madlithuanian

Well assessed... Really, the big Q is whether to ditch Webb for Spencer..

I just bought it!

Brilliant! LOVE IT!

I have to think coach got caught up in the game and running up the score w/o thinking about anything else. I do believe him when he says he thought Walter didn't think it was a big deal. He readily amits he was wrong, and it's his one big regret in life. There's no way he had any vendetta or anything... If McMahon was jawing at him to get Walter the ball, he probably just disnissed him as McMahon would dismiss Ditka. As a fan, I really don't care that he didn't score. In the big picture, it was Walter that virtually won the game. Had he not been the 100% focus of the Pat's D, there's no way Suhey, Jimmy, Willie and McKinnon get the big plays they got. I never for one second believed that he was anything but one fo the most integral pieces to our win in that game and every game he played in. Thankfully, by then, he had a great O Line, a respectable passsing attack and a ridiculously great defense. Stats are for the regular season. Winning is for the Super Bowl. Game won. Walter was one of the chief reasons for the win, score or not.

I do generally agree. But, my understanding of Martz and his past, including interviews and articles from current and former players, etc that his style is out for himself. To put up gaudy passing numbers, damn the torpedoes. He obviously did just that with the Rams, attempted, and did some with the Lions, and attempted and failed with the Niners. He's also pretty much attemtped and somewhat failed with the Bears. He tried, but then was reigned in most of last year. Only to see his plan in full mode in the last game of the season that could have KO'ed GB, and then in the NFC Championship game again. I believe it is fair to say that Martz wants to pass and pass his way. If given the chance, he will do just that. I believe that's exactly what happened Sunday. Yes he threw in runs. (And I think we both agree that the runs he chose were poor...) At the end the balance appeared there. But balance isn't needed. A win is. And by throwing in more passes than runs compared to the first half, Martz seemed to position the Bears into a role of quick 3 and outs, putting his QB in jeopardy of hits, and having the possibility of turnovers occur. Had he opted for more runs, like done with Carolina...the clock could have been used as one more weapon agasint Tampa. I get what your saying. But, as much as we like the term balance, the objective should be..."What is working?" Running to the edges with a fullback in place was working. More of that should have been utilized in the second half. While, most the time, balance is the objective...but if you are gashing runs, keep running. If you are hitting open WR's with no pressure on your QB, do that. It just so happens that this game called for more running than passing. And Martz played it even. Thankfully it wasn't more passing! Or we'd probably be 3-4...

It's all a gamble to an extent. Who knows, if they paid Johnson, and he went to camp, would he be truggling as much? We won't know. RB's shelf life these days do seem to be shorter than in season's past. It should be a concern. But paying anyone in pro sports is pretty much a gamble... Some bets are simply a little better than others.

Agreed. Yeah, I want to catch the Ditka one too!

I heard the guys on Trib Live say similar... I think it was Haugh that said, it's clearly angering Forte, who seems to be playing his heart out. Maybe that's pushing him...

Do we really know what was offered. counteroffered, and turned down? All we know is both sides could not come to terms. And regardless of the actual dealings, the Bears management is completely losing the PR battle on this. This isn't necessarily a good thing trying to bring new players in, etc.. Impressions are significant. We may have to overspend in the future by not spending now. Both in Forte's contract, and in trying to bring in future FA's. It's good to be smart with your money. But both the present and future need to be considered.

I think it stems from history. We Bears fans love our D and running backs. We conjure up images of Butkus, Singletary, Payton, Sayers... Now, here we have a nice young man that is lighting the league up, putting up numbers that would make Walter proud, and being a class act off the field. It's easy to understand, for me, why people want to lock him up. It is emotional, not a business thing. There are some x factors at play here. I can't recall a season where so many players are upset with their deals and situations. Does that start impacting play down the road? I'd hope not, but only time will tell. I get why JA is waiting. I also get why people are upset it's not getting done. I'm siding with Forte. I simply love Forte far more than I love JA.

You've spent a great deal of time defending Martz here. I think doth protest too much... I fully undertand your points, but I think you far too easily dismiss the arguments against. 1. Martz is a passaholic. So, for anyone to run to the response that he's passing too much is probably correct with or without statistical evidence. 2. Passing in the 2nd half as they did didn't pass the smell test. Clock needed to be run, the running game was working. The types of runs they used in the 2nd half were horrible. Where was Clutts? In the first half he was all over the place...blocking, catching passes, etc. Then, all of a sudden it's single back. Cutler's getting pressured, Forte is told to run inside w/o a lead blocker. Results are what would be expected. Did Cutler F up? Yup. Did Tampa's D pick it up. Yup. But the playcalls simply hindered what we are good at, instead of helping. Mark Twain said there are lies, damn lies and statistics. This is a pure case of that I think.

Green Bay's been on my nerves for over 4 decades...

Great points... I too am OK with keeping him as depth. I'm just not sure he's a conerstone as you say.

I think it's just a sprain...but could the clock be striking twelve already for them? They are worse than their record, and Philly is better. We will have our hands full for both games. But, both can be had.

Please share! I have no issue with that lineup right now...

I'm halfway through it after DVR'ing it... Amazing stuff. Hearing Ray Lewis talk about learning work ethic from Walter was quite impressive as one odd tidbit...

I'm not so much comparing Hester to Sayers...just saying, that in certain cases longetivy need not be a requirement for HoF. I simply stand by all my prior statements that I believe he should be, and will be, in the HoF...

You said it!

Well put!

5. The problem wasn't that a run was called. It was what kind of run. I barely saw the FB in any package in the 2nd half. Then is was all rush up the middle w/o a lead blocker. The results were as what one would expect. We rarely went outside and arely had a blocking FB. Good teams wear down bad ones. Even if thery new the run was coming, it still eats clock, you can still break one, and we all know the kind of results that happen when Martz gets pass happy... Balance. We had it in the 1st half. Lacked in in the 2nd. The results of which speak for themselves.

1. Agreed. Cutler admitted to having an off game. Hopefully, the time off can help him hone it a bit. 2. Agreed. Roy still had a drop...but he made up for it. Maybe he can get it going to continue to contribute weekly. 3. Yeah, Webb did not impress me. I think the staff needs to re-think hom, as minimum for next season. 4. See #3 above...another coaching love, but Melton has only shown up in one game all year. I think the experiment should be over. I have no issue brining him in to sub. But, now with Wootton coming back, he should see far less time. I didn't see Paea either... 5. BINGO! I was screaming at my TV yesterday. Why do we alwys get pass happy when things are going well running? We did it last year when we played GB twice. We almost blew it yesterday. The entire goal line debacle killed me... Martz need to go after this season. He will break our hearts sometime later this season. Listen to me now, believe me later. 6. Agreed. Philly is much better than their record. 7. Agreed. Conte could be a real pleasant surprise. Was it me, or does Chris Harris look really slow? He just is not moving fast in pass coverage...

I'd put him ahead of Rodgers. But, that's just out of pure hate! Although I think he could well be the best RB in the league... At least arguabley (sp?)

I think it's all a mixed bag. I've done my fair share of overseas travel. I never get hit going/arriving. I acclimate fast. Only one night of sleep and I'm normal. I only get hit coming back. It takes me almost a full week to get it back. To your point, I wonder if some of the 2nd half shoddy play was due to something... Everyone reacts to travel differently.

Sayers didn't have to do that. What Hester has accomplished even at this point is simply amazing.