Adewale Ogunleye
Defensive end
Ogunleye picked up where he left off in exhibition action, getting consistent pressure on quarterbacks Patrick Ramsey and Mark Brunell. The Bears couldn’t sustain a strong defensive tone set early by Ogunleye, who disrupted Washington’s second possession in dominating fashion. First, he batted down a Ramsey pass. Later on the possession, he sacked Ramsey, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Washington. Ogunleye also recorded five solo tackles.
Jerry Azumah
Cornerback
Washington converted six of 16 third-down chances, and Azumah’s comeback from hip surgery allowed him to play only in nickel situations. Santana Moss had a 52-yard gain on a play where Azumah finally ran the receiver down. And Moss gained space on Azumah for another third-down conversion to keep alive Washington’s clock-killing final possession, which chewed up four minutes overall.
Kyle Orton
Quarterback
The statistics aren’t overwhelming. And those don’t even include a category for the three passes Orton had blocked at the line of scrimmage. But the rookie also showed enough poise to have his teammates talking confidently about his future afterward. The seventh straight different opening-day quarterback for the Bears, Orton looked stronger in the second half after a slow start. “I think for a rookie starting his first game in a hostile environment, he gave us a chance to pull it out,” coach Lovie Smith said. –tribune
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NET RESULTS
Bear necessities
Which aspect of their Week 1 performance do the Bears most need to improve?
Rushing Offense 47.5%
Offensive line 21.2%
Rush Defense 16%
Passing Offense 15.3%
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