Bearstalk

I pretty sure on the Monday night game vs. Minnesota game that we started D Manning at SS and Craig Steltz at FS. The first half was our best defensive performance of the year. I'm wondering if this combination might work for a couple different reasons: 1. D Manning has bad instincts and is slow to make reads. This makes him bad a FS, even though he has ideal speed. But he's explosive and he's a solid tackler. If we keep him closer to the line to be a disruptive force, this might be more ideal. 2. We mainly ask our FS to not give up big plays. Steltz appears to have good instincts, he'll be at the right place at the right time, and he doesn't miss tackles. H…

I got to thinking he'd have to have a shot to be on the cover. He's a game breaker and makes an impact on the game by just being there. Do you believe in the Madden Curse?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/...ke-the-packers/

I saw this tweet by Melton and wondered if it could mean he was asked to line up outside at DE... Pretty random tweet unless he was asked about it, and this wasn't in response to any ones question. Couple this with the fact that Tucker apparently likes bigger run stuffers in the middle and it could make sense. Could they add a massive DT to their list of draft needs?? Jesse Williams in the first would be a dream, Kwame Geathers in the 4th would be more realistic. How sexy would a Peppers-Paea-Williams-Melton front 4 look??? With Melton playing the Izzy role where he occasionally moves inside to give Wootton and SMC some snaps.

I was thinking how damn good Minnesota is defensively, how great their o-line is, & their RB's are top-notch. They have around 15 million cap-available. While their secondary sucks, their most glaring weakness is QB & WR. I'd take Mark Bradley/Devin Hester or Moose over ANY WR Minny has. MAYBE Tavaris Jackson isn't horrible, but why take that chance? Sadly & ironically the best WR on the market is Bernard Berrian. (Randy Moss is returning to NE IMO) The best QB available is Rex Grossman. (Derek Anderson ain't going nowhere . . . . that makes Rex #1.) If I'm Minnesota, I do everything possible to address these two positions. I'd over-pay if …

A Sun Times article discusses Lovie taking over on D, and goes on to talk about Lovie being "excited" about potential personnel changes, referring to players and not coaches. This led Briggs to wonder if we might not have our sights set on some of the big names in FA on the defensive side of the ball. Now, I know many here want to add the CB from Oakland, but I personally do not believe he would even be considered. We run a scheme that relies on the pass rush, while cover two corners are not usually considered shut down caliber. So while many would like to add a stud CB, I don't see that in the plans. If we are going to make a change to the personnel that w…

I was thinking about the nightmare scenario possibility. Could it be possible that all the likely guys are gone? 1. TEN - Jeremy Tunsil - I don't see how he is not the #1 pick. 2. CLE - QB - Who cares who it is. They're picking a QB. 3. SD - Joey Bosa - He's largely thought of as the best guy in the draft. 4. DAL - Jalen Ramsey - They are picking him or Hargreaves. I'm convinced of it. 5. JAX - Myles Jack - They need defense everywhere. Getting a field-general makes sense. 6. BAL - A'Shawn Robinson - Canty is weak, and their LBs are firm. 7. SF - Ronnie Stanley - They just hired Chip Kelly. He's going offense. 8. MIA - Jaylon Smith - The second I…

I've been reading the thread on the Packers' new 3-4 defense and how our offense might stack up against it, and I figured there should be a thread about the Lions' defensive changes as well. Let's get one thing out of the way immediately: yes, they're the Lions. Yes, they're coming off a winless season. But they're also fielding an almost entirely different team from the one that went 0-16, especially on D. They're not only changing their defensive scheme (from a Tampa-2 to a blitz-heavy, Jim Johnson-style 4-3,) they're also fielding an almost entirely new personnel group. By my count, they could be returning as few as three starters on defense, which is a good…

Just wondering, but could our not firing Lovie be more an indictment of Angelo? Could it be that the team is not ready to fire Angelo, but at the same time, not sure whether he will remain long term? If Angelo is in hot water, does it make sense to fire Lovie this year, have Angelo hire a new HC? The more I think about it, the more I think this has a lot to do w/ Angelo. I don't think our owners are ready to fire Angelo, but not willing to allow him to hire a new HC either. That could mean that next year, assuming we don't see big gains, will end in a total house cleaning.

I just saw on espn that Carolina DE Rucker(Spelled right?) just retired. Could they now target someone like harvey instead of taking o-line. Could albert or clady fall to us? If Carolina picks harvey and ryan falls to baltimore then maybe clady or if kc passes on albert this could be good news for us. I'd pass on otah, he's knocked about his footwork and may struggle in passing situations. Denver and KC could be our only spoilers, but you never know. I have a gut feeling there will be a mad run on defense after miami picks, cause once Long, Dorsey, or Gholston are taken teams will panic and go for the others first since the draft isn't as deep on de or dt or lb for …

I've always thought turning an undersized or speedy offensive lineman into a fullback was an interesting idea, but have rarely seen it done. Anyway, did we get our guy in the 7th round??? Read the writeup. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/lance-louis?id=237676 Thoughts?

Could this be why the Bears are sitting on their hands this offseason? LEAGUE READY FOR “WAR” Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2009, 10:30 a.m. As new NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith proclaims that he’ll spend every day hoping for peace but preparing for war over the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, a league source tells us that the owners are hoping for “war” — and already are prepared for it. Per the source, the owners already have been taking steps aimed at ensuring that a lockout will have minimal financial impact. For starters, and as we’ve previously pointed out, most if not all contracts for assistant coaches hired in 2009 hav…

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writ...4&hpt=hp_c1

I remember during the Vikings game Aikman mentioning that if the Bears had a few less turnovers (mainly INTs) in the close losses the Bears could've had 3 more wins than they currently have. I understand the what-ifs are BS, but....... Looking back at the games, Cutler had 4 INTs vs GB and we lost by 6. Against ATL, we had 2 INTs and a fumble and lost by 7. Against SF Cutler had 5 INTs and we lost by 4. I just wonder what the state of the team (mentality-wise) would be right now if we were sitting at 7-4 in the WC hunt. Regardless, it is amazing how a season can change so drastically from 2-3 plays in a few games.

I have seen some ask this, though I am not sure if it has been talked about on this board. One reason I think it may be worth consideration is, if we put Basanez on the PS, which I am pretty sure he is still eligible for, would any other team really steal him? To steal him, another team would have to give him a spot on their 53 man roster, and I am just not sure anyone would be willing to do that. On the practice squad, he is still ours and would still be in a position to learn and develop, but at the same time, it would free up a roster spot. W/ questions of whether we keep 5 or 6 WRs, 3 or 4 TEs as well as 3 or 4 RBs, we could be in a situation where that extr…

The Miami Dolphins will most likely look to trade out of the #1 pick for the draft. Bill Parcells is shaking things up and will look to move his defensive philosphy into Miami. With that being said, the consensus top pick of Glen Dorsey DT LSU will not fit into that system. Darren McFadden RB could also be a top pick, but Miami has Ronnie Brown who was tearing it up before he got injured. Then you have Jake Long OLT Mich and Chris Long DE Virg., both of these guys would be better off as there pick, but I see Parcell's looking to add more pieces to fill more holes. Here's were the Bears come in. If Chicago were to trade there #1-14 and #2-44, the trade would almo…

I believe most all would agree, LT is the most difficult position on the OL. It is hard enough for a rookie to start at LT, and w/ each missed practice, Wiliams chances might drop a bit more. Further, we are reading how St. Clair is "supposedly" looking pretty good at LT. I wonder if there is a chance Williams is moved inside for the season. If he can't beat out St. Clair at LT, I have a hard time seeing him sitting on the bench. Lovie doesn't talk like he will simply start Williams, regardless how he looks, though we all know better than to take Lovie at his word. Still, I wonder if a move inside isn't possible. Many other 1st round OTs were initially moved …

Seriously, could someone on this board be a better GM than Angelo when it comes purely to talent evaluation and drafting? With regards to the salary cap, let's just pretend that someone else is handling it on the team (even though I think LT2 could do a better job than anyone on the Bears). In regards to the draft only, do you think that someone from the board would have done a better job than Angelo since he's been with the Bears?

Round 1 Hakeem Nicks WR fufills the Bears need to add another playmaker on offense. Round 2 Lawrence Sidbury DE this adds a young fresh talent to be groomed to replace one of the Bears aging DEs and also is the traditional small school pick that JA takes in the 2nd round. Round 3 Phil Loadholt RT this fills a glaring need on the right side of the O-line and gives the Bears a huge Big Cat type player with youth. Round 4 Tyronne Green OG this players stock has been rising since the Senior Bowl and may not be here but if he is he would add some more youth to the interior of the line. Round 5 Drew Willy QB I believe that you should add a QB via the draft…

Everything that needed to happen for the Bears to stay alive happened this weekend. The Queens lost, the Bucs lost, the Cowgirls lost, AND the Eagles lost. If the team isn't fired up for this game after that, then they deserve to be sitting at home. Take care of the Puckers and the Texans and we are very much still alive both in the division AND in the Wildcard. Let's kick their tails and hold our breath for next week!