After playing at Glenbard West High School and the University of Iowa, Matt Bowen spent seven seasons in the NFL as a strong safety with the ...
Scouting the Bears| Twitter
February 24, 2015
The numbers generated from the NFL scouting combine don't tell the entire story on prospects, but the testing in Indianapolis is still a major part of the grading process for the NFL draft.
January 17, 2015
Fifteen extra minutes in the cold tub Monday morning. Maybe 20. Slowly get in and let that ice water crawl up to your neck. Just try to find some relief for a beaten-down, worn-out body.
December 27, 2014
With the ball in the red zone, quarterback Jay Cutler and the Bears can use the pick route to create a one-on-one situation for running back Matt Forte on the quick rail concept versus the Vikings man-coverage scheme.
December 20, 2014
Calvin Johnson once again can go to work on the Bears secondary if Mel Tucker's defense fails to identify the pre-snap alignment of the Lions wide receiver and the route concept designed to beat the top of the Cover-3 defense.
December 18, 2014
When the wheels start to come off the team bus in an NFL season, the good teams make corrections, fix the problem and continue to buy into the coach despite signs of adversity.
December 14, 2014
The Bears should prepare for the Saints defense Monday night to send pressure in passing situations with Rob Ryan's unit disguising coverages in the secondary to set some traps for quarterback Jay Cutler.
December 3, 2014
The Bears can continue to use five-man zone pressure on third-down situations against the Cowboys, but they need to win one-on-one matchups on the edge and take away the intermediate throwing lanes to limit quarterback Tony Romo and receiver Dez Bryant.
November 26, 2014
The Lions and quarterback Matthew Stafford can challenge the Bears Cover-3 defense in the strike zone (20-35 yard line) by running the double-post concept to target Calvin Johnson while also creating an opportunity for rookie tight end Eric Ebron on the wheel route.
November 22, 2014
Jay Cutler and the Bears can take some shots down the field to target the top of the Buccaneers Cover-2 defense by creating vertical opportunities out of a 3-by-1 formation on the "Seattle" concept.
November 15, 2014
The Vikings and offensive coordinator Norv Turner will test the eye discipline of the Bears defense with packaged plays that allow rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to target the middle of the field off the mesh point read.
November 7, 2014
The Bears and Matt Forte once again can attack the Packers defensive front seven with the trap schemes in Marc Trestman's playbook to produce numbers in the run game.
October 25, 2014
The Bears defense will have to play with technique and discipline in their Cover-2 shell inside the deep red zone to limit quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots tight end talent.
October 18, 2014
The Bears and quarterback Jay Cutler can continue to push the ball downfield to wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery by using max protection and targeting the Yankee route versus the Dolphins.
October 11, 2014
Wide receiver Devin Hester isn't a primary target in the Falcons game plan with Julio Jones and Roddy White on the field. However, quarterback Matt Ryan can get the ball to Hester in specific concepts that cater to the skill set of the former Bears returner.
September 27, 2014
The Bears can lean on their core Cover-2 and Cover-3 coverages versus Aaron Rodgers and the Packers on Sunday at Soldier Field. However, the ability of Mel Tucker's defense to dress up sub-package pressure is key to getting off the field on third downs while creating turnover opportunities.
September 21, 2014
The Bears and quarterback Jay Cutler have to prep for the Jets pre-snap disguise and zero-pressure looks they'll see Monday night when they take on Rex Ryan's defense at MetLife Stadium.
September 12, 2014
The 49ers offense under coach Jim Harbaugh can reduce the formation, create blocking angles at the point of attack and use the "wham" (trap) scheme to open up a running lane for Frank Gore versus the Bears 4-3 defensive front Sunday night in the first game at Levi's Stadium.
September 6, 2014
The Bills' packaged plays will test the Bears defense under coordinator Mel Tucker on Sunday at Soldier Field, with stress on second-level run/pass keys because of the multiple reads within the scheme.
September 4, 2014
The Bears offense should produce at a high level again this season under coach Marc Trestman because of the size, talent and formation flexibility of wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.
August 24, 2014
Preseason tape in the NFL doesn't tell the entire story because of limited game plans that focus on individual technique while coaches experiment with concepts on both sides of the ball.