1975 Chicago Bears FOF Style

[cubboyroy1826]

Payton and Harper Arrive

The Chicago Bears are hoping that the arrival of Walter Payton and Roland Harper will take the Bears in a new direction, a winning direction. The Bears are coming off a 4-10 season and have been in a funk for a long time. GM Roy Paeth was brought in at the end of the 1974 season to help turn things around. The 1975 Bears draft was thought by many experts to be their best draft in a long time. GM Roy Paeth feels that this draft will have provided at least 5 new starters for the 1975 Chicago Bears. While this team isn't headed to the playoffs they should be a definite improvement from last years 4-10 team.

1975 - Chicago Bears

Rd Sel# Player Position School

1 4 Walter Payton RB Jackson State
2 31 Mike Hartenstine DE Penn State
4 83 Virgil Livers DB Western Kentucky
5 110 Revie Sorey G Illinois
6 135 Bob Avellini QB Maryland
6 151 Tom Hicks LB Illinois
7 178 Earl Douthitt DB Iowa
8 197 Joe Harris LB Georgia Tech
9 212 Roger Stillwell DT Stanford
10 254 Mike Julius -- St. Thomas
11 264 Mike Dean -- Texas
12 291 Doug Plank DB Ohio State
13 316 Charles McDaniel -- Louisiana Tech
14 343 Walter Hartfield -- Texas State
15 368 Steve Marcantonio -- Miami (Fla.)
16 395 Witt Beckman -- Miami (Fla.)
17 420 Roland Harper RB Louisiana Tech

[cubboyroy1826]

at San Diego Chargers
vs Kansas City Chiefs
vs Dallas Cowboys
at Detroit Lions
at Green Bay Packers
vs Minnesota Vikings
at Philadelphia Eagles
vs Detroit Lions
OPEN
at Oakland Raiders
at Seattle Seahawks
vs Denver Broncos
vs New York Giants
at Washington Redskins
at Minnesota Vikings
vs Green Bay Packers
vs New Orleans Saints

We only have 36,600 season tickets sold even though Soldier Field holds 63,000 fans. The Bear fans while loyal are just waiting for a this team to show some signs of life.

[carolinahuey]

I'll be watching! Good luck!

[cubboyroy1826]

Here is our pre-season schedule for this year.

at Houston Texans
at Indianapolis Colts
vs San Francisco 49ers
vs Cleveland Browns

[cubboyroy1826]

AT

Chicago Bears	0	3	0	7	-	10
Houston Texans	6	0	3	0	-	9

Really not a whole lot happening in this game as we can only muster a total of 181 yards of offense, 136 of which was on the ground. Walter Payton had a strong game carrying the ball 14 times for 66 yards. Mike Adamle had 72 yards on 17 carries adding a 25 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter. The Texans had a whopping 241 yards lead by QB Greg Owens 17-31 for 105 yards and a pick.

Next up the Indianapolis Colts led by QB Bert Jones and TE Raymond Chester.

[cubboyroy1826]

AT

Chicago Bears	0	0	0	0	-	0
Indianapolis Colts	0	7	7	10	-	24

We are completely dominated by a Colts team that went 2-12 last year. Our problems at QB are further exposed as our top 2 quarterbacks go 10-29 76 yds and 1 pick. The current competition is between Bob Avellini (a 6th round pick) and Jimmie Weber (undrafted free agent). The Colts loaded up for the run and they were able to hold Adamle and Payton in check with a total of 81 yards. Our defense gives up 341 yards and cannot overcome the 3 plays and out from the offense. Thank god this is only preseason.

Injuries:

We lose starting LCB Allan Ellis to a broken wrist. The medical staff says he will be out about 6 weeks.

[cubboyroy1826]

We go to the free agent pool and pickup CB Jumbo Fletcher an undrafted rookie free agent.

[cubboyroy1826]

AT

San Francisco 49ers	7	14	0	7	-	28
Chicago Bears	14	3	10	7	-	34

We get a lot more offense this game and our prize rookie comes through with a big game. Walter Payton carries 13 times for 75 yards and returns 4 kicks for 170 yards. Payton would take the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Neither of our quarterbacks does much to take ahold of the starting QB job. Jimmie Webber is 10-14 for 62 yards and a touchdown while Avellini is 7-15 for 45 yards and a pick.

We pretty much shutdown the 49ers running game but giveup 386 yards and 4 TDs thru the air. The star for the Niners is Steve Spurrier who 10-14 for 249 yards and 2 TDs.

We escape with a win and only a couple of minor injuries. The exhibition finale will bring the Cleveland Browns to town. We will sit as many of our starters as possible to avoid any injuries.

[cubboyroy1826]

AT

Cleveland Browns	0	0	0	3	-	3
Chicago Bears	0	7	0	0	-	7

We sit a lot of our starters to avoid injury but we still squeeze out a win. Our QB battle saw Bob Avellini play most of the game as he went 12-15 for 88 yards and a TD. Not spectacular but was it enough to win the job? Mike Adamle led the ground game gaining 52 yards on 15 carries.

Other than Greg Pruitt picking up 85 yards rushing the Browns offense was a mess. The entire rest of the team only gained an additional 103 yards.

No significant injuries here so we now head into the cuts to get our roster down to the limit. Next up we will give you the final 53 man roster.

[cubboyroy1826]

1975 Chicago Bears Starting Lineup
Offense
QB	Jimmie Weber
RB	Walter Payton
FB	Cid Edwards
TE	Greg Latta
SE	Ike Hill
FL	Steve Schubert
LT	Lionel Antoine
LG	Greg Horton
C	Dan Neal
RG	Mark Nordquist
RT	Jeff Sevy
Defense
RDE	Richard Harris
RDT	Ron Rydalich
LDT	Wally Chambers
LDE	Royce Berry
WLB	Ross Brupbacher
MLB	Carl Gersbach
SLB	Doug Buffone
LCB	Nemiah Wilson
RCB	Virgil Livers
SS	Craig Clemons
FS	Doug Plank
K	Bob Thomas
P	Bob Parsons

We should run the ball pretty effectively but our passing game is going to be a mess. I expect to rotate quarterbacks pretty much all season. On defense we should be able to stop the run but our pass defense will be a bit of a question mark. On special teams we will be solid which will help our offense which will struggle and our defense that could spend a lot of time on the field. We will continue to try and upgrade our quarterback situation via trade but so far teams are asking a lot for mediocre quarterbacks.

[cubboyroy1826]

AT

Chicago Bears	0	3	7	0	-	10
San Diego Chargers	7	6	0	24	-	37

We give the game away because we cannot hold on to the ball. We somehow manage to fumble the ball 7 times and lose 4 of those fumbles. Both of our running backs finish with 2 fumbles and our two QBs cough the ball up 3 more times. Our running game was led by Walter Payton who had 98 yards on 23 carries and one TD. Jimmie Weber has a decent game going 19-30 with 142 yards. Coy Bacon leads the Chargers with 7 tackles and 4 sacks. Dan Fouts is the offensive star for the Chargers completing 16 of 24 passes with 249 yards a TD and a pick. Overall our defense played well but could not overcome the turnovers by the offense deep in our own territory.

No new injuries to report and a couple of our starters have recovered from minor injuries.

Next Up: Kansas City Chiefs 1-0

[cubboyroy1826]

(1-0) AT(0-1)



The weather was not going to cooperate today with a 14 mph cross wind a heavy downpour and a temperature of 49 degrees.

Kansas City Chiefs	0	0	0	10	-	10
Chicago Bears	3	0	6	0	-	9

We were able to take a 9-0 lead into the halftime but kicker Bob Thomas missed on the extra point which would come back to haunt us. The Chiefs would come back to score 10 unanswered points in the 4th quarter as our offense was unable to do anything in the second half. Rookie Walter Payton again had a solid game with 25 carries and 85 yards adding a touchdown. Our rookie QB Jimmie Weber was managing a good game until her threw an interception late in the game which would lead to the go ahead field goal by the Chiefs. Our defense picked off 3 KC passes but our offense was unable to turn any of these picks into points.

No new injuries and we get our starting cornerback Allan Ellis back from his broken wrist.

Next Up: Dallas Cowboys 1-1

[cubboyroy1826]

(1-1) (0-2)

Dallas Cowboys	14	9	0	10	-	33
Chicago Bears	0	3	0	3	-	6

We are at home for a second straight game and we lay another egg. The weather is just fine this time at 50 degrees and sunny. Our starting running backs both fumble the ball away twice this game and our quarterback adds another fumble. The overall yardage numbers are pretty even with both teams totaling 300 yards. Rookie Walter Payton has a decent game with 17 carries and 71 yards. Rookie QB Jimmie Weber is 15-22 with 148 yards but we cannot overcome the 24 points the Cowboys get off of turnovers.

Walter Payton comes up a bit lame with a strained rotator cuff but he should be okay to go next week.

Next Up: at Detroit Lions (1-2)

[nilodor]

I like the helmets in the recap, actually I like the whole game recap but the helmets are a nice touch.

[cubboyroy1826]

(0-3) (1-2)


We come into Detroit with the #3 ranked run offense against the #17 ranked Lions run defense. On paper this one looks like a close game with oddsmakers giving the Lions a 3 point edge. Our quarterback play has to imrpove for us to hang in this one and we cannot turn the ball over.

Chicago Bears	0	3	0	6	-	9
Detroit Lions	7	7	14	7	-	35

Well once again other than Walter Payton our offense does not show up. We manage to hang on to the ball but QB Jimmie Weber manages to throw 2 interceptions and is an abysmal 6-15 for 78 yards. Our defense gets torched by Lions QB Greg Landry who is 16-23 with 196 yards and 4 touchdowns. The loan highlights for our teams is Walter Payton who carries the ball 29 times for 125 yards.

There are no new injuries this week as we have been able to remain relatively healthy so far. This week of practice we will split the starting snaps between current starter Jimmie Webber and backup Gary Huff.

Next Up: at 1-3 Green Bay Packers

[cubboyroy1826]

Thanks for reading if only we could pickup a win now.

[cubboyroy1826]

Well the kid (Walter Payton) has been doing a great job but as a team we have struggled offensively. Walter needs to correct his fumbling problem which will come with time. Payton leads the league in rushing with 378 yards on 94 carries and has 2 TDs.

Offense: The quarterback situation has been a mess. Starter Jimmie Weber has struggled to generate any kind of passing attack and is obviously in over his head. Our backups veteran Gary Huff and rookie Bob Avellini are really no better but a change must be made.

Defense: It is very hard to evaluate the defense when the opponent is frequently handed the ball deep in our territory via fumble or interception. We are stocked at ILB and really need to make a move to shore up another position. Our corners have been average and our run defense is also average. We will have to reevaluate this unit once we get the offense back on track.

This week we will bring in several veterans for tryouts in order to find a replacement albeit a short term solution. We are scheduled to look at veterans Craig Morton, Joe Reed, and Floyd Dardar on Monday and may invite additional QBs to try out on Tuesday. I would not expect any of these guys to start the first week since they need to learn our gameplan but who knows. We have tried to get a QB thru a trade but the asking price for a mediocre QB has risen since our initial inquiries.

[cubboyroy1826]

Lake Forest, IL - The Bears signed free agent Joe Reed to a one year contract believed to be worth $160,000. In order to make room for Reed the Bears let go of rookie Bob Avellini. Avellini had yet to see any action in the regular season and was 3rd on the QB depth chart. Many experts had felt that Avellini would have a chance to compete for the starting job in Chicago but early on it became clear that Avellini was not cut out for the NFL. GM Roy Paeth added that depending on how quick Reed picks up the system and how Gary Huff plays this week against the Packers, Reed could start next week.

[cubboyroy1826]

(0-4) (1-3)


We come in with a new quarterback and the #1 ranked rushing offense against the #24 ranked Packers run defense. Gary Huff will get his first start of the season against a Green Bay pass defense that is ranked #19. Oddsmakers have the Packers as a 4 point favorite.


Well Gary Huff gets the start and on the second play of the game he gets sacked and is knocked out of the game. As the #2 QB Joe Reed is inserted into the lineup. We are ahead 13-6 after three quarters led by two Bob Thomas field goals and a Virgil Livers fumble return for a TD. As fate would have it Joe Reed who had been in control throws a pick that is returned to the Bears 30 yard line. The Packers march into the end zone 4 plays later and the score is 16-16 with only three minutes left in the game. We are on the move again with just under two minutes to go. We are at the Packers 23 yard line and Joe Reed throws a pass right into the hands of Willie Buchanon who returns it 78 yards for a TD. We still have time for one last drive. Joe Reed moves us to the Packer 32 yard line with 2 seconds left. On the last play of the game Reed throws it up for grabs and Steve Schubert comes down with the ball but is stopped at the 2 yard line as time expires. The Packers pull this one out 23-16.

Chicago Bears	3	3	7	3	-	16
Green Bay Packers	3	0	3	17	-	23

Our vaunted rushing attack falls short in this game as the Pack key on Walter Payton all day. Payton is held to 67 yards on 22 carries while Mike Adamle picks up 41 yards on only 9 carries. Steve Schubert has a good game for us with 4 catches for 88 yards. New QB Joe Reed has a decent game for a new QB going 17-27 with 211 yards and 2 picks. Linebacker Carl Gersbach has a solid game for the defense with 11 tackles.

Once again we get out of the game with no new injuries and only Payton has a slight ding.

Next Up: the 3-1 Minnesota Vikings come to town

[cubboyroy1826]

(3-1) (0-5)

Minnesota Vikings	7	7	7	3	-	24
Chicago Bears	0	7	0	7	-	14

It becomes perfectly clear that our offense is just going to kill us all year long. Gary Huff gets the start this week and cannot seem to get out of his own way. You would swear Gary thought we had the purple uniforms today. Huff starts off 10-20 for 83 yards with 3 picks and gets yanked in the 3rd quarter. Two of Huffs picks are returned for TDs and our team is down 14-0 before you know it. Joe Reed comes on in relief as our offensive coordinator completely abandons the run down 21-7. Reed is just as bad at 7-24 for 76 yards and a TD. Our only other score is from our defense who returns a Chuck Foreman fumble for a TD.

Overall our defense did not play that poorly only giving up 10 points to a very good Vikings offense. The offense was a mess and the play calling was horrible in the second half. Our receivers are part to blame for a lot of Joe Reeds incompletions. Reed who only went 7-24 had 7 passes dropped by the wide receivers.

On the injury front we lose our starting RG who will miss 4 weeks with a concussion and our backup RCB who is probable and will not be full strength for 7 weeks.


Next Up: at the 1-4 Philadelphia Eagles