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© Oak Park Journal photo of the Chicago Bears
Dan Peters Sports Editor
Oak Park Journal
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Bears Beat Browns to end Pre-season 24-14.. Now let the real games begin story by Dan Peters Even though the majority of the Bears starters sat on the bench, The second team did very well, giving some confidence heading into the regular season. No Urlacher, no Briggs, not even Matt Forte played a down tonight. But it was the Cleveland Browns, not the New England Patriots, so what good reason would there be to play them? None. Smith made the right call Thursday night… keep them fresh for when the games count on September 11th. It’s a better bet than the lottery that the Bears will play the Browns in the Pre-season. 2011 marked the 8th straight time the Bears closed out the Pre Season against the Browns. Ready in Prime time. Sure it was a prime time game, sort of, and the Bears were ready for the task. Cleveland on the other hand, seemed to be asleep. Early going, the Browns were living up to the nickname “The mistake by the lake” The Bears defense forced the Browns to 3 and out on their first four possessions. Sure, it was the Bears back-ups in of defense, but they still looked not ready for prime-time. The Bears on the other hand were. “I thought the defense played well early on,” Lovie Smith said. “We kept a lot of guys out of the game, of course, like we normally do for a pre season game. I can’t say there are a whole lot of negatives tonight.” Up to the task. Caleb Hanie was sharp. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 83 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Knox on a corner route, to help stake the Bears to a 10-0 lead. It was a nice end to a pre season that had a rough start after he was called out by offensive coordinator Mike Martz. "It was just good to have a strong game," Hanie said. "(Pre season) has been up and down. I don't try to judge those things. I go and do my work and worry about what I can control." Knowing where he stands. Hanie knows he will be the number two quarterback as he was last year. For him it was getting ready for the shortened pre-season and not about confidence, but hard work. "It wasn't that important," he said. "I know what confidence they have in me, and all I can do is keep working hard and keep that confidence going." Chester who? Yes, Chester Taylor is still a Bear and he played well when he had the ball. Taylor had 27 yards on 10 carries with a nice 9-yard burst around left end. Taylor’s presence was probably due more to the injury of Marion Barber. Barber sat out with a calf injury, and third running back Kahlil Bell left with an ankle injury in the second half. Look for the Bears to keep Taylor, especially after the injury to Bell. Last chance for some players to shine, and a few made the most of their chance. Rookie Dane Sanzenbacher made his presence known with four receptions for 50 yards and had a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown that was called back by penalty. His impressive performance more than likely secured him a spot as the Bears sixth wide receiver. "Everybody has had to scrap their way onto a team since you were coming into college," Sanzenbacher said. "It's going to be a fight to get in and a fight to stay in. It would be awesome. It's something you dream about." Notre Dame product Robert Hughes dominated the second half of the game, rushing for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Even with that impressive display and power, he still considered a long shot to make this Bears team. “This last pre season game, you want to take advantage of your opportunities,” Smith said. “Robert did that. We’re all talking about him right now. He’s worked hard each day in practice. He blends in, a good guy in the locker room. He was a good player in college. Again, he made the most of an opportunity.” “There are some tough cuts coming up,” Smith said. “They don’t let us keep everyone.” “It’s good to finish up with a win,” said coach Lovie Smith. “Of course, you want to get a win because you’re keeping score and all that good stuff. We wanted to see some things. We wanted Caleb Hanie to play with the No. 1 line and have the opportunity to do some good things, which he was able to do. Great pass on the touchdown to Johnny Knox.” A cause for concern The biggest problem for the Bears may be the injuries that knocked running back Kahlil Bell (ankle) and safeties Craig Steltz (hip) and Chris Conte (concussion) out of the game. “I don’t know how long those guys will be out,” Smith said. “All three of them seem like they’re doing OK right now. We do have a bit of time before we play the Falcons [in the Sept. 11 regular-season opener]." Bears will trim the roster from 79 to 53 and form at least the beginning of a practice squad this weekend. |
