jason

Yes. If you honestly believe what you wrote in the first paragraph, then you might be crazy. What in the combined efforts last year indicate to you that Webb and/or Omiyale will do anything other than subpar work? Perhaps you forgot the fact that Cutler was hit and sacked more than any QB in the NFL last year? Why in the world do you trust them when they have at least three OLinemen (i.e. Williams, Garza, Webb) playing out of position? I included Webb because he should be on the bench. They have a month of training camp and preseason games, but last year they had all that AND 16 regular season games AND playoff games, only to find Culter on his ass, with an injury, and more than likely being the reason the Bears didn't make the Super Bowl. Will the whole team be improved? As a whole, yes. I also believe that. All that help on the DEFENSIVE line should pay dividends. Roy Williams and Sanzenbacher could surprise. More time in the Martz offense should help Cutler and the WRs. I even believe that getting rid of Olsen will ultimately help, because it will lead to more max protect and stronger run blocking. But the OL will not be improved. And since it was clearly the worst part of the team last year, that makes the lack of attention nearly criminal.

PREACH IT!!!

Jay - seems like you're in a last minute bind...wish I could go Brian - why did you already sell yours on ebay? You're not one of those "buy tickets just to sell them" guys, are you?

I see my work here has been done. It's OK to dislike pessimism, but if you're optimistic about this OL you're crazy.

Listening to M&M this morning, the conversation turned to which playoff teams from last year would not make it this year. With that blowhard sitting in for Golic it was one screamer and one pansy with Chicago roots talking about the issue. Both agreed that Chicago will miss the playoffs. Is it because everyone's drinking the Detroit koolaid? Is it because they always overvalue Minnesota? Is it because of the slobbering BJ the media seems to give Green Bay? Or is it simply another notch in the long belt of disrespect the national media seems to have for Chicago sports? Personally, I think it's a little of all of the above, and the fact, FACT, that most media members aren't really paying attention to Bears' games and moves, reading the box scores instead. Considering how they Bears played last year, and the defensive line additions that were made, not to mention the narrow loss to the eventual SB champions in the NFC Championship game, I just don't see how the Bears don't at least challenge for the division and make the wild card. Anything less would be a huge disappointment.

So... LT-Bad LG-Out of position, average C-Downgrade, out of position, average RG-Downgrade, bad RT-Rookie Yeah, that sounds promising.

Throw my 2 cents into the "Hester at KR" side as well. It makes no sense not to use him at KR. He's too dangerous, too explosive, and has even a psychological advantage over other teams. Putting Knox back there potentially minimizes the impact he may have at WR.

I'll be interested in the details of the contract.

Ahem. 20 of those 38 passes were in the 4th quarter, AFTER the Bears were losing by two touchdowns, and AFTER Cutler was out of the game. Yes. 20 passes in the 4th quarter. //not debating Collins - he's awful

Find another site that analyzes and ranks OLinemen individually.

Second link: "Players presently working with the first team are J’Marcus Webb at left tackle, Chris Williams at left guard, Roberto Garza at center, Lance Louis at right guard and rookie Gabe Carimi at right tackle." To reiterate, Webb-Williams-Garza-Louis-Carimi. Webb is rated here as the worst OLineman in the NFL last year (and that's worse than Omiyale!). Williams isn't great at LG. Garza is a downgrade at C from Kreutz. Louis is a downgrade at RG from Garza. Carimi is a rookie. This is not something Bears' fans should be happy with.

BAAAAHAHAHAHA. Nice.

"The 1st team unit looked like this: LT Frank Omiyale, LG Chris Williams, C Roberto Garza, RG Lance Louis, RT J’Marcus Webb" Somehow, the OL got WORSE. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/07/30/bea...st-day-of-camp/

I'm willing to bet if you had video of EVERY one-on-one, Olin held his own. And when compared to the one-on-one opportunities of the other guys on the OL, he probably performed better. I don't know where the notion that Olin wasn't the Bears' best OLineman last year has come from. I really don't think it's even up for debate. The only possible consideration is Garza, and he was far from great. And those statements don't even consider the very distinct probability that he was constantly worrying about covering down on his left AND his right for OGs (mostly LG) who weren't exactly studs last year. The Center is the most vulnerable player (i.e. head down) on the OL because he has a slight disadvantage when it comes to timing. It's very natural, and quite common, for defenses to attempt to exploit the gaps on either side of the C. Yet Olin was still better than the others on the OL. Oh, and he called the blocking assignments. Look, I'm not saying he was the same as he was 10 years ago. I'm not saying he's an all-star or the Bears' offer wasn't really enough for his current status. I don't think anyone is saying that. But he was undoubtedly the leader of the OL, maybe even the clubhouse, and his absence will hurt the performance of the OL. That's scary considering the pile of shit the OL imitated most of 2010. Debate semantics all you want, but the reason Olin left can be quantified financially: 500K. For a team so far under the cap, that sum doesn't seem extraordinary as a parting pat on the back for an all-time Bears player. It's not uncommon in any sport, and it would have been a good move all around. Kreutz probably shouldn't have played hardball, but I think he realized his value. I don't think the Bears FO realizes it. Morrissey wrote a great article about the situation: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/be...jay-cutler.html

Tell me about it! I was ranting and raving for Randy Moss. I believe we had content on the old old board.

Best one: Jerry Angelo proudly decides to show off chest hair instead of a Free Agent Offensive Linemen

Well, we all can't be right all of the time. Lord knows I've been wrong many times. But in regards the OL, I've been right just about every single time, and for quite some time. Glad to know you've seen the error of your past ways. Now if we could just pass the word to Angelo and Lovie.

Thanks for the update bradjock. At least it sounds like all the guys have come into camp in good shape.

Spencer - E. Williams - Garza... Garza - E. Williams - Spencer... E. Williams - Spencer - Garza... Garza - Spencer - E. Williams... E. Williams - Garza - Spencer... Spencer - Garza - E. Williams... Nope. I don't like one of those scenarios. In fact, I hate all 6 possibilities. Jay Cutler weeps.

I can accept the "agree to disagree" stance, I just happen to think it's ridiculous in this case. I can accept the "give it time" stance, I just happen to think it was already given time, over the course of numerous years. And you misquoted me, I said, there were at least 2 stud OGs available when FA began. Where they ended up is inconsequential. If the Bears wanted a player enough, needed a player enough, there would have at least been some info on the rumor mill or statements by the FO about the pursuit of said player. As it stands, we have a minor blurb about OT, which was/is the second, maybe third, area of need on the OL. As for the analogy I made, it's about addressing priorities. When there is a fire, you put it out. You don't walk away and do something else or improve something else when it's already in a decent or solid state. You address the problem. You put out the fire.

HAHA. Good one. Wrong though. Remember, I'm not all about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I want the Bears to improve EVERY position. I just don't want them to virtually ignore the position in most need. As for Osi Umenyiora, I think he would have be an AWESOME pickup for the Bears. I would love to see him and Peppers collapsing the pocket on every single play. I just wonder about the money he currently demands and the amount he'll want for a future deal.

I don't see that as unlikely, particularly because of the truncated preseason & training camp. Personally I think it will be: LT - Webb LG - Williams C - Spencer RG - Garza RT - Carimi ...and Jay Cutler in a sling at the end of the year.

Cutting a TE and the emotional leader of your OL are not upgrades to the OL. Neither is giving another starting position to a guy who sucked last year (i.e. Webb) just because he has a year of sucking under his belt. -The TE doesn't play OL. I could alternately say that cutting Olsen made the Bears less of a threat on offense. So, that's gotta be scratched off the positives list. -Removing Kreutz is at best a lateral move. The ONLY true upgrade the Bears have made to the OL this year is in the draft. Gabe Carimi is an upgrade. Even as an untested rookie, he's better than Webb or Omiyale. Beyond that, however, there have been no actual upgrades. Sure, they swept up the place a bit, but that doesn't mean they made significant changes or upgrades. The part in super-blue is a bad enough possibility that the minor changes, or "upgrades" as you like to call them, amount to very little for a very major problem and very likely possibility. Bandaids on a shotgun blast to the chest.

I don't feel like looking back in the board's history, but I'm quite sure some people were saying the same thing last year, and the year before, and the year before...how did that work out? No better than the 23rd ranked offense since the magical Super Bowl year. 2010 - 30 2009 - 23 2008 - 26 2007 - 27 The point is, we're sick of the lack of attention the OL gets. Hell, every single person who considers themselves a Bears fan should be irritated if this obvious deficiency isn't addressed again. It is, and has been for about 5 years, the primary problem with this team. The DL got addressed, again, and it could potentially be a great DL. I'm excited about the DL. But the DL didn't need nearly the help that the OL did. As for your previous comments, you're the one who said it was "sound deliberation" for JA to tap dance around the issue when the obvious need was OL, and the obvious subset of that was OG, and there were at least 2 stud OGs available when FA began. That should have been focus number 1, number 2, and just in case, number 3. When my bedroom is on fire I don't typically walk into the kitchen and start making breakfast.

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!? It's "fine by you" if the Bears don't address their OBVIOUS #1 need? It's "fine by you" if the Bears don't upgrade the position that was directly responsible for most of the failings of the offense last year? It's "sound deliberation" to keep the OL at status quo despite the fact it's the primary cause for the Bears' failure throughout the season and the ultimate end to the season?! If the OL isn't addressed, it's pathetic.