'TD'

It was a drunken rant. It was basically me trying to say this team sucks, yet their record is near tops in the league. Seeing them play sure doesn't seem like it, and the progress towards a better team will probably not happen soon with them winning. It's very likely this will be the worst 4-1 team I have ever seen after this week. Carolina is horrible. The only coach I feel like giving props to is Marinelli(sp.) Lovie and Bablich took turns trying to call plays the last couple years and couldn't do it, but he is doing a much better job then them.

Cutler won't play, per the score and zack zaidman or however you spell it.

The Bears are tied for best record in the NFC and a half a game back over all. Yet, it feels like they are the 0-16 detriot lions from a couple years back, exceot feeling like next year will be the same coaches and front office. It just don't feel like leading the league and makes me sick looking forward to next year.

Just figured I'd see if anyone would be in the chatroom for the games this year http://pub25.bravenet.com/chat/show.php/2092760412

x

To start off with, 7-9 sucks. You end up with crappy draft picks, you get a harder schedule than if you lost more, and it's not near good enough to be in the play offs. This team only won 7 games by luck, they really should have been a 5 win team at most. I honestly think the team is significantly worse this year than last, that's just opinion, but for the Bears NFL did improve. Going into last season, the Bears were supposed to have the easiest schedule. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d80fb...a-grain-of-salt This year the Bears season is significantly harder= the NFL improved from a Bears prospective .

If he was proven enough to be trusted, he would have been hired to run offenses that weren't bottom of the barrel. I mean the Lions = horrible when he came in, San Fran = Horrible when he came in, the Bears last year = horrible. If he is taking those gigs, it's just desperate teams taking a gamble on his St. Louis days and the good teams don't want him.

I know it all don't matter, just something for me to write on the board, cuz I can't think of much else. What can you say about this team, anyways... Honestly, I am not sure if we put Urlacher on the block that he would get one offer. Thing with Urlacher is the contract. Even without the cap, that is a lot of money to eat, and I just question whether a team would do it, especially with the injury issues. That's assuming that he would keep the contract in the trade. A lot of veterans want that chance to win a ring. Given the state of the team, Urlacher may think he won't have that chance by the time he retires. If there is a competitive out there that sees him as a missing piece, it may be a marriage made in heaven. Urlacher possibly taking a pay cut to have a chance at a championship. Atlanta did give a 2nd round pick last year for an almost 33 year old Tony Gonzo at the time. Again, don't see it. What has he done as a return man in the last two years? Nothing. Hard enough to get teams to give up quality picks for a good/great return man, but for one who hasn't done well in several years? He ain't did crap imho. I just could see him having some value. Look at all the Bears 3rd and 4th round busts of late. I know other teams may not have had as bad of luck, but you never know what you are going to get there. Would you rather take that gamble on an unknown player in the draft, or someone you saw do amazing things a couple years ago until his team tried to switch things up. I could easily see a team giving a 4th for Hester. The 3rd was allowing for a desperate team or crazy coaches/gm's like ours that thinks he's a starter. Out of 32 teams, got to be one other out there right? Tillman was just demoted by the team. He has dealt with numerous injuries over the last few years. He is more a system player as he doesn't have the speed to play man, meaning the group of teams who "may" like him would be smaller. [/b] Demoted, injuries, nearly dying kids, the guy has had a couple of rough years. The simple fact is tho, he is still a starting CB on this team. A solid starting CB is worth a 4th round pick. Heck people defended getting Ricky Manning Jr. to be the teams nickel back a few years ago for a 3rd. Tillman forced 6 fumbles last year (3 in a game) and had a couple picks (one of which went for a TD). Not to mention, the 3 FF and and Int for a TD games last year were on national prime time football. Likely nothing as many expect him to be cut. Agreed, I couldn't have seen anything for Wolfe. If someone saw some potential tho, and suspected some competition signing him, then that conditional 7th round pick thing is used a lot by teams. Actually think it possible we could get a 4th. He has played well, is still young, contact isn't bad. He is likely the most tradable of the bunch. Still wouldn't do it, but just talking trade value. I just don't see it. I think he would have been gone if the Bears could have gotten a fourth before/during the draft. They may not want to get rid of him now after seeing him in camp and making plans on how to use him this season. I just don't don't see them not wanting to get rid of him now for a 4th means that other teams would be willing to pay that price or the 4th. Over all, I don't see anyone on the team that is tradable that is worth trading. We just disagree on their value to other teams.

I would go a round higher, but your right, the value isn't there. I could see no one trading for Harris more than a 6th. He hasn't did much, and soon as he up for trade, people will know he is on the market soon. Urlacher I could see getting a 4th from the right team in need. Hester, I could see maybe a 3rd under the right situation, but most likely a 4th at most. It'd have to be a team in desperate need of a returner and WR's. Tillman I could see easily get a 4th. He's not great in my eyes, but he seems to have a good rep in the league and respect. Teams always need CB's. Wolfe, I couldn't see more than a 7th round conditional pick on him making that team's roster. Olsen, I think the highest teams supposedly offered for him before the draft was a 5th. I'd say it'd probably be the same, if not lower, since those same teams drafted TE's.

just holler at me if you need another, travd6@yahoo.com

Exactly, a crime is a crime, no matter if you agree or not. If you are mentally able to understand the breaking of a law, then you have to do the time when you break it. I've not came to a complete stop at a stop sign, had a license plate light out, parked past my meter, sped, and so on and so on. Everyone does, or has, and when you get caught, or when I did, no one shed a tear other than my wallet. I paid my fine and thought, dang you got me, and moved on. If he is doing something more serious, the same thing goes. BTW, if it was up to me, every drug would be legal, they would be regulated by monthly limits via a personal card and pharmacy, and who ever dies off for being stupid does. It'd be less of my tax dollars spent on prisons, less thieves and violence and give stupid people a chance to kill themselves off. Cops and employers would need more leeway with under the influence laws. I'd be sitting back with my personal drug of choice, beer, which I'm responsible with it and don't want any drug, and laugh at the others that OD/ suicide on drug a, b or c. I have no sympathy for either. Ain't this too political for Bears talk btw?

The Bears paid the Bronco's like he was one, they gave him a contract like he is one, but he is far from proving he is even close to one imo. When you can't run, your receivers will have more catches. When they are in their second year, and catching their first catch (bennett) or 3rd year as WR and slow catching on like Hester, or other teams casts offs like Aromashadu that just might be good, or even a tall TE catching TD's when you can't punch it in, then yes you are going to look better as a receiver with cutler with out a running game, than Orton with one. It was one of the weaker choices to pick for the argument, but it's not like the players on the Bears looked great with him. On the Bronco's their best WR looked just as dominant, minus missing time for suspension with out him, even tho their second best looked worst, it's probably due to change of scheme. He was a deep threat the year before and it went to an offense that doesn't look for that nearly as much.

Maybe, maybe not. They still averaged in the bottom half of the league with their 4.1 yards per carry this year, and were pretty pitiful in short yardage situations, when you need to run. Either way, there wasn't a dramatic automatic improvement in their line after the addition of the most well known OL coach in the league. I'm not saying he is a bad coach, just that a coach can only do so much with the players he has. Tice was a TE in the league for 14 or 15 years, then became a TE coach for a year for the Vikings, then promoted to OL coach and coached it for 4 or 5 years on a team with alot of great players on offense. Then he gets the head coaching gig, after that the only job he can find is as a TE coach for a buddy of his he used to play with on the Vikings. He might be a good OL coach I Just find it hard to consider him a guy that will make a dramatic impact that turns the players on this line nto good players. It's not like he was a highly sought after, OL mastermind of a coach, that has been doing it for 20 years.He did it on an extremely talent team, with great players, 10 years ago. Lord knows this team needs to run. Martz tendency to pass and Cutler's tendency scares me enough. Like a Bronco's fan said the other day. The Bears got the better end of the trade. All the Bronco's got was orton and 3 picks, while the Bears got cutler and 27 picks.

I'm not trying to pee on anyones cheerio's or take away their Kool Aid. I'm glad to see people that have some, because it's about impossible for me to right now. I want to see a running game, but I just don't think the talent there on the Oline. Russ Grimm is probably the most well known OL coach but the cards have been pretty low in rushing yards the last couple years, bottom 5 this year and dead last the year before. It also bothers me that all of the Bears coaches peaked like 10 years ago.

I'm not sold on him as an OL coach. He's a good guy and I like him because of that, but I'm not sure all the talk isn't anything more than hype, ala Marinelli(sp.), but Marinelli was more proven. He hasn't been an offensive line coach in nearly 10 years, 2001. He only did so for 4 years, (97-2001). If he was considered a good offensive line coach around the league, then I don't understand why he didn't find employment as something better than assistant head coach/ te coach in that time. I like what he is saying, but I want to see it in action.

I think the whole thing is silly. A Bears Legend is honest and critical of the Bears. A future legend defends himself and his team. I don't see nothing wrong on either side. Hell, everyone would love Urlacher if it was Favre that made the comments and Urlacher came back like that.

There's also issues of them trying to get players back on the field too soon. They tried to get Benson play before he was ready, but he could tell he wasn't healed right.

It was Clev, I can't remember if he was LT or RT the year that Derek Andersen had a Pro Bowl year, then the next year for some reason I'm thinking he moved LT to RT and didn't have a great year, then was released because of his cap number. I could be wrong on him being the LT that year, going off memory, but I know he started on that line. EDIT: I looked it up, it was annoying me. He started 16 games at LT in 2006, 16 at RT in 2007 (Anderson's pro bowl year), and 15 in 2008 at RT for Cleveland. Plus, it's Shaffer, not Schaffer, I spelled his name wrong.

It was Clev, I can't remember if he was LT or RT the year that Derek Andersen had a Pro Bowl year, then the next year for some reason I'm thinking he moved LT to RT and didn't have a great year, then was released because of his cap number. I could be wrong on him being the LT that year, going off memory, but I know he started on that line.

While I have little faith in Omeyale, I think if Schaffer can get his head out of his butt, he might turn out decent. He was part of a really good line in Cleveland.

I went to the page to look at their rankings and the only other page I went to was the one describing how they come about the rankings. Whoever wrote that faq about grading used I and my a lot mixed in with we's. I just assumed it was one guy based off that. I can't help but think there would be time constraints if it was done correctly, even as a group. (1 grade/player)(22 player/play)(125 plays/game)(16 games/year)(32 teams) __________________________________________________________________ = 704,000 individual grades per year not counting play offs. 2 teams/game I'm sorry but I do have to question their credibility. I don't think that anyone has the knowledge to develop an unbiased accurate grading scale based on observations for so many different positions, in so many different systems and accurately grade on each play if the player is doing what he is supposed to consistently based on limited camera angles. It's not like one of us making a chart ranking people for fantasy football. This is a website being quoted as fact across the net on forums, in articles, and comments on articles. Luv ya flea, but on this we are just going to disagree.

I wasn't pointing that at you in paticular. I was just saying that like that guy could be anyone, who knows. I was venting on that site more than anything. It has been referenced as fact on here some and a lot when I read (I don't post on) the Chicago Bears's main site forum. I just doubt the credibility is all. Faneca in general has never been like a no sack guy, but really 6 or 7 isn't that horrible when you factor in his other contributions.

If they signed Al Faneca, I could have had some hope for the season. Last year the offensive line got pushed backwards on almost every 3rd and short. Was I the only one hoping they would just pass in those situations? It was bad. Those are drive sustainers, they can rest your defense, and they can be game deciders. Faneca wouldn't have moved backwards. Taylor and Forte would have actual holes the rest of the game, instead tiny cracks like last year. I honestly felt for an immediate impact, his signing would have been bigger than Peppers. Giving a team a better pass rush and 5 more plays for a negative/sacks a year is great, but giving a team a running game is immeasurable. The Bears might get lucky and some one gets cut, but I don't think it will be anyone as game changing as Faneca. Those 3rd and short, 4th and short, type plays come up multiple times in a game. His addition would have been huge, and I'm not sure anyone could be cut short of Hutchinson that could have the same impact as Faneca.

There goes the running game.

If you read through the guys site, and look at his players graded, you'll see he's doing something wrong. You and I often disagree on a lot of topics, which is fine and what makes this board good. Now, imagine I made my own grading style, based on what I though each position should do. The only film I have of the games is what is shown on tv, and I'm trying to do every player at every position in the league on every play, how would you trust my rankings? Here's some of my major problems with his site. It's an impossible task 1) He is limited on camera angles. Not even every team can see what every player is doing on each play. He is limited to what we see on tv. 2) Time constraints would limit his ability to evaluate each player on every play and then post the results on his page by a point where people would still care. Biased system 1) He defines what he thinks each player should do at every position, then grades on how well they do that. 2) He is the one judging how well they meet this criteria and assigns values. FLawed system 1) His grading system doesn't divide the grade by the plays. ie. A player who has played worse than Faneca, but has played less snaps will look better in his rankings. 2) Penalties have too much of a value in his system. 3) 0.0 is the average player in his system, yet in many cases there are many more players in the positive then negative or vice versa. 4) Just look at the players and where they are ranked. Vincent Jackson and Sidney Rice the best 2 WR's in the league? Malcom Floyd, Jerricho Cotchery, and Devon Bess are top 10 WRs in the league? Once again I applaud the effort, it's just crazy this guy is getting quoted everywhere.