BearFan2000

What I thought I heard was that his position is that if after this season they don't rework his contract he will ask for a trade. Urlacher was seeking one more year and some additional up front guaranteed money in the form of a signing bonus if memory serves correct. I don't recall Urlacher laying down an ultimatum of you do it or else I demand a trade. For Briggs this isn't the first time he's he's tried to to force a deal for more money. it does strike me as a player who is doing this mostly out of greed. I think he's being really childish about this. As good as he is it sure helps him to have #54 next to him. It's hard for me to sympathize with millionaires crying because they want more when they make more in one season than most of us will see our entire working life. So my take is shut up and play.

Just some random thoughts on the game - Cutler again looked comfortable and his mechanics and decision making was good only really rushed one throw, and the pick was not his fault. I've been pretty pleased with Jay's performance thus far. - Roy Williams... the pick was your fault 100% the ball hit you in the hands and was picked off A couple nice catches but you have got to catch the ball in traffic and especially if it hits you in the hands. - I'm a little concerned about Gould's inconsistency this preseason, not sure how much of this is Maynard no longer being the holder but this has to get tightened up. It was nice to see him come back and hit on the 52 yarder and was 2 of 3 on the night but his miss on the 29 yarder was his fourth of the preseason though one of those 4 would have been a personal long which had the distance but was a bit wide. We know he's got the leg as the 52 yarder had room to spare. Perhaps he's just a little rusty or off and is working on getting his mojo back. But we need him to be accurate especially given our offensive problems in the red zone. - Forte for the first time got more work tonight and took advantage ran hard and ran well, 67 yards in 2 quarters and one series on pace for a 100 yard game had he played all game. He looked sharp. I think he deserves to be paid and I don't doubt that he will get paid, if he doesn't bad on the Bears. - WR's did cut down on some of the drops though Hester had a couple big drops that he should have caught, one in particular was eerily similar to the Roy Williams tip interception. Bennett was money every time Cutler even said that he always feels good when Bennett is in the game. Knox did well but needs to take better care of the ball that fumble on the kick return was not forced it just squirted out but it was a heads up play to stay with it and swat the ball out of bounds to maintain possession. Sanzenbacher played well had one drop that he should have caught was back on returns but didn't have much opportunity with returnable balls. Unlike last week in the hurry up he caught the ball and got out of bounds after securing the first down rather than staying in bounds. I think he makes the roster. - Barber ran well till he got that calf injury hopefully its not too serious it may be more precautionary that they took him out I think he has little more to prove he will be the #2 back. Bye bye C. Taylor, you will be packing Bell will be the #3 back. I like Bell he's got a similar skill set like Forte, good runner hits the hole fast has some make ya miss, and has good hands out of the backfield. Combined with Barber's reckless abandon I like our backs going in and I think the line does a decent job run blocking. - The officials seem intent to do little to protect our QB's, this is something that irks me a little, several times cutler was hit or taken down well after the throw right in front of the back judge and no flag. Later in the 4th Haine is horse-collared right in front of the ref and no call instead of a 25 yard penalty and an automatic first down which would have helped us get closer to field goal range we get a sack and it kills the drive with time running out. I think the Bears should say something to the league about this I'm sick of watching our QB's take unnecessary abuse after throwing the ball, it doesn't get called as often as it should which only encourages defenders to keep doing it. - Dez Clark I seriously hope its not serious but my hunch is it is serious and he took a helmet right to the knee and was carted off. Which sucks for him because I really felt he had a chance to be a part of the offense this season after being virtually a forgotten man. Either way I wish him the best he's been one of the good guys and a favorite of mine over the years. - Defense, nice to see consistent penetration and being quick off the snap we got held a lot in this game, I think Okoye has established himself in that 5th DT spot on the roster it's nice to see something positive out of the #91 jersey lol. I hope Harrison is gone this guy has done nothing that I can see worth keeping. Golston hasn't done much either wouldn't be surprised to see him gone too. As far as the unit as a whole goes I think they did pretty well they lost contain on some of the run plays, and Major Wright had a week to average game I was hoping he would step up and play better than he did. Coverage was ok with a few really good plays in coverage. Run D was fairly solid aside from some lapses in contain and some bad tackling at times. Tenn is a good run blocking offensive line but they were running with their 3rd string RB. - Offensive line played pretty well again tonight, for the most part Cutler had time to throw, Haine had time to throw early in his stint but as the backups started to filter in the line got pretty sketchy. Spencer played with the second unit and had an unnecessary holding penalty on a screen play. We still struggle to run screens our line doesn't do a very good job getting out in front, the first team line did do better than the backups but still our screens rarely look pretty. On a side note good job on blitz pickups by the backs, TE's and fullbacks I like seeing blitzers get stoned at the point of impact and that buys the QB that extra split second to find an open man. - turnovers Haine did some good things but did have the one QB brain fart out there not seeing his WR (Sanzenbacher I believe) cut inside and threw into double or triple coverage on a horrible throw which then got returned for a 90+ yard gimme pick 6. Hester had a ball bounce off his hands that nearly got picked, we had an opportunity on Tenn's lone TD drive a drive that also included trapped catch (which was why they went no huddle). That would have been a better one to throw the challenge flag on than the sideline catch by Knox. But hindsight's 20/20. - all in all The starters played well, offense and defense. We do need to tighten down the red zone offense we had a missed field goal, and had the Haine pick 6 in the red zone, we did get the Forte TD run which was good to see. We had fewer red zone opportunities this game then the giants game where we had 5 red zone opportunities and came away with a pair of FG's. We need to be scoring TD's once we get inside the 20

I too am glad to see and hope that they stick to their guns on the best player playing. If that's Roy, great start him, it's Knox great start him. I think what a lot of us are worried about since signing of R. Williams he's given reasons to not be hopeful both in preparation and performance. What worries us is that he'd be given the top spot regardless because of who he is and his connection in the past to Drake and Martz. But if he's slacking and not performing well, and Knox who put up good numbers last season is out playing him in practice and preseason then Knox should start. So far the staff has given lip service to the idea of the best man plays. I hope they keep their word on that.

Agree I think he seems more focused and on a mission coming into this season, while he may deny it you can bet the end of last season is motivation to him to prove people wrong about him and this team. I was pleased to see him come into cap in shape, and in better overall shape. I felt he was a bit heavy (now I'm not a light guy either lol so no throwing stones in glass houses). It's good to see him making the extra effort to put himself in a better position to play better, his weight along with that he ran practices in the extended off-season as well as focusing on tightening up his footwork. I like seeing a player dedicating himself to improvement. Unlike guys like Harrison who showed up overweight or Roy Williams that showed up out of shape.

Good points, I can always pick up a D and a kicker to cover the bye week. So maybe 4 RB, 4 WR, 3 QB, 2 TE, 1 K, 1 D. Or even 2 QB, 5 WR, 5 RB, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D. I'm still figuring out what number I want to shoot for for each position. I know that each draft is unique and really the flow of the draft will determine the order. If there is a run on QB's I may nab one earlier, same with RB's, or WR, etc. The flow of the draft I think will determine my order of players picked. So at this point it's only a guess. The only priority I know right now is starting RB, QB, and WR early part of draft, mid part of draft backups and second third string RB/WR/QB and my TE's, Last part of draft D and final pick Kicker. Definitely versatile backs who can catch well out of the backfield are better values than straight runners. Guys who split carries and only run between the 10s and don't really catch the ball much are the ones I'll pass on. Backs like Bush and Forte who are involved in the passing game are the type that I will target. There sure is a lot to take in and I know I'll learn a lot this season. Should be fun and looking forward to getting the fantasy season going.

Things that jumped out at me. offense line play was much better, once spencer is up to speed put him in at C and move Garza back to Guard. Carimi did a good job holding his own, Web was ok, Louis is the weakest link. I agree with the assesment that the Martz offensive system can be tailored to the players we have the early/mid season overhaul after the bye week showed that Martz can adapt the system to what we have to play with. We don't have the line to consistently allow for deep drops... ok so I see us continue with 3-5 step drops and quicker throws with the occasional deep drop. I think that as the line gels and develops it may be serviceable. We were able to move the ball between the 20's all night it seemed but bogged down in the red zone. Drops and poor red zone execution have a big hand in this. This is something that needs to be cleaned up for the regular season. we cannot play games only walking away with 3 or nothing on long drives. It's demoralizing to a team (and fans) to drive the length of the field and come away with virtually nothing. WR's way too many drops nuf said. Defense.... um where were you last night? I know most of the points were scored against the scrubs but it was also scrubbs on their offense. I'm not worried about the D at this point I think they will be fine but they definitely took the day off which I know it's preseason but still should play hard. Special teams weren't too special last night.

That does help and the RB's splitting carries and even duties does muddy the waters most teams are doing this now so perhaps WR is going to start edging out RB as far as fantasy value. Right now I'm doing a lot of research, and listening to all kind of podcasts, watching injuries, holdouts, signings, bye weeks, etc. Just soaking in as much info as I can to be as informed as I can heading up to the draft in a couple weeks. I plan on doing lots of mock drafts with the same number of teams in the league I'm joining to get used to the mechanics, and drafting from different spots since our draft order hasn't been set yet. Above all I look forward to having some fun and not trying to get too overwhelmed at trying to know everything right now. I've kind of settled on a 15 man roster breakdown of the following which would double up on QB, TE, K, and Def. And would give me the flexibility to start either 3 RB or 3 WR in any given week. With one more RB than WR to start with. The fun thing will be fine tuning the roster over the season via trades, waivers, FA etc. 2 QB 4 RB 3 WR 2 TE 2 K 2 Def and a rough draft order of this. Rd 1 RB Rd 2 RB Rd 3 QB Rd 4 WR Rd 5 WR Rd 6 RB Rd 7 TE Rd 8 WR Rd 9 RB Rd 10 TE Rd 11 WR Rd 12 Def Rd 13 Def Rd 14 K Rd 15 K

I think this is the right place to post this. A group of 10 people at work are going to be doing fantasy football. we'll have 2 divisions of 5 teams each, a playoff of 4 teams in weeks 15/16. Rosters will be 15 players so a 15 round draft. I will be a redraft league so we won't have keepers. Starting roster and roster limits will be. Quarterback:1 Running Back:2 Wide Receiver:2 Tight End:1 Wide Receiver / Running Back:1 Kicker:1 Defensive Team:1 Bench:6 Legue rules Max Adds per SeasonNo Maximum Max Adds per WeekNo Maximum Max Trades per SeasonNo Maximum Trade Review TypeLeague Votes (by team owners) Trade Reject Time2 days Trade DeadlineNovember 25, 2011 Waiver Period1 day Waiver TypeResets Every Tuesday to Inverse Order of Standings Waiver Lock TypeWaivers on Drop and Lock Post Draft PlayersFollow Waiver Rules Roster Lock TypeGame Time Start of SeasonWeek 1 Scoring Offense Passing Completions:1 point Incomplete Passes:-1 point Passing Yards:1 point per 25 yards Passing Touchdowns:4 points Interceptions Thrown:-2 points Every Time Sacked:-1 point Rushing Yards:1 point per 10 yards Rushing Touchdowns:6 points Receptions:1 point Receiving Yards:1 point per 10 yards Receiving Touchdowns:6 points Kickoff and Punt Return Yards:1 point per 25 yards Kickoff and Punt Return Touchdowns:5 points Fumble Recovered for TD:6 points Fumbles Lost:-2 points 2-Point Conversions:2 points Kicking PAT Made:1 point PAT Missed:-1 point FG Made 0-19:3 points FG Made 20-29:3 points FG Made 30-39:3 points FG Made 40-49:3 points FG Made 50+:5 points Defense / Special Teams Sacks:1 point Interceptions:2 points Fumbles Recovered:2 points Fumbles Forced:2 points Safeties:2 points Touchdowns:6 points Blocked Kicks:2 points Kickoff and Punt Return Touchdowns:6 points Points Allowed 0:10 points Points Allowed 1-6:7 points Points Allowed 7-13:4 points Points Allowed 14-20:1 point Points Allowed 21-27:0 points Points Allowed 28-34:-1 point Points Allowed 35+:-4 points Being a first time fantasy player I'm trying to cram to learn strategies, who to draft how many of which position, when to draft which positions. Our draft will be an online live draft a week before the start of the season. I've done a couple mock drafts will probably do more of them. I know I need to be aware of bye weeks and not pick starters who share the same bye week. But some things I see is a lot of mocks I rarely see anyone draft more than one defense but wouldn't you have one week out of the season that your one D would net you nothing because of bye or is that not a big enough worry to warrant a second draft spot. From what I'm gathering go RB early then QB/WR then TE, D, and last pick a kicker. Roster settings above and the points what would be some advice on strategy. Things I should avoid doing.

sadly Haine could out play Enderle and still wind up #3. Everyone in Bears nation knew last season especially after that carolina game where collins did all he could to earn MVP honors for the Panthers by trying to give them the game. That Haine should have been the #2 all season last year and Collins should have been the "Oh Crap!" emergency QB and only allowed to hand the ball off. Yet even after this wonderfully odious performance Collins remained the #2 guy. Who else said "we're doomed" when Cutler was done and in came Collins in the title game. Who knows had Haine stepped in to start the second half rather than wasting several offensive possessions out of stubbornness before it became obvious nothing good was going to happen with Collins in there. Once could argue we may have had a better chance of pulling that game out. It's stuff like that that makes me think that no matter how good Haine plays this preseason, and no matter how crappy Enderle plays. Enderle will be the #2 guy. They were high on Enderle in the draft and they will try to keep nailing jello to the wall till it's beyond obvious that it won't stay up there. The sad part of this really is with the sieve of an OL that we have Cutler's always one play away from IR. When you have a franchise QB as your number 1 and your offensive line is this bad, you should have an outstanding plan B. Problem is we don't seem as worried as we we should (coaching and FO wise) about who our #2 guy He's one play away from being the #1.

why not just forgo the kickoff and start each possession at the 20 No Fun League strikes again

touche

Born and raised in the small town of Bremen, in northern Indiana that most people haven't heard of even those from Indiana but it's just South of Notre Dame country. Been a fan of Chicago sports and Notre Dame (football team should be good this year).

Isn't running behind our first string line like running behind most teams second or third string line?

"these are our lights and we like our lights, we know there's always room for improvement, we can always coach better and the lights can always shine brighter. I think they will be ready for the season"

signed a 5 year deal with the Eagles

yeah that was sad the way Hilgy went out and Kruetz has had a good long career here in Chicago, and a good guy as well and loyal as he has in past years taken less money to stay in Chicago and he has anchored the OL here for many years it will be odd not seeing him out there but wether he retires, re-signs with us, or he signs somewhere else I wish him the best. My pref of course would be that if he doesn't resign he retires a Bear. I wouldn't mind him being a position coach here.

One draft pick to go and that's Gabe Carimi hopefully he gets signed today along with some OL signings.

This! this is exactly what I was thinking once I heard we might lose him. Is he on his last leg of his career, yes. I say he's got 2 maybe 3 years left. But I think what gets lost is what you just pointed out. Kruetz has his responsibilities as the center, but he also has had to or felt he has to assist the guy to his left or right or both when they are not doing their job. Let's face it he's not lining up between two pro bowlers but rather guys who would be backups on most teams.

I too was not exactly pleased to hear we signed him but a lot of that has to do with his being an arse clown at times. Celebrating a routine first down when your team is being blown out, running his mouth in the media, etc. But what he does bring is size, speed, and ability we lack at WR. He hasn't produced as well recently but I do agree that being familiar with Martz system and having thrived in it is a positive, he will draw more defensive attention because of who he is he's not a receiver that defensive coordinators will opt to ignore or leave single covered or even roam free. His presence on the field should help Knox, Bennet, Hester, et all. He will fight for the ball, that has been one of my pet peeves about so many "WR"s we have shuffled through here. If you can't catch the ball don't quit on the play make sure if you can't catch it no one can. Honestly this is a mixed bag, I'm going to reserve judgment till I see how this plays out on the field.

in some ways it's like buying a pack of old football cards at a card show hoping to find a high dollar rookie card. I agree nearly all these guys are not going to be on the final roster, part of the reason we're seeing so many added is the 90 player TC roster over last years 80. Out of these UDFA if we find 2 or 3 that can make the roster with potential to at some point provide solid depth, or even crack the starting lineup like an Alex Linnenkohl or a Dane Sanzenbacher. UDFA doesn't mean they are crap. There are guys who do slip through the cracks that can turn out to be solid players. Maybe not stars. Some players may be very good but just never played on a team with a lot of media exposure so they are less known. That's not to say there aren't an awful lot of these guys who will never play a down because they just aren't good enough to play at the pro level. I actually like that we are signing quite a few of these guys the more you look at the better the odds of finding a keeper or two which is all I think we'll find is maybe one, two, or three that might make the final roster. Mostly these are just warm bodies for camp.

The FO could have cancer and decline to pay for chemo but instead opt for a bottle of aspirin.

Second that. That would make my day. He'd be a huge upgrade for sure.

I'd pass as well how many times have we picked someone up who had a breakout year only to take up a rosterspot here doing nothing. no thanks. We don't need to get older on D we need to get younger anyway

Same here didn't really visit the board for most of the lockout and mostly avoided following the news on it as it seemed the same thing every day bickering between millionaires and billionaires while I continue to try to make ends meet. But I am glad we will have football and this is going to be one crazy week or two getting the ball rolling. Once the preseason begins and the more distance we put between the lockout the more things will be back to normal. We're all itching for some football.

This has been a bears reciever trademark for years. If you can't make the catch you better darn well make sure no one else does. yet our recievers give up on the play if they can't make the catch.