AZ54

I suspect a lot of QBs have or give input on which WR they like, just not a lot of Bears QBs. In our storied history it has typically been the other way around where the WR were the ones giving input on the QBs. My opinion is that I have no problem with Cutler having input. I also agree that he does not have final say on the roster, nor do I think he's trying to imply that he wants that. The point about the need to develop rookies who have more talent but less experience and may not perform as well early on is a valid one IMO. I think in this case (Davis vs. Aromashodu) Cutler himself is also looking down the road.

Just a thought here but with all the upbeat chat about Rideau and Aromashodu playing so well it's obvious Rashied Davis has not stood out in camp. Reality is that QBs decide where they are throwing the ball. Of course if the OC doesn't like the reads the QB is taking some risks but right now Cutler isn't worried about his job security. I'm just wondering if Cutler sees the athletic ability and potential of a guy like DA and is he just giving him as many chances as possible to make him successful at the expense of Rashied Davis? Consider that we have so many inexperienced WR and Davis knows our system very well. You'd think this situation would lead to Davis standing out early in camp while others struggled to get their routes and timing down. That hasn't been the case, and I've not heard much about dropped passes from Davis although I'm certain he's dropped some based on his history. Add in that we've put Davis back at the slot position where he supposedly plays well. Rideau has been around a couple years so he knows the system and has shined at times but DA just showed up after kicking around the league for a couple years. I don't want to take credit away from either of these young WR because many people have seen them making plays in camp, I'm just wondering if Cutler hasn't quietly opened the door a bit more for these guys to standout. Today at the post-practice press conference he stated that he'd like to have input into which WR make the team but that might not be the case. Regardless he said he'd speak his mind and that he and Turner are pretty much on the same page. Last year we heard all about how Davis was primed for a breakout season. It never materialized. Of course he was going against what proved to be a weak secondary and likely that helped him. OTOH did Orton have a comfort zone and trust with Davis that Cutler simply doesn't have? This thread is not about which WR make the roster rather it's about how Cutler is using his leadership and influence to shape the roster. I don't mean to imply he's doing it in a selfish way, I feel he has the team's best interest in mind. Whether he is right or wrong is debatable. If in fact there has been some early favoritism toward a new guy versus the veteran Davis how is this perceived in the locker room? I know when they were on the radio Olsen agreed with Cutler that DA was really standing out but Olsen and Cutler are pretty good friends so it's not a big surprise they'd agree like that. IMO it seems we're beginning to see the vocal Jay Cutler who often spoke his mind on the sidelines as well as in public. How will the team and coaching staff respond?

I would certainly like to have a FS with good speed in this defense. Yes, it's often a zone scheme but the weaknesses of that zone are in places where a guy with speed can still make the play. Danieal Manning would be a great fit for us except for his poor angles and weakness in reading the play. Some better more physical tackling would be nice to see too. I think Afalava is set to standout this preseason simply because he has good (not great) speed and hits like a ton of bricks. We all like those hits. Not saying he's a starter for us just that he'll open some eyes in these games.

How about this one: Fontel Mines out for the season with torn ACL http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/08/ti...es_out_for.html

Via Twitter and Vaugh McClure: http://twitter.com/vxmcclure23 Why would the redskins let aromashodu go? about 1 hour ago from web The other devin looking better by the day. about 1 hour ago from web

Perhaps there's some truth that but I'd have to see data on other teams turnover at these positions. The NFL is tough and these are the smaller players in a physical game. WR tend to be bigger (6' and over) but CBs tend to be smaller (5'9"- 6') because they need to change direction quickly. Tillman and Vasher might be nearing their expiration date but I think they have a couple more good years left. At least I hope they do. You are right, JA is always throwing more late round picks into the mix, he definitely prefers the numbers game with DBs. This year we got Afalava late.

I remember that joke, I laughed when I read it. I think Rashied has got better after his first year but not enough. He's not very big so speed is his main asset but he doesn't have any shiftiness to go with it. When you have a little WR you expect him to make some plays on his own and that's rarely the case with Davis. In either case I totally agree we know exactly what we have with him and there just is no upside. If these young guys perform close to what he does then I think we need to go in that direction regardless of the loss of experience. Special teams will be a factor but in the end you have WRs on the team to catch passes on offense, not to tackle on kickoffs. Translation: Teach someone else how to play on special teams. It's going to be interesting to see how the young guns play in the preseason games and when exactly they get in the game.

That'll work for me too! Thanks

You were already seeing it back then and Rashied Davis didn't make your list!

I have no problem if McBride doesn't make the cut. I think we know what he is and if someone beats him out then we're a better team. Steltz hasn't shown enough for me to think differently of him either but I think he's in a safer position than McBride is.

I don't know where you get the info on who is playing at what spot but there has to be someone else lining up in the slot in practice besides Davis. Before I get going on Davis I'll add that I like the fact the team is limiting what the rookies have to learn, at least so far. Why can't Hester move inside to the slot on some plays? They say Hester knows 110 routes now and I've already seen him there in practice so why not in games? Olsen lines up there on some plays too, and he also lines up wide (thus putting Hester in the slot). We plan to use a lot of two TE sets this year like we did last year. Bennett knows how to line up in the slot too. I don't even see why Iglesias couldn't be our slot WR, he's supposed to be quick in/out of his cuts and his size can handle the linebacker/safety hits better but even if he comes in the game you can move Bennett inside. I question just how badly we need Davis "the slot receiver"? Saying Davis is good in the slot is a relative term. He's better in the slot than he is out wide but in either case he's always had a case of the drops, there's just fewer of them inside. It might come down to keeping Rashied or Knox. We all thought experience would be the factor keeping Rashied there (myself included) but I don't see us able to protect Knox on the practice squad. He has too much potential IMO to lose him so therefore it becomes a decision of do we really need Davis for just one more year at the risk of losing a promising young talent? I need to see how well Bennett is doing, along with Rideau and Aromashodu but if they are playing well in the end I don't see Davis making a difference in our W-L record and so I cut him. That statement doesn't mean Knox will make a difference this year either, but next year I think he will.

I can't really answer your question. I said many times it wasn't that Orton was publicly misbehaving, rather that he admitted he didn't dedicate himself the way he needed to. Here's one more link to once again show that he transformed himself entering the 2007 season and began to outperform Griese. I just can't find the article where he stated his change in attitude. Regardless it was obvious the difference in him from the start of the 2006 season to the start of 2007 season and everyone noticed it. Other than that we're going to have to agree to disagree. Lately Graham has been saying that he doesn't care where he plays he just wants to get on the field. I'm hopeful he's back on track to become a key member of our secondary. http://www.wearethepostmen.com/2007/08/02/...aster-stronger/ ************************************************************************* Although it’s early in training camp, Orton has in the eyes of many observers outperformed Griese, the veteran brought in last year in part because the organization wasn’t completely convinced Orton was capable of being a long-term NFL quarterback. Orton remade himself physically over the course of the last year. He dropped not only weight but also the bitterness he felt over being demoted from a rookie starter in 2005 for 15 games, 10 of them victories, to little more than insurance, inactive for all 19 games in the Bears’ extended 2006 season. Instead, he worked his way into what he says is the best shape of his life and rededicated himself in the Bears’ off-season programs. And while coaches will make no predictions on the depth chart at this juncture, Orton has played his way into a competition that a year ago seemed to have left him behind, possibly for good.

I don't know any Bears fans that are upset at or make fun of Denver. More typically it's the opposite, we thank them for the Pro Bowl QB every opportunity we get. I don't know anyone really beating down Orton either other than to call him out for his shortcoming on the deep routes. Maybe this guy is reading too many high school message boards.

It appears it was Aromashodu day in the media: http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=5995 http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/be...tler-10.article http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune....o-bowl-qbs.html

I don't know how someone gets body fat down to 1.5% other than starvation. More impressive is his increased knowledge. When you step back and look at what Turner might be doing I'd say we're going to have both Olsen and Hester lining up all over the field and running routes all over the field. No longer will personnel dictate what type of play we're going to run. Don't forget that Earl Bennet had to learn the entire playbook last year as well. It could be tough for a defense to figure out and should create some nice mismatches.

Finally a little love for Graham. The best part of this article is: http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=5991 ******************************************************************************** ***** The 2007 fifth-round draft pick insists that he doesn’t have a preference in terms of a position. “To be honest, I want to play wherever I can get on the field,” Graham said. “If it’s nickel, safety … I’ll play defensive tackle if I can play in a game. I just want to go out there, do what they ask me to do and just continue to be a team player. You just want to play and get better.” ******************************************************************************** ***** That's exactly how he needs to approach all this shuffling around. Hopefully he continues to settle into the nickel role. If he can solidify that spot for us it would be huge in terms of our depth. It would keep DManning at FS full time which I think helps him out mentally (he needs that). On top of that we'd have Bowman as our backup CB behind Tillman and Vasher, so far that looks to be like pretty good depth. Then we'd have DJ Moore battling with McBride for the 5th spot. Woodny Turenne might be in that mix too. Over at safety Afalava is starting to show up and appears to be on the radar for a roster spot.

Good then you can update that photo of Cutler to one of him in his Bears uniform.

So was Cutler and the offense that good or is our D that bad? With Tillman and Bowman out I'm taking the latter with some "Cutler is that good" thrown in.

That's actually video from across the entire first week of practice. It is good to watch because they keyed on certain players in each segment. In other words you'll see about 5 or 6 plays in row of Earl Bennett, then 5 plays of Rideau, etc.

Definitely seems like Knox is facing a steep learning curve/adjustment. No suprise considering where he played but it's still very early in camp so I'm holding out hope for him to come along better after he has a couple preseason games behind him. If he doesn't get it I can see him on IR because I don't think we'd be able to keep him on our practice squad. The downside of course is that players on IR can't practice (unless they're on the Patriots) and that's not helpful. Lately there seems to be more positive vibes about Iglesias getting comfortable with the offense.

Today in the post practice interview Cutler again mentioned Aromashodu as a WR who was played well. Aside from Cutler I haven't heard many others mention him and now Cutler's done it twice this week and today specifically said he needs to get some time in with the 1's. For Cutler to come out and say he needs to get some time with the 1's is a pretty good sign of his progress. All the talk has been about Rideau stepping up this year and that's good. I'd like to hear any feedback on Aromashodu from those who've been to camp or attended today's practice at Soldier Field. Is this guy looking like someone who might make the final roster?

I think it means we keep throwing darts at developing players hoping one hits the bullseye. I don't see this guy as anything more than a potential practice squad player.

Not ahead of myself at all, that's why I said I want to catch the first preseason game to see for myself.

It's simple, you state that Brown's leadership and ability to get players in the right spot was why we needed him on the field. Yet he failed in that responsibility on that last play. Atlanta had two plays they could do ... 1) run or pass for a TD or .. 2) throw a 15-20 yard pass and go out of bounds leaving time to kick a FG. They had no timeouts. While he had to protect the middle first, Brown should have been cheating a couple more steps toward the sideline knowing he's too slow to get there from where he was. Being a couple more steps toward the sideline might have given up more yardage on an over the middle catch but so what, he had 35 more yards to give up and another safety back there to give chase. Give up another 10 or 15 yards wouldn't have mattered because with time running out they wouldn't have gotten the kick off in time. I see Brown failing at getting his fellow DBs aligned properly which was supposed to be his strength and main reason we had him on the field. I see Brown failing to get outside fast enough to breakup the pass. The coaches threw Hamilton under the bus but left Brown alone. Later they moved him back to SS. I do believe I am the only Bear fan blaming Brown for that play but watching highlights of it over the summer hasn't changed my mind. I also blame the DBs coach, Defensive Coordinator, and head coach for this failure. Who does a pooch kick to give a team good field position like that? Anyway, too many bad memories from last season but on a positive note it was for a worthy cause because it ended up in Jay Cutler wearing a Bears uniform. No pain no gain.

Totally enjoyed listening to that last night. It was funny all the way through. Felt like drinking a beer with those guys by the time it was done. From a football perspective the one thing that caught my attention was the props they gave to Devon Aromashodu. Beyond Cutler and Olsen talking about him I haven't heard much else but it's interesting to note that with Rideau making waves in camp Davis is getting pressure on the depth chart. Rideau is not going to be our slot WR and that's where Davis is so these two are not necessarily in direct competition. We have Iglesias who is coming on lately and making some good plays. He has good quickness, could he play the slot? Knox also appears to be a slot WR type. Need some preseason games to be sure but it appears we've seen enough good things from Knox to think he'll make the final roster. At this point I doubt we'd be able to protect him on our practice squad. For the slot role we also have Hester. We already know that Olsen will be lining up wide in some formations with Hester moved to the slot. While the slot may not be Hester's primary role it seems clear he's going to take some reps there. I've felt we'll keep 6 WR due to the inexperience we have on the roster and that likely meant Davis was assured a spot. However, with Rideau and possibly now Aromashodu making some noise is a bubble forming underneath Rashied Davis? I'm no longer sure the slot role is enough to save his roster spot, so it may well come down to special teams contributions where he should have an advantage.