Alaskan Grizzly

In reading around about it, sounds like Alshon tweeted that "I'm allright" regarding his foot injury. Me thinks that with the compressed camp schedule (due to the new CBA) his being held out of full contact was more cautionary.

Oh yeah...I stand corrected. You're right. I was so used to your guys' 'lovefest' that I assumed it was you that drove him away. You know what they say about assuming....

He may be on hiatus but last I heard he seemed pretty roiled up. I agree with Connor, I'll miss the back and forth of he and Cracker. Pretty funny stuff actually. The "special" relationship Stinger and I have is JV compared to those two.

I was wondering why you were asking since the only significant player of note holding out is Lynch...which is Seattle's problem, not ours. Also will chime in with 'welcome back'. As far as fighting with someone, we have one less strong voice in Jason since Cracker chased him off but there is always Terra. He still spouts off from time to time. Or me, I seem to be getting surlier in my older age. Even MadLith irritates me more than he used to. :cheers

Yep. Funny there is this much discussion about punting, but considering how much a difference last years punting game made on some overall outcomes...this is encouraging. I think if they are able to concentrate on directional punting, that will be key. I mean, a guy that can kick 70 yards AND put it inside the 10 or 5 yard line near the sideline...now we're talking.

Aren't the quicker combine times for the 40 in the neighborhood of 4-5 secs? Just doing simple math tells me that at that pace (without running around or through people) one should be able to cover the 70 yard span somewhere in the 6-7 sec range? A '5 second hang time' doesn't seem like a long time in that regard. Could speak to the 'out of coverage' Wesson was talking about. The 70 yards is awesome though.

True that. Good thought. FWIW. I'm a fan of Kromers since he came to Chicago. Has brought two pretty decent OLmen (Bushrod and DeLepuente) over from NO since joining us. (By the by, I see DLP as a sleeper of sorts - if OLmen can be). And he (Kromer) seems to compliment Trestman and his strategy. Wonder why he left NO?

Probably more a body than anything. But he's a hybrid Guard/Center like Garza so that makes him more useful.

One word (name): Jerry Jones. That's why he might consider retiring. But I'd be good with Kyle coming back. He's not a real dynamic performer but consistent. I think I read that he gets $4 mil this year regardless of what he does. Not sure how that worked but theoretically he could sign on with the Bears and still be paid like he was with Dallas without being in Dallas. As far as him coming to Chicago, and as I was saying in another thread, both Palmer and Clausen would have to flop something fierce before it's considered. I don't know that they'll keep three QBs on the active roster anyhow. Fales, if he makes it, will probably end up on the PS. Of the two remaining, Clausen probably has the better shot because of his connection to Trestman.

Not that it answers 'how they're doing in camp ' but I saw a video report, that I can't seem to find, from D-line coach Pasquoloni. He was giving great feedback on both of them and their work ethic. That and how well they are adapting to the pro life. Sounds like he thinks pretty highly of both.

Indeed. With Fuller being a first rounder it is good to see him being opportunistic this early in camp. I'm sure he would (will) perform the same when given first team starts. It just doesn't speak well to a player that has been in the 'system' (Palmer) when competing against one that hasn't (Clausen). I'm personally not a fan of Clausen's but am willing to see how he works out in a support role. FWIW I think Morgan (unfortunately) is a lost cause. So hearing murmurs of the possibility in bringing back Orton in a back up role(?). I suspect that would only occur if both Palmer and Clausen fail miserably. Still a bit of time to determine that.

*Edit to previous post: Now I see it was Jordan...at least on this one.

The pessimist in me wants to know 'who' is throwing Kyle all these picks? Probably not Cutler (assuming it's second team reps he's - Fuller - getting). Which concerns me on the #2 is that is doing this. Jordan or Jimmy? Hmmmm...

DP

Yeah gotta see it (Cutler) before I believe it (do well consistently). Trestmans evidence of poor choice was during game 2 of Detroit(?) when he kept Cutler in too long after re aggravating his leg injury. Allegedly Cutler kept asking Trestman about it but he kept him in. McCown shoulda come back for that game, earlier than when he did. Maybe things will come up rosy but like Terra , I have my doubts.

DP

He should wear that and do the impersonation during a game. It'll freak out the opposition and be hilarious.

Good question. Maybe with him in a Bears jersey would be too much Chicago representation ( because Tillman is there too). What's also weird is that it looks like AJ Hawk is trying to tackle him (Allen). At least Peanut's trying to tackle an offensive player.

Whatever. You're a douche. The answer is Arizona Cardinals. As it turns out they, along with the Bears, are one of the only original members of the NFL having been formed actually in the late 1800's but signing on in 1920...based out of Chicago. (sorry mongo if I stole your thunder). Go Bears! Good luck Lovie.

First thanks Pix, you're right haven't lost my love for the Bears. Only once was that really ever in question when I was about 6 because I liked the color purple, so I had a pair of Vikings mittens. The admiration of the Vikings was fleeting though I assure you. Been a Bears fan all of my 45 years ( probably longer than you've been around Stinger). Born in Great Lakes, have family still in Woodstock. Never had as much passion as I do for the Bears. Ask my former and current wives. Ask my kids. Ask anyone who knows me they'll tell you I'm annoyingly obsessed with the team. Just so happens I have a respectability for Lovie. Like how he coaches, like the product he puts on the field. Especially when it comes to defense. Love the 'rock me sockem' relentless style of play he conjures up. TB has never really threatened the Bears not even when they were in the same division. But if I had my way I'd just as soon see the Bears and Bucs play for the NFC championship. Rest assured that my allegiance would not be tested on that day, I'd still root for blue and orange until I was hoarse. Do I think that will happen? Probably not, but it would be cool to see. So since you're so smart Stinger, riddle me this. For the longest time why, if I was asked to choose a favorite second team, would I choose the Cardinals?

We could do that. Or that TB will have a better record than Chicago next year. And our wager would be similar to the one MadLith made that says the loser pays to the Walter Payton cancer research foundation.

The quick answer to you is 'anything is possible'. But a few things to consider. First, McCown could legitimately be a starter. The "magic" that Trestman performed with McCown didn't necessarily translate to Cutler. My thought on that was McCown was better adaptably to what Trestman had for an offense than did Cutler. Whether Cutler is successful enough to run the offense a full season remains to be seen. And in regards to that 'anemic offense' how about this for comparables? Glennon last year: 247/416 for 2,608 (59.4%)19 TDs to 9 INTs. Cutler: 224/335 (63.1% - whopping 4% difference) for 2,621 yds for 19 TD's to 12 INTs. Now it is safe to say that Cutler/McCown easily had the better talent work with last year (over Glennon) but with our "franchise QB" as the barometer, the stats don't show a lot better. I believe the largest knock on the offense last year, besides Doug Martin being out with an injury, was the lack of YAC yards from the receivers. Safe to say that due to TB drafting efforts they concentrated on improving that. With Tedford (who coached the likes of Dilfer and Aaron Rodgers while at Cal) it could be said he may possess some of the similar 'whispering' abilities that Trestman has. Maybe not, but that too remains to be seen. And as far as defense goes, I think it goes without saying but we all know Lovie knows defense. Add to that mix; Michael Johnson, Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David, Mark Barron, Mike Jenkins, Dashon Goldson and Alterraun Verner yes I think it highly probable that TB could post a pretty respectable record. I'd go as far as saying top 5 NFC.

I'd be willing to make a wager with you (similar to the one Mad Lith and I have - but for just this year), except I know how much you hate to be proven wrong.

For the record, our team has been to a Super Bowl since '85. Going to one and winning one are two different things. To this day there are still teams that can claim neither. As many times as our team has come close to winning the NFC North these last few years I'm fairly confident that they will this year. Detroit - non factor, Minnesota - same, GB - hasn't done much to improve ( maybe stagnated?). As far as NFC champs? With teams like Seattle, SF and TB ... Yes TB... In the mix, less likely. I will hand it to Emery, he's trying his darndest to fix what ills them. That being the D. I think the success of the overall team weighs heavily on the pieces all falling into place and Tucker completing the puzzle.

You just described my lunch, dinner and breakfast for tomorrow.