WBEZ | football

What Phil Emery needs to get the Chicago Bears in the draft

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0500

Thursday is every holiday rolled up into one for Chicago Bears General Manager Phil Emery: the start of the NFL draft.

Several free agent signings in recent months have peppered this team with some needed help.

But the loss of some players to free agency and the decision to go in an alternative direction has re-shaped the Bears. There is also the desire to find replacements for woeful players.

Emery is talking all calls to move out of the first round with the team’s 20th pick for the right deal. If the Bears GM could grab two more selections and fill positions like offensive guard and linebacker, a trade would be welcome.

This will be the first draft in a long time without Lovie Smith involved. Emery now has his handpicked head coach Marc Trestman.

There is no doubt Emery is focused on what this team needs.

When former number one draft pick Gabe Carimi is moved from tackle to guard and still has to compete with new free agent signee former Jets guard Matt Slauson and second year player (undrafted) James Brown you know the Bears feel that position may still be inadequate.

Offensive coordinator coaching guru Aaron Cromer says he doesn't care where a player is drafted. He will start the best five to protect the quarterback.

The only returning starting linebacker is 32-year-old Lance Briggs. Brian Urlacher is still waiting by the phone for a NFL roster spot. Nick Roach signed with Oakland.

Emery didn’t hesitate to sign a couple of linebackers to one year deals: former Denver bronco D.J. Williams and former Carolina Panther James Anderson. Williams has a checkered past. Maybe a new team will help him settle down.

You can’t forget last year the Bears dealt two third round draft picks for troubled Brandon Marshall. That deal not only worked out, it showed the Emery has guts.

The Bears have a couple of back-up quarterbacks on their roster: Josh McCown and Matt Blanchard. Neither is the future (or the present).

Jay Cutler will likely enter the season in the final year of his deal without a contract extension and the Bears would love for him to have a monster year.

The Super Bowl Champions in Baltimore had the same scenario last year with Joe Flacco. They are paying Flacco a ton of money now and their salary cap was decimated. But they will get their championship rings in a few months.

Sometimes you have to gamble and gladly win in the end.

The Bears should look for a quarterback in the draft. Seattle found Russell Wilson in the third round last year. Maybe there is another gem hidden in the middle rounds.

Emery addressed the offensive line’s biggest need by signing left tackle Jermon Bushrod.

Getting tight end Martellus Bennett adds another weapon for Cutler. But if another quality tight end is available the Bears would likely make that selection.

The Bears may need to look for some youth at cornerback. Charles Tillman is 32 and injuries are a factor. Both starters Tillman and Tim Jennings were Pro Bowlers last season, but the league is full of talented and big wide receivers. Another cornerback could be necessary.

After the draft, the Bears will likely continue to fill out the roster with undrafted players, free agents and unsigned veterans.

One Bear who is still sitting waiting for a team is defensive lineman Israel Idonije. The NFL salary cap has hampered most teams. Veterans like him will either take a big pay cut or may be forced into retirement. Urlacher is in the same boat.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye Stout #AtTheGame

NOM caught in lie about Chicago Bears' donation

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -0500

On Wednesday, Dan Savage and Equality Matters gave Chicagoans a heart attack when they informed us that our beloved Bears (the sports team kind) may be collaborating with a hate group. Equality passed along an email from Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse of the National Organization for Marriage, who runs NOM’s Ruth Institute Gala. The “esteemed” doctor (probably a mail-in thing) specifically trumpeted coveted donations from the Bears organization, which included signed memorabilia from Brian Urlacher and Walter Payton.

Dr. Doom wrote:

“This year, we're planning on sending our graduates off with a bang! And we've got some help! Several donors have stepped up and donated terrific items for us to raffle as prizes in an effort to raise funds for ITAF '13...
“For now, you should know that we have two fabulous raffle items from the Chicago Bears Organization (and a huge THANK YOU to the Bears for supporting our message).”

It was news to the Bears organization, who had no idea what Roback Morse was talking about. When WBEZ contacted the Bears for comment, we received the same message that went out to the rest of the press:

“The two items featured in The Ruth Institute gala invitation were personal donations to (President) Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse. Neither was a club donation, nor do they represent the team's view on any social issues. Any remarks stating otherwise are false.”

The Chicago Tribune backed up the team’s assertion that the relationship was in Roback Morse's head:

"I sign a lot of stuff for charity and I don't always know where it goes," Urlacher told the Tribune. "If I would have known it was for this cause, I wouldn't have done it."
Payton's older brother Eddie Payton said he did not know of any memorabilia regarding his brother used to support an anti-gay marriage group.
"This is the first I've heard of it," said Payton, a former NFL kick returner. "Walter treated everybody equal. Only Walter could speak for himself, but it's a touchy subject. It should be a non-subject."

Before the explosion got too big, Roback Morse decided to walk away from it slowly and coolly, like in a Michael Bay movie, lest anyone realized what had happened. To minimize damage, the goodly doctor issued a complete retraction:

"The Ruth Institute is not working with the Chicago Bears organization or any of its players past or present to promote our upcoming auction. The memorabilia we are auctioning off was acquired by me personally, not through the team or players. We understand that the Chicago Bears organization takes no position on social issues, and we regret any confusion we may have caused on this point."

But what did happen here? If you translate this email from PR doublespeak into plain English, it comes out to:

“The Ruth Institute lies lies lies lies lies lies lies. Et cetera, et cetera. Clarification of previous lie. Deeply sorry, et cetera. Never do it again, et cetera. Didn’t mean to cause harm, et cetera. America, et cetera. Love football, et cetera. We’re still bigots, et cetera.”

The Latin roots can be a little misleading, but according to my scholars fluent in hate, that’s the gist.

Chicagoans have taken solace in knowing that the Bears were completely let off the hook here for any wrongdoing. But the reality of NOM is still sick and depressing. The National Organization for Marriage is a notorious hate group, as measured by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Flaming Bigotry Meter.” (Their hate goes up to 11.) Equality Matters surveyed the organization last year only to find that NOM conferences “peddled” anti-gay propaganda to attendees.

According to Equality, this is what everyone’s favorite Dirty Bigot Liars were telling people:

"Same-sex parents are more likely to molest their children than heterosexual parents
Children raised by gay parents are more likely to identify as gay
Homosexuality is a sin akin to polygamy or incest
Same-sex relationships are “dysfunctional” and “inherently unstable”

In addition, one of the speakers at ITAF, Robert Gagnon, once compared high schools’ Gay-Straight Alliance groups to “Nazi skinheads” and opines that LGBT people are “worthy of death.” Gagnon will be presenting at the conference again this year, because one good hate speech deserves another.

This might not be surprising to anyone familiar with NOM's radical, exclusionary politics, nor will it be a shock that opponents of marriage equality are willing to lie and spread false propaganda to curtail the nuptial rights of queer people. We’re seeing that in Illinois. Remember those robocalls about “homosexual money?” If it was a promise, I’m still waiting to receive mine. I’m hoping they show up with a big, gay million dollar bill like Ed McMahon.

However, despite what the organization’s name suggests, it’s not just about marriage. It’s about keeping queer people afraid. It’s about maintaining a system that works against queer families, lives and livelihoods and rolling back the hard-earned rights we’ve fought for. It’s about ensuring that it will never get better, ever — no matter how many people die to get there.

It’s particularly pathetic that NOM is trying to bring the Chicago Bears into their anti-gay politics, especially at a time when the NFL is attempting to fight its own history of homophobia and queer exclusion. Last week, the NFL players’ union came out to support same-gay marriage, a huge step forward for an industry that’s been afraid to even acknowledge the existence of queer people. Slowly, the NFL is coming out of the closet, and NOM is trying to shove them right back in.

Other than their right-wing supporters, few take NOM seriously. Who cares about Roback Morse or what she thinks? No one even knew who she was until this week. Luckily, they won't know next week, either. Obscurity is a beautiful place.

However, a great number of people care what the Bears think. Locally and nationally, the Bears are a symbol of masculinity and part of how the culture teaches young boys to be men (which, apparently, means covering your body in orange and blue paint and yelling “Woop! Woop!” in the cold).

As a kid reading Sports Illustrated, I looked up to my sports heroes to teach me what brotherhood and leadership were. Teams throw around these concepts but so often don’t live up to them.

Chicagoans hoped that the Bears would come out on the right side of history and show queer and allied fans that everyone’s support matters. By speaking out against NOM's claim, the Bears have sent a great message about what teamwork means to them: that a team means all of us, Bears and Chicagoans alike. If they could show their support by one day having a gay player on the team, all the better.

In the meantime, the Bears have exposed NOM's hate for what it is: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Nico Lang covers LGBTQ issues in Chicago. You can follow Nico on Tumblr and Twitter or find them on Facebook.

New faces shine on Bears' coaching staff

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:00:00 -0600

It's been nine years since the Bears had this much upheaval with its coaching staff. Last week, new head coach Marc Trestman made the new staff available to the media for the first time since they were hired. Here are some of highlights from the session:

Trestman's main buzz word is teaching. Like a newly-assembled band, some of these coaches have worked together before, but others are still trying to blend their talents. A wide receiver coach is the only vacancy.

Since the majority of staff has been together just a few weeks, getting the play book, not evaluating players, has been the focus.

Quarterback coach Matt Cavanaugh briefly spoke of his main pupil, Jay Cutler. Explaining why he has not yet evaluated the Bears' quarterback, Cavanaugh said, "It’s not fair not to get to know the person, not to get to work with him personally and base everything from film." But Cavanaugh has worked with Trestman in the past, and said they are on the same page with most of the offensive schemes.

Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker may have the most difficult job ahead. But he's confident that once players see the plan they will be on the same page. Tucker also stated there are no plans to change the Bears defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4.

Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Aaron Kromer has a tough job ahead. He wants “five guys that can play together with a couple of back-ups” on the line. There were no specifics about the players he has to work with from the present roster, but the new coach said he will work them out to find their attributes. As a whole, they'll use an attacking style offense with multiple formations and quick passing. Kromer likes to use the tight end in this offense. Of course, they need to find one first to make it work. . . .

Assistant line coach Pat Meyer may be new to the Bears, but not to Marc Trestman: They worked together in Montreal and at NC State. Meyer talked about what to expect from the new Bears coach. “He is going to be very player-friendly, [and] he is very intelligent – smart with schemes for both pass and run," Meyer said. "[Trestman's] excited and likes to bring emotion to the game.” Meyer also said Trestman likes to have his staff “share their knowledge.”

Meanwhile, former Bear Chris Harris is starting his transition from the playing field to coaching staff. Trestman was impressed that Harris was willing to start at the bottom rung in defensive quality control. He will be spending plenty of time at a computer rather than hitting a receiver. There is still no clear picture of Brian Urlacher’s status; he's talked with Trestman but that's the extent of it.

Next up: In a few days, the Bears staff will travel to Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine. There's still a lot of work to do in the weeks and months to come.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye-Stout #AtTheGame.

Super Bowl will have a reporter turned fan next Sunday

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600

After decades of covering sports teams, players and coaches, you may have an opinion or feelings about someone not based on their accomplishments or the team they represent.

But as a reporter you do your best to remain objective and neutral.

As the hype for the Super Bowl builds to a fever pitch, there is someone that this reporter is rooting for - San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh.

It is not because he was a former number one draft pick of the Bears. It is because of a simple act of kindness he showed me.

Several years ago there were very few women covering sports teams in Chicago. Jeanne Morris for television, Linda Kaye for the Chicago Tribune and me for WMAQ radio. Neither Jeanne nor Linda were going into the teams' locker rooms. Chicago locker rooms were a territory just beginning to open up to women reporters.

I was beginning that obstacle alone and meeting some challenges along the way during the early to mid-'80s.

The Bears were a huge challenge. There was no interference after games when I started covering them at Soldier Field in 1985.

I had entered the baseball and NBA locker rooms with some resistance, in previous years, but I learned football would be the more difficult.

The problem happened during the practices the week before games.

My role at the station changed and I was sent to cover the team during the week for their “open” locker room time. On Wednesdays and Thursdays the players were made available to talk to reporters before practice. This was the season following the Bears Super Bowl victory, which I did cover in New Orleans.

During training camp I ventured to Platteville, Wis. to cover the Bears without any incidents. There were no locker room interviews; it was done on the field or during lunch. So when my News Director Tom Webb told me to go to Halas Hall I wasn’t concerned. I should have been.

My only concerns during the drive up to Lake Forest were to think about the match-ups of the upcoming game and who would be a good subject to talk to get a good story. I was trying to fit in without any fanfare, without being noticed and without any trouble.

The media relations person at Halas Hall announced that the locker room was open. There was a group of reporters, (very small compared to the numbers now) and I walked in the middle of the group. That is when I was greeted by angry, hurtful words and loud obnoxious screams. It was evident it was directed at me and the reporters all stepped away as I took the abuse. At that point, the Bears media person told me I had to leave and would not have access.

I walked out the door unsure as to what had just happened. I controlled my anger as the realization set in.

Remember the Bears were the darlings of the sports world, and I was an unwelcome intruder who had to figure out what to do next. No one wanted to come to my rescue. I had to find a different way of doing my job. From that point on, I would go up to Halas Hall and sit outside the locker room on the floor waiting for players to come talk to me. It singled me out, which was something I was trying to avoid.

The problem for me was that the players had already talked with other reporters, and some didn’t want to do it again or perhaps they didn’t want to talk to a woman.

There were no problems after games. As a reporter, you are part of a large group surrounding a player and you can go undetected even if you ask a question. The players are still in a zone from just getting off the field. So the routine became, cover the games and go to Halas Hall and sit on a floor and wait for players.

The Bears drafted Jim Harbaugh, a young quarterback out of the University of Michigan, during the 1987 season. A few weeks into the season I asked to talk to Jim as I sat on the floor. The media person went into the locker room and brought the rookie out for me. Jim looked at me and then said to the media person, “Why can’t she go in the locker room like she does after games?”

He wasn't kidding. Jim had the firm look he shows now as San Francisco's coach. There was no answer that would be satisfactory to Harbaugh. There was more to the conversation, but for me, his first words were the most relevant.

Until that point, no one else had even challenged or really cared about my situation. Jim and I talked, and we walked into the locker room. There were no angry voices, there were no insults. (Now there was no red carpet or rose petals thrown either.) At times there were some other incidents, but this was a huge change at Halas Hall.

The funny thing, which Jim probably didn’t realize it at the time and may not remember now, is that years later when he went to play for the Indianapolis Colts, I wrote him a thank you note. He had said something that was important for any woman in sports. It was just a simple act of kindness that altered a really tough situation. Maybe it would have changed a different way or with a different person, but for me, it changed because of Jim.

Next Sunday I will take off my reporter’s hat and become a fan and root for the Niners. All female sports reporters should too.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye Stout #AtTheGame

Forgiveness, not anger, heals Sullivan family following Notre Dame tragedy

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:26:00 -0600

When it came time for Barry Sullivan’s son to decide where he’d go to college a few years ago it really wasn’t much of a choice. As a graduate of Carmel Catholic High School in the northwest suburban Mundelein, academics was important -- but so was something else.

“Notre Dame football is something he’d been following since he was a young kid. In fact, I can remember, this was probably when he was junior high or early high school, just starting to think about someday he would go to college. And we would talk about different schools,” said Declan’s father, Barry Sullivan. “He would say, ‘Dad I can’t go there. They play Notre Dame.”

So in 2008 Declan Sullivan arrived at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. His mother urged him to major in business but he also found time to take film classes.

Barry Sullivan says it was that passion that got Declan closer to his favorite football team.

“He was actually recommended to it by one of his film teachers. They knew of his interest. They said, well, there’s an opportunity to work with the football team. It’s a great job if you want to be behind the camera and he jumped on it,” Barry Sullivan said.

Declan went on to film the football squad from his freshman through his junior year. But it all came to an abrupt end on an unusually windy day in South Bend on October 27, 2010.

“I remember remarking to myself how scary it was,” said Alex Bowman of South Bend, who was a sophomore at Notre Dame at the time.

Bowman, a political science major, was among the few students on campus during the holiday break.

“The wind was whipping around. Trees were moving back and forth. I was nervous,” Bowman said.

So was Declan Sullivan.

That afternoon he was more than 50 feet off the ground on what’s called a scissor lift preparing to tape practice.

It was so windy, he even tweeted about how scared he was.

The suddenly, a gust of wind toppled the lift, and Declan fell to his death.

Bowman didn’t see it happen, but was nearby on campus.

“It’s unthinkable. It’s really beyond comprehension to think that something so tragic could happen and let alone happen just a few feet away. It was unimaginably sad,” Bowman said. “That had an impact on every individual in the community.”

Like everyone else, Bowman had questions about how this could happen.

“A 50 foot scissor lift, if you’ve been out to the practice fields, the only thing taller than that are the lights,” Bowman said. “With the winds like that, it’s hard for me to think there isn’t someone who said, ‘You know, maybe we should get him down.’”

Declan’s death happened on then new head coach Brian Kelly’s watch. The media criticized Kelly and Notre Dame’s administration. Some sports columnists called for Kelly’s firing.
The State of Indiana, meanwhile, opened an investigation.

“There was a lot of concern for how it was handled. How could you possible let a student in that situation,” said Teagan Lawson, a Notre Dame grad student who too wondered about N-Notre Dame’s actions on that day.

Lawson was among the few remaining Notre Dame students on campus during the holiday break. She and a few other current or former students talked about that day two years ago, one of the most tragic in recent Notre Dame history.

“Honestly, I’m not sure how I would react. It would be devastating for sure. I don’t think you could have anything but anger,” Lawson said.

Anger is something Declan’s father, Barry Sullivan, also experienced but it wasn’t toward anyone in particular at Notre Dame, and certainly not Coach Brian Kelly.

“You ask, “Why did this happen? Why did this happen to us?’ There is a sense of anger there but to direct that anger toward the individuals, especially when we can see how they were suffering; it just seemed cruel to do that to somebody who is already suffering that way,” Sullivan said.
Indiana’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Notre Dame $42,000 for safety violations following an investigation after Declan’s death.

In an agreement with the State of Indiana, Notre Dame said it would set up a nationwide safety campaign for aerial lifts.

More than two years after that tragic day, Notre Dame is getting ready for its biggest game in nearly 25 years.

Coach Brian Kelly says the team hasn’t forgotten about Declan, a former member of their football family.

“Every day that we walk out to the field there is a memorial that we pass with Declan’s name on it,” Kelly told WBEZ. “So he’s part of this journey that we’ve been on the last three years. You can’t help but to feel that he’s part of it.”

And Barry Sullivan and his family will be a part of it in Miami too when the Irish take the field. Sullivan says it will be bittersweet to be there without Declan cheering on the team, especially since so many of his friends will be playing in the championship.

“I’m sure he would be very exciting seeing the team succeeding, especially since he knew some of the players. I’m sure he would be very excited about Manti Te’o being a runner up for the Heisman because again, it’s somebody that he knew,” he said.

Barry Sullivan says he’s happy to know that Declan’s memory will live on through his foundation, the Declan Drumm Sullivan Memorial Fund, dedicated to providing funding to Horizons for Youth, a not-for-profit Chicago group that helps children in K to 12 with educational assistance.

Horizons for Youth has been around for more than 20 years and is based on Chicago’s West Loop.

Because of a tremendously successful fundraiser last spring, the Declan Drumm Sullivan Memorial Fund raised $600,000, enough for 40 more children to use the servies of Horizons for Youth. The group has been nicknamed “Declan’s 40.”

“My degrees are in engineering. My wife is a physician. We couldn’t have gotten to where we are without education and a lot of it. And, we were doing the same for our children,” Barry Sullivan said. “That’s why Declan was at Notre Dame. Devoting the fund to educational causes was something there at the start.”
But Barry Sullivan knows that some may still not want to let Notre Dame off the hook in holding the school responsible for Declan’s death.

“We don’t look at it that way. Of all people, if anybody should have those feelings it would be Declan’s family,” Sullivan said. “So, if we are able to understand and if you want to use the word forgive, if we are able to do that, you should too.”

The Sullivans’ passion for Notre Dame hasn’t diminished with Declan’s passing.

Barry Sullivan’s daughter, Wyn, is set to graduate from Notre Dame in the spring, while his youngest son, Mac, will be attending college soon.

His first choice: Notre Dame.

NIU football going to Miami for bowl game

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:49:00 -0600

Northern Illinois University (NIU) will make history next week when its football team plays the Orange Bowl in Florida.

The Huskies are no strangers to bowl games - this will be their seventh in 10 years. But they will be the first team from the Mid-American Conference to compete in a Bowl Championship Series game.

Some 1,300 of their fellow students plan to head south to cheer them on.

Paul Palian is head of Media and Public Relations at Northern Illinois. He says NIU worked around the clock to arrange accommodations and transportation for the students, including finding 26 buses on short notice. But Palian says their efforts were worth it.

"The students are excited, the campus has various landmarks lit up in orange – just a great atmosphere in DeKalb right now," Palian said.

Meanwhile, Donna Turner of NIU’s Athletics Department is with the team in Miami.

She says over the next few days, players will attend charitable events and team dinners. As they approach game time, the big challenge will be the "mental preparation" required to face the Florida State Seminoles.

The Huskies are the underdogs of this match-up, so Turner hopes the traveling NIU students bring their high spirits all the way to the Sunshine State.

"You know obviously we’re playing against Florida State," Turner said. "So our fans will be pretty severely outnumbered we feel."

The Orange Bowl takes place next Tuesday.

Amid football concussion concerns, Palatine mayor plans flag league for younger players

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600

Giving our youngest football players a chance to play the sport they love the right way — safely — is the aim of one former pro and suburban mayor. Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz, a former NFL linebacker who racked up time with the Bears, 49ers and Cowboys, plans to launch the Northwest Flag Football League for young suburban athletes starting in August 2013.

Schwantz said he saw a gap for players at a vulnerable age, third through sixth grades, with only tackle football available in his area. Not that Schwantz doesn’t believe in tackle football — he has coached it for two years. However, he sees risks that could be avoided. According to Schwantz, most players in this age group are not ready for the physical demands of the game. "Studies show kids don’t have the muscle strength in [their] necks to support helmets until they get older and stronger," he said.

When it comes to football, the biggest worry for most parents is the potential for concussions. "Any time there is a collision with your head there is a potential to have damage," said Schwantz. “You can fall and hit your head with flag football, but we will do our best to eliminate those instances from happening."

Schwantz will do his best to minimize the potential for concussions in his league, which will be managed with scripted plays, using various stations to train and develop the players as athletes. Schwantz and other high level coaches will closely monitor every aspect of the two-a-week sessions. Although kids in Schwantz's league will scrimmage, they won't play games against outside opponents; this gives them time to stress fundamentals. “You can work on game plans, you can work on routes, work on plays and defense," said Schwantz. "The emphasis is on the individual training to make sure they are ready to go." The mayor hopes players that want to compete in high school will use this as a stepping stone into tackle football. His league aims to give young players the option to grow and mature without "falling through the cracks."

The mayor's concern is also personal: Schwantz's son is in eighth grade and plans to follow his dad’s footsteps to play football at Fremd High School in Palatine. When I asked the former linebacker if he worries about concussions with his son, he said yes — there is a concern. If his son were to suffer a concussion, Schwantz said both he and his wife would monitor the situation closely before they allow a return to the field, noting that any subsequent concussions would be risky if they didn’t manage the initial one. Schwantz is not alone in his concern: His son, he said, is also watched by “my wife, my brother, my parents, my in-laws."

"We had a bunch of eyes on one kid,” Schwantz said.

The league will practice at Harper College's facilities in Palatine, but space like this is hard to come by. Local fields are filled with soccer, lacrosse and other sports, so unfortunately, any future expansion of a league like this could be problematic.

Some football enthusiasts think flag football doesn’t give a kid the true essence of the game. But this former high school, college and professional player wants to give kids an alternative for the right reasons: “letting kids play football safely and learn teamwork, dedication, hard work and perseverance — the life lessons you learn in football.”

I think he has the right idea.

Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CRayeStout and Facebook Cheryl Raye-Stout #AtTheGame.

Eighty years ago today: 'Inside' Football

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 05:00:00 -0600

Super Bowl Sunday has become an unofficial American holiday. But let’s go back 80 years to pro football’s early days. Things were a lot different then, when the National Football League staged its first championship playoff.

In 1932 pro football was still a poor cousin to the college sport. The NFL was barely surviving with eight teams. When the regular season ended, two teams had tied for first place: the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans.

(That's Portsmouth, Ohio. In 1932 this metropolis on the Ohio River had a population of about 35,000. And you thought Green Bay was small!)

The NFL had never had a first-place tie. A special playoff game was hastily arranged. The two teams were scheduled to meet at the Bears’ Wrigley Field home on December 18th, a Sunday afternoon.

As game day approached, Chicago turned cold. The Sunday temperature forecast was for a high of 15 degrees. Since pro games only drew a few thousand people in the best weather, league officials were afraid nobody would show up for their championship.

Their solution was to play indoors. The game was moved to the Chicago Stadium and rescheduled for 8:15 in the evening. Though the stadium’s floor could be covered with dirt, one problem remained – there wasn’t enough room for a standard football field.

That meant the rules had to be adjusted. Since the field was only 60 yards long (instead of 100), every time a team crossed midfield, the ball was spotted back 20 yards. The grandstand walls were flush against the sidelines, so each play had to start away from them, near the center of the field. The end zones were only a few feet deep, so the goal posts were moved up to the goal line.

The game was played with little difficulty. A near-capacity crowd of 11,193 came out–or rather, came in. The Bears won, 9-0.

The 1932 playoff turned out to be a milestone. The NFL discovered that some of the temporary rules made for a more action-packed game, so those rules became permanent. The league itself was divided into two conferences. Now each season would climax with the excitement of a championship game.

As for the Portsmouth Spartans, they played one more season in the NFL. In 1934 the team moved to Detroit and became the Lions.

Amos Alonzo Stagg: Football legend

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 05:00:00 -0600

Amos Alonzo Stagg did not invent football. But during his 41 years at the University of Chicago he developed much of the modern game.

Stagg was born in New Jersey in 1862. He began making his football headlines while a divinity student at Yale University. Playing end on the varsity squad, he was named to the very first All-American Team in 1889.

After graduating from Yale, Stagg wanted to remain connected with football. Coaching offered the best opportunity – there was no NFL in those days. So when the brand-new University of Chicago asked him to take charge of its athletic program, Stagg headed west.

The year was 1892. Stagg was given an ample budget and also faculty rank, something no full-time coach had ever had at any college. His title was Director of the Division of Physical Culture.

Though he never did become a minister, Stagg felt he could promote the Christian ethic through football. “The coaching profession is one of the noblest and most far-reaching in building manhood,” he once said. Of course, that didn’t mean he had to field a losing team.

And Stagg’s teams were winners. The University of Chicago Maroons won seven Big Ten championships between 1899 and 1924. The undefeated 1905 and 1913 teams were ranked #1 in the nation.

Stagg was an innovator. He invented the huddle, the direct pass from center, the lateral, the man-in-motion, the backfield shift, and cross-blocking. Wanting his players to develop stamina along with strength, he introduced wind sprints. He was also the first to put numbers on uniforms. “All football comes from Stagg,” Knute Rockne declared.

But at the university, football wasn’t Stagg’s only responsibility. He ran the entire athletic program. At different times he coached baseball, basketball, track, and swimming. Oh–and while he was at it, he also invented the batting cage.

Stagg led a sedate life. He didn’t smoke or drink, went to church, raised a family, and stayed married to the same woman. That didn’t mean he shied away from publicity, or that he wouldn’t express his opinions. Stagg didn’t like college fraternities. He also thought that pro football was a “menace” to amateur athletics.

In 1929 Robert Maynard Hutchins became UofC president. His vision of a university didn’t include high-powered football teams. When Stagg turned 70 in 1932, Hutchins forced him to retire.

The Grand Old Man of Football wouldn’t go quietly. Stagg told the press he was leaving the university against his will. Moving to California, he signed on as head coach at College of the Pacific, and had several more successful seasons.

In 1946, at 84, Stagg retired from the Pacific job. He had 314 wins to his credit, the most for any football coach. Still refusing to obey the calendar, he then went to work for his son, as an assistant coach.

He celebrated his 100th birthday in 1962. Asked by a reporter about his future plans, Stagg retained his upbeat optimism and sense of humor. “I may go on forever," he quipped. "Statistics say that very few men die after the age of 100.”

He almost made 103, dying in the spring of 1965. Today he is memorialized in two high schools and a number of athletic fields — including Stagg Field at the UofC.

Are the Bears losing steam down the stretch with another loss?

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600

Is it déjà vu all over again for the Bears? After a 7-1 start for the season they are now 8-5 and their playoff picture gets hazy after losing to Minnesota 21-14. Last year after a 7-3 start, injuries hit the Bears and the wheels came off.

Back on their heels:

It was the Adrian Peterson show from the first snap for Minnesota. The Vikings drove down the field on the opening drive powered by Peterson's running. He capped that drive with a 2-yd score and got into the endzone-- again-- moments later after a Jay Cutler interception. The Viking running back amassed 125 yards in the first quarter and 154 yards for the game. Petersen is having a monster season after returning from his ACL injury--Bulls fans may be encouraged about Derrick Rose after watching him play.

The Bears tried to play catch-up all game, down two scores after three minutes. Cutler was able to connect with rookie Alshon Jeffery in the final two minutes of the half with a 23 yard pass reception for a touchdown. The Bears had several drives that stalled and were unable to overcome the deficit. Cutler’s second interception in the third quarter was costly. The Bears quarterback’s pass intended for Brandon Marshall sailed over the receiver’s head into the hands of Harrison Smith and the Viking defender ran in for a touchdown. Knowing the Bears had to throw to get back in this game, Minnesota applied pressure to the Jay Cutler. The Bears QB scrambled and got some incredible catches by Marshall. The big receiver had 10 receptions for 160 yards. Marshall has caught more balls in one season for the Bears-101- breaking Marty Booker’s mark from 2001. There are still three games for him to add to that total. As the game was winding down, Cutler was on the sidelines with a sore neck after taking another beating; Marshall caught a touchdown from back-up quarterback Jason Campbell. Too little—too late.

Banged up defense got better:

Petersen’s romp through the Bears defense early in the game magnified the missing starters. Injuries have taken its toll-losing Brian Urlacher and Tim Jennings. Before the game Defensive tackle Stephen Paea was ruled before the game. In reality-- the Bears defense can’t be faulted. In the second half, they made good adjustments; there is not much they could do with when the offense gives up the winning score.

For the game, the “D” held Christian Ponder to just 11 of 17 for 91 yards and an interception by Major Wright. Petersen only had 20 yards the second half.

If you look at the final statistics-you would believe the Bears had won the game. The Bears had 438 total yards to the Vikings 248—the final score is the only numbers that matter.

Here were some of the glaring problems:

The receivers dropped too many key passes, Devin Hester and Alshon has balls that should have been caught for touchdowns. Marshall dropped some too, however, overall you cannot fault his game.

What is the long-term status of Robbie Gould? He strained his left calf during warm ups. In essence he was available for only point after touchdowns. The Bears were forced to punt rather than a long field goal.

There were other injuries that could be factors on special teams-Shea McClellin, Craig Steltz and Sherrick McManis all went down in this game. May not seem important-but their roles are essential to a team that depends on their play.

Can the Bears rebound next week against the Green Bay Packers?

The Packer are a team they have been unable to beat and a game that will have huge consequences for the playoffs. Despite a team that has also been hit with injuries, Green Bay still has been able to find ways to win.

Right now looking at this Bears team, they are banged up-not in sync-despite some great individual play. They better get it together these final three games—or they will enter the New Year watching the post-season—again.

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