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That would certainly be a REALLY good sign. I expect Bostic to challenge for significant playing time somewhere in the middle of the season, but if one of the rookies ascended quickly that would certainly be good news. It's interesting too, because the new LBs, rookies and veterans alike, will be learning the new 1 gap fronts, so there's no normal advantage to the free agents that most incumbent starters would have in terms of familiarity with the calls etc. They're all starting from scratch. It'll just be about physicality and tempo, getting used to the NFL. I hope so, I expect he will be. Who KNOWS? He was an undersized rookie that needed to hit the weight room. It'll be interesting to see where he is at this year physically, and if he has improved his handwork, to present more than just a spin move as a valid threat. He ought to be phenominal in it. *IF* he buys into the progressions that Trestman shows him. If he insists on being his own man back there playing sandlot football, he ought to have enough weapons to do decently at that, but he won't dominate, and he won't be back either. For Cutler, the excuse for freelancing has always been that the talent and scheme around him were sub par. This is obviously no longer the case. If he buys in and is willing to subvert his ego to Trestman, he ought to do VERY well. It is also possible that Cutler will UNDERSTAND the value of Trestman's approach and buy into it, in which case his ego and the plan will also be in alignment. YES. He got Steve Young and Jerry Rice's respect. He got Rich Gannon and Tim Brown's respect. THe only player it is a question of might be Jay Cutler, and I think the situation there is backwards. Will Cutler get Trestman's respect, or will he be gone after this year. I hope it's a pass rusher! Yup can't wait. Good post.

Jason, that's ridiculous. Everyone could see you were fighting an insane point in the recent thread that you're referring to because you can never be wrong. If you, or anyone wants to go back and read it, it's pretty clear I was as emotional then as I am now, which is to say not at all. Secondly, you're behaving inappropriately in this response as well, because you're still butt hurt about it. Third, you are only making yourself look bad here as well. In a completely non gratuitous way, not meant as an insult, but quite literally - maybe you should consider therapy.

LOL

Actually, scs, from the cheap seats it seems you're the one throwing stuff around. There are a couple hotheads on this board, you might not know it, but you're one of them. Just chill, we're all Bears fans.

Don't forget, we don't need him - we have Black Unicorn!! For real tho, we're going to really like Bennett at TE.

The Chicago Bears website has a video series called "Inside Rookie Minicamp" and today they released the 3rd episode. http://www.chicagobears.com/multimedia/vid...camp_Episode_3/ The reason for this post is that I saw two things I'd been curious about, back to back. For one I was hoping that the staff would continue Lovie's tradition of considering incomplete passes to be live balls. If you look at the video at 4:15 you can see that they are clearly doing that. I think it goes a long way toward making turnovers a cultural priority, and also practicing the mechanics of scooping up fumbles and coordinating blocking etc for runbacks. Fantastic. Then, as a bonus, almost immediately after that clip we see Trestman chewing out one of the new Rookie Linebackers. This was great to see, becasue until that moment I had only seen the calm, under control version of Trestman, and I wondered if he had the fire and the alpha leadership chops that I like to see in a head coach. Based on what I saw, he does. I remain extremely optimistic about this staff and roster. Yes I think there will be growing pains, it would be insane to think there wouldn't be, but we are on the right track now, and I expect we will see a good football team continually improving into a championship one under Trestman's watch. Thank you Phil Emery!!!!

LOL Jason, arrogant as ever. No one preaches getting into a gap and stopping. Getting into the gap means getting pressure. It means NOT stopping to read run. The 2 gap, on the other hand, allows linebackers to read and flow, so in fact, no, a 2 gap front is less likely to suffer from assignment errors against the run. In other words "get the ball carrier" is easier to remember than which gap is yours on a given play. As for not comprehending the discussion, it is you that called out MY use of the word, and since I both started the thread, AND know precisely what *I* meant when I used it, you therefore must be incorrect. The idea of Lovie playing for an opponent's mistake, rather than to take chances is more about the coverage we play behind the fronts. You're correct in identifying the cover 2 that way. But you're still missing the main point here. And frankly, I think I've made it clearly enough that anyone else reading it can understand the point, and so we can all watch for those missed assignnments in preseason, and early games. As for you Jason, there are many decaffinated brands that taste almost as good as the real thing.

Whatever, you're simply making a stupid semantic argument about the word aggressive. When I say aggressive in this case, I simply mean whether the defensive lineman get upfield on first down, or whether they hold their positions to play 2 gaps until the play is identified as a pass. I'm not talking about the roster, blitzing, coverage, the rhythm of the playcalling, the faces people make or whether they bark. If you cant understand the difference between a 1 gap front and a 2 gap front then you don't know much about football. My point remains: a 1 gap front requires gap discipline that a 2 gap front doesn't, and until that's solid, expect to see some plays go against us. I reiterate, I am thrilled with the roster changes, and expect the defense to play very well once they get their assignments. Until then, expect to see the same thing we saw when Urlacher and Brown had their first year in the system.

In a 2 gap scheme the DTs try to hold their position and play the gaps on either side of them. In a 1 gap scheme they get upfield immediately. I think you are confusing the concept of zone coverage behind the front with the gap scheme. In a 2 gap scheme, like the ravens ran in 2000, the big guys take up the blockers and the LBs roam. That means three levels of defense. In our scheme, 8 men have gap responsibilities, and the first layer after that is the safeties. It puts more pressure on the front to maintain gap discipline. Either scheme can be "aggressive" in nature, but a 2 gap DT does not get upfield into the backfield - it's not his job.

I agree, I like the defensive roster much better this year than last year. My only point is that it takes a while to learn the one gap system, and until it's firmly in place, we will see a bunch of 8 yard runs. That's OK - it's worth it. It's just what's going to happen, and something to watch for.

Even the new veterans didn't play one gap fronts before. I am optimistic about the defense over time, but in the beginning, gap responsibility will probably not be as good as it will once they get going. This is the downside of a one gap front, and it's fine. I LIKE the one gap front, but yes, there will be growing pains. Something to watch in preseason, and the first half of the regular season. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm ALL for the new changes. I'm just saying, based on history, this is what's going to happen.

Dude. You have 4 new LBs and a DT learning it for the first time. Urlacher, Mike Brown etc struggled the first year because unlike 2 gap systems, there is no room for mental errors. In a 2 gap system, athleticism can make up for a missed first step, or a misread hole. In this scheme, when everyone's doing it right, it can be incredibly effective, but if even 1 of the front 8 get in the wrong hole, youve got an 8 yard run. So given that we saw a lot of those in Lovie's first year, it is a legitimate concern.

Yes, overall the new talent will be a good thing, but it will take a while to instill gap discipline.

Hey Guys, I'm very optimistic about our new staff and roster. I've been hoping for something like this, and it seems to me that they are doing all the right things. That said, I do expect the defense to take a step backward this year. Our "Cover 2" defense should probably be called a "One Gap" defense, since it's more about the front than the coverage behind it. Our aggressive scheme asks defensive linemen to get into their gaps and get upfield. This leaves 4 other gaps for LBs and a Safety to be responsible for. Unlike a 2 gap front, where players hold position, and linebackers roam behind like little safeties, our system thrives on upfield pressure, but gap responsibility it KEY. When even one man in out of position, a runner can rip through to the secondary easily. You will recall Lovie's first year where opposing running back routinely ripped off 5 to 8 yard runs against us. I expect we will see some of that as the front learns their assignments. I do like the one gap scheme. It just requires discipline and experience to run it right. It may take a moment to get it together, but all in all I do prefer it, and hope to see them settle into familiar patterns of success after a while. How long that will be remains to be seen. Also, Love preached turnovers. In training camp incomplete passes were live balls. I hope that continues. Don't get me wrong I was thrilled to see Lovie go. Still I know there will be things we lose with him, and gap responsibility will be one of the big ones to watch. Even if it isn't so good at first, over time it can get better, just as it did under Lovie. Anyway, that's something to watch with our new LBs. GO Bears!

Love it. It's time that we instilled a culture of excellence. I am so happy Emery is free early in the Trestman era to make mistakes and try things. I'm so glad to see that they aren't afraid to demand accountability. They aren't operating conservatively from fear, they are operating aggressively with an eye on winning. I'm liking what I see.

LOL seriously? I read some pretty dumb stuff on this board, but wow. Just Bushrod, Slauson and Bennett alone make this season a success in terms of Free Agents.

I sure as hell hope we're not drafting Te'o

He seemed massively insecure. There is a huge wall up with this guy, and I don't like it. I don't think he's going to make it in the NFL.

Speaking of Playmakers, Manti Te'o was on NFL Network Playmakers and I want him less than ever. Please no.

OR if Trestman really is a QB genius, maybe he brings in a player and molds him into something even better.

I think the good GMs try to take the best player available rather than using the draft to fill holes. It's not as if there is equal talent available at all positions, so if you use position to make your selection, odds are you didn't take the most talent you could have. Emery has put us into a position where we can take literally ANY position. GREAT. The discussion here about what position to fill sounds like Angelo think.

No'o

From what I see in the draft, I dont want or expect a QB either. What I'm saying is that I'm not Marc Trestman. If I'm the GM and Trestman tells me theres a QB that has what he needs to be the next legendary QB, then I think we're in a position where we COULD take him. To my eyes, I like Cutler, but I see he has some flaws and if even Trestman can't get him to cut it out, being that this is the last year of his deal, and we didn't extend it, I'm saying, maybe they have something in mind. I think at this point they've earned the benefit of the doubt, so whatever they do, even if it's a surprise to us, I'll be optimistic.

Jay Cutler has a lot of talent, but I'm not sure he will ever reach his potential. Also, this is the last year on his contract. Now, don't get me wrong, Im all in on Cutler, and would LOVE to see him dominate and bring a super bowl victory to Chicago. But Trestman knows QBs, and if he sees someone in this draft that he thinks is the man, I would not mind seeing him take that QB in the 1st round, to play behind Cutler for a year. Since we've plugged most of our needs via short term free agency, and are free to take any player on the board, IF Trestman thinks his guy is there, I wouldn't be bothered a BIT to see him take that player with the 20th pick. We could literally take ANY position with our first pick. Nice.