Bears not looking past Panthers
Posted by on October 24, 2012 – 4:53 pmAlthough it’s a mismatch on paper, the red-hot Bears don’t intend to take the struggling Carolina Panthers lightly Sunday at Soldier Field, especially after what transpired last season.
The Bears edged the Panthers 34-29 last Oct. 2 in Chicago, but not before they had allowed 543 total yards, the most in a game since Mike Ditka’s first season as coach in 1982.
“Last year Carolina gave us all we wanted,” said coach Lovie Smith. “It was a tough game. I think they had an onside kick at the end of the game, so that tells you what type of football game it was.
“Our defense has been playing good football throughout the year. But Carolina put over 500 yards on us last year, so it will be a big test. I know what their record is, 1-5, and they haven’t played as well as they would like. But they are definitely capable.”
That’s certainly true of quarterback Cam Newton, who has struggled in his second season after excelling as a rookie in 2011. In last year’s game against the Bears, Newton passed for 374 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 35 yards and two TDs without being sacked.
“[He presents] all types of problems,” Smith said. “First off, just raw ability. He’s fast. He’s big. He’s got a strong arm. He’s mobile in the pocket. He can make all the throws.
“And then they do a good job of letting him display all of those talents. They’ll have some option plays that normally are reserved for quarterbacks that can run. When things break down, just him taking off in the pocket. That gives defenses as much of a problem as anything.”
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Weems ‘shows us a lot’ in debut
Posted by on August 23, 2012 – 4:47 pmAfter watching Eric Weems excel on special teams with the Falcons the last five seasons, Dave Toub was happy to see the 5-9, 195-pounder make his Bears debut Saturday night against the Redskins.
“I knew what he can do, but it was good to see it on our team making plays for us,” said the Bears special teams coordinator. “That was impressive I thought.”
Weems played against the Redskins after sitting out the preseason opener versus the Broncos with an ankle injury.
“He did really good,” Toub said. “He had the sprained ankle the first week, but it was good to see him out there. He’s still not even 100 percent and he showed us a lot.”
In five seasons with the Falcons, Weems recorded 41 special teams tackles and averaged 25.6 yards on 113 kickoff returns with one touchdown and 10.6 yards on 77 punt returns with one TD.
The Bethune-Cookman product was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2010 and returned a kickoff 102 yards for a TD in a 2011 playoff game against the Packers.
“He is going to be a four-phase player,” Toub said. “He is going to be a starting gunner for us. He also will play on kick return. Either he is going to be the kick returner or maybe on the front line or the off returner. But we’re expecting him to play all four phases for us.”
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