madlithuanian

If you go, I can point you to some great bars and restaurants...

I've been to the Cowboys and Chargers. The Cowboys in the 70's-80's were pretty tame in Thousand Oaks, CA. Recently, they had camps in Oxnard, CA and I went to those (when Parcells was coach - it was fun to see him and A-Train at the time...). By then, they did a good job of keeping the fans happy. The Chargers had just about nothing when I saw them in LA. However, player access was pretty good. I just have a very fond memory of Doug Flutie going and signing every single kid's autograph and talking to each one fore like 5 minutes. Flutie was super classy. His time with the Bears rubbed off... Sadly, I've never been to a Bears camp. I'd love to sometime...

Agreed. Whether we've seen it before or not, it needs to be.

Because we're bored...

Khalil. It's a passing league...we could use the stud protector for Jay. We can find an ample running game elsewhere.

Disagree. Melton has done it before. It's not like switching Hester to O. Anything that could help us get in the end zone easier is fine by me. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If it works, keep it up. If not, scrap it and move along. It's not a big enough gamble/risk to not try it. yes, the law of averages dictate that it probably won't work well enough... But, I'm just not really seeing that much of a downside to trying it.

+ the media and some fans in general just don't like him.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/...id-running-back

Thanks for sharing the article...

I'm not sure it's worse than domestic abuse...the potential is there certainly. But, I follow your train of thought regardless...

Thanks for posting that Pix. Here's hoping that efforts on the front end pay off on the back end. Both financially and productively.

Only time will tell, but the biggest difference between JA and Emery is that JA liked drafting athletes, and Emerey appears to like drafting football players. I prefer the latter all else being equal.

I suppose bullet dodged...

Seriously. I think just about everyone benefits from having Marshall here, including fans!

It's just interesting that they have him as our #2... Not saying he isn't. Just sayin'....

Interesting... especially their take on Jeffrey...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/...ng-me-positive/ Johnny Knox praises Hester for “keeping me positive” Posted by Mike Florio on May 31, 2012, 5:53 PM EDT AP As MDS has pointed out, Bears receiver Devin Hester is paying close attention to Brandon Marshall. But Hester has paid a different kind of attention to teammate Johnny Knox, and Knox is forever grateful for it. Knox praised Hester on Wednesday for showing true concern for Knox in the difficult months since Knox suffered a severe spinal injury during a December 2011 game. “Devin has done a great job of keeping me positive,” Knox said, via Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune. “He has been more worried about my health than if or when I am going to return to the field. That means a lot to me — that he is more concerned about my health than when I am going to play again.” Hester nearly broke down when talking about Knox on Wednesday. “It’s hard because I see Johnny every day, even on the weekend,” Hester said. “It hurts me because we’re real close. I do get real emotional because he’s like a little brother to me.” Part of the support includes helping Knox deal with the things he needs to do to get back to playing condition. “I know he gets tired of the rehab because it’s the same thing every day,” Hester said. “You can tell he gets frustrated here and there because it seems like it’s not working. But at the same time, it’s going to be a miracle to get him back normal. . . . I’m going to stick with him, encourage him and make sure that he doesn’t give up.” Knox appreciates that. “Devin has been there for me on and off the field throughout my career,” Knox said. “He’s someone I’ve always looked up to since the first day I got here. He is someone I truly trust as a friend.” Hester also finds motivation in Knox’s struggle. “Days when I don’t feel like doing anything, I kind of just sit back and look at Johnny,” Hester said. “And I’m out here complaining about practice when here’s a guy right now who wishes he could practice, let alone play in a game? “I see what Johnny’s going through and I say to myself, ‘That could have been me.”’ Though Knox endured an injury that should happen to no football player, he’s fortunate to have a teammate like Hester. Here’s hoping that they’ll both be on the field again soon.

I couldn't resist dragging you into this!

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/...-terrell-owens/ IFL team dumps Terrell Owens Posted by Mike Florio on May 29, 2012, 6:50 PM EDT Getty Images Receiver Terrell Owens can’t get back in to the NFL. And now he’s out of the IFL. The Allen Wranglers have announced that Owens has been released. It’s hardly an amicable split. The statement takes multiple shots at Owens for not having the right level of commitment. “Our fans are amongst the best in the league and it is impossible to maintain a player when even our fans notice and comment on a player’s lack of effort both on and off the field,” owner Jon Frankel said. “We need to do what is best for this team, our fans and this community.” Team president and co-owner Tommy Benizio chimed in, too. With gloves fully off. “It is difficult to look other players on this team in the eyes and tell them that being a team player is important . . . that giving it your all on the field every night is our expectation, when another member of this team is not operating by these standards,” Benizio said. ”The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for Mr. Owens was his no-show to a scheduled appearance at a local children’s hospital with other Wrangler players and coaches. It is not the desire of the Allen Wranglers’ organization to disappoint fans by having our most notable player miss a scheduled appearance.” Owens signed a much-hyped deal with the Wranglers, giving him a piece of the team. But it paid Owens only for home games. His participation in road games hinged on the willingness of the other team to sweeten the pot. For the season, Owens appeared in eight games, catching 35 passes for 420 yards and 10 touchdowns. And so likely ends the football career of Terrell Owens. Unless he can successfully find a way to blame this on the media. Or at least to blame someone other than himself.

Sorry. Cutler is the Bears offense. This isn't 1985. QB's rule the NFL now. You need a solid RB to win, but you need an amazing QB. Thankfully, we have that. We really don't know what Forte is demanding and what the Bears are offering. So, I'm just going to not worry about it until something concrete comes out. I'm going to hope that Matt signs the tag and plays the full season. Maybe he sits until week 10, but he'll be hurting himself financially, letting his teammates down and potentially making himself less attractive once he does eventually become a FA or a trade possibility. I love Matt. But, like many, I worry about his durability at this point, when the downward spiral hits, and why he can't find the end zone with tough short yards. To me, it just looks like an eventual parting of the ways. Things can change, but that how I'm seeing it. I think we have him for 2 more seasons at best. I see us addressing it in next years' draft. The good thing is at least Matt will get 2 SB championship rings before he leaves for Washington...

Great analysis. Makes perfect sense to me.

Do you honestly feel the loss of a barely useful Okoye is that big of an impact? Maybe we didn't like his effort. Maybe he was a dick in the locker room. With regard to a so-so player, I"m going to give the benefit of the doubt to management. If this were Idonije even, I'd feel more like you do. Okoye simply is not all that. We are locked in with Paea and Melton. Toe and a few others will rotate. Sorry, but if our D fails, none of the blame will be because we did not bring back Okoye.

Hester should thrive a la Ron Harper from Dallas. Given the greatness of Marshall, Hester should be more open more often. By his lonesome, Hester can't do it. Just like Harper proved... Totally different players/styles. But I expect somewhat similar results.