Bears Injury Update: Brian Urlacher Out for the Season

Coming into this NFL season the Chicago Bears looked promising with a healthy defense and a motivated offense lead by Pro Bowl newcomer Jay Cutler, but things look very different now as the defense has taken a huge blow and the offense struggled immensely in week one against the rival Green Bay Packers.

Jay Cutler was arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL last season as he lead one of the most potent offenses in the league with wide receiver Brandon Marshall in Denver with the Broncos. Things have changed drastically now though after legendary head coach Mike Shanahan was fired and things went down hill for the Denver Broncos as a trade sending their young Pro Bowl quarterback to the Chicago Bears.

The Broncos have gone in somewhat of a downward spiral since then as the Bears have done the complete opposites as they embraced Jay Cutler with open arms.

Unfortunately though, the Bears first regular season game against the Green Bay Packers did not go as plan for two big reasons involving the two of their superstars. Jay Cutler struggled all day long as he failed to get anything going with his new team and threw an embarrassing four interceptions and linebacker/face of the franchise in Brian Urlacher went down with a wrist injury in the first quarter which subsequently has resulted in a season ending injury.

As if seeing Cutler really struggle with a Rex Grossman like performance against the rival Packers wasn't enough, they also lose their best defensive player for the remainder of the season.

Reportedly, Urlacher dislocated his wrist in the first quarter of this game and was not able to return for the game or the rest of the year for that matter.

There is a slight chance Urlacher might be able to return if they can figure out a way to keep his wrist secure, but I wouldn't count on it as they are saying that the arthritis will be the main concern with his injury.

Not a great way to start the season, but whenever things are down I always remember the my favorite quote of all-time from Frederick Douglas:

"Without struggle, there can be no progress."

Hopefully that will be the case for the Chicago Bears!

Week 2: Pittsburgh Steeler @ Chicago Bears Sept. 20th 4:15pm EST

Bears Fire Linebackers Coach Lloyd Lee

After the Chicago Bears failed to reach the playoffs they have started to try and correct the mistakes of the season by letting certain personnel go to improve the team. The Bears will address their problems on defense in an attempt to get back to dominant status on the defensive side of the football like they were in the past.

One of the first to get the boot in Chicago is linebackers coach Lloyd Lee. Along with Lee, Ryan George was let go as well. George was the strength and conditioning coach.

These firing may have paved the way to bring in former Lions head coach Rod Marinelli and defensive coordinator Joe Barry to handle a new look defense.

This is probably the just the beginning of things to come, but it should improve the Bears on the defensive end if they can get their hands on the right people before other teams like the division rival Green Bay Packers do.

Race for the NFC North Title Will Come Down to the Wire

With three teams in the NFC North with 5-5 records, and all the teams seem to one up on the other, the NFC North title is up for grabs.

First you have the Minnesota Vikings who coming into this season were favored to actually win the division with relative ease solely because of their running back phenom in Adrian Peterson. Although they are 5-5 and not out of the running for the title just yet, they are not the team they were predicted to be. The biggest problem for the Vikings this year has been the quarterback position. Originally there was no problem with the quarterback position because Tarvaris Jackson looked so promising, but that didn't last long as he lost his job to veteran Gus Frerotte.

Needless to say, Frerotte hasn't exactly worked out and struggles week in and week out. The only reason for the .500 record is because of Peterson. With the sophomore running back having another great season, the Vikings would be dead in the water.

Secondly, there is the Chicago Bears. The Bears have been somewhat up and down all season long. One week they look untouchable and the next they struggle to score. The health of quarterback Kyle Orton has been a big part of that as when he is healthy, he is among the best in the league at his position, but when he isn't Chicago just isn't the same team. Orton was back in action against the Packers, but was noticeably not the same guy as he failed to throw a touchdown in a huge loss 37-3.

Lastly we have the Green Bay Packers who looked to be back at their best after having a huge week against division rival Bears. When the Pack came into this season they looked as good as anyone with both a potent offense and a lock down defense. They were high scoring and had to score on, things were looking promising. That didn't last long though as Green Bay began to drop off and lose a few games in a row. After week 11 though, the Packers seem to be back to form and ready to make a run at the NFC North title once again.

All three of these teams have a solid chance at winning the NFC North title, it should be pretty entertaining to see how things plan out over the last 6 weeks of the NFL season.

Wide Receiver Brandon Lloyd Back in Action Against Packers

After five games out of action, Bears wide receiver Brandon Lloyd will be on the field for Chicago against the Green Bay Packers in week 11.

Talk about a challenge right out of the gate! Lloyd will be tested in his first game back as the Packers secondary is one of the best in the NFL today with cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson all over the field.

“It’s extremely physical, and that’s one of the things you always tell players because everybody’s always like, ‘Have you played Green Bay before?’ We know those guys like to play physical and hold and make plays downfield and get interceptions,” Brandon Lloyd said.

“They’ve got a bunch of playmakers, so you definitely have to be on your ‘A’ game playing those guys.”

The Bears offense has been great this season lead by quarterback Kyle Orton and after sitting out last week against the undefeated Tennessee Titans, Orton will be back throwing passes to his favorite wide receiver in week 11.

Kyle Orton Probable for Week 11 Against Packers

Last week the Chicago Bears fared pretty well against the undefeated Tennessee Titans as they only lost by a single touchdown 21-14, but it was obvious that their chances of taking down the only undefeated team in the NFL would have been much greater if they had their starting quarterback Kyle Orton behind center instead of Rex Grossman.

Grossman had a decent game against the Titans, but Orton has been the man all season long. In week 11 the Bears will face off Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. So far this season the Packers have shown promise on both sides of the football, especially on offense when Rodgers gets going.

Both the Bears and the Packers are at a point in their season where things can go one way or the other. This NFC North battle will be an important one because who ever wins this game may just be the team to win the division.

As of right now the spread is even, with neither team being the favorite. This game could definitely come down to the wire as predicted, but if Orton gets back into action before he is healthy the Bears may be in for a long day.

Kyle Orton Might Play Against Undefeated Titans

Initially the Chicago Bears didn't know how bad Kyle Orton's ankle was after he injured it last week's game against the Detroit Lions, but fortunately for Orton and the Bears his ankle is just sprained which might actually get the quarterback back on the field in an important game against the undefeated Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

"I'm certainly not ruling out anything," Orton said. "I don't know exactly what the timetable's going to be, but I just feel if I keep on making improvement, I certainly can't rule out this week."

Although this is just wishful thinking it does reflect on Orton's toughest which would make any Bears fan happy to see that he has a good tolerance for pain and doesn't want to miss a moment on the gridiron.

If the Bears want even the slightest chance of pulling off the upset over the 8-0 Titans having Kyle Orton being the Bears quarterback definitely improves their chances.

Bad News Bears: Kyle Orton Out for a Month

It has been awhile since the Chicago Bears have actually had a decent quarterback running the show, but finally, after having enough of Rex Grossman, coach Lovie Smith takes a gamble and goes with Kyle Orton.

At first, it seemed like the same old story as Orton struggled, but not long after getting the starting job Kyle Orton showed he could be a prime time quarterback in the NFL.

He may not be a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning, but this kid can play! Unfortunately, right when he started to get some much needed recognition for playing at a high level, Orton goes down with an ankle sprain against the Detroit Lions that will sideline him for about a month.

In comes Rex Grossman. Just when you thought Da Bears finally got rid of this turnover machine, he emerges from the depths of mediocrity once again. When he first got the start a couple years back, I actually liked this kid. He had spunk and confidence, but once he got a little rattled it was all down hill from there. If it weren't for Devin Hester at the awesome Chicago D, the Bears would have been dead in the water instead of NFC champs.

Even though the future of the Bears went down, Grossman came in with the Bears down and lead the boys back to beat the Detroit Lions 27-23. Of course Rex couldn't leave this game without throwing at least one pick, but he did connect with Rashied Davis for a touchdown and ran one in to put the nail in the coffin for the win less Lions.

The true health of Orton is completely certain as of yet, team officials are saying he will be out for a month, but will be known on Monday when he undergoes an MRI.