Archives for September 2014

‘In a survivor pool, competitors pick one NFL team they are sure will win that week. If they’re right, they survive and pick again the next week. But if they pick a losing team (such as the Bears this week), they’re out of the competition. The only catch is you can’t pick the same team twice during the competition.’

‘”He always says at the meetings just joking around how he has great instincts,” linebacker Brandon Spikes said. “That’s just a playmaker making plays. We built off that, fed off that, and hey, we were able to get it.”‘

‘Manuel’s day wasn’t perfect. He threw a bad interception and didn’t hit 200 yards passing. But he showed enough signs of life to help the Bills pull off a win, and he deserves credit for that.’

‘Sunday’s win over the Bears could be a big deal, and obviously it’s better to be 1-0 than 0-1, but if the Bills have taught us anything over the past few years, it’s that hot starts and good games mean little during a full season. Hopefully this year’s Bills know their history.’

‘While EJ Manuel didn’t throw the ball a lot, he was extremely accurate, completing 16 of 22 passes. He made a few impressive throws where he let Mike Williams and Robert Woods go up and make a play on the football when they weren’t wide open. He also ran for a touchdown on a read option play. Grade: B+’

‘Carpenter’s winning kick, which followed a 38-yard run by Fred Jackson, gave Buffalo its first win ever at Soldier Field and put smiles on the faces of Bills faithful throughout the Southern Tier.’

‘Fred Jackson, the oldest running back in the league at age 33, broke free around left end after a read-option handoff from Manuel and burst 38 yards, to the Chicago one-yard line — trucking Bears safety Chris Conte to pick up a few yards more.’

‘”It was just outstanding to present Mary with the game ball, especially in a city like Chicago. The (owning) McCaskey family has been so unbelievable to the NFL and to the Wilson family. It was an emotional day all the way around.’

‘Compared to Pegula the Toronto group has a low bid ceiling — up to about $1.2 billion, sources have said since early August.’

Bears fall to Bills 23-20 in OT (Chicago Tribune)

Turnovers, injuries spoil launch of Bears’ explosive offense (Chicago Tribune)

Bears safety Conte can’t escape playing under microscope (Chicago Tribune)

Tape won’t lie: Bears defense looks the same (Chicago Tribune)

Graham makes Cutler pay for picking on him (Chicago Tribune)

New year, same bad decisions by Cutler (Chicago Tribune)

What should we do now that the Bears’ season is over? (Chicago Tribune)

Bears expected to sign safety off Vikings practice squad (Chicago Tribune)

Bears cautious, keep Jeffery out after he suffered hamstring injury (Chicago Tribune)

Photo gallery (Chicago Tribune)

Bears lose OT heartbreaker to Bills in opener 23-20 (Chicago Sun Times)

Chris Conte defends his play on Fred Jackson’s big run (Chicago Sun Times)

Cutler’s mystifying interception brings back bad memories (Chicago Sun Times)

Bears’ defensive miscues felt like a mistake to the heart (Chicago Sun Times)

Can the Bears’ problems be fixed? (Chicago Sun Times)

Will the real Jay Cutler please stand up? (Chicago Sun Times)

Alshon Jeffery headlines the list of injuries (Chicago Sun Times)

Bears 3-and-Out: Week 1 vs. Bills (Chicago Sun Times)

Bear Market: What’s rising and falling in Week 1 (Chicago Sun Times)

Photo gallery (Chicago Sun Times)

Bears struck by fickle stiff-arm of fate (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Bears’ backup receivers needed to step up (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Full Cutler on display: Good, bad and ugly (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Bears have nowhere to go but up (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Bears’ offense more hurtful than helpful (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Photo gallery (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Bills saddle Bears with 23-20 OT loss (Northwest Herald)

New faces, same issues for Bears defense in Week One loss to Bills (Northwest Herald)

Workhorse Forte leaves lasting impression (Northwest Herald)

Were the Bears unprepared for Buffalo? (Northwest Herald)

3-and-out Bears vs. Bills (Northwest Herald)

Photo gallery (Northwest Herald)

Cutler, Bears’ offense must be better (CSN Chicago)

Miscues, injuries pile up in Bears’ loss to the Bills (CSN Chicago)

Redemption turns into nightmare for Bears’ Chris Conte (CSN Chicago)

Jay Cutler: ‘We’ll watch this tomorrow and then move on’ (CSN Chicago)

Next-man-up could be mantra for Bears at wide receiver (CSN Chicago)

Bears’ grades vs. Bills: Quarterback (CSN Chicago)

Bears’ grades vs. Bills: Running backs (CSN Chicago)

Bears’ grades vs. Bills: Wide receivers (CSN Chicago)

Bears’ grades vs. Bills: Offensive line (CSN Chicago)

Bears’ grades vs. Bills: Defensive line (CSN Chicago)

Bears grades vs. Bills: Linebackers (CSN Chicago)

Bears’ grades vs. Bills: Secondary (CSN Chicago)

Bears’ grades vs. Bills: Special teams (CSN Chicago)

Bears’ grades vs. Bills: Coaching (CSN Chicago)

Bears Panic On Sale Here! (WSCR-AM)

Turnovers Spoil Bears’ Opener (WSCR-AM)

Bears Sputter When It Mattered Most (WSCR-AM)

Turnovers, injuries cost Bears in loss (ChicagoBears.com)

Run defense struggles in OT loss (ChicagoBears.com)

Ola, de la Puente carry load after injuries (ChicagoBears.com)

Cutler: ‘We kept stubbing our toe’ (ChicagoBears.com)

Postgame Pulse: Bears-Bills (ChicagoBears.com)

By the Numbers: Bears-Bills (ChicagoBears.com)

Photo gallery (ChicagoBears.com)

Photo gallery (BuffaloBills.com)

Photo gallery (Buffalo News)

Photo gallery (Rochester D&C)

Photo gallery (AP)

‘Regardless of the owner, the Bills, per their lease, are bound to Buffalo until 2020, though it remains to be seen if a viable new stadium deal can be struck in the region. The Toronto-based bid formerly led by Jon Bon Jovi, and first identified by CBSSports.com almost a year ago, has had myriad issues getting to the finish line, and it’s no secret that the group (Rogers Communications/Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) would be eying a move to Ontario at some point. Ultimately, the Toronto metropolitan area might end up making better fiscal sense for the franchise, and therefore for the league, but there are numerous options to exhaust in New York before reaching that point.’

‘The Bears had just punted to open the extra period and Buffalo took over on its 22 to start the winning possession. The Bills got the ball to the Chicago 39 when Jackson turned toward the left side and broke off his big run, pushing safety Chris Conte out of the way twice inside the 10 before being knocked out of bounds at the 1.’

‘It was not clear when the injury happened. It was announced late in the third quarter that he would miss the remainder of the game.’

‘A two-year starter, his absence is a big blow because the Bears boast two Pro Bowl receivers in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. With Gilmore out, former Bear Corey Graham starts at right cornerback for Buffalo.’

‘The Bears overcame a 17-7 second-half deficit and tied the game with 30 seconds left in regulation on Robbie Gould’s 37-yard field goal. Chicago, however, picked up just one first down before punting on its lone possession in the extra session.’