BearFan2000

Congrats on the engagement, I sure don't miss the wedding/honeymoon planning. We did most of the organizing, and decorating ourselves with the help of a few family and friends. I was up pretty much all night prior to the day of finishing up the slide show for the reception. By the time the day came we were exhausted but it made the wedding itself seem so easy and stress free.

Same here, Long is a fiery guy. It just got the best of him here. Even if it's for his own good it's hard for him to be patient and work his way back onto the field after that injury and the complications. Add in changing positions, and other personal issues. It just kinda reached a point where he acted out. Staff just needed to send a message so things don't get out of hand. I'd be more concerned if Long had a history of picking fights with teammates at practice. He's well liked and respected in the locker room. It's not like he's Kruetz the "enforcer." It may not have even been that big of a fight, might more be like a small skirmish at the end of a play that's quickly broken up.

I'm in. Should be a good fun challenge. Most leagues I've plaid in have been 10 team PPR with 15 man roster 9 starters 6 bench one flex spot on NFL.com. Is the scoring PPR or Standard? Email sent

I'm up for joining the free redraft league I'll post in the other thread on that topic. You can have dibs on the money league Pix. We are in the middle of buying stuff for a home remodel and I'm pretty much signing my checks away to Menard's lol. I think the wife would kill me if I joined a money league right now. Free I can afford.

I have to remind myself it is preseason game one. Not to get over excited about the good or too down about the bad. Offensively Glennon... um thought Jay was gone. He seriously looked shaky. Bad ball placement on most of his passes. Pick 6 on the first series then later a turnover on a bad snap (albeit that wasn't Glennon's fault) He looked like a career backup trying to be a starter. First team offense overall looked out of sync and sloppy. Line play wasn't very good especially run blocking. There were a few runs where there was daylight and our RB's would just plow into t the mass of bodies when they could have bounced it outside. Receivers dropping balls that should be caught, maybe they were surprised by a catchable ball. All in all the 1s on offense didn't look sharp, didn't improve much if any with Mr. Butt Fumle. Though he seemed to make better decisions than Glennon. Trubisky looked sharp from the get go. I know it's preseason but like others have said it's hard not to get a little excited about him. There definitely felt like a change in the attitude and moxy of the offense when he came in. He looked confident, and made it look effortless. I had the same thought as Bowlingtwig, that I made the comment while watching that it's been some time since we've seen a Bears QB look that good. his first three drives 50yds TD, 75 yds TD, and then the FG drive that was practically an extra point FG. He got a shot at regaining the lead with a 4th quarter drive under 2 min. Sure it was against 2nd and 3rd stringers but by the same token had he looked awful or pedestrian or say like Glennon against backups that would have been reason to be concerned. Things that jump out to me are of course the ball placement is amazing, the accuracy both from the pocket and on the run. He made it look effortless. The pocket presence something that you either have or you don't. He appears to have the ability to sense where the pressure will come from and and can either buy time to make a play or make a play with his feet. His deep ball does need a little work. I was glad to see there were no bad exchanges from under center. He had some fumbled snaps in practice. Where was Kevin White I know I saw someone wearing #11 but was he even targeted? I was hoping to see him at least somewhat involved. Shaheen and Cohen looked good too. Shaheen has good hand and quickness for his size, he could turn out to be a future starter. Cohen looks like a good elusive change of pace back/specialist kind of like a Sproles or Megget type. Dude is short but he has playmaking ability. Defense Wow, I expected a hit and miss showing with some sloppiness, but the tackling was crisp for a first preseason game. I think there was only a couple missed tackles that I remember seeing. Some really nice stops short of the sticks including a 4th down stop. No picks or turnovers but should have had 1 for sure it went through the DB's hands. Coverage was much better than it's been. Didn't get sloppy till the 4th quarter. The depth on our D has definitely improved to give up just 3 points and something 100 yards allowed through 3 quarters. Much of that yardage on Denver's lone scoring drive early in the first half. Would like to see some turnovers forced but for a a first preseason game It's a good showing and a good place to start. IF they get better from here and stay healthy this could be a dominant D that will keep us in game. Special teams Much improved both in the return game and the coverage game. I think that is due to the bottom end of the roster improving over previous seasons. Makes a huge difference when you can control field position.

What are the details on the league, like format, scoring, starting lineup/roster, entry fee etc. If there's an opening I could be interested, I haven't paid much attention to the Talkbears league. I run a small pot money league at work, and participate in a couple others.

I think he's referring to the Cutler trade where Angelo gave up 2 firsts. That would awesome and ironic. Turnabout's fair play. I had forgotten that Glennon's deal was a 3 year deal I was somehow thinking it was 2 years. Freeing up cap space for QB needy teams is a great bargaining position as there will be some teams that could find themselves in that spot. Miami could be one Jay's contract hit their cap hard with some key players that will be come FA after this season. There's even the midseason possibility should a teams starter go down and Glennon playing well and Trubisky is in a spot to take over.

I agree most of us were not thrilled with the draft at the time because it didn't go the way we'd thought it should go. It's why it got such bad press because it didn't go the way the "experts" thought it should. The trade thing is something we may never find out the truth about what phone conversations were made etc. We very well could have stayed at 3 and gotten Mitch, but Pace and the entire draft team had strong conviction on Trubisky made the move to ensure we got him. I know it would have taken a lot for some of the other teams but we've seen crazier things happen on draft night. At the end of the day if Trubisky turns out to be a stud, and the majority our draft class turns out good to great, no one will care how or why we drafted who. Time will tell. There's reason to be optimistic though. How awesome would it be if Trubisky turned out to be a stud for a decade or more. What would make that sweeter would be to see Aaron Rodgers retire and the packers struggle for the next 2 decades to find a competent QB. He has practically carried that team and their sub par D. Take him away and they are average at best. I for one am ready for the tide to turn and let their arrogant fan base suffer as we have.

What are some things you'll be looking for in tonight's game. Hard to believer the preseason is upon us and soon the regular season will be too. I'm hoping my local stations pick up the game. I don't get NFL network. My top item is one I'll have to wait for. I want to see how Trubisky does. I'll be watching how smooth the center QB exchange is and how well he's transitioning from primarily shot gun in college to being under center here. Also how smooth are his drops, his footwork, pocket presence, and accuracy both deep and short. After Mr Butt Fumble, he'll probably look like a breath of fresh air lol. Not sure how much he'll play before Shaw goes in. I'd give him plenty of burn. Kevin White, want to see what he has and can bring to the table after missing practically his first two seasons. He could be a sneaky breakout. He hasn't been on the field in game action much but he has had time to absorb the playbook, be in meetings, and learn the mental part of the game. I'm sure he's chomping at the bit to show he was worth a 7 overall pick in 2015. How well he translates the knowledge onto the playing field in live competition will be the key. First team defense secondary and the backup secondary. With all the shuffling and new faces it will be interesting to see if this area improved this offseason. On paper it should but want to see it play out. I feel like our D should be improved overall but the secondary is going to be the key. If our CB/NB/Safety play improves a lot (not that the bar there has been set too high), that really helps our front seven who should be a strength of this D as it is. Want to see how well Mike Glennon runs the #1 offense, it's opening night for his audition for a starting gig somewhere once Trubisky takes over. He's going to be pumped and will want to show well, and prove he's worth the money we're paying him as a rent-a-starter. I have a feeling he's going to look fine. Not sure where to set my expectations but, I'm cautiously optimistic about him and Trubisky. I will also be reminding myself this is preseason game 1. There will be a certain level of sloppiness expected, especially as players start to sub in. But it's still football, more importantly it's Bears football!

How much leverage would we have with teams knowing we don't likely see Glennon as the long term with Trubisky looking to likely take over after this season. However Glennon's contract past this season is pretty cheap we could do Glennon a solid and trade him to a team that is a good fit for him and get something back in return. It'll be interesting to see what trade options are available after the season is over. Now the other scenario is mid season some team's QB goes down and Glennon is on their radar and Trubisky could potentially be at a point to step in. Maybe that becomes a viable option and the return on Glennon would be higher at that point. I know the plan is to have redshirt Mitch this season. But things happen.

Thing about Glennon is that he could have been a victim of circumstance and timing. It was his gig till Lovie brought in McCown and when McCown got hurt Mike got a chance and played well at the end of the season. Then they draft Winston and it becomes Winston's gig. Not the best environment/situation for any young QB to thrive. It's made Glennon mentally tough learning to deal with personal adversity. My gut feeling is he's going to give it all he's got and embrace this opportunity this year. He knows his time in Chicago might be short if he wants to be a long term starter in the NFL. This is his opportunity to showcase that he belongs. If he does well this year and accomplishes that it will benefit him personally and the team. A good audition as a starter will land him a starting gig somewhere, and it will help us win games and not have to rush Mitch into the fire before he's ready. Could wind up being the win win that we saw as a possibility post draft that what if both turn out to be good starter quality QBs? On Trubisky's accuracy and work ethic we could potentially be on the verge of turning the corner at the QB position. How awesome and crazy would it be to be set at that position as being one of those teams who's QB will pick an opponent's D apart like a surgeon. Could we finally have a QB who has the full package? Not just the skills minus the brains, or the brains minus the skills but one who can run an NFL offense with precision? Course it's all speculation at this point but the are reasons to feel optimistic about the longterm potential. It's about time, we have suffered long enough.

Tough break... But we do have depth at the interior of the line. I know Whitehair did pretty darn good at center last year and you'd like to leave him there but one thing about this season concerning a shuffle in the interior of the line is this season we have 3 new QB so it's not like a long time QB/Center combo is getting disrupted. This does provide a good opportunity for Grasu to show what he's got. This all could work out well. And better to happen now than during the season, sucks for Kush, hoping for a full recovery.

It'll be interesting to see. Fantasy implications could mean those who stream defenses could see an uptick in starting whatever D is playing Miami that week. Does make one wonder about the fantasy implications of Miami's skill positions. I don't think it effects Ajayi much but could effect Landry, Parker, and Stills. It could hurt their value. But also could be a wash. Gase likes a run heavy offense and asks his QB's to be more game managers than play makers. The argument could be made that Gase's offense protected Jay from Jay. It suits Tannenhill fine because he's not that great. Jay has the talent and arm to be great but it's the brain farts that get in the way. Did read that Jay made the comment albeit likely jokingly about a QB not needing to be in great cardio shape to play. I am glad his ups and downs are no longer our concern.

"On the sideline: Fox told reporters Thursday that outside linebacker Pernell McPhee was placed on the physically unable to perform list late Wednesday night because a “little irregularity” was discovered in his right knee during a team physical. McPhee missed the first six games last season while recovering from surgery on his left knee. “He truly is day-to-day,” Fox said. “They’re still evaluating that and we’ll keep you posted as that moves forward. I don’t want to be too negative or positive with the idea that we don’t really know yet.” From an article On Kevin White that included updates on Kyle Long, and McPhee. They discovered the issue Wed likely after the presser. It seems like a bang bang deal where possibly after the presser they found out from the physicals that there was an issue with his knee. That said Bears staff hasn't always been transparent concerning player injuries/recovery progress in the past. This could have been optimism in the presser only to find out later that McPhee would have to be put on the PUP List. Either way, it's disappointing that for the second season McPhee has had to start camp on the list. Even worse for him and the team that it's the other knee. It sucks but it is what it is.

Sadly it could end his career. It is a shame the talent is there but if he can't get healthy and stay healthy. There's still a chance he can return so we'll see but it's not looking good. Two straight seasons starting camp on the PUP isn't a good sign.

McPhee again like last season starting training camp on the PUP list. SMH McPhee Pup List On the bright side however, White will not be limited in practice. Hope he finally stays healthy and we see what he can do. White

Neat story about a man who Freeman saw was in trouble and acted. Freeman saves a man's life

Good deal! Was starting to get a little concerned with camp coming up soon.

He truly comes across as a down to earth stand up guy. If he has success on this team and leads us to the promised land he will own this town. Cutler had every chance to be that guy, but inconsistent play and a personality that was frequently off putting and was at times hard to root for. Here to hoping the kid lives up to his potential and gives us a QB this city can be proud of. Lord knows it's been forever since we had that.

Very true, no matter how the CBA sets things up the Agents will always be negotiating terms. It was a good step made in the CBA to slot the Rookie contracts so you don't see astronomical rookie deals to the top end of the first round picks, and it has reduced the potential for holdouts. There's still been some holdouts over contract language and terms, but way better than it was. The article AZ54 linked tells me Trubisky is determined to be in camp on time just as he's been there for all the previous off season stuff. My question is though his intentions are to arrive at camp on time contract or not. Should the unexpected happen and a contract is not in hand by start of camp can he actually show up and participate? I don't recall a situation like that where a player participates in training camp without being under contract. Maybe a player can, but not sure if that would go against the CBA? But I don't anticipate this to happen. I'm betting that his word to his agent is to get it done.

You are correct, I must have missed seeing those signings in May. We were in full on vacation planning mode. Earlier this month we flew out to Portland, OR to visit my Brother & Sister in law. Didn't keep up with Bears news like I normally do. Anyway, glad to see we have 4 of 5 in the fold. Hopefully we get MT signed soon. With him I don't think it will be a problem.

Wanted to start a thread for updates on our draft pick signings. In past years we were quick to get all our picks signed. So far it seems we only have two of the 5 under contract. RB Tarik Cohen, and OL Jordan Morgan. That leaves Trubisky, Shaheen, and Jackson unsigned yet. Still time before camp and hoping these guys get signed soon. They've been at the offseason programs thus far so I'm not to concerned about them being under contract by training camp.

Just like a "news" article claiming anonymous sources. The writer could have surveyed all 31 other teams and just cherry picked ones that fit his narrative. Articles like this are simply low hanging fruit for lazy writers. It takes little work, talent, or skill to jump on a bandwagon of whichever way the wind is blowing at the moment. Paces's moves bucked conventional thought thus it's bad, wrong, and plain stupid. It being the Bears just makes it easier to pile on. Apart from the fan in me wanting us to win nothing would make me happier than to see this pan out and Pace having right to say I told you so. Course if it does succeed you'll see articles talking about how they knew i'd work all along.