jason

yes, because the two have clearly been on the field equal amounts (not saying they should have been) and been given equal, game-time opportunities to show their worth in situations that benefit their talents. If Briggs were managed the same way Wolfe has been, he would have been in in third and long only, and used primarily as a safety.

Sorry, dude, it was the end of the thread. Saying the OL played well against the Eagles is like patting an F average student on the head for getting a D+. The OL did not play well. They played well for them. NFO's post about how the Bears coaching, offensive philosophy, and complete garbage on the OL is the end of this discussion when it concerns the thread's title: Cutler's Mechanics. We can talk about mechanics all we want, but when a guy is getting drilled over and over, and he knows he is going to get pressure on a three step drop, and he knows that he'll take a shot even though the defense is only sending four, sooner or later he's going to have to adjust to avoid injury. These guys aren't robots, and pain/fear will dictate their actions when the time comes. Does that mean Cutler shouldn't have hit Olsen, Hester, and Knox on the bombs? Clearly not. But I can surely understand why everything he knows about being a QB is changing in Chicago.

The square-peg, round-hole phenomenon has been one I've mentioned frequently. And that's the problem. Unless everyone involved is looking for good players that fit the system, it won't work. If they are looking for great players who fit other systems, it won't work. For instance, with this OL, the Bears need to draft Barry Sanders.

Singletary. The Niners aren't getting any better.

End of thread.

I didn't even read your entire post, and I pretty much agree. I am DISGUSTED at the third and long defense. Can we PLEASE not go into a zone, rush four guys who get nearly no penetration, and continually let the QB wait until someone finds a hole in the defense!? Please!? Lovie? Are you there? This is effing ridiculous. I was watching the game with my girlfriend and calling out the defense on third and long. I said to her more than once, "Watch this, they'll send four guys after the QB, get no pressure, and after about 5 seconds a WR will be open for the first down." She said, "Don't teams usually fail when it's 3rd down and more than ten?" I angrily said, "Yes, but not against the Bears." She astutely replied, "Well, why don't they change it up some? If you can tell, then surely the people who get paid to do this stuff can see what's coming." I nodded silently.

Agreed completely. What's more, I don't believe - and nobody can convince me otherwise - that there is a defense in the league that can stay with the team speed the Bears have on offense. This offense should be producing massive plays like the Philly offense does. Knox, Hester, and Olsen? With those three on the field, there IS a matchup problem for the opposing defense. Add in the possession WR in Bennett, who is quietly having a very nice season (thanks for playing him last year Turner!), and I just don't see how the Bears don't produce. And, oh yeah, Forte tore the league a new a-hole last year, so we know he's good (despite what the OL, his stats, and a possible injury would have people believe). This is a coaching problem. How many times do the Bears need to mismanage an offensive weapon, or not play him at all, before people realize this is coaching. I've been saying it for a long time. Turner is not a good OC. This is not up for debate. He may be a nice guy, but the product he puts on the field, the calls he makes, the adjustments (or lack thereof), none of it makes an opposing defense in the league scared. Not remotely.

Ditto the Bingo. If everyone under Lovie is fired, who the hell are the Bears going to hire?

I would. But I would have fired Lovie and staff before the season began and brought in someone who understands how to run an offense. I honestly don't think the players are as bad as they appear. Further, I think there is considerable talent on this team. This is 75% coaching, IMHO.

Gimme a break. Suppose you buy a hot rod car, and then put it in the garage. Every once in a while you rev the engine, and once a month you drive it a mile to get groceries. How do you know if it runs well, or can go cross country, or can win a race against some punk on a deserted street? You don't. The pick isn't as bad as the mismanagement of the pick.

It would have been yet another busted first rounder for the Bears. He would have been in his hippy pot smoking phase, and then would have had to get cut/traded/etc. in order to open his eyes (ala Benson). Lucky for us.

I love this article because it's brutally true, and reiterates what I've been saying, albeit better constructed, for multiple years.

I agree that Cutler is the only apparent change, but not the only logical change. There simply has to be more to it, because he's not doing so much more on screen passes than Orton/Grossman...and the RB screen NEVER worked when they were here. Maybe it has to do with the defense showing more respect to Cutler, or perhaps it has to deal with the speed of the Bears' WRs occupying the opposing DBs more. I just don't know. But I refuse to believe that it's so much of Cutler vs. other QBs thing, because there isn't much of a visual difference between how he executes the screens and how the others did.

This is the key to your entire statement...and I agree wholeheartedly. I honestly believe that Turner really doesn't understand how to get an offense to flow. He may know verbiage, and he may have been doing it a while, but he makes far too many stupid calls, stupid substitutions, and lacks the ability to adjust midgame.

I still wish he was on the Bears, and I think he'd be better than any of the Bears' current safeties...despite his coverage difficulties.

Probably when Maynard is in there.

Which is why I was so opposed to drafting Benson. It seems like this stuff is cyclical. Bears have Thomas Jones. Bears don't need RB. Bears draft Cedric Benson. Bears get rid of Thomas Jones. Bears don't need RB. Bears get rid of Cedric Benson. Bears draft Matt Forte. Bears don't need RB. What's next? For some odd reason, I think the Bears are going to get rid of Forte before he's had time to truly show his worth, and it'll be because this OL stinks.

My point exactly. It has less to do with Cutler and Forte with this year's sudden improvement in the RB screen. It has more to do with the fact that the DL is fooled so easily because the Bears' OL lets them through on every play.

The "decade" talk it hyperbole on my part. But, suffice to say, the Bears haven't been good at a screen pass in a long time. The only real change is Cutler, and I refuse to believe he's simply that much better at throwing a floater for ten yards to set up the screen.

I disagree. Hester and Olsen are weapons, and while they may not be 30.06 caliber, they are still 7.62 or 5.56 caliber. Either way, small bullets are better than none in your firearm (i.e. Cutler), and you don't completely reload until you have your next batch of ammo ready.

Is it not possible that Pace got the wind knocked out of him hard enough that he had to miss the rest of the game? After all, Urlacher dislocated his wrist and was gone for the year. (part joking, part serious) Doesn't matter...this team is soft, and under Lovie Smith it's as soft as a fur coat covered in feathers and marshmallows.

Other "good guys"...who shouldn't be coaches:

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Like we didn't see that coming from Stonehenge.

Good QB + Good OL = Weapons created by association This is as obvious as water is wet. I don't know why the oh-so-mighty front office of the Bears can't figure this out.

QFT