balta1701-A

Considering how few quality unrestricted FA's there were on the market...I'm not sure anything would have been done with that money.

You may say I forget that, I really don't remember seeing it...and I'd contend that it might not have happened. My memory says that the early-season games where I saw Taylor, he was pretty ineffective also.

Link

I thought y'all were nuts for thinking that a 7-9 team last year would add Urlacher and Peppers and get worse. That said, at the start of the year, I'd have called it a success for the Bears if they made the playoffs, and a major success if they won the division. They did both. It'd just be disappointing now to be one and done...but I don't see how I could muster any anger over it.

You know, I'm not sure I saw the same thing as you. There were more than a handful of quick developing passes...but 2 things really hurt. First, Johnny Knox couldn't catch the ball if you handed it to him, and Cutler kept holding the ball way too long even on some of the short passes. The other thing that really hurt the ability of the Bears to push the run late in the game was the fact that they were actually short on clock their last 2 drives, and they started both of them inside their own 10.

With Ryan Grant and their TE healthy at the time as well

The offense really struggled in the 2nd half...with things that are correctable. That's one of the big reasons to keep everyone in.

I think the Packers are overrated, especially when it comes to the playoffs. I don't know if you can beat people in this year's NFC if you can't run the ball.

What an awful red zone series.

I'd do so selectively only. The full O-Line needs the reps. Cutler needs the reps with his WR's. The Defense clearly knows what it's doing. And I'd consider giving Chester Taylor most of the 2nd half. But in terms of pulling defensive starters...those guys clearly want this win.

I think Forte is now over 1000 rushing yards on the season.

The Bears defense has come out to play so far.

The Bears D is flat out outplaying the Packers O so far.

Solid strip by DJ Moore.

If the Bears are as up for this game as this gamethread is for today, then the Packers will be in the playoffs.

Since it's a division rival I figured this mattered enough for its own thread.

The Bears haven't had a #1 pick in 2 years now. Out of their last 5 years, they have their current starting Guard (struggles noted), their leader in receiving touchdowns in 2008, 2009, and tied for it in 2010 (Olsen), Jay Cutler, and a pick they traded to Buffalo that wound up netting then Daniel Manning.

Every GM strikes out more often than not.

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I don't know what the rules are going to be, but the Bears really ought to have the room to add someone this year, and they really ought to use it.

Game thread.

If there is such a thing as a free agency period next year...given that the Bears D is relying on a number of "win now before they're gone" type vets, the Bears would be silly to not try to address some of those positions through FA this year.

A normal person can't afford the kind of lawyer that could get them off from this sort of issue.

Really? At least in MLB, a person's character and off-field behavior certainly impacts voting and is an explicit requirement for voters.

If they'd suspended him without evidence that the texts were actually sent by him, he'd have a legitimate claim that he could challenge in arbitration by claiming that they weren't sent by him. In this case, I think that a fine for non-cooperation was all they could do. I don't think the commish has the power to suspend for not cooperating in an investigation, correct me if I'm wrong?