Tuesday, April 19, 2005

2005 NFL Draft top 10 pick Projection.

Here is my projection for the top 10 picks in the upcoming draft.

1. San Francisco 49ers
Aaron Rodgers, QB, California

2. Miami Dolphins
Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn

3. Cleveland Browns
Alex Smith, QB, Utah

4. Chicago Bears
Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carnell Williams, RB, Auburn

6. Tennessee Titans
Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami

7. Minnesota Vikings
Mike Williams, WR, USC

8. Arizona Cardinals
Cedric Benson, RB, Texas

9. Washington Redskins
Adam Jones, CB, West Virginia

10. Detroit Lions
Derrick Johnson, LB, Texas

- Slim Tim.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Chicago Bears - 2005 Schedule News and Notes

Chicago Bears: "SCHEDULE QUICK FACTS "

Regular Season
Date Opponent Time Network Score
September 11 @ Redskins Noon FOX
September 18 vs.Lions Noon FOX
September 25 vs.Bengals Noon CBS
October 9 @ Browns Noon FOX
October 16 vs.Vikings Noon FOX
October 23 vs.Ravens 3:15 p.m. CBS
October 30 @ Lions Noon FOX
November 6 @ Saints Noon FOX
November 13 vs.49ers Noon FOX
November 20 vs.Panthers Noon FOX
November 27 @ Buccaneers Noon FOX
December 4 vs.Packers Noon FOX
December 11 @ Steelers Noon FOX
December 18 vs.Falcons 7:30 p.m. ESPN
December 25 @ Packers 4:00 p.m. FOX
January 1 @ Vikings Noon FOX

All times listed are (CST) Central Standard Time

ROAD OPENER: The Bears open their 2005 season on the road for the third time in the last six seasons, but only the sixth time in the last 24 years, when they open in our nation's capital against the Washington Redskins on Sept. 11. Chicago is 1-4 in its last five road games to open a season, including three consecutive losses with the most recent loss being at San Francisco in 2003. The Bears last opened a season with a win on the road in 1970 with a 24-16 triumph over the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 19.

HOLIDAY ROAD SHOW: The Chicago Bears 2005 regular season schedule is highlighted by one holiday road trip each month of the season, totaling five. Beginning with their season-opening game at Washington on Patriot Day (Sept. 11), the Bears will spend every holiday weekend on the road this season by playing at Detroit the day before Halloween (Oct. 30), at Tampa Bay following Thanksgiving (Nov. 27), at Green Bay on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) and at Minnesota on New Year's Day (Jan. 1). Chicago's nationally televised game against the Packers marks the first-ever appearance for the Bears on Christmas Day. Minnesota was the site of the Bears only other appearance on New Year's Day with Chicago beating the Vikings, 35-18, in an NFC First Round Playoff contest on Jan. 1, 1995.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF: The Bears kick off the 2005 season for the first time in franchise history at Washington. Chicago and the Redskins have met only once previously in a season opener with Washington winning, 38-28 on Sept. 15, 1968 at Wrigley Field.

DIVISION DELAY: Chicago will not play Green Bay in 2005 until Week 13, the latest the two long-time rivals have met for the first time in a season since playing for the first time in 1998 on Dec. 13. The Bears have played the Packers in the first half of each of the previous five seasons. The Bears will not play the Vikings until Week Six of the season this year, traveling to Minnesota on Oct. 16, making 2005 the first season this decade in which Chicago will not play Minnesota in one of the first three games of the season.

PUDDLE JUMPERS: Two years removed from traveling nearly 17,000 air miles, the most since the figure began being calculated in 1995, the Bears will average just 850 miles per road trip in 2005, lowest in the last 11 years. The 9,350 air miles amassed for the 11 road games in 2005 is the fewest since 2001 (9,314 miles) and the third-fewest since 1995. For the second consecutive year, the team's farthest trip will be to Tampa which at 2,024 miles accounts for 21.7 percent of the season's total travel.

HIGH NOON: For the third consecutive season, the Bears play 13 of their 16 games at Noon (Chicago Time) in 2005. Chicago's only appearance on primetime this season will be against Atlanta on Dec. 18 on ESPN's Sunday Night Football. The Bears had five game times other than Noon in 2002.

SUPER TRIP: For the second-straight year and tenth time in franchise history, the Bears play a road game at the site which hosts that season's Super Bowl. When Chicago plays at Detroit's Ford Field on Oct. 30 it will be the same venue that hosts Super Bowl XL on Feb. 5, 2006. The Bears are 4-5 overall at stadiums in the year that they host the Super Bowl, dating back to a 31-17 loss to the L.A. Rams at the L.A. Coliseum on Sept. 16, 1966 prior to Super Bowl I. Chicago has lost three straight games at Super Bowl sites since winning four in a row between 1983 to 1994. The Bears are scheduled to play Miami next year, hosts of Super Bowl XLI, but the game will be played in Chicago.

SALUTATIONS TO STEELERS: The Bears roll into the Steel City for the first time in the regular season since Sept. 13, 1998 when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 11. The Week 14 match-up is the first regular-season contest between the two storied franchises in seven seasons, the longest drought of any Bears opponent in the league. After playing the Steelers, the team with the distinction of being the NFL team that Chicago has gone the longest without facing falls to Buffalo who last played the Bears in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Sept. 29, 2002. The two teams are slated to meet in 2006.

CLEVELAND ROCKS: From the beaches of Lake Michigan to the banks of Lake Erie, the Bears play at Cleveland in the regular season for the first time since Nov. 29, 1992. The Bears regular-season absence in the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the second longest among all NFL cities behind only Indianapolis (Nov. 17, 1991). The game against the Browns marks the 16th consecutive season in which the Bears play a regular-season game against a squad they also played in the preseason.

MISCELLANEOUS SCHEDULE NOTES


The Bears open the home portion of their schedule in Week 2 against Detroit, the second consecutive season in which the Lions are the first NFL team to travel to Chicago for a regular season game. Detroit defeated Chicago 20-16 on Sept. 12 in the 2004 season opener.

Chicago plays Baltimore for just the third time ever with the Ravens making just their second trip to Soldier Field, the last one being Dec. 20, 1998.

Cincinnati makes its first visit to Chicago since Nov. 8, 1992, a 31-28 Cincinnati win in overtime on Sunday night.

Chicago has three sets of consecutive home games in 2005 and two sets of consecutive road games.

The 2005 schedule will mark the second time in three years in which the Bears will open and close the season on the road with 2003 being the other occurrence. Chicago has opened and closed its season on the road just six times since 1970.

The last time the Bears concluded a season with consecutive games on the road was 2000. Chicago has not finished a regular season with a game at Minnesota since 1988 when the Bears lost 28-27 on Dec. 19.

Chicago appears on ESPN's Sunday Night Football for the second consecutive season while not appearing on ABC's Monday Night Football for the sixth time in eight years.

The Bears play three AFC North teams in a four-week stretch from Week 3-7 and play three NFC South teams in a four-week stretch from Week 8-11.

Monday, April 04, 2005

Subtraction by Addition - Terrell to Land with Champs

Yahoo! Sports - NFL - Terrell to Land with Champs: "Terrell to Land with Champs"

In an unheralded move today, the New England Patriots apparently are seriously considering signing David Terrell. In other somewhat similar news, the Patriots chance to win the Superbowl in '06 has dropped from 2-1 to 200-1. - Slim Tim