for some reason I find my self pulling for the Lions over the Saints :-)
for some reason I find my self pulling for the Lions over the Saints :-)
Watch him bring Angelo back as a "consultant".
Not only has there been no apparent movement on interviewing GM candidates...
We also have not taken any steps (reported, anyway) towards replacing our QB coach OR in finding a new OL coach to take Tice's former duties.
W*T*F are they doing up there in Halas Hall anyway? Did they give everybody the month off or something?
Sh!t...
http://discussions.chicagotribune.com/20/chinews/ct-spt-0113-bears-chicago--20120113/10
Looks like Bates won't be even be interviewed.
Looks like Cutler is in for another year of frustration and regression. Enjoy him while you can, Bears fans, cause the day his contract is up he's jumping this ship of fools and will sign for huge coin with a real team.
Cutler could have been playing this weekend for a team that had half a clue what they were doing... and be taking a tenth of the punishment to his body in the process.
Yup. It's the kind of petty, tit-for-tat BS that has marked Lovie's regime all along and that the McCaskeys enable. It keeps the Bears decades behind the elite teams and makes their organization a running joke in the league.
I think Licht is the right choice absolutely. The guy was with winning clubs. With the Cards when they were good, and with the Pats the same. This guys the ticket....we need him badly....
No doubt... if Tice gets the Raiders gig our OL is back to square one which basically means our O is dead in the water.
I would be seriously surprised if Tice were hired for the HC job at the Raiders..
Geez, how does Dan Pompeii talk with Tim Ruskell's balls in his mouth?
: /
The supposition is that if Emery is hired, he'll keep Ruskell on in some capacity.
The further speculation is that this is the plan at Halas Hall. They know promoting Ruskell to GM would be immensely unpopular with the fan base, so as their fallback they'll hire the guy that won't fire Ruskell (which would force the McCaskeys to eat the 2 years left on Ruskell's contract).
...which translated means its not a talent problem as much as its a management/coaching problem
Correct, but the Bears have management/coaching issues of their own so there's only so much positive you can take away from that in our instance.
I have a feeling that what Tice said in his interview a few days ago is exactly how it's going to go down.
I.e., Webb will stay at LT and they will work his ass off in training camp hoping to accelerate his development, and in the meantime help him out with schemes and extra blockers. The return of a healthy Chris Williams at LG could help Webb's cause since some of his most visible failures were due to a clear lack of communication / coordination with Edwin Williams after Chris went down.
Mike Adams from Ohio State is the only legitimate LT prospect I see falling to us, and while he certainly looks the part, one the biggest knocks on him has been inconsistency... same as J'Marcus. So if you're just swapping out one huge, inconsistent body with another, then I think experience wins out and that means Webb stays put. Which means I suspect Adams won't be our pick even if he's there.
Webb's arms are fine. It's his feet that are in question.
And his head. LT isn't a place for idiots or guys that can't focus.
Carimi was a LT in college that was drafted to be a RT. Most scouts feel like he can't play LT in the pros.
What....Philton?
I haven't seen anything in print about Ruskell being fired.
Does anyone have a link?
I doubt we get that #1 WR in the draft either at #19. My guess is if you want a #1 you will have to sign one in FA such as Jackson or Colston
Michael Floyd would be worth it at 19, and would be our best WR by far from Day 1. He's as close to a Terrell Owens as you're going to get in this draft class. But he does have baggage, and I could easily see him coming off Emery's list because of that.
The question then becomes, if there's no OT or WR worth the pick at 19, where do you go? If Emery drafts a defensive player in the 1st round, the fan base will go apesh*t and it will bring up a very legitimate question of whether he's really in charge of the personnel or just Lovie's puppet. Interior OL would be an option at 19 but a lot of people don't consider that a real position of need with Chris Williams, Garza, Spencer and Lance Louis all having had experience and reasonable success there.
Maybe that kid from Alabama who got arrested for MJ will fall to us at #19
We can only hope. He's 6'3, 195, with top notch experience in the top conference in the country. Not only are his measureables outstanding but his skill set is perfectly suited for the scheme we run.
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/college_player_scouting_report.html&player=40798
There are very few defensive players I would be on board with using our 1st on, but he is one of them. To get the 2nd ranked CB at #19 is a no-brainer even if CB isn't one of our top 2 or 3 needs. Again though, with Emery, the character thing may pop up.
Wow, great start:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-bears-part-ways-with-ruskell-20120130,0,1746443.story
Mario Willaims or Cliff Avril?
Packedrat will blame the liberals as his reason for posting that late.
Packedrat will blame US liberals as his reason for posting that late.
I worry more about Knox's head than his back. I doubt that he would be cleared to play if there was a danger of further injury but I don't know how you get your head right after a hit an injury like that. Talk about hearing footsteps.
Can anyone tell me how to stop the video and sound from starting up whenever you look at a tribune web page? Is there a setting I can change?
If we can get a WR that can hold on to the ball, and shore up the OL we could really be on to something. A couple of upgrades on D, and next season could be kind of special. Fingers crossed.
Wow... another one I didn't see coming.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-bears-hire-bates-to-be-qb-coach-20120207,0,6705053.story
Great news for Cutler. Gotta wonder if Emery pulled rank cause according to multiple reports Lovie wasn't keen on this guy.
There isn't much not to like about Bates, IMO. He helped Seattle get to the playoffs (and beat the Saints) with a Seahawks team that had even less talent on offense than the Bears... so with some offseason upgrades at OL and WR here I think he'll do just fine.
It's rather embarrassing that it looks like we're getting him by default when he should have been our first pick all along... but as long as we don't botch the OL coach hiring and Emery doesn't step on his dick in the draft, I have to rate this offseason as being pretty successful.
Shouldn't they just make Bates the passing game coordinator they've been looking for?
What's the deal?
Can anyone tell me how to stop the video and sound from starting up whenever you look at a tribune web page? Is there a setting I can change?
People are finally starting to talk about Johnny Knox' prospects for this season and what I'm hearing ain't good.
I'm thinking more and more that we're gonna be in the market for 2 WRs this offseason, not just one. Which pretty much means we'll have to address that position in both the FA market and a premium round of the draft if we're gonna get two guys that can come in and contribute from Day One. OL and the defense are gonna have to take a backseat if and when it's determined that Knox can't go this season. Sucks to say but that's the way it's looking.
Nice depth, Angelo.
the 46 is giving the Bears bandwagon a complete going over. Little used since 1985, 46 has added tubochargers, and given it a lube job. Hopefully it will see use this year.
Right! Martz did not allow audibles. Tice will.
Check at the line of scrimmage means he is able to switch from a run to a pass or vice versa which imo is an audible. Also how do you run a no huddle offense with no audibles? It is not possible unless you have a scripted series.
Tice says he wants to be able to run a no huddle offense to change things up. This is definately a change from what they have been doing.
Cutler will not be calling the plays but he obviously is going to be able to change plays at the line of scrimmage if he does not like what he sees. To me that is the definition of an audible.
Do you disagree?
Phill gets one right.
Oops...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-bears-jt-thomas-arrested-on-misdemeanor-drug-charge-20120213,0,3684995.story
Probably not the best career move when you're a 2nd year late-round draft pick hanging on by a thread with a new personnel boss settling in.
Sign Vincent Jackson and draft Michael Floyd.
There's your Moss and Owens, minus the mileage and much of the baggage.
How anyone could even think Moss and T.O. could co-exist on the same team is beyond me.
God bless Johnny Knox, I love him as a player and he was a good soldier not opening his mouth when Roy was wrongly annointed the starter. He was our version of Desean without the diva. But, his slip caused Cutler's thumb and his fumble caused his broken back. Errors that he committed had utterly dire consequences in hindsight.
$2.8 mill for Frank OMG. Buh bye.
OMG will be a good acid test for Emery.
He is clearly the worst O-Lineman on the team and arguably one of the worst 5 players on our roster, period.
OTOH he was also drafted by the Falcons... when Emery was in their front office.
Does Emery have the stones to do what Angelo was unable to do way too often... admit error, cut losses and move on?
Biggest thing is we cannot have one without the other,i.e. we need BOTH a improved Oline AND bigger, better wideouts. One without the other is still a disaster waiting to happen. So....what do we do with the first pick???
- Vincent Jackson in FA
Draft Rd 1 - Best available OL (T, G or C)
Draft Rd 2 - Best available DE, CB or S
Draft Rd 3a - Best available WR
Draft Rd 3b - Best available LB (maybe we get lucky and find Urlacher or Briggs' eventual replacement here)
Draft Rds 4-7 - Best available player each round
If all of the above transpires between now and the end of April I'd have a lot of reasons to be excited about the coming season.
I would really hate to see Forte playing under the tag this season. Seems like there's a lot of good mojo circulating at Halas Hall right now and a happy Forte who was locked up long-term would certainly keep things going the right direction.
Effectively putting his long-term deal on hold for another year via the tag wouldn't send a good message right now. If Emery really wants to establish that it's his show now, he should be leaning on both sides to get something done.
Speaking of tag... DeSean Jackson got his from the Eagles.
From what I've been hearing, Bowe is a virtual certainty to be tagged by the Chiefs.
Which pretty much reduces the premier #1 candidates down to Vincent Jackson, and possibly Colston. In other words, get out your checkbook Emery.
If we don't make a legitimate all-in play for a guy like Vincent Jackson and just settle on bringing a couple of 2nd-tier guys in here, I will not be happy at all. The clock is ticking on Cutler's career and we need a guy he can count on now, not someone who maybe will be a borderline #1 after a couple more years of "development" (as if Daryl Drake could develop anyone out of a paper bag to begin with).
Let other teams overpay for projects like Robert Meachem and Laurent Robinson... we need a heavy hitter with a proven record of performance in the bigs.
Yeah there will be some decent WRs in Round 2 (maybe even Round 3), but will they be able to start from Day One? I see only Floyd fitting that bill. Which means if we don't get Floyd and we don't get V-Jax or Colston, we have basically failed in Priority One of this offseason which is to get Cutler a big weapon that can improve the offense right out of the gate.
And FWIW I'm officially off the Alshon Jeffery bandwagon. Nice size and experience against top competition, but the kid did not play up to his ability this last season and he's been as flaky as a Danish leading up to the draft. I'm interested to see which team winds up taking a flyer on him... quite sure it will not be the Bears.
Saints can't tag that monster LG now can they? Hmmmmmmmmm... BTW the headhunter fund is turning into an absolute quagmire. Seems some agents (!) outside the org. donated. Now you've got legal problems of being paid outside the collective bargining agreement. And, of course, its being asked if that income was reported and filed on the players 1040's for those years. Income tax evasion. What got Capone. Yum. Get your popcorn ready! The shows about to start in the BIG EASY!
Personally I think the Bears should go balls-out in FA to get the best available LT... and if we can do that, then offer Miami our 1st round pick and next year's 3rd for Brandon Marshall. Marshall is motivated to re-unite with Cutler and nobody we could find at 19 is going to bring what he does to the table.
What do you think about giving up our 1st round pick to the Steelers to get WR Wallace? He is a restricted FA, and the Steelers are cap stretched. We make an offer they cant match, give up our 1st and get a 25 yo stud.
If we get Martin at 19, I want something other than an OT at the 2nd pick.
A 2nd rounder from a competent GM should either start or be in the rotation real quick.
Carimi and Webb can compete at RT with the loser being swing.
The Bear might want to take a look. Objectively, this defense's linebackers good for one,two years max? I mean, the team (once again!) is left with a long shopping list of wants. Wonder where the jer is now? Probably in a vault cackling and counting his millions he bilked out of the less than competent Bear organization. Is anyone in the nfl beating down his door to come to work for them as a gm? I have my doubts. This new guy had better be a magician, and a damn good one at that.
I could see this guy being a temptation for Emery at 19... especially if Floyd and Martin are off the board.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/06/whitney-mercilus-looks-good-at-illinois-pro-day/
Bears fans will be calling for Emery's head on a stick if we go defense in the 1st round, but if Emery feels a defensive guy is BPA I'm sure that won't stop him.
Agreed on Hill. He is a phenomenal talent with all the upside in the world and would be the most physically gifted WR the Bears have ever had by a wide margin. But given his current level of development I think it's delusional to think drafting him alone would solve our WR problems from Day One.
OTOH if he were paired with a solid FA WR acquisition so that we could deploy him in selective situations and he didn't have to be "the guy" right away, it would be a much better situation. But that goes against my philosophy of having your 1st round pick start from Day One so I'm kind of torn on him.
Thinking about it, if we could get Jackson in FA and use one third to trade up to get Martin in the 1st and get Hill in the 2nd that would be a big win for our offense. We might have to use our other 3rd to move up from our 2nd to get Hill.
This may be the best scenario I've heard yet. VJax on one side at 6'5 and Hill on the other at 6'4... both with speed... Bennett working the slot and Forte as the safety valve with Martin shoring up the blindside. Now that's a lineup you can put on the field and have a fighting chance of keeping up with the Packers and Lions.
The problem is I don't think Hill is gonna fall into the 2nd. He's the kind of guy a team like the Pats would take in the bottom of the 1st just to keep him away from anybody else. The Niners WRs didn't get it done down the stretch so that would be another very likely landing spot for him. And even if Hill does fall into the 2nd, the Vikings own the 3rd pick in the 2nd round so there's one potential trade-up partner you can scratch off the list right there. In fact I could very easily see the Vikings taking Hill themselves with their 2nd round pick and then we've really got problems.
Interesting that Tice was working out the Wisconsin O-Linemen. I know he has strong connections with that program.
Wouldn't surprise me at all to see the Bears grab another Badger O-Lineman at some point in the draft. Konz has some serious injury issues and would be a big reach at 19 so I don't see it being him... but if Zeitler, for example, falls to the 3rd round, who knows? A guy who can upgrade Edwin Williams as backup OG straightaway while learning the ropes at C for a couple of years could make a lot of sense.
As for Russel Wilson, he's career backup material at best and warrants no higher than a 5th round pick IMO. Pat Haden and Joe Theismann got it done at 5'11 but that was quite a few years ago already.
LB should be the last position we're looking at. That doesn't make any sense at all.
Assuming he does OK in training camp, maybe I limit him to return duties for the first few games and then start working him back in at WR midseason.
I thought Knox' injury happened on a reception. As I recall he caught the ball, got stripped, and was injured going for the recovery.
Coulda been a return though.
Packy yer on the wrong forum!
And yes 46 ... cheap !!
We got a good fuuckin deal by Emery!
Already I like this guy !
That's a fantastic trade!
two thirds and not both this year. I would have paid more.
He has to be the most talented receiver we've had.
Supposedly the Fins were tired of his behavior so we hope Cutler, Bates and Tice can keep him in line.
Campbell is another good work as a backup.
There are a lot of second tier FA's shopping the next few weeks who could improve us.
Dallas Clark for the right price suddenly creates problems for defenses paired with Marshall.
Don't know about FA OL, may have to draft those.
Oops. Sorry. Senior moment.
Keep in mind Marshall had ****ty QB's throwing to him. He knows how good Cutler is and Cutler has gotten into his face yelling at him many times. He wanted to come here and Cutler wants him here. I am good with that.
He had $hitty QB's? But he made the pro bowl. Guess Marshall threw to himself during the season.
Goddammit Duck ! Emery done did good !
We look in really good shape before the draft ... I mean ...
we lookin really good shape !
Marshall has not had a good QB throwing to him since Cutler. Chad Henne, Matt Moore were his QB's in Miami. In Denver Orton was the best he played with after Cutler left.
Yet he still has had 5 straight 1,000 yard seasons.
Well let's do some number crunching on the legal pad.
1) He was traded from Denver to Miami for two second round picks.
2) Now traded to bears for two third round picks, eh... Seems that value is falling.
3) In six season in NFL has never made the playoffs.
Yup, Chicago is the right spot for him.
This guy would be a great upgrade to Marion Barber if the price was right:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-freeagent-rb-michael-bush-visiting-chicago-bears-20120314,0,534807.story
He's a 6'1, 245-lb load with surprising speed. Our red zone rushing would improve significantly with him in the mix.
That being said, it looks like Emery's M.O. is becoming clear: depth and special-teamers via FA, and starters via trades or the draft.
Sign Demetrius Bell, draft Hill in the 1st and a pass rusher in the 2nd, and I'd say Emery's to-do list is just about checked-off.
Marion Barber did have some brain farts last year. Just saying.
Mario's going to Buffalo, I'm pretty sure.
It was a nice pipe dream but with what we've spent already on backups and special teamers there's not enough left to even get in the game for Mario. Heck we couldn't even pony up for the DE that Jacksonville re-signed. If we were gonna go after Mario we would have gone all-in right out of the gate (like we did with Peppers), and that simply didn't happen.
I'm feelin' DE in Round 1 of the draft. I just hope we get the right one for a change.
I think Barber also had a costly fumble last year as well that pretty much cost us a game.
According to the Trib Cutler was on am 1000 backing Marshall and lobbying for Eddie Royal. Is he available and worth it? Has Roy packed his bags?
More good work by Emery. kellen Davis signed for 2 yrs.
Kinda wierd how things have completely died down at Halas Hall.
I wonder if Emery's got one more trade up his sleeve before the draft?
Yup. So far we dumped Omiyale and that's it.
Gonna take more than addition by subtraction, though. The fact that we don't even seem to be taking a sniff at Demetirus Bell is a little puzzling.
I wonder how much FA money we have left in the pot.
Also, does anyone know if we have extended Izzy? I haven't seen any reports that he's visiting teams, but I haven't seen anything that says we've done a deal with him yet, either.
I wonder how much FA money we have left in the pot.
Also, does anyone know if we have extended Izzy? I haven't seen any reports that he's visiting teams, but I haven't seen anything that says we've done a deal with him yet, either.
Dont we need a safety and a CB too?
Just heard a rumor the Bears are in trade talks for Dwight Freeney. No idea if its legit. Hester for Freeney straight up?
How old is Freeney anyways? Seems like he has been around for a while...
Based on our track record with drafted DEs I would consider a 2nd for Freeney to be a safer bet than our 1st for any DE that might be sitting there at 19 this year.
I'm a little surprised Emery didn't go after at least 1 starter in FA. But whatever... at least he has a plan which is more than we can say about his predecessor.
Bears need to sign Okoye.
I don't think Emery is going to give up any more draft picks for veterans. He still has to build for the future. And I'd bet he's not finished in free agency.
Bears still could go WR in round 1. Hill is the intriguing pick and could be developed with Marshall in the lineup. The other sexy pick is the DE from Illinois. The safe/boring pick is the OT Martin if available.
I could see the Bears go with any of those 3 positions in round 1.
Has Laurent Robinson signed with a team yet (I know, another Cowboy)?
Still need another WR, a CB since we only have 2, maybe a FS and a LB though we have a couple FAs from last year and the rookie from last year that was 'injured'. TE is set with Davis signing.
Oh yeah, the paper talk about Barber getting released. I'd keep him.
Whether or not a LT is sexy or boring what matters is that Cuttler is protected. We need to protect our franchise QB. Failure to do so shortens th e shelf life of your QB.
In that scenario you take best available. If that is Poe so be it.
I wouldn't mind bringing Aromashadu back. He was in Martz' doghouse from the get-go but the guy has size and some skills.
I'm just thinking of ways to bolster our WR corps with some size and talent cause we haven't picked up any FAs and we've got at most 1 draft pick to throw at the position... maybe not even that if we trade away our 3rd round pick to move up for a LT.
Titans signed Kam Wimbley... 5 yrs, $35 Mil, $13.5 Mil guaranteed.
Looks like Emery's FA shopping is about done. Forte's tag put a big dent in how much money we could offer other upper-tier guys, but letting him walk wasn't really an option either.
I've seen some griping about why we spent so much of our cap re-signing our own guys but it's clear to me that Emery is setting Lovie up to either succeed or fail with essentially the same cast of characters plus Marshall and whoever we land in the draft. If Lovie can't get it done this year, then in 2013 he'll be fired and a lot of those guys that Emery just extended on 1- and 2-year deals (Izzy, Steltz, Jennings, Kellen Davis, etc.) will be let go. And THAT's when you'll see Emery rebuild the roster according to his vision (and in coordination with the new HC).
There are a lot of Bears (players and coaches) whose jobs are literally on the line this year and so while I still expect talent to be lacking at certain positions, I'm quite sure motivation won't be.
Well, according to fox sports he's less than thrilled with the rb signing ("furious" I think was the operative word). Couple of notches away from whining IMO.
Forte should take the deal he was offered and shut the F**K up!
No sympathy for professional athletes worried about not getting enough millions.
There are fathers who have had to move the family in with the inlaws after losing their job, elderly who can't afford medication and food, single parents........
And the professional athlete not getting respect.
Marion Barber just retired. Yikes.
I want the Bears to re-sign Forte. I think he is a damn good running back and a good guy.
However I feel the Bears have given him a very fair offer. I am frustrated that he thinks he should be paid like a top three back.
He simply is not that guy and never will be. He has already peaked. He is a very good back that lands in the second tier of the NFL. Albiet at the very top of that second tier.
Maybe they told him they were going to cut him so he decided to retire rather then look for another team. Or maybe he had told the Bears he was planning on retiring and that is why they went out and signed Bush.
Forte is gone, unless the bears are forced to overpay for him.
Caleb hanie signs with the Broncos. How in the world does he find work after last season? Wow...
Man I hope the Packers don't wind up with this guy.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/26/packers-next-to-host-demetrius-bell/
They already got a pretty good C in Jeff Saturday. We already can't get to Rogers the way it is and if the Pack keeps improving their OL you can pretty much mark them down as 2 losses for the Bears in 2012.
Could very well be Lovie's last season if he really believes that....stay with Webb, find out you were wrong, retire or get fired....them's the choices...
The problem is, if Lovie gets the boot, the rest of his staff goes with him. In the case of Marinelli, Babich, Hoke, Drake... those are all guys who are average at best and it's probably getting to the time we'd be well served to replace them with guys who kick things up a notch or two with their respective units. But Tice (and arguably, Bates) are another story...
Yah, pay Chifan already!
I read the article. Lovie said they may try to an offensive lineman through either the draft or free agency.
But what is he suppose to tell the press, that he hates every last one of the guys up front blocking for the QB? I'm sure Emery and Lovie both know that they need help up front and I do expect him to address it this off season.
I don't think you guys understand what Forte is trying to do. He has a right to ask for whatever he feels whether you all think he's an elite RB or not. One good shot and his career is over! So I don't blame him or any NFL player for that matter trying to get as much as he can get. He's looking at his future as well as a possible career ending injury. RB's do have a short career in the game.
If the Bears don't want to pay him at his asking price then like I said earlier trade him to a team that will pay him.
I just don't understand why folks are down on him so bad.
I did say he was a very good rb. But clarification was needed on being 'elite' IMO......that's all I was saying. Yea, he needs to be a Bear and I think he will be.
Depends on your definition of elite. If elite means hall of fame. Then no Forte is not elite. But if you mean elite to be among the best in the NFL, pro bowl or near pro bowl quality, 1000 yards a year every year...then Forte is definitely in that category.
As for Forte's shortcoming (singular), it's must easier to replace a Forte on 3rd and short then to replace a Forte on 3rd and long.
Yes, definately hoping Forte gets a solid, reasonable contract. Think he's been offered that already. If they sweeten it a tad more maybe he'll jump. As for the definition of elite, yea I'd say that would most likely lead him to the HOF. I cannot see Forte as a candidate for that. Top 5 in the league currently....hmm...are there any REAL 'elite' backs out there now? I don't follow each team closely. Peterson has the tools but hasn't proven himself quite yet. Boy, it's hard to think of a outstanding runner out there right now....hmmm....
What's also interesting to me is that LBs are kinda becoming the defensive equivalent of RBs as far as value.
With the NFL such a pass-happy league, the philosophy by a lot of teams now seems to be to prioritize your pass rush (DL) and CBs, and fill the LB positions with JAGs. Kuechly from Boston College is the only LB that seems to be a lock to even be taken in the 1st round this year.
That makes the Bears D kind of unique in that LB is arguably our strongest corps on the D.
The typical 4-3 LB is not a strong pass rusher and most are not that special in pass coverage either. With the popularity of the 3-4 defenses Bears should be able to snag a quality 4-3 OLB in the mid to late rounds. That is, if they are looking for one.
FWIW Mike Mayock thinks Kalil is the only OT worth taking before 20 and the only Day One starter out of this years class at that position.
Uhhhh ... in the draft ... theres one. Period.
What there is also ... is ARIAN FOSTER.
Or guys like him.
Are RB's becoming like FB's?
The Bears unis are OK. I had expected worse.
Urlacher looks skinny in that pic though.
Preseason schedule out:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-bears-to-open-preseason-vs-manning-broncos-20120404,0,7092245.story
We play, in order,
Broncos (P. Manning)
Redskins (RGIII)
@ Giants (E. Manning)
@ Browns (??)
In other words, we'll know right off the bat if we've got a pass defense this year or not.
From all accouts RGIII has a good chance to be the face of the NFL in upcoming years. Just a really good person/teamate. Good for him.
RG3 is gonna cause the Bears d a lot of headaches whenever we play the Skins. But then, he's gonna cause a lot of defenses headaches. At least we have good enough LBs we can put a spy on him. Some of these other teams may not have that luxury.
Bears have always had Vicks number and tons of other mobile QB's who could throw.
Why will RG3 be any different?
But hopefully at least this season compared to last we'll see a few more players in Bears uni's that look like they belong on an NFL field.
Even with the improved depth, staying healthy is going to mean everything to our success this season.
The Packers don't look to be going away anytime soon, and I see the Bears losing both times to them this season again. They're just one of those teams that's got our number. BUT I think the Lions are ripe to fall back a bit so if we can improve the two areas that killed us last year -- pass offense and pass defense -- I think a 10-win season and a wildcard berth is definitely within reach. A lot of people think the Bears could (and should) have been in the playoffs instead of the Lions last year and hopefully this is the year that happens.
Until we can routinely put Aaron Rogers on the ground and/or knock down his passes, we'll keep losing to the Packers.
The Packers can be beaten... but that's the only way. And unless and until our D is at the level of a team like the Giants, Rogers will keep beating us. We're a ways away from a Giants caliber D yet. A good draft might help us with the talent but we're still handicapped by Lovie's scheme which Rogers has clearly figured out.
Sporty, here's my download on Emery's moves other than Marshall:
- Campbell vs. Hanie: GINORMOUS upgrade at the position (backup QB) that singlehandedly cost us the playoffs last year; to get a starting-caliber QB to come in on a 1-year deal knowing he is not in contention to start takes some doing, but somehow Emery managed to swing it
- Bush vs. Barber: substantial upgrade at #2 RB; Bush is 20 lbs heavier (245), younger, can catch and pass block; consensus best FA RB on the market and we reeled him in even though he knows he's in for a backup vs. starting role
- Weems, Castonza and Devin Thomas vs. Corey Graham: Beyond the fact we went 3-for-1 on STs, these 3 guys we picked up were arguably the best ST players on their respective teams last year; these three signings I believe will return much more impact than their lack of "name value" is leading people to believe.
- Kelvin Hayden vs. Zack Bowman: An apparent upgrade, but Hayden has missed a lot of games due to injury and in fact is in a walking boot now so it may take some time to see how this one plays out.
You get too hung up on player's weights.
Can you imagine being Emery in the Warroom on draft day?
Hopefully it's not just Lovie telling him which player to pick and Emery saying, "Yes sir".
Given Emery's reputation for preparedness and attention to detail, I think one thing we can look forward to this draft (and beyond) is everything being buttoned down administratively.
No draft day trades that turn out not to be trades (Ravens last year), no "checkbox" fiasco's, etc. That will be nice. Let the talking heads poke fun at some other team's front office for a change.
The checkbox and the Raven no-trade were minor errors that didn't hurt the team.
Well, it's not like he was wearing a turbin or anything
Bears play the colts then the Packers in Green bay four days later. The Packers got the Niners then us 4 days later. I kind of like that.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/18/chilo-rachal-signs-with-bears/
Based on the comments to this article, this guy is nothing to get excited about. Certainly doesn't sound like an upgrade over anyone we already have.
Hope he's not Phil Emery's version of Frank OMG.
At first glance it just looks like an opportunity to upgrade depth.
But with all these guards you really wonder if Chris Williams will be moving to compete for a tackle job.
A trade down may be in order if Tanneyhill slides...
Funny thing about CedBen, he had over 1000 yards the last three years. Too bad he didnt have his head out of his rear when he was with us.
He still doesnt have his head out of his rear. Bungles dont want him back.
FWIW: KFFL reports the Bear signed Bell for one year.
CSN said he signed his tender since he didnt get any RFA bites
Good grief:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/25/eagles-got-a-seventh-round-pick-for-asante-samuel/
Asante Samuel for a 7th round draft pick? Emery missed the boat on that opportunity. Wow.
I knew it didn't count all of them.
Only 53 can suit up on Sunday (except for special QB rule).
Re the WRs.... maybe the legacy of past Bears WRs is so tattered that they want to give our new batch a clean slate.
Plus with 5 or 6 TEs on the roster thats half the 80s right there.
I'd love to see Knox come back but I'd bet against. Even if he does I'm betting he comes back as more of a 4.5 guy than the 4.3 he was, and at his size I don't know how effective he can be without elite speed.
They better be able to scheme to protect Cutler. That offensive line is pretty offensive. Hopefully with the mini camps maybe we can get better production out of the guys we have. We didnt have that last year
Cutler has done a pretty good job of getting the ball to many different receivers. I expect he will get it to the guy that least covered :-)
I think the guy in the video is Marshall. Not sure rookies are even invited to this camp.
Marshall and Jeffrey are gonna wear DBs out. Can't wait!
Marshall and Jeffrey are gonna wear DBs out. Can't wait!
Nice thoughts by Brandon Marshall re Hester, but I don't think that's what Emery had in mind when he traded for him.
Marshall's presence will certainly open up some opportunities for Hester in the receving game... but if Hester winds up outplaying Marshall as a WR then something went very wrong.
Rodriguez signed.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/08/bears-sign-fourth-round-pick/
Half of our draft class is now under contract with two days left till the rookie mini-camp. And the signed players include both of our offensive picks, which is key as their learning curve will be steeper and they need to establish a comfort level with Cutler ASAP.
McLellin, Hardin and Frey left to go and I expect the McLellin deal to happen any time now since Ingram (who went one spot ahead of him) signed this afternoon.
Good work Emery and Stein, keep it up.
The way Marshall's presence betters the team is not by helping Hester gets more plays or openings, but by keeping his butt on the bench! We now have true NFL quality wideouts. I don't want Hester on the field any more than he has to be!
He can get deep, and fast, but can he catch and hang on to the ball. That is the question.
and of course the Alamo (check out the basement).lol
lol
http://youtu.be/cYfjq3ZYZbA (http://youtu.be/cYfjq3ZYZbA) and then... http://youtu.be/dwzbEMPba24 (http://youtu.be/dwzbEMPba24)
Thanks for the info, Dallas!
In New Braunfels you can ride the the river on tubes, everyone does it. Also, Gruene is right around the corner. Anyone and everyone that's done music through Texas has played Gruene hall. Do the river walk, it's ok, but if you go To San Antonio, everyone does the river walk..
Last summer was uncommonly hot, but I would recommend not visiting from mid-July through mid-September, plus or minus a couple weeks.
In Illinois I would get depressed during the summer when the weekend would finally come and the clouds and rain would roll in. Summers in Texas - its now just the opposite.
True... weed is not addictive so the argument could be made that the player who lights one up every now and then may actually be a safer risk than a player who uses alcohol or painkillers but is addicted to them.
The problem of course being that the league views weed very differently than they view alcohol and those views are reflected in their suspension policies.
I'm also getting the bad feeling that Carimi's recovery is not happening as quickly as we have been led to believe. The Bears are notorious for sugarcoating or downright lying about player injuries and recovery timelines, and it wouldn't surprise me if Carimi doesn't participate in any OTAs before training camp, and even then is limited in his participation. Which could significantly impact how quickly the new offense can be installed from a blocking schemes perspective.
So... a guy who gets hurt easily, and is a slow healer... not a good combination. Especially when that guy is supposed to be a bookend on your new and improved OL. Not saying Carimi's that guy or that he's a bust because of it, but indications so far would point in that direction.
I keep thinking about DeCastro, and if we would have taken him if he would have made whoever played LT better.
There' some truth to that statement, but for the most part on a DEs outside rush you rarely see a double team with the tackle and guard. A tackle, if he gets help, will get it from a TE or RB.
Not saying DeCastro wouldn't have helped, but the LT has to be able to block one on one for the majority of the time without any help...from anybody.
Kind of like he did at Stanford.
If you're talking about Jonathon Martin - he played on the left side. DeCastro was the RG for Stanford.
So much for Mike Adams not being a viable NFL LT prospect, I guess:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/16/willie-colon-moving-to-left-guard/
This article says Adams has been working at LT in the Steelers minicamps. And when it comes to OL, the Steelers don't get it wrong very often.
Oh well... I'm pretty sure the pot thing had Adams off Emery's board anyway.
I know they haven't played a down but I'll take Jeffrey + our current OL over Adams and our WR last year.
Me too, but I just thought it was interesting all these people were questioning whether Mike Adams could play LT in the NFL and here he's doing it as a rookie, no less.
Tribune story on Wootton:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-bears-wootton-healthy-ready-to-go-20120525,0,2355590.story
Essentially, Wootton's inability to establish himself to date forced us to draft a DE in the 1st round this year. But IF -- and it's a huge IF -- Wootton can stay healthy and revert to the form he showed at Northwestern -- and IF McClellin turns out to be worthy of a Top 20 draft pick -- we could have a 4 DE rotation of Peppers, Izzy, Wootton and McClellin that could rival the Giants in terms of quality. At which point I would expect our pass defense to show noticeable (and needed) improvement, our shaky D-Backfield notwithstanding.
Wootton's made it through the first OTA without getting hurt so that's a start. :-\
I dunno... maybe the new McCaskey (George?) in charge is loosening up the purse strings a bit.
One thing I've really noticed since Emery was hired is we're not hearing nearly as much from (or about) Ted Phillips. I wonder if he's on double-secret probation or something?
Kellen Davis would have had a monster year with the Cowboys.
If we make the playoffs this year and Cutler gets hurt I would much rather have Collins than Blanchard. Collins with very little practice did pretty well in a tough system last year.
LeFevour, and now Enderle. That's two draft picks in the last 3 years we've blown on QBs who gave us absolutely nothing.
I don't care if they were lower round picks... if you flush away enough of them, at some point it catches up to you.
Bears add another CB... and a BIG (6'7 324) OT:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-bears-add-two-players-bringing-roster-to-89-20120615,0,6782803.story
Although actually, it's a net zero on the OL cause we cut one yesterday (Wrotto).
I think that is to our advantage, we can already run the ball and we have been able to pass the ball in spells. Our new giants at WR should open up the running game even more.
.....Or the Bears go into one of their pattented prevent defenses when they get a lead. I've seen enough of those to make my stomach turn inside out.
Training camp starts when ? God I'm tired of no football, no water, (tn is now offically in my mind a desert) and no cool air. I like heat compared to the winters up north but this is goddamn ridiculous.
As well they should be
Is that wishful thinking? ;D
Forte and Bears agree on contract. ;D
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82a952d4/article/matt-forte-and-chicago-bears-agree-to-longterm-deal?campaign=Twitter_news
I guess I was saying Webb blowing Williams away in that he is showing that he is capable of handling the LT duties not that CW just sucks so bad that Webb is the lesser of the two evils.
OK, now I get it.
Since Tice isn't saying everyone looks good, then when he does say someone is looking good there's a better chance he's actually telling the truth as opposed to the standard preseason happy-talk propaganda.
Now I'm tracking.
No question, if the Bears miss the playoffs this year then by rights, Lovie should be gone.
But I also know how things work in Halas Hall and Lovie has "protected" status with the McCaskeys so I would say the only way he is sent packing after this year is if the team underperforms on a catastrophic scale (i.e., 6-10 or worse).
If we miss the playoffs but are close (9-7ish), then I suspect some of Lovie's senior staff (Tice, Marinelli) will take the fall but he would stay on. Not saying it's right, but I think that's how it would play out.
Interesting article... proposes a "worst case" 8-8 season for the Bears with game by game breakouts, and speculates that such a scenario would lead to Lovie being fired. Has us losing both games to the Pack, plus a 4-game losing streak in the middle of the season.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1259619-chicago-bears-why-they-might-finish-the-2012-season-at-8-8
Looks good on paper.....but it's all Missouri to me......the 'show me' State.....
That's the one thing in our favor heading into that 1st Packers game (well, besides the fact we play Indy the game before and they play San Fran)... namely, we've probably made a lot more changes to our offensive scheme than the Pack have made to their defensive scheme and we've definitely closed the gap talent wise. Maybe if we don't show too much of our good new offensive stuff in the preseason or Game 1 we can take their D by surprise and win a shootout even if our D gives up 4 TDs to Rodgers & Co. (which is very possible).
I have a lot more faith in our offense than I do in our D where the Packers are concerned.
Early observations on Bears Training Camp via BleacherReport:
- 4 of the 5 starting OL positions appear to be locked down: LG Spencer, C Garza, RG Louis, RT Carimi. Carimi is down about 10 lbs from where he played last year and wearing a knee brace but seems to be moving well.
- Brandon Marshall and Charles Tillman are already going at it (in a good way), getting physical with each other. This should only help both of them come game time.
- Alshon Jeffery is looking big and fit and catching most everything that comes his way.
- Shea McClellin saw most of his reps with the second team defense and also spent time on the punt block unit.
Chris Summers -- 6'5 213 UDFA out of Liberty -- is definitely still on the roster and according to reports, very much in the mix to make the team.
In which case he would probably have to prove his worth on special teams and beat out Devin Thomas and/or Dane Sanzenbacher.
Otah is a RT which is a position the Bears appear set with with Carimi. Did the Bears want a 3 way battle for LT or did they consider moving Otah to guard where he'd compete against Spencer and Edwin Williams?
In the long run ... McClellin at MLB?
They do still have that 2nd year player they drafted out of West Virginia on the roster dont they? He seems to fit the bill as MLB caliber. I'd expect Briggs to be making the defensive calls. It'll be interesting to see how the Bears deal without Urlacher tomorrow
You can listen on Sirius XM
It's preseason - I'd rather watch the replay than the live broadcast...
8:30 PM ET Denver Broncos Chicago Bears SXM Internet 809 SXM 229 (Internet 805)
Brian Urlacher: 'I'll be ready' for Bears' opener (http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2012/08/brian_urlacher_ill_be_ready_fo.html)
''The first four or five days it felt pretty good and then it got sore and started swelling,'' Urlacher told reporters. ''So I'm taking some time off right now.
He said the injured knee feels better than it did, but didn't sound like he was ready to return to practice.
''I've been off for nine, 10 days now. It feels better. When I'm not running around on it, of course it's not going to swell up as bad.''
He did not say whether he had any further tests on the knee since it became a problem.
''My doctors are the best. I trust what they say,'' Urlacher said. ''I just do what I'm told to do.''
He said he was not concerned the knee will be a recurring issue once he gives it the proper rest. ''No. Once I'm back out there, we'll monitor my reps and try to make sure it doesn't blow up again.''
It remains to be seen if Urlacher's knee will be 100 percent. It's likely his practice time -- and perhaps playing time -- will have to be managed this season.
''I hope it's 100 percent,'' he said. ''I felt great coming into training camp. The brace doesn't allow me to do a lot of things, but I still ran pretty fast and moved around pretty good.''
----------------------------
"The other player" responds to Tice on the inter-webb (http://www.facebook.com/JMarcusWebb/posts/10151036974408246)
OTOH the incredulous logic that a 7th round pick who was almost undrafted is as good or better than a 1st round pick from a major program is ludicrous. IMHO Webb is showing just what he is. And just because he has some bloodlines doesnt mean Webb Nation isnt blowing a lot of smoke.
Ludicrous? Webb was the favorite to win the LT job over Williams just last week. Right now I'd put the odds a bit better than 50/50 in Webb's favor. But that could change based on Chris Williams' performance Saturday. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that this "competition" could easily go into the 3rd or 4th week - possibly week by week into the season.
Draft position at this point means nothing. Salary means nothing. Bears need a solid LT.
http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/are_the_chicago_bears_medically_incompetent/11471620
I would expect us to spend a few picks next year on OL, LB, DL and possibly CB.
Julius, Brian and Charles aren't getting any younger and Webb and Williams aren't getting any better.
Not enjoying the Chris Williams/Chilo Rachal combo at all. And on the second Bush TD, Williams was just standing around doing nothing.
Jeffrey looks great. He could be good.
Not after changing those diapers at 3am! :)
Sorry for butting in here on a controversy but I am not understanding. Why is there such outrage for playing Urlacher against the Vikes last year? Sure there wasnt anything at stake for the Bears and they werent going to the playoffs regardless of a win or a loss, but injuries happen whether its the first game of the season or the last. And besides Urlacher gets paid a lot of money to perform. If I understand the crazyness of the argument here we should have cancelled the game or brought in scabs to play the game so nobody **** a fingernail. Good grief! This is getting as bad as the flag football advocates.
The changes in kickoff rules has diminished his value there. It would all depend on what is offered. A quality OL would look pretty good playing every down as opposed to Hester returning a few kicks a game.
Agree with Yapp. This whole Urlacher fiasco is unbelievable. Months off and we have this to deal with now. I fail to see how more time off will help Url if it hasn't helped him to have the months off he's already had! NOW is the time he should be in full speed mode ready for the season to start! I don't know...this whole thing ticks me off.....it's so freaking ridiculous.
I never posted this pick....
Yup...a few months ago....I was up in Green Bay rocking my custom Bears jersey and other assorted gear.....
(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/553813_4273629039497_1551760193_n.jpg)
hmm, folks keep mentioning 4-3 and our O and stuff, if you think about it we have a lot of the ground work in place to bring in someone like say a Bill Cowher if our D implodes.
I don't think I would run Lovie and crew out of town for anyone less than someone of Cowher's caliber.
All that being said, we'll make the playoffs this year and Lovie will get an extension along with Urlacher who will retire a Bear.
If we win 10-12 games this year and make the playoffs, you have to keep Lovie.
Our biggest hold up right now is our OL. I'm not sure we can compete with Elite teams like GB and NYG in our conference with our OL playing like it does.
If Okoye passes the physical for the Bears that would raise some interesting questions.
For example... was Okoye sandbagging it in Tampa in hopes of getting out? The new HC down there is running a really tight ship and I suppose there's an outside chance once Okoye got down there he realized playing in that environment really wasn't his thing. It certainly sounds like a much different atmosphere than Lovie keeps, anyway. Okoye may have decided it was worth giving up some money to play for a coach/system he believed in and when this injury thing dragged on it gave him an easy(er) out. And to have his release and the Bears' intent to sign him announced literally simultaneously... really gives the appearance that some groundwork had already been laid between the two teams in advance.
The sooner they start grooming that new DE kid to be Urls replacement, the better off we'll be.....I think the kid can do it....McClennin or whatever...
McClellin was drafted and has been coached to help us with our pass rush.
Now IF Urlacher is done AND IF Roach is ineffective at MLB AND IF Costanzo is also ineffective at MLB then Lovie might do something radical like play SMc at MLB.
I wouldn't rule it out completely. But it just doesn't see likely at this point.
Right now McClellin is not good enough at any one thing to warrant a starting position, whether that's at DE or LB. We basically spent our 1st round pick on a spot player, and one needing a fair amount of development at that.. So the question then becomes do we get more value playing him in special packages at multiple positions, or continuing to groom him at DE only and hoping he eventually becomes more at that position than just a 3rd down player?
Why we drafted McClellin and why he is needed to play DE:
Last season, the Bears finished with 33 sacks and were 29th in the league in sacks per pass play. Julius Peppers led the team with 11 sacks but didn't get enough help, considering the double teams he often encountered.
Smith changed his diet, eliminating processed foods, bread, red meat and most dairy products.
Apparently Brian Price cleared waivers. If the Bears wanted to sign him back and either IR him for next year or cut one of the current DL to make room, that's now an option on the table.
Not only did they lose a 7th round pick for Price but they are also paying his salary for this season. They could have IRd him last week but then again I'm not sure you can IR a guy for being fat.
Maybe they could re-sign him later on in the season if Collins doesn't work out or one of our other DTs go down.
Contracts are only guaranteed if you play the first game. That is why veterans are signed after the first game so they can be released later without penalty. The only thing we are on the hook for is the draft choice.
I wouldnt be surprised if we signed him next week...
Jeffery and Marshall will be torturing opponents' CBs routinely.
Boy we can only hope.
First of all, you can't compare a team's performance in a PS game against another team's performance in a real NFL game.
But if you do, did you see Giants shut down the Cowboys running game in the first half just as they shut down the Bears running game in the first half.
Bears O-line may struggle Sunday...and they may struggle after that but eventually they should be able to get it together barring injury. You know, kind of like during that 5 game winning streak last year when no one was whining about our O-line.
Still doesn't make sense (cutting Trahan) especially now that Podlesh is probable - why not just cut Quigley Monday and pickup Collins? Or are they going to carry 2 punters until they are absolutely sure Podlesh is OK?
My take is the Bears are going to sign a FA veteran Monday...maybe an O-lineman or maybe a safety.
The moment of truth is less than five hours away. My prediction Bears 30 and Colts 10.
I'm getting a bit concerned that Cut seems to first target Marshall, and then the others. Sometimes even forcing it in to Marshall when he's clearly not open. Teams will start to notice this, too, and we're gonna see TO's increase.
"This offense will allow our defense to take a few more ****s than in year's past."
So apparently gam ble is blocked, lol... ;D
Wow. First from the media was that Cutler didn't care on the sidelines. He didn't show enough emotion for the game. He just sat there and didn't interact enough with his team mates.
Now... Cutler is an out of control dick to his team mates for yelling at them for sucking major ass on national TV.
The guy can't win I guess. If it were me I would have punched webb in the ****ing nose. Especially after he let Matthews go by him and take a shot at his knees. Webb deserved every ****ing embarassing verb and noun Cutler could throw at him on TV.
Criticism of Webb in the strongest terms is OK, but not on the nationally televised game. That belongs in the locker room.
pack you have to assume that had already taken place. didn't work, time for stronger measures. btw bear resigns bell to a one year. Cutler 100%. screw ancient I can't remember what day it is and ogun.
Give Webb some help. He can't be on an island he can't do it.
Running the ball helps him. Having a TE next to him helps. The TE can chip then go out for a pass. So can Rodriguez on passing downs.
The game plan against Green Bay was flawed and they did not adapt to the game situation fast enough. By the time they did they were so far down they had to pass.
That game was lost due to the offensive game plan. I am beginning to think Martz was a Lovie scape goat. We get off the bus running my azz!
Are some of you guys SURE you want Bill Cowher here as the HC??? (http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/09/17/cowher-bears-may-have-to-make-change-at-qb/)
I think Cowher would have been first in line giving Webb an earful. I would still take him.
I did.
Cowher would have been going into his GM's office the morning after a loss like that and demanding he bring in some O-Linemen that can play.
Or, more likely, Cowher would also be the GM and he would be making the personnel moves himself.
Do agree with his stance on J-Cut then. I mean if HE were coaching it sounds like he would have another QB instead of Cutler.
Did you click on the link?
Which antics is he talking about? Getting in Webb's face or last year sitting on the bench and saying nothing? Cutler was criticised for that too. All these same a$$holes including Ditka who are ripping him now were saying that he just didn't care a year ago.
WE AINT HERE TO CAUSE NO TROUBLE
WE ARE HERE TO DO THE OFFENSIVE LINE SHUFFLE !
Motherfuuuckers ...
Florio: Bears Could Be Looking For A New Coach, Quarterback In 2013
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/09/19/florio-bears-could-be-looking-for-a-new-coach-quarterback-in-2013/
“People at Halas Hall are concerned that there is going to be a mutiny. If he does something again at some point, J’Marcus Webb isn’t going to just laugh it off. (They’re afraid) something ugly is going to happen, whether it’s at practice, whether it’s in a game, whether it’s in a meeting room - the fuse is getting shorter and shorter. There’s concern that something is going to happen.”
I wonder if you can reverse the designation on the IR thing. Haven't seen that question addressed anywhere.
I'm pretty sure Angelo is the only GM who even had Webb on his board.
No other team would have even spent a draft pick on the guy. They would have brought him in as an UDFA and assuming he survived training camp, he would have been parked on their practice squad the next couple of years. Like what Emery did this year with James Brown.
Give the Fins our 1st in 2013 our 2nd in 2014 and Devin Hester.
Add our 4th in 2014 if it takes that.
Damn for a LT? Glad you're not our GM.
The OL was bad again, but the whole offense was awful yesterday. And that was with 10 days to prepare.
The WRs really need to step it up and when are we gonna end the Hester-as-a-WR experiment once and for all? Every offensive play to him this season has been a wasted down it seems.
Not good at all considering we have a much better defense facing us next Monday night.
There are rumblings that Michael Bush injured himself at some point in the Rams game and that's why Bell was playing down the stretch. That's why the look at Ryan Grant.
On top of that, the tone is getting more pessimistic about Forte playing Monday night. Granted it's a ways off yet but the prospect of facing Dallas minus Forte and with Bush at less than 100% is not a real happy one. Depending on our passing offense to win that game is asking for disaster.
Yeah, I recall the drive thru beer barns - when it was OK to have an open container as long as just the passengers were drinking!
Not a starter, but a big-bodied OT is on the market...
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/26/raiders-dump-another-third-round-pick/
I like Bush
AIRBALL !
We have it ... we know it has to gell ...
when do we turn it loose?
Couple things need to happen to get this team where it needs to be....we ALL (except those at Halas) know we need lots of help on the Oline. Now, if we start blowing chunks and tank it this season, then Lovie and crew are most probably done for. This will bring the needed change to the line that we have been begging for. OR... we do alright and then it's totally up to Emery NEXT season to get us some line help. If that doesn't happen....boy, there are gonna be some Bear fans with torches and pitch forks on Halas Hall's lawn!!!
I have a car.....I take care of my car....change its oil.....wipers......trans fluid.....check brakes. I don't change tires, and the tires wear out, how far will my car go, however nice-fancy-fast it may be, if I don't put new tires on it every so often? The Oline are the tires and the Bears staff are running on flats with a high performance machine.....hopefully we won't hear/see/experience more 'thump, thump, THUMPING' Monday night!
Angie helped kill this team for sure. But there's zero excuse for Emery not getting some help this past draft. We did not need another hurt safety and that's pretty obvious right now. We could definately have used a Tackle or guard at that spot. NO excuses....whatsoever.....they also have FA to get help in.
While I totally agree that we desperatley need help on the OL, I dont think our S position is totally settled either. Conte was hurt last year, as has been Wright, and Wright also seems to have some mental lapses. S is far from the strongest position on the team. HOWEVER taking a guy who was hurt all of last year and didnt play, no excuse for that move.
That selection of Alshon Jeffery is looking smarter by the game.
Having him last night allowed us to absorb the loss of Earl Bennett without our passing game missing a beat. He didn't log huge numbers but he made a number of clutch catches that kept the chains moving... which is exactly what Bennett's role would be if he were in there.
Wanny is DC at Buffalo - Juaron is the DC for the Browns.
Gabe Carimi is starting to come under some heat in the media, which would square with what I saw yesterday. There were the consecutive red zone penalties of course but a few other plays where his guy flat out beat him and/or pushed him straight back into the pocket.
One one hand, this was still only his 6th full game as an NFL player. And it's pretty clear his knee and/or game conditioning is not back to 100%. But OTOH if he's still at this plateau at the end of the season I don't think it's beyond reason to think Emery may expand his draft wish list to include OTs on both sides.
OTs --gimme TWO! (?) We can really only spare one TE to help out in pass protection so at least one of our starting OTs needs to step it up and become a go-to guy in 1 on 1 situations.
The Cutter is jerk and just a .500 QB in the NFL.Rodgers is 2-3. What does that make him?
Hello mr Summers, goodby mr Williams. Seems easy enough.
The NFL Network had an interesting stat on Sunday morning. Since Lovie Smith took over as Bears coach in 2004, the Bears defense has the following overall rank in the NFL:
Points allowed - 4th
Yards allowed - 12th
3rd down efficiency - 1st
Sacks - 13th
Turnovers - 1st
And that was before Sunday's blitzkrieg.
Doesnt Florida still have capital punishment by electric chair?
I cant think of a better use for old Sparky than to off that ruthless son of a ****. And I'd feel the same even if the victim hadn't been a Bears fan.
Although, life without parole in a max security pen in ILLINOIS wouldn't be a terrible fallback. The general population would welcome him quite warmly I'm sure.
We can't just sign Summers away from the Vikings PS can we?
Sure we can! OR we can just call up a guy who wasn't among the first cuts after the preseason like Summers was.
WR Joe Anderson is on OUR practice squad - but he's only 6-1 and not 6-5 so I guess he's not as good???
The one thing I would say is, if we were gonna cut Chris Williams I would hope Emery would at least try to work out a trade for him first.
There are enough OLs out there hurting for decent (not even great) bodies that trying to get a mid-round pick for Williams wouldn't be beyond the bounds of reason. It would be nice to get at least that back out of our former Top 15 draft pick.
Turns out the wife and I are going to be in Nashville the weekend of the Bears game. So I looked up tickets...170+ each...brother. Anyone know what the heck is going on in TN to cause this issue.
Going to TB vs. Chiefs for 35 bucks this weekend...that's what I'm talking bout.
I like Bush too.
We can't just sign Summers away from the Vikings PS can we?
Or can we?
Might be nice to know what he knows about the Vikings offense too.. ;)
**rimshot**
The other possibility is that Evan Rodriguez' injury is worse than they've let on, and he's heading towards IR as the 2nd "redshirt" of Emery's first draft class.
the best team in football resides in the Windy City.DANG STRAIGHT! GO BEARS!!!!!!
With this O-line it has to start with the run. They are poor pass protecters and they need every crutch they can get in pass protection.
Run the ball, quick passes, hold TE's in and RB's chipping the DE's. Do it all.
Screen passes to Forte, slants, quick throws. Use it all.
We gotta be smart about it when they blitz. Blitzing offers opportunities in the flat, outside, etc. Someone has vacated a spot and left it open for a reciever, TE, back to get into and make a play.
That's where the Cutler / Marshall chemistry can pay huge dividends. When your QB and WR see the same play unfolding and adjust to each other in sync, you can really punish defenses on the blitz.
C'mon Earl - wear the uniform...
http://www.theredzone.org/BlogDescription/tabid/61/EntryId/30155/Earl-Bennett-fined-for-wearing-orange-cleats/Default.aspx
I kinda look at that poop a little differently. If the NFL can wear pnk shoes whenever they want then why cant the Bears wear orange ones when they want? I mean like pink or orange whats the difference? Its what ever suits the league that counts. You know if George went to the league headquarters or called there the whole team might be allowed to wear orange shoes. I think they'd be neat to wear. To me its no difference than wearing white ones. Its the contrast, thats the way I see it.
HA HA HAAA, oh that's funny stuff, wshful!! hilarious!!! TOO funny!! (http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/drdoolittle/Icons%20Animated/th_AnimatedGIF-DogLaughing.gif)
Can't see why a team with a young promising QB would just let a quality LT just walk away.
That's the thing. The best thing that could have happened for any team coveting Jake Long would have been for the Fins to have a terrible season and Tannehill to be a total and obvious flop. Which would potentially have led to the firing of the GM and a parting-out of the team to collect draft picks for rebuilding. But the exact opposite is happening. The Fins are a game out of 1st in their division, notching some quality wins and Tannehill is earning rave reviews. As long as things keep looking up I have to think they will be keeping the band together down in South Florida and Long will not be coming onto the market under any circumstances.
Yes Gracia's play is in decline. Time for him to go. We seem to wait to long. I wouldn't mind seeing Spencer get a shot at the position, sooner than later.
How about Gruden?
It's likely that Cowher would want GM + HC. Would McCaskey agree to that?
Dom Capers had one shot at HC and did pretty poorly.
GB's OC from previous years is now the Miami HC.
Don't think the new GB OC probably hasn't built enough rep to justify a HC job, yet.
Dallas, did you just say that? They 'apparently liked what they saw'?!? Dude, this is the same team that thought they liked what they saw OF THE ENTIRE OFFENSIVE LINE and didn't care enough to fix it, FOR THREE YEARS STRAIGHT! Seriously......
Well, at least one guy in the press gets it. Tom "I'm an ass" Jackson needs to visit Chicago, he really does.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/week-13-cheat-sheet-jay-cutler-deserves-to-be-in-mvp-conversation-112612
Where is the Jer these days? Working for GB I hope.
With two padded practices remaining for the entire season, coach Lovie Smith elected to use one Wednesday and Carimi was one of the last players to leave the field as he worked on one-on-ones with defensive tackles Stephen Paea and Nate Collins. In the collective bargaining agreement adopted last year, teams are permitted one practice in full pads for each of the first 11 weeks and then three padded practices the rest of the season. Players said the Bears used one last week meaning there is one left now, a rare chance for linemen to go full speed and be evaluated.
Don't like this one bit. If our line screws up badly, I'd be on them like white on rice and they'd be working OT's till they got it right. But this?? This is fricking ridiculous....
Bennett needs to come up big this Sunday.
IF it was a horse collar...then the fine comes with it...automatically.
Honestly, I can't see much has changed over the Lovie years. We can wring our hands about the O or D or ST or Injuries or Bad Calls or whatever each year. The one constant is this coaching staff. I admit I have no stats on these, just some general observations:
I think if we don't win the Super Bowl, Emery really has to consider whether we ever will if we keep the status quo with this coaching staff.
- They rarely seem to be able to develop talent. When players come in through the draft, in trades or free agency, their skills are their skills. They never seem to get much better than they already are when we acquire them.
- Our backups are not developed either, if we lose a player to injury, the backups rarely seem to come in and play at a similar or even acceptable level like the NE's or GB's of the NFL.
- Our players AND coaches seem to make dumb mistakes over and over whether through a lack of discipline, focus, experience or coaching.
- Our offensive and defensive schemes seem behind the modern era of the NFL.
- We rarely seem to make game plans or halftime adjustments to overcome our deficiencies or exploit the other team's weakness.
- Our team seems to freeze in big games.
- Our team seems to pull into a shell when we get a small lead rather than go for the jugular and not give teams hope to get back in it.
- Our team is inconsistent with their level of urgency.
I think I read that Irvin has 7 sacks to Shea's 3.
Interesting. I did NOT want Irvin but if he's really producing like that (especially in spot duty), that's impressive.
I still think Emery's grand vision for McClellin is as a rush OLB in a 3-4 D... but I could be wrong.
Theres a lot of teams now with guys as fast as him and he just doesnt seem to love the game that much anymore.
So IF we ditch Lovie,and I believe we should, we should get Cowher, trade Hester for a OL and LB, draft another of both and a wideout and acquire a real, true backup QB. This is going to take some deft manuevering but it can be done....
Yeah, yeah, I know Urlacher is ancient and beat up and never was very good at the point of attack, even in his prime, and now is worse but I didn't know that:
he still leads the Bears with 88 tackles and is tied for the team lead with seven tackles for a loss. The likely Hall of Famer also recorded three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception for a touchdown before suffering the hamstring strain.
Peterson is a great attraction, like Barry Sanders but no matter how they performed they couldn't beat you. That always seems to depend upon the passing game.
Here are 5 moves Emery could make this offseason that would firmly establish him as a stone cold mofo.
1) Fire Lovie (and by extension, at least some of his staff)
2) Trade/Cut Brian Urlacher
3) Trade/Cut Devin Hester
4) Trade/Cut Earl Bennett
5) Trade Julius Peppers for a good O-Lineman
I'm not saying I would agree with all these moves, but they are 5 decisions that would pretty much blow up the status quo and leave no doubt we're headed in a radically different direction for 2013.
I can't believe anyone would think of retaining Tice. The whole coaching staff needs to go. When Emery was hired, he was told "hands off" in regards to the coaching staff. I'm certain he went to the coaches to find out what positions needed to be addressed. I blame the coaching staff as much as anyone for this crappy O line that Cutler has once again had to play behind. Clean house and let Emery start over..
Man you ain't kiddin'! It's amazing how some Bear fans would want to keep this bad offensive coordinator and this BS that Tice is some great OL coach is hilarious. The last 3 years the line has gone from bad to worse and someone wants to retain him? Incredible.....
LAUNCH HIM NOW for all I care.
None of the top-tier OCs want to work under Lovie and we've seen that a couple of times already.
So our genius braintrust hired Martz knowing full-well we absolutely didn't have the personnel to run his system and no plan to get those players either.
Two OCs that I think are doing really good work right now are the guys for the 49ers and the Giants. Fundamentally sound but not boring. Creative but not flaky. Can put up points, AND beat up the other team's defense doing it.
If someone could bring that kind of thinking to the Bears we'd be looking good. Talent wise, our QB, RBs and WRs match up with either of those teams. We just need a better OL and a stud TE and I really believe we could be in their league given the right OC to put all the pieces together.
Oy. National attention. Gaaa. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/chicago-bears-must-fire-head-coach-lovie-smith-121612 (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/chicago-bears-must-fire-head-coach-lovie-smith-121612)
Right now guys like Cutler and Marshall are showing that they "get it", while guys like Lovie and Urlacher are revealing that they don't -- and making the entire franchise look silly in the process.
If you're talking about Tom Clements... yeah, I'd be all for that. Can't argue the success he's had as the Packers OC although there are always things your ris-king when you bring on a guy who's never had all the duties of an NFL HC before.
Not only are you risking bringing on a guy who's never had all the duties of an NFL HC but the guy doesn't even have all the duties of an OC - doesn't McCarthy call all the plays? What exactly then does Clements do?
You gotta start wondering.... especially after that wtf int. I know I do anymore.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-rosenbloom-cutler-chicago-bears-20121218,0,1691106.column
Since yapper has so much faith in getting our new HC if Lovie is fired here's the rumored choice to replace him.....
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/d9atC?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=chicago-bears
NFL Hot Seat Update: Ranking the Head Coaches Currently Under Fire After Week 15
RYAN RIDDLE
DECEMBER 17, 2012
Lovie Smith: Warm
Last Week: Room Temperature
The first half of the season for the Bears almost certainly had Lovie Smith thinking contract extension and pay raise after a 7-1 record. But then the injuries and questionable coaching became the norm in the Windy City as they lost five of their last six games.
It would be a major shock for the Bears to part ways with Smith after all he's done in Chicago, including three playoff appearances and a Super Bowl berth.
First-year GM Phil Emery will have a difficult decision to make regarding Smith if the Bears fail to make the playoffs after such a strong start.
One thing is for sure: Should Coach Smith happen to be fired, he will certainly land on his feet with another head coaching opportunity. But if Emery and the Bears are smart, they'll realize replacing Smith may not offer up a true upgrade at the position.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1447213-chicago-bears-8-offensively-minded-coaching-replacements-for-lovie-smith
Josh McDaniels is nowhere on this list. Emery is smarter than that. Whoever wrote that other article was just trying to drum up some clicks.
46:
Thanks for posting that article. That article is simply TELLING IT LIKE IT IS!!!
I see guys here making excuses for Cutler instead of doing as Marshall said in holding players on offense accountable. I like Jay and hope he does well but he's been here 4 years and he makes crucial mistakes in the big games the majority of the time.
I agree about the OC being a problem as well as the line protecting him but when he does get protection he throws into double/triple coverage, holds the ball too long, or just throw an INT. He's been in the league much too long to continue making these mistakes.
And the excuse about having to learn a new offense every year by a new OC doesn't fly with me. He's making what, around 10 mil a year? Deal with it! He's going to get a new one unless he's dealt where GUESS WHAT? He'll be learning a new offense!!! So Jay needs to get himself together and really work on his game this offseason. I don't want him dealt but the crucial INT's in the big games has to stop.
Aren't you the least bit interested in how Cutler would do with the kind of protection Brady or either Manning gets or with the quality of receivers that Rodgers has. I sure am.
I really hope Marshall takes Jeffery under his wing this offseason. The Bears WRs coach is worthless and knowing that, I am disappointed (but not surprised) to see that Jeffery has appeared to regress as the season has gone on. If we can get Drake out of the picture this offseason and let Marshall show him how a pro WR does things, he could really make some strides his 2nd year... assuming he can stay healthy of course.
No McClellin was drafted so the Packers wouldnt get him.
He may turn out to be a decent DE for us... but he would have been devastating in the Packers 3-4 opposite Matthews.
Lovie is never in anybodys ear.
Drake telling Jeffrey to "man up" is a bad thing?
LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!
Only if necessary. Nothing in that post says anything about Jeffrey sulking or acting detrimental to himself or the team.
It just says that Jeffrey is mad. of course he is...I would be mad about those calls too. Doesn't mean that the coach shoud demean him but saying something like that.
Notice Phill only sticks up for the black coaches and players?
This doesn't surprise you, does it Peke?
Ok, dont play the race card. ;)
And this coming from the 2 dumbest racist on the forum. I guess they only stick up for the white players. Using the race card now on the Bears thread is so stupid.
Pekin needs to get out of his trailer and understand there aren't any black or white players on the team. They all are navy and orange. Get the hatred out of your system.
Pekin is pointing out the truth, telling it like it is. You are the biggest racist on this board bar none.
Um, just how much does Phil weigh? ;)
C'mon Man!!!! It's Christmas...give it a rest.
houston down 10 to minny. just super.
I watched some early action of the Houston game. Houston's defense really played Petersen well, but their O-line was totally dominated by the Vikings and Schaub out of the pocket was couldn't find the turf fast enough.
The Bears recent losses have come against the 49ers, TExans, Vikings, Seahawks and Packers - all playoff caliber teams and all but the 49er game were they within one score to tie.
Bears are a good team...just not a very good team this year.
Terry Shea, Ron Turner, Mike Martz, Mike Tice....even if you fire Tice I don't trust Lovie to hire a good replacement. He has a track record of hiring failures. Lovie needs to go too.
Terry Shea, Ron Turner, Mike Martz, Mike Tice....even if you fire Tice I don't trust Lovie to hire a good replacement. He has a track record of hiring failures. Lovie needs to go too.
Could not agree more. And who could Lovie get if they demote/get rid of Tice???
Well you know I believe Turner had us in the Super Bowl with his offense so I wouldn't put him in the Terry Shea/Mike Tice/Mike Martz caterogry but your point is valid. When Turner had talent to work with his offense worked even with Rex Grossman at QB.
I agree the team should clean house.
I say get rid of Tice period. He's not a good OC and apparently the same goes as offensive line coach too. This line has gotten worse since he's been here.
Say, it seems to me that you're resigned to the fact Lovie may be back next season with your comment! :)
Not that we would go far into the playoffs anyway but thank you Seahawks for giving the Packers a reason to play to win next week. Or...screw you Seahawks for giving us a chance to weasal into the playoffs and save Lovie's job. Can't make up my mind which. On the other hand we are completely capable of stinking up the joint in Detroit next week. It is really hard being a Bear fan.
That's on the OC. Get rid of him!
I am not going to sit here and cry and whine about the loss of our OC. But there are circumstances that will surface if that happens. 1st, will the Bears also get rid of Lovie too? If so then a whole new coaching staff will solve the problem and there will be OCs more capable available to improve the team. If they dont jettison Lovie and the whole coaching staff then likely Lovie gets no extension and fulfills the final year on his contract. If that happens Lovie then becomes a lame duck coach and no quality OC is going to come in here or agree to come here on a one year deal. I just dont see it. I'd say the odds of that are 1 in a billion. Would Bears fans be satisfied with elevating Jeremy Bates to OC, because that might be the best that can be expected to work for a lame duck HC? Then there comes the problem of finding another OLine coach too.
The problem is greater than just firing Tice. You need a complete plan, not a spot decision.
Sanzenbacher was cut. Interesting.
Short and slow are not qualities of a good WR. ;)
Not sure you are remembering Turner accurately. Check out this link. His highest ranked offense(the super bowl season) was 15th. He was mid to high 20's for his other seasons.
http://www.windycitygridiron.com/2012/1/17/2713448/tice-looks-to-reverse-offensive-history-under-lovie-smith
OLB: Aldon Smith, 49ers; DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Clay Matthews, Packers
No injury excuses....others pick their play up when someone goes down, we're the exact opposite...the play drops significantly, usually....
That's cause our coaches (especially on offense) can't develop young talent worth a damn, and our schemes (especially on D) are too demanding for anything but Pro Bowl caliber players to execute.
We've seen what happens when Cutler and Jennings don't play, we've seen how our OL went from barely average to non-functional after Louis went down, and we all know how ugly things would get if Marshall, Peppers or Briggs went down. Other teams lose their QB or #1 WR or a starting O-Lineman, DE or LB and yeah, it hurts them but they still keep playing competitively if not even winning games outright.
46-got the ticket at home in florida. Haven't missed a game all year. dilemma....does the misses understand the importance of me routing on the team? she did go to Titans game 2 hours early and meet Ed McCaskey in the stand...hum.
Olsen had pretty decent hands, a TON better than what passes as a TE right now. But yea, the wind blew, he went down. That was pretty pathetic. But at least the guy caught most of the stuff thrown his way unlike the mess we currently have....
if they were firing Lovie they'd get that out there ASAP and then move immediately toward getting the new HC and staff in place while the pool is at its largest.
I like Tony Dungy. Very nice guy. (for Phil)
It could be worse than mediocrity if they don't make the right hire. I think yapper said Mike McCoy is the leading candidate. I think that would be a good hire.
Maybe Cutler's not in future either.
Uhhh.... not real excited about this guy:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/31/mike-sullivan-to-interview-with-bears/
The Bucs in general and Josh Freeman in particular haven't exactly set the league on fire with offense the past few years. Our QB is already well along in the art of throwing INTs, thank you very much.
Hmmm... If Sullivan were hired and Marinelli kept on, you'd have s GM, HC and DC all with hardc*re military backgrounds.
Somehow I have to think a team like that would be a WHOLE lot psychologically tougher than Lovies teams were. And in better shape physically too.
Another curious thing I read is that none of our other coaches have been let go. Emery says they are all under contract and that the new coach would have the choice of keeping or getting rid of them if he so chooses.
A new good offense minded HC keeping Marenelli as the DC would not neccesarilly be a bad thing especially if some of Lovies guys were let go and replaced with some new blood. I would be fine with Toub staying as well. If Rivera gets fired I would have no problem with him as DC either.
Remember Babich coached after Rivera left and we were bad on defense. I think Marinelli had his hands on during game day
So if McCarthy calls the plays in GB, what the heck does Clemment do?
And that's exactly the red flag people raise on Clements. Packrat could provide the inside scoop but I think essentially what he is in GB, is a glorifed QBs Coach. Now, looking at Rodgers' success that's not something to sneeze at, but in terms of gameplanning, in-game management etc. I believe Clements is pretty non-involved up there.
You can learn under a master, but that doesn't mean you automatically get the master's mojo. Bill Belicheck and his disciples being a classic example. There's a certain amount of sex appeal at the prospect of raiding the Packers' staff but if what we're looking at is essentially promoting a position coach to a HC position with primary OC duties also attached... that's a mighty big jump for anyone to take.
Packrat, I think their concern over Clements is that he might not be a defacto OC that McCarthy is the OC.
If McCarthy is the OC guy then Clements might not help us as much implementing a GB type system as someone like McCoy or some of the other teams where the OC were implementing the system and calling the plays.
If Clements can teach Cutler to be a QB instead of a thrower that would be what I would expect.
The difference is that Clements got Rodgers as a young, easily molded prospect whereas Cutler is a seasoned (some would say jaded) NFL veteran who is well past the midpoint of his NFL career already.
Rodgers also came into the league much farther along than most rookie QBs thanks to the system he played in at Cal.
No question Cutler and the entire Bears offense could improve under Clements' coaching -- possibly dramatically -- but to expect he can just port everything over to a completely different player, at a different point in his career, and get equally stellar results is IMO unrealistic.
That being said... if Clements' ability to develop Cutler (even this late in Cutty's career) can be further leveraged by his ability to help our D get better at shutting down Rodgers & Co... THEN you've got something that makes him a lot more valuable from a total strategic / competitive perspective.
The only problem with keeping Marinelli as DC is who was really running the D, Lovie or Marinelli? I think it was Lovie.
BEARS 2013 OPPONENTS
HOME: Dallas, New York Giants, New Orleans, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit
AWAY: Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/02/jerry-jones-says-changes-are-coming/
The article doesn't say it, but I will.
Jason Garrett will be fired or demoted, and the 2013 HC of the Dallas Cowboys will be... Lovie Smith.
You heard it here first.
Normally the Bears would not have even settled on a consulting company by now...
So McCoy get hired for HC. I can easily see him keeping Rod Marinelli as DC for two reasons. The Defense unit was good and the players and coach work well together. The added benefit is he would have a DC with HC experience that he could draw from. Remember Marinelli is DC and assistant HC for the Bears.
The Big question I have is who does he bring in as OC?
I think Blanchard is gone. Somebody claimed him off our practice squad during the season IIRC.
If the team that claimed him lets him go we can always bring him back, but as of now he's out of the mix.
If I've read correctly McCoy was hired by the Bronco's shortly before Cutler was traded. I don't think the 2 have any history.
I don't know much about McCoy but I remember Orton winning something like 6 in a row then their offense fell off the table.
Tebow came on and threw for 40 passing yards for 3 1/2 quarters then won the game.
Then they get Manning.
Hard to tell much about the guy from this track record.