Lucky Luciano

it's a good dilemma to be in for a change. whitehair has real potential to be a future pro-bowl player at center. but... 1. unless we cut sitton who IS a pro-bowl guard i don't see him replacing either him or long. 2. grasu is an unknown with potential to be a good center. how good we don't know because he hasn't been able to stay on the field without injury long enough to make a decision either way. 3. IF whitehair can play tackle at a high level, which he did in college, that opens up a whole lot of possibilities either at right tackle replacing massey or even slipping into the spot leno is playing in. this in turn, saves us a high draft pick at that position although i do NOT want to see him become a mediocre tackle and diminish his so far great career potential at center or guard. so this is going to be an interesting offseason in how our offensive line shapes up.

1. this is the way fox and MOST coaches in the nfl operate. it's not new, it's not unique. should he come out and say... "Our season is over and we really suck. We only play every week because it's in our contract. I am hoping we lose the rest of the games to get better players in a higher spot in the draft to replace the chumps we now field anyway. Cutler is garbage and we are dumping him at season end and I hope he never finds another job. oh, by the way Jay, thanks for taking a beating for us the last 8 years. Also, here is a list of all the players on our roster who have injuries and how severe they are along with each players physical and mental limitations on game day. Since we are obviously not going to the Superbowl and want better draft picks we hope you can use this information to confirm your game plan to scheme against us." 2. me personally? i couldn't care less whether the media likes fox, cutler, or anybody else. in fact if the media does dislike someone because they don't kiss their arses it's a plus in my book. in many cases if there is not a story for these faux news outlets they will start one by themselves. many times it's not reporting the news, it's making up a story, reporting a 'rumour' or writing something obviously unknown to them and then reporting on it to gain the market share and put them on top of the 'news' cycle. so screw them and the horse they rode in on. if anyone believes all they hear in the media any more than they believe all the the nonsense the coaches speak in press conferences i'd like to sell them a swamp. and on a final note: SCREW the cheating thief tom brady!

it's his job to misdirect the competition to try and help WIN games not to placate the media, it's fans or tank games for draft position. even if everyone knows what the score is it still instills some doubt no matter how small. i also heard that this information could have been because cutler wanted to see if his shoulder would heal enough to at least showcase himself for the offseason for other teams as he probably will be cut loose. this would be a favor from the coaching staff to a guy who gave it all on the field. i see no problem with this coaching staff doing this stuff. that cheating scum from new england does it all the time and yet everyone loves him for it. go figure.

i see absolutely no reason to start barkley unless he looks 100% better in practice than he did on the field. unless we believe he can progress into at least an average qb with work he has no business being on the field. our young talent gets no chance to learn much of anything from this guy. it helps us not at all in determining whether our other offensive players are keepers or whether we should be looking to the draft or free agency to fill these spots with a cannon fodder qb. if shaw were healthy it would be a different story. he at least looked like he had something to contribute in preseason.

'supposedly' this was not a football operations evaluation according to hub arkush on the score this morning. if true that puts to rest the hot seat rumors for that side of the franchise for now. if this is true it's a PR nightmare created by themselves by not making a statement to the press SAYING it was not a football operations evaluation after the rumors in the media took flight. whether they wanted to keep under wraps the content of the consultation would have been easy with a no comment after assuring the press it had nothing to do with pace or fox. it just makes you wonder how detached the owners are from reality that they didn't even see that firestorm coming and show a vote of confidence to their F.O. staff.

this sounds familiar. hire a freaking GM and override the most important decision he can possibly make right out of the gate. guess they didn't learn when they forced emmery to keep lovie. course i find it hard to believe the mccasky family can learn anything after drinking water that probably ran through lead water pipes in their family mansion their entire lives. after all, it would cost money to replace lead pipes with that new-fangled copper stuff.

well that sure gives the current football operations personnel a high vote of confidence (not to mention EVERY SINGLE PLAYER on the roster and any future free agents they might wish to acquire). you've just hamstringed the entire coaching staff and ANY future hires THEY want to make. add to that the GM now has absolutely NO faith in management to work with whatever long term plan he implemented when he was hired. what IDIOT'S are actually running this franchise? george the ticket taker? mikey the part time genius, part time gardener? virginia the 200 year old patriarch? sweaty teddy phillips the failed GM, part time bean counter, and full time imbecile? the inmates of the cook county insane asylum? MY opinion: pace.. a young up and coming GM who i still have faith in for at LEAST two more years when his acquisitions will reach maturity in the NFL. i thought and still do think that the fox hire was a great hire along with his support staff. yet the carnival sideshow of freaks running this franchise wonder why we are struggling after ONE AND A HALF YEARS (not to mention half our roster of starters is injured), with a roster that was depleted and run into the ground for over 10 years, and now seek someone else who thinks THEY know something about football to evaluate their hiring!!!! the owners of this franchise have exclusively been involved with NFL football their entire lives!!! this is how they have made their living for over 30 + years!!! how stupid are these people? Sell this franchise for god's sake and give the city of chicago and it's fans a freaking break from this moronic, embarrassing travesty!!!

the officiating was BAD last night. we not only had to play the packers with one hand tied behind our backs, we also had to play against the officials. non calls, nit pick mystery calls and... anybody notice how our qb's can get mauled penalty free? fabio hits hoyer helmet to helmet and then throws him down long after the ball was released early in the first half yet no flag. later hoyer gets another helmet to helmet with the same results. our defensive players touch a facemask with a single finger it's 15 yards. the same goes when cutler is in the game. they can beat on him without any protection from the officials.

a comparison to mcmahon and winning? shirley you jest. continuity WITH very good talent goes a long, long way. comparing the two QB's is like comparing peas to watermelons even if they are both green on the outside. mcmahon drafted in 82: a very good quarterback in his own right but... jim finks/vanesi prior to and after his arrival procured an EXCELLENT group of talent for the offensive line. dick stanfel the offensive line coach at that time was very good plus ed hughes their offensive coordinator molded a group of talent into a historically good unit that ran up to and past the superbowl year. (yet more continuity here with our offensive coaches). with the exception of thayer (becker was the RG that worked with that unit until 85 when thayer was drafted and took over) they had all played together three + years since 1983. there was also depth behind these linemen who were aging starters or at least decent backups. let's add to that offensive line the best running back in the history of the NFL who was a EXCELLENT blocking running back, mat suhey who was an EXCELLENT blocking FB who could also run the ball very well, a very good blocking TE in moorhead who could also catch. all of which had played together since before mcmahon showed up. the bears record during this time of mcmahon's tenure: 82 his rookie season - 3 and 6 - with an offense ranked in the 20's - ranked 9th in league for INT's 83 - 8-8 - ranked overall 12th in points and 5th in yards - ranked 11th in league for INT's 84 - 10-6 a top 10 offense - ranked 4th in league for INT's 85 - 15-1 - the number one offense - ranked 6th in league for INT's that's 3 years with very good talent around mcmahon before he had a winning record and three years before he broke into the top 10 offenses. why you ask? talent and continuity. all of this with one of the best run offenses in the league ranked in the top five each of those 3 years who ALSO became much better due to their offensive line compared to years past along with the fact the qb was light years better than what we previously had. NOTE: having the BEST defense in the history of the NFL goes a long way also and can NOT be discounted when comparing these offenses. cutler: a good to good + QB i'm certainly not going to go into the entire cutler menagerie. the information, records and stats are out there to find if you want to spend the time to do it. we knew what he was before we traded for him, or at least we SHOULD have. the faults along with the good. we essentially destroyed what career he had, if any, by incompetence... poor management, coaching and very poor talent surrounding him. so to compare him to mcmahon is not even in the ballpark of reality. in my opinion we did to him what the texans did to carr. they beat him to a pulp so bad that he never recovered from it and never will. is it time for him to be replaced? the answer is absolutely yes. find that rookie or free agent and groom them behind cutler till they are ready next season.

i think you can add to the bad whoever is in charge of the replay booth for chicago. for whatever reason this happens year after year no matter who the coaches are. they throw flags on stupidly obvious calls and do nothing on calls that really could be overturned. the guys in the booth today should have been dragged out and thrown off the upper deck. the stupid NON CALL cost us 4 points. it was 3rd down and 1 near our 30. the running back was tackled for a LOSS and the refs give them a first down. it was so obvious even the announcers commented on it. i kept waiting for fox to throw the flag and nothing. it was a major mistake and could have cost us the game. the second STUPID call was throwing the flag on that sideline reception. what in the h e double l are these morons looking at? it was clearly obvious it was a catch. this cost us a critical timeout for absolutely nothing. just what are these guys looking at?

WHITEHAIR: i like this pick a lot. our interior line is now set for years to come and can develop together as young players. we either have the best guard in the draft with the possibility of competing/moving to LOT. this anchors long in his best position at RG. this means we have plenty of competition and depth for guard and center (larsen) if grassu doesn't pan out. we can take a year or two to bring whitehair up to speed if we need to. we have a stop gap RT which we can fill in next years draft or possibly fabuluje makes the stride we hoped for. we still have the question mark on LT. if whitehair fills in on that spot for depth or if he takes over the starting job we are a way better offensive line with a lot of depth. the first pick was still tunsil but this blunts the pain somewhat.

we haven't had a LOT above 'average' since jim covert was drafted in 1983. he retired TWENTY SIX freaking years ago. we have had every low to average quality, outcast, knucklehead and mispositioned player playing this slot since. why is that? because our gm or whatever the hell we have, was calling the shots or if not him emmery, angelo, lovie, wanny, jauron or some other stooge coach when we actually did have a top ten pick and couldn't grasp the importance of that position. i don't care what this tunsil was smoking or huffing in his gas mask, unless it was canisters of PCP, this was the pick. would anyone have turned down warren sapp or randy moss for smokin a dube in today's world? i sure as hell wouldn't so why did we pass on tunsil to play the 2nd most important position on your entire offense and the one greatest need on our entire team for over 26 years? here's a sad thought for all.... our offensive coordinator is in his first season at that position ever. he has no chops to stand up and say "take this guy you idiots!". so the guy with the loudest voice, fangio, says "i want HIM!" and we end up in the scheme of things with a freaking dime a dozen linebacker who we draft to add to the strongest position on the entire team. our new GM spent the entire offseason getting rid of blue chip players on offense (i know, i know that's my personal opinion about forte and bennet and i don't want to argue about it) and bringing in blue chip players on defense. we basically spent the moon in free agency on our defense over the last two seasons. did it need it? YES, it did. but this put us into the position to really draft a quality best impact player available which it turns out was on offense. and what happens? he either chokes or caves in to our defensive minded coaches. i understand if there is nothing there you draft defense but when you find yourself looking at a TOP fallen pick you desperately need and you will probably NEVER have a chance to draft that high again in 10 years you better damn well take him. do we? HELL NO!!!! now,,,, who do you think actually DOES draft tunsil? our FORMER offensive coordinator the freaking head coach of the freaking miami dolphins!!!!!!! i think i will go puke now.

either this tunsil has BUST tattooed on his forehead that was the freaking PICK!!!!!!!! we don't even have an AVERAGE left tackle and we pick a linebacker over a potential pro-bowl LEFT TACKLE. i am going to puke. i guess jerry angelo called this one in. this is a serious STRIKE ONE on pace. what an idiot. oh well, here we go again.

i am going to agree with you. haven't we filled out the roster with free agents for the DL already? i understand they may not be of this quality but how many roster spots do we use for this position? to swap a #11 pick for #20 seems pretty high especially if it comes with a $15 mil price tag. i would rather move up in the draft for an OLT than this move. if we could swap a 2nd and give up a 4th ok i could get behind this but it seems wilkerson is an albatross around the jets neck right at the moment. they don't have the cap space.

i am with you. if we can structure a deal that doesn't hinder our development in the future i have no problem doing it if the guy fits into our system.

well which CB's are you referring to?

certainly not for someone who has only played 4 seasons. what i CAN attest to is in his fourth season he was an all-pro and pro-bowl player. whether elite or not it seems to me this guys career is on the rise with the potential to be better than any #1 CB on this team in recent memory or longer. as i have said in the past, it is HIGHLY unlikely to find a premium QB, OLT,, DE or CB at a young age in free agency every 10 years or ever. this would solidify our DB's for years to come and would leave our main concern this season at finding, most important to me, an OLT or possibly a QB on offense. this means if we wanted to we could even trade up for the left tackle we desperately need after filling key components in free agency on defense. now... that said, is he worth the money and what kind of reasonably friendly contract can stein come up with? unknown. we have the cash now but if it hurts our team in our rebuilding stage future then no, it's not the way we want to go. NOTE: the reference to these two players was to demonstrate that at the age of this guy is NOT a detriment whether you hire him or not.

i can't attest to whether the money would hurt us long term but as far as age? i don't see it. one of the bigger blunders we made in 2006 and in my opinion during the first decade of the 21st century, was not picking up charles woodson. this hurt us for one hell of a long time. woodson went to the packers at the age of 30 and played at a high level with them for 7 years in which at LEAST 5 of those years he was a verry good corner. age wise? he was in the probowl at the ages 32-35. champ bailey played a long long time also. whether norman is of the bailey caliber i can't say but it certainly wouldn't hamper a player coming in at the age of 28 (turning 29 in december of this year).

comparisons to 1985 are pretty much apples to oranges. it's a whole different game since that time not to mention i believe leslie fraser was a highly underated player.

i went in this order: OLT - this is the key to your offense. if you can't protect your qb's blindside (assuming he is not a lefty) it puts the entire season at high risk of failure. the OLT spot is one of the hardest to fill with a quality all-pro player. you usually have to draft these high in the first round to find one with that potential and it may be some time before we are able to draft this high again for a while. if you do not have the chance to draft the LT in your slot or move up to get the player you believe fills that need then you go another route. you don't draft a potential RT or G at this slot but hope you can pick up a diamond in the rough in the 2nd or 3rd who needs to be groomed for your future only IF you have quality coaching that can bring this to bear. CB - a pass rushing defensive end monster and a cover/shutdown cornerback have near the same value which is the highest value on defense. the shutdown corner cuts the field of play in half and at worst gives your defensive line that extra second to reach or disrupt the qb. again, like the above action, if the value is there at #11 or you have to trade up to get a player you project will fit this scenario this is what you do. otherwise go another route and try for that gem in a lower round that has potential to become that with good coaching if he has the physical and mental abilities to succeed in time. QB - although this is my 3rd choice it is the position of the greatest value in professional football. as it stands right now we are in a very good position with cutler to give us not only a chance to win it all but to draft a qb that can be groomed to excel in our future which is paramount. we don't have to throw this prospect into the fire if we choose not to. it looks like the top 2 qb's will be long gone before they reach us at #11 and trading up that far to get one of them is probably way to costly. that leaves lynch. if he is available at #11 and this staff believe he could be a franchise player in the future then the decision is between lynch and a top left tackle if he is available. the dividends might not pay off for a year or two but it is the smart choice looking down the road to our future. we probably will not be picking this high again for some time. it gives us the freedom to groom this guy over a period of years to slot into this position when cutler is done (i look at cuter lasting 2-3 years more tops). if lynch doesn't look like the future high quality starter then you move to the lower rounds for this prospect and still have the ability to bring him along slowly. it also gives us the advantage of having two qb's that can start, in time, on most NFL clubs. that means real value in trade scenario's where you can pull high draft picks from those other franchises if the need or desire is there. this is paramount if you draft a qb at this position: as a base, he must have the physical tools to succeed including optimum size. to go hand in hand with the physical side he MUST be mentally suited for the QB position. he has to have the ability to quickly understand what the defenses are giving him in a three dimensional window and make the correct decisions as to where the ball will go. this coincides with the ability to accurately throw the football with consistency. all of this is subject to whether the coaching staff you have is good enough to create the opportunity of grooming a qb to play in the NFL at a high level.

i don't believe that is true in this instance... He’s about to play in his second Super Bowl in his four pro seasons. And his consistently flawless snaps on punts, field goals and extra points are a big reason Denver is in the NFL’s championship game this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. But behind that surfer-dude exterior is a perfectionist. Long snapper guru Chris Rubio says that Brewer is extremely athletic, not to mention consistent and automatic. this guy fills a serious need at a key position we are weak at since mannelley retired. he is young and has post season experience. he could virtually play at a high level for 10 years in chicago. in my opinion this is one of the better signings we have had this offseason.

sounds like an excellent choice. the next patrick mannelly? here is some info on him: OZY - http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/aaron-brew...st-player/67679 Denver Broncos long snapper Brewer isn’t completely anonymous, though. He’s good at what he does, but it just so happens that the epithet most commonly following his name is a little less desirable than what gets attached to Manning: Twenty-five-year-old Brewer was once dubbed “the worst player in the NFL.” But don’t feel too bad. Brewer’s earning more than $1 million a year playing a position that requires him to be on the field for only a handful of snaps each game. He’s about to play in his second Super Bowl in his four pro seasons. And his consistently flawless snaps on punts, field goals and extra points are a big reason Denver is in the NFL’s championship game this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. “No one cares about the long snapper, but it’s a position of paramount importance, because it changes the whole perspective of field position,” says Wayne McDonnell, an associate professor of sports management at New York University. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Brewer would stand out in most crowds. But on media day, he easily blends into the chaos. His long dirty-blond hair streams out from a “Super Bowl 50’’ cap as he listens to teammates get interviewed. A Denver TV reporter sticks a microphone in Brewer’s face and proclaims, “We have never talked to this young man,’’ and then moves on after his questions elicit a few quick self-deprecating answers. But behind that surfer-dude exterior is a perfectionist. Long snapper guru Chris Rubio says that Brewer is extremely athletic, not to mention consistent and automatic. “Being a long snapper is almost like being a professional free-throw shooter; you’re doing the same thing every time,’’ Rubio says. “Long snappers have to be like a sniper — you have one job, and you have to do it well.’’

well then what's the reason? what's he not buying into? he gives effort, shows up to mandatory camp, plays hurt and starts games, says positive things about the bears and so on and so forth. what do they want from this guy? the absolute only thing i heard about is him holding out on VOLUNTARY training camp because he wanted more money. if that is what they are making a decision on dumping him for they must be living in a bomb shelter/cave. that is how the nfl works these days.

the guy was playing games with broken ribs!!! doesn't that say enough of what a team player he is???

have you even heard what he was asking for? even if he is asking to be paid like a top 5 TE isn't that because he IS? we keep referring to FA and paying what the prospects are worth. well we HAVE a guy like that and now we want to dump him because he wants to get paid a comparable salary? dude, we can't just keep dumping quality players especially on offense. we have no proven horses in the stable. neither ONE of them were on the same page. it was a completely NEW offense!! and it can be said of almost every receiver that they are not ALWAYS on the same page. so you would want to take away one of cutlers ONLY proven offensive playmakers left on this team to roll the dice on a freaking 4th round draft pick at the same position? seriously? how bout we trade kyle long for a couple of picks. then we could draft 2 players and hope they are as good too. yikes, it seems like some kinda fever this time of year where everyone wants to dump the old and gamble on the new for no apparent reason.