balta1701-A

I believe everyone picked the Saints over the Bears on a cold week in Chicago in January, 2006.

Barber and Louis are out, Chris Harris, Roy Williams are game time decisions, Meriweather has gotten most of the 1st team D reps this week in practice. Growl.

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Hopefully we'll have years and years of jokes about how that long run was keyed by the work of Clutts.

IMO, the contract the Bears offered him in the preseason was the appropriate pay level for a RB who is still a year away from hitting Free Agency.

If it happens he can't go tomorrow, there's no one on that roster I have as much confidence in being game-ready without having practiced.

Again, I ask...what offer should the Bears make? Should they offer him now what D'Angelo Williams received as a free agent?

Thing is...a couple of them actually worked. Forte's big run was on a fake end-around. Then there was that so-close-to-a-touchdown Cutler bootleg where he overthrew the TE.

Why the Pats let him go?

And on at least 1, if not 2 of the Early ones, Cutler felt pressure and moved away from it, but then held the ball too long. On one of the sacks he stepped up to avoid Abraham (who was pushed to Cutler's rear by Webb) but then pumped the ball at least twice before the sack. It's not entirely on Cutler, but it's not entirely on Webb either. I won't say anything silly like saying that the line had a great game or anything like that, but compared to last year it was night and day. Protection broke down sometimes, but more often than not, Cutler had time to throw the ball. There were at least 4-5 completions of 20+ yards in the first half. The receivers had time to get downfield and get open. There was a lot of movement on the line as well, guards pulling, etc, that was really effective as well in setting up screens and getting blocking downfield. There's still clearly room for improvement and I'm not trying to say that isn't needed...but this was a good team the Bears were facing last year, and given everything, the line held up OK.

I disagree that they played terrible. There was a huge difference between the performance of the line last week compared to the first half of last season.

I think if he were to reach free agency, D'Angelo Williams money would be there...but that'd be because he'd reached free agency. The Bears have every right to offer a lower amount if they're extending him before he hits FA and before they need to worry about any of the tags.

Do you guys think that the Bears made an unfair offer to him?

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I really think Tice's tools are better than most admit they are. They just need time now.

I think "average" is right where I'd grade the O-line. Definite breakdowns but survivable and room to grow.

If he's going to get to that kind of money he needs to play out most of the season and stay healthy.

The closer he gets to FA, the higher his market value will be, assuming he doesn't get hurt. Simply how it works. Bears have a market value offer on the table right now. He wants to get the money that a free agent RB got, he needs to get close to FA.

Now stop and think about this for a moment. The guy lining up across from Melton and the other DT's next week? Olin Kreutz.

Peppers had his moments. Single handedly caused the fumble that 'Lacher returned.

Philadelphia last year comes immediately to mind. Coming right in the middle of the "Vick is now totally unstoppable" press coverage, Bears came in and demolished the Iggles.

Somewhat dislike those 2 holding penalties down the stretch on Webb...but I think he might be in that boat where every mistake he makes now is a mistake he doesn't make later.

Has Khalil Bell outgained 2010 Chester Taylor yet?