Tag: Kyle Fuller

Pre-Season Notes – Chicago Bears – Final Notes

David Bass has gotten interesting…

Just a few days ago, the Chicago Bears concluded their Pre-Season with a loss to the Cleveland Browns – who were fielding starters against the 3rd string Bears. The Bears dropped to 2-2 overall, but who cares about the Pre-Season record? No one, exactly. Today I’ll hand out the final standout notes, for the game against the Browns – note the final scores for the players I’ve followed – and, give out awards for the best rookie of the Bears Pre-Season, and the best overall player of the Bears Pre-Season.

I wrote down a few standouts, and even crossed out the name of one (Demontre Hurst). Defensively, I liked what I saw from defensive end David Bass, and cornerback C.J. Wilson. The former made it to the team, and the latter did not even make it to the Practice Squad. Good luck young man. Offensively, I loved what I saw from Santonio Holmes, Shaun Draughn and Josh Bellamy. Santonio and Shaun both made it to the 53-man roster, and Josh made it to the Practice Squad. Below are the final overall scores for the players I’ve followed.

  • #25 – Ka’Deem Carey: 3 pts.
  • #12 – David Fales: 1 pt.
  • #36 – Jordan Lynch: 2 pts.
  • #23 – Kyle Fuller: 4 pts.
  • #95 – Ego Ferguson: 0 pts.
  • #45 – Brock Vereen: -1 pt.
  • #93 – Will Sutton: 0 pts.
  • #16 – Pat O’Donnell: 3 pts.
  • #57 – Jon Bostic: -1 pt.
  • #50 – Shea McClellin: -4 pts.

Overall Player of the Pre-Season: David Bass, #91, Defensive End.

Overall Rookie of the Pre-Season: Kyle Fuller, #23, Cornerback.

Pre-Season Notes – Chicago Bears – Game 1

Last year I made it a tradition for me to watch the Chicago Bears Pre-Season games in their entirety, compile notes – note standouts and specific performances. I’m not too certain, though, whether I’ve ever released those notes. This year I am releasing them, though, and it all began yesterday when the Philadelphia Eagles took on my Chicago Bears at Soldier Field for the opening Pre-Season Game.

For this year’s Pre-Season I’ve chosen to keep an eye on the following list of players; and each player will score points based on his performances each week:

  • #25 – Running Back – Ka’Deem Carey – Rookie.
  • #12 – Quarterback – David Fales – Rookie.
  • #95 – Defensive Tackle – Ego Ferguson – Rookie.
  • #45 – Safety – Brock Vereen – Rookie.
  • #93 – Defensive Tackle – Will Sutton – Rookie.
  • #23 – Cornerback – Kyle Fuller – Rookie.
  • #16 – Punter/Holder – Pat O’Donnell – Rookie.
  • #36 – Running Back/Quarterback – Jordan Lynch – Rookie.
  • #57 – Linebacker – Jon Bostic – Second Year.
  • #50 – Linebacker/Defensive End – Shea McClellin – Third Year.

Before rating these specific performances of note, I’ve compiled a list of standouts from the game – which cannot include the players above. In a game where very few Special Team highlights for the Bears were noted, I’ve decided to gloss over that section – and in stead, first look at the defensive standouts. Safety Ryan Mundy and cornerback Sherrick McManis both picked off Nick Foles, and are obvious standouts defensively. Second year Linebacker Khaseem Greene outplayed every 2nd & 3rd string linebacker in the game, and hopefully he can continue to get better – and maybe even battle for a spot with the 1st string. Undrafted rookie cornerback Al Louis-Jean also managed to get a pick, and showed solid movement on the interception itself. Jeremy ‘Jay’ Ratliff also performed well in the game, provided good pressure. My premier defensive standout, however, was defensive end Trevor Scott. He showed an ability to pressure the Quarterback, and was solid on all the snaps he played.

Offensively we have a lot of people to note as well, first and foremost we have our Franchise Quarterback – Jay Cutler. After a poor opening drive, he came back on his second and final – and led his team back in the redzone, and then to the endzone. Cutler managed to find Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Dante Rosario and Zach Miller – the latter two being premier offensive standouts. Look out Martellus Bennett. I also have two standouts for the 3rd stringers. First and foremost, former CFL Wide Receiver and Punt Returner Chris Williams performed well, and even had a 70+ yards Touchdown to cap off his night. Finally, I must congratulate 3rd string Quarterback Jimmy Clausen – he’s managed to perform at a level that exceeded that of 2nd stringer Jordan Palmer.

Now we move on to the specific ratings.

  • #25 – Ka’Deem Carey: 2+ points, 1- point; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 1 point.
  • #12 – David Fales: 1+ point, 2- points; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: Negative 1 point.
  • #95 – Ego Ferguson: 3+ points, 2- points; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 1 point.
  • #45 – Brock Vereen: 2+ points, 2-points; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 0 points.
  • #93 – Will Sutton: 1+ point, 1- point; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: o points.
  • #23 – Kyle Fuller: 4+ points, 0- points; Above Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 4 points.
  • #16 – Pat O’Donnell: 1+ point, 1- point; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 0 points.
  • #36 – Jordan Lynch: 3+ points, 1- point; Above Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 2 points.
  • #57 – Jon Bostic: 0+ points, 4- points; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: Negative 4 points.
  • #50 – Shea McClellin: 1+ point, 5- points; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: Negative 4 points.

Rookie of the Game: Kyle Fuller, Cornerback.

Player of the Game: Zach Miller, Tight End.

 

NFL Draft 2014 Review: Chicago Bears

David Fales, QB, San Jose State – 6th Round Pick, Chicago Bears.

The wait is over. After having watched the entirety of the 7 rounds we can now take a step back and look at what we got. Now, I will not be grading our Draft Class, for they haven’t played yet – but I will see if I agree with the picks we’ve made, and if we’ve filled the holes we have on our team – the needs we have on our team. So without further ado:

KYLE FULLER

For some this was their top cornerback (it was not for me, but he was up there), and by that respect it’s a good pick. Now, here’s why many Bears fans are upset with this pick, we had our choice of safeties here… HaHa and Pryor were both there, and the former ended up with Green Bay… Still, this pick gets us a future replacement for Peanut Tillman, as well as scores us a starting Nickelcorner – and that’s an important position to fill when you have opponents like Eric Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew, Randall Cobb etc. I like this pick, but I would’ve taken HaHa Clinton-Dix.

EGO FERGUSON

We needed a Defensive Tackle, and we got one here. I would’ve reached for a safety here – but Ego fills a need as a 2-technigue. I don’t know a lot about this guy.

WILL SUTTON

When we picked our second Defensive Tackle, this one being 3-technigue, a lot of Bears fans were going crazy – in a good way. There’s been some problems with his weight, but he gained weight for the sake of his team, and he’s down to 290 pounds now, I believe. Good pick – but where is our safety?

KA’DEEM CAREY

Value Pick. Ka’Deem Carey is tough to bring down, though as quick as Forte. Here we have a guy to take over for Michael Bush as the short yardage guy, and backup Running Back. I cannot argue with this pick.

BROCK VEREEN

Then we traded back into the fourth round, and that was exciting. Brock Vereen was our guy, a safety from Minnesota. He was on my list for Day 3 in my Day 2 Review, and I’m glad we got him.

DAVID FALES

Here’s a guy I love. Back in January I started looking for a young backup, and then I saw David Fales – and I loved what he showed, how promising he was. Then I ranked the QB’s a few weeks ago, and I mentioned him as a guy I’d love for Trestman to get his hands on. I called this pick, and I love this pick.

PAT O’DONNELL

Punters are people too. This guy is built like a linebacker, and looks to have a big kick. You cannot argue with picking a punter in the 6th round (the best punter in the draft), after having seen Podlesh last year.

CHARLES LENO JR.

Building depth on our offensive line, that’s very important – and who knows, he may be the next Jordan Mills.

– I’m Jeffrey Rex.

NFL Draft Day 2 Review: Chicago Bears 2014

So, guess what? We did not draft the safety we need – thus leaving a lot of options open on day 3. After having taken nickel-corner Kyle Fuller in the first, we grabbed Ego Ferguson, LSU, a defensive tackle who’s to play 2-technigue. In the 3rd round, when we were all complaining about not taking Louis Nix (who actually dropped deep into the 3rd round), we picked up Will Sutton from Arizona State – also a defensive tackle, probably looking at 3-technigue. People really like Will Sutton, whereas Ego was a different story – however, having added both I feel comfortable with our defensive line going forward.

REMAINING NEEDS

Well, we still need a safety – but remaining needs also include a backup QB (though Emery might disagree), a backup running back, added receiving competition and some more linebacking power. I’ve got a list of guys I’d like to share, a list of guys who I’d love to see in a Bears jersey or I think are positional needs that still have value, though not all of them are THAT realistic:

  • Ed Reynolds, Safety, Stanford (PAC-12).
  • Brock Vereen, Safety, Minnesota (Big Ten).
  • Jonathan Dowling, Safety, Western Kentucky (Sun Belt).
  • Craig Loston, Safety, LSU (SEC).
  • Marqueston Huff, Safety, Wyoming (Mountain West).
  • Dion Bailey, Safety, USC (PAC-12)
  • Shayne Skov, Linebacker, Stanford (PAC-12).
  • Michael Sam, Defensive End, Missouri (SEC).
  • Andre Williams, Running Back, Boston College (ACC).
  • Martavis Bryant, Wide Receiver, Clemson (ACC).
  • Marcel Jensen, Tight End, Fresno St. (Mountain West).
  • Devin Street, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh (ACC).
  • Aaron Murray, Quarterback, Georgia (SEC).
  • David Fales, Quarterback, San Jose St. (Mountain West).
  • A.J. McCarron, Quarterback, Alabama (SEC).
  • Tajh Boyd, Quarterback, Clemson (ACC).

PREVIEW DAY 3

On day 3 we still have 4 picks, 1 in the 4th, 1 in the 5th and 2 in the 6th. Now, I don’t think we need more than 2 or 3 prospects, and if possible I’d like to see Phil Emery trade up a bit to grab the guy he wants. If we leave day 3 with Craig Loston, Shayne Skov and David Fales – for example – I would be happy with this draft.

– I’m Jeffrey Rex.

NFL Draft Day 1 Review: Chicago Bears 2014

So, that was one hell of an opening day. From the shocking Buffalo-trade to the last minute Bridgewater-steal, we had intense debate and intrigue. The big theme of the night was the wait of the QBs. Bridgewater waited all night, Garoppolo was NOT picked and Manziel was picked as #22 (3rd time Cleveland pick a QB at that position). Now, this Day 1 Review will focus on my Bears, as we look at what went right and what went wrong.

NO CIGAR

Close, but no cigar Bears fans… Aaron Donald did indeed drop down in the draft – and as we sat hoping all the pieces would come together, the St.Louis Rams called the Pittsburgh Defensive Tackle, and got defensively greedy. A lot of us would’ve loved Donald, but we also knew it was a stretch to say we would get the opportunity – meanwhile we felt comfortable that some Defensive Tackles would drop (and some did). Now, I was not that deflated by the ‘loss’ of Aaron Donald – for my two top Safeties were still there for us to pick – Calvin Pryor and HaHa Clinton-Dix; I anxiously waited for Emery to make the pick…

JOKE’S ON US

Indeed, the joke is on us – for while Phil Emery decided not to pick a safety – and stuck with a guy he “loves” – HaHa dropped down to #21 and was picked up by the Packers… Also, Calvin Pryor fell to the Jets. Now, who did we get then? Mike Mayock’s 13th ranked player in the entire draft. That sounds great, but we did not fill an immediate need. No safety, no Defensive-line help. Instead we strengthened our Cornerback position. Now, guys, don’t freak out. While we’ve still got Peanut and Jennings – this guy is not JUST the future cornerback, he will also feature in the battle for the nickel-spot. And the nickel position is of importance in today’s NFL. We face people like Eric Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew and Randall Cobb – you’d want a Cornerback taking care of them. Expect to see Virginia Tech Cornerback Kyle Fuller a lot for the Bears – as he is also a top rated Special Teams-player.

PREVIEW DAY 2

With the 2nd and 3rd round picks being announced starting 7 pm Eastern (US), we must now look forward and take a peak at the players we might need. Defensive Tackle and Safety still need to be filled properly. Starting with Safety, we may have a problem. Buccannon, Ward, HaHa and Pryor all went in the first round, and though the remaining players may not be the best in the draft – we desperately need a new Safety – we’re gonna reach. Lamarcus Joyner (Florida State) ranked 65th on Mayock’s Top 100 is still there, as well as his teammate Terrence Brooks and guys like Marqueston Huff. On D-tackle Timmy Jernigan’s still there and so is Hageman & Nix. We have options, but we need to be aware and take the bigger need – not the better player. Go with a safety.

– I’m Jeffrey Rex.