Lucky Luciano

this bothered me also. we should have been in a hurry-up offense nearly the entire 2nd half. the huddle up and meander to the LOS in the position they were in was ludicrous. where was our elite WR? this guy is a player yet all we do is throw these dink and dunk passes that do nothing to put us back into the game.... uhhh, what a hot mess

the next four games will decide where we go from here. this is sad if it doesn't work out because i like fields. he's a nice kid and he works as hard as any player i have seen to become better. i just don't think it is going to happen anymore. he has all the tools except one, the ability to process information in 3D quickly enough. i really hope i am wrong about this.

this is as bad as any game last season. i don't know if getsy is calling the garbage we saw or if it's a check down from fields. whatever the case this dink and dunk crap is an absolute joke. when you are down like they were and you can't even open up the field with some downfield passes speaks volumes. fields will get about 4 more games to turn this around. personally i don't think he can. i don't think he is processing information fast enough to even be an above average qb let alone a franchise qb. i don't know about his accuracy because we never throw it further than 5 yds. by week 10 we will see bagette so we know where we are drafting a qb next season.

is ANY unit playing professional football today? it's deja' vu all over again. maybe we can get the first AND second pick in the draft DISGUSTING

i thought the kid looked very good. i know it's preseason and all but bagent had quick reads and the ball was out like a laser. he was also very very accurate. great composure and ran the huddle well. this kid looked like a 5 year vet out their instead of a tier 2 walk on. if what i saw tonight keeps up in pre season this kid is a keeper and might be hard to keep on the practice squad before someone takes him.

for those outside of the Scores radio footprint it can be listened to online: https://onlineradiobox.com/us/wscr/

here is the deal.... we had NO offensive line. we had NO passing game that ANYONE was afraid of. monty was lining up mostly with a stacked 8+ in the box defense that KNEW all they had to do was stop the running game. i'm sorry but in my opinion he was worth WAY more than a mere $6mil to this team. now we have yet ANOTHER hole to fill and will either have to pay more than monty got or hope a draft pick can do half the stuff he did.

i think this was a mistake. we had a tough rb who could drag a pile, catch very well and more important he was a good+ blocker for fields. he was familiar with the system and went cheap. this was a step back for protecting fields.

agree. it's not just the speed that makes the back. if so you never would have even heard of w. payton. it's all the things combined... balance, strength, desire to go along with the ability as a blocker and receiver.

i just don't see why we would throw any draft picks above the 6th round or pick up another highly paid FA in running backs unless monty wants the moon. the guy can block he can catch he can move the pile he knows the system is in his prime relatively a healthy player with a great work ethic appears to be a locker room asset and doesn't throw anyone under the bus. not a prima donna. with a good offensive line in front of him his yds per carry can only increase. add to that when we don't have 8 in the box because our OL can actually pass block it should increase also. he was part of one of the most productive running attacks in recent bear history. i've said this before... he is a similar RB as walter payton was. not flashy but tough as nails and gets the job done on a team that defenses EXPECT the run. what more do we want from a RB? we have the change of pace quick RB already on the roster to compliment him. we have the cap to pay him so why look for greener grass when we are standing in the meadow?

first... for me it is WAY to early to say poles is any where near a bust. this year we broke this team right down to the bare ground. it needed to be done for once in the last 40 plus years. we have struggled every year trying to plug the individual supposed blue chip player in to make us a contender. this has NOT worked and in reality unless you get really lucky it won't work for any sustained credibility. even if you let this season slide, we are NOT going to contend for a S.B. in 23. there is just to much to do with what poles has been left with. what we should expect is not a super bowl run but see the bricks laid for a solid foundational team going on from 23. that said... if the foundation starts to crumble and we can't see a light at the end of the 23 tunnel then it's time to be concerned about poles. just not yet. second... lets get back to reality on our draft picks and free agents. nearly every player drafted needs a three year window to really evaluate what his potential is going to be going forward. you should see improvements each year, that is a given. but traditionally the second year is the let down for most draft picks because more is expected from them than as rookies. that has been my observation. speaking of rookies, that these players are not performing like pro bowlers at season end is completely understandable. they are going to wear down quicker than seasoned vets. the season is considerably longer (now 17 games compared to 16) than college and the practices and conditioning is or should be more intense also. they are physically and mentally wearing down in the last quarter of an nfl season. what you should be seeing is how much potential is really there for each rookie during the next 3 years and what role he is going to play with the team if he sticks.

exactly. someone should have been on the sideline showing how to counter the stunts they ran multiple times.

to me, special teams have done a very good job all season (exception santos). the coverages have been good with only a few lapses. i really don't have a problem with our ST coach.

unless the wind is 30+ mph steady with upward gusts you make the kick. if nothing else to gain experience in those conditions. plus... to miss an xtra point is ridiculous in any weather conditions. a strong hard kick puts it through.

time to look for a new kicker, possibly round 5-7 unless a really good FA is available. if we were in the hunt for the playoffs, this year he has cost us at least 2-3 games. any field goal under 50 should be automatic. if you can't hit xtra points yer done. this makes 2 out of 3 years with us he has sucked. time to move on.

here is the thing. a great running game that eats up the clock can do a LOT to make you a superbowl contender every year, but... to get to that point you have to have at least a 'good +' passing attack to go with it. if you don't, teams will fill the box and clog up all the running lanes. add to that, if you are playing against a high scoring team with an elite passing attack there is no way you can compensate for this with only a running game. you literally would run out the clock trying to catch up. you have to have the threat of throwing downfield to pull the safeties and corners away from the LOS and make your linebackers hesitate to stay in their lanes to make your running game work. the cowboys with smith had an elite QB with some excellent receivers to go along with it. that running game opened up a lot of passing yards for the cowboys but they still needed a great passing attack to go with it. finally, the nfl is geared up for scoring points so slow witted idiots watching football don't get bored watching a good defensive contest without basketball scores. this will make it harder to stop opponents that DO have an elite passing game.

not stopping the run is what killed any chance the bears had of winning this game. nearly every single run play netted 5 - 10 yards. this opens up a do whatever you want to in their passing game and they did. this has to be fixed next offseason without any reservations. also, not a single first down after the opening drive until the 3rd quarter. your defense which has many issues and didn't help themselves at all was gassed. many people don't see a problem with running the shotgun on inches and goal. i do. this was a silly call that put the final nail in the coffin. if your interior line can't move ahead 6 inches at the snap (qb sneak) it means you have no confidence in them at all. if no qb sneak how bout lining up over center and a power run to either monty or your full back?

the first half did have me concerned somewhat as nothing seemed to come together. the second half was a tale of two cities and it was impressive in the sense that this is a shiny new scheme with new coaches and young players who have never played together. they all banded together to get a win against a supposedly superior team. what was very impressive was that the niners were plain and simple out coached by the bears. 1. the discipline and good coaching was carried over from camp and preseason games. one of the differences being penalties or lack thereof. the talking heads can say whatever they want, the bears outcoached them and it showed on the field and in the final results. when has that happened before? 2. halftime adjustments: this reminded me of packer games where the packers were totally outplayed in the first half only to come back and dominate the second half. cudo's to our OC. i can't even remember the last time this happened. there are going to be a lot of growing pains for the rest of the season but it seems to me we are building a SOLID foundation for this team to build on in the future.

agree. i think this is where it's going to end up. 8 or 9 wins which is A-OK with me.

whatever

my final thoughts on a lock down corner: i watched the best defensive line maybe in the history of the modern NFL in the 80's bears. the only comparison is the steel curtain of the 70's. with that said i watched the dolphins hand the 85 bears their only loss and how i believe marino/shula did it was with the quick outs. this type of passing game you succeed by not giving the pass rushing defense (the 46 at that time) the time to get to the quarterback. no matter how good they are they still physically need that amount of time to do what they do best. the lovie cover 2 is another example of a really good defensive line in traylor, washington, alex brown and ogunleye. add to that probably two HOF linebackers in briggs and urlacher. favre consistently (and even manning in the SB) chewed us up with the quick pass for 5-10 yds negating the heavy pass rush. the way to compensate for this is having at least ONE lock down corner no matter what system your defense is running. the results of a single lock down corner are two fold. 1. it negates the opponents BEST receiver for at least 3-5+ seconds from the snap. this makes their #1 work for a reception downfield where a free safety can add additional help over the top if need be. 2. this opens up your #2 corner to work with linebackers and a strong safety to choke out that quick hit for first downs. he can play on or off the LOS (cover 2) to bump, legally within the 5 yd rule, the receivers or TE's offsetting the timing of the receiver and qb . the results of both make the qb take more time for a receiver to get open. THIS is where your pass rushing specialists shine and change the entire outlook for the game. this is why green bay has "owned" us for over 2 decades. we have seen it time and time again that 5-10 yard sideline pass for EASY completions while our corners/safeties are lining up beyond the first down markers and coming back to make the tackle beyond the sticks. this is why the cost of lock down corners in the past rivaled that of edge rushing defensive ends in scarcity and salary. EDIT: sorry for all the white space mistake

i will agree on the OL being the primary pick along with ONE wr who could be had in the 3rd if necessary. i don't believe two 2nd day receivers is going to help fields out as much as another position will, whether it's protecting him or giving the offense more time on the field. fields best friend should be monty and a great running game along with pass protection at least for this season until he begins to evolve.

i have to disagree. you NEED a GOOD corner that can play man/ bump and run and cover a receiver at the snap off the LOS. otherwise we end up seeing what lovie projected with his cover 2. huge gaps in the first 5-10 yards from the LOS for easy completions any time they want to make first downs. this increases the riding time your defense is on the field as your opponents march downfield to our red zone. by the 4th quarter/crunch time they are gassed. this takes away time your offense could/should be scoring points. you HAVE to give even the best defensive line time to get to the qb. the quick outs for 5-10 yds negate your speed rushing sack specialists and renders the cover 2 nearly useless. greenbay has been doing that to us for 20-30 freaking years with favre and now rogers. if you want to score points you have to put your offense on the field.

getting rid of our RB core would be a huge mistake. monty is a key player in any offense. he can run, block and catch. he is a tough runner to take down and moves the chains. dumping him would be like dumping neal anderson or even walter payton when their rookie contract was over. it makes no sense trying to fill this vacancy with a hopeful candidate through the draft. he is a key component for a new qb. pay the man and move on to other positions of need.