lemonej

Jack Lambert did a little of that also and played at around 215 pounds

I'm not sure I understand your response because when it comes to hiring a head coach the Bears haven't stayed in house for over 40 years.The last in house HC was Abe Gibron. Recent memory has the Bears either dragging their feet or not getting their first choicesince going all out for Wannie. Jauron was the choice after Mikey blew the Dave McGinnis hire and Lovie was the choice after Saban and JA couldn't reach an agreement on personnel control. In the last two instances the assistant pool was limited because of how long the process took.

I'm not sure it was you but you are right about Kiffin tweaked it a bit because the Steelers' version had a Bud Carson flavor on the D-line that had the DTs slanted at the line of scrimmage that he took with him to the Jets.

Butch Davis was an NFL Dline coach for the Cowboys before going back to the college ranks and I do believe he got the new version of the Browns into the playoffs once which is the only time that has happened since they returned as an expansion team in 99. Pete Carroll failed at his first 2 coaching stops before going bac to the college ranks. Spurrier joined a nice list of well respected guys who have failed under Dan Snyder: Schottenheimer,Turner and Gibbs. Shanahan who failed miserably in his first HC job is the first show some promise in DC. This is the same guy who had Cutler as a pup and wound up being let go in favor of a hot assistant. Saban and Petrino quit on their teams and I agree should never have been hired. Lets not forget he was JA's first choice to coach the Bears before he settled on Lovie.

You make a great point also Smith fate can be directly tied to how JA acquired talent. The one thing that is not being said about Lovie on his defense is how slow some of those players took to develop. Most of the current players started to show promise when Marinelli arrived. Urlacher,Briggs,Tillman and Peppers were already established but,Melton,Wooten,Paea,Idonije,Roach,Jennings,Conte and Wright all started to play better when Marinelli became the DC.Thats why I wouldn't mind him sticking around as long as he decides to attack a little more. Also the notion that Emery had a bad draft after 1 year is a bit premature.The jury is still out on SMC but you got Jeffrey in round 2 and technically Marshall for a third.We'll have to wait and see on a couple of the DBs but 3 players contributing out of a draft on a regular basis ain't all bad.

I forgot Gruden. Also those who think Kiffin was the architect of the Tampa defense are wrong because Dungy played for the Steelers in that system as a safety after being converted from QB out of Minnesota. Thinking Dungy built that Tampa roster does a disservice to the GM's that were there during his tenure. I believe it was Rich McKay at first and Bruce Allen later.

I think 3 have accomplished this. Don McCaffrey with Baltimore, Barry Switzer at Dallas and George Seifert at SF.

The one guy on staff I would interview would be Toub. His ability to incorporate new players into his system and still maintain a top unit is intriguing. He also should know this roster top to bottom since he has to utilize starters and backups for his unit. Maybe he could follow the path of John Harbaugh and of course "Da Coach".

Jim Harbaugh San Diego and Stanford Pete Carroll USC Greg Shiano Rutgers Tom Coughlin Boston College Bobby Ross Ga Tech Jimmy Johnson Miami This is just off the top of my head. 2 are currently in the playoffs, 2 have reached the SB and 2 have won multiple SBs. Of these names only Carroll has had HC and coordinator experience in the NFL. Coughlin, Harbaugh and Schiano experience as position coaches.The jury is still out on Schiano since he just completed his first season and still has to acquire more of his type of players but the college coach approach isn't all bad since a lot of teams are using plays that were considered "college plays" like the spread,bubble screen and read option. When Gary Crowton was hired as the Bears OC there was criticism around the league about the Bears having a college offense but, soon after he arrived his WR screens became a part of every teams offense. He also was the one who gave Marcus Robinson a chance and I do believe his receiving yards record was just broken by Marshall.

Lovie got himself fired period. 2 straight years of getting to 7 wins and then collapsing and him not being able to stop the bleeding was one of the deciding factors. The other telling factor to me that his days were numbered was Emery picked a first round draft pick that didn't fit his scheme at all when there was an OT and a DE available that might have served the Bears better. The inability to pick the right OC also was a big factor. Lets face it he didn't have a clue how to go about it and really needed to bring in someone who he could control and no one would come here under those kind of circumstances.Almost every time he was interviewing a new OC he was at the tail end of his contract and no one could feel secure coming here under those conditions.

Our situation eerily mirrors that in Tampa under Dungy and that is why I Gruden in this case. I would go one step further and say I wouldn't be opposed to them keeping Marinelli as long as he is instructed to attack more and the add the recently resigned(from USC) Monte Kiffin as a defensive consultant. A couple of years ago the Bears asked for permission to speak with then packer QB coach Tom Clements for the OC position but were turned down for whatever reason even though this would have been an upgrade in position. This is the guy who has worked with Rogers and helped him develop. I would see if he is willing to interview this time around for the HC position even though he has been an OC for just a year. Nothing has been said about this defensive staff at all and most of them should still be under contract for another year so maybe the new coach may have a chance to see if he wants to retain some of them. When the Bills fired Gailey they clearly stated that his staff was let go also.

Since Halas retired the Bears have only hired 2 offensive coaches Gibron and Ditka(technically a special teams coach but a former TE in the league) while hiring 5 defensive oriented coaches Dooley,Pardee,Wannstedt,Jauron and Smith. Even though 4 of the 5 made the playoffs only 2 registered playoff wins with Lovie doing it twice reaching the SB once and the conference championship twice while none have matched Ditka's playoff appearances or wins with A SB win and 3 conference championship appearances. I would prefer an offensive minded coach and hope the Bears kick the tires on Gruden,Billick,Reid,McCoy,K Shanahan and GB OC Tom Clements. The only college coach I would consider is ND's Kelley because his success every where he has been and he has rebuilt programs along the way.

I'm not sure I agree with your assesment on both backs.Forte has 683 yards to Bush's 386. The only difference is that Bush has had more scoring opportunites in the redzone which Forte can't control. Neither IMO have had the impact that I thought they would and play calling has a lot to do with it. My only problem with Forte is he tends to take himself out of games when the Bears are on a long drive too much. Bush OTOH seems to have a ball security problems with less touches than Forte.

I love the fact that the league is policing some of this behavior but I'm a big fan of the players on the field taking care of this kind of play.If I'm the OC I even game plan a few more TE and RB "chips" to make sure he gets the message that the play was dirty.

Here's my 2 cents on the weekly( sometimes daily) O-line debate. The 49er game was an indictment of this unit(talentwise) and the lack of strength in both OTs. Both were being "outpunched" by DE/LBs that they had a size advantage on. The Viking game it was telestrated by the analyst that Lance Louis was being pulled on almost all the running plays and that if the Vikings wanted to know where the ball was going to key Louis.As soon as that was said Tice changed up and used Scott to lead on a running play.So it looked like the plan was to run at the Vikings premier pass rusher on running plays and max protect and get rid of the ball quickly on pass plays. The problem is that this should be the plan every week.Going forward I'm not sure that Carimi at OG is the guy who can be athletic enough to do that. Against the 9ers why was Jason Campbell holding the ball so long? He checked down against the Texans 3/4 scheme ,why not against the 9ers 3/4 scheme?This whole thing about Tice being a first year OC is starting to get old. He played several years in the league and has been an OL coach and Head Coach, so I'm not buying that inexperience garbage that gets spewed over the airwaves every week. This is a former TE(Like Ditka) who should know how to exploit a defense. So here is a few things to consider when it comes to evaluating this OL and Offense as a whole: The OL and OC is Mike Tice Both young OTs and your young starting OG was scouted and approved by Tice as well as all the veterans and players brought in to compete for spots and depth.. Watching the Jacksonville OL that supposedly was developed by Tice against our D was also an indictment. Follow up the script of the Viking game with 39 more rush attempts every week and give the OL a chance to attack the defense.There is a lot of money invested in 2 backs but between them they only have a little over 1000 yards. Is it me or does it seem no matter who the OC is Cutler holds the ball until he gets clocked(concussed) and then decides to start getting rid of it a little quicker? Then also it's determined that he needs to throw more on the move to minimize the pass rush.That was the same scenario last year under the previous OC.

You can always find stats to support an opinion good or bad but the fact that the O-line gave up no sacks is a mirage. When you factor in that Forte on 16 carries could only gain 39 yards and aside from a couple of scrambles by Cutler,those 115 rush yards also are not what they appear to be.The Texans looked like they played some Cover 2 a lot and didn't blitz as much as they normally do.They were really concentrating on keeping the Bears from making a big play and almost every time the Bears took a shot down the field there was a safety over the top of whoever was targeted. Whenever there was one on one coverage the WR or TE dropped the ball or fumbled. Davis' mistakes really hindered the Bears' game plan because as you could see on that first pass, the plan was to get him one on one with a LB up the seam.In the 2nd half when Campbell was in the game they kept a lot of defenders back in coverage and as a result Campbell kept checking the ball down no matter what the situation was.

Comcast is reporting the Bears are reaching out to Josh McCown who is still unsigned since they cut him before the season.This might indicate the Bears may be trying to be careful with Cutler since he has suffered multiple concussions in his career and they would be big hippocrates after hosting a press conference on Sunday featuring Otis Wilson, Gary Fencik and Ted Phillips about concussions.

There are reports Jeffrey returned to practice yesterday. He is listed as doubtful for the game on Sun Nite.

The rumor I heard was that the baby is actually going to be induced 3 weeks ahead of due date. Either way I'm sure it precautonary.

I empathize with Tillman because my first born was a daughter who was born with a heart defect that eventually recquired a pacemaker being implanted and her being with me for 9 years before passing away.So from my perspective I can't see Tillman deciding anything else. I was not there for my daughter's birth but left work immediately and arrived at the hospital to find my daughter in the ICU in an incubator with tubes and monitors attached. Since I was working in sales, chasing commissions was how I would prosper but at that time I could care less about money,it was about my daughter and her fight to stay alive and nothing else. 3 days after her birth she went into cardiac arrest but, was revived. I support Tillman's decision 100%.because I really understand his position. 2 other points I want to make about Florio's comments is first with these so called "involuntary workouts and OTAs" plus training camp and preseason games, the players have to be available for more than 16 days. The other point is that Tillman's wife is being induced 3 weeks early so his comments were more of a "what if" scenario. The doctors will be inducing her on Monday.You would think that Florio would have done his research before responding to a player's comments because in both articles he didn't mention anything about Tillman's experience with his 2nd daughter. I thought his backpedaling article was a bit lame making his first article seem like it was written to garner attention.This is not surprising since PFT over the years has always tried to create a buzz good or bad.

For someone who had Buster Douglass' game on Sega Genisis that is funny.

I did also and I will vote on both everyday until they don't play as well.This defense is 2 TDs away from setting a record for scores and its not the 85 Bears that hold the record.The only stat they are not the same or close on D is the record 7-1 to 8-0.

This is one of the best posts in recent weeks because if you notice the stats no one is catching the ball besides Marshall since Jeffrey went down in Jacksonville on a TD catch.That was the last TD by a WR besides Marshall since the Dallas game. Hester and Bennett need to step up whether in the passing game or special teams.All jokes aside about mine and many others in the media butchering this kids name, he has added another dimension to the passing game and the stats are bearing this out. For those on this board that were clamoring for a big WR during the draft,he has answered the call and if only our 2 young tackles could step up and not crap their pants on offense we could be in for the season of our dreams.

100% agreed and like the other front runner JJ Watt he has impacted games. This next game the best 2 defensive players in the NFL in terms of impacting games are playing next Sunday Night. Right now if I'm a Bears' opponent I'm locating Tillman and attacking Jennings.This is the reason why he has 6 picks now so its pick your poison.

In my 46 years of watching Bears' football I have never seen a player do what Tillman did today.Since I was probably the last holdout for greatest Bears' CB ever,I'm all in now. Guys you have to understand that Roosevelt Taylor was a helluva player and it is very difficult for me to admit that someone was better since along with Sayers and Butkus he was one of the players I looked up to. He along with Bennie McCrae formed one of the best tandems in team history but what Jennings and Tillman are doing is unprecedented.