Dane Sanzenbacher

Cowboys can't stand up to Bears blitz

As a rule, the Bears' defensive scheme may be the most predictable in the NFL. But coordinator Rod Marinelli and the boys stepped out of character a bit Monday. They blitzed on nearly 23 percent of Tony Romo's dropbacks, mostly in the first half. It was...

Tags: Jay Cutler, Dez Bryant, Rod Marinelli, Charles Tillman, Michael Bush

Urlacher hurt, but offense feels the pain

Isn’t this where we came in with the Bears almost six months ago? Brian Urlacher was coming back from a knee injury suffered in the final game of last season. His status and abilities were in question as he missed chunks of training camp reps....

Tags: Physical Conditions, Football, Jay Cutler, Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman

Exhibition finale biggest game of year for players on bubble

"You aren't coming out tonight. Don't put a hand up and tell me you're tired — because there ain't anyone left." — Special teams coach Danny Smith addressing the rookies before the fourth exhibition when I played for the Redskins. Make a...

Tags: Football, Lovie Smith, Greg McCoy, National Football League, St. Louis Rams

Finally, a use for Bears tight ends

The more Bears receivers who go down with injuries and struggle to return, the more embarrassing Lovie Smith looks with his Kellen Davis nonsense. Truth is, even with a full complement of receivers, Smith looks embarrassing with his Davis nonsense....

Tags: Minnesota Vikings, Football, Leslie Frazier, Concussion, Jay Cutler

Mannelly in game for long haul

The game against the Lions on Sunday could have been the last one for a Bear who has been around forever and has his name listed prominently in the team record books. But the Bears decided they wanted him back. Whether or not the Bears will take the...

Tags: Football, Mike Martz, Brian Urlacher, Rod Marinelli, Charles Tillman

Reader Q&A: Dan Pompei's Bears mailbag

Has Phil Emery shown his hand at all regarding his feelings for Lovie Smith? @Joey FAV, from Twitter Yes, he has shown his hand repeatedly. Emery has a lot of respect for Smith. And he wants Smith to remain as head coach of the Bears as long as Smith...

Tags: Jay Cutler, Cade McNown, Brian Urlacher, National Football Conference, Lovie Smith

After turnover, Bears take a perfect shot

After a turnover in the NFL it is time to go up top and test the secondary. That's exactly what the Bears did against the Browns on Thursday night when quarterback Josh McCown hit Dane Sanzenbacher on the Pump-Seam for a touchdown after a Jeremy Jones...

Tags: Matt Bowen, Football, Josh McCown, Chicago Bears, National Football League

Exhibition finale not totally meaningless

CLEVELAND — You might have yawned at the proceedings Thursday night at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Maybe you switched back and forth to the broadcast of the Republican National Convention. Perhaps you chose "Glee." Or played some Angry Birds on...

Tags: Xavier Adibi, Football, Jordan Norwood, Jay Cutler, Jonathan Wilhite

Super Bowl champs offer Bears a road map

I presume that the Bears’ new so-called general manager watched the Super Bowl, as the Bears traditionally have done for 44 of the previous 46 years. And so, I presume that Phil Emery told Lovie Smith that his defensive line is nowhere close to...

Tags: Mario Manningham, Lovie Smith, Justin Tuck, Devin Hester, Tom Brady

On your Martz, get set, go!

Tags: Kellen Davis, Mike Martz, Jay Cutler, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears

Bears practice is free?