Mongo3451

I expect better in most years. Although last year was not one of those years. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome, given the lack of talent I percieved us to have on the offensive side of the ball. Now, add Cutler, Pace, Omaliye, Shaffer, Gaines, Bullocks, draft picks and coach Marinelli and the question is: Who'd we lose that anyone else has shown interest in? We've upgraded QB, WR, OL, DL, DB and coaching. Don't forget, that we are 20 mil under the cap still as a sign that Angelo is NOT done upgrading talent. I think Lovie has set a tone this off-season by making chages to the off-season program, plus taking control of the defense and putting fat cat players on notice with the help of Angelo. Lovie has placed his neck squarely on the chopping block. Don't underestimate motivation by fear and by hope. I expect the defense as a unit to work hard this off-season out of shame and pride, while the offense continues to grow with more talent, hope and confidence. I'll be shocked if we are less than a contender.

This was in another post. You forget, most of these are kickers.

I still think Minny is the perfect fit for him. Great OL, AP, Berrian and now Harvin. Does he ever need to have any other dropback, but play action?? That being said, if the concensus of NFL execs think he's that bad, how much better are we going to be with Cutler? Or how bad was/is our coaching staff and JA for the blind faith they placed in Rex for too long?

Good article I especially liked what was said about passing efficiency of 20+ yards and what the offense can do vs what it couldn't do. Rolling pockets, deep outs, flea flickers(oh my)... The playbook is officially opened!

Great! I'm talking football with bunch of kickers. I bet NFO and Crackerdog were kickers too.

To add to my last post on this... I think we'd have the upper hand in signing Plax if we want him. I'm sure he's ready to get away from the NY press. They will never let him live it down. Also, the fact that Rosenhaus is mum on the other team interested "if the Bears" is that he knows how Angelo works. If he would leak the Bears, Angelo would pay him back somehow.

If he can be signed to a "model citizen and team mate" contract, I'm all for it. He makes us superbowl contenders immediately. He's a dumbass, but not a T.O. type dumbass, as in his team mates seemed to like him.(Eli in particular)

See correction above.

Gotta go with Wolfe on value. He's younger and proving valuable on special teams. Here's where the difference is: his unique ability vs our other RB's. The staff must be salivating at Cutlers ability to stretch the field to give Wolfe more room to work. And as a 3rd down back, he will not be asked to be a power back or a blocker. The only scenario in which I see AP having more value is if Forte and KJ go down, which is not likely. In that case, you have a guy on the practice squad come up to supplement. You may have a more solid floor with AP, but Wolfe raises the ceiling.

That's an interesting thought. I think Hetser and Olsen will be the guys. I'd love to see them both get 70+ apiece. I just see either of them going 90+.

Fun topic. Here's how I see it going. Hester 80-1200 Bennett 45-550 Olsen 70-750 Iglesias 20-? Davis 25-? Forte 45-? Knox 5-? Clark 30-? McKie 10-?

I like what I hear from the QB's, but the above says it all. I tend to be a little more cynical when it comes to fluff like this and think to myself; "how the hell would any of these kids know what it's like in the NFL?" You can only imagine the speed of the NFL game, it's nothing like the transition from high school to D1.

I like what I hear from the QB's, but the above says it all. I tend to be a little more cynical when it comes to fluff like this ad think to myself; "how the hell would any of these kids know what it's like in the NFL?" You can only imagine the speed of the NFL game, it's nothing like the transition from high school to D1.

Spot on.

I look for them to decide who they want to give time to between Wolfe and AP. IMO - the odd man out will be cut. My bet is AP will go if all things are equal.

I think Angelo pulls the trigger regardless. For one, if you have an opportunity to land a bonafide franchise QB you make an attempt. I think we saw enough of Orton's limitations to know he's nothing more than a game manager. Secondly, if we would have made the playoffs, Orton's value could be perceivably higher and possibly would have lessened Denver's demands, allowing us to get Cutler a little cheaper. Lastly, with most of our core signed and the team in great cap shape, that made us a potential mover and shaker this off season. We arguably have done more to improve our team this off season than any other franchise as a result. I wish I knew where we are capwise, because we may have some surprises to come. If not, I'd expect to see Cutler extended and also know we'd be in position to be in great cap shape next season as well.

Agreed that it's a horrible idea. (even though I don't believe it's actually Pix's idea) Olsen should catch 85-100 balls this year and go to the pro-bowl. I really look for more 2 TE sets this year. Now that we have Pace, Williams and Shaffer to shore up the bookends, we can actually deploy both TE's in routes to open up the playbook. That with Cutler mobility and cannon will go a long way in offsetting the lack of proven talent at WR.

These power rankings are week to week, so they can upgrade and downgrade as the season progresses. As of now, AZ and Philly are OK, as their respective QB's are not injured. On the other hand, you may be onto something when it comes to Vegas odds for the Super Bowl. Lastly, I love to see we are getting kudos in the press. Hopefully it does not have the same effect as the year following the Super Bowl, as our team seemed to have lost some of the hunger. If I had to bet, it would be that the team will come in motivated for another run at glory. FS, WR and coaching are the only concerns at this time. The team seems stacked otherwise.

I hope LT is lurking with some cap analysis. I would love to re-calibrate this wet dream off-season. The only season I have been more excited was the season after the SB, in which we were supposed to be bulletproof. I'm still praying for a decent FS.

I'm not getting a smokescreen out of this, as Angelo is simply not saying too much while outwardly displaying confidence in our own.

Thanks for the dose of realism Madlith. What's next?: are you going to inform us that Cutler is NOT, Jesus in cleats. Buzzkill!! LOL Honestly, practice squad looks like a pretty good for all of our draft picks that don't make the roster.

If he can compete and has a minumum + incintives contract, I don't see where it would hurt. He would valuable insurance in case of injury and could prove to be a great situational player and un-official sideline coach. If he doesn't have anything left - cut him.

Thanks for the analysis. It seems like he's close on skillset.

I've always thought turning an undersized or speedy offensive lineman into a fullback was an interesting idea, but have rarely seen it done. Anyway, did we get our guy in the 7th round??? Read the writeup. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/lance-louis?id=237676 Thoughts?