jason

While Rex Grossman made some bonehead mistakes, and Cutler has made a few during his short term with the Bears, it's hard to argue with Grossman's dad. The team refuses to focus on building not only a passing game, but a dominating offense. For some reason the defense and the running game get the majority of the focus, and they probably always will. Getting Cutler was a step in the right direction, but now the follow through is required. There needs to be coaching and player changes to take the next step.

Why? Look, I like the guy too...but he won't help. 1] The OL will still stink 2] He will be at best the 5th WR 3] Cutler won't have time behind this OL to throw more than a few passes that aren't 3-step drops Adding Haas does nothing for this team at the moment.

I seem to recall several of us screaming for a massive, hole-making FB in the draft this year. But we were wrong, obviously. The coaches were right, and McKie is the answer. The funny thing about it is, someone here mentioned that McKie is like having another opponent on the DL. When he goes through the hole, he plugs it. He doesn't open anything up; he just stops the first option for Forte. Anyone know what that Javorskie Lane is doing nowadays?

I got to thinking about how excited everyone was about the RB screen. It was successful, looked great, and had my jaw on the floor the entire game. I'm sure that every Bears' fan was pumped to see this play, one that has NEVER worked, be so successful. Here's the problem: it's a sign of the Bears' failure. Why does a RB screen usually succeed? The offensive gameplan is successful enough that the OL can almost toy with the DL. The DL rushes in, almost oblivious to their newfound success at getting to the QB. The RB and OL scoot through, set up things, and the RB screen is successful. Why is this a problem, you ask? The Niners' DL was so used to blasting through the Bears' OL that when the Bears' OL "let the Niners through," there was nearly no surprise at all. This allowed the Bears to set up the RB screen, and the rest is history. The Niners defense wasn't surprised; they were complacent. Teams don't suddenly get good at the RB screen, and the Bears have been bad at it for a decade. This is a short-lived source of cheering for us, and it will be quickly sniffed out. The real question is: Since it's obvious to EVERYONE who has watched the Bears this season that the OL is horrible, why hasn't Turner figured out a way to put in more RB screens and RB draws, plays that are typically called to slow down a rush?

I agree that the end result is on Cutler, but this series of calls from Turner was inexcusable. Cutler should have thrown it away, agreed. But when you give a guy a knife in a gun fight... We'll agree to disagree on this one. This was the right pass, the right route, and it was well covered; HOWEVER, it was not completely covered, and the WR had the step. In the NFL, that's all you can ask for. You can't blame Cutler on this one. Yes, like I said, it was all Cutler's fault on the last one. But it's easy to understand how a guy who clearly has the city of Chicago football on his shoulders, who has been asked to be the first franchise QB since McMahon, who has been asked to rejuvinate an offense that has been stagnant for quite some time, would try to do a little too much. It's not an excuse; it's an understanding. I don't disagree that there were other bad passes...but the INTs in question were the subject.

I agree with everything originally proposed, and everything you elaborated on, EXCEPT this. Sorry, but Turner is an unimaginative, borderline incompetent meat-and-potatoes OC who mismanages time and players while managing to completely ignore down, distance, and situation when making his play calls. He deserves SOME excuse leeway considering the OL, but his offense has been bad the entire time he's been here. Others have done more with much less, and this clown needs to be fired. The earlier the better.

Assuming the same reads were made, which isn't guaranteed, both Manning and Orton would have thrown at least three. The Hester slip, the Umpire bump, and the blatant non-call on the defensive PI.

I am disgusted after this week more than I have been in a long time. With that said, the INTs are deceiving in my opinion. INT #1: This was a forced throw by Cutler, but he was left with little choice. The play-calling on this set of downs was typical Turner, and absolutely atrocious. Two runs up the middle on first and second lead the Bears to a third and goal, and EVERYONE in the world knew it was going to be a pass. So, why play action at all? The run didn't fool anyone. And even if the Niners were stupid enough to maybe expect a run, which they weren't, it wasn't like they'd be scared anyway because they just stuffed it on the previous two plays. At that point, they just packed it in and made the passing lanes nearly unpassable. Horrible job by Turner, bad decision by Cutler. INT #2: This is on Hester (or the field conditions if you prefer). Period. INT #3: This is just bad luck. Hester got chipped by the Umpire. This was a good throw by Cutler, but what else could he do? After the play he walked to the sideline, shrugged his shoulders, and pretty much said, "What can you do with luck like that?" This is on luck/officials. INT #4: This was complete BS. This play was THE DEFINITION of pass interference. The announcers said it, and the refs completely blew it. I have no clue what the hell the Back Judge was looking at. He was definitely not reading his keys. And if he was (trust me, he wasn't), then either the Side Judge or the Field Judge blew their read. On the refs. INT #5: Yeah, this one is on Cutler. All on him from what I could tell. But you know what? In that situation, what's he supposed to do? It was ALL on his shoulders, and he made a bad throw. So, to recap boys and girls... 1.5 on Cutler 1 on Hester 2 on the officials .5 on Turner I don't really think Cutler did that poorly, per se, but he did have a final statline that appears as if he played horribly. The stats do not tell the whole story.

Agreed. This is pathetic from all the coaches, and the defensive effort was still against a mediocre, at best, SF offense. That same effort against the Colts or the Saints gives up 30.

It's about time you joined the club.

I got to thinking that the Bears need lots of help on both sides of the ball. That requires draft picks. The Bears have none. So, which player(s) would you trade - in a realistic scenario - that could potentially bring the Bears a windfall of picks, and set them up for possible future success? Jay Cutler Lance Briggs Tommie Harris Devin Hester I think that's it. I think those are the only guys who can return something in free agency. Jay isn't going anywhere. Neither is Lance. Tommie is soured now, and might not be worth as much. And I think Devin is a little overvalued for the Bears, and wouldn't be worth as much on the FA market now that he can't find the endzone on special teams. Is ANYTHING possible?

I think everyone is tired of waiting for Kevin Jones, but RBs are a dime a dozen. The Bears don't need another Tulane RB; they already have one. That pick should be OL, DL, or S. Period.

Well, at least it's a logical take on things. Not very comforting, but logical.

And it appears to be unanimous. What in the world would his slow, plodding ass do behind this OL? Yikes. I can see a YPC in the mid one range. I move to never again talk about this on the Bears message board. Do I have a supporting vote?

Team MVP: Lance Briggs. Makes plays all over the field, shown leadership, helping as best he can where Urlacher is missing. Biggest Surprise: Johnny Knox. Everyone knew he could fly, but nobody expected this. Biggest Disappointment: OL. Their writeup: An offensive line that was expected to be significantly upgraded with the free-agent additions of Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale, and Kevin Shaffer could be worse than last year's unit based on its uneven performance in the first half of the season. Pace has been a bust at left tackle, Omilaye is a pure tackle who struggled at left guard before being replaced in Week Eight by Josh Beekman, and Shaffer has been a nonfactor. Player to Watch: Jay Cutler. Basically, the burden falls on his arm since the OL and the running game is nonexistent. Key to second half: Cutler needs to cut down on INTs, Forte & Olsen need to step up, and the defense needs to do a better job of getting to the quarterback. ------------------------ So, my questions about this article are as follows: A] If the OL is such a disappointment, why isn't their improvement a key to the second half? B] How much do these clowns get paid to write this obvious drivel?

Is that not also a coaching problem? A good coach would take a talented player and find ways to use him. A bad or average coach would simply use a player with talent. Sounds like the typical junk from this staff: square peg, round hole.

It's scary how much we agree on this issue. The only difference is I don't think ANYONE has sucked near as much as Omiyale. LG, Omiyale: F- LT, Pace: D RT, Williams: C- C, Kreutz: C RG, Garza: C+

Well, given that neither has been in a groove all season, I don't see the problem with the midseason swithch.

What sucks is that if he is cut, he'll just go somewhere else and turn back into the first rounder the Bears had a few years ago. What troubles me is the camera work on the play in question. On the first replay, Tommie was underneath the Cards' OLineman. Afterwards, however, all we see is Tommie on top landing the punch. What happened prior to that to enrage Tommie so much? NFL players, even crybabies, very rarely go for the sucker punch in the middle of the game, out in the open, with the refs nearby. I'm telling you all, something dirty spurred this.

I agree DBDB. Best game of the season. But that's still akin to a F student getting a C minus and being happy with it. The OL knew that they were passing the whole game, and there was only one thing to concentrate on. I have a feeling that if the blocking schemes got mixed up too much, and more runs were in there, we would have seen then stink up the joint more than they did as Forte would have been drilled over and over at the LOS.

We'll agree to disagree on this one. There is no way in hell that 99% of the players want to win more than they want to get paid. It's the same in the other major sports. That's why you always see the mega-rich allstars who have not won a championship take a late career, lesser deal (or ignore their team allegiance) on a different team in hopes of winning a championship. I'd say about 25% want to win more than they want the money, lifestyle, and fame. The 99% may have been true decades ago, but not in today's world where even the scrubs make 3 million a year. So what is easier for the modern, greedy athlete? 1) Make a ton of money and play for a less demanding coach who won't bust your balls 2) Make a ton of money and play for a more demanding coach who calls you out for not earning your millions Seems like #1 is the obvious answer to me.

Feels like this guy stole from my mind/blog/calendar/etc. My signature line has been this way since coming over to this board, partially because it's what I believe in, and partially because I felt the Bears have/had neglected this area of the team for some time. Nice to see everyone finally coming around to the reality of this concept. Without a sound OL, there is no way a team can properly and thoroughly evaluate skill players (e.g. QB, RB, WR, TE). There simply isn't enough time to make things happen, or to create the holes intended through play design. Let's hope that the Bears' front office realizes this and makes corrections in the offseason. Otherwise, Cutler will have a short career for the Bears.

Do you think that Lovie's "aw shucks" attitude has anything to do with that? I know most people would prefer a coach who is less demanding in training camp, and doesn't get on them as much. It's easier to be friends with a person like that, a boss like that.

I called for Martz before each of the last two seasons. He may not focus on the ground game as much as some would like, but the man knows offense, knows how to exploit other teams' defenses, and would be a DRASTIC improvement over Turner.

Completely disagree. If Lovie is fired, and he takes the cover-2 with him, then it's an improvement as long as the Bears don't hire an actual retard. The Bears need coaches who can change when needed, who can adjust to situation. Lovie and his cover-2 don't do that, and the system just doesn't work that well unless you have a team full of pro-bowlers like the Bears did a few years ago.