Pixote

I agree, this year they had him lined up too damn close to the line of scrimage. He was less effective because of this. I am sure if he could do so he would have a few choice words to say about Babich. I am sure he is frustrated as hell.

He is just frustrated like all the other players, coaches, & fans. He did not point the finger at one individual player. He did not identify any player by name. He is just saying he is tired of everyone pointing a finger at him as if it is his fault the entire defense played bad this year. Should he have said what he did, maybe not, but I do not see it as bad as many are reading it. In another thread it proclaims Urlacher said any one criticizing him does not know football. What he said is those people may not know our defense (meaning the way the schemes are called by the coaches). I agree. I have never seen Urlacher positioned so close to the line of scrimage on just about every single down. He usually, like all MLBs, plays 5 - 7 yrards off the line of scrimage, unless he is going to blitz. This is where he should be so that he can use his beggest asset, speed, and pursue the play. When he is forced to play 1-2 yrds off the line of scrimage in the gap between tackles it negates his ablity to use the speed he has. In the past he has always racked up a bunch of tackles, usually leading the team or maybe 2nd on the list. This year they change his positioning on plays and his performance suffered because of it. If it was Babich that did this, FIRE HIM. If it was the LBC that did this, FIRE HIM.

bowlingtwig, BearFan2000, & Madlithuanian, I have not forgotten you guys. I should have your prizes sent out this weekend. I have been under the weather lately and need to take care of some personal items but I assure you the gift certificates &/or monies will be sent out soon for your winning seasons in our Pick'em Pools. Sorry for the delay.

JC man, take it easy on an old man will ya. I turn 60 in a couple of weeks. I do not think my heart can take this wet dream. To have a staff like that, WOW. Fun to dream, but obviously never will happen. Shanahan will be a HC somewhere in 2009 unless he wants to take some time off. Johnson will never leave Philly unless it is for a HC job. Cowher from what I hear will not be coaching anywhere in 2009, he wants more time off. Excuse me while I take a shower and change my shorts.

I am thrilled JA is pissed. He has shown in the past he is not reluctant to fire coaches and cut players when they are not performing. It should be a very interesting off-season. The DB coach left in a hurry. I suspect there will be quite a few changes made between now and the draft. This could be a very interesting time for the members of the forum. I think we are going to have plenty to talk about, speculate on, and yes, disagreements will be plentiful, LOL.

The flaw in the logic of all of you talking about the changes in 2010 is: Why would we want to hire a new HC and bring in a new QB in 2010 after we win the Super Bowl in 2009 and Lovie is named HC of the year and Orton the Super Bowl MVP?

If he wants to go after a legitimate starting caliber #1 QB fine, but I am tired of washed up QBs being brought in as a stop gap solution. If Orton can develop into a solid starter, fine. If you want to bring in a legitimate starter, fine. I do not want a Garcia or Collins type of QB brought in. I want something more long term. I do not care if it is Orton, Hanie, or a 1st round pick. I just want a permanent soltion so that we can turn our attention to other needs like WR and OL.

Who the hell said that Hanie is not NFL worthy? That is unbievable that anyone would say that when the kid has not been given a chance to do anything except play a few snaps last preseason. I tell you what, he looked darn good to me, and I do not care if he was playing against 2nd or 3rd stringers. I am hoping he gets some time to show what he can do this year against 1st stringers. You can not say he is not NFL worthy after one year of being the #3. You can not dismiss him just because he was an UDFA. He may not be the answer to our QB situation, but do not completely dismiss him without giving him a chance to develop.

I liked Rivera a lot and did not like seeing him leave. However, I suspect the Chargers reached the playoffs not because of Rivera and their 25th ranked defense, but their 11th ranked offense, an extremely weak division, and QB Rivers throwing over 4000 yds.

So your saying we are only one WR away from having an effective WR corps? To be honest, I would have to agree with most articles we read on the net saying we not only do not have a legitimate #1 WR but have only marginal #2s. Most of our WRs, if not all, at this point in their careers would be considered no more than #3s on most teams, if that.

Noots, I just want to take a minute to thank you for including us in the list of sites you share your write ups with. Your work on these articles I am sure takes up quite a bit of your time. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that your articles are without a doubt some of the best on the net and very insightful. Now if we can just talk JA into giving you the HC job we might just have us another shot at the Super Bowl.

I was listening to the score on the way to pick up some meds and they were saying they would not be surprised to see Eric Mangini signed by the Bears. Now, they did not elaborate, just that it would not surprise them if Lovie went after him. It was not said but I assume as a possible DC. I am like most, Lovie wanted to sign Marinelli as DC when he first came to the Bears and now that he is available I would not be surprised if he came to the Bears. Yes, Detroit sucked, but it was pretty hard for him to build a decent defense in Detroit with a GM that only wanted to draft WRs, LOL.

Great job everyone! The winners for 2008 are: Pick'ems Contest Season Pools bowlingtwig takes 1st place, BearFan2000 2nd place, Madlithuanian 3rd place in the main pool! BearFan2000 wins the 2008 Margin Pool bowlingtwig wins the Survivor (had the longest streak of correct entries of the 3 players w/ 1 loss) In summary, bowlingtwig wins a total of $75.00, BearFan2000 gets $50.00 and Madlithuanian wins $10.00. Please send me an email with the email address you want me to send your gift certificates! j.w.sheridan@comcast.net Great job everyone! I can not begin to tell all of you how much I appreciate your supporting the contests I run annually. It means a lot to me and I am grateful for your participation!

sprout and Alaskan Grizzly take the honors for week 17 in our Pick'ems contest!! Congratulations!

I am not against bring in a UFA QB or even drafting on high in the draft. I do think Orton would be a good backup. I am not as confident he will be an elite starter. I do also think Hanie has a bright future but I am not sure when he will get a legitimate chance to start. Now if you are talking trading picks for a starting QB the only thing I have to say is "Rick Mieir" Besides, until we can get WRs who can gain separation and "catch" the ball, will we ever have a passing game to compliment Forte and our running game? How much can we expect from any QB with the WRs we currently have and the OL we have giving him protection? How much is this vacancy of Offensive talent on our team handcuffing Turner?

I agree. I am not sure if we would replace Babich. If a DC became available that fits into Lovie's defensive philosophy then I could see a possible change. However, would it really make a big difference if the same Cover 2 defense would be run? How much of the problem with our defense is the DC and how much is the scheme we are running? Until we solidify the personnel on the "O" I am not sure if we can properly evaluate Turner. Lovie has too much contract left to see him fired, IMHO.

Logic would say that TBB beats Oakland. However, reason would also say that the Bucs have been playing very poorly as of late. They have lost their last 3 games. Their defense has not played well. They lost their running game when they lost Graham for the season. In the meantime everyone says how great Houston is playing. However, the same team that everyone says TBB will kill just beat Houston last week 27 to 16. So is Houston & TBB as good as many are giving credit? I feel they are both good teams but both have shown to ber very vulnerable & capable of choking.

If we lose this game because of our inability to stop Andre Johnson it will not be because of Mike Brown's absence, it will because our CBs fail to cover or because they are asked to cover for too long do to no pass rush. Mike Brown's play has slipped considerably so I am not even sure he will be missed as much as usual in the run defense. I like Mike Brown and he is one of my favorite players but in reality he is not the player he was in the past.

Tillman & Graham need to be sharp and we need pressure on the QB. Mike Brown has never been a top cover Safety. His strength has been against the run. We have replacements who can stop the run. I use to think his leadership on the field was vital. After last week when it appears none of our Team Captains & Veterans stepped up in the first half and kicked some ass, I am not so sure he will be missed in that area either. I do not think M Brown's absence from the line-up changes the Texan's game plan at all.

The official site for the Bears has an article stating Mike Brown is now on the IR. Mike Brown Goes to IR, Worrell Takes His Roster Spot

The inability of the Bears defense to get off the field in 3rd and long situations bothers me more than anything else. I use to complain that our offense was our defenses worse problem, leaving them on the field too much with poor time of possession. This year, our 3rd down defense has been so pourous that I feel they themselves are their worse enemy. If we are to win this game it will be because we shut them down on 3rd and long. IMHO

Geeat to have you join us! We look forward to you input. I know we will have lots to talk about and discuss. Welcome aboard!

I would say that I am of the philosophy that you build a team from the trenches as a starting point. The Vikings Offensive line is far superior to ours. IMO The Vikings Defensive line is far superior to ours. IMO However, when you get beyond the lines, where are they better? I think Forte behind that line would be adding a lot of yardage to his already impressive total as a Rookie. He does not have the fumbling problem AP has. He is better blocking and picking up blitzes than AP. He is a better pass receiver out of the backfield than AP. He has shown to be more durable than AP. I will take Forte over AP, he is a much better all around player. WRs? I can not say I am impressed with the WRs on either team. As far as I am concerned both teams have below average talent at the position and no depth. TEs? I will take ours over the Vikings. QBs? It is a wash. I would take Orton & Hanie over Gus and Jackson, but that is MHO. Both have question marks at the position that may need to be addressed in the off season. Then we turn to Defense. Our LBs are far superior to the Vikings LBs. Our DBs are far superior as a unit to the Vikings unit. Special teams? We have one of the best in the league, if not the best. The Vikings STs suck. So, IMO, the Bears in total retrospective are a superior team personnel wise. Now coaching, that is a different story and one I will not get into in this post.

I still think St Clair is out of position and would be an excellent LG. I think Williams at LT, St Clair at LG, Kruentz backed up by Beekman. That leaves ROT & ROG. Bruening is an interesting option. However, I would like to see us draft an OG & OT to develop or start on the right side. Otherwise, get some experienced veterans on the FA market. With a solid OL we are 2 WRs away from having a good offense, assuming Orton is the answer at QB. (I still like Hanie )

I agree, but it is more than just Orton. I am more concerned over our defense. If they do not stop their rookie RB and keep their passing game to a minimum (we will never control it completely, they have some darn good WRs) then we are out of luck. Fortunately, they have a limited pass rush so Orton should have some time to throw and they have a QB who likes to throw picks so maybe we get an interception or two. Special teams will play a huge part in this game. Field position will be critical, as always.