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Collins impresses in Bears' final preseason game posted on 09/02/2010

The preseason is finally over! With the final game in the books (a 13-10 loss to the Browns, if you even care), the Bears have decisions to make before Saturday's 5:00 PM deadline to cut the roster to 53 players. Here's what I saw during this fairly lackluster contest.

Collins to the rescue...sorta 

After bringing him in less than two weeks ago, the Bears started veteran back-up Todd Collins in Cleveland Thursday night. He did not disappoint. Collins was crisp and clean in the half of action he saw, showing no rust of a player who hadn't seen a practice field in months. He's a career back-up who knows how to play the game and find the open receivers well. That being said, playing well against Cleveland's second team defense doesn't mean all that much. So no one should be calling for Jay Cutler's benching after seeing this ONE game. He'll make Lovie Smith sleep better at night, but let's hope nothing else.

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Joe's Preseason Preview: Bears at Browns posted on 09/02/2010

Since I'm in a crunch for writing time tonight, this will be a speedy preview of the Bears' fourth and final preseason outing! If you actually like watching scrubs fight for jobs (purest form of competition if you ask me), be sure to tune in tonight and cheer for players you'll never see again! Here's what else to watch for tonight before the roster cuts on Saturday:

Who needs starters?

Jay Cutler, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Olin Kreutz, Earl Bennett, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Major Wright, Nick Roach, Caleb Hanie and Craig Steltz. That's the list of Bears that will be sitting out tonight's contest. I've heard some hubbub about not seeing Cutler tonight, but I don't care in the slightest. I don't want to see him take unnecessary sacks in a meaningless game for one series. Here's to scrubs!

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Bears' offense can't finish against the Cardinals posted on 08/29/2010

Well, if this third preseason game was any indication of how the regular season will look, Bears fans are in for a bumpy ride. The Bears' offensive woes continued against the Cardinals as the first-team unit failed to score any points. Here are my notes from Saturday night's 14-9 loss to the Cardinals.

 
Getty Images

-Mike Martz's offense couldn't finish off drives. Too many times the Bears made it into the red zone or enemy territory and failed to put points on the board. While they did show some flashes on a deep pass to Johnny Knox and screen passes to Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, it wasn't enough. For every one or two good plays, Chicago consistently followed-up with a poor one. They never appeared to be completely in-sync, ensuring some long film sessions during this short turn-around before Thursday's final preseason game.

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Joe's Preseason Preview: Cardinals at Bears posted on 08/28/2010

Tonight the Chicago Bears take on the Arizona Cardinals in what will really be their final tune-up before their regular season opens up on September 12th. The third preseason game is always the outing in which you can place the most weight on how the team will perform in later weeks, as the starters will play into the third quarter and the coaches usually attempt to make a gameplan. Here's what I'll be watching for later tonight after I get back from being social and rev up my DVR.

Running back battle?

No, not between Matt Forte and Chester Taylor. That was never in question. The real competition tonight and next week is between Kahlil Bell and Garrett Wolfe for the third running back slot. Wolfe has always been an ace on special teams, but his production on offense hasn't proven worth his third-round selection. He's in real danger of losing his job to Bell and finishing his tenure with the Bears. We've even heard that GM Jerry Angelo has talked to a few teams about gauging their trade interest in Wolfe. Unless he shows something special, Wolfe looks to be on the way out and Bell on the way up.

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Joe's NFL 2010 Season Preview: AFC East posted on 08/25/2010

Buffalo Bills

During last season's inconsistent campaign, the Bills could never gain any momentum. Quarterback Trent Edwards failed to improve in his third year in the league, giving way to Ryan Fitzpatrick and even Brian Brohm. Despite the relative success of Terrell Owens' one-year stay (lead the team with 55 receptions, so yes, it was a success), the Bills offense was unproductive through the air, relying too heavily on a decent ground game led by Fred Jackson. This year, 9th overall selection C.J. Spiller will bring some desperately needed explosiveness to this ailing offense through various forms. Wide-outs Lee Evans and Josh Reed couldn't make enough deep catches to scare defenses that crowded the line of scrimmage last season, a trend that cannot continue. Worse yet, the offensive line was horrendous and doesn't look much improved.

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