CrackerDog

Still couldn't seem to get a stop on 3rd down for most of the game.

Ha! What, don't you think we should've just assumed all was peachy in the line like Madman Martz would've? I don't think most disagree with you, it's just that in the first half the offense did look a bit anemic.

I think Trestman agreed with you. As did I, when your post was made, and even now, upon reflection. They opened things up a bit in the second half, got some breaks and won it. All in all, not a bad progression for a single game.

It was interesting to hear his post game comments. What I noticed mostly was he seems to have very little ego. He basically said "We made better play calls in the second half on O but even then it was up to Cutler to use his legs twice to get the job done." It's refreshing to hear something like that. I recall previous regimes falling over themselves to claim credit for plays that went well. In the long run it'll be interesting to see how well his personality fits into this world of huge dollars and huge egos called the NFL. His whole "I just asked them to be good teammates" bit seemed a little naive. But with that said, hell, sometimes simple truths are the best plans. Maybe he can count on the pride of his guys to motivate themselves. A leader like Peanut out there, leading by example, that's great to see. We need more of that from Briggs and probably someone on O, like Cutler. It seems like there's definitely some of that developing in the rookies on the line. Mills being more the quiet type, Long the more vocal, crazier leader. We'll see. I don't want to get too ahead of myself. It's only one game and this is just a simple observation. Trestman isn't like anyone I've ever seen coach the Bears. Lovie was that laid back guy but often what you heard from him in interviews seemed to be canned responses, a little bit of bullshit, and some ego. Ditka was great but he had a HUGE ego. Wanny seemed pretty fiery but lacked any real cerebral part to his personality. Jauron was quiet too but almost too nice a guy. Trestman seems like he's got more brewing behind the scenes than Dick. And since he's new, the players, the media, etc don't really know what to make of him. He's playing his cards right, IMO, thus far on this front. Let's hope we've got the nicer version of Bill Belichick here. I'm rooting for his continued success.

Ha. I expect that was HIM wearing his emotions on his sleeve. He ain't goin' nowhere. PS. I agree with you. At halftime I posted 4 negative observations. All were spot on and all were addressed in the second half. Obviously there was a touch of emotion in my posting those thoughts but equally as obvious was that the team itself agreed with the evaluation and made some changes. Per what I heard in the post game interviews, there weren't game plan changes so much as better execution. Pads lower, etc. All I know is it seemed we got a little more pressure on Dalton, we didn't drop as many balls, etc. Whatever Trestman said at half time and whatever changes they made in play calling due to being more comfortable that the rookies could get it done, made a big difference and changed the outcome of the game.

Definitely NOT the Shane Matthews offense...

Based on watching other games, the Bears sloppy start isn't unusual. Cutler can, in fact, bring his team back from a deficit. The rooks on the line can play! The FA pickups this year will contribute. Nut is still GOOD. Trestman can game plan and make halftime adjustments. Gould is the best PK in the game today. Hester didn't look special to me today but I'd still rather have him than play against him. The D needs to tackle a LOT better. Briggs in particular. The run to the outside on 4th and 1 showed guts. That play will often not work but it won us the game today. I loved seeing us punt the ball inside the 10 yard line as often as we did early on. Jeffrey has grown as a receiver since last year. The Packers are tied for last!

I think that was a misconception from and during early in his career. Lovie clearly trusted him for the last few years. The guy is a ferkin' stud.

Lighten up. Nothing I said was inaccurate.

I give you a ton of credit for being the voice of reason during a half of football that left most of us disappointed.

The Bears didn't play very well and beat a damn good football team. They'll only improve from here on out. This game leaves me optimistic. Coaches have plenty to work on but a W is a W.

Tackling blows. Third down D sucks. Offense is underwhelming. No pass rush.

http://www.nfl.com/injuries This is clearly a good thing. The way training camp started, I recall being a little worried about this. Let's hope we stay reasonably healthy throughout the season!

I'd assumed all along Wootton was the man but according to this article it hasn't been decided yet.

Bravo! Thanks Pix.

Probably wouldn't do this trade. I just have to share... The guy with Manning in my league benched him last night! LOL

GBCW = Good Bye Cruel World PS. There's a pretty good football game on tonight.

Shortest GBCW ever.

Please note that the "concessions" Peppers has given thus far are in converting salary to bonus. This means he's gotten paid all of the money he was due in any given year. He therefore hasn't given up a thing, it's just an accounting entry that makes some of his money count against the Bears caps in the future. I'd expect the team to go to him and negotiate a new deal which takes into account his current contributions on the field this offseason. If they still see him as an A+ player, he'd get a deal that reflected that. If his skills have diminished, the new deal would reflect that. They'd have to tear up his current contract regardless, which would mean the $6 million hit will take place no matter what else comes about. But if they gave him a $10 million signing bonus and $2 million a year for a three year deal, his cap amount for 2014 would be the $6 million hit plus $5 million for his current deal. That would mean he'd still get $12 million in 2014 and the Bears would only have $11 million against the cap. Much lower than the current deal would cost in cap and real money. At least that's how I think it all works. LT2 is the best resource here for this type of thing, maybe he can confirm. And please note, the numbers I use above are all speculative. I have no idea what the real value of a DE at his age would be.

LOL! Good bye cruel world!!!

I know dude. But it was the third one and they got ass-mastered by the Lions. So there's that.

This sounds right and appears to have been confirmed by Emery during his online chat today. See below. QUESTION: Are you at all concerned with the possibility of two offensive tackles being injured during the season now that Jonathon Scott has been released? 12:16 Phil Emery: Jon Scott is a player that we like. Getting ready for the first opponent dictated the moves that we made. There's always a possiblity that Jon will return to the Bears.

Bears added back Derek Dennis to the practice squad this afternoon. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0,4582906.story I still feel like there's gotta be something else brewing. Peppers restructured his contract today too, opening up some cap room.

Do you even realize how childish that sounds? OK, you know I defended a portion of your argument when I thought it had merit. That alone should give me some cred with you. Various folks attacked us both for suggesting that Lovie and Trestman weren't in cahoots regarding keeping Webb on despite better options. Obviously through that entire debacle I kept saying things like "Webb Sucks" but Jason still accused me of coming to his defense. So, I can see how that might have occurred with you as well. I have to be honest, I wasn't active on the board since last season ended up until the draft so I don't know what types of pissing matches you all had going over Webb. Didn't care then, don't care even more now. So, given that I might have a little cred with you, I ask you, please, pretty please, with sugar on top, be the bigger man, don't take the bait, and move the frick on!

So we intend on going into the season with only three backups in the line? Hmmmmm....