Holmes: What To Watch For - Panthers At Bears
It's only Week 4, but don't get it twisted, this is a big game for the Bears. You don't want to have a three-game losing streak and you don't want to lose an NFC game at home.
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It's only Week 4, but don't get it twisted, this is a big game for the Bears. You don't want to have a three-game losing streak and you don't want to lose an NFC game at home.
Cutler said Wednesday that he was committed to the way offensive coordinator Mike Martz plans to run the Bears' offense.
Go ahead and blame the defense if you must for coming out flat and unprepared, blame the offense if you'd like for being perpetually inept. I'll blame the general manager.
The last two games have been interesting and have led to some interesting questions from you. Let's open up the mailbag and see what we can figure out.
It's supposed to be easier than this. During the truncated preseason, the Bears kept talking about how being in the second year of the Mike Martz system would bear fruit.
After Lovie Smith and Mike Martz said all week that the Bears would be more balanced against the Packers, Cutler threw the ball 37 times and running back Matt Forte had just nine carries.
The reasons for the Bears' inefficiencies are many, and shared. But, really. Somebody get open.
Through two games, Jay Cutler has been sacked 11 times. Beyond getting sacked, Cutler's been touched up quite a bit.
First it was the defending NFC South Champion Atlanta Falcons, then the 2009 Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints on the road, now they welcome to Soldier Field the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.
The Chicago Bears' offense needs to regain its balance, for Jay Cutler's sake if nothing else.
After a 30-13 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints, the Bears now sit at 1-1 before the Week 3 showdown at Soldier Field with Green Bay.
I'm very excited about some of the matchups in this game. Not just on the field, but the intellectual battle between Mike Martz and Gregg Williams. This is a big game for the Saints. They'd hate to go 0-2 in a very competitive NFC South.
The Island of Cautious Pessimism is a comfortable place to be. You've been here before, too, at one time or another. I've seen you. I remember faces of like-minded Bears fans who wait with me for the inevitable.
Offensive football can feel like it's so complicated. Especially when you're dealing with the intricacies of Mike Martz's offense, but it really comes down to one thing: can you protect your quarterback?
Laurence Holmes takes your Bears questions every week in his mailbag.
Dane Sanzenbacher wanted to be a Bear even before the NFL Draft. After setting a number of records -- including career receiving yards (2,808) and career receptions (151) -- Sanzenbacher was labeled as one of those "fringe" guys before April's draft.
During practices, you can see Mike Martz stalking the practice field making sure that offensive players are in the right spot on time.
It's probably a good thing that the biggest story in training camp right now is the backup quarterback.
Fans that showed up to Olivet Nazarene University Tuesday night could not have been impressed with the Bears offense.
When it comes to protecting Jay Cutler, the focus centers on the offensive line, but the line and protection of Cutler extends out to the edge.
Well, one preseason game is in the books and there is a lot to talk about. Let's get straight to your questions:
Greg Olsen trade rumors started the moment Mike Martz was hired as offensive coordinator after the 2009 season and they never really went away until the tight end was finally traded to Carolina last month.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said Thursday that the team's offense last year was so poor that he doesn't know how they won games, and the offense absolutely must carry its weight this year.
What the Bears appear to be thinking is this: our problems last year were only a matter of personnel, and we have better parts in better places. We can run this system the way it was meant to run, last year's struggles be damned.
The mailbag heats up this week as the Bears get ready for their first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills Saturday.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Don Bacso was working as an IT consultant. When American Airlines Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center between the 93th and 94th floor, Bacso was on the 57th floor.
Next week, Riot Fest returns to Douglass Park, and alongside big names like Twenty One Pilots, Nas, and Alanis Morissette, one performer will be making his heavy metal debut at 95 years old.
Chicago native and "Godmother of Punk" Patti Smith was back in her hometown on Thursday night to receive this year's Harold Washington Literary Award
Final preparations are in full swing ahead of a busy stretch of days that will mark Mexican Independence Day throughout Chicago.
Jared Jones pitched seven innings of one-hit ball, Oneil Cruz added a solo home run and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Thursday night to complete a three-game series sweep.
Five months until the 2027 mayoral election in Chicago, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is leading in early polling, and has a commanding lead in fundraising.
Matt O'Shea, who has been the alderman of Chicago's 19th Ward for the last 16 years, is the latest to announce he is giving up his Chicago City Council seat after this term.
The Supreme Court said Missouri must use a 2022 congressional map — not a new congressional map that favors Republicans — in the 2026 midterm elections.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker excoriated the Republican midterm convention in Dallas at a Democrats' event in Texas Tuesday, calling it "a clown show" focused on President Trump while Americans are hurting.
A coalition of advocacy groups and a Democratic-led city filed a preemptive lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from deploying armed ICE agents to polling sites ahead of the midterm elections.
Nicor customers will get a break on their bills this fall after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Roul reached an agreement with the utility to cut $140 million from its requested rate hike.
Drivers in Chicago and beyond were paying the highest gas prices ever recorded for the Labor Day holiday as millions of Americans were making their way home on Monday.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Thursday against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc., alleging deceptive business practices.
Cook County homeowners are again facing a sharper increase in property taxes this year than businesses, the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced Monday.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns have joined a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' Medical Aid in Dying law, which is set to take effect in just over a week.
Flies have been everywhere this summer in the Chicago area, and some of them bite. But why is this happening?
Prime Healthcare is drawing criticism after announcing it will stop obstetrics services at three Chicago-area hospitals.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced two human cases and one death from the West Nile virus in the city this year, and one of those two people has died.
The Jackson Chance Foundation supports the lives of families with babies in the NICU by removing the financial burden of finding parking near hospitals.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
The stage was set and the air was humid as rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took the stage for the first of two Chicago concerts at Soldier Field Thursday night.
James Fulton Engstrom, now a healthy teenager, was born without a pulse in 2010 — and his survival is the miracle the Catholic Church credited to Fulton Sheen's intercession, clearing the way for beatification.
The Met's decision to highlight the work by designer John Galliano sparked widespread controversy due to his history of antisemitic and racist comments.
The Edgewater Music Festival was under way this weekend on Chicago's north lakefront.
People around the world, including Chicago, continued to gather Wednesday to pay tribute to the late Dolly Parton.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Don Bacso was working as an IT consultant. When American Airlines Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center between the 93th and 99th floor, Bacso was on the 57th floor.
Next week, Riot Fest returns to Douglass Park, and alongside big names like Twenty One Pilots, Nas, and Alanis Morissette, one performer will be making his heavy metal debut at 95 years old.
Chicago native and "Godmother of Punk" Patti Smith was back in her hometown on Thursday night to receive this year's Harold Washington Literary Award.
Final preparations are in full swing ahead of a busy stretch of days that will mark Mexican Independence Day throughout Chicago.
Final preparations are in full swing ahead of a busy stretch of days that will mark Mexican Independence Day throughout Chicago.
A man who was shot and killed by police in northwest suburban Des Plaines on Wednesday was threatening officers with an electric hedge trimmer and ignored officers to drop it, police said on Thursday.
Nearly 300 million birds flew over the Chicago area on Wednesday night. Another 276 million are expected to make the same trip Thursday night.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Don Bacso was working as an IT consultant. When American Airlines Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center between the 93th and 94th floor, Bacso was on the 57th floor.
Next week, Riot Fest returns to Douglass Park, and alongside big names like Twenty One Pilots, Nas, and Alanis Morissette, one performer will be making his heavy metal debut at 95 years old.
Chicago police crime data show 255 reported crimes in the last two years on the two blocks where the former Hard Rock and Rainforest cafés sit vacant. Neighbors have been calling the city about the alley between them for six years.
A three-year effort by the Cook County Sheriff's Office to help bring down crime on the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago appears to be working.
Several lawsuits are challenging Illinois' medical aid in dying law that is set to take effect on Sept. 12, including one in federal court arguing the law discriminates against people with disabilities.
Back in 2023, ISP got a $10 million grant from the Illinois Secretary of State's Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council.
Two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home.
Jared Jones pitched seven innings of one-hit ball, Oneil Cruz added a solo home run and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Thursday night to complete a three-game series sweep.
Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest Thursday to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage charges; the NFL said it is reviewing the case under its personal conduct policy and Jacobs remains on the commissioner's exempt list.
AL Central-leading Chicago (75-70) maintained a two-game lead over Cleveland, which lost at Baltimore.
The Brewers extend their NL Central lead to 10 games over the Cubs.
Milwaukee extended its NL Central lead to nine games over Chicago by coming from behind to defeat the Cubs for a second straight day.
Chicago police crime data show 255 reported crimes in the last two years on the two blocks where the former Hard Rock and Rainforest cafés sit vacant. Neighbors have been calling the city about the alley between them for six years.
A three-year effort by the Cook County Sheriff's Office to help bring down crime on the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago appears to be working.
Police are searching for a group wanted for damaging multiple cars in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood early Thursday morning.
Thieves stole three golf carts from the Billy Caldwell Golf Course on Chicago's Northwest Side early Thursday.
Dorian Smith spent much of his time at the Grant Park skate park, where skaters knew him as Avery. His father said the family is distraught. No one is in custody.
