Numbers good for Bears
Bears coach Lovie Smith insisted that he had a good football team after this week's preseason finale, and most of the team's statistics support that claim.
The Bears finished the preseason with a 3-1 record and outscored their opponents, 90-70. They averaged 7.6 yards per pass attempt and 4.0 yards per run, compared with opponents' averages of 6.6 yards per pass and 3.7 yards per run. And while opponents won the time-of-possession battle (32:07 to 27:52), the Bears were plus-three in the turnover ratio.
What does all of that mean? Nothing much, because the only statistics that matter will start in Week 1 as the Bears head to Green Bay.
Regardless, here is a look at some of the top performers on offense for the preseason. The players are ranked in order of predicted spots on the team's depth chart.
Quarterback
1. Jay Cutler, 28-for-44 (63.6 percent), 329 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. QB Rating: 92.0.
2. Caleb Hanie, 31-for-50 (62.0 percent), 374 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. QB Rating: 89.9.
3. Brett Basanez, 15-for-26 (57.7 percent), 221 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs. QB Rating: 71.6.
Running Back
1. Matt Forte, 18 carries for 79 yards (4.4 avg), 2 TDs
2. Kevin Jones, 24 carries for 77 yards (3.2 avg), 0 TD
3. Garrett Wolfe, 13 carries for 65 yards (5.0 avg), 0 TD
4. Adrian Peterson, 40 carries for 162 yards (4.1 avg), 1 TD
Wide Receiver
1. Devin Hester, 7 receptions for 60 yards (8.6 avg), 0 TD
2. Earl Bennett, 6 receptions for 69 yards (11.5 avg), 0 TD
3. Devin Aromashodu, 3 receptions for 46 yards (15.3 avg), 0 TD
4. Rashied Davis, 3 receptions for 28 yards (9.3 avg), 0 TD
5. Johnny Knox, 5 receptions for 127 yards (25.4 avg), 0 TD
6. Juaquin Iglesias, 8 receptions for 130 yards (16.3 avg), 1 TD
7. Brandon Rideau, 4 receptions for 43 yards (10.8 avg), 1 TD
8. Eric Peterman, 3 receptions for 39 yards (13.0 avg), 0 TD
Tight End
1. Greg Olsen, 4 receptions for 64 yards (16.0 avg), 0 TD
2. Desmond Clark, 4 receptions for 61 yards (15.3 avg), 1 TD
3. Kellen Davis, 3 receptions for 56 yards (18.7 avg), 0 TD
4. Michael Gaines, 3 receptions for 60 yards (20.0 avg), 1 TD
On defense, Craig Steltz, Marcus Freeman and Zack Bowman each finished the preseason with one interception. Alex Brown, Marcus Harrison and Ervin Baldwin led the team with two sacks apiece, while Lance Briggs, Adewale Ogunleye, Corey Graham, Josh Bullocks, Matt Toeaina and the injured Dusty Dvoracek each registered one sack.
Bears kicker Robbie Gould was 9-for-9 on field goal attempts, while Brad Maynard averaged 43.3 yards per punt and dropped four inside the 20-yard line.
-Tom Musick
