May 2008 - Chicago Bears Wiretap

RealGM Rundown: Dallas Lost Without Romo?

Aug 2, 2014 4:20 AM

Chances are you saw a majority of the thirteen games played on Sunday in the NFL?s Week Seven, but there is no need to worry if you weren?t watching all the action. RealGM is here to help summarize all that went down as NFL teams took the field in the third weekend of October. We will also calculate each team?s Trench Counter*. St. Louis 34, Dallas 14 Team Trench Counter: Rams +14.3, Cowboys -14.3 The St. Louis Rams (2-4) earned their second-straight win of the season against an NFC East opponent with an emphatic victory over the Dallas Cowboys (4-3) on Sunday. Marc Bulger went 14-for-19 with 173 yards and a touchdown while Steven Jackson starred on offense with 160 rushing yards and three trips to the end zone. The St. Louis defense recorded three sacks and forced four turnovers at the Edward Jones Dome. Brad Johnson, making his first start in place of the injured Tony Romo, was just 17-for-34 with 234 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Marion Barber rushed well, tallying 100 yards and a score, but Johnson?s miscues doomed the Cowboys? offense. Barber, who lost a fumble, was responsible for the team?s fourth turnover. Tight end Martellus Bennett, who was only on the field for a handful of plays at the end of the game, led Dallas with two catches, 67 yards, and a touchdown. N.Y. Giants 29, San Francisco 17 Team Trench Counter: Giants +12.3, 49ers -12.3 The New York Giants (5-1) used a strong second half to distance themselves from the San Francisco 49ers (2-5) in East Rutherford on Sunday. Brandon Jacobs led the Giants? offense with 69 rushing yards and two touchdowns while Eli Manning went 16-for-31 with 161 yards and a touchdown. A number of 49ers? turnovers gave New York good field position, which they capitalized on to take control of the game. J.T. O?Sullivan was sacked six times, going 16-for-28 with 256 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble, stalling San Francisco?s offense on three occasions. The Giants also limited Frank Gore, holding him to 11 rushing yards on eleven attempts. Rookie wide receiver Josh Morgan was the lone offensive star for the 49ers, catching five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Baltimore 27, Miami 13 Team Trench Counter: Ravens +0.6, Dolphins -0.6 Joe Flacco did just enough, and Willis McGahee broke out of his offensive funk to lead the Baltimore Ravens (3-3) past the Miami Dolphins (2-4) in South Beach. Flacco went 17-for-23 with 232 yards and a touchdown while McGahee tallied 105 yards and a score in the victory. Derrick Mason, who has established himself as Flacco?s favorite target, caught six balls for 87 yards and a trip to the end zone, as well. The Baltimore defense also clamped down on Miami?s dynamic offense, limiting Ronnie Brown for the first time since the Wildcat formation emerged in Miami. Chad Pennington went 24-for-35 with 295 yards and a touchdown, but he made one mistake too many with an interception in the second quarter as the Dolphins were charging near midfield. Brown had just 27 rushing yards and was held without a touchdown. That ended a streak of four-straight weeks with a score and marked one of his lowest yardage totals of the season. Greg Camarillo had six receptions for 74 yards while David Martin grabbed four catches for 71 yards in defeat. Tennessee 34, Kansas City 10 Team Trench Counter: Titans +15.8, Chiefs -15.8 The Tennessee Titans (6-0) ran wild over the Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) on Sunday night en route to a punishing win at Arrowhead Stadium. Kerry Collins managed a terrific game, going 11-for-18 with 123 yards. Chris Johnson and LenDale White combined for tremendous production on the ground, tallying 317 yards and four touchdowns. White accounted for three of the scores, with Johnson running for 168 yards on eighteen carries. Tennessee sacked Kansas City quarterbacks ? they used three ? on a trio of occasions. Tyler Thigpen had Kansas City?s lone touchdown, which came on a 14-yard run late in the fourth quarter. Damon Huard, Thigpen, and Brodie Croyle combined to go 23-for-37 with 235 passing yards. Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles were limited to 37 rushing yards on thirteen carries. Tony Gonzalez had 97 receiving yards, and Dwayne Bowe added 86 for the Chiefs, who missed a pair of field goals but didn?t turn the ball over. Pittsburgh 38, Cincinnati 10 Team Trench Counter: Steelers +19.7, Bengals -19.7 The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1) dominated the Cincinnati Bengals (0-7) early and often at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger went 17-for-28 with 216 yards and two touchdowns, and Byron Leftwich came on late in the fourth to add 34 yards and score on 3-for-3 passing. Mewelde Moore rushed for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns on twenty carries in the absence of Willie Parker, who missed his third-straight game with knee trouble. Pittsburgh?s defense racked up seven sacks and forced two turnovers. Ryan Fitzpatrick went 21-for-35 with 164 yards and a touchdown, a 5-yard strike to Chad Johnson in the second quarter. Cedric Benson led the Bengals on the ground with 52 yards on fourteen carries, as the Cincinnati offense looked pathetic for a majority of the afternoon. The winless Bengals never led, didn?t record a single sack and didn?t have an answer for Pittsburgh?s offensive attack. Chicago 48, Minnesota 41 Team Trench Counter: Bears +4.7, Vikings -4.7 The Chicago Bears (4-3) win a surprising shootout over the Minnesota Vikings (3-4) on Sunday at Solider Field. Kyle Orton went 21-for-32 with 283 yards and two touchdowns, while the Chicago defense provided plenty of points against an often-confused Minnesota team. Matt Forte had 56 yards and a score, while Garrett Wolfe (17-yard touchdown after a blocked punt) and Zack Bowman (fumble recovery in the end zone) added fourteen points on defense/special teams. Adrian Peterson dominated on the ground, but several miscues by Gus Frerotte put the Vikings in too deep of a hole against the Bears. Frerotte went 25-for-40 with 298 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. One of those picks was a forced throw very late in the fourth quarter with Minnesota attempting to tie the score. Peterson had 121 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and Chester Taylor added 34 yards and a score of his own in the loss. Both teams recorded two sacks, but Chicago won the turnover battle. Carolina 30, New Orleans 7 Team Trench Counter: Panthers +9, Saints -9 Jake Delhomme outplayed Drew Brees on Sunday as the Carolina Panthers (5-2) easily knocked off the New Orleans Saints (3-4). Delhomme went 14-for-22 with 195 yards and two touchdowns while Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams combined to control the ground game. Stewart had 68 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Williams added 70 total yards and a touchdown reception in the win. Steve Smith, the team?s unquestioned top target, had 6 catches for 122 yards and a score. Brees went 21-for-39 with 231 yards and an interception. Reggie Bush ran for 55 yards on nine carries before leaving the game with a knee injury that will require surgery. Deuce McAllister rushed for 47 yards, and Devery Henderson caught three passes for 80 yards in defeat. Carolina took care of the ball well while New Orleans? two turnovers ended up being too many at Bank of America Stadium. Buffalo 23, San Diego 14 Team Trench Counter: Bills +13.6, Chargers -13.6 The Buffalo Bills (5-1) defeated the San Diego Chargers (3-4) on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium thanks to a strong performance from their defense. Trent Edwards, who missed time in Week Five with a concussion, bounced back after a bye week to go 25-for-30 with 261 yards and a touchdown. Marshawn Lynch rushed for 70 yards and a score of his own, and Lee Evans led the team in receiving with eight receptions for 89 yards and trip to the end zone. Buffalo sacked Rivers twice, intercepted him once, and picked up a pair of fumbles by the San Diego quarterback. Rivers went 22-for-29 with 208 yards, two touchdowns, and the aforementioned interception. He ended strong San Diego drives with fumbles in the second and fourth quarters that ultimately kept the team from challenging late in the game. LaDainian Tomlinson continued to struggle, rushing for 41 yards on fourteen carries. Vincent Jackson, who had four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown, ran for 31 yards on a single carry in the loss. The Chargers? defense wasn?t able to bother Edwards or the Bill?s offense, and they didn?t force a single turnover. Houston 28, Detroit 21 Team Trench Counter: Texans +0.5, Lions -0.5 The Houston Texans (2-4) jumped out to an early lead against the Detroit Lions (0-6) on Sunday and held off a late charge to win their second straight game. Matt Schaub went 26-for-31 with 267 yards and two touchdowns, with both of the scores coming on connections with tight end Owen Daniels. Rookie Steve Slaton rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown while Ahman Green added 62 yards and a score on the ground, as well. Andre Johnson caught eleven passes for 141 yards in the win, and the defense sacked Detroit?s Dan Orlovsky twice. After falling behind 21-0, the Lions battled back to within a touchdown but simply ran out of time at the end of the fourth quarter. Orlovsky, making just his second career start, went 12-for-25 with 265 yards and a touchdown, and rookie running back Kevin Smith added 61 rushing yards and a score in the loss. Calvin Johnson caught two passes from Orlovsky for 154 yards and a trip to the end zone with former teammate Roy Williams now playing in Dallas. Washington 14, Cleveland 11 Team Trench Counter: Redskins +6.9, Browns -6.9 The Washington Redskins (5-2) won a game against the Cleveland Browns (2-4) that was scoreless heading into the third quarter. Jason Campbell went 14-for-23 with 164 yards and a touchdown while Clinton Portis rushed for 175 yards and a score in the victory. Santana Moss, who caught four passes for 75 yards, hooked up with Campbell on an 18-yard strike that gave Washington a 14-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Derek Anderson was just 14-for-37 with 136 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 1-yard pass to Josh Cribbs with less than three minutes left in the game. Jamal Lewis had 80 yards on the ground but was outperformed by Portis in the loss. Braylon Edwards had 58 receiving yards while tight end Kellen Winslow, who spent a majority of last week in the hospital with an undisclosed illness, caught two passes for 17 yards in the loss. Oakland 16, N.Y. Jets 13 (OT) Team Trench Counter: Raiders 0, Jets 0 Sebastian Janikowski hit a 57-yard field goal (a team-record) with just 2:30 left in overtime to give the Oakland Raiders (2-4) their first win under head coach Tom Cable. JaMarcus Russell went 17-for-30 with 203 yards and a touchdown in the win over the New York Jets (3-3). Justin Fargas rushed for 74 yards, and rookie Darren McFadden added 39 yards in the victory. Javon Walker caught five passes for 75 yards and touchdown, his first with the team. Brett Favre struggled, going 21-for-38 with 197 yards and two interceptions, but Thomas Jones kept the Jets in the game with 159 rushing yards on 24 attempts in the loss. Trailing 13-10 near the end of regulation, Favre led New York down the field and into position for Jay Feely to hit a game-tying field goal that forced overtime. Feely hit the 52-yarder with three seconds left on the clock, after missing his first attempt, which wasn?t counted after the Raiders called a timeout. Green Bay 34, Indianapolis 14 Team Trench Counter: Packers +12.9, Colts -12.9 The Green Bay Packers? (4-3) defense came alive on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts (3-3) en route to a 20-point victory. Aaron Rodgers went 21-for-28 with 186 yards and a touchdown while Ryan Grant added 105 yards and a score on the ground in the win. No Green Bay receiver had more than 37 yards as Rodgers shared the ball nicely among eight different men. Nick Collins returned an interception 62 yards in the third quarter for a touchdown, and Aaron Rouse brought back a 99-yarder in the fourth to put the game away. Peyton Manning went 21-for-42 with 229 yards and two interceptions in the loss, as the Indianapolis offensive line continued to struggle. With Joseph Addai out because of a hamstring injury, Dominic Rhodes ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns in defeat. Dallas Clark had eight receptions for 81 yards while Anthony Gonzalez hauled in five balls for 72 yards. Ironically, both had touchdowns called back with less than two minutes left after booth reviews. Tampa Bay 20, Seattle 10 Team Trench Counter: Buccaneers +11, Seahawks -11 Jeff Garcia was red-hot for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) in their win over the Seattle Seahawks (1-5) on Sunday night. Garcia went 27-for-36 with 310 yards and a touchdown, as the Seattle defense spent a majority of the night on the field. Earnest Graham had 52 yards and a touchdown on the ground while Warrick Dunn added 37 in the win. Wide receiver Antonio Bryant caught six passes for 115 yards and a score, his second 100-yard game and his first touchdown of the season. Seneca Wallace, starting in place of the injured Matt Hasselbeck, looked confused for a majority of the game. He went 12-for-23 with 73 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. He also rushed for six yards on two attempts and lost a fumble. Considering Seattle's abysmal passing attack, Maurice Morris and Julius Jones did a decent job on the ground. They combined to rush for 96 yards in the loss. Rookie tight end John Carlson, the team's leading receiver on the season, was the recipient of Wallace's only touchdown pass. New England 41, Denver 7 Team Trench Counter: Patriots +23.7, Broncos -23.7 Jay Cutler appeared to injure his finger on the first play of the game, and the Denver Broncos (4-3) never got on track against the New England Patriots (4-2) in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Matt Cassel has his best game since taking over for Tom Brady in Week 1, going 18-for-24 with 185 yards and three touchdowns. The Patriots punished the Broncos on the ground as well, rushing for 257 yards in the win. Randy Moss also had his best performance of the season, catching five passes for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Cutler struggled mightily, going 17-for-26 with 168 yards, one touchdowns and two interceptions. Whether it was because of his injured finger or New England's defense, it didn't matter in the end. Michael Pittman ran well, rushing for 88 yards on twenty carries, but two fumbles by backup Andre Hall doomed Denver's offense. The Broncos sacked Cassel six times, but he remained poised enough to led the Pats to victory. Brandon Marshall was Cutler's top target once again, grabbing six balls for 77 yards in the loss. *Explaining The Trench Counter

Andrew Perna/RealGM

Tags: Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Game Recap, Personal Award, Team Achievement

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What Happened Last Time A.P. Played At Solider Field?

Oct 22, 2014 9:16 PM

The last time Vikings running back Adrian Peterson battled the Bears at Solider Field he ran wild for 224 yards on twenty carries. "I really can't explain," Peterson says looking back on the game. "We just did a great job on offense executing. Those guys did a great job making blocks. It led to some big plays." Peterson added three touchdowns in Week Six of the 2007 season at Chicago. Three weeks later, he ran for 296 yards against the Chargers at home. This season the Bears are among the best at stopping the run. They have allowed just 74.3 yards per game in 2008, after letting the opposing team rack up an average of 122.9 yards last season.

Chicago Sun-Times

Tags: Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Misc Rumor

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Report: Urlacher Fined $20K For Ref Comments

Sep 27, 2014 12:53 PM

Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher has reportedly been fined $20,000 for abusive conduct toward a game official. Urlacher was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in last Sunday's 22-20 loss to the Falcons. Urlacher directed words toward an official after Chicago lost a challenge regarding a fumble, drawing the penalty.

ESPN

Tags: Chicago Bears, Misc Rumor

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Berrian Expects To Receive Boos In Chicago

Oct 25, 2014 8:25 AM

Vikings receiver Bernard Berrian expects to receive boos this Sunday when he returns to Chicago for the first time since leaving via free agency this spring. "It's definitely going to be a tough game, hostile environment," Berrian said, "I can't wait." Berrian signed a six-year contract with Minnesota for $16 million guaranteed and the chance to make as much as $42 million.

Courier News

Tags: Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Misc Rumor

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Rookie Williams' Bears Debut May Be Near

Jul 5, 2014 8:26 AM

Bears' General Manager Jerry Angelo said first-round pick Chris Williams "could play at any time." The offensive tackle, who earned $9.2 million in bonus money, will probably debut soon due the financial commitment Chicago made to him. Williams, who had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back Aug. 6, has practiced the last two weeks and was cleared for full participation last Friday. "His progress has been very good," Angelo said. "Right now our situation with Chris is he missed all of training camp. He's practicing and we keep graduating him each and every week, really it's the last two weeks he's doing more and more. So everything looks good." "But we want to make sure, this is coaches, our medical people, that from a conditioning standpoint he is ready. He missed all of training camp for the most part and it's a matter now of getting him up to speed in terms of his learning, conditioning, but physically he looks good this last couple of weeks and what we've had him do, particularly this past week."

Chicago Sun-Times

Tags: Chicago Bears, Misc Rumor

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Forte Just Missed Being Drafted By Lions

Sep 27, 2014 12:53 PM

Bears' running back Matt Forte narrowly missed being drafted by the Lions in this past April's NFL Draft. Forte was selected 44th overall, one pick before the second selection by the Lions. "I knew there were going to be a couple of us there," Forte said. "I just took it as a job interview. During the draft, I paid attention to see where the running backs were taken in the first round and where that left me at. I knew they were saying second round and maybe third round, things like that."

Post-Tribune

Tags: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Misc Rumor

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Bears Order Troubled Harris To Sit Game

Aug 3, 2014 3:11 AM

The Bears have ordered troubled defensive tackle Tommie Harris to sit Sunday's game against the Lions. "There have been different things that have been bothering me, mentally, that I let carry over," Harris said. "When you can't separate your personal life from your business life, there are problems. And that's what happened in this situation." According to Harris, the suspension is in part related to his late arrival for treatments on his injured left knee.

Chicago Tribune

Tags: Chicago Bears, Misc Rumor

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