Bears Fantasy News

Friday, February 3, 2012, 11:28am

Bears WR Johnny Knox tweeted a photo of a back brace that he said he must wear until mid-March, which only comes off when he showers and is uncomfortable "only when i sleep."

Asked if he thought he would be able to play in the 2012 season, Knox tweeted, "Im focusing on getting 100% first!"

Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 12:19pm

"We'd like to (work out a long-term deal with RB Matt Forte)," Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips said. "But as Phil pointed out we obviously will at least consider placing the franchise tag on him. We don't have any intention of letting Matt hit the open market. We'll sit down with him privately, Phil will, and discuss what the plans are prior to the Feb. 20 franchise tag date."

Thursday, January 26, 2012, 10:28am

New OC Mike Tice believes the Bears can make better use of their current wide receivers by getting the ball in their hands quicker, but also sees a possibility for additions, decisions the new general manager and Smith will make.

"If I had a question asked of me, 'What do we need?' I would say we're going to run what I learned from (Joe Gibbs with the Redskins and did with Denny Green with the Vikings) and did myself when I was the (Vikings) head coach.

"If you're going to take advantage of the box count and you're going to get the ball to that guy with single coverage, you need a guy who is going to get open more than 90 percent of the time. We don't have a guy who has stepped up, in my opinion, and shown us that ability. We either have to develop one who is in the building or we have to bring one in via the draft or free agency."

Friday, January 20, 2012, 12:46pm

While it's common today for NFL stars to back out of the Pro Bowl for the smallest reasons, first-time players rarely miss.

Bears running back Matt Forte isn't going to pass on an expenses-paid trip to Hawaii. The club announced that Forte passed a physical and has been cleared to participate in the all-star game Jan. 29 in Honolulu.

Thursday, January 19, 2012, 3:18pm

Eli Manning "is in the building and will return to practice today," the Giants' official Twitter account proclaimed minutes ago.

Manning was unable to finish practice on Wednesday because of a stomach bug. Tom Coughlin was hoping it was the 24-hour variety and that appears to be the case. So far, there are no indications Manning's bug has spread, though that Bears watching.

Jermichael Finley "pissed" about his regular season performance
Thursday, January 12, 2012, 12:19pm

When Jermichael Finley looks back on the 2011 regular season, he doesn’t like what he sees.

“A guy like me, I’m pretty pissed off about the season I had,” the Green Bay Packers fourth-year tight end said matter-of-factly Wednesday. “I view it as mediocre. An average season – just because of the level of play I know I can play at. I don’t think I played well this year.”

That’s what makes Sunday’s NFC Divisional Playoff game against the New York Giants at Lambeau Field so important to Finley. While he caught 55 passes for 767 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season – more than solid numbers in the Packers’ spread-the-wealth passing game – Finley would like nothing more than to atone for what he considers a subpar season by taking his game to a dominant level in the postseason.

“I’m viewing the playoffs like wiping the slate clean,” said Finley, who caught six passes for a season-high 87 yards and a touchdown in the Packers’ first meeting with the Giants, a 38-35 victory at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 4. “The (Denver) Broncos were 8-8, but when you get to the playoffs, you’re 0-0. That’s the thing right now.”

Stevan Ridley impresses in his rookie season
Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 2:01pm

It would be easy to overlook the contributions of Stevan Ridley this season in an offense featuring names like Brady, Gronkowski and Welker. After all, 53 running backs had more rushes than Ridley’s 87 carries, and Ridley only scored one touchdown on the season. However, evidence is mounting that the Patriots found a pretty solid player with the 73rd overall pick in last year’s draft. Ridley’s 5.1 yards per rush is 10th among the 56 running backs with at least 85 rushes. Ridley has been among the league’s most powerful runners, averaging 2.6 yards after contact per rush. That trails only Ben Tate, Isaac Redman and Donald Brown among running backs with at least 85 carries. However, Ridley was far more than just a niche power rusher, averaging a 20+ yard run once every 17.4 carries. That was the seventh-best average among backs with at least 85 carries, trailing Darren Sproles, DeAngelo Williams, Darren McFadden, C.J. Spiller, Matt Forte and Fred Jackson.

Mike Martz out as Bears OC
Tuesday, January 3, 2012, 6:45pm

The Chicago Bears had a black and blue Tuesday. Hours after the team relieved general manager Jerry Angelo of his duties, there is change in the coaching staff. Mike Martz will not return as the team's offensive coordinator after two seasons on the job.

Martz's resignation came after a meeting with head coach Lovie Smith, according to the Chicago Tribune. A source told the newspaper the reason was tied to irreconcilable "philosophical differences."

Monday, January 2, 2012, 2:03pm

Schefter on Twitter: Does not appear as if Brian Urlacher's injury was as bad as it looked. Bears believe he tore MCL/PCL but he will undergo MRI to be sure.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011, 7:48pm

The Chicago Bears have placed quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte on injured reserve.

Monday, December 26, 2011, 2:12pm

The Green Bay Packers aren't committed to starting or even playing all of their front-line players in the regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions next Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Coach Mike McCarthy made that clear after the Packers earned home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs Sunday night with a 35-21 victory over the Chicago Bears.

"We do need to get healthy as a team," said McCarthy. "Every team in the league is probably saying that today. We'll look at all our options."

Asked if healthy starters would start, McCarthy replied, "I don't have an answer for you. I need to see how the players come in here tomorrow. It usually takes to Tuesday to put a prognosis on who's available, who's at risk and who isn't."

Monday, December 26, 2011, 1:55pm

If Cutler or Forte are ready to go, "we won't tell them no," Lovie said. "If we had other things on the line, we would take same approach."