Week 2 and Week 3 of the preseason was interesting for the Bears. Here’s another look at those games. Maybe some of the lesser known players will rise up and earn a spot onto the team.

Enjoy these two clips. Don’t forget to tune in for the final Bears preseason game against the Cleveland Browns tomorrow at 8 PM ET.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

The Bears need some depth at defensive end. Second-year end out of Northwestern Corey Wootton was supposed to take the next step this season in the defensive rotation, but he could be out for some time with a bad knee.

Wootton seemed optimistic about returning for the start of the season on Sept. 11. ”It’s going well,” Wootton said Tuesday. “I’ve just been strengthening (the knee), you know the strength isn’t too far away from normal. I started jogging on the treadmill, so I’m hoping to maybe be back in there for the first game, hopefully.”

Former defensive end Alex Brown who spent his first eight seasons with the Bears from 2002-2010, was released by the New Orleans Saints today.

So, would the Bears even consider bringing Alex Brown back? With Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije set in stone as the starters on the defensive line there isn’t much depth behind them.

Undrafted free agents Mario Addison and Nick Reed are currently the backups with bust Vernon Gholston gone and Wootton still recovering from his injury.

Brown wouldn’t have to be the starter he once was when the Bears released him last off-season. The Saints released Brown with about $3 million left on his contract left, but the Saints had other solid ends while he was there.

Brown started all 16 games last season with New Orleans making 39 tackles and two sacks. In nine seasons in the NFL, the 32 year-old has played in 143 games making 414 tackles, 45.5 sacks, five interceptions and 16 forced fumbles.

He clearly still has some play left in him. The Bears could possibly bring him back for the veteran minimum.  Brown said he won’t rule out a return to the Bears, “We’ll talk to them and see what they say, I want to go somewhere that’s going to win. That’s what I am looking for.”

The real question is will Brown be considered a starter at this point by any team. He could latch on in the coming days for the right price with a contending team. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bears brought him back to the mix.

It would be a good move in my mind.

What do you guys think, would signing #96 back help bring a Super Bowl to Chicago?

All quotes from Chicagotribune.com

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

NFL 2011/12 Odds

Which Division Will Have the Highest Win Percentage?

NFC East                      3/1

NFC North                     7/2

AFC East                      4/1

NFC South                    5/1

AFC North                     11/2

AFC South                    6/1

AFC West                     15/2

NFC West                     20/1

NFL 2011/12 Odds

Which Division Will the Super Bowl Winner Come From?

AFC East                      7/2

NFC East                      4/1

NFC North                     4/1

NFC South                    11/2

AFC North                     6/1

AFC South                    8/1

AFC West                     15/2

NFC West                     18/1

NFL 2011/12 Odds

Will the Chicago Bears Make the Playoffs?

Yes                  +275

No                    -350

Odds courtesy of Bodog.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

With all this talk about undrafted rookie WR Dane Sanzenbacher possibly contributing as the sixth receiver, why not show you some of his best college best plays.

Enjoy!

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

The Bears fell to the Giants 41-13 Monday night in the Meadowlands and you’d think the Bears played an awful game. They didn’t play awful, but they didn’t play great.

They came out of the game injury free, which is something the Giants can’t say after losing two cornerbacks, Tyrell Thomas and Brian Witherspoon for the season.

QB Jay Cutler stayed on his feet for most of the night, only getting sacked one time. He completed 12 of 21 passes for 171 yards.

Backup QB Caleb Hanie put together solid stats, 17/28 for 166 yards as he played the entire second half.

Marion Barber led all running backs with 49 yards rushing, but failed to get in the endzone on a third and one from the goal-line in the second half. Matt Forte looked impressive taking a screen pass down the field for 42 yards, but was used sparingly. Kahlil Bell again looked good scoring a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Earl Bennett led all Bears receivers with 58 yards on three catches, while being targeted five times. Devin Hester caught a 37 yard bomb by Cutler, but struggled to stay on his feet during other plays. Johnny Knox and undrafted free agent Dane Sanzenbacher both looked impressive with the second team. Roy Williams struggled yet again dropping all three balls thrown his way.

Bears WR coach Darryl Drake told Williams today that his starting gig isn’t his to keep.

“[He’s not where he needs to be, and he knows that,” Drake said via the Chicago Sun-Times. “He and I have talked about that. And the good thing about it is, you got Johnny Knoxwho is fighting and working hard.”

The tight ends did a solid job blocking. Blocking is what Mike Martz wants them to do, so don’t be shocked if one or two catches is the most for the top tight end during Week One of the NFL season.

The offensive line put together a much better performance than against Buffalo. J’Marcus Webb and Lance Louis the two biggest question marks on the line looked much improved.

Mike Tice could be willing to stay with the line that was intact the last two weeks (LT Webb, LG Williams, C Garza, RG Louis and RT Carimi). This Saturday’s matchup against Tennessee will be another big test for this young unit.

The Bears failed to record a sack. They didn’t really put much pressure on Eli Manning and the quarterbacks used in the game. DT Henry Melton seemed to tackle LB Brian Urlacher on a Giants running play and it didn’t look good after that for the Bears defense.

Nickelback D.J. Moore was beaten multiple times through the air, but he shrug it off after the game saying it was just a preseason game. Safety Major Wright got completely taken out of his shoes by Giants RB Brandon Jacobs.

If Major Wright struggles like that the Bears could be in for a long year. He wasn’t the only defensive player who struggled at missing tackles. It was happening left and right for the unit and head coach Lovie Smith wasn’t happy about it.

The special teams unit wasn’t very good either. Undrafted LB Dom DeCicco out of Pittsburgh got beat on a block on a punt and the Giants blocked it and returned it for a score. The kickoff unit allowed WR Devin Thomas to average 46 yards per return including a long of 73 yards.

The good thing is this game was only preseason, so the Bears still have time to improve. The defense needs to get up to speed. The offense needs to convert in the red zone which was an ongoing problem from last year and the special teams needs to get its act together under coach Dave Toub.

Saturday the Bears travel to Tennessee to take on Matt Hasselback and the Titans. The third preseason game, is the game where the starters play for the longest time for the Bears, so expect to see some entertaining football. It marks the first time in Cutler’s five seasons in the NFL that he’ll travel to Tennessee, where he played college football at Vanderbilt.

The Bears know what they need to improve, lets see if they take advantage of the valuable time given to them these next two weeks.

All quotes from Chicagosuntimes.com.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

Take a look at Jake Perper’s interview with Butch Stearns on The Pulse Network’s show Sports Buzz Tuesday afternoon.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

The Chicago Bears will take on the New York Giants in the Meadowlands tonight and a lot is at stake for some key players.

Last week’s first pre-season game wasn’t too exciting and the Bears didn’t impress anyone around the NFL. The gave up a total of nine sacks (four coming when first-team offense in) to a mediocre Buffalo Bills defensive line and K Robbie Gould missed two field goal attempts.

On the brightside, RB Marion Barber was impressive carrying the ball seven times for 45 yards and undrafted free agent WR Kris Adams caught three passes for 58 yards.

Also, fourth string RB Kahlil Bell carried the ball 13 times for 78 yards and reeled in two catches for 48 yards. DT Amobi Okoye led the defense with two sacks and undrafted free agent DB Mike Holmes picked off Bills backup QB Levi Brown.

So, who are some players Bears fans should be paying attention tonight?

1. Chester Taylor, RB, 31.

Taylor signed a four-year $12 million dollar contract last off-season, but he underperformed rushing 112 times for 267 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged a measly 2.4 ypc and just wasn’t the change of pace back the Bears envisioned he was when they brought him in. With a base salary of around $1.2 million for the season, Taylor could come cheap.

He carried the ball three times for three yards last week against the Bills in week one of the preseason. With Matt Forte number one, Marion Barber number two, Taylor has to step it up this pre-season to show why he is valuable to the offense. Third year back Kahlil Bell has been impressive so far this training camp, so tonight could be a big night for the veteran Taylor.

Fans weren’t pleased with him last season, but if he steps up this could be the best four backs the Bears have had since Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson ran the show in 06′.

2. Vernon Gholston, DE, 25.

Labeled a bust so far in his three years in the NFL, Gholston was a top ten pick by the Jets in the 08′ draft.

With DE Corey Wootton hurting his knee in last week’s game Gholston’s chances to stick with the team likely have improved.

Gholston and undrafted free agent Mario Addison out of Troy will get some looks tonight opposite Julius Peppers. Both players potentially could make the team depending on the length of Wootton’s injury.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli brings the most out of players, just look at Israel Idonije, the guy had eight sacks his entire career until last year when he recorded eight. Gholston could become better with Marinelli motivating him.

3. Lance Louis, G, 26

Louis is currently the starting right guard during the pre-season, but he will have to improve off last week’s performance if he wants to stick.

He is a young player who has shown some flashes, but has never shown why he should be a starter. He better step up tonight.

Roberto Garza is currently the starting center, replacing Olin Kreutz, but the Bears signed veteran Chris Spencer for a reason, so Louis knows if he falters Garza will take over.

Louis needs a solid performance game tonight for his own sake and for the Bears sake.

4. Major Wright, S, 23.

Wright is penciled in at free safety with Danieal Manning departing to Houston in free agency. The Bears drafted him last season in the third round for a reason.

The Bears like him and from what I’ve heard he has settled into the starting gig pretty well. The Bears used him last season in three saftety packages, but he was consistently banged up.

Look for him to be a big part of the defense, he needs to know where to be at all times. The good thing is the Bears cover two defense isn’t tough to learn and Wright has familiarity with the team.

Wright needs to impress tonight so the Bears coaches can take a breath of relief because he will be a major part of the defense, funny cause his name is Major.

5. Roy Williams, WR, 30.

Williams was released this off-season by the Cowboys and he was immediately linked to the Bears because of his time in Mike Martz’s offense in Detroit.

Williams never lived up to his potential in his two years in Dallas, so for the Bears to bring him in as their big receiver isn’t a bad idea. He is familiar with Martz’s scheme, but he isn’t completely in shape to this point.

Look for Williams to be a big part of this offense sooner or later. Cutler needs a big target and Williams will provide one. Tonight could be big for Williams and Cutler’s chemistry.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

The NFC North is going to be one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL this season.  The Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions are all talented teams capable of taking over the division.

The Bears are looking to defend their NFC North championship from last season, while the Packers are looking to defend their Super Bowl championship, but no team has ever won the Super Bowl two seasons in a row while coming from the Wild Card.

So let’s take a look at how this division will shake up this season and which team is going to take the NFC North.

4. Minnesota Vikings(5-11)

The Vikings have lost a few big pieces this offseason.  With Ray Edwards and Sidney Rice gone, they are out a pass-rushing threat on defense and a big-play receiver on the offensive end.

Brett Favre is also officially retired (hopefully), and they have replaced him with Donovan McNabb, not exactly a step towards youth.

It is very possible that first-round pick Christian Ponder takes over for McNabb at some point, but that will only be if the season is completely lost.

As of right now, their only threats are Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen, and they don’t have many great pieces around them.

3. Detroit Lions (8-8)

The Vikings have been known for having the best interior defensive line in the NFC North and possibly the NFL with the Williams duo.  Now, the Williams duo is getting older and less effective and a new combo is taking shape in the NFC North.

Last season, Ndamukung Suh took the NFL by storm, giving every quarterback on the opposing team the fear of being put in a coma.

Rather than look for new positions where they could improve, the Lions grabbed another stud defensive tackle in the first round of this year’s draft in Nick Fairley.

The combo of Suh and Fairley are going to opposing offensive lines nightmares, especially in the NFC North where each team’s quarterback has two games to get put in the hospital.

Offensively, Calvin Johnson is always a threat to make a cornerback look stupid, and he could do that plenty this year if Matthew Stafford is able to stay healthy.

The Lions are making all the right moves, and they are ready to make the jump up to contender this season.

2. Chicago Bears (11-5)

The Chicago Bears are consistently one of the most underrated teams in all of sports.  Nobody ever expects great things from them, then the regular season comes, and Chicago fans are pleasantly surprised.

This season will be no different.  The Bears have made a few additions that don’t seem great on paper but will pay off big time during the regular season.

Roy Williams had two of the best years of his career when he was coached by Mike Martz.  He’s back with Martz again, and Jay Cutler loves to throw to big targets.

Marion Barber will likely put an end to the Chester Taylor experiment, and he will bring stability behind Matt Forte.

The offensive line isn’t spectacular, they aren’t even good, but they are good enough.  Last season started horribly for the front five, but after some movement, the players got in the correct spots and played admirably.

If they can play like they did the last few weeks of the season for all 16 games this year, opposing defenses are going to be wondering how the Bears offense became dangerous.

Add in a full season with Devin Hester back to being used as a gimmick receiver who specializes in punt and kick returns, and the Bears have a good chance to surprise the experts yet again.

1. Green Bay Packers (13-3)

This one hurts me greatly, but the Packers are easily one of the best teams in the NFL.  Coming off a surprise Super Bowl victory, the Packers are back and healthy—something that they weren’t last season.

The Packers were riddled with injuries starting even from before the season started.  With all of their players healthy, Aaron Rodgers is going to have a full arsenal of weapons, and the defense will be even better.

James Starks surprised a lot of people late last season and had more rushing yards than any other player in the postseason (although they did have at least one more game than every other team).

With Ryan Grant back and healthy, the Packers are going to have a formidable rushing duo that will give defenses fits having to also watch Rodgers pass to players like Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley.

Expect to see the Packers making a deep run in the playoffs and meeting the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game.

I’m Joe W.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker

Also, make sure to follow me on Twitter @JWillett2

We are closing in on the start of football, with the Bears’ first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills set for this Saturday, so let’s take a look at some of the news surrounding Bear football leading up to their first time on the field this season.

Matt Forte Possibly Skipping Week 1 of the Preseason

Matt Forte’s contract issue has been heavily covered by the Chicago media, and there is a new wrinkle in the negotiations that has just come up.  Forte has said that, if he doesn’t have a new contract by game time, he will skip the Bears’ preseason opener against the Bills.

Although this isn’t a huge issue, it shows that Forte is serious about getting a raise from the $550,000 he was set to make this season.

This is not, however, solely a power move by Forte, but rather a safety one.  He fears that if he were to get hurt before his contract is finished he would lose some leverage and not be able to get as much money as he feels that he deserves.

“It’s a concern of mine,” Forte said. “You don’t want to go out there in a preseason game and, god forbid, something happened and then they say, ‘Oh, you’re injured, we can’t give you a new deal.”

Kelvin Hayden to Visit the Chicago Bears;  Could Signal end for Tim Jennings or Zack Bowman

The Bears were expected to grab a defensive back this offseason, but they have yet to do so.  Although there aren’t as many options still available, there are still some good players in the market for a new team.

One of those players is former Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden.

Hayden was released due to salary cap restrictions earlier this offseason and is most notably remembered by Chicagoans for intercepting a Rex Grossman pass in Super Bowl XLI and taking it back for a touchdown.

If he is signed, it will likely mean that either Tim Jennings or Zack Bowman will be released from the team.

Undrafted Free Agend Dane Sanzenbacher Turning Heads

With Devin Aromashodu gone, the Bears needed a new wide receiver who is always impressive in training camps and preseason games and has a long and confusing last name.

That man looks like Dane Sanzenbacher, the former first team all-Big Ten player who had 948 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final year at Ohio State.

At 4.56, his 40-yard dash time was everything but impressive and at just under six feet tall, he doesn’t have great size, but reports are that he runs great routes and is always in the right place at the right time, a requirement for any receiver in the Mike Martz system.

I’m Joe W.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker

Follow Joe on Twitter @JWillett2