Chicago Bears Odds

The Chicago Bears have fallen short of their expectations in their last two seasons, largely inpart to injury. How are the Chicago Bears gearing up for the upcoming season, and if healthy, can the Bears reach the ultimate goal.

 

 

The Bears’ offseason of additions will have its first test against the Colts in Week 1. The Bears host Andrew Luck for his first NFL game, and the sportsbooks aren’t giving the young Indianapolis quarterback much of a chance against one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Bears are -10 favorites over the Colts, and I see no reasons why NFL bettors should not like that number.

As I’ve mentioned time and again, the Tampa 2 or Cover 2 defense gives young quarterbacks problems. Look what it did to Cam Newton last season. With that being said, I think Luck will struggle a little bit, and probably throw an interception or two. I also think this is going to be a coming out party for the Bears offense, and that’s why I recommend playing Chicago, despite them laying double digit points.

My Pick: Bears -10

 

 

The Bears are looking like the most improved team in the NFC North this season, a division that should see a lot of competition between its’ top three teams. Chicago re-stocked its' arsenal, and they could be a very sneaky team in regards to a deep playoff run.

This week we’ll take a look at two key players on the Bears, one of which is a new face, the other an old.

Brandon Marshall was brought in for next to nothing, and he could quickly become the most valuable acquisition of the offseason for any team. The Bears are hoping he can rekindle some of the magic he and Jay Cutler had in Denver. Both have some question marks, but both have ceilings that are extremely high. Marshall has been doing very well in camp for Chicago, and the coaches seem to be very high on him.

From one end of the spectrum to another, as the Bears are still at war with their franchise running back Matt Forte. Forte has been upset for as long as I can remember, and it didn’t help that the Bears brought in Michael Bush. Forte has yet to sign his franchise tender, and has until July 16 to either work out a new contract, or sign his deal. This is the one dark cloud surrounding the Chicago Bears, so I’ll keep you posted about it as we get close to training camp.

 

 

NFL teams have wrapped up their OTAs, and now they have a few weeks before mini camps start later this month. After that, it’s all about training camp and the preseason. We are only a few long months away from the start of the NFL season.

In our continuance of covering the Bears this offseason, we’ll take a look at the current situation surrounding star running back Matt Forte, and whether or not he will hold out far enough to disrupt the Bears’ upcoming game plan for this season.

Forte tore his MCL at the end of last season, and with the new GM in town, contract talks have been stalled. However, Forte was offered the franchise tag, which would pay him just under $8 million in this upcoming season. That is if he shows up and signs it.

Forte was been asking for a new deal for a year now, because the Bears went through this last season. The Bears and Jay Cutler seem to think he will start to show up ready to go. If the Bears can solve that issue and their offensive line problems, this will be a successful season for Chicago. 

 

 

Chicago is looking like a force to be reckoned with this season, after a very disappointing season in 2011. The Bears have signed a wealth of free agents, and did very well in the draft. With the season fast approaching, teams are in the weight room and on the practice field, getting used to their new teammates and learning new systems.

For Jay Cutler and the Bear’s offense, the new offensive scheme will be the biggest change going into the 2012 season. Mike Martz is gone from Chicago, and into his role as offensive coordinator is former offensive line coach Mike Tice.

Tice’s new system will most likely feature a lot more running then Martz’s did, but that’s a given. With Matt Forte and newly signed Michael Bush, the run game will be a focal point of the Bear’s this season. Also, Jay Cutler’s throws will be different. Instead of taking huge drops for deep passes, Cutler will be asked to manage the game more, instead of taking shot after shot. Also, I expect Devin Hester to be a little more involved, not just returning and receiving, but end arounds, misdirection and even straight running the ball might all be a factor for Hester this season.

 

 

The Bears addressed many concerns this offseason, and the draft continued their path back to being a playoff contender. With the 19th overall pick in the draft, Chicago went for Shea McClellin, a 6’3, 260 pound speed rusher. McClellin went to Boise State and can play either standing or in the defensive end position; in fact, he was ranked number one among OLB in the draft before being leapfrogged by Brice Irvin, who went 15th to the Seahawks. 

The Bears then drafted wide receiver Alshon Jeffery from South Carolina. Believe me, this guy is a steal at the 45th overall pick. He is 6’3, runs extremely well and has excellent hands. He will be a welcome addition to the Bears’ receiving corps, which should prove to be much improved this season. 

Schedule-wise, the Bears, and the entire NFC North for that matter, play the AFC South and the NFC West this season, both of which have but one good team. Things look good in the first half of their schedule, as they only have to play two playoff teams from last season in their first eight games. Things are looking up for Chicago; the question is, can they put it all together?

Chicago Bear NFL Odds to win Super Bowl XLVII - 20/1

 

 

Free Agent signings 

The Bears have made a few more big signings since our last update. Firstly, they signed two cornerbacks to contracts. Kelvin Hayden and Jonathon WIlihite both agreed to one year contracts. Hayden played for the Falcons last season and had a good year. He is a former second round draft pick, and should fill in nicely on either side of the starting secondary. 

Other then those two, the biggest free agent news surrounding this team is that the Bears have agreed to a one year contract extension with Lance Briggs. Briggs mentioned last season that he was looking for a new deal, but he still had three years remaining. Briggs will now be in a Bears uniform through the 2014 season.

General News

The NFL Schedule was released, and the Bears get the privelage of getting the first glimpse of Peyton manning. Too bad it’s in the preseason. Manning will probably through one pass, but still.

The Bears’ regular seasons schedule isn’t horrible, but it isn’t easy. Chicago has to travel to Green Bay in week two, and Dallas in week four. Luckily, their non-divisional games are not horrible. They get to pay Houston at home, but they do have to play San Francisco on the road which will be tough. Other then that, games against the Titans, Panthers, jags and Cardinals should not be too tough.

As expected, the one they call Matt Forte is sitting out the Bears’ voluntary workouts, eve though he is going to get paid almost $8 million this season. I guess that isn’t enough. I’ll keep you posted on all the latest Forte drama as it unfolds. Until then, I’ll see you all next week!

 

 

 

Continuing on our weekly news and betting odds blog for NFL teams this offseason, here is my weekly update on the Chicago Bears. Not much has gone on in Bears camp in the last ten days, as the organization and others are gearing up for the draft, which is just a few weeks away.

Free agent/trade news

All is quiet on the Bears’ free agent front with one exception. The Bears signed Devin Thomas, a free agent wide receiver and special teamer to a one-year contract. Thomas was drafted in the second round and 34^th overall by the Washington Redskins back in 2008, and has played for the Skins, Panthers, Giants and now the Bears.

He won a Super Bowl last season with the Giants as a special teams guy, and in his career, has 43 receptions, 482 yards and three touchdowns. He will help out an aging special team for Chicago. Thomas is a Michigan native and went to school with current Bears tight end Kellen Davis.

Draft Buzz

This is probably the biggest news surrounding the Bears this offseason, as they have a tough and very important draft coming up within the next few weeks. Normally, experts are able to cite major concerns within the team and predict accordingly whom they are likely to pick with the 19^th overall selection. However, this has not been the case for Chicago.

Five different players at four different positions have been noted as possible first round selections for Chicago. Two defensive ends, a wide receiver, a cornerback and an offensive lineman have all been rumored for the Bears.

If they don’t go with an offensive lineman, I see it going to either the secondary or defensive end. Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije are solid defensive ends, but the Bears might look to get a little younger, deeper, and more athletic at that position. Also, cornerback is a huge concern on defense for this team, so if I had to place my sports picks on it today, I would bet the Bears draft a good young corner with the 19^th overall pick.

 

 

Even though fall and football are still months away, we here at SBR Forum are at your service, giving you weekly updates for NFL teams. As you can note from the title, this particular update will focus on the Chicago Bears, a team with a new GM and a lot of off season buzz and news surrounding their club.  

Free Agent/trade news

After a disappointing finish last season, the Bears realized that it was time to part ways with general manager Jerry Angelo. After Jay Cutler and Matt Forte went down with injury, the backups of Caleb Hanie and Marion Barber were simply not suitable enough. It showed, because the Bears didn’t win a game after those two took over, as they were forced out of the playoffs. Hanie is now a Bronco and Barber has retired.

Enter the reign of Phil Emery. Emery isn’t well known around the NFL big wigs, but he is a great evaluator of talent and is a great move for the Bears. He has been a scout and scouting director in the NFL since 1998. He makes his return to the Bears in a big way, and has wasted no time in getting this team back in the conversation of Super Bowl contenders.

In less then two weeks, the Bears have addressed multiple concerns, and might have just created one, but I’ll get into that in the next section. Firstly, the Bears made what might be the steal of the entire offseason, which has barely gotten underway. For just two third round picks, the Bears traded for former Miami Dolphins receiver, Brandon Marshall.

This addressed probably the biggest concern, besides the offensive line, that the Bears had. Marshall now gives the Bears their first real number one receiving threat for as long as I’ve been alive. To make you believe my last statement, Marshall has more receptions in his six-year career then the Bears’ all time leading receiver, Walter Payton. Marshall might be facing some disciplinary action from the NFL, but even if he is forced to miss time, he is still a steal for the Bears.

To address another equally important need, Chicago signed free agent quarterback Jason Campbell to be Cutler’s back up. Campbell is a huge upgrade, and will be extremely serviceable, incase Cutler goes down again. The Bears lost out on a chance to go to the Super Bowl two seasons ago when Cutler went down, and lost out on a sure playoff spot last year when Cutler broke his hand.

Other signings for the Bears this offseason include linebacker Blake Costanzo, wide receiver Eric Weems, and their own free agents tight end Kellen Davis, and defensive end Israel Idonije.

Finally, the Bears have signed another player that has caused national headlines and somewhat outrage from current running back Matt Forte. Just days ago, Chicago landed free agent running back Michael Bush for $14 millions dollars over four years, $7 millions of which is guaranteed. Bush brings a physical style of running and over 2600 career yards and 22 touchdowns. This has sent Matt Forte into a bit of a frustrated rage, which I am going to weigh in on below.

General Team News/disrespect is a Forte

When the news of Michael Bush’s signing reached Matt Forte, he was upset. He has seen multiple back up running backs get signed to deals when he has been sitting aside, still being paid on his rookie deal, which paid him just over $900,000 last year. Forte tweeted out, “there’s so many times a man that has done everything he’s been asked to do can be disrespected! Guess the GOOD GUYS do finish last.”

Forte has been offered a franchise tag for this season, which would pay him $7.7 million for the 2012 season, nearly double what he has made over his entire career. If the Bears chose to franchise him again, he will be paid $9.2 million next season. Reports (though they are old and probably inaccurate) report that Forte is looking for a deal with around $20 million in guaranteed money and just over $8 million dollars a year.

It’s understandable that Forte would want a long-term deal. Wouldn’t we all? But running back is a very dime a dozen position and everyone knows it. Arian Foster was undrafted. He is now one of the best backs in the league. Plus, the guys who got the big money this offseason, Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson, one was horrible for the first eight games, while the other one tore his ACL. I guarantee both the Vikings and Titans are regretting overpaying for these guys. 

The Bears hold all the leverage in this situation, and I can guarantee that if Jerry Angelo wouldn’t overpay Forte, Emery won’t either. $7.7 million (and probably another nine million after that is a lot of money, and it is all guaranteed) is a lot of money. But Forte’s beef isn’t with the money; it seems to be the fame and the carries.

Forte knows now with the signing of Bush that he won’t get as many carries, and hence, will be leveraged against him that he isn’t worth as much money. Forte is 26 years old and will be 27 before the end of this upcoming season. This is getting old for a running back. If the Bears give him a four-year deal even after this season, they will be paying him until he is 31 years old, and through his ninth NFL season. He has already played four seasons. This is above the average life span of an NFL running back.

Let me finish this conversation with this. Forte has already carried the ball over 1000 times. That’s well over 1000 times that he has been hit, tackled and crushed under a pile of defensive tackles and linebackers. That takes a toll on the body. Forte is a great player, but his knee and recent history are the only reasons the Bears are hesitant to sign him to a long-term deal. We all saw what happened to the Bears last year when Forte went down and they had to rely on Marion Barber, (a guy who just retired at age 28).

The Bears need a backup and even a tandem running back to keep Forte fresh, on the field and compete for a Super Bowl. No team in the last ten years, (except for the 2002 Super Bowl champion Ravens) have won a Super Bowl without a running back by committee system. In today’s NFL, teams need more then one good running back, not only to rest the other, but also to change pace on the field and insure a solid ball carrier.

If anything, Forte should be happy that the Bears have signed another good back. If anything, it will prolong his career; a career that is on a path to end after another season or two because of all the constant abuse his body has been taking. Forte knew what he was getting into becoming an NFL running back. The average life span is 3-years. The Bears are just playing this smart and not handicapping their franchise like the Vikings probably just did by giving Adrian Peterson $100 million. For the record, I hope Chicago signs Forte to a deal that will keep him in Chicago, but not at the expense of the entire team and franchise for the next 4 years.

Draft Buzz

The Bears were one of many 8-8 teams, but they pick 19^th in the first round of the NFL Draft, the last of the 8-8 teams. Currently, after signing multiple skill and defensive players so far in free agency, the problems of the offensive line will have to be addressed by the draft. Last season, the Bears drafted Gabe Carimi in the first round, a pick that was praised because it would help one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. Carimi unfortunately got hurt during the season, and the Bears are unsure if he will be ready to start offseason programs. 

This year’s draft, I expect the Bears to make a similar move and draft another offensive lineman. The problem is, a lot of teams picking ahead of the Bears will target offensive linemen. However, I suspect that the Bears will be able to get a top five prospect, whether they go for a guard or tackle. This year is a deep draft when it comes to the line, so I see the Bears possibly targeting more then one come April 26^th.