Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Lake Zurich’s Chicago Bear impresses Coach Mark Trestman.
LZHS graduate Mark Blanchard was back at Chicago Bears mini-camp this past weekend. Blanchard joined the Bears last year as an undrafted free agent after participating in mini-camp. This year, Blanchard wore a helmet with a camera attached. The purpose of the experiment was to study what a quarterback sees as the play develops, according to the Chicago Tribune. Sports reporters are saying that Blanchard impressed new Bears head coach Mark Trestman. Blanchard came back in far better shape and displayed what coaches thought was comfort in the pocket, a better ability to throw the ball and high intelligence, according to Rant Sports. Blanchard is hoping to make the active roster after spending last season on the practice squad. ESPN …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
LZHS grad signed to reserve/future contracts on Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears signed quarterback Matt Blanchard, 2007 Lake Zurich High School graduate to reserve/future contracts on Monday, according to ESPN.com. Blanchard was signed to the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in May. The quarterback performed well in pre-season games, but was cut prior to the final pre-season game. Blanchard was signed to the Bears practice squad in September. Early in December, he was released. Now he gets another chance at playing for the Bears with a new coach. Blanchard was on the 2006-2007 Lake Zurich Bears team that made it to the Class 7A state championship. The Bears won the title the following year. Blanchard led UW-Whitewater to three national championships. Check out: Lake Zurich's Own Bear…
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Lake Zurich’s own in the news this week after being cut and then signed to Chicago Bears.
Catch up on the latest news about LZHS graduate Matt Blanchard. Blanchard was signed to the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in May. The quarterback performed well in pre-season games, but was cut prior to the final pre-season game. Of course, Jay Cutler and Jason Campbell made the Bears roster as quarterbacks. The Bears terminated the contract of Josh McCown as third quarterback on Friday. On Saturday, they signed Blanchard to the eight-man practice squad. Here are some highlights in the news: Carrying only two QB’s gave the Bears flexibility at any other position that can use an extra man for depth. If something unfortunate happens to either Cutler or Campbell, the Bears could elevate Matt Blanchard from the practice …
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
LZHS alum and sports writer for Redeye says "we’re all Matt Blanchard."
In case you missed the sports opinions and articles about Lake Zurich High School grad and Bears free agent Matt Blanchard, here are some highlights. Redeye sportswriter Matt Lindner, who also graduated from LZHS, says we’re all Matt Blanchard, minus the Bears Uniform. “Yeah, it was "just" the preseason, but Blanchard can forever tell his kids about the time he led the Bears to victory,” Lindner writes. "It was great to be out there tonight. A dream come true really,” Blanchard told MSN’s Bear Report. “His stats yesterday weren't great, he overthrew a few guys pretty severely and missed a few others badly, but he kept the game winning drive alive by making a pair of really nice throws to Evan Rodriguez.” – Windy City Gridiron “…
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Lake Zurich High School graduate aims to be Bears backup QB; former UW coach says Blanchard's best football still ahead.
Lake Zurich’s Matt Blanchard performed well in the pre-season Bears opener, last week, against the Denver Broncos, completing 6 of 7 passes, which included a 28-yard pass to rookie Chris Summers. The 2007 LZHS graduate is fighting to be a backup quarterback on the Chicago Bears. Blanchard is battling Josh McCown to be the Bears No. 3 QB. Although Blanchard is considered a longshot by some, he has garnered some favorable reviews in his debut. The Chicago Tribune says: “He showed poise and delivered some nice passes, especially when you consider the reps he’s receiving in training camp have been very limited. Bears quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates told the Tribune: “He handled himself well. I think the big question mark always with a …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Quarterback gets contract after participating in Chicago Bears rookie minicamp.
Lake Zurich High School graduate Matt Blanchard was among seven players signed by the Chicago Bears, over the weekend, according to the Chicago Tribune. Blanchard participated in a rookie minicamp over the weekend. The Bears liked what they saw and signed him to a three-year contract. The 23-year-old was a quarterback at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he won 25 games in two seasons, passing for 44 touchdowns to just six interceptions, according to ESPN Chicago.com. Blanchard was the starting quarterback at Lake Zurich High and had listed his dream job as “head coach of the Chicago Bears” while in college, according to Chicago Now. Blanchard won all 25 of his starts at LZHS, throwing for 44 touchdowns and only six …
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Former Lake Zurich Bear good for three touchdowns.
As Lake Zurich Bears fans recall, Matt Blanchard was the senior quarterback on the team when they won their first Class 7A state championship in 2007. Now, he's still throwing the ball and achieving success at the college level. After graduating, he enrolled at Northern Michigan before transferring to Division III University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he spent two years as a back-up quarterback to Jeff Donovan, the WIAC player of the year last year with 27 touchdowns and a 72 percent completion rate. With Donovan having graduated last year, Blanchard wasn't necessarily a shoo-in to succeed him as the starter; after missing a significant amount of the conference portion of the season last year, he still had to win the job this year. Any…
Heather
1:49 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Yea Matt!! It was great to see Matt at training camp last year, cannot wait to see him play this year! We r rooting for you! more ›