CrackerDog

Thank you, sir.

I think we did the analysis a few weeks ago. A lot of his money paid thus far has been considered bonus (due to his deal being renegotiated). We'd therefore take a hit to the cap for all that deferred compensation when/if we cut him loose. But we wouldn't pay him his 2014 money which is an offset. I can't recall the exact details but if SCS's is interested he can scroll down a few weeks and find the thread. Best case scenario is Peppers gets back to close to his high standards of play and we re-sign him to a new deal which has a deferral built into it. I saw some speed back in his game last night, particularly when he ran back the TD. I still hold out hope that JP will be with us for a few more years.

The Packers need to get their running game working or they'll continue to unravel. Their D isn't special and the O Line is average at best. Rodgers will continue to take a lot of hits if they can't run the ball and their line is ineffective. Getting Lacey back will probably help. They have a bye this week.

I'd add Denver in the AFC and that's about it. As to this game, it was a lot of fun and I usually get worried and pissed off when games go like this. I'm not sure why I was chill last night but it probably has something to do with our resiliency over the first two weeks and maybe a little bit of feeling like we already had two W's and a third one this early was unexpected, even by me, a Kool-Aid drinker, at this stage of the season. With that said, the D continues to be one that bends and gets turnovers. This is great when it works. But you can't count on it when you're up against teams in the playoffs. It can work but I'd almost rather have less scoring from the D and have them be able to stop someone more consistently. I realize Peanut wasn't 100% and he missed chunks of the game but damn, there were WR's from Pittsburgh running around with no Bear in sight! I thought we did get pressure last night. Not sure what you're all bitching about. What you saw last night was Big Ben's game (besides raping chicks in bathrooms). Early on they got a few nice runs on us but basically we shut down the running game. It helps that the Steelers have nobody playing the RB position, I suppose. We took some hits via the injury bug last night. At positions we already lacked depth. If we go into next week's game without Peanut, we're dead. Melton is a big loss too but I think we can cover that one better than we can the edge against Megatron. Forte and the O Line were excellent. Hester disappeared. I guess he figured he had a good week last week so he could afford to make shit decisions the entire game this week. Pathetic. Jeffery looks like he'll be an excellent #2 for us. Really grew into his role and matured. Bennett's catch was amazing for the clincher. I picked this game 27-13 Bears. Felt like the Steelers were a lousy football team. Still believe that. They produced more than I expected because our DB's disappeared. I mentioned Nut above and I'll give him a pass. The rest of the guys though, not so much. And Briggs, while having some solid plays as well, didn't get deep enough when they were playing cover two. Ben's pump fakes ate us alive all damn night. I predict a Bears loss next week and it may be a bad one if Nut isn't able to play. We'll put up some points but the Lions are good on both sides of the ball. If we win the turnover battle 5-0 again, we'll win. If it's a lot closer than that, we'll be 3-1 and behind the Lyin's in the division. On a related note, I hope someone goes for Suh's knee and puts him out for the season during the game. I hate that prick. The schedule this year only gets tougher. The Bears will need to play better to keep up this awesome start.

Lovely!

My apologies. Please send the dry cleaning bill to CrackerDog Industries.

Bears win this one 27-13. Shouldn't even be that close. And to get this thread started properly (and because I won't be posting in it during the game) I have the following things to say... FIRE TRESTMAN! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT GAWD DAMN CALL!!! (After a running play is called on 3rd and 2.) CUTLER SUCKS. I WONDER IF WE CAN STILL TRADE FOR GROSSMAN? (After Cutler calls a timeout.) HOLY SHIT, I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS EMBARRASSED TO BE A BEARS FAN. (After the Steelers hit a 49 yard field goal.) NICE! I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO SPREAD THE BALL AROUND TODAY! (After Marshal's first catch.) BEARS WIN!!!! I LOVE THIS F*CKING TEAM!!! (After the Bears win 27-13.)

Not as certain as you were earlier. I'm not even breaking your balls, hell dude, you know a lot more about this than me. And the fact that you're not certain means it's ripe for error by the officials. Those are rules I hope the league has refreshed this week so they're all on the same page. Frankly, with the Weems play last week making the news, it wouldn't surprise me if everyone started doing this with a higher frequency.

I think that one is easy unless I'm not fully comprehending your comments above. It would be touchback. The first touch occurred in the end zone so the receiving team could end up with the ball no worse than a touchback. That would've been the same answer if Weems had fumbled the ball and it was recovered by the defense anywhere on the field. In this case it went out of the back of the end zone but that didn't really matter.

Ha! He who shall not be named! I agree. The flaws with the team are as obvious as the things that seem to have improved. And as you said, the flaws are things that could be addressed with good coaching, player health, etc. Only time will tell. But at 2-0 it's good to be a Bears fan.

Name me a starting RB who doesn't take a lot of punishment... NFL linebackers aren't nice.

Yeah, I'm not convinced either way at this point. I was always told what Trestman said, it's a consequence-free pickup. And since there wasn't a penalty on the play anyway, it truly was. Now, I know Weems didn't know that but I think it's still good coaching to tell your guys to go for it in that situation. With that said, picking the ball up and fumbling it is ALWAYS a bad idea, even if the rule is on your side. Because I've seen lots of refs get confusing plays like this wrong. It doesn't help later in the week when the NFL says "The Bears shoulda won but..."

If I were a Cleveland fan I'd be PISSED! Of course they're used to disappointment there so... I think it's a good move for Indy. They're in a win now mode and he's going to give them a lot of punch in the running game. he'll benefit from the open sets etc. He'll do well. I was surprised by the trade. This type of blockbuster only two weeks into the season is very unusual.

LOL Pretty typical around these parts.

IMO, the bigger potential issue is the refs getting the call wrong and then the league coming back during the week and saying "Sorry, they got it wrong." Jason, is there a difference on the results of the play if the foul happens before or after the receiving team touches the ball? See this article to understand why I ask the question.

The worst the Bears could end up was where the ball was first touched by the punting team. His play was risk free.

I was always a T-zak guy anyway!

True. But I believe per rules, since the ball had already been touched by the kicking team, the worst that could've happened would've been that he got dropped in the end zone for a touchback. Even a fumble and defensive recovery there would've ended up that way.

Don't get me started on announcers, Fox and otherwise. My girlfriend just sits there and laughs when I correct them all game long. I mean, it's only their f*cking job and they can't get the basics down? Drives me crazy. I wish the NFL would go back to the days where we could have homer announcers cover the games. It would at least be entertaining, both teams would get their call (like baseball) and it wouldn't cost the NFL or the broadcasters anything because I'm sure the local guys would be cheaper than the national guys. Anyone else here old enough to remember Johnny Morris and Tim Ryan calling the games?

Here are the details: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/play...player=CutlJa00

I swear I heard one of the Fox announcers say something like Cutler has had a terrible record of bringing his team back in the 4th quarter historically and that he's really come around this season with the two big W's. Maybe I heard them incorrectly. I was giving Trestman and his staff a lot of credit for the improvement but now I'm hearing, based on this thread, his Captain Comeback credentials are better than most QB's? Did anyone else hear what I heard and can help me understand the disconnect?

Despite Pepper's contract renegotiations, I'm not convinced they won't just bite the bullet and take the hit next year unless he bounces back strong the remainder of this season. I think he will but his future in football, based on the last two weeks only, is now in doubt. We need to replace the rent-a-players we have on one year contracts. Positions, I can't recall. Nut is getting up there in years and he's got a future in broadcasting, I'm sure. So we need to find someone to fill his shoes, which won't be easy. We'll have to see how Mills develops, I'm sold on Long but want to see more of Mills before I'm certain he's the answer there for the long term. Same goes for Bostic. I think he's a stud but he's not starting yet. We'll see. I hope we hit on this kid so we don't need to hunt for a MLB in the near future. Backup QB? Hell, we may need a K. I love Gould but he makes too much money and they probably will need a concession from him if he's going to get a new deal. Hester looks awesome out there but if they find someone who fills that role in the draft and is a bunch cheaper, you can bet his days are numbered. We'll need lots of cash for Cutler and others after we win the Superbowl this season.

I think Ditka used to tell a story about his first year. He went for it 4 times from the goal line and tried to run all four times. They got shut down. On Monday when he came into the office he had a sheet of QB Sneaks in his inbox from Papa Bear. I think he said it was the only time George interfered or meddled in his coaching. Maybe Virginia needs to send down a few goal line off tackle runs to Trestman.

Hell BTwig, even the announcers made the comment that the run was working well for the Bears all the way down the field. I have no problem with a pass in that situation, just give the run a try or two first. Run behind that animal LONG all day! If he can't get you a ferkin' yard, nobody can!

And I agree with you 100%! I think we need to chill out a little bit. If we all start chirping about how the Bears are destined for the Superbowl we'll sound like nothing more than talk radio idiot callers. I think we're more cerebral around here. At least some of us are.