Seahawks vs. Bears: Smack Talk Behind Enemy Lines with ‘Bear Goggles On’
By Josh Davis
The Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears are all set to do some battle Friday night at Century Link Field and we were able to coordinate a nice “get to know ya” with Michael Praser of Bear Goggles On, Chicago’s FanSided site.
We tried a new format this week instead of the traditional five questions, because darn it, we’re fans just like you guys so we figured we’d act like it! As you may have guessed by the title, we had a little smack talk session in which we went back and forth while also gathering info for our readers. It worked out great so thank you to Michael and BGO for working with us!
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BGO: My name is Michael Praser and I have been a staff writer for Bear Goggles On for over a year now. I have been a die-hard Bears fan ever since I went to my first game over 10 years ago and I have never looked back. I’m also a Cubs fan since birth, so I know a little something about disappointment year after year. Hopefully this year the Bears can do something with their number two scoring offense. That will all depend on how their defense performs.
Our piece is called Talking Smack, but how do I smack talk with a fan of the Super Bowl Champions? Maybe after Friday it will be a different story. As you are probably aware, the Bears were very interested in Michael Bennett this offseason. How much would Seattle have missed him if he had decided to leave in free agency?
12thMR: Oh gawd, Bennett wasn’t placed as the number one priority this offseason for nothing. In fact the Hawks simply chose to make him a priority over keeping the tandem of Red Bryant and Chris Clemons together and we all know the Hawks are about quantity as much as quality so that should tell you something. No doubt he’s become one of the most versatile and explosive rushers the Seahawks have on the defensive side of the ball and you gotta love that belly/hips roll (dance… rumble?) he puts on at the end of a big play.
My question for you is, how ticked were the Bears that they couldn’t lure him away, because from what I understand they offered him more money. Jared Allen’s a good consolation, though it won’t help on Friday. The Bears are walking into the best crowd in American sports… yes, even in the preseason. 90-some consecutive #Sellouts
BGO: Hey, didn’t the Bears win the last time they came into Seattle “cough” back in 2009 “cough” despite all of the crowd noise? I think it was Jay Cutler’s first time ever playing in Seattle? I was a little pissed off when Bennett passed on the Bears to stay with the Seahawks. The Bears defensive line was just plain awful last year and an upgrade was needed. Bennett seemed like a good fit especially having his brother Martellus already on the Bears. I don’t know why we thought just because his brother was on the team that he would come to the Bears. Luckily, Bears fans got a break and ended up with two much better choices at defensive end with Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston.
I was going to preface with, “How do you expect to contain the NFL’s number two offense from last season?”, but then I remembered what the Seahawks did to the number one scoring offense in the Super Bowl. So….nevermind. I do remember that Brandon Marshall was giving fits to Richard Sherman in 2012 when he caught 10 passes for 165 yards. How do you expect the Legion of Boom to contain Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett on Friday?
12th MR: Are we really talking about last decade? Haha, that’s pretty rich. No seriously yeah that happened, then the Hawks got a good coach and team… what happened the last 2 times the Seahawks played in Chicago? I mean I hate to bring up bad memories, but…
I’m not sure I expect much from the big 2 of Chi-town on Friday. This secondary is just so much better than they were at that time and I’m not sure Marshall can get any better. Plus in the preseason they won’t play the full game so maybe 5 or 6 catches from Marshall and a few from Jefferey? Not a knock, just my thoughts. The No. 2 offense simply won’t be that against Seattle this week.
After what I saw from “First name Russell, last name Wilson” last week, the Bears defense better get itself ready. I just hope Chicago fans aren’t looking for too much to go off of this week. Might be a long night.
BGO: Yeah, I got nothing for the last two encounters with the Seahawks. Brandon Marshall at least brought it into overtime, but the Bears defense had nothing to stop Russell Wilson.
I am curious to see if the Bears revamped defensive line can get some pressure on Wilson on Friday. Since the game is starting at 9pm central time, we are already prepared for a long night. Like I have been saying all preseason, as long as both teams walk away with no injuries, everybody wins. It is going to be a great litmus test for the Bears to play against the Super Bowl champions, but I take absolutely nothing away from preseason. The only two things that come out of preseason games are injuries and false hope. I’m looking forward to a great half of a game on Friday night.
12thMR: Right with ya on the 1 great half. Don’t know about Da Bears, but the Hawks have some of the most difficult decisions to make on backups that they’ve had in years. I don’t expect Wilson and Co. To play past a drive into the 3rd. And only to get a feel of coming back after halftime ready to go.
At any rate should be interesting. I’m a little upset that I won’t see Marquess Wilson out there after his broken clavicle. I’m one of the few Cougs still cheering for the guy after his unceremonious exit at WSU. Your thoughts on him?
BGO: Marquess Wilson was locked into the number three receiver spot until he got injured. From what I could see, he was really molding into the role and would have been another tall target with good hands for Jay Cutler to throw to. He hasn’t been put on IR, so you might see him in the second half of the season. The Bears tried working with the receivers that they already had on the roster, but they felt it was necessary to look outside and sign Santonio Holmes. I am hoping we will see Holmes play on Friday, but who knows if he even has a playbook yet.
12th MR: Any under the radar young bucks looking at a roster spot that we should watch for? I don’t much pay attention to other rosters unless I have a vested interest in preseason.
BGO: The Bears are really trying to solidify the backup running back position, but so far it has been hard to tell who is the best one on the roster. Nobody has shined as running back so far in the preseason, including Matt Forte. I’m not that worried about Matt Forte, but I would like to see one of the backups stand out. I do think that Ka’Deem Carey will be the number two back and that they will keep Jordan Lynch on the practice squad to develop and use for the scout team. Other than that, depending on special teams needs, I foresee that Shaun Draughn will be the third back and the Bears will probably cut Michael Ford.
12thMR: Of course once the season begins I would normally have fantasy interest, but unfortunately not doing that this year.
BGO: BearGogglesOn just started a league this year, so that is going to be interesting. If you were to look at fantasy players from the Bears, it all depends on what kind of league you are playing in. Brandon Marshall is always good in almost all leagues because he gets a lot of catches and touchdowns. Alshon Jeffery is a good choice too, but I would pick Marshall before Jeffery. Matt Forte is also good in all leagues since he catches a lot of balls out of the backfield. His main problem has been getting a lot of touchdowns because he hasn’t had the best blocking at the goal line. Jay Cutler might be a good choice for a 2nd quarterback if you have two, or even a backup. I wouldn’t pick Jay as my primary because he has been injured so much over the last few years.
So, I think it is obvious who you are picking to win on Friday night. Are there any position battles the Bears fans should be watching once the second half begins?
12thMR: A guy to keep an eye on will be MLB Brock Coyle, a surprising and fun-to-watch UDFA from Montana. Plays the He’s in a battle for the final LB spot but is being put on the 1st and 2nd teams this preseason.
The Robert Turbin/Christine Michael battle for backup RB is interesting and of course Terrelle Pryor is vying for the backup QB job. Those are probably the most interesting from an outside perspective.