nfoligno

I'll send him the email. Thanks for setting all this up.

Your a good man Charlie Brown.

Trust me. That is an interview I will not soon forget. That interview, along w/ the Sapp interview last year, made huge and lasting impressions on me.

Understand. I am not saying Turner has been great, but only held back by players. I have done more than my fair share of Turner bashing. At the same time, I also feel he has been limited by our personnel. First, it isn't just the addition of Cutler. It is more than that. Think about how much is different this year from last. Orton to Cutler. Okay, this one is obvious. Likely 3 new starters on the OL. Even if Beekman were to keep his job, I would argue this is still a change, as he is no longer a rookie getting his feet wet. We have not only upgraded, but also added a future 1st ballot HOF player to man the left side. Forte was awesome last year, but was also a rookie. While we used the hell out of him, at the same time, I bet we didn't "teach" him everything. Our #1 WR is the same this year and last, but think about what a difference a year makes. Last year was Hester's 1st season as a full time WR. He was not a rookie, but was closer than not to being just that in terms of WR. Now, while I would not call him a seasoned veteran, he far better knows the playbook, system and his position, also which was new to him. Even players that did well for us last year were still learning and relatively new. Hester, Forte and Olsen were three of our top weapons, and none were experienced. Now, all three have a far greater base of knowledge, and thus we can better open things up for them. I do agree Turner could have tried to do some more, but also would argue he actually did get creative, but again, you can only get so creative w/ players who (a) lack knowledge and/or ( lack ability. For example, Orton was not a mobile QB. he was capable of moving around in the pocket, but was neither good outside the pocket, nor throwing on the run. These are two areas Cutler excels at, thus why we didn't use many roll outs in the past, but could make it part of our system this year. Further, beyond just the QB, if your edge blockers suck, you can get your QB killed rolling him out. Look, you can bring up Bennett, and I will agree all day, but I think there is more evidence that personnel limited us more than the other way around. Bennett is a great case against our staff, but I think I can list plenty more examples where personnel hurt our coaches.

ESPN Chicago's twitter. I don't have it set up or anything, but here it is w/ all "tweets" listed. Keep clicking on more when you get to the bottom of the page. Plenty of fluff and worthless tweets, but also a crap load of little gems, IMHO. For example, I have never seen d linemen pushed this hard in practice in my six years covering the team. 1:35 PM Aug 2nd from txt Physical afternoon. Chris williams flattens adams. Walle taken down on run play to his side. 2:45 PM Aug 2nd from txt Kevin Jones attacking defenders like they owe him money. KJ one of the top standouts so far in camp. 7:42 PM Aug 2nd from txt Full pads again today. I'm surprised. Third day in a row. 10:08 AM Aug 3rd from txt Another PBU by bowman. 11:23 AM Aug 3rd from txt This is sort of a theme, as I kept reading more and more PBU by Bowman tweets. Clayton likes johnny knox. Haugh does not. about 19 hours ago from txt Marcus harrison taken off NFI list. Will practice today. More later. about 1 hour ago from txt http://twitter.com/ESPNChiBears

Honestly, I had never heard of ESPN Chicago until recently, when it was reported that ESPN Chicago was so successful that they were branching out into new markets, including here in Dallas. That was the first I heard of it, and frankly, even then forgot about it. Then I am reading ESPN and Clayton's stuff about the Bears camp, and saw the link for ESPN Chicago. There are some nice articles in there I had not seen before (Olsen & Gilbert), as well as a camp "tweeter", which is where I heard Harrison would return to practice today. Anyway, for those who have never been to the site, http://espn.go.com/chicago/

Jeff Dickerson, ESPN, tweeted that Marcus Harrison was taken off NFLI, and will practice today. As quick as that went, it seems to me the staff was making a statement to the kid.

1. Cutler's arm is only part of the story...... One of the better things I have read, as it doesn't fall into the normal talk category. You always read the general stuff about a QB and WR getting on the same page, but this take it another step, going so far as to explain where Hester "likes the ball". Love reading that sort of detailed info. I had previously talked about how Cutler will benefit our WRs w/ his ability to place the ball, but I was thinking more in terms of leading them. I hadn't thought before about different WRs liking to catch the ball in different locations, much less a QB being good enough to place the ball there. With the QBs we have had in the past, the QB was doing well to put it in the same zip code as the WR. 2. Offense optimistic.... Love reading this too, talking about actually lining our TEs outside to free up the inside. I have read we have lined Olsen up in the backfield. I have read we are really getting Wolfe involved. Cuter talked about how they were working on and practicing bootlegs and roll outs. Its almost as if we have a whole new offense. Honestly, it really makes me think about something. For years we have ripped and bashed Turner for being so predictable. After reading about some of the things we have been working on, I have to just wonder how much has been Turner and how much has been Turner being hamstrung w/ mediocre players. If Orton were our QB, does anyone believe we would be practicing bootlegs and roll outs? 3. The running offense should continue to grow in 2009...... Nice to read Clayton say it, but nothing we haven't talked about. Upgrades to OL and QB could have a huge affect on our run game. 4. Bowman turning heads...... Again, nice to read, but nothing we have not known and discussed. Some have said Bowman is looking like this years Graham, who looked awesome in OTAs and camp last year. Bowman has been doing it on an even more impressive scale. As many questions as there are surrounding our more highly paid corners, it is great to see/read about how well our young DBs are doing. 5. Rejuvenated defense...... Some more rehash here. Point 5 is a throw away for me. That was far from insightful. Points 3 and 4 are nothing new for us, but may be for many other bear fans, and good to read an outside talk about. Points 1 and 2 were very good reads IMHO, and two things I feel are relatively fresh.

Personally, I hope we end up seeing a lot fewer 2 TE formations and more 3 WR formations. One, if we see fewer 2 TE sets and more 3 WR sets, a key reason should be we have receivers stepping up, which would be great. Two, while there were other factors, the stats show Forte was a far superior runner when we spread it out, rather than when we ran 2 TE formations. In 2 TE formations, Forte had a 3.6 ypc avg, compared to 4.0 in 1 TE. Further, when we had 3 WRs, he had a 5.2 ypc avg. W/ an improved OL, his ypc avg should increase, even in 2 TE sets. At the same time, I think Forte is simply better when we spread it out. Now, we can't do that if we don't get a couple WRs stepping up, but if that does happen, I think it could really spell success for our offense.

The majority of the time when you hear players, coaches or whoever being interviewed, it is fairly worthless. "one game at a time", "get off the bus running". Same ol same ol comments they are tought to say early on. But every once in a while, you catch a slip up. Maybe it is a situation like discussed w/ Idonije, where is really comfortable, and just says something before he realizes what he just did. Or maybe a player who is upset about something gets a microphone stuck in his face, and allows his feelings to slip out. All I know is, over the years, I have heard players "slip" and provide what I believe is evidence the players have not been on board w/ the defensive staff and their scheme/playcalling.

Sorry, but Madlithuanian has more of a villian sound to it than a hero.

One thing that "might" help would be to list who you have down for the paid league. There may be some who think they are in but are not on the same page w/ you. Others may simply see Bradjock listed (for example) and want a piece of him, and thus join. Remember to count me for two, as I will have another bear fan joining the $20 league w/ me.

Have we even tried Bullocks as a FS??? I thought the pecking order was DM, Steltz, Graham . . . I really do not understand what is up w/ Bullocks. He has more experience at FS than anyone on the roster. While he is coming off a dreadful season w/ NO, at the same time, he was far from alone in looking bad on that defense last year, and some of the issues may have been more about the collective than the individual. When we signed him, he was touted as one of those solid Angelo finds, similar to when we signed Thomas Jones on the cheap. Yet since signing, we have heard next to nothing about him. My only hope w/ regard to Bullocks is that he has not been talked about more as he has had to learn a new system, but that he shows up in camp to take the job. I think he is our best option at the FS position, at least for now. Of course none of our secondary moves have made a damn bit of sense to me: Frankly, you can go back beyond this year and continue to scratch your head. I mean, we have moved DM all over the place, never allowing him to develop at any one position. We swap around our safeties, regardless of their strengths. We just do not seem very good developing our DBs overall. --Bullocks has ideal size & speed to be a free safety but he shies away from contact . . . so we move him to SS where more contact is needed. Yea, this ranks up there with when we moved DM, for a short period, to SS. --Corey Graham was good as a starting CB, so we move him to FS, and now he's a back-up CB behind Bowman? I sort of understand this, though I still disagree. I understand why we looked to move him to FS. Further, I understand why he is behind (right now) Bowman, who has really excelled thus far in OTAs. What will be interesting to see, for me, is whether he is considered a 1b behind Bowman or whether he is flat out behind him. --Steltz is a big hitter with poor range . . . so we move him to FS? Never understood this one. We seem to have drafted him to be a FS, which I don't get as everyone labeled him an in-the-box safety. To me, this is more a question of scouting, as we seemed to believe he could play FS, when most everyone else seemed to view him as a pure SS. --Vasher loses his job to Graham . . . so he gets it back by showing up for OTA's? Sort of get this one, as it is more contract based. He lost his job last year, though some might argue injury was a factor. He looked good in OTAs, and was believed to have regained his starting position. Equally important, Graham at the time was being moved to FS. I wonder if Tillman were healthy, whether the job would simply be Vasher's or whether he would be in a battle w/ Bowman/Graham for the job. --DM SHINES as a nickel back. He preps all off-season for it. So after 3 years of failure he's back at FS for #4. Agreed. After years of being moved all over, he finally finds a job (actually two) that he does well at, and what do we do, we move him. Further, you have to wonder, if he is our starting FS, will that affect him play as a return man. --Kevin Payne misses as much as he hits. He's better suited for special teams and a back-up role. Yet he's the uncontested starter. I don't think he is the "uncontested starter", as I have read Steltz will battle w/ him for the job, though the expectation is Payne will win the battle. It's like you can almost here the damn Looney Tunes song playing in the back-ground. I agree the way we have dealt w/ the secondary is baffling. I think the joke begins w/ scouting, moves to drafting, and then into development. We move players around so much, limiting their ability to develop, and then wonder why they take so long to "show up".

The bad/scary aspect of this is.... As much as I love the idea of our CBs playing tighter, the potential downside here is there will be more pressure on our safeties. Our safeties are going to need to read quicker, react quicker and get to the necessary point quicker. W/ a potential safety tandem of D.Manning and Payne, that is a touch scary. Don't get me wrong. I want to see more press coverage and I am glad we are working on that. But if we do press, and our pass rush is not dominant (or close) we are going to need our safeties to play a lot better than I think most are expecting from them.

That's what I have read from other reporters too. Several have said he looks closer to 400. They are not saying that is actual, but more making the point of just how bad he looks. I don't think anyone is expecting him to be ripped, or impressive w/ his shirt off, yet at the same time, I don't think he is expected to look like Ted Washington either. While I personally like having a big boy in the middle, ala Ted Washington, that simply is not our scheme, nor what Lovie is going to go w/.

I am not sure it is "just" about his weight. I thought I read where one of the coaches mentioned his body fat. It is very possible to have your weight in a target area, but not your body fat. I get the sense weight is what we are hearing about the most, but I also get the impression it is more than just that. I read he simply looks fat and out of shape. It may not be difficult to drop 10-15 lbs. Hell, at that weight, you can likely drop that is water weight alone. I think it is more than simply what the scale reads though. I get the impression he is flat out, out of shape. Further, I get the impression it is something the staff discussed w/ him prior to camp. For me, this is a legit concern. Here is a young player who has a legit shot at the starting lineup. I would expect such a player to be hungry for a big role in the defense, rather than hungry for another double cheese burger. Every DL I have read about thus far seems to have truly committed themselves w/ Marinelli stepping in. I am not sure Harrison has committed himself the same way.

Regarding Steltz, I admit I was never high on him as a draft pick. I felt he was a SS, and frankly, offered little different from what we already had. It isn't that I dislike him. I simply do not view him as a FS. I agree he could beat out Payne for the SS position, and may well be our future at that spot. It is only at FS that I question him. I don't think he looked good last year, but (a) he was a rookie and ( our coaching was so poor that good veterans looked bad. Thus I tend to give him a pass for last year. Honestly, I am simply not as worried about our secondary as some are. CB - Tillman is down, but expected back sooner rather than later. Vasher has not played well the last two seasons, but "supposedly" has looked great in OTAs. Beyond these two though, I think we are set up better than in the past. Graham was a pretty solid starter when needed last year. Bowman has been tearing it up, and many are saying he is impressing this year the same way Graham did last. We have a good looking prospect in Moore, and yet still another in McBride who filled in well when his number was called on. I like that we seem to not only have depth, but youth. In fact, I even think that in Graham, Bowman and Moore, we potentially have better starter potential than w/ Vasher/Tillman. Honestly, I always felt Vasher/Tillman were a touch over-rated, and think our young CBs have higher ceiling. SS - The job of the SS in our scheme is not as expansive as in some others. Often our LBs cover RBs and TEs in pass routes. The SS most often covers a shorter area, and supports the run. Whether Payne or Steltz, I think either can get this done. I am not sure a less than great SS really kills us. FS - This is the biggest question mark area, and the one w/ the fewest answers. I still believe Bullocks could end up starting, unless DM just runs w/ it. As much as FS can hurt, and has in the past, there is at least reason to hope the hole is not as great this year. I would argue that, if our DL plays up to expectations (coach's expectations) the role of the FS is less. If we get a pass rush, we simply have less to fear at the FS position. If we are not getting a pass rush, the FS will be exposed, but I would argue the DL and not the FS is our real problem then. So for me, I am comfortable w/ everything but FS (in the secondary) and even that position is not nearly as much of a concern as the DL. For me, our defense will rise or fall based on the play of the DL.

I get what you are saying, but I am not sure it is just about the DL. If your CBs are giving huge cushions, and are overall simply incapable of coverage, then the job of the DL is near impossible. Think about the TB game when Griese completed like a million short passes. If you had an all-pro DL, it would not matter. No DL can pressure the QB if all he is doing is taking 3 step drops and getting rid of the ball on shor route passes. I even remember Alex Brown, and I think someone else on the DL, complaining about similar. Brown was asked about the inability to generage pass rush, and his reply essentially pointed the finger at the secondary. He implied the QB has to hold the ball X amount of time for the DL to have any shot at getting to the QB, but if the QB is hitting on quick hit passes, there is simply little the DL can do about it. I simply believe the coaching was bad all around on defense. Think about some of the things that has come out from the players. - DL - Brown indicated the DL can't pass rush against 3 step drops, implying the DBs were playing too far off the LOS. - DL - Idonije said point blank that we don't practice/run stunts or misdirection. That was not last year, but was under this staff. - DB - Vasher was very frustrated, and basically said he was doing what he was told to do. Said the job of the CB is to take away the outside (sideline) and turn the receiver inside. That is basically what we saw our DBs do all year. Problem was, we also had our LBs playing on top fo the LOS, and thus they were not in position to help on those WRs going over the middle, as they are responsible for doing. The DB gets the blame as he is seen simply chasing the WR from behind, but the play (as designed) would have seen the WR run right into the LB. CB does his job, but the expected help is not there. I would say that is similar to when our CB would release to the S on deep routes in zone defense, but if the S was late to his assignement, the CB often gets criticized, even if he simply did his job. - LB - Urlacher has never been shy about questioning the scheme or how he has been used. Yes, I know players are going to make excuses for poor play, but for me, their "excuses" often made sense. I still look at it like this. Most would agree our defense was pretty damn good our SB season, and that we have sucked since. If it was just a player or two, that would be one thing, but few players have looked good since that SB run. Did all our players get bad at once? On the other hand, we also saw a change in coaching w/ a new DC and DL coach. To me, it is more logical the one or two changes (coaching) were the root of the problem, rather than a bunch of players going from pro bowl caliber to burger flipper grade.

I see a pretty big contradiction in his argument. On one hand, he talks about how bad our pass defense is. Even if Cutler and the offense are good, he points out how that will only mean our defense will give up more points. Then, toward the end, he says our D/ST should be owned and started in all leagues. I assume he is talking FF here. As most leagues are (on average) 10 teams, that means he considers our D/ST to be top 10. Um, if our secondary is being scored on at will, which he initially indicates could happen, how can we have a top 10 D?

Not sure I agree w/ this. The staff can only do so much. It really seems like the staff told him to be at X weight, w/ X body fat, but the time he showed up for camp. The way they talk, I get the impression they knew where he was (weight) in prior practices, and told him he had until camp to get the weight down and in shape "or else". He didn't get it done, and the "or else" is he missed part of camp, and frankly, has really hurt his shot at starting. But honestly, what more can the staff do in the offseason. I don't think they can fine him for not being at a certain weight in the offseason, when even most practices are voluntary. They can't make it mandatory he shows up to the gym everyday, much less at their gym w/ their trainers. The reality is, the staff can only do so much in the offseason as they just do not have the power to force players. The facility is open all day, and from what I can gather, Rusty Jones and others are on hand working w/ the players on a daily basis, but it is still up to the players to take it from there. At some point I think we have to realize the players are adults, and you can hold their hands only so much. Harrison had more than enough opportunities and resources to keep himself in great shape. He had (IMHO) the threat of the staff over his head as to what would happen if he showed up out of shape. If that isn't enough to keep the fat off, then no amount of hand holding (supervision) by the staff is going to get it done.

A few years back, I was listening to the score, and they were interviewing Idonije. Prior to the interview, Hamptom was shredding the bears for their lack of "mixing it up" on the DL. He talked about how he never saw us stunt or use misdirection. He talked about how we lined up and did the same thing everytime. He went on to talk about how easy we made it for the OL. Talked about how, even an average OT, if he knows where the DE is going to rush, how much easier that OT can get into position. When you know the DE is going to rush to the outside, you can cheat a bit, and get a quicker jump as you are not worried about the inisde move. Anyway, Hamptom spent considerable time talking about this in depth, and then they had Idonije on the air. They asked him point blank if the bears use stunts on the DL, or even practice stunts. Idonije's quick answer was no, but then it was like he realized what he just did, and started stammering and tried to further explain, saying their DL was so talented and so good they didn't need to stunt. Hampton basically let it go until Idonije was off the air, and then shredded the hell out of our staff. He said the most talented DL in the game stunted and used misdirection. He said if the most talented DL just played straight up, they would not be very special, and average OLs would be capable of blocking them. The combo of listening to Hampton discuss this, with Idonije's admission, was just incredible.

Yes. Adams seems to take it seriously, but as it isn't the coach's "ideal DT", he gets no respect and only gets an opportunity when others are injured or fail. Dusty takes it very serious, works his arce off, but simply isn't nearly as talented and can't stay healthy.

I really do think that we should have left Manning at nickel and put Steltz as the FS. If we have to choose between the two, I would much rather have a slow guy with good instincts than an athletic guy who takes himself out of position all the time. At the VERY least, Manning needs to move back to nickel after the first time he gets burnt for a TD. Steltz reminds me of Hunter Hillenmeyer - he's not overwhelming athletically, but he's assignment-sound and doesn't make mistakes. If the pass rush can get back to what it used to be, that could be enough, at least temporarily. I agree we should leave DM at nickel. For the life of me, I will never really understand what we are doing in the secondary. DM was moved all over, and looked like garbage. Finally, we find a position he looks good in, and rather than just leave him there, we move him back to a position he stunk it. Graham developed very well last year at a premier position, and our reaction. Move him to FS. But no, it gets better. He spent the most recent OTA working solely at nickel. No need for him to get as many reps as possible at FS. Lets just over-load him w/ potential positions. And now we are moving him back. I never felt Steltz was a FS, but the staff did. Yet after just his rookie year, he is moving to SS. But wait, it gets better. We don't feel confident enough in his coverage to start him at FS, but we are going to play him at FS in passing (nickel) situations. Nice. Bowman too, to a lesser extent, as he too was supposed to move to FS, only to now be called our #3 CB. Oh, and how about Bullocks. Here is a young veteran we signed in FA, and who the staff was doing a nice job of tooting their own horn for the find. This was going to be another Thomas Jones signing. Now you would have to look up the roster sheet to know if he was even on the team for the lack of recognition he gets from the staff. How do you go from potential hero to zero before camp even starts? If this were Minny or GB, it would be funny. But this is our team, and it just isn't that funny. The manner in which we have handled our secondary really makes me wonder if the staff has a clue what they are doing. When you look at Steltz and DM, you see two VERY different players. Does our staff even know what they want? I have a great deal of optimism for our team, and for many/most of our units. I actually like a lot of the young players we have in our secondary. At the same time, I really am not sure how much confidence I have in our staff for this area right now. At the end of the day, though, I think we're going to have to go back to the draft for a corner or a free safety. Which one we need will probably depend on where Graham ends up. Steltz, Payne, Manning, and Bullocks all have problems in coverage; the first two because of their limited athleticism, and the last two because of questionable instincts/recognition. If Graham stays at corner, then we don't have any free safeties who can cover. If Graham eventually switches back to safety, he could be the answer there, but then we'll need another body at corner (especially with Tillman getting hurt more frequently and Vasher still a question mark.) The only key disagreement I have is w/ the idea that Steltz has shown good instincts. That was supposedly among his assets on draft day, but those instincts never materialized during the season. He was often out of position and flat out looked lost. Otherwise, I agree. I just do not feel we have our future FS on the roster. I think Graham and Bowman could eventually start. I think Moore could eventually be our nickel. Frankly, I am not sure we have either our future FS or SS on the roster. At the risk of the Vanderbilt connection getting even more ridiculous, I wouldn't mind at all if the Bears drafted Myron Lewis next year. He was DJ Moore's counterpart at Vandy, and the two of them remind me a LOT of Vasher/Tillman in 2005-2006: Moore's the ballhawk and Lewis is the tackling/size corner (he goes 6'2" 205 lbs.) Lewis could play FS if Graham stays at corner, or he and DJ Moore could pair up again if Graham eventually goes back to safety. One other thing: Lewis has made 25 straight starts for Vanderbilt. As far as I know, he's never missed a game due to injury. We could use some of that in the secondary. Damn. Camp has not begun, and we have our first 2010 draft entry.

Random thoughts. CB - I do not care for the way we are moving Graham all over the place, but do like moving him back to CB. I just hope we keep him there and don't quickly move him again. While we have a serious need at FS, I think Graham looked very good at CB, and frankly, I am not sure how much we should count on Tillman or Vasher as our current, much less long term CBs. Graham looked quite good last year, and that was his first starting (and w/ zero pass rush). I like the idea of keeping him at CB and letting him develop there. I also like Bowman in the mix here. FS - The good. Steltz out the the running to be our starting FS. I never understood why the staff viewed him as such. What I don't understand is the report that, when we are in passing situations (nickel defense) we will move Steltz back to FS. Huh? The top concern w/ Steltz is his ability to cover, and yet when we are in passing situations, we are putting him back there at FS? That doesn't make sense to me. Everyone is going to get stuck on DM at FS. No, he has never looked good at FS, but (a) Lets not pretend we have many options here. While I do not love the idea of DM at FS, it isn't like we have many choices. ( My hope here is he can take another step in development. All the reports say Lovie took DM under his wing last year, and the result was DM turning into a very good looking nickel DB. Maybe similar coaching can develop him at FS. SS - It will be an interesting battle here, as I think Steltz has a chance to take the job away from Graham. CB is a concern w/ Tillman's injury, but w/ Graham and Bowman in the mix, we at least have some credible options. FS is still our top concern in the secondary, IMHO. While there are not great expectations for any of our options, at the same time, this position should benefit the most from a pass rush. If our DL is getting pressure, a lesser FS can get the job done. If the DL isn't getting it done, it may not matter as no player we have on the roster is good enough to compensate.

Yea, I should have written PPR. That is really the only key for me, as it is just one of the stats I really like to include. As for IDP and flex, it really doesn't matter to me that much. Really like to just get this set up. I am really ready to go.