Sugashane Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 The 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame game between the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens takes place on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. This game celebrates 8 men of incredible talent ( in alphabetical order) Bobby Beathard Beathard was a highly regarded personnel administrator during his 33-year career which included stints with the Kansas City Chiefs (1966-67), Atlanta Falcons (1968-1971), Miami Dolphins (1972-77), Washington Redskins (1978-1988) and San Diego Chargers (1990-99). Robert Brazile Brazile was a preeminent linebacker in the NFL during a career that spanned from 1975 to 1984 with the Houston Oilers. Brian Dawkins A nine-time Pro Bowler, Dawkins was named All-Pro and All-NFC five times. In addition to being named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s, Dawkins is a member of the Eagles 75th Anniversary Team and the Exclusive NFL Defensive Club (players with at least 35 career interceptions and 20 career sacks). Jerry Kramer The guard was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round (39th player overall) of the 1958 NFL Draft. He starred for the Green Bay Packers from 1958 to 1968 playing most of his 11-season career under the direction of Hall of Fame Coach Vince Lombardi. Ray Lewis A 12-time Pro Bowl selection, Lewis received first-team All-Pro honors eight times during his career. He was recognized as the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and 2003, and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s. He is the main reason Joe Flacco has the same number of Super Bowl rings as Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Randy Moss Moss caught 10 or more touchdown passes in nine seasons and had 10 seasons with 1,000 yards receiving. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Moss received first-team All-Pro honors four times and was named to the NFL All-Decade Team of the 2000s. Terrell Owens Owens caught 10 or more touchdown passes in eight seasons and had nine seasons of over 1,000 yards. Named All-Pro five times (2000-02, 2004, 2007) and an All-NFC choice four times, Owens was selected to six Pro Bowls. He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of 2000s. Brian Urlacher An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Urlacher received first-team All-Pro honors five times and was named to the NFL All-Decade Team of the 2000s. He was a match up nightmare who was as skilled versus the pass as he was against the run. Often being remembered for being one of the few linebackers to be able to adjust his team in response to Peyton Manning's multiple adjustments, Urlacher was the heart of the Chicago Bears for his entire career. The Ravens are coming off a 9-7 campaign in which they just missed out on the playoffs following a heartbreaking loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular-season finale. The Bears struggled, though, and finished 5-11. Head coach John Fox was relieved of his duties, and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy took the reins. This is one reason Chicago is the more interesting team of note here - the coaching change and some offseason additions that could make the Bears a dark-horse playoff contender. Here's a look at three members of that team to watch on Thursday. John Harbaugh seems to care about the preseason: Baltimore has gone 4-0 in three of the last four Augusts. This game could turn into a showcase for first-round QB Lamar Jackson, who has wowed coaches and teammates all offseason but is entrenched behind starting QB Lurch. The Bears welcomed new head coach Nagy in the off-season after firing John Fox. Nagy, the former offensive coordinator for the Chiefs, oversaw an attack that ranked sixth in points per game (25.9), fifth in yards per game (375.4), and had the NFL's rushing leader, Kareem Hunt, last year. The Bears ranked near the bottom of the league in many offensive categories. Part of that was due to being talent deficient in numerous positions. The new-look Bears brought in several playmakers this off-season, including tight end Trey Burton from the Super Bowl champion Eagles and wide receiver Allen Robinson from the Jaguars. Al that being said, it is highly unlikely that Nagy goes out to test much in regards to play concepts. This will likely mostly be a challenge to the team for carrying out their playcalls, adjustments, and execution of the plays with a vanilla gameplan. The Bears went 2-2 in the pre-season last year, with a head coach and OC that were incompetent. It will be interesting to see how the players adjust to the new and more energetic style Nagy brings. Players to watch – RB Ryan Nall Considering how prominent of a role both Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen will play in Chicago’s offense this year, odds are neither of them will play much if any in Thursday’s game. That will leave a bulk of the rushing load to be carried by Benny Cunningham, Taquan Mizzell and undrafted free agent Ryan Nall. Cunningham’s spot on the roster is likely safe due to his versatility and return ability in a pinch, but it’s Nall who has the most to gain from this week. Nall has done well at training camp thus far, displaying nice vision, strength and speed for his size. The Bears will most likely carry either four running backs or three running backs and a fullback, and both of those situations benefit Nall. Not only will he see snaps as the main half back in the backfield, but he will presumably see some snaps as a fullback and as an H-back tight end, as well. He has already proven that he’s versatile, but he can further increase his value to the Bears by excelling at those positions. I must admit, I hope to see him or a young TE grab the FB spot away from Burton. Seeing how integral Anthony Sherman was to the Chiefs over the years, I hope one starts to stake their claim for the role – Nall in particular. EDGE Isaiah Irving The Bears entered training camp with a huge hole at the outside linebacker position. They enter the Hall of Fame game with an even bigger hole, as both Aaron Lynch and Kylie Fitts are nursing injuries. Although Fitts has since returned to camp and is practicing lightly after suffering an arm injury last week, he likely won’t get a heavy workload. That opens up a huge opportunity for Isaiah Irving. Irving played in seven games last season after being promoted to the active roster in early October. Although he didn’t see much playing time on defense, he’ll have much more of an opportunity to do so this year. With Leonard Floyd and Sam Acho being the only players at full strength ahead of him on the depth chart, Irving will see his fair share of snaps on Thursday. He isn’t a lock to make the roster, but, with a strong preseason, the odds that he does will become much higher. Look for that strong preseason to get started this week. 5Ts Jonathan Bullard and Roy Robertson-Harris The defensive line is set in two of its three spots – Hicks and Goldman. That leaves one opening available and there are two people who are gunning for it. This will be an intense battle to watch throughout the preseason and likely starts now rather than later. Bullard has the draft status and quick twitch that can make him a potential pain for OCs for years, especially in nickel when he can drop to 3T and shoot a gap. RRH has a fantastic blend of size/length/athleticism that can cause matchup troubles for OTs as well. Both are young and this is their chance to seize the starting role. No score prediction, but I hope to see everyone leave healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronMike84 Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 The overreaction to this game will be off the charts. We’re combining the most hyped Bears offseason in a decade with the awfulness of the Hall of Fame Game. Fans are going to expect the Bears to put every card on the table and pull out all the stops. If the offense doesn’t score at least 28 points, there will be calls for Nagy’s head on Thursday morning. Get ready this is the beginning of the end for Nagy’s honeymoon period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 Lurch. Ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epyon Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 I'm hoping Mitch gets in for a series... I know there was reports that Howard isn't going to play at all, which is disappointing... I legit want to see him running some routes from the backfield. Most looking forward to Anthony Miller I guess, given the training camp hype... And since I have a soft spot for Running backs The Mizzell/ Nall battle should be fun for me to watch, as well as maybe where Nall is vs Benny Cunningham.... I'm rooting for Nall to upset some people and really carve a spot out as Howard's backup, given they have pretty similarly physical running styles. Beyond those, there's some of the other guys I've heard have been flashing that it'd be great to see going: K. White-WR Bilal Nichols-DL Tolliver-CB Coward-OL (I want to say he's a OG, but might be an OT... Regardless, heard a blurb that he put one of Goldman (might have been Hicks) on his ***... Be interesting to see if Harry Heistand can really convert a journeyman DL draft pick into a viable OL candidate within one offseason. Fitts-Edge Doubtful he plays a ton, but we need any good news we can find on the edge right now. Finally, the rest of the WRs in general...and that's gonna be super interesting to watch if Mitch doesn't play, because I don't have much faith in our backup QBs actually making decent passes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmike90 Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 On offence I just want to see some explosive plays down the field...the TEs are going to be a lot of fun to watch... On defence Kylie Fitts is one of the guys I want to see get a ton of reps with the 2nd & 3rds...we need to find a 3rd pass rusher and he has the tools to really develop into something special...hopefully Toliver is healthy as well...it's these high upside depth guys who need to be the focus of this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blkwdw13 Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 2 hours ago, Madmike90 said: On offence I just want to see some explosive plays down the field...the TEs are going to be a lot of fun to watch... On defence Kylie Fitts is one of the guys I want to see get a ton of reps with the 2nd & 3rds...we need to find a 3rd pass rusher and he has the tools to really develop into something special...hopefully Toliver is healthy as well...it's these high upside depth guys who need to be the focus of this game. I haven’t really been following but isn’t Fitts injured and not practicing much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G08 Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 I really am intrigued by Smoke Mizzell, I think he's a poor man's Tarik Cohen. Kylie Fitts is my guy but I worry he won't play due to being banged up. Ditto James Daniels. I hope Kevin White plays the entire game and makes an impact and I want to see what Anthony Miller does once the lights come on because he's been chewing up our corners at camp. Don't care that it's the pre-season to the start of the pre-season games, it's football baby! I. Am. Excite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskieBear Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 13 hours ago, blkwdw13 said: I haven’t really been following but isn’t Fitts injured and not practicing much. Fitts missed one maybe two days of practice with an arm injury, but has already been back at practice since since he missed those days, so unless they are being SUPER careful with him, i fully expect him to play Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Willie McGinist still looks like he could suit up. Dude is YUUUUUUUUGE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 Do you guys remember when Bennie Fowler was on the Bears? Man, good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ_11 Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 Josh Bellamy's never going away is he... Both Bullard and Robertson-Harris suited up, good battle to watch. GOD IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 I propose our forum buys Windy a Bellamy jersey. Seconded? Seconded. Consider it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 Deon Bush bringing the wood. Like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 15 minutes ago, RunningVaccs said: I propose our forum buys Windy a Bellamy jersey. Seconded? Seconded. Consider it done. Bennie Fowler. HE HAD 50 TARGETS! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 Backups on backups, but Daniel under very little pressure thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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