I've never understood the respect that Hunter Hillenmeyer garners as a Chicago Bears player and this isn't an article where I start praising Hillenmeyer.  Far from it, although I'm going to take a wild leap of faith and say if you're reading this you gained that much from the title of the article. 

Yes Hunter Hillenmeyer is squarely in my sights as a player who should be one of the casualties of the 53-man roster pair down.  It's not a tough choice really, Hillenemeyer is simply a very bad linebacker and when Brian Urlacher is on the field it's magnified even more. 

I'll make it more clear for you, Hillenmeyer may be the least physical middle linebacker in the NFL.  In an offense that requires it's middle linebackers to play down hill, to attack their gaps and take on blockers in a physical manner, Hillenmeyer is a pansy.   I'd like to use more harsh words to describe my dissatisfaction with HH, but that will suffice for now. 

No one player on the Bears' roster attacks with so little effort, or physicality and that includes the defensive backs.  Hillenmeyer consistently gets drive out of his gap when he does take on a blocker, and more often than not misses a tackle when he has the chance.  His 90 tackles from last year are a complete illusion and a farce to the type of player he really is. 

It was evident throughout the course of last year and is evident again during the 2010 pre-season in the absence of Urlacher.  The only reason Hillenmeyer is on the field is because he knows the defense enough to get guys lined up properly and outside of Urlacher no one else on the defense is either willing (in the case of Lance Briggs he's not willing) or in the case of Nick Roach did not know how.  Roach should be the back up at the middle linebacker spot and he should be coached up on the defense enough to where he doesn't make the mistakes he made in 2009. 

To emphasize my point however, during the two games Roach started at middle linebacker in place of Hillenmeyer he had 15 tackles in each of those games.  Hillenmeyer was injured and missed the Detroit game and the Atlanta game and in his place, Roach shined.  He played down hill, physical one gap defense that is required of any defender in this defense and he's faster and more athletic in coverage than HH will ever be. 

For a city that loves the middle linebacker position more than any other position on the field, HH is an absolute embarrassment when he's on the field.  He's never been very productive even when he was a starter and no longer deserves to be the primary reserve off the bench when an injury occurs to the heart and soul of the defense. 

Hopefully at some point the Bears can make the correct choice to cut their losses and move someone else into the position  and groom him to be a better play maker than what Hunter Hillenmeyer has been.  A good organization recognizes a weakness when it has one and put another younger player in position to succeed and learn to avoid such a monumental drop off in production and effort that Hillenmeyer represents.

Through 120 minutes of preseason football, the Chicago Bears haven’t given too many reasons to believe the 2010 season is going to be different from the previous three. Some of the old familiar problems appear to be cropping up already: inconsistent offensive line play, lack of a pass rush and trouble stopping the run, just to name a few.

Yes, preseason games ultimately don’t mean a thing, but it is certainly reassuring to see your team fare well during August. But it’ll take a solid performance to do that, with the Arizona Cardinals coming to town. Derek Anderson will be at the head of the powerful Arizona offense, although he will not be throwing to receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet, who are out with injury. Still, expect the Cardinals to come out slinging the ball over the field. The Arizona defense will provide a challenge, too, with players like Adrian Wilson, Joey Porter and Darnell Dockett on the field.

So what do the Bears need to do?

Keep running the ball: The play of the preseason so far was Matt Forte’s 89-yard run against Oakland last week. It may be too much to ask for that kind of run again, but the offensive line should continue to generate holes for their ground game. More important than breaking off any huge runs is maintaining an average of four to five yards every time Chicago hands the ball to a back.

Cutler’s accuracy: Remember when Jay Cutler led the NFL in interceptions last season? It seems like one storyline a lot of people have forgotten about this preseason, given all the other issues that have developed. Cutler hasn’t been incredibly accurate, but he’s made a lot of nice passes when he’s needed to. The most important thing? Zero interceptions. That may be the best number of the entire preseason.

Consistency, please? The starting offensive line couldn’t run block in the first game, then they couldn’t pass block in the second game. It’d be great to see them put it all together for one contest. The biggest microscope will be on LT Chris Williams, who was torched repeatedly against Oakland.

Prepare for the aerial assault: Kurt Warner, Matt Leinart, Derek Anderson … whoever is behind center, expect them to be able to fire the ball anywhere. The Cardinals have a great system in place, and with Derek Anderson at the helm on Saturday, don’t be surprised to see him return to his 2007 form, if the Bears allow him. Facing this offense will be a great test for some of their divisional opponents, who all have the ability to move the ball through the air.

Pass rush, pass rush, pass rush: It’s a dead horse, but it still needs to be beaten. If the Bears are going to sit back in their Cover 2, the front four need to get pressure on the quarterback. It’s vital against teams like Arizona. Julius Peppers got a sack last week, and pressure by Matt Toeaina led to an interception for Charles Tillman. More of that will be needed on Saturday, or the Bears will end up looking like the Colts defense against the Packers on Thursday night.

Step up to the challenge: This will be the best test for Chicago before the regular season. Facing a quality Arizona team in a contest where the starters will play at least a half and possibly into the third quarter. Anything that can make Bears fans forget about last year’s game against the Cardinals would go a long way toward restoring faith in 2010.

And please, no more injuries.

Chris Williams had about as bad as a game as humanly possible for an offensive tackle in the game against the Raiders.  He struggled in pass protection allowing four sacks and at least two other pressures by my count.  Williams struggled mightily in the game, but closer look at the tape reveals to a keen football eye, precisely what Williams struggled with and why. 

Williams' struggles were directly tied in with his hands against the Raiders and the way he used them or in this case how he didn't use them.  A simple break down, but easily correctable break down in fundamentals is what hurt Williams and the Bears the most. 

Specifically an offensive linemen wants to keep his arms up high (aiming for the breast plate) and in tight close to his body to deliver a punch and a push to the oncoming defender.  You want it to be a quick sharp and powerful motion, all the while keeping balanced and being careful not to over extend yourself as a blocker.  A blocker wants to be able to win the battle of the hands, because it's important for him to control the defender and be able to  lock out and push the defender away from his body. 

Williams failed to do this, his initial pass blocking set was good, he kept hands up high and tight, but when Williams went to deliver his punch he dropped his hands and arms and almost in butterfly stroke motion tried to make his punch.  Problem is by the time Williams finished his motion to deliver the punch the rusher was already into his body and in control of the blocker. 

Reviewing the tape from last season in which Williams started at LT shows that Williams typically has solid hand placement and is able to get a good punch and push on the rusher.  What it is that caused this small break down in technique will likely remain a mystery, but it's probably something pretty common amongst second year starting offensive tackles. 

The good news is this game doesn't count in the standings nor does it reveal an overall weakness in Williams' game.  He is still the best offensive linemen on this team, and still the linemen with the highest ceiling.  Williams is still a player capable of achieving a high level of success in the NFL, the only thing that is stopping him is his willingness to learn and his own desire to succeed. 

Bears fans should take comfort in knowing that a simple flaw that can be easily corrected will be pointed out by Mike Tice and dealt with in time for the Bears' offensive line to be consistent in week one against the Detroit Lions.  Tice has already proven through the off-season and during training camp that he knows specifically what he's looking for and what he's working with in his starting offensive line.  He is also taking the time during the pre-season to put his linemen in situations where they will fail or show a weakness and that failure won't count for anything.  The failure or weakness will simply reveal itself and then Tice as a great offensive line coach can go back and correct what needs to be corrected. 

This is what the pre-season is for, putting your players through the grinder and finding out what they can and can't do, what their limitations are.  In the case of Williams however anyone can see if they watch closely enough that his limitations are very few and far between.

There's been a lot of talk through training camp about defensive tackle Matt Toeaina and how he's come a long and is pushing Anthony Adams for the starting job at the nose tackle spot.  At first you don't want to believe fluff like that given that Toeaina hasn't shown much since his arrival in Chicago.  He's been a fine rotational guy who has made plays that have stood out, but he's never been a consistent performer. 

That appears to have changed through the first two pre-season games as it's become evident that a light bulb has come on for Toeaina.  He's a tough player that works hard has improved his technique and plays better with leverage and natural strength.  He doesn't get pushed around and he fights hard in the trenches, even working through double teams to make plays. 

Three tackles in the San Diego game for Toeaina and while he didn't record a tackle in the Raiders game he was overall very disruptive.  His play allowed other players around him to make the plays, overall he was very active.  If he can play with this level of consistency over the course of the 16-game season the defense will be that much better off. 

Coming back from a sophomore slump has been Marcus Harrison who has lost the weight and showed up over the first two games with his play.  Harrison's game is different from Toeaina or Adams, he has a lot of natural athleticism for a DT.  He's fast in pursuit just nimble and can use this nimbleness to be every bit as disruptive.  He's also very versatile in that he can play either the nose or the three technique behind Harris.

Harrison's biggest issue to this point has been his heat exhaustion problems and not being able to finish practice.  Obviously it's a disappointment but what level of concern that surrounds this is debatable.  So long as Harrison is productive in games and plays hard when it counts and improves is what will be most valuable to the Bears. 

Overall these two defensive tackles have shown the ability to get penetration get into the backfield and be disruptive.  With Lovie Smith's desire to use four to five active DTs and rotate them throughout the game a consistent level of play from the backups will only help the Bears' defense to be more consistent throughout all 60 minutes of action. 

Depth at the DT position is of utmost importance to the success of any defense and right now the way this group of four is playing together is a strong side that the 2010 Bears defense will be better than last year.

Who else could it be? Reviving memories of his breakout rookie season, Matt Forte reeled off an 89-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter of Saturday’s action. Forte would end the night with 109 yards on five attempts, but it was his home run carry that left the Soldier Field crowd buzzing. The NFL website has the highlight, including an end zone angle, a perfect vantage point for a breakdown:

Chicago comes out in a singleback formation. Knox split wide to the left, Hester in the left slot. Kellen Davis is at tight end on the right side of the line, with Olsen out wide to the right. Oakland appears to be in man coverage, with CBs right in front of Hester and Knox and safety Tyvon Branch a few yards from Olsen. Seven Oakland defenders are in the box, with safety Michael Huff back about 15 yards from the ball before the snap.

Olsen motions in from the outside and Branch follows, again indicating the likelihood of man coverage. At the snap, Olsen pins LB Kamerion Wimbley, allowing Forte to get outside after receiving the deep handoff from Cutler. Davis and RT Frank Omiyale effectively drive their men inside, while RG Lance Louis and C Olin Kreutz pull to the outside. Away from the play, LG Roberto Garza cuts his man, and LT Chris Williams gets upfield for a crucial block on the backside linebacker (Trevor Scott), which will be revisited shortly.

The two most important blocks come from the pulling duo of Louis and Kreutz. First, Louis drives Branch outside the numbers, allowing more space for Forte to make his cut to the inside. Kreutz then delivers a perfect cut block on Oakland rookie LB Rolando McClain. Running just to the left of Kreutz’s block, Forte follows the tight end wall made by the down blocks of Davis and Olsen, and there’s only one man left to beat: the safety, Huff.

But before we get there, let’s go back to Williams’ block, which ended up with the backside linebacker on the ground, victim of another chop. Why is that so vital? Most tackles on outside run plays are made by the backside linebacker, who flow over the top of the other blocks and bring down the ballcarrier before he reaches the secondary. With that player on the ground, Forte has plenty of open space to make his move past Huff and into the open field. Without Williams block, Forte would not have been able to cut back for the touchdown. He probably would have had 20 to 30 yards easily up the right sideline, but a touchdown would’ve been more difficult.

From there, Forte turns on the jets and the Oakland secondary can’t catch No. 22. An 89-yard touchdown run took just 12-seconds of game time. One more thing worth mentioning: Johnny Knox was on a full sprint the entire way, hustling downfield to possibly throw a block if Forte had needed to cut back. You have to love seeing that kind of hustle from a young player.

There were definitely some ugly plays in Saturday’s game, but this run from Forte may have been the best thing I’ve seen from the Bears in this preseason. If Chicago can run the ball like this in 2010, the offense is going to be fine.

For a complete video review of the play including an end-zone view of the play click here

In the 2009 season (and for much of Lovie Smith’s tenure) the Chicago Bears have been terrible at the start of games. They gave up points on the opening drive of six contests last season. That’s why Saturday’s slow start against the Oakland Raiders wasn’t a total shock. Still, many Bears fans had to be scratching their heads, thinking: “Really? We’re looking this bad against the Raiders?”

A 10-0 deficit appeared to be getting worse, until Jason Campbell floated a pass into the hands of Charles Tillman near the Chicago 11. On the next play, Matt Forte gave the 60,000+ in attendance at Soldier Field a brief case of amnesia with an 89-yard touchdown gallop. A second Oakland mistake—this one a botched shotgun snap that was recovered by Israel Idonjie—gave the Bears great field position for their second score, a 22-yard touchdown strike from Jay Cutler to Johnny Knox. That would be it for the first-string offense, as Cutler gave way to Dan LeFevour for the rest of the game.

Aside from the two turnovers, the starting Chicago defense turned in a lackluster performance. Oakland moved the ball willingly on the Bears, even converting on a third-and-17 with a screen pass. Brian Urlacher left play early with a calf injury that isn’t believed to be serious, but his absence is no excuse for the terrible performance of this unit. Julius Peppers was unblockable at times and earned a sack and forced fumble on the same play, but his efforts were a brief flicker of promise on an otherwise bleak night.

The second half was a lesson in ugly football, even for a preseason game. The offense threw a pick, the special teams gave up a touchdown with a muffed punt and a safety on a blocked punt and the defense continued to allow Oakland’s offense to drive. No position battles were won on Saturday, but there were certainly a few players who just ended their careers in Chicago.

And one more thing: can we find a legitimate long snapper for next Saturday? Pat Mannelly is one of the best in league, but if he can’t play, the Bears need to be able to run their special teams. Having a professional football team spoil that many plays is absurd.

Let’s revisit Friday’s game preview and see how the Bears did:

Better run blocking: The great run by Matt Forte was set up by two terrific blocks: one from pulling guard Lance Louis and the other from pulling center Olin Kreutz. Each displayed the athleticism to get around the end and lead a play up the field—a great sign for the run game. Overall, the Bears racked up 174 yards on 25 carries, averaging just under seven yards per carry. The run game certainly improved, but it’s hard to praise an offensive line that allowed Cutler to be sacked five times in the first half. Anytime Chris Williams wants to return to the player that shut down Jared Allen last season is fine with me. A few simple stunts on the Oakland defensive line seemed to befuddle the Bears blockers—not a good sign with the regular season just three weeks away.

More big plays by the receivers: Devin Hester hauled in pass on a corner route, converting a third down early in the game, and Cutler bought enough time with his feet to allow Johnny Knox to break open for that touchdown pass in the first half. Outside of that, the receivers were quiet in this one.

Pressure from a 4-man rush: The sack-and-fumble from Peppers was about the only time Oakland start Jason Campbell saw pressure. He often had all day to pick apart the Bears secondary, and did so with relative ease. The biggest way for the Bears defense to succeed in 2010 is to muster pressure with their four man rush. That hasn’t happened yet in the preseason.

Better tackling: Much like the last game, the tackling wasn’t terrible, but there’s still room left to improve. Cutting down the receivers on those screen passes before they go 40 yards is of particular importance, considering the Packers have always been great at that play.

Improved kickoff coverage: Check. Dave Toub proves again that he’s worth every penny.

Take it to the Raiders: Not even close. It took the Bears nearly an entire quarter to wake up, and they were already trailing by 10 at that point. Against a team that hasn’t been successful in nearly a decade, the Bears underperformed.

Six days to get ready for a team that shellacked the Bears at home last season. Matt Leinart is no Kurt Warner, but the Arizona Cardinals still have plenty of offensive firepower. The defense had better be ready.

Long time midget media hack Jay Mariotti was arrested in L.A. for felony domestic violence over an alleged fight with his boyfriend...er alleged girlfrieind.  Mariotti is famous for being an absolute Chicago sports basher from his tenure at the Chicago Sun Times that didn't end well for the long time columnist.

Domestic violence is typically a misdemeanor charge that is only raised to a felony when there is some sort of weapon used or there are severe injuries involved.  The fact that Mariotti is being held with a felony charge just shows the level of severity involved here.  This allegation if proven true is sickening in nature and hopefully punishment will be swift and severe.

News of Mariotti's arrest is sure to send a ripple of laughter through the windy city as he always been seen as a coward amongst local sports fans and sports stars.  Always one to hide behind  his news desk rather than venture out into the lockerooms, Mariotti has an unusually negative view of the Chicago sports world. 

Perhaps the most annoying sports antagonist in the history of sports writing, Mariotti was never well liked by anyone, including his peers.  He has had consistent feuds with Sox manager Ozzie Guillien, ripped on Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton to the point that he at one point was allegedly challenged to a fight by the Sox manager. 

As it is said by most anyone who is ever arrested for beating up a woman, these type of men are purely spineless. These types of people are the lowest form of scum on the earth, a notch above rapists and pedophiles.  Mariotti's "opinion" pieces fit the profile of the type of person that would commit such a sickening act as to beat a woman. 

Justice however will likely be served because if Mariotti spends some time in prison upon conviction as he should, he will be treated like the little prison bitch he is.