Chicago Bears News Archives

It's been quite a while since linebacker Brian Urlacher played in an NFL game, and he's acting like he's been away forever.

Currently Cutler gives himself several insulin injections each day to maintain proper blood sugar levels.

I have never seen a team look so pitiful on defense. Had the Vikes wanted to they could have scored 50+ points and posted 700 yards of total offense.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield is inactive for the fifth straight game with a right foot injury.

The Bears solved a few problems Sunday in their 36-10 loss to the Vikings. Instead of playing poorly in the first quarter, they played poorly in the second quarter -- giving up 24 points.

The Vikings limited Matt Forte to just 27 yards on eight carries. Chicago held the ball for only 19:05 of the game, managing eight first downs and 169 total yards.

Michael Vick is ready to make his football return to Atlanta. Vick will play his first game in Atlanta since 2006 when the Philadelphia Eagles visit Sunday.

Even in the best of times, playing left tackle in the NFL is a challenge. Left tackles protect a right-handed quarterback's blind side.

Last Sunday against the Eagles , the Bears had an opportunity to take advantage of Sheldon Brown but didn't pick on the hobbled cornerback too much.

''I tried it out probably a month after I was diagnosed, and we went into camp wearing it, the offseason workouts,'' he said.

The Chicago Bears lost what many felt was a must-win game for the club last weekend.

Pro Football Weekly's Hub Arkush reported that the Bears have an interest in hiring Mike Shanahan, a sentiment sure to annoy current head coach Lovie Smith.

CBSSports.com pro football writers Pete Prisco and Clark Judge face off weekly throughout the season.

Rumors are swirling that the Chicago Bears could be close to bringing in Mike Martz as offensive coordinator.

Telling Bears defensive linemen that Adrian Peterson won't play Sunday because of an ankle injury and illness is like saying Charlie Weis will coach Notre Dame the next five years.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. It seems like a monumental task given the disparate paths the teams are on, but a victory over the Vikings Sunday in Minnesota would provide a major boost for the slumping Bears.

It was only a few weeks ago when we thought that no matter what the score was, the Bears were always going to be in the game just by having Cutler.

Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson missed practice on Friday because of illness and is listed as questionable for the game Sunday against Chicago.

When a football team is 4-6 and looking forward to a January of watching the playoffs on television, playing for the future only makes sense.

Paul Pioneer Press Minnesota Vikings cornerback is on his way back. "It feels 100 times better.

The Bears play for pride against the high powered Vikings. Jay Cutler played a conservative game against the Eagles last week but missed key opportunities to score.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. In his last six games against the Bears as a member of the Packers, Brett Favre threw two touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, three of which were returned for scores.

The NFL Network is reporting that an unnamed source claims that former Steelers' head coach and Super Bowl winner Bill Cowher would be interested in coaching either the Chicago Bears or Houston Texans next season.

Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions looks for a receiver against the Chicago Bears on October 4, 2009 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

The Chicago Bears not only are bad, they've also picked a bad time to be bad. Obviously, it's never good to trade away your first round draft pick for a quarterback who isn't producinga 'whether it's his fault or the lack of an offensive line.

Days before the Bears ' 24-20 loss to the Eagles , Olin Kreutz challenged his teammates, saying stars need to play like stars in games this big.

Antoine Winfield was limited in practice Wednesday, but the Vikings Pro Bowl cornerback said he expects to play Sunday against Chicago.

Share + Nov 25, 2009 4:51 pm US/Central LAKE FOREST, Ill. 1 of 1 Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler attempts a pass in his regular season debut against the Green Bay Packers on September 13, 2009 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

With the Bears on a three-game skid and piling up losses for the first time in the post-Super Bowl era, the burning question around the NFL is torn from the pages of ESPN The Magazine: Who's got next? A source close to former St.Louis Rams coach Mike Martz, most recently the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator last season, said the architect ...

Jason Avant tumbles into the end zone for the Philadelphia Eagles. They call it parity, but the National Football League is really two or three very good teams, three or four extremely bad ones and a gaggle in between.

Bears kicker Robbie Gould watches his field goal attempt sail toward the uprights during the Bears' 30-6 victory against the Cleveland Browns on Nov.

Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions looks for a receiver against the Chicago Bears on October 4, 2009 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

Talk about insult to injury. Chicago Bear Devin Hester is going to be the butt of numerous jokes today after the speedy wide receiver got pantsed on national television during Sunday's Football Night in America broadcast.

Jay Cutler seems to have found a way to keep his bad games from following one another, and while he has struggled in prime time, none of his stinkers have come at Soldier Field.

It's time for the Chicago Bears and head coach Lovie Smith to part ways. But not because of the struggles of the Bears thus far in 2009, but to save the career of superstar quarterback Jay Cutler.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. Just two days after being promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, Kahlil Bell made history - not to mention a strong first impression - in Sunday night's loss to the Eagles.

QUICK LOOK: Back when the schedule came out, the Bears thought this game would be one of the most important on their schedule.

The struggling and disappointing Chicago Bears have only one touchdown in their last two games, have lost five of six and have watched their playoff chances sink.

Honestly, we feel sorry for Chicago Bears receiver Devin Hester, who had his entire backside exposed on national TV yesterday.While Hester was trying to catch a pass late in the Chicago-Philadelphia Eagles game, Eagles player Dmitri Patterson accidentally pulled Hester's pants down as he tried to tackle him.And now today, Hester is the butt of all ...

Ever the forward-thinkers, the Bears are trying their hand at this new-fangled "throw the ball forward" thingy, and it's working out about like they expected.

Because Jay Cutler is being protected from blame in Chicago better than he is from pass rushers, we apparently need to consider other culprits for the Bears ' lousy 4-5 start.

Usually when the Bears win the turnover battle, it results in a victory. That wasn't the case in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Eagles as the Bears won the turnover battle 3-1. Charles Tillman forced three fumbles, two of them recovered by teammates.

Like every other position on the Eagles, special teams has felt the sting of injuries, especially the kick-return unit.

The NFL flex-scheduling procedures kick into effect this weekend and it is shocking that no game replaced the atrocious matchup between Philadelphia and Chicago.

It's gotten to the point the Bears probably won't solve their running-game woes this season, but that doesn't mean they've run out of effective uses for Matt Forte .

Eagles over Bears-x National spotlight. Back at home. What more could Donovan McNabb ask for? Maybe another run for him and his Mom with a Campbell's soup commercial? Or, a stinkin' win.

Washington Oprah Winfrey's decision to end her talk show in 2011 has attracted mixed feelings from the people of Chicago, where the programme is shot.

We routinely second-guess draft picks and coaching decisions. But since the Bears ' Super Bowl XLI appearance, they have signed or traded for 19 players of note, with many of those deals falling short of expectations.

It's difficult for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb to empathize with Jay Cutler's current situation as the NFL leader in interceptions.

The Bears have a long and storied tradition, steeped in great players, mostly on the defensive side of the ball, though we have perhaps the best running back of all-time. In fact, the Bears have retired the most uniform numbers of any NFL team.

QB Jay Cutler vs. CB Asante Samuel Cutler's struggles at night have been well-documented, with 11 interceptions in three evening contests.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler makes a call in the second half of the Bears' 41-21 loss to Arizona on Nov.

Things that may make you go blind: Old Testament justice, frequent masturbation, a glimpse of Megan Fox without her makeup, accepting a drink from a Bears fan? Pittsburgh fan Zack Heddinger claims a drink he accepted from a Bears fan at a Chicago bar during the Bears-Steelers game Sept.

Bears coach Lovie Smith learned a lot from his mentor, Tony Dungy, but he has been remarkably more patient than Dungy with his offense.

JUST BECAUSE BEARS coach Lovie Smith seems intent on beating his head against the wall, it doesn't mean fantasy leaguers have to do the same.

Garrett Wolfe, a third round pick in 2007 out of Northern Illinois has landed on the injured reserve for the second straight season.

Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs is upended by the Bears' Garrett Wolfe on a kickoff return in the third quarter of a Nov.

DONOVAN McNabb played the "must-win" card yesterday. Fascinating, that is. He talks a lot these days about how young this Eagles team is, about how veteran leadership is lacking, and now a quarterback whose tendency is to say nothing has chosen this moment to draw a bright line in the shifting sands.

Leave the power running game on the bus and hand the ball to Jay Cutler. That's the best solution for the Bears with seven games left in a fast-fading season.

's left ankle are torn. He certainly isn't. Orton adamantly wants to start Sunday against San Diego and help the Denver Broncos snap out of a monthlong funk that has wiped out their 3 1/2-game cushion over the Chargers in the AFC West.

Unless the Bears stage a dramatic turnaround the remainder of this season, it seems a virtual certainty that somebody on Lovie Smith 's coaching staff will end up being a scapegoat with a pink slip in hand at the end of the season.

CHICAGO a * Jay Cutler has thrown a league-leading 17 interceptions, and after he threw five against the 49ers, Coach Lovie Smith even said that type of performance could shake the quarterback's confidence.

Despite these deficiencies, the Bears can move the ball up and down the field behind Cutler's arm.

CHICAGO - Balance is admirable, both in offenses and arguments. So allow me to try to add some of it to the interesting case Rex Grossman's father laid out.

The following is a list of inactive players for tonight's NFL game. CHICAGO BEARS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 8:20 P.M. Bears - S Al Afalava, S Kevin Payne, RB Garrett Wolfe, WR Juaquin Iglesias, G Lance Louis, DT Matt Toeaina, DT Jarron Gilbert, LB Pisa Tinoisamoa 49ers - 3rd QB Nate Davis, CB Keith Smith, CB Nate Clements, RB Glen Coffee, C Cody ...

Cornerback Sheldon Brown was a limited participant in practice this afternoon and said there was "a good chance" he'll play Sunday night at Chicago despite a strained hamstring that forced him out of Sunday's loss at San Diego.

The right time to evaluate the Jay Cutler - Kyle Orton trade is not now, but a couple of years from now.

Things reportedly got a little testy backstage at ''Saturday Night Live'' this weekend when Fergie spied a couple of copies of People magazine -- featuring the cover story about her hubby Josh Duhamel's alleged fling with that stripper.

The Bears talked a lot about finding out what kind of team they are in November, when the NFL season takes a turn toward the serious, and what they've discovered is pretty grisly.

The father of former Chicago Bears starting quarterback Rex Grossman says the struggles of the team's current signal-caller redeems his son.

The Bears stood little chance in their home finale this weekend and came out on the losing end of a 47-14 drubbing at the hands of the mighty Texas Longhorns.

A lot of websites run an "approval rating" poll periodically to gauge the fan base's opinions on the football team.

A Pittsburgh Steelers fan almost died, after he says a Chicago Bears fan poisoned him.

So it has come to this: We're in mid-November, and the Bears are talking about running the table.

With four losses in five games and a 4-5 record, defensive tackle Tommie Harris realizes the Chicago Bears' hopes are fading fast.

3. Ron Turner still has a job despite No. 2. 4. They're 4-5 after playing teams that are a combined 38-42. 5. The remainder of their opponents are 32-30 . Still... if they can't beat bad teams, why on earth would they be able to beat halfway decent teams? 6. They are four games out of first in the NFC North.

''Every one I've ever thrown has its own story,'' Manning said, ''but nobody wants to hear it.'' The quote echoed as Bears quarterback 's cliffhanger Thursday against the San Francisco 49ers ended with his fifth interception from 12 yards out on the final play of a 10-6 loss.

Spent some time before kickoffs to the games on Sunday taking a look at the Bears' situation with those pesky yellow flags the officials seem to be throwing on a more frequent basis.

Check out Bob's weekly column from Sunday's Chicago Tribune about two Chicago Bears teammates keeping a house in the team's family, so to speak, with injured defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek selling it to Bears rookie wide receiver and first-time homebuyer Juaquin Iglesias for $344,500.

It used to be that a Sunday without a Bears game just ruined my day. I mean, the ritual of gathering around the television on Sunday is ingrained in my DNA.

Open? That's what his receivers have not been. Instead, opponents have intercepted Orton's errant passes 17 times already this season, most of any thrower in the NFL.

Terrell Owens . Albert Haynesworth. Larry Johnson . Julius Peppers. And Jay Cutler .

Manny Pacquiao spent long, hard weeks getting ready for one of the biggest nights of his life.

Chad Ochocinco's pretend $1 US bribe is going to cost him a lot more. The Cincinnati Bengals receiver was fined $20,000 and reprimanded by the NFL for taking a dollar bill onto the field during an officials' review of one of his catches last Sunday.

Sitting alone after another ugly performance by the team he built, Jerry Angelo hunched over a piece of paper in the Candlestick Park press box.

After nine weeks no one would have expected the Chicago Bears to be sitting at 4-5 and in third place in the NFC North.

A Chicago school is one of a handful of middle schools in the United States receiving $50,000 to help get its students in better shape.

The University of Central Arkansas Bears beat crosstown foe Div. III Hendrix College Warriors 68-40 Friday night.

A pair of Chicago Bears defensive players came to the defense of embattled Alderman Edward Vrdolyak last year before he was sentenced to five years of probation for corruption.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver and special teams player Sean Morey says he played with a concussion against the Chicago Bears last Sunday even though he has taken a lead role in raising awareness of head injuries.

SAN FRANCISCO a ' Bears general manager Jerry Angelo is confident defensive tackle Tommie Harris has learned his lesson from Sunday's ejection.

SAN FRANCISCO a ' What does Lovie Smith think about all the folks calling for his head? "I don't listen to it, I don't read it," he said.

"I think we can destroy their guys up front," Davis told Bay Area reporters Tuesday.

It was supposed to be an intriguing battle between a pair of 4-3 playoff hopefuls, two of the past three NFC champions.

Make that extremely confident. Asked for his thoughts on Chicago's defense, Davis said the 49ers should roll.

The Chicago Bears have a lot of problems, but would adding another one actually help fix something? That sounds like I'm advocating two wrongs making a right, but in this case it might be crazy and a good idea.

The quick turnaround meant San Francisco's quarterback had little time to nitpick his turnover-plagued performance in last weekend's loss to the Tennessee Titans - and he figures that's a good thing.

Brandon McGowan has held two of the NFL's top tight ends in check for the New England Patriots.

With half the season in the books, the NFL's series of Thursday night games begins with two struggling teams trying to stay in the playoff race.The 49ers, who are 3-point favorites over the Bears, have lost four in a row.

Lost amid the rubble of the Bears' third loss in four games was the second-biggest passing day of Jay Cutler's career.

Running back Garrett Wolfe was taken to the hospital during the second half of Sunday's game and will remain hospitalized for another day with what is believed to be a lacerated kidney, a source told the Sun-Times. Wolfe was knocked out of the loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field with what the team described as a back injury, but Wolfe ...

Mike Singletary faces the Bears on Thursday in San Francisco for the first time since taking over as head coach of the 49ers last season.

By Tony Moss, NFL Editor -- - The team that wins Thursday's primetime battle between the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears at Candlestick Park will have the opportunity to kick off its weekend in a positive fashion.

In studying the Bears ' defensive performance Sunday, lack of execution did not stand out as much as lack of intensity.

The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers will line up across from each other on Thursday night.

You might say Smith didn't have a clue after the Bears' 41-21 loss Sunday to the Cardinals at Soldier Field.

Lately it seems the red zone is where the Bears' offense goes to die. Of their last 13 trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line, the Bears have managed just 4 touchdowns, a success rate of 30.8 percent, which has dropped their season mark to 44.4 percent, tied for 25th in the league.

This is a Sept. 20, 2009, file photo showing Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders, in Kansas City, Mo.

Tom Waddle goes one on one with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

Put San Diego's underappreciated Vincent Jackson in the latter category. The guy is special, but you don't hear much about him outside the 619 area code -- and that's a mistake.

Jamal Lewis can see the goal line to his career. It's just eight games away. Cleveland's durable running back said Wednesday that he hasn't changed his mind about retiring after this season, his 10th in the NFL.

When Bob Babich was the Bears ' defensive coordinator, it was always difficult to figure out where he started and Lovie Smith ended.

The convoluted ouster of George Kokinis as Cleveland's general manager barely made a ripple in the Browns' locker room.

Watching the Chicago Bear debacle against Arizona today, despite the late comeback attempt against a team that already put this one in the victory column brings me to one conclusion - Lovie Smith should be fired right now.

CHICAGO The Bears will look to win their second straight game and at least keep pace with the Vikings and Packers in the NFC North today when they host the Cardinals at Soldier Field.

If the 4-3 Bears don?t put more pressure on the Cardinals ? Kurt Warner Sunday than they?ve put on opposing quarterbacks in their last three games, they?ll be looking at a .500 record at the halfway point of the season.

Terrell Owens . T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Laveranues Coles . Marvin Harrison . Plaxico Burress .

When asked if he would have any limitations coming off a sprained right ankle , Bears receiver Devin Hester responded, "none whatsoever." So that means Hester should have little trouble zipping by the Cardinals cornerbacks come Sunday, right? "They do bite on double moves," Hester said.

Come watch the game with some of your fellow SPE members! John Barleycorn has countless televisions and a fantastic atmosphere.A This is a night to hang out with your buddies, and root on the Bears!A They have a full menu to satisfy any of your hunger pains and a cash bar to quench your thirst.A Relinquish the T.V. at home and join your friends and ...

Welcome to Round 1 of the NFL playoffs between the Bears and the Cardinals. The winner between the NFC 's last two Super Bowl losers keeps hope alive that 2009 will matter.

Who knew it was possible to make a 30-6 win look mediocre, but the Chicago Bears found a way.

Chris Johnson continues to live in the shadows of Adrian Peterson as the NFL's best running back, but the league's current leading rusher has earned a few headlines of his own for the Tennessee Titans.

Welcome to ESPNChicago.com ! The Bears are coming off a rout of the Cleveland Browns and face the defending NFC champion Cardinals Sunday at Soldier Field.

Carrying a three game winning streak into a home date with the struggling Carolina Panthers, the Cardinals looked like a team that was ready to finally emerge as an elite team.

Dennis Green's postgame rant, memorialized by a beer commercial, is what everyone remembers from the Bears' 24-23 comeback victory at Arizona three seasons ago.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin hopes to play at Chicago this week despite re-aggravating a right ankle sprain.

Not that anyone could blame him. Problem is, this happened at times in Denver and was part of the reason he earned a negative reputation, even before he engineered his way out of town.

When the Chicago Bears made their bold trade with the Denver Broncos in April to acquire Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler, the Windy City celebrated as if the Cubs had won a World Series.

LAKE FOREST – Bears reserve offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer has a pretty good idea about what to expect Sunday from the Cleveland Browns.

Devin Hester #23 of the Chicago Bears runs against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field on November 1, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois.

After each victory, Minnesota coach Tim Brewster announces a series of team award winners.

The defense found their Mojo, while the offense continued to stumble. If it wasn't for a dominating performance by the Bears defense in Sunday's 30-6 rout of the woeful Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field we may have been talking about a three-game losing streak.

"Don't forget to wear your mouthguard." That's what every mother says to her little boy as he heads out to play football.

The progress of the Bears defense has been treacherously betrayed by the man running it.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester missed practice on Wednesday after suffering an ankle injury against Cleveland this past Sunday.

The weather pattern this week is mild and seasonal for this time of year in Chicago.

Tommie Harris is double-teamed blocked by Cleveland's Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach.

Interesting game for the offensive line. With Josh Beekman replacing Frank Omiyale at left guard, the line showed some progress in run blocking but had quite a few lapses in pass blocking.

Being a Chicago Bears fan all my life, no name makes me cringe more than Brett Favre.

Critics of Strikeforce and CBS' pre-fight build-up to the Nov. 7 event, "Strikeforce: Fedor vs.

Rob Ryan called. The Browns defensive coordinator revealed that his sideline exchange Sunday with Jay Cutler consisted of: "You were $#$#%$# better in Denver.

The Bears still are a month away from playing the Minnesota Vikings for the first time this season, but they have a sense of what the NFC North leaders are all about.

CHICAGO - Brittney Payton shed tears. Jarrett Payton beamed with pride. And Connie Payton-Strotter said "it all had a special meaning today" when the Bears honored the late Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, who died 10 years ago Sunday.

Thank heavens for the bye week. We can all use a week off from the Bills' mind-numbing run of brutal, boring offense.

Lovie Smith likes to talk about how losses don't leave a good taste in his mouth, but this win probably didn't taste too good to Jay Cutler, who was swallowing blood after a blow to the chin from the helmet of Cleveland linebacker Kamerion Wimbley in the second quarter.

Flint's Robaire Smith had six tackles Sunday in the Cleveland Browns' 30-6 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Gary Fencik, a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears, was on Good Day Chicago Monday to talk about Sunday's Bears-Browns game, Walter Payton and Bear Appetit.

CHICAGO The defense generated five takeaways and scored a touchdown in Sunday's 30-6 win over the Browns.

Dan, when you and I talk Bears , we have fun because it's the team we're most passionate about.

Save the refrigerator/bathroom breaks for when the Browns' offense is on the field because the Chicago Bears' Devin Hester and Johnny Knox and the Browns' Joshua Cribbs should put on a show on special teams.

Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions looks for a receiver against the Chicago Bears on October 4, 2009 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

When: Noon. Line: Ravens by 31/2. Synopsis: Denver seeks its first 7-0 start since it won the Super Bowl in the 1998 season and has used a tough defense to reach its lofty status this time.

Originally published November 1, 2009 at 12:16 p.m., updated November 1, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. CHICAGO a ' Ten years to the day he died, Walter Payton was honored by the Chicago Bears with a ceremony at halftime of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns.

There's two ways to relieve a headache. You can take Advil. Or you can have your head chopped off.

When Alyne Payton walks onto Soldier Field on Sunday for a halftime tribute marking the 10th anniversary of her son Walter's death, she plans to have him next to her heart, as usual.

Maybe the communication problems in Cincinnati wouldn't have occurred last Sunday if the six-time Pro Bowler had been there to relay the play calls.