Story Ore Blog: Brandon Lloyd Injury Update Week 3

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Following their 7-9 finish in the 2007 season, the Bears were faced with many issues to address heading into the 2008 NFL season. In an interview, Jerry Angelo, the team's general manager, stated the Bears will seek to bring stability to their offense by creating competition for their current running backs and quarterbacks through free agency and the upcoming draft. The team's running game ranked near last in almost every statistical category, while the Bears had to rely on three different quarterbacks to finish the season. Additionally, the Bears were faced with many questions pertaining to their aging offensive line, which was ridden with injuries and inconsistent play throughout the 2007 season. A week before free agency started, the Bears opted to extend Alex Brown's contract, who recorded three sacks, two tackles for loss, one interception, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery after reclaiming his starting job. The same day, the Bears parted with Muhsin Muhammad, Fred Miller, and Darwin Walker. A few days later, Jerry Angelo stated the franchise would not re-sign Ruben Brown, and suggested the team was in the process of rebuilding their offensive line. The Bears then focused their attention to their quarterbacks; re-signing Rex Grossman, and extending Kyle Orton's contract for another year. The team considered releasing Brian Griese in order to avoid a $300,000 dollar bonus, but eventually traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a sixth round draft pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
The Bears were forced to also part with Cedric Benson after two run-ins with the law in Austin, Texas. Benson was first arrested for allegedly operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol. Only weeks after the incident, he was arrested again for reportedly driving while intoxicated. Benson denied the claims that he was drunk, and even contested that he was mistreated by the police on the first occasion. Angelo and Smith voiced a general sense of disappointment towards Benson's actions, and eventually opted to terminate his career with the organization. With Benson's departure the team had lost their passing (Griese), receiving (Berrian), and rushing (Benson) leaders from the previous season.
The Bears were reluctant to sign the free agents to fill vacancies on their team. Angelo stated that he believed "free agency begins at home". The team invested a great deal of money in order to re-sign various players, including place kicker Robbie Gould, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, tight end Desmond Clark, and wide receiver Rashied Davis. Various veteran running backs, such as Kevin Jones and Shaun Alexander, were reportedly interested in filling Benson's absence, The team acquired P.J. Pope and rookie Matt Lawrence for competition and depth, and later Jones in mid-July.

Lloyd looks like a go this

Sam Bradford\x26#39;s injury tempers

Brandon Lloyd Trade: Fantasy

NFL Week 2 Injury Report:

Brandon Lloyd photo

The Bears held the fourteenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. In addition to their six other regular picks, the team acquired an additional third-round draft pick as a result of a trade with the San Diego Chargers. The Bears also traded third-round picks with the San Francisco 49ers, and obtained their fifth round pick as a result of attempting to negotiate with Lance Briggs's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, before the trading deadline in October 2007. The League has also awarded the Bears with three compensatory picks, which are all in the draft's seventh round.

WR Brandon Lloyd won\x26#39;t be easy

Brandon Lloyd hauls in a

Brandon Lloyd\x26#39;s on fire, too,

Expect Brandon Lloyd to be

» WEEK 1: RAIDERS VS.

As widely speculated by many draft analysts, The Bears used their first three draft picks to select offensive players. The team drafted Chris Williams from Vanderbilt to address holes in their offensive lines, Matt Forte from Tulane to help solidify their running game, and Earl Bennett to assist their wide receiver corp. Other rookies, such as Craig Steltz and Marcus Monk were drafted to provide additional depth and competition to their respective positions. The team also acquired several undrafted rookie after the draft. Caleb Hanie and Nick Hill were signed to add competition and extra depth to the Bears quarterback position. The Bears signed Williams, their last unsigned draft pick, on July 23, 2008.
The Bears held several scattered mini-camp and Organized Team Activity (OTA) workouts throughout May, and up to mid-June. Brian Urlacher, who had previously stated he would forgo the team's mini-camps in order due to issues with his contract, was among several Bears players to attend the training sessions. All players who were previously injured in the previous season, including veteran safety Mike Brown and cornerback Nathan Vasher, were cleared to practice. The Bears concluded their mini-camp sessions on June 18, with rookie Matt Forte as the team's top running back.

Brandon Lloyd returns, but he

Devin Hester Injury: Update on

Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd,

with Brandon Lloyd here.

Sam Bradford\x26#39;s injury tempers

All members of the Bears reported to the team's summer training facility at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, except for Devin Hester, who missed the first two days of camp due to a contract dispute. Chris Williams, the team's top draft pick, missed the camp's first weekend after sustaining a minor back injury. He was later diagnosed with separate injury, a herniated disc, which required minor surgery to repair. The Bears have not given a time table pertaining to Williams' return. His fellow offensive lineman, Terrence Metcalf was also required to have surgery to repair his knee, and is also sidelined indefinitely. The Bears held their last training camp session of the summer on August 15, 2008. Lovie Smith was generally pleased with team's progress, and stated, "Guys were fighting for positions. All of them have stepped up and we'll just keep that evaluation going. To me, a successful camp a lot of times is when you get out injury free and we've done that for the most part. And again we've gotten good work done." The Bears began their 2008 season by recording an upset victory over the Indianapolis Colts at the newly opened Lucas Oil Stadium. The team won the Super Bowl XLI rematch, by a score of 29-13. The Bears offensive attack featured the debut of rookie running back Matt Forté, becoming the first Bears rookie running back to start a game since Walter Payton in 1975, coincidentally against the Baltimore Colts. Forte carried the ball 23 times for 123 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run. The Colts and Bears exchanged field goals, and then Joseph Addai was dropped for a safety. A Robbie Gould 25-yard field goal on the following drive ended the 1st half. Peyton Manning helped the Colts narrow their deficit by throwing a six-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne. Later in the 3rd quarter, Bears cornerback Charles Tillman forced a fumble, which Lance Briggs picked up and returned for a 21-yard touchdown. The Bears defense was able to contain the Colts the rest of the way, including a key fourth down and one yard stop near midfield early in the fourth quarter. The Bears essentially sealed their victory with 8:56 left on a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Jason McKie. After the game, Al Michaels and John Madden awarded Forte with the Sunday Night Football's "Horse Trailer Player of the Game" award. Adewale Ogunleye received the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award for recording a safety, three tackles-for-loss, and making a key fourth down stop during the game.