After the 2010 season ended, the NFL entered its longest work stoppage in history. The lockout began after a failure to reach an agreement between the owners and the union in early March. Both sides agreed to extend the deadline another week.[2] However, the talks broke down and the union officially decertified,[3] after which a group of 10 players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league. After months of failed negations, the two sides finally reached an agreement in late July. The owners announced on July 21 that it had approved a new collective bargaining agreement by a 31–0–1 margin (the Oakland Raiders abstained). On July 25, the players association's executive board voted to approve the new collective agreement and the players voted to ratify it on August 4.[4] The delayed start to the season brought free agency and the opening of training camps to coincide. This gave clubs a short period of time to get a full roster signed before camp opened.[5]
Draft Notes: Washington traded its second- (#53) round pick this selection to Chicago for Chicago's second- (#62) and fourth-round (#127) selections.[6]
The Bears forfeited their seventh-round selection, due to the use of a seventh-round selection in the 2010 Supplemental Draft.
Undrafted free agents[]
Following the end of the lockout, the Bears announced coming to terms with 26 undrafted free-agents.[7]
On January 31, defensive line coach Eric Washington left the team to take the same position with the Carolina Panthers.[21]
On February 3, the Bears hired Mike Phair as their new defensive line coach.[22]
Preseason[]
Training camp[]
The Bears held training camp once again at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The club has held annual training camp activities at the university since 2002.[23] The franchise opened up training camp with an expanded roster of 90 players. Over the next month players will compete for spots on the final roster. By August 30, the club will cut down players from 90 to 75 after the third preseason game.[24] It was though announced on August 20, the roster cuts would be changed from 75 to 80 players.[25] The franchise will then have to make another round of cuts at the conclusion of the fourth preseason game on September 3. The final roster will consist of 53 players.[26] The Bears wrapped up training camp with a final public practice on August 19 before heading back to team headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois. The practice marked the end of the team's three week training camp in Bourbonnais.[27]
On September 2nd, the Bears released G Johan Asiata, LB Tressor Baptiste, CB Antareis Bryan, T Josh Davis, WR Andy Fantuz, LB Chris Johnson, WR Onrea Jones, CB Ryan Jones, P Spencer Lanning, DE Jake Laptad, C Alex Linnenkohl, LB Deron Minor, FB Eddie Williams and WR Jimmy Young.[9]
On September 3rd, the Bears released RB Chester Taylor,[28] DT Marcus Harrison,[28] TE Desmond Clark,[28] RB Robert Hughes, WR Kris Adams, TE Andre Smith, S Anthony Walters, DT Jordan Miller, T Levi Horn, LB Patrick Trahan and G Ricky Henry.[9]
On September 5th, the Bears released CB Joshua Moore.[9][29]
On September 6th, the Bears released FB Will Ta'ufo'ou from the team.[9]
Additions
On September 4th, the Bears signed former New England S Brandon Meriweather to a one-year deal.[9][30]
On September 7th, the Bears signed FB Tyler Clutts to a three-year contract.[9]
Reserve List
On September 3rd, the Bears placed RB Harvey Unga on Left Team list.[9]
On September 3rd, the Bears placed LB J.T. Thomas on Injured list .[9]
Practice Squad Additions
On September 4th, the Bears added WR Kris Adams, T Levi Horn, G Ricky Henry, DT Jordan Miller, TE Andre Smith, LB Patrick Trahan and S Anthony Walters to the practice squad.[9][31][32] All players were apart of the original 90-man training camp roster.[9]
On September 4th, the Bears added former Tampa Bay RB Armando Allen to their practice squad.[9][31]
Soldier Field turf issue[]
The club had scheduled an evening practice at Soldier Field in front of fans in an event called "Family Fest". However, the event was cancelled hours before the event was scheduled to begin due to the unsafe playing conditions at Soldier Field.[33] This is not the first incident related to the playing surface at the stadium. Brian Urlacher and other players have called for the surface to be changed from natural grass to artificial FieldTurf.[34] Chicago's mayor Rahm Emanuel has called on the Chicago Park District to find a permanent solution to the decades-old turf battle at the venue.[35] However, Bears chairman George McCaskey has stated on record that the playing surface at Soldier Field will not change from grass to an artificial surface. McCaskey cited fewer injuries occur on natural grass and therefore believes the natural grass surface prolongs player careers. He did admit a poorly maintained grass surface is unacceptable and promised the club will take a more active role in maintaining the playing surface so the field can be ready for home games.[36][37] In Week 13, the field was resodded for the Bears-Chiefs game.
Games[]
Even though the league was in the midst of the lockout, the NFL announced the Bears' preseason schedule on April 12, 2011. The schedule contained the traditional four opponents and a fifth game to be played during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2011 induction weekend.[38] The first scheduled preseason game for the Bears was to be the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Rams. However, with the lockout lingering into late July resulting in a delayed start to training camp, the NFL cancelled the game.[39] The Bears won their first preseason game defeating the Bills 10–3.[40] The offensive line struggled in the game while giving up nine sacks over the course of the game.[41] The Bears continued their preseason campaign with a visit to Met Life Stadium in New Jersey to take on the New York Giants. The offensive line improved in the game by allowing only one sack of Cutler compared to the nine they gave up in a game last year.[42] Cutler even joked about the experience by responding "Yeah, upright" to the question asked to him if this game against the Giants felt any different than last year's debacle.[42] Cutler did express pleasure with the performance of the two young tackles, Webb and Carimi, when asked to assess their performance during preseason.[42] The team did however fail to score twice inside the red zone in the 1st half against the Giants in a 41-13 loss.[43] The game also saw the Bears had a punt blocked by the Giants and newly signed WR Roy Williams drop the first two passes thrown to him in his Bears career.[44][45] In the third game, the Bears's first team offense showed more effectiveness than in previous games. The offensive starters racked up 239 yards in the first half.[46] The team wrapped up the preseason season against the Browns by sitting out many key starters with instead going with various second-, third-, and even fourth-stringers in a very warm and humid night in Chicago.[47][48] On September 4, a day after rosters were trimmed down to 53 men, the Bears signed former first-round draft pick and two-time Pro Bowler safety Brandon Meriweather, who was released by the Patriots the previous day.[30] In response to adding Meriweather, the Bears released corner back Joshua Moore to keep the roster at 53 men.[29]
On October 11th, the Bears released S Winston Venable.
On October 27th, the Bears released S Chris Harris.
On November 14th, the Bears released DE Nick Reed from the club.
On November 21st, the Bears released DE Mario Addison.
On November 24th, the Bears released LS Jake Laptad.
On November 29th, the Bears released LB Brain Iwuh.[9]
On December 16th, the Bears released WR Sam Hurd.
Additions
On October 11th, the Bears elevated S Anthony Walters to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.
On October 28th, the Bears claimed LB Jabara Williams off waivers.
On November 9th, the Bears elevated TE Andre Smith from the practice squad.
On November 14th, the Bears signed DE Chauncey Davis to a two-year contract.
On November 16th, the Bears signed S Winston Venable to a contract.
On November 17th, the Bears elevated G Ricky Henry from the practice squad.
On November 19th, the Bears elevated T Levi Horn from the practice squad.
On November 22nd, the Bears signed LS Jake Laptad to a three-year contract.
On November 23rd, the Bears signed QB Josh McCown to a one-year contract.
On November 24th, the Bears signed LS Chris Massey to a one-year contract.
On November 29th, the Bears elevated LB Patrick Trahan from the practice squad.
On December 19th, the Bears elevated RB Armando Allen, DE Thaddeus Gibson and WR Max Komar to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.
Extensions
On November 8th, the Bears resigned G/C Roberto Garza to a two-year contract extension.
On December 2nd, the Bears resigned WR Earl Bennett to a four-year contract extension.[9]
Injured Reserve
On November 9th, the Bears placed TE Kyle Adams on Injured Reserve.
On November 14th, the Bears placed G Chris Williams on Injured Reserve.
On November 16th, the Bears placed S Anthony Walters on Injured Reserve.
On November 18th, the Bears placed T Gabe Carimi on Injured Reserve.
On November 21st, the Bears placed LS Patrick Mannelly on Injured Reserve.
On December 19th, the Bears placed S Chris Conte and WR Johnny Knox on Injured Reserve.
Practice Squad Transactions
On October 11th, the Bears terminate the practice squad contracts of WR Kris Adams and RB Armando Allen and sign WR Max Komar and DE Jake Laptad to the practice squad.
On October 13th, the Bears signed S Winston Venable to the practice squad.
On October 27th, the Bears terminated the practice squad contract of DE Jake Laptad.
On November 1st, the Bears signed RB Armando Allen to the practice squad.
On November 8th, the Bears terminated the practice squad contract of S Winston Venable.
On November 8th, the Bears signed G Reggie Stephens to the practice squad.
On November 9th, the Bears agreed to terms with TE Draylon Ross to the practice squad.
On November 22nd, the Bears signed T Josh Davis and CB Joshua Moore to the practice squad.
On November 23rd, the Bears signed T Perry Dorrestein to the practice squad.
On November 23rd, the Bears terminated the practice squad contract of T Josh Davis.
On November 30th, the Bears signed LB Thaddeus Gibson to the practice squad.
On December 19th, the Bears signed RB Robert Hughes to the practice squad.
On December 20th, the Bears signed WR Johnathan Haggerty to the practice squad.
On December 21st, the Bears signed WR Kevin Jurovich to the practice squad.
Schedule[]
The Bears' regular season schedule was announced on April 19, 2011.[49] One day earlier (April 18), the NFL announced that the Bears will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the International Series at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on October 23.[50]
The Bears opened up the season against the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field. The Falcons were the top-seeded NFC team in 2010, and were picked by many to be a Super Bowl contender. The Bears dominated the game against the Falcons, forcing 2 turnovers, and battering quarterback Matt Ryan for five sacks. Brian Urlacher recorded an interception and returned a fumble for a touchdown resulting in Urlacher being named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Defensive end Julius Peppers recorded two sacks and forced a fumble. Jay Cutler in his first game since the criticism of the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers, had a solid performance throwing for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cutler did have a pass tipped in the fourth quarter that was returned for an interception by Kroy Biermann. Falcons running back Michael Turner finished with 100 yards on 10 carries, but 53 came on one dash and the low carry total is what mattered. Ryan was forced to throw 47 times as the Bears made the Falcons one-dimensional by getting out to a 16-3 halftime lead.[52][53]
The victory places the Bears at 1–0
Week 2: at New Orleans Saints[]
Week Two: Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Coming off their home win over the Panthers, the Bears flew to Ford Field for a Week 5 Monday Night duel with their NFC North foe, the Detroit Lions. After a scoreless first quarter, Chicago trailed in the second quarter with Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford completing a 73-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The Bears would answer with a 44-yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould, followed by quarterback Jay Cutler fiding tight end Kellen Davis on a 9-yard touchdown pass.
Detroit responded in the third quarter with Stafford completing an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Pettigrew, followed by running back Jahvid Best getting an 88-yard touchdown run. Chicago tried to rally in the fourth quarter with a 49-yard field goal from Gould, but the Lions pulled away with kicker Jason Hanson nailing a 31-yard field goal.
With the loss, the Bears fell to 2-3.
Week 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings[]
Week Six: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – Game summary
1
2
3
4
Total
Vikings
0
3
7
0
10
Bears
16
10
10
3
39
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Date: October 16, 2011
Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT/7:20 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 56 °F, Clear, winds gusting to 20mph
CHI - Matt Spaeth 5 yd. TD reception from Jay Cutler, R. Gould XP Good (CHI 7-0)
Second quarter
CHI - Robbie Gould 51 yd. Field Goal, (CHI 10-0)
PHI - Alex Henery 47 yd. Field Goal, (CHI 10-3)
PHI - Matt Forté fumble, Brian Rolle 22 yd. TD recovered fumble return, A. Henery XP good, (Tied 10-10)
CHI - Marion Barber 2 yd. TD run, R. Gould XP Good, (CHI 17-10)
Third quarter
PHI - Ronnie Brown 4 yd. TD run, A. Henery XP Good, (Tied 17-17)
PHI - LeSean McCoy 33 yd. TD run, A. Henery XP Good, (PHI 24-17)
CHI - Robbie Gould 38 yd. Field Goal, (PHI 24-20)
Fourth quarter
CHI - Earl Bennett 5 yd. TD reception from Jay Cutler, R. Gould XP Good (CHI 27-24)
CHI - Robbie Gould 22 yd. Field Goal, (CHI 30-24)
Leading Passers
CHI -
PHI -
Leading Rushers
CHI -
PHI -
Leading Receivers
CHI -
PHI -
Leading Tacklers
CHI -
PHI -
Coming off their bye week, the Bears flew to Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 9 Monday night duel with the Philadelphia Eagles. Chicago delivered the game's opening punch in the first quarter as quarterback Jay Cutler found tight end Matt Spaeth on a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Bears added onto their lead in the second quarter with a 51-yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould. The Eagles would answer with kicker Alex Henery getting a 47-yard field goal, followed by linebacker Brian Rolle returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown, yet Chicago closed out the half with a 2-yard touchdown run from running back Marion Barber.
Philadelphia took the lead in the third quarter with running back Ronnie Brown getting a 4-yard touchdown run, followed by running back LeSean McCoy getting a 33-yard touchdown run. The Bears replied with a 38-yard field goal from Gould. Afterwards, Chicago regained the lead in the fourth quarter with Cutler connecting with wide receiver Earl Bennett on a 5-yard touchdown pass, followed by Gould's 22-yard field goal. The Eagles tried to rally, yet the Bears' defense held on to preserve the victory.
With the win, Chicago improved to 5-3.
Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions[]
Week Ten: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears – Game summary
In Caleb Hanie's first NFL start, he threw 3 interceptions and 2 touchdown passes in a 25-20 loss, ending the Bears five game winning streak.Template:Category handler/numbered[citation needed]
Week 13: vs. Kansas City Chiefs[]
Week Thirteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears – Game summary
1
2
3
4
Total
Chiefs
0
7
3
0
10
Bears
0
3
0
0
3
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Date: December 4, 2011
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 46 °F, Cloudy, wind gusts to 26 mph, temps to
mid 40's
More heat came to the Bears when running back Matt Forte was injured after taking a hit on his knee. The Bears ended up losing to the Chiefs 10-3, adding an extra game to there losing streak.
Week 14: at Denver Broncos[]
Week Fourteen: Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos – Game summary
TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Tim Ryan and Jaime Maggio
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Leading Passers
SEA -
CHI -
Leading Rushers
SEA -
CHI -
Leading Receivers
SEA -
CHI -
Leading Tacklers
SEA -
CHI -
The Bears received a scare in the Seahawks game when wide receiver Johnny Knox bent his back awkwardly after taking a hit on Seahawk's defensive end Anthony Hargrove while trying to recover his own fumble. Knox remained down for nearly ten minutes leaving Bears fans in shock. The major hit ended the receiver's season, and he was placed on injured reserve.
Week 16: at Green Bay Packers (Christmas Day)[]
Week Sixteen: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
After backup quarterback Caleb Hanie showing poor performance in his starting of 4 games that were all losses, the Bears decided to start third string quarterback Josh McCown who was recently signed after being waived by the 49ers.
Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings[]
Week Seventeen: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Leading Passers
CHI -
MIN -
Leading Rushers
CHI -
MIN -
Leading Receivers
CHI -
MIN -
Leading Tacklers
CHI -
MIN -
The Bears finally cracked their five game losing streak on New Year's beating out the Vikings 17-13. The Bears also suffered through another devastating injury when line backer Brian Urlacher sprained his left MCL after colliding into safety Major Wright.
MLB Brian Urlacher was named NFC Defensive player of the week for games played during Week 1.[57]
RB Matt Forte was named FedEx Ground Player of the Week(Running Backs)for games played during Week 4.[58]
WR Devin Hester was named NFC Special Teams player of the week for games played during Week 4.[59]
WR Devin Hester was named NFC Special Teams player of the week for games played during Week 6.[60]
OLB Lance Briggs was named NFC Defensive player of the week for games played during Week 7.[61]
WR Devin Hester was named NFC Special Teams player of the week for games played during Week 10.[62]
Monthly awards[]
WR Devin Hester was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for games played during the month of October.[63]
DE Julius Peppers was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for games played during the month of November.[64]
Annual awards[]
Records[]
Individual[]
Career[]
WR Devin Hester set the Bears and NFL record for Most career punt returns for touchdowns with 11 on his 69 yard punt return touchdown during Week 4 against Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field.
^[a]Preseason games air and are produced by the team as the "Chicago Bears Network". WFLD-TV in Chicago is the flagship station but games are broadcast to other local affilities in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. These include: KFXA - Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Ch. 28); KLJB - Quad Cities, Iowa-Illinois (Ch. 18); WCCU - Champaign, Illinois (Ch. 27); WMBD - Peoria, Illinois (Ch. 31); WIFR - Rockford, Illinois (Ch. 23); WRSP - Springfield, Illinois (Ch. 55); WSBT - South Bend, Indiana (Ch. 22)[65]
^[b]The Bears game will be shown locally on WLS-TV.[66]
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