Delhomme makes for the Panthers’ offense. There’s nothing that stands out about this Carolina team, but the way they’ve won the past two weeks have been impressive. In their two wins, the Panthers didn’t panic and made big plays in crunch time. They’re schedule over the next three weeks is very favorable (at Vikings, vs. Falcons, vs. Chiefs), so the Panthers might continue to roll.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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