The Bears signing of free-agent defensive end Julius Peppers is imminent, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. A separate source has told Sean Jensen of the Sun-Times that former Vikings running back Chester Taylor will also sign with the Bears today. A press conference announcing the signings of Peppers, Taylor and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna is expected to be held at Halas Hall later this afternoon. The source said that although the Patriots and Eagles have also made offers for Peppers, the deal the Bears are offering is worth more per season and it would be a huge upset if Peppers left Halas Hall, where he is visiting today, without signing what is expected to be a …
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Sources: Peppers and Taylor to Bears imminent
The Eagles’ first major acquisition of the free-agent signing period is a player that was already on their roster. Terms of Leonard Weaver’s contract extension are all set, his agent said, and once his autograph is on the paper, he will have agreed to a three-year deal that will make him the wealthiest fullback in NFL history. A league source said the deal is for $11 million, $6.5 million of which is guaranteed. Incentives can stretch it to $12 million. But the Eagles aren’t out of the Julius Peppers swepstakes, although the Bears have the first crack at signing the All-Pro defensive end. Peppers’ agent, Carl Carey, told The News Journal/Wing Tips on Friday morning that the Eagles are next …
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Weaver deal done, Peppers still a chance
A rematch win in the Saturday wild-card game against the Dallas Cowboys would certainly be a signature moment for the Eagles, particularly since they left an undistinguished scrawl - and a bunch of other nasty stuff - on the turf at Cowboys Stadium last weekend. As redemptive as that win might be, the Eagles, deep down where they hide the truth, would probably prefer another opponent in the first round of the postseason. Not because they are scared of the Cowboys, not because Sunday’s rump roasting made them less certain of their own place in the NFL universe. But because there are certain teams in certain years that just seem to have your number. It might not be the deciding factor …
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Fate brings Eagles back to Dallas
IT WAS A LITTLE after 1 p.m. on Monday. Thirteen hours after the Eagles’ hard-fought, 24-20, win over the Bears and 144 before their next battle against the Redskins.Armed with the latest casualty report from trainer Rick Burkholder, defensive coordinator Sean McDermott and his assistants had just finished reviewing who they might - and might not - have for Sunday’s game.The good news for McDermott was that his injury-ravaged unit, which already has had eight starters and key role players miss a total of 28 games this season, didn’t suffer any more debilitating injuries against the Bears or have anyone else nabbed by the NFL’s steroids police.Asante Samuel already had pretty much recovered …
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Eagles defense solid despite setbacks
It was like most nine-car pileups when viewed in slow motion. A dozen things had to happen along the way for the result to end up being what it was, in this case a 24-20 Eagles victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. This was just one of the things: Sheldon Brown. He has a slightly torn hamstring, but he played. He had to convince team trainer Rick Burkholder and general manager Tom Heckert that he was ready with a pretty strenuous pregame workout on the field, but he played. It was supposed to be part-time, helping where he could - and then he made the injury worse chasing down the Bears’ Khalil Bell on a 72-yard run in the second quarter. Suddenly, part-time was going to become …
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Eagles’ Brown plays through injury
When Donovan McNabb said last night’s game against the Bears was a “must-win” situation, and Quintin Mikell called it “our Super Bowl,” it was no surprise that Andy Reid didn’t join in the chorus. He said, as expected, that every game in the National Football League is important, and when you start worrying about the standings instead of preparing as hard as possible for the next opponent, that’s when you get into trouble. And then he directed his staff to prepare for the Bears as if the field were on fire. No-huddle offense, crazy linebacker combinations on defense, a Michael Vick play that actually worked, McNabb freely calling audibles at the line. The game plan was not for just another …
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In night air, whiff of desperation
The Big Sleep lasted almost three quarters. As usual, Jay Cutler was feeling around in the dark, not sure who he was or where he was during a night game. All that was missing was a stubbed toe on the dresser. He wasn’t in the grip of a five-interception night, as he had been the previous game, but he didn’t look to be all there against the Eagles on Sunday. Overthrown passes, underthrown passes, passes begging to be intercepted — that was Cutler under the artificial lights at Soldier Field. But then he dropped in a beautiful pass to tight end Kellen Davis, an achingly accurate 15-yard touchdown toss that ended a run of four Robbie Gould field goals. Observers would have been forgiven for …
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Bears look boring, Cutler sharp as a butter knife
Google the name of Bears running back Kahlil Bell and one of the first links that pops up is a YouTube highlight reel of the former UCLA standout against Stanford in 2007. In one clip, Bell picks up a nice block from his fullback, breaks to his left and races downfield for a 56-yard gain before getting forced out of bounds. Sunday in a 24-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Bell had a nearly identical run on his first NFL carry — one of the few bright spots for the Bears. Bell, a practice-squad player for more than two months, officially joined the Bears’ 53-man roster when he signed Friday. In the second quarter, Bell followed fullback Jason McKie to the left and hit the hole as quickly …
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Bell’s first carry a 72-yard dash
One of the NFL’s biggest stories in training camp and the first weeks of the season became a non-story when the Philadelphia Eagles relegated Michael Vick to onlooker status. He had been used sparingly in recent weeks — Vick had only four touches in the previous three games — and hadn’t done much since returning from suspension in Week 3. But Vick put himself in line for more work right from the start Sunday, coming in on the third play from scrimmage. On third-and-one at the Eagles’ 34-yard line, he faked a handoff to LeSean McCoy, then ran up the middle for 34 yards. Free safety Danieal Manning appeared set to make the play but didn’t get a hand on Vick. It was his longest play of the …
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Early changeup: Eagles are quick to go to Vick
Donovan McNabb can feel Jay Cutler’s pain. The Eagles quarterback consoled Cutler on the field following the 24-20 decision at Soldier Field. “I talked to him a little bit. What we talked about, we try to keep it between us two,” said McNabb, who completed 23 of 32 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. “But it’s kind of the fraternity of quarterbacks. I have been through, obviously, different situations, some of them the same situations that he is going through right now. But I just continue to provide confidence for him.”
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Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb tries to boost Jay Cutler’s confidence
Usually when the Bears win the turnover battle, it results in a victory. That wasn’t the case in Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Eagles as the Bears won the turnover battle 3-1. Charles Tillman forced three fumbles, two of them recovered by teammates. And Zack Bowman came up with his third interception in three games. Philadelphia entered second in the league in turnover margin, while the Bears were tied for 26th. None of that mattered in the end. LeSean McCoy zipped by the defense for the game-winning 10-yard touchdown run after the Bears held a late 20-17 lead. “That’s something that we put a lot of importance on,” Hunter Hillenmeyer said of forcing turnovers. “Usually turnovers … man, …
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Chicago Bears cornerback Zack Bowman flexes muscle
The defense gave the Bears a chance. The special teams gave the Bears a chance. Jay Cutler gave the Bears no chance. Cutler was passing scared in the red zone in the first half, but scared was better than intercepted. That’s not the barometer we expected when Cutler got here, but that’s where we are. Like we were with Kyle Orton. Cutler was given as much help — or as little — as the Eagles’ line, running game, receivers and play-calling gave Donovan McNabb. McNabb got it done when he had to. McNabb wasn’t jumping around like a Pop Warner brat when things went bad. McNabb calmly directed an 11-play, 62-yard scoring drive, completing 6 of 7 passes for 39 yards to set up the decisive score.
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Bears’ brat gets barbecued again
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