BearFan2000

19-0 and a Super Bowl Championship! DaBears! But Seriously, it's is a tough call I honestly see us finishing below 500 somewhere around 5-11 to 7-9. Let's say in the middle of that thought 6-10. There's just not enough kool-aid in my fridge... or the store for that matter to make me think we are a 500 or better club. I just don't see it. I would love to be wrong. If my joke prediction comes true I will buy a stack of lottery tickets and seeing that my Birthday is right around Super Bowl Sunday that would be the best birthday present I've gotten ever.

I looked for decent pictures and ended up going with the most in focus pic of Haine I could get which was one taken as he was getting ready to huddle up. Now I have a template in Photoshop so all I have to do is drop in a player's picture. So If I could find a better pic of Hanie I'd swap it out. I agree I think Grossman is done in Chicago and as much as I like Rex, it's probably the best thing for him as an individual and for the Bears. A change of scenery could do Rex a world of good and in the right system and team he could flourish. I just don't ever see it happening here in Chicago. That bridge seems to be burnt beyond repair. the first five games of 06 were probably the best we've ever seen of Rex. But, while waiting for the season to start I was watching those games and to be honest the mistakes were there, the poor mechanics were there. He got away with it early in 06. Many were thinking Pro Bowl, and we finally have that franchise QB... But it caught up to him and those errors early materialized in turnover and the miscues became more obvious. From that point on Rex has been so focused on don't make a mistake, don't turn the ball over, don't screw up. I just think as far as his career with the Bears is concerned he's damaged goods and it's possible only a fresh start will allow him to mentally move on. As for Orton, I'm glad he's getting his chance. as it was pointed out in another thread, Rex's been handed the job for the last 3/4 seasons without really earning it. I think it's time Orton get a chance to show if he has in fact matured and developed beyond the QB we saw in 2005. What I wonder about is how much of this "manage the game" or "don't loose the game" or "don't turn the ball over" was more highly emphasized due to the competition at the position. Now that the competition is over will the play book be opened up more, or will they play not to loose on offense and pray the defense and special teams win games for them? Looking at our offense though, the idea of a competition is fundamentally flawed. It's like putting different used tires on a car with bad suspension and break problems in the dead of winter and trying to evaluate which set of tires is best. There's just two many pieces of the puzzle missing or damaged to determine which QB is the best fit. Which is why I think the staff is focussing on primarily on who is the safest. With Rex I think the risk in their minds is too high and that scares them. In effect they're trying to recreate what the team did in 2005 when Kyle was "managing" the game, and the defense was either winning games or holding off the opposition long enough for the offense to scrounge enough points to win. A conspiracy theorist can come to the conclusion that the pressure to start Kyle over Rex in order to avoid the talk that Rex was again handed the job was tremendous. Not wanting that type of publicity, the staff then holds a "competition" and have Kyle win said "competition" hoping that the fact that Rex didnt' win the battle would give legitimacy to their decision to start Kyle which they felt pressured to do so anyway. So in short the competition was merely a cover for handing the job to Kyle because they felt pressured to do so. I'm not one for conspiracies, but it's fun to play devils advocate sometimes. Do I think there was pressure to start Kyle and that to start Rex would likely bring criticism down on them by being accused of once again handing the job to Rex, competition or not? Yes, I do think so. Would it have been tough to say Rex won the competition even if he legitimately did outperform Kyle from the OTA's, mini-camps, training camp, practice, preseason, etc. Yes, I think it would be tough. As a fan I'm going to be rooting for Kyle to play well. I have to trust that the staff made the decision that was best for the team at this time and leave it at that.

I'm also glad this competition is over. I have been a Rex supporter but at the same time I felt that Orton deserved a true chance and sounds like he'll get that chance. I like Rex and he has all the tools to be a good NFL QB but lacks the tool chest to put them in. When he's got time he can carve up a defense but the word is out, rattle him and he will make a bad play. He showed improvement when he came back after being benched but... IMHO he's damaged goods now. He seems so afraid to make a mistake and over-thinks things especially under pressure. It's been pounded into his head "don't screw up, don't make a mistake, don't do this, don't do that, etc. Imagine stepping to the line and while you're trying to process and execute a play all these things are going through your mind and tell me that doesn't screw with your timing and execution. It's like he's forgotten how to just play the game, focus on your job, have fun and let the rest take care of itself. But when you're so preoccupied with not screwing up you often increase the likely hood you'll do just that, or you'll play it too safe. IMHO it's in his best interest to play somewhere else, I question whether he ever truly can succeed here in any capacity even close to what he was pre-Arizona game. Till he mentally moves on, his game will never recover. With Orton, something I know tend to forget is that in that 2005 season he was throwing the ball around pretty well and taking shots down the field and doing fairly well till that dreaded Cincy game where he had the turnover fest and threw 4 or 5 INT, and then the shackles were put on and the playbook was minimized. In some respects I don't think this coaching staff has ever really taken those shackles off and let him utilize the full playbook. Now that it seems he will be the starter will the coaching staff treat him like the Orton that played after the Cincy game in 2005 or will they remove the shackles and let him play with the full playbook.?

With our Offensive line being just that "offensive". What logic is there in keeping only two active QBs? My guess is Orton will be the starter, do they ship Grossman and keep the future HOF Hanie? or do they keep Rex, and pray that Hanie doesn't get snatched off the practice squad. I hope they keep all three that we have now. In fact the way our line protects the QB Hanie may be the only one with the mobility to survive.

Forte/Jones backfield comb might be one of the better ones we've had in recent memory. In two games as a rookie he's shown more hustle and intensity than Benson shown in his 3 years as a Bear. I was watching the KC game again and they brought up a good point. Forte hasn't been the spotlight, or coddled his whole career. What he's go he's worked for and earned. He's a hard worker and that's the type of back we need. So many of these primadonna players who think they're all that and full of themselves. Forte seems truly humble and down to earth. Jones comes across that way as well. I'm liking how the backfield is shaping up.

Had a few spare min and had some fun. Enjoy.

Where are his priorities.... JK As for Harrison and Davis, the character issues that hurt Harrison's stock in the draft have not been an issue thus far and it sounds like he's determined to put that all be hind him. Davis, I had no idea who he was till the draft. But we heard things about him in camp and now we're seeing it on the field. Between him, CLark, and Olson we have three quality TE's. That TD catch that he made one handed was a thing of beauty.

Nearly forgot about that but that's true it was the worst effort. McClown had practically thrown everyone under the bus and then got in and drove the bus. But if we're talking worst effort when they were actually trying, last night would be right up there. Watching the game it became clear to me that it won't matter who you have back there they better have the ambulance warmed up and ready for every offensive possession. I'm not sure if Grossman may not want the job. The collection of Turnstiles we have protecting our QB is a joke. I would think the pressure is on Jerry to get this fixed before someone gets killed or we wrap our QB in bubble wrap.

I actually watched this game and it was pretty entertaining. That fake field goal was dumb and what a sick play by marshall who was there in time to grab the pitch like he was the intended target. Didn't even have to slow down the older hit him in stride. LOL That was a nasty hit. The talk early on in the game about the comments that he made and they all took Moose's side and talked about how great he is... blah blah blah and what a great mentor he is..... When things are going well Moose puts the effort out and is a team player. But when things go bad he won't hesitate to throw teammates and coaches under the bus as an excuse for his poor play. Just wait when things go sour in Carolina we'll see Moose's true colors again.

My take on this at this point is if he's out 10-12 weeks that means since day 2 of training camp thru roughly week 9 of the Regular season at the earliest to start practicing again. That's if all goes according to plan. I don't think we should rush him back. Being cleared to practice doesn't equal game shape not to mention he'll be way behind the curve. If the season goes pear shaped and he's physically capable of playing I don't see a problem getting him some reps at the end of the season. Which at that point the season would be all about next year anyway. But if holding him out this season means he's healthy and 100% to start next year. Then that's the situation I'd favor. This does remind me a lot of the Columbo situation. Though Colombo did make it onto the playing field and got hurt in a game situation and not 2 days into training camp. Mark's injury was much more severe and serious than Chris' injury and surgery. Not that a herniated disc is anything to dismiss it was diagnosed as a one of the more minor/less invasive surgeries. The Bears keeping him on the 53 to me means that they believe/hope that he might be able late in the season. Here's another twist lets say for the sake of argument that somehow the offensive line plays much better this year with the guys we have or with someone who comes available that we pick up. I think that buys us time to let him heal fully. And if this happens that will likely mean that the Offense will have a chance to be ok.

By the time he retires as a guaranteed 1st ballot HOF QB he will put up numbers that will make Favre soil his Depends. A new category of greatnes will be created to give Hanie his proper due as by this time he will hold every QB record and award possible and even some new ones created just for him. Special rules will be created just to even the playing field. Heck he'll be so good John Madden will forget who Brett Favre is. .................And then I woke up

The term I keep coming back to is glutton for punishment. This guy helps too

completely agree. Have we forgotten how long it took us to find/develope one of the better CB tandems? How many rejects have we lined up a CB who got burned more often than my toast in the morning. Looking at that list, my first thought is complete rebuild. Trading away that many talented players on defense (mannings aside) Even if we could scrounge some OL depth and possibly a decent line. We'd be left with a team that has a decent line, depleated defense full of backups at critical positions, and somewhat mediocre tallent at the offensive skill positions (skill being used lightly here). At this point the true strength of this team is Defense and special teams. If we can field an average offense we may have a chance. It's like a dog with two bones. The dog walks up to the water and sees his reflection he has a bone in his mouth but wants the one he sees in the reflection so he drops the one he has to grab the other one and now he's got nothing. I just don't want to see us weaken a strength just to try and plug a leaking bucket that is our offense.

LMAO sucks to be him. That's even dumber than Angelo drafting him. In effect he basically passed on his 14th round pick. I will say I've never played fantasy football but, I do admit one of these times I might try it out. It sounds like a blast.

I agree also, what more does he need to do to show that he's a keeper. Other than more reps there's little point in risking further injury. Let the hammy rest and give other guys more looks.

My thoughts exactly, at the end of the day we can finger-point who is worse, who's at fault, and reason it out any way we like to support our opinion, but the fact remains it's happening and it shouldn't be. Rex, Kyle, and Griese all have fumbled snaps while playing with Kruetz. If the center tends to throw the ball back and release to his blocking assignment too soon it can cause a fumble. If the QB closes his hands too quickly, the ball will hit the back of his hand rather than his palm. It's unfair to blanket statement say it's Rex's fault, it's Orton's fault, it's Greise's fault, or it's Olin's fault. Getting the snap from center is one of the most fundamental aspects of the game. This should not be an issue at the pro level. Whatever the issue is it must stop now.

I don't see how Booker doesn't make the roster. IMO one of the most important skills of a WR is running good routes which means getting a good break off the LOS and being where he's supposed to be, when he's supposed to be there. If you have a bunch of receivers who don't run good routes it's it makes it difficult for a QB to successfully make his reads in a timely manner. The whole thing is based on timing, and a QB in the NFL has a limited amount of time to find an open guy. Different receivers will be open at different stages of the play but if they aren't where there supposed to be it throws the timing. The teams in this league that have effective passing games are stocked with guys who run good clean and precise routes. I'm stoked about tomorrows game for several reasons... 1. Bears Football season is finally here, thank God I've been passing the time watching Youtube practice videos and DVD's of the 2006 season. 2. I'm anxious to see Kyle and Rex play in a game situation even if it is preseason 3. I'm anxious to see how the WR's look 4. I'm anxious to see how the OL looks. Can the open holes? Can they protect the QB? 5. I'm anxious to see Forte, Wolfe, and AP, etc. 6. Did I mention I'm glad it's football season again?

If this is the case the flip side is that it will likely not be the starting defense for the Chiefs either. It's possible that to be fair the coaching staff may retain the starting OL for both Orton and Rex. I have a feeling the WR's will rotate throughout the game as our WR corp looks like a list of backups anyway.

I'm lucky as my local CBS station will be carrying the game. I'll be recording it on DVD with my standalone DVD recorder and also on my Mac using an HDTV tuner.

apparently Brett Favre will be reinstated tomorrow and is in camp and will compete for the starting job with Rodgers. LOL Rodgers can't catch a break. Finally gets a chance to be the man and now he has to beat out a HOF QB. "hello bench and clipboard my old friends." It's been amusing to watch this play out. Not be a conspiracy theorist but what if the "open competition" could this be just a PR move and in their minds they want Rodgers to be the starter and win that competition. However, lets say that's the case, imagine the public perception here. Wouldn't the press and the fans alike see right through that? Could they realistically convince the fans and the media that Rodgers could beat out Favre in a fair and open competition. Either way I don't really care and I find it amusing. Watching him screw with the Packers is great. If the Packers do infact have a slightly rigged "open competition" by starting Rodgers. They might get lynched. If they allow him to win it screws the plans thay had set in motion once Brett retired and he may be past the point in his career where he actually could lead them to a championship. It's put the Packers between a rock and a hard place, and I"m loving every minute of it. LOL

As we all know or at least are convinced Jerry let the wrong RB go after the 2006 Super Bowl run. Benson didn't pan out in 2007 and ended up injured. The run game was non-existent last year. In 2006 we enjoyed a 1-2 punch of Jones and Benson. IMHO Benson's only good season in chicago. Entering the Draft we had Benson, Wolfe, and AP. Not long after drafting Forte Benson is let go. Leaving us with Forte expected to be the feature back along with AP as backup and Wolfe in spot duty. Then comes the signing of Kevin Jones at a very reasonable one year deal. Let's suppose for a moment that Jones and Forte become a 1-2 punch that's as good or better than the Jones/Benson one we had in 2006 season. Jones will no doubt be looking for a more long term deal and if he proves he's back he would deserve it. The more I think about it, this could present Jerry Angelo a second chance to make the right decision and give Jones the extension and we would have a good 1-2 punch for several years. Both Backs are young and could really solidify the backfield. It may even help people forget about Jerry cutting the wrong back after the 2006 season.

I would put my money on the first scenario. I've yet to see enough from him to think of his a #1 let alone an elite #1. The league is full of dam fine #1 receivers and to consider him in the elite category at WR to me is still a stretch even for wishful thinking. I do however think he can make an impact and be a very good #2 or #3 WR. It takes guys who played the position in High School and College a few years to come into their own in the NFL Hester's first taste of WR came last year in spot duty. I just don't see him all of a sudden being one of the best in the business at a position that he's transitioning into. But if I'm wrong no humble pie would taste better.

This part of the article makes me happy about the job Jerry Angelo is doing. When you stop and think about it he's got the core of this team signed long term. That's how you build continuity and that leads to success. I have a feeling that now that all the business deals are done and all that's left now is to get out there and play football. The team collectively should have a chip on their shoulder from the way last season went down and should be focused on bouncing back and showing are better than last season's dreadful 7-9 disappointment. GO BEARS!!! BEAR DOWN!!!

I was just thinking the same thing.

So he's an accomplished WR and doesn't need more reps by attending training camp. I don't like this one at all. Yes he's probably underpaid for what he provides with ST but he's yet to prove that he can be a top WR. We all know what he brings on special teams. Holding out is not the way to go here. If he wants to be paid top WR money then he needs to earn that. He does deserve more than he's getting but I don't doubt Jerry will reward him. IMHO get your arse in camp prove you can play WR then let your agent deal with the contract negotiations.