jason

Saw this on Chicago sports. Blame Game

Great article on Tice. A little blast from the message board past. Tice will turn the OL around!

Sarcasm noted. You'd think that since it's so painfully obvious to me (and so many others) that the high and mighty folks running the Bears would have noticed it as well. Nah...screw that shit, let's get another DT; or better yet, let's draft another SS and call him a FS! Yeah, that's the ticket! It seems that the Bears front office thinks it works the same way for all positions. Sorry, but it works for the defense as well. The best DBs and Safeties in the world turn mediocre when the DL doesn't get any pressure. They've tried the DL approach. Now let's see the OL approach.

Given their track record and the team's history with injuries, I'm not a big fan of the Bears' team doctors. However, I will say that the signs and symptoms a of consussion are very similar to numerous other things, and are easily confused unless it's a really nasty one where the player is calling himself Batman.

JK bschmaranz. Seriously though, I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from making similar predictions in the future. This thread is filled with prophecy and ignorance. It's amazing to look back at what has been said, and too easy for some to flip-flop when they realize they have been wrong. In this case, however, nobody is as right as bschmaranz.

Well, SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!! Here's the rub...fix the OL, and the WRs suddenly look better. It doesn't matter if the Bears pick up Reggie Wayne and Andre Johnson if the Bears' QB is under a pile. On the other hand, even nobodies can do work in the NFL if the OL gives an NFL talent - especially one with an arm like Cutler - the time to survey the field. Time helps receivers get open.

Not being argumentative, flea, but what game are you watching? What camera angles are you watching? Unless there is a "right behind Jay Cutler"-cam, it's pretty difficult to blame much on Cutler. A few of the sacks were coverage sacks, and he could have gotten out of the pocket and ran for a few (or thrown it away), but just about every single play had a free-running 300 pounder running in a direct path to a stationary Cutler. There is plenty of blame to go around. And it should probably go around the OL a few times before it makes its way to Cutler.

If your clarification is what you meant, then we are in agreement. Yes, I touted Martz. I still think he's the best OC we've had in many, many year. But he screwed the pooch on this one, and should have adjusted to the punishment that Cutler was taking. With that said, I still place the majority of the blame on the OL and the combo of Lovie/Angelo for not addressing it sooner (i.e. in any of the last three years' drafts).

It's worth bringing back up after a game like this one. For multiple years there has been a very vocal group who have said the OL was priority #1. Meanwhile, others have sided with Angelo and Lovie, using the "you don't work in the NFL so you don't know anything" garbage as a weapon in the debate. The entire time it's been the OL.

I don't think you'll find a single soul saying that Martz is absolved of blame on this one. He called an atrocious game, and never adjusted to protect Cutler. With that said, my god, the OL has been bad for several years now, and many have said as much. When will it be addressed? Meanwhile, teams like the Jets invest heavily in the OL, and they are just running the hell out of the ball.

Five sacks were his fault? C'mon! Think about this... The majority of the calls were deep drops. The majority of the plays with deep drops had at least one OL cleanly beat. When a QB drops back on a deep drop, he's supposed to turn and survey the field for a WR. If everything goes perfectly, it should be a pass right after the back foot is planted. But when you plant your back foot and see your initial read is blanketed, then you look for another. Cutler didn't even have time to look at his second read. That's F'ing pathetic. Most of the ones he was "supposed to" throw away would have resulted in intentional grounding penalties, because he was getting hit inside the tackle box. I'm sorry, but maybe one or two of those is on Cutler. The rest is as mentioned before (i.e. OL, Martz, Lovie, Angelo).

We're all in agreement, and some of us have been screaming it for several years, yet the Bears' front office continues to ignore the OL. Where are all the people saying that we don't know anything because we're on a message board and not on the sideline? Can it even be argued by ANYONE at this point that the OL is the worst in the NFL, maybe historically bad, and it could potentially cause the Bears to waste a season in which the D is finally healthy and playing at a fairly high level? Not to mention potentially getting Cutler paralyzed. Pisses me off so much.

If we were told before the season that the Bears would be 3-1, yes, I'd be happy. If I knew that it meant the OL were playing like an average high school OL, and Cutler got a concussion in the 4th week of a season that resembles the years that David Carr got pummelled in Houston, then no, I wouldn't be happy.

Honestly, the game against the Giants was the worst performance by an OL in perhaps the history of the NFL. Let that sink in. The HISTORY of the NFL. If the Bears do not draft OL multiple times in the first four rounds, then it's the most incompetent front office in the NFL.

Correction: The coaching and the front office lost it for us tonight. Can't blame the offense when it's clear the OL is the worst in the NFL, and have been for multiple seasons, and the offensive coordinator refuses to modify his gameplan to allow for SOME protection and SOME short routes. This was a perfect storm kind of game. Horrible OL + Great DL + 7-step drops = Hurt QBs

It's like telling someone to dodge bullets when storming the beach and Normandy. Sooner or later you get nervous and you can't avoid the danger.

Gotta disagree with you guys on this. What in the hell is Cutler supposed to do when: A] The OL has allowed a free rusher on EVERY play B] He has been hit on nearly EVERY play C] Martz continues to call 7-step drop plays D] Martz refuses to provide more than 5 man coverage E] Martz refuses to roll Cutler out F] Martz refuses to run draws or screens enough to affect the DL G] At least two of the team's offensive linemen are CFL players, at best H] One of the Bears' offensive linemen might actually be the worst player in the NFL (Omiyale in case you're wondering) I] The WRs clearly aren't getting open, since a few of the sacks were coverage sacks Really. What the hell is Cutler supposed to do?

This. Blame Angelo, Lovie, Martz, and the OL before you start pointing the finger at Cutler.

Gotta love being 3-0 and underrated. Bears not the best

You know as well as I do that kind of statement is not a "stat." Please quit with the ignorant baiting. Simply put, if you have a game like that when the opponent dominates on offensive yardage and time of possession, they're likely to have great success. Couple that with the unlikely scenario of having a team commit that many penalties again, and my statement rings pretty true. And you know it. You're just trying to be confrontational.

Hester really showed up on blocks this week. Let's not forget he absolutely planted AJ Hawk during the game as well.

Yes, 17-20 against GB is good. But how many times will that happen? Play that game ten times in a row, and the Packers break 30 on 8 or 9 of those games. I despise the scheme, the passive nature, and Lovie.

Normally, in a football sense, I don't have a problem with it. With this horrible OL, and Forte, pretty much opposite of a power back, I say kick the FG every time.

I read about that and completely agree with you. The likelihood of someone dropping the N-bomb on an NFL player is extremely minimal considering the probability of a beatdown. The likelihood of saying it to Nick Collins is even less probable considering his propensity for violent outbursts. The likelihood of someone yelling it when other fans and/or players are around is almost nil. I'd say Collins is making things up to cover for his actions and poor self-control.