BearsFan

Sproles fumbles too much. Put him behind Forte, who also has way too much trouble holding onto the ball, and it's going to cost the Bears games. JMO .

In my business sector it's standard procedure to walk everyone out if they are laid off, fired, or if they quit. Sometimes it's by security, sometimes the manager or supervisor, but it happens every time. As for the timing, I agree that it makes sense. I believe that most of the scouting was already done, and now Angelo will get two opinions on the FAs. JMO .

I'm with you 100%! I switched from the packers to the Bears in the early '60s (a process rather than a sudden move). As such, I saw an entire decade of pathetic play. I definitely hated it, but never once - not one damn time - did I ever think about wearing a sack over my head! Not then, and not now. I'm a Bears fan, and sometimes that takes a little courage. JMO .

Elliott? You're really stretching to put him on the list. I don't remember who the WR coach was in '02, but it wasn't Drake. In '03 the Pats didn't keep him. Jamin couldn't even make the roster in Chicago in '04 and '05, and the Falcons couldn't teach him anything in '06 and '07. You can't put any blame on Drake for that bum. (Disclaimer - I'm not peddling the publication. Honest!) B.R. editor had a number of things to say about Bradley. Mark's problems were his knee, his attitude, and his overall "weird" personality. When a young guy gets three negatives going, he doesn't usually stay with a team long unless he's an instant superstar. That's why Bradley was released. He needed a fresh start in a different city. I believe the decision not to put him on the field last year came from above Drake. Only the Bears brass knows for sure, but that's my gut feeling. Noooo! You can't be serious about Currie, can you? The guy couldn't stay healthy for more than 5 minutes at a time. How can you try to put any blame on Drake for that??? How does Wade make the list? He cut his own throat by fumbling 101 times on return coverage, while being a mediocre receiver. He sure didn't make any giant leaps as a wide out with the Titans or queens. Berrian did just fine under Drake. Good enough to get a HUGE new contract in Minny. Heh, the last laugh is that he didn't do one damn bit better in queeny land than in Chicago! LOL Bennett is still with the team, and has twice admitted his problems are his own. Again, with the current fad of blaming everything on the coaches and front office, many (if not most) Bears fans want to believe that somebody else would have made Earl a star last year. I say BS. I contend that 6 of 7 guys on your list aren't the result of Drake being incompetent. JMO .

Last season Bennett also told Bear Report he was having trouble learning the plays. This isn't anything new for rookie WRs around the league. Blaming the coaches is popular in Chicago lately, but it's pretty naive to think that Drake can make his receivers "internalize" their assignments so they can play at NFL speed. He can show them what to do (lead them to water), but he can't make them execute (can't make them drink). Once the season begins, coaches barely have time to analyze the last game and grade the players, form their game plan for the next week, and show the starters what they're supposed to do for that contest. The backups are pretty much on their own, as any coach will attest. .

Nice rant BigDaddy, but Angelo wasn't about to put himself in a bad situation by trying to bully Smith. He can (and maybe did) request that Lovie give Bennett or Rideau some playing time. However, to demand it puts him in a position of maybe having to answer a simple question from lovie, "And if I don't?". Jerry's only leverage would have been to threaten to fire him. He damn well better be prepared to follow through if he says that, and he damn well better have the backing of Phillips and the owners first. There's way too much money on the line. Could Smith be gone after the '09 season? It's possible, but I think it would take a pretty bad year. Far worse than '08. It's easy for us fans and the media to throw a possible $11M away when it's not our money. However, I think Virginia and Mikey might be a little more hesitant. LOL .

Nope, this would be his first time being tagged, but $17M is more than the Panthers can afford, IMO. I'll explain below how the number got so big. Danimal, I'm glad I'm not the only cap enthusiast who got tripped up by the $17M. I'm assuming that you used "total salary" when you did your calculation ($11.735M X 120% = $14.08M). Heh, I found out that's not what the league actually does... But first, for those who don't read up on cap stuff, I never pass up a chance to pass on a little information. LT2_3 got me hooked several years ago, and I want to spread the addiction to others! LOL There are two flavors of franchise tags. The first is "non-exclusive", which is the one we're all familiar with. If the team uses this tag, it costs them the average of the top 5 "salaries" at that position from the previous year OR 120% of the player's previous year's "salary" - whichever is greater. Another team can sign the player, but it will cost two 1st round picks if they do. The second is "exclusive", which I'm not sure has ever been used. That tag means the player cannot talk to any other team. The difference is that if the top 5 "salaries" is used (rather than the 120% option), it's for the current year. That figure is established after free agency ends. Back to you, danimal. After doing some calculations, I discovered that the league uses the average of the top 5 cap numbers for their "salaries". When you think about it, that's the only fair numbers they can use. So, Peppers' cap number in '08 was $14.138M X 120% = $16.97M = $17M rounded up. .

They can't officially tag him until the '09 league year begins, which is around Feb 10th. .

From Rotoworld: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/25/2007: Signed a five-year, $28 million contract extension through 2012. The deal included a $9.5 million signing bonus. 2008: $750,000 (+ $2.5 million roster bonus), 2009: $2.9 million, 2010: $2.95 million, 2011: $3.45 million, 2012: $3.7 million, 2013: Free Agent. Cap Charges: $5.2 million (2008), $4.65 million (2009), $4.75 million (2010), $5.2 million (2011), $5.33 million (2012). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's $19.93M cap remaining minus $13M salary = $6.93M total cap hit. .

By Rotoworld's figures getting rid of Vasher will create $6.9M dead cap. It can be spread over the next two years by cutting him as a June 1st designation, but Phillips and/or the owners are still going to ask tough questions about the total wasted money. It "only" costs the team $2.9M to keep him around to see if he comes out of the funk he's been in. That's what I think Angelo will decide to do. .

McNabb is signed with Philly through 2014. It's the Eagles who aren't comfortable with his contract going forward. This year they paid him $6.3M. However, that salary baloons starting next year as follows: $9M, $10M, $12M, $14M, and $16M The problem with them trading McNabb is that Kolb played like crap the game they started him. He was 10 for 23, threw 2 Ints with no TDs, and ended the day with a 15 passer rating. OUCH!!! That's not the kind of performance that gives a team confidence that the kid is capable of being the starter in '09. .

Yep, Chad's signed through 2011. Maybe what Schefter means is that they might give CJ the big new deal he's been whining for instead of using the money to tag Housh. ??? .

Yep. Marinelli is waaaay over his head as HC, and he's never been a DC (arguably 2nd only to HC in terms of difficulty). The Bears would be rolling the dice on another unproven guy if they hired him, with the odds being against him excelling. JMO From what I read the big problem was that Lovie wanted more control over the team, and Angelo didn't want to give it up. That took time to resolve. The Bears, both ownership and front office, had no issue with the size of Smith's contract, despite what the sensationalizing media was reporting. .

I'd say Turner didn't want to sit on a 4 point lead with 5 1/2 minutes left in the game. The running game in the 2nd half wasn't getting any yards: 4, 3, 1, 2, and 2 yards. The Saints D wasn't worn down like they were going into overtime. I know the passing game was sucking too, but I don't blame Turner for passing under the circumstances. (I'm not taking a shot at you, Connor - this is a general statement) If he'd tried pounding the ball and taken a three and out, the fans would have been screaming that Turner always gets way to conservative with a lead, and he should have been playing to get more points. Heh, the guy catches hell no matter what he does! LOL .

With Wolfe out, the team needed a gunner. If by some miracle he shows promise as a receiver that will be a bonus. I hope the kid can tackle!

The McCaskey's haven't been cheap, Mad. They gave Smith a handsome contract without blinking an eye once Stein got the details worked out. The same with Angelo and Phillips. Look at all the money the club has spent on it's players. They always spend their cap instead of hording it like some other clubs do. Smith's fate lies in Angelo's hands, not the owners. JMO .

That's a tough question because the formula is a league secret. A guy on KFFL claims to have figured it out, but he probably won't make his predictions until after the season. Not all free agents qualify, and the formula favors teams that lost more qualifying free agents than it signed. We lost 5 to free agency and signed 5, which looks like a wash. The Bears lost Berrian, Ayanbadejo, Ruben Brown, Gilmore, and Jimmy Kennedy to free agency. They signed Lloyd, Booker, Kevin Jones, Jason Davis, and Hamilton. Ruben may not qualify since nobody signed him. Davis might not since he bounced around so much and was just signed to the roster. Hamilton might not because he was signed while on waivers. They could still get a comp pick even if there isn't a net loss, based on Berrian being a better player than any the Bears signed, but the league doesn't give many of those out and they're 7th rounders. It'll be interesting to see what happens! .

This is how I see the it: 1) Phillips is safe. 2) Angleo is safe, but I bet he's starting to feel a little paranoid. He drafted Benson and Grossman, gave Lovie his new contract, drafted X-number of other players who are now gone, gave big money to a number of other guys who aren't performing, drafted Williams with a known medical problem, and is rumored to be the guy who hired Turner (versus Lovie picking him). 3) The only way Smith will be fired is if he's caught in bed with Mikey's wife. JA doesn't want to buy out the remainder of Lovie's contract after all the issues I listed in #2. I believe Virginia and Mikey try to stay out of the club's business, but there's a limit to how much money Angelo can waste before they start asking difficult questions. 4) Turner is safe, unless the offense completely implodes the rest of the season. He's a friend of the McCaskeys, even going to church with Virginia each week (so I read somewhere). 5) Babich is in real danger, IMO. It was rumored that Angelo pressured Lovie to replace him after last season, but he refused. With a 2nd dismal defensive season, Smith might have to give in. 6) Below the coordinators, I don't have any feeling about what might happen. .

If you have broadband or cable you can watch the games online on http://www.stoogetv.com/player.html They don't list the game until close to kickoff, but they show every Bears game. .

Bennett was active for several weeks, but they deactivated him for the packers game. .

Or will it be Rideau? I doubt both of them will dress Sunday, but whichever one does is pretty certain to see time with the offense. I can't imagine the team playiing only three receivers. .

Two words: Jerry Jones .

Burgess was primarily a return specialist at ASU. He's another short one at only 5'9". Guys, Bennett might see some action yet this year, but the team would have to cut or IR a player before thy could put Rideau or Hass on the roster.

Baldwin does have a nice spin move to the inside! .

I agree that the team would have to totally implode for Lovie to worry about his job. Even then, I don't see Angelo firing him this year since he's signed through 2011. It would be a slap in Lovie's face to fire Babich, but that may happen if the D doesn't turn itself around. Especially since Marinelli is almost certainly going to be fired after this season, and Lovie originally wanted him in Chicago. .