Bears Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

11/19/09, nfl

Jay Cutler's not afraid of the dark, even though 11 of his 17 interceptions have come in the Bears' three night games, and they'll be back in prime time Sunday night at Soldier Field against the Eagles.

"That's how it's rolled so far," he said. "I don't know. It doesn't really matter to me what time we play. A game is a game. It's just how it's gone this year."

Even worse, four of Cutler's five interceptions in the red zone have come in night games, including two last week in the 10-6 loss to the 49ers.

"They know that I'm aware of it," Cutler said when asked if coach Lovie Smith or offensive coordinator Ron Turner had spoken to him about the problem. "They know that I'm going to be more critical of myself than anybody else.

BR Twitter Tweets: Twitter.com/BearReport

11/19/09, Bears Report (Scout.com)

If you want the latest news, notes and quotes on the Chicago Bears, then you need to follow Bear Report on Twitter.com. We've got what you need to know as fast as a 140-character tweet can be produced. NFL Team Reports: NFC North (SportingNews.com)

11/19/09, nfl

Several times a week, The Trenches will present team reports from Sporting News' 32 NFL correspondents.

Guess the NFL Football Scores!

11/19/09, User Blogs

Guess the NFL Football Scores! Updating contract status for head coaches

11/19/09, ESPN - Chicago Bears (Blog)

Minnesota coach Brad Childress’ contract extension, reported here by ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton, gives us an opportunity to review the contract status of all four NFC North coaches.

The cash values of the deals are based on media reports at the time they were consummated. I’ve included links where available. More important, however, is the duration of the deals. Most coaching contracts are fully guaranteed and thus give owners pause before pushing the fire button.

Brad Childress: Signed through 2013 at $4 million-$5 million per season
Mike McCarthy: Signed through 2012 at about $4 million per season
Jim Schwartz: Signed through 2012 at about $2.75 million per season
Lovie Smith: Signed through 2011 at about $5 million per season Air and Space: WR support

11/19/09, ESPN - Chicago Bears (Blog)

Every now and then, it’s important to explore the supporting cast around the stars of our Air and Space show. How much support, or lack thereof, are NFC North quarterbacks getting from their wide receivers?

ESPN Stats & Information has tracked drops by every full-time receiver in the NFL this season. Below, you’ll see a chart documenting their totals for the top three receivers on each NFC North offense.

Keep in mind that drops are both subjective and subject to the total number of passes thrown. Obviously, James Jones' five drops in 29 opportunities is a worse statistic than Bryant Johnson’s seven drops in 56 chances.


I realize this analysis leaves out tight end and running backs, removing important players like Matt Forte, Greg Olsen, Brandon Pettigrew, Chester Taylor and Visanthe Shiancoe from the mix. But on average, receivers have a higher degree of difficulty on the sum of their routes, putting a premium on their ball skills.

By this account, here is how the four primary NFC North quarterbacks have fared in terms of drops by receivers:

Matthew Stafford: 13
Brett Favre: 11
Aaron Rodgers: 10
Jay Cutler: 9

Every now and then you’ll hear someone suggest that a quarterback throws an “easy” ball to catch, or perhaps that his passes are more difficult to catch than other quarterbacks’ passes. I’ve generally discounted these theories as misguided comments on accuracy and timing. A pass is “easy” to catch when it’s in the right place at the right time. I don’t think velocity, spiral or trajectory has as much to do with it.

In this comparison, Stafford clearly has been let down the most when you consider he’s missed two starts. Is this a reflection of his accuracy and/or timing with receivers? Based on what I saw Sunday at the Metrodome, I would put much more of the blame on his receivers and Johnson in particular. Hot Read: Percy Harvin

11/19/09, ESPN - Chicago Bears (Blog)

ESPN.com’s Elizabeth Merrill spent some time with Minnesota receiver Percy Harvin for this week’s Hot Read, and among other things, discussed his positive drug test prior to the scouting combine. Here’s an excerpt:

The first question that begs to be asked is why did he do it? Why did Percy Harvin, who [Minnesota coach Brad] Childress says comes from a "great family" with a strong-willed mother and a cuddly shih tzu, make a decision, sometime leading up to February's NFL combine, that led him to test positive for marijuana?

He didn't do it for medicinal purposes. Harvin will confirm that he does suffer from severe migraines, with pain so intense at times that it makes him vomit and impairs his vision, but says he didn't smoke pot to alleviate any headache. He didn't do it to escape financial stresses, either. In a few months, Harvin was projected to be a top-10 draft pick.

"I didn't look at it and think of all the stuff or all the people that I might've let down at the time," Harvin says. "Of course, I thought about it afterwards. I was disappointed with myself. I had let myself down, my family down, the University of Florida down. So it was probably one of the worst days of my life.

"But I learned from it. I got back up, kept moving, ended up here and I'm having a great time."

DET: Lions Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

11/19/09,nfl

GB: Green Bay Packers Midseason Grades

11/20/09,Bleacher Report

MIN: Ricky Williams scores 3 TDs in fill-in role, Dolphins reach .500 with 24-17 win over Panthers

11/20/09,Star Tribune