The Chronicle

Perhaps the song Bears fans should be singing is not “Bear Down,” but Frank Sinatra’s classic, “High Hopes.”

Hopes for a successful NFL season have never been higher since the Bears were bounced in Super Bowl XLI by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2006-2007 season.

Since then, coach Lovie Smith’s crew has compiled a paltry regular season record of 23-25 and failed to reach the playoffs each year. Last season they went 7-9.

2010 marks the dawn of a new decade. It could also mark the dawn of brighter days for the Monsters of the Midway.

The Bears offseason was also unlike any other in recent memory.

The biggest off-field addition for the Bears was adding offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Martz was brought in to jolt a Bears offense that, for the majority of the 2000’s, has been inept and unproductive.

The Bears offense was ranked 23rd in total offense in 2009.
Martz won Super Bowl XXXIV as an offensive coordinator for the St Louis Rams in 1999, and led the Rams back to Super Bowl XXXVI, in 2001, as the head coach. From 1999 to 2004, he was the architect behind some of the greatest offenses the NFL has ever seen, known as “The Greatest Show on Turf.”

The other part of Martz’s job description is arguably the most important part of the equation for a Bears postseason berth. That is the development of Quarterback Jay Cutler.

Cutler did throw 28 touchdowns last season. However, he also threw a league high 26 interceptions.

Any number of interceptions close to 26 will shred any chance the Bears have of playing into January.
Martz will also be responsible for providing rapid development to what is still a very raw receiving corps.

The receiving corps is very optimistic they can make themselves household names this season when talking about the leagues very best receiving groups.

In 2010, the receiving corps will be headlined by wide receivers Devin Hester and Johnny Knox. Hester led the team last season in receiving yards with 757, while Knox made the Pro Bowl last season, his rookie year, as a kick returner.

The Bears will also be looking for production from wide reciever Devin Aromashodu. Aromashodu, who is a big target, having 24 receptions, 298 yards, and four touchdowns, including a seven reception, 150 yard, one touchdown game, in an upset victory over the Minnesota Vikings last December. If this is any indication of his performance, in this reporter’s opinion, he will definitely be seeing plenty of footballs coming towards his 6-2, 200 pound frame.

Greg Olsen will be another beneficiary of Mike Martz’s offense, though it has been noted that the tight end was simply a sixth lineman in Martz’s passing game. Martz knows exactly what he has in Greg Olsen, an athletic tight end that can cause matchup problems in the middle of the field. With all the balls that will be flying around on offense, Olsen could be looking at a year better than the 60 catch, eight touchdown season he had in 2009.

In one breathtaking 89 yard gallop to the end zone two Saturdays ago versus the Oakland Raiders, a healthy Matt Forte    showed the kind of burst and explosiveness that was lacking in 2009.

Forte, in an unimpressive and injury laden sophomore season, gained 929 rushing yards and four touchdowns on a pedestrian 3.6 yards a carry. In 2010, the Bears are highly optimistic that the third year running back from Tulane will be the back that gained 1,715 yards from scrimmage in his rookie year.

Forte will not be alone in the backfield in 2010. One of the other acquisitions the Bears made this offseason was signing running back Chester Taylor. Taylor, who came from the Minnesota Vikings via free agency, was brought in to be the change of pace, receiving threat out of the backfield to complement Matt Forte.

Look for both Forte and Taylor to be greatly involved in the passing game through a myriad of screens and swing passes in 2010.

If Mike Martz is the salt that adds flavor to the stale Bears offense, then Julius Peppers is the spice that needed to be added to the Bears defensive recipe.
Peppers, the highly versatile defensive end, was the crown jewel of free agents in the NFL offseason. While Peppers’ arrival in Chicago did not grab as much attention as a certain hoops star who took his talents to South Beach in July, the Bears are hoping Peppers will have a similar presence that will help them regain their status as one of the top defenses in the NFL.

Peppers spent his first eight years in the league with the Carolina Panthers. During his stint with Carolina, he amassed 381 tackles, 81 sacks, six interceptions, was named defensive rookie of the year and was a five time Pro Bowl selection.

Peppers has played well this preseason and his ability to make plays and tear down opposing backfields should be well worth the $91.5 million over six years that the Bears signed him for.

Tommie Harris looks healthy and will likely benefit from the presence of Peppers. Peppers will no doubt demand double teams, which will allow for one on one matchups in the interior, this could get Harris back into Pro Bowl form.

Brian Urlacher is also healthy once again, despite suffering a calf injury against the Raiders two weeks ago. It appears he will be ready for the September 12 opener versus the Detroit Lions.

Urlacher dislocated his wrist in last season’s opener against the Green Bay Packers, and it was an injury that caused him to miss the rest of the 2009 season.

The combination of Peppers, Urlacher and a healthy Harris easily makes the Bears front seven one of the best in football.

The secondary of the Bears is still a mystery. The Bears drafted former Florida safety Major Wright in the third round. Wright played well in his preseason debut a few weeks back against the Chargers but is now hampered by a finger injury.

Wright is also expected to become the eventual starter at one of the safety positions.

For the meantime, the safety positions are being held down by Danieal Manning and Chris Harris.

At cornerback, Zack Bowman, who had six interceptions in 2009, has shown a lot of playmaking abilities in training camp and was placed on the left side of the defense, while crafty veteran Charles Tillman will play the right corner slot.

Time is not on Lovie Smith side this season. With all the aggressive play by Bears’ top brass, this could be a make or break year for the stoic head coach.

Anything less than a playoff berth in Chicago could result in a change of zip codes for Lovie Smith.

This team has plenty of talent to make noise in 2010.

However, the Bears have too many pressing issues to make an impact this season.
Their pass protection this preseason has been below average, at best.
Timing between quarterback and receiver, which is required in a Mike Martz offense, is far from being a finished product.

Cutler still makes some questionable decisions with the football, as seen in the game against Arizona Saturday.

The offense still does not have a definitive play maker at wide receiver.

Their defense right now is unable to get off the field in third down situations.

The secondary cannot seem to keep the football from reaching receivers hands.

The Bears also have one of the toughest schedules in the NFC. Not only do they get their annual two game affairs with both the Packers and the Vikings, Chicago gets the privilege to play against what will be two of the more competitive divisions in the league, the NFC and AFC East. 

The Bears also have a murderer’s row of a schedule in the final quarter of the season. It includes, in order, the Patriots, at the Vikings, the Jets, and the regular season finale at Green Bay.
   

Alvin Sandique
Sports Editor

Even after a 0-3 season start, men’s soccer head coach, Kreig Alm said his 2010 team is the best he has coached in his seven years at the College of Lake County.

The team lost the first game Friday against Kishwaukee, 1-0. Then they lost to Lewis and Clark Saturday in the home opener, 2-1. Then this past Tuesday was 7-0 drubbing against Morton.

“Even the best teams I have ever seen have lost 6-0,” Alm said. “The guys will be fine and will recover.”
There was an issue regarding fatigue during the loss against Lewis and Clark. The Saturday game was the second of back-to-back contests.

“They were tired,” Alm said.

Obviously team play was an issue during the 7–0 blowout.   

“The loss was very frustrating,” Alm said. “It just was not a good game, and our guys did not play very smart.”

Like any other team sport, soccer requires a high level of togetherness to gain victory.

“It’ll take a little while for these guys to gel,” Alm said.

First-year assistant head coach Brian Blanas said continuity and chemistry between teammates would be an issue early in the season.

“These guys have only been playing together for two weeks,” Blanas said August 26. “We’re still working on playing with each other.”

Blanas also expressed his optimism for this soccer team.

“This group has great team speed and attacks well,” Blanas said. “As long as we can do those two things consistently, we can be one of the stronger teams in the conference.”

Alm and Blanas coach a very relaxed team, and although they have gone through a rough start to the season, the team looks loose and upbeat during practice.

In the 2009 season the men’s soccer team went .500 with a 10-10-1 record in the regular season.

“We have a solid team from top to bottom, and this team has lots of depth,” Alm said.

This soccer team may have not had much time to gel so far this season, but the coaching staff sees how well this team can play and how far they can get, once they attain that level.

“It is only a matter of how good do these players want to be,” Alm said. “This team will fully gel before the postseason begins. This team has a great shot at getting to the regional finals.”

Alvin Sandique
Staff Writer

      On any team in any sport, you have your go to guys, your role players, and then you have those players that come out of the woodwork and surprise everyone. You get one of those hidden gems that blossom into one of the team’s key players. The CLC men’s basketball team has one of those guys in Prince Herdle.


      Herdle is a native of Lake Zurich and is in his first full year at CLC. He is a transfer student from Harper College, where he spent one semester.


      He is one of the reserves for the men’s basketball team and stands at 6’6”. While it may not show in his play, this is his first full season of playing organized basketball.


      Last fall, on a trip to the gym, Herdle was intrigued by the thought of being on the basketball team. He approached the coaches and they welcomed him with open arms. One of Herdle’s main reasons for joining the team was that he was looking for a new challenge.


      Herdle believes that playing for the school kills two birds with one stone.


      “The main benefit of being on this team is being a student athlete. I get to play basketball, at the same time get to receive a quality education,” Herdle said.  


      Not only is he taking advantage of every opportunity the school has presented, he is enjoying his time as a student athlete. “(Playing basketball) is very fun and interesting playing against quality competition from other places in the state,” Herdle said.


      “Ever since I started playing, the game has always been fun. The more I have been playing, the more fun I’ve been having. Other than having fun playing the game, being around quality teammates and having that team camaraderie has done nothing but add to the fun playing for this team.”


      What is even more amazing about this athlete is his drive and willingness to work.


      “What drives me to continue playing is the fact that I am always trying to get better. I am very curious to see how high my ceiling is as far as playing basketball is concerned,” Herdle said.


      The criminal justice major has some high expectations for himself on the basketball court and realizes what he has to do in order to fully tap into his potential as a basketball player.


      “One of my goals for next season is to make the starting five,” Herdle said. “One of the ways I plan on starting is putting in a lot of work in both the weight room and the gym in the off season. I want to show my coaches as well as my teammates that I deserve to be out there on the court.”


      He is a very genuine team player who is ready to break out and give a huge contribution to the basketball team.


      “I am always willing to help my team in every way possible,” Herdle said. “When coach (Hirsch) needs me to perform, I am ready and waiting.”


      Herdle hopes that his experience playing for the Lancers basketball team will catapult him into playing ball in the future at a bigger school.


      “I do want to play college ball elsewhere after my experience here playing with CLC,” Herdle said. “Preferably a Division I or Division II school.”


      Playing for the school has not come without any lessons being learned.


      “One of the most valuable lessons I learned while playing college basketball is to never quit and always finish what you started,” Herdle said. “Playing ball in college has made my ability to manage my time a lot better. The heavy load of schoolwork combined with the commitment you have to have playing a sport in college has helped me in that aspect of being a student athlete.”